Finally, the dust that had hung suspended over the battlefield itself, and over their hopes, was beginning to settle. Remnants of the fallen lay scattered across the field as Davian's forces were forced to retreat, wounded soldiers groaning as they were picked up from where they'd fallen while once-bright banners of Galarcia became flattened in the mud. Now the sun set over that castle, casting its reddish glow over the stone walls like painting the ground red with the blood that had splashed that day.
Chris and I stood panting while Tomas came up to us. There were new lines of exhaustion on his face, dark shadow round his eyes, but at the corner of the mouth, a small grim smile pulled.
"It is done, for now," he said, his voice heavy. The rest of Davian's men are in retreat. Word has spread among them that reinforcements are unlikely to arrive from Galarcia. Their morale has cracked.
Chris nodded, but his face was stretched tight with wariness. "For now," he said softly, his eyes moving to where Davian sat, tied up, and within the sights of our soldiers. His face, once set in defiance, now held a quiet resignation. I could feel a tremor of the betrayal he'd unleashed deep in my bones.
Chris lightly touched my shoulder. "Let's go inside, Chloe. You need rest.".
But sleep seemed as elusive as peace itself, and I shook my head. "I have to speak to him."
Tomas hesitated. "Are you sure? Everything he's done?"
"Yes." My voice was tight with resolve. I needed answers—more than I could quite bear to admit. Davian's betrayal had broken a bond over far more personal than strategy or loyalty; he had been like family.
Chris nodded mutely, a silent understanding between us. "We go in together."
We walked toward the holding place where Davian was to be confined. He raised his gaze at my approach, his face impassive, but something cracked within those eyes: perhaps it was regret. Or perhaps it was only the last shiver of defiance.
"Chloe, Chris," he greeted, his voice a soft rasp.
I swallowed hard, trying to keep my voice even. "Why, Davian? Why betray us, betray everything we've fought for?"
Laughed, a sharp, hollow sound. "Don't you?" His eyes turned sharp and a spark flared in his face. "Celavia is weak. All of you are so blinded by loyalty and honor that you can't see the kingdom drowning in its own weight. Galarcia offers strength and vision and a future free of the same futile sacrifices.".
My jaw clenched. "You sold out your people for what? Power? Safety? You knew what would happen to Celavia."
"And I knew what would happen to me if I stayed," Davian said flatly, his face hardening. "I am not the only one who saw our kingdom as vulnerable. I simply took the only route that would keep me alive.".
Chris stepped forward, his eyes a storm of fury. "There were other ways. You chose the path that gave you power at the cost of everybody else."
Davian laughed at this hollowly, shaking his head. "Call it what you will. Soon, Celavia will be pushed to either bend to Galarcia or break. You may have won the day, but the war is far from over.".
He spoke, words heavy and ominous, hanging there between us in silence. Part of me wanted to pity him, another part nothing but cold resolve. "You are mistaken," I said quietly. "Celavia will stand, not due to strength or power but because of its people. And they won't betray each other like you have.".
Chris pulled me back, leaving Davian to his sulking isolation, the weight of it all hanging over me as we walked back through the great halls of the castle-now crowded with injured soldiers, weary faces, and the silent hum of healers hunched over young patients.
Overnight, it seemed, the castle itself had changed overnight, but now it was a recovery house for men and women who risked everything to protect their home. A nurse went by laden with her arms of bandages while Tomas barked quiet orders at a few of the remaining scouts, sending them out to patrol the borders.
Finally, Chris and I found ourselves in a small, quiet room off the main hall. My body slumped into my chair as I felt the exhaustion build up in my system. He took the seat across from me, his eyes concerningly watching over me.
"I still don't get it," I whispered more to myself than to him. "He was one of us."
Chris leaned in, his hand over mine. "Some men are driven by fear, others by ambition. Davian fell to both." His voice was steady, calm, the way he always was when he tried to anchor me.
I looked down at our joined hands, soothing myself in the warmth of his touch. "You don't really think it's over?
He hesitated, then shook his head. "No. Galarcia will seek revenge, and what Davian's done has left us open to danger more than ever. We've just pushed the threat back, but it's still out there.".
A shiver of fear ran down my spine. I knew he was right. Today's victory had only postponed the inevitable. The real challenge lay ahead. If Galarcia avenged with full strength, then we would have to collect allies or see everything we struggled for get ruined.
Tomas slid in quietly, his face pinched, exhausted. "I hate to intrude on this, but we've had word from our scouts up along the northern border."
He looked at both of us for a moment, a flicker of unease on his face. "They've spotted another force."
"Galarcian?" Chris snapped.
Tomas shook his head. "No. They bear the colors of Arkenvale.
But the name sent shivers through my soul. Arkenvale was small but hearty, far to the north, and known as independent and unmoved to any other kingdom's claims. And now they marched southward. that was. unusual.
Chris furrowed his brow. "Do we know what they want?"
"They've sent a messenger ahead to request an audience with you, Chris. Apparently their leader wishes to discuss an alliance.".
An alliance. The word was strange, almost laughable, after everything we had been through. But it also left a glimmer of hope.
Chris stood up, the lines in his body hardening with determination. "Then we go meet them. If Arkenvale will stand with us, it could be the difference in this war.".
Sitting up, a new resolve coalesced in my heart. We were battered, exhausted, but not defeated. Not yet. We would face whatever lay ahead, side by side, just as we had from the start.
And we walked towards the council hall, meeting face-to-face with a messenger from Arkenvale, me with a fresh resolve. Whatever Galarcia and Davian prepared, whatever treachery lay ahead for us, we would stand tall-for the kingdom, for the people, for each other.
The battle was far from over-but so was our will to fight.