Daven V

"There they are!" The boy scowled. "They've got Larbert pinned against the back of the farmhouse."

"I s-see them well, thank you lad. We'll take care of it from here."

The boy nodded fiercely and ran behind the wooden fence that bordered his farm, where he could safely watch the confrontation from a distance. Daven had to commend him for his quick thinking. If the boy hadn't run to come get him, he never would have known about what was happening on the farm. A shame that this was happening right under my nose, with me none the wiser. Time to put an end to this. Daven motioned for his armed escort to follow him, then briskly jogged down the muddy farm path. Eight of Daven's most trusted soldiers followed behind him in a semicircle, their steel spears primed for action.

Larbert was slumped against the building, whimpering in pain with his hands raised protectively over his head. The giant man's trousers and tunic were covered in mud from falling onto the ground, and his face was bruised and bloody. Two rangers were beating him mercilessly, kicking and punching the helpless farmer. Daven's blood boiled with anger when he caught sight of the action. He quickly surveyed the rest of the scene before advancing further. A few scared faces peeked out of the farmhouse shutters, probably the other farmers that lived in the communal building. Their storage silo was being ransacked of its supplies and their livestock were getting dragged away, but there was little any of them could do. Five rangers were carrying sacks of grain and vegetables onto the back of an open carriage, while three others were rounding up the goats and hogs. Daven saw that their equus and megaloceros were already being led away to the Lookout Keep, the perpetrators far in the distance already.

Daven drew in a breath and shouted at the top of his lungs. "S-stop this at once!"

A few of the soldiers glanced at him and paused cautiously. More than a few grabbed their weapons instinctively. In response, Daven's own soldiers advanced a few paces, their spears lowered. He held up a hand for them to stay back. The rangers outnumbered Daven's group and any skirmish would lead to bloodshed.

"The army's matters are none of your concern," said one of the rangers who had previously been beating Larbert. He was a large bald man with hard, steely eyes. One of Skylar's closest followers.

"I'm the Lord of the Lookout K-keep. Anything that happens on these l-lands involves me."

The soldiers scowled and gripped their weapons tighter. The bald man gave Larbert one last kick for good measure, then turned to stare Daven down. All around him, the soldiers tensed up. The pressure was unbearable as each side eyed the other, waiting for one wrong move to spring into action.

From beside the wagon came a new voice. "He's quite right, Lewis. Lord Daven does rule the Lookout Keep and he has every right to step in." Skylar rested a hand on the bald man's shoulder and smiled to disarm the tension. "Let me take it from here."

"Skylar. Is this y-your doing?"

The Head Ranger's smile faded a bit. "Come this way Daven. We can talk this out peacefully in private, no need for anybody else to get involved."

Daven hesitated glancing at his armed escort. He nodded at Eryk, his right hand man, to let him know everything would be alright. Daven's soldiers all stayed put, lowering their weapons just a fraction. The other side did the same. Daven followed Skylar to the wagon. The rangers let him pass peacefully. A few of them went back to dragging more supplies out of the silo, though they kept their distance from the wagon on Skylar's orders.

When they were out of earshot, the Head Ranger retrieved a wineskin from the cart and offered it to Daven. "Care for a drink?"

"I'm fine."

Skylar shrugged, tilted his head back, and gulped down some wine. He wiped the faint juices off his chin, then turned back to Daven. "You don't need to worry about any of this. Just leave it to me. I'll get our militia sorted out."

"N-nothing about this seems right to me. Why are y-you raiding these poor farmers?"

Skyler's eyes darkened. "They're dodging the draft. Not to mention hoarding food."

Daven frowned. "We were b-both there at Otto and Jeyne's wedding. He made it c-clear that anybody who didn't want to fight wouldn't be forced into the army. Besides, we already have a thousand four hundred soldiers, with more signing up every day. We outnumber the enemy."

Skylar laughed. "Well as you know, times have changed." When he saw the look of confusion on Daven's face he elaborated. "You didn't read the mail that arrived this morning?"

"Not yet. I was a bit busy. Why?"

"The Angels that Otto sent out weeks ago just returned. Lily and some others flew reconnaissance over Cerulean Falls. They counted three separate camps around the castle, each with a different banner."

"W-what does this have to do with forcing Larbert into the army?" Daven asked.

"You remember what Joseph reported about the Protectors' army structure?"

"They're organized into f-f-five armies, each with a thousand m-men."

"Exactly. We always thought we would only have to fight one army." Skylar took another swig of wine. "Now there's three."

Daven gaped at Skylar. "I-impossible. That's three thousand enemy soldiers!"

Skylar wiped his mouth. "Well I doubt they sent all their forces from the three armies. But at the very least, there's more than we bargained for. Maybe two thousand or more."

Daven was starting to panic. "W-what can we even do? The Northern Coalition can only just barely field that many. And that's if everyone in fighting shape joins the army."

"And that brings us back to right here, right now." Skylar smiled dryly. "You see why this is necessary?"

Daven had to grudgingly admit that he understood now. They were already at a disadvantage to begin with, but Daven always thought that the north's surplus of soldiers would balance out the enemy's superior training. With equal numbers on both sides, they would need a miracle to win. And that was if they could even summon enough soldiers to match the Protectors' invasion force. A census of the Northern Coalition filed a few weeks ago had revealed a combined population of around 4500, just over 3000 of which were able-bodied adults. . . and only 1400 of those had signed up for the army.

Skylar was right. Maybe this wasn't the way to go about it, but he was right. Without more volunteers signing up to the army, they would get crushed on the field. And if the army was defeated, then the whole north would suffer the consequences of rebellion. Daven reluctantly admitted to himself that they needed more manpower. Right now, there just wasn't enough to resist an invasion. Especially with the news that three of the Protectors' armies were being assembled, not just one.

"You're right," Daven said. "We need more soldiers. But it should still be their choice."

"Right then," Skylar said. "How about we go ask Larbert over there?"

The farmer had shakily gotten to his feet, but pressed his back against the wall and cowered again when Skylar walked over. "Now that you've had some time to think, what do you say?"

"F-fine! I'll join. Just leave me alone."

Daven frowned. He was about to offer Larbert a way out, but stopped himself. We need every single soldier we can muster. I'm sorry to do this to Larbert, but we could use a man of his size and strength in the army. So he kept his mouth shut, even though he hated doing it to the poor farmer. It's all for the safety of the north, Daven told himself over and over again.

After the incident was avoided, Daven reluctantly allowed the rangers to continue on their recruitment campaign across the farmland surrounding the Lookout Keep. However, he was able to get them to stop hauling away their livelihoods. At the moment, there was already plenty of supplies being committed to the army. Daven already spent a lot of time managing the resources from the Lookout Keep, and he would only start taking supplies from their reserves if it was absolutely necessary. Recruitment was another matter entirely. Daven tried to make it less forceful than the way the rangers were currently going about it. He suggested offering incentives to joining the army, like larger rations, access to newer clothes, and other little things. Skylar agreed to his terms, and the two groups went on their way.

Over the next few days, Daven watched with dread as the war took its toll on the Lookout Keep. Many men and women were actually eager for battle. They viewed it as an adventure, where they could earn glory and make names for themselves. Of course, the details that Daven had recently learned were confidential. None of them knew the sudden developments of the Protectors' army swelling in size. None of them knew the danger the north was actually in. So they went on every night, drinking and feasting and laughing with one another. All of them eagerly clamouring to be sent to the frontlines.

The Northern Coalition's defense strategy was to hold a defensive front along their southernmost borders and stop the Protectors from ever crossing onto friendly soil. The southern tribe leaders had identified good hills and valleys to set up a defensive border and currently all members of the Coalition were shipping soldiers out to the border, to aid their southern neighbours in holding the front. Over the past few weeks, at least a third of the Lookout Hill's garrison had left. The soldiers were seated on wagons and shipped out by the dozen, with all their gear and supplies and mounts. Daven felt less secure with all the manpower of the Lookout Keep slipping away, but he knew it was necessary. The border was where the invaders would strike. They needed to reinforce it as much as possible. Dig in and prepare for the worst. With defenders advantage and increased recruitment, they just might stand a chance.

So day by day, Daven watched as more wagons rolled out the gate and down south. As he watched the carriages take off, he looked at the people being carried off to the front lines. He observed their faces, their expressions, their emotions. All of them seemed nervous, but some were excited and eager to prove themselves, whereas others seemed absolutely terrified, clutching their spears and packs with icy white fingers. When Daven caught sight of Larbert hunched over on the wagon, trembling in fear, he wondered just how many of those soldiers were being sent to the front because of him.

Author's Note:

Bladerunner24k, Me too :)

Caleb R. Watson, You bring up a lot of good points so I'm curious to see your reaction to how everything plays out. Some things may turn out as predicted, others may not, and that's all I can really say without spoiling anything. And don't worry - I have other exciting plans for once I finish this story. More details in the final chapter (off quite a few months in the distance, rest assured).

DinoNerd89, Thanks! I'm glad you can see Arlyns perspective :) And as mentioned above, don't worry there's more to come later.

Girlbook, That's very true. I tried to make it a point that in such a harsh environment something like this would be inevitable!

Thunder, Good catch. Shoulda been "true" not "tree". I fixed it.

UnknownAvacado, Haha I'm glad. He's one of my favorites too!

1895newhanover, I'm really glad you enjoyed. Looking forward to hearing more reviews!

Thanks for taking the time to check out my work, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Feel free to comment, ask questions, or criticize my story, review is always welcome! If you liked what you saw, make sure to check out the other ARK stories on this site! Have a great day!