Night engulfed the lands of Valkenheim, the light pattern of the snowfall being but a mild irritation- an annoyance to their travels. Still, their raid had brought a victory; another well earned battle for the Blackstone Legion. Whilst her loyal followers geared up the materials and burned the buildings down, the warlord focused her attention on the crunching of snow that was idly approaching her. The footsteps were light, and she could almost mistake the sound for someone walking a few feet away. But she knew only of one who walked this cautiously.
"You fought well, Blackstone." She praised, not even bothering to look over her shoulder. Frost- her most trusted peacekeeper next to Mercy and, secretly, her lover, stood next to Apollyon, gazing to the horizon much like she did.
"I would have done better, had the temperatures not dropped so drastically." Apollyon gave a hum, tilting her head to the side.
"You're right. You would have." She agreed, letting silence engulf the two. Their first meeting had been... special. Something the warlord would always keep in memory. That of an unspoken truce, a promise. An oath. One she, surprisingly, valued deeply.
The silence was broken by the peacekeeper's tired voice.
"Why light the buildings on fire? It can be seen from a mile away, reinforcements won't take long before they arrive." She informed, glancing up at the much taller and better armored woman. Apollyon gave the faintest of hums at that, barely audible and easily mistaken for not having been there at all.
"Hmm. They will, won't they?" She asked, raising a hand and clasping it on the peacekeeper's shoulder.
"And what do you think will happen once the word will spread about an important fortress of theirs being destroyed?" Frost frowned underneath her mask, yet answered nonetheless.
"They will argue over who's fault it was. They may even attack both us and the samurai if they don't fight amongst themselves first." A small chuckle, almost inaudible, escaped from underneath the warlord's helmet, her breath taking shape of white mist when it escaped through the holes of the metal.
"Spot on, Blackstone. It seems you learn quite easily. But you have left out one crucial detail, dear."
"And that is?"
"The vikings are strong, but they lack in brains. If we are to leave a flag or two of an allied clan on what used to be their allies' grounds..." she paused, glancing down at the smaller woman. Frost huffed out a breath through her nose, looking back to the horizon.
"... Then they will quarrel. The blame will be tossed back and forth between two that were once one. And then our goal will be complete." Continued Apollyon, removing her hand from Frost's shoulder and letting it grip the handle of the resting greatsword. Frost looked down at the snow covered ground, deciding that this conversation had gone on for long enough. After a moment, she looked back up and nodded, reaching up to fix her shoulder plate back in place, and to make sure that it would stay together until the quartermaster would be able to fix it. Damn raiders and their axes.
"Thank you for this audience, master. I will be by the encampment should you ever need me." Apollyon didn't respond. Instead, she kept gazing to the horizon. She was quick to break the silence before her secret lover even stepped a foot to turn.
"Do you know how to difference predators from prey, Frost?" She asked. Apollyon could feel a smirk tug at the corners of her dry, scarred lips, which she wet before speaking, once the peacekeeper looked over her shoulder.
"You can't, of course. Not unless you see them in war. There are those rare few, however, that you can easily distinguish from a simple glance. Much like you, Blackstone." Frost paused, looking up at Apollyon, her aura radiating with confusion. But when the warlord said nothing else, the peacekeeper took this as her que to leave.
"... I see. I will be by our tent, if you ever find need of me, master."
Apollyon watched as the peacekeeper turned around and left, leaving behind prints within the snow.
After all, if there are wolves among them all, should they not be set free?