After the battle ended, General Khalifa and Meliesse were finally able to breathe. General Khalifa's tactic had worked, and the enemy had retreated for the night. However, she knew, alongside Majeed and Meliesse, that if they didn't act soon, Bintan would fall.
Meliesse walked towards the general, who was in a small house that was half destroyed. The men had just put out the fire, but the house was still standing. The general didn't want to return to the Jasim mansion, so she remained there instead. Meliesse looked at the tired general and asked, "Any news?"
The general shook her head.
"Then we must assume that they failed," Meliesse said.
Majeed looked at both women in confusion. "Are you telling me that the battles in Amresh and Sworis ended in just a day, and you failed to take both of them? Do you know how much it took for me to betray my family and join hands with you, and now you're telling me you're going to lose the entire war?" Majeed raged.
"Calm down, Majeed. We've not lost anything yet. Moreover, we will receive orders from Hadia soon. Lord Burak will send us his next plan," General Khalifa replied.
"Plan?" Majeed asked incredulously. "What we need is reinforcements, not plans! We will die soon without reinforcements."
"We will continue to hold out. We can still survive two more assaults," General Khalifa said.
"Two more?" Majeed scoffed. "We barely lasted the last time, and you're telling me we can go through that two more times? The city will be breached the next time they attack."
"And we will repel them," General Khalifa said firmly. "What we won't do is leave the city undefended. I would think that since this is your city, you would want to hold on a little longer."
"This is indeed my city, and that is why I suggest we surrender," Majeed said.
"Surrender? Never. That will never happen. Besides, Hammed will never let us surrender. He will destroy the city anyway. Hammed and his men are born and trained for this. They enjoy seeing the cities they attack burn. If you surrender, he will kill you and destroy the city. If Jai wanted to preserve Bintan, he wouldn't have sent Hammed—he would have sent General Kasim."
"I don't care. I'll take my chances," Majeed said.
He was about to leave when General Khalifa drew her spear. The man with Majeed also drew his sword, ready to confront the general.
"Put down your weapons, both of you," Meliesse said. "There's no point in fighting."
General Khalifa reluctantly withdrew her weapon, and Majeed's guard did the same. Once everyone was calm, Meliesse spoke.
"General, Lord Majeed is right. We cannot allow ourselves to die defending a city that is probably lost. I think it's best if we surrender the city quietly. That being said, the reason we took Bintan was for its resources, so I think with what we've taken to Hadia, we should have enough to prepare to defend it. This city is lost. Let's surrender to General Hammed."
"And how do you plan on convincing him to stop attacking?" General Khalifa asked.
"Hammed is a practical person, and he also realizes you don't have many options left. He won't be convinced easily. The best you can do is show him there's no point in this endless fight—or better still, show his men. My men have shown their prowess in the field during the last attack. We can show them what will happen if they refuse our proposal. They might win, but more would die."
"That's a nice plan. If we can make his men see that fighting will only cause more deaths, then he would be reluctant to fight with his men having low morale. Are you willing to try that, Lord Majeed?"
"Yes," Majeed said. "I will save this city." He left the room.
Once he left, General Khalifa spoke. "He really loves this city, doesn't he?"
"It seems he does," Meliesse said. "Too bad."
"Are the men ready to leave?" Meliesse asked.
"Once I give the order, we return to Hadia."
"Good. I'm tired of this godforsaken place anyway," Meliesse said. "I still can't believe they lost without putting up much of a fight. Do you think Lord Burak will surrender?"
"I don't know. You know him better than I do. Do you think he will surrender?"
"No," Khalifa said. "He would probably fight till his last breath."
"That might be a problem," Meliesse thought aloud. "It seems Jai is going to come out as the victor here. It's only a matter of time. We need to switch our alliance to the prince instead. His campaign for the throne is more legitimate and much more convenient than that of a servant pretending to fight for his king. I wonder what he will say to that," Meliesse thought.
She looked at General Khalifa. The general was strong and very powerful. She had the respect and fear of both her enemies and her allies. It would be a great boon for the young prince to have a powerful ally like her.
"I have a proposal for you, General," Meliesse said.
"What is it? Don't tell me you plan on betraying us. We are yet to defeat that Jai and restore the order he broke," General Khalifa said.
"Oh, righteous now, are you?" Meliesse asked. "We both know you're enjoying the conflict. You do a bad job hiding it."
General Khalifa shrugged. "It seems nothing can hide from your gaze, Lady Meliesse. So what if I enjoy a little chaos every now and then? Is it a problem for you?"
"No, not in the slightest. I just want to give you an opportunity."
"What opportunity?" the general asked.
"An opportunity to enjoy the conflict longer. Hadia will fall, and Jai will win. But what if I told you the conflict is not yet over and there is another player on the board? One whose path leads to the conflict you desire, and also a bit of righteousness too, to help sell your pretense."
"Oh, now I'm curious. Who exactly is this person?" the general asked.
"It's the prince. He's alive," Meliesse said.