A change of pace with the canon laden chapters of late. While chapter 14 will be based on canon, we are going to be moving away from it now. Enjoy this little detour:

Letters Home:

To the Honorable Lady Panache Fure Kalgi, Knight Commander of The Rose Order:

My Dearest Sister:

I am not sure why I am writing this. Maybe that I am starting to believe it when they tell us we'll go home someday. On the other hand, I'm not sure that father would want to hear from me right now. This isn't exactly the glorious homecoming he expected. I know he thought this would be so easy. To be fair so did I. We were the greatest army ever assembled by the greatest empire the world had ever known, of course, it was going to be easy. We would win in a week and send home wagons of gold, slaves, and riches and the girls eager to fall into our arms and all the natives in awe of us.

We lost before we ever got here. That's the truth. We were like country peasants going to the capital to show how worldly we were. These people aren't like the Empire and it is probably a good thing. They could have easily killed all of us if they wanted. I'm still not completely sure why they didn't.

Maybe now might be a good time to tell you about where I am. We call this place 'Hardy's Hole'. It's an island that's all one big smoldering volcano. The guards call this place 'Camp Charon'. I asked one of the guards who Charon was and he told me that Charon ferries the souls of the dead into Hardy's realm. For some reason, they call her 'Hades'. I think they don't know the gods like we do. There is a priest here. (They call him a chaplain) But his god seems a little odd. He's hard to describe. The best I can compare is if grandfather were a god. He gets disappointed when you break his rules but still looks after everyone. At least that's what they say. But they've got other gods that don't seem to have anything to do with him. I think the gods left here a long time ago and so everyone just has stories about the gods. Maybe they're lucky that way.

Anyway, we live in huts assigned according to rank. I'm the lowest ranking of twelve officers assigned to our hut. For a prison, it's actually pretty comfortable. If my cot isn't exactly up to mother's standards, it is still much better than lying on the floor. There is no bath, but there is a shower. Warm water is a privilege. Privileges are granted based on behavior rather than rank: military or social. Likewise, food is plentiful if not epicurean. On the other hand, not even the lowliest has ever been made to eat molded, rotten, or spoiled food.

Viscount Maio started a riot when he had a rumor spread that these 'Americans' (Most of the guards are from a place called America. The rest are from Japan. Japan is the country we attacked. It's like if barbarians had attacked the Kingdom of the Elbe, not even knowing the Empire was right there.) Anyway, that the Americans were serving dead demi-humans as food. A couple guards were hurt and so were several prisoners. I don't think the Viscount expected the guards to use lightning to stun rioting prisoners.

He also didn't expect Colonel Masters to track it back to him. Colonel Masters runs the camp. She's like you I think. Not someone I would want to make angry. Two days after the riot, Colonel Masters had the entire camp assemble and I don't know how but she cast Viscount Maio's voice for everyone to hear, saying how stupid non-humans were and hoping that the riot would kill a lot of both guards and demi-humans. The guards had to keep the non-humans from rioting again and attacking the rest of us and Maio was put in 'solitary confinement' That's basically more like a normal prison cell, 'for his own safety', they called it. Colonel Masters summoned him to her office just before and those who saw him afterward said they had never seen him so pale.

But back to what my day is like here. They go to great lengths to make sure we occupy our time. They have taught us some of their games and organize huts or groups of huts into teams. Volleyball is popular. It's a game of two sides punching a large ball over a 'net' and keeping it up until it goes to the other team's territory. It's harder than it sounds but I'm actually pretty good at it according to the guards. The guards said they would like to teach us another game called 'baseball' but they can't because of security. Apparently, it involves two teams and one team are given clubs while the other team throws balls at them. I'd rather be holding the club I think.

They have classrooms to teach us their languages. The Americans speak a variant of the High Tongue. Japanese is much different though. The letters are different from anything I've ever seen except maybe Elven.

There is a small shop to buy luxuries like the paper and the ink I am using. We earn the money by volunteering for work details. Don't worry, it's nothing dangerous. They say they have laws about how they can treat prisoners. Seems like a hassle but I'm not going to complain.

A few weeks ago they shipped in more prisoners. Have they really taken Alnus Hill? It's a silly question since I've talked to soldiers that were there. 'Shipped' might not be the right word for it. For the first time, I got to see how I got here from the outside. They actually fly a giant mechanical dragon and the people are inside it! Probably why they blindfolded us for the trip. Had I known I probably would have been in a panic. Not like you. I'll bet you would have loved it.

From what the newcomers tell me, we've now lost the better part of 300,000 men. I'm going to say something. Father would call it cowardice but we can't fight this enemy. We'll lose everything if we try. Please don't think me a coward. I'm not afraid of dying but I don't want to die for nothing and more importantly, I wake up in cold sweats having nightmares about the Emperor ordering you into battle and you riding your favorite horse, Imperator into battle with the rest of the Order. It always ends the same: I get there after the battle to find you all dead. I'm scared of that more than anything else Panache!

As I said, I'm expecting father won't understand. He was hoping this campaign would give him something to pretend to be proud of. So he could swap lies with his old friends from his old campaigns and ask which of their daughters were ready to be married without being too embarrassed in front of his friends. Well, I'm not dead. I think that puts me ahead in the competition now.

I'm sorry if I sound bitter but all I want is to see all of you safe and I don't care about honors and triumphs. I miss you.

I hope I will be able to send this letter someday and that it finds you well.

With love, Tiberius.