Author Note: I apologize for this being late. We recently suffered two very unexpected deaths in the family, back to back. Things are back to normal and I will be adding chapters more regularly.

Days passed in a blur; mourning the loss of a son was something Roland had never thought would be part of his future and he certainly did not expect to be at war with a childhood friend. No one had seen the fatal shot fired but it had definitely been fired from within castle grounds, this was what troubled him the most. He tried to remain stoic and strong, fulfilling the role of a leader, but Roland just felt empty.

Miranda had been a good pillar of support for Amber, even though she herself was suffering the loss, helping her make the last images of James fade when she closed her eyes. Similarly, Cedric had been steadfast by Sofia's side and Roland was genuinely thankful in spite of his previous reservations.

Magnus, in his initial communication to Roland, asked for the immediate surrender of the royal family; if they did not comply, he promised armies as far as the eye could see. It broke Roland's heart. After receiving the notice Roland had no time to grieve, he had to put his emotions on hold for the good of his people and his kingdom.

Men were gathered, as many as the village could spare, but Roland and his advisory council had no idea what they were truly up against. They had never seen a need to amass an army, let alone a reserve of men to draw from. They were unprepared and the latest intel from area scouts suggested that village boarders would be breached before the end of the day.

The world was falling apart around Roland and in some ways he didn't care. Voices echoed around him but the only sound that he heard was the replaying of Amber's scream. Her scream had transformed into his own agony; a silent and desperate cry from within.

When he wasn't hearing Amber's scream he was busy asking himself why someone he knew for so long do this to him, to his family. Jealousy? Anger? Why? For what? What did Enchancia have that Rudistan did not? Admittedly, Rudistan had greater riches, so how could this be happening? He couldn't focus long enough to find an answer before the screams returned.

In the end it didn't matter, no matter how hard they would try, this was a losing battle.