Erisdar woke up in his bed. It had been so long since he'd been back, he had forgotten how nice it was to actually sleep in a mattress, with a roof over his head. Slowly, he sat up, pulling the heavy blanket off of himself. He swung his legs off the side, and went to stand up, but then he saw them: scales. Memories flooded back to him from the night before. Pain. Agony. Sorrow. They were gone. Destroyed by the people who he now serves. He stared down at the pair of scales that lay on his side table, and sighed. He had work to do. A business to run. A world to change. A brother to…

He pushed that thought out of his mind. He was a Templar General. He had power, authority. He could command armies to do things and they did. He was the second most powerful person in this entire building, just under Kalnaroth, so why did he feel so powerless all of the sudden? He was alone. For the first time in his life, he was truly, completely alone. His parents were dead, his brother had disowned him, and he had no one else to turn to. Standing up, he walked over to his desk, where a small stack of papers had appeared during the night. Pushing aside the historical books, he began to pull from the stack and glance through, signing at the bottom. Weapon acquisition requests, material transport forms, prisoner transfers… execution orders? Reading it over, he saw that there was an execution scheduled for today. It wasn't a name he recognized, but that didn't matter. Reading over the paper, he looked for the charges. There were none. Sighing, he set the paper back down on the other side of the stack without signing it. Standing up, he walked over to the window, where it was still raining out. Rain was common in the area, and usually persisted for several days, so it was no surprise that the sky was dark and dreary. Reaching over, he picked up his armor, donning it quickly. He had things to do today other than look at paperwork.

He left his chambers to see "General Kalnaroth." Erisdar saluted him as he walked past.

"General Erisdar. I heard you were unsuccessful in convincing your brother to join us."

"Unfortunately. He will come around. Just give me-"

"No." Kalnaroth held out several papers for Erisdar to take. "You have new orders from Grand Templar Brahn himself. You are to leave tomorrow to lead the assault on Edinmire. You will travel to Durlon to deal with a loose end, and lead a contingent of four thousand south. Valinos will be sending a force of ten thousand east. You will join with the main body of soldiers and lead them, and you will meet several other commanders along the way there. If all goes well, you will have twenty thousand soldiers to take the city. Our last assault failed. This one will not."

"Edinmire managed to hold off the might of the Templars?"

"Only because they were not alone. A garrison of Basitin soldiers has fortified the city, led by King Jade Adelaide herself. Brahn wants her taken alive, as well as the Duke, and the former Grand Templar, who has taken to undermining our work. The rest of the city is of no concern, flatten it if you must."

"I will begin preparations as soon as I have had something to eat."

"Good. Congratulations. If all goes well, you may find yourself on the front lines more often. A final test of loyalty. Sirus told me that you have paid your debt. I look forward to the day when you lead us to victory." With that, Kalnaroth marched away, leaving Erisdar stunned. He had never commanded so many before, and to lead a siege… this was a great honor indeed. But then his mind turned to his side table, where a worn out bow and a couple of old scales rested. He felt his heart being pulled in two directions. Eris sighed, and put the matter aside, walking toward the kitchen.

…

Barret had seen guards take away and bring back so many other Ishtaer. Most were malnourished, some had shackles, others wore collars, and a handful were branded. Howling screams echoed through the stone halls, jerking him from his stupor. There was nothing for him to do, so he sat, wishing he could sit with her. She did the same, sitting there, drawn from her exhaustion by the noise. They waited for someone to come collect them, and they eventually heard the heavy tromping of boots, though they did not stop in front of their cells. They walked past, several rooms down, and they heard the voice of an older Ishtaer. "No. Please no! I beg of you, I'll do anything! Please just spare me!"

"You have outlived your usefulness." a deep voice said, carrying power and authority. "Why should we waste our resources on someone who cannot contribute any more?" The man was short and stocky, with a heavy chestplate and half helm on his head. "Take him away."

"No! Please!" The Ishtaer howled and cried as they dragged him through the jail, his cries for mercy falling on deaf ears. As they left the prison, whispers ran up and down.

"What's happening?" Haelith asked, looking around.

"We're going to have a new jail-mate soon." the woman on Barret's left said. "He has outlived his purpose. They are going to dispose of him."

"Kill him?!" Barret said with disbelief.

"Oh, yes. This will happen to everyone in here. It's only a matter of time." Haelith backed away from the door, covering her mouth as tears formed. Barret felt his rage building up.

"Then we're going to get out of here. All of us."

"Yes. When they send us to our ancestors, we will finally be free." she said, her voice heavy.

"There has to be a way!"

"No. Many have tried. There is no way out!" the woman said sternly. Barret shouted in anger, kicking the wooden cot. He paced back and forth, his mind racing, trying to find a way out. But as he did, the sound of drums came up from below, and someone shouted. Bounding over to the tiny window, Barret tried to look down, only to find he couldn't see anything worth seeing. But it was what he heard that made his stomach turn. A wicked swish, followed by the sickening squelch of metal cleaving flesh, and then silence. "It is done. They will find someone to take his place soon, just like the residents of your new homes. Give it a week, and we will see a new face." Barret sank down onto the cot, wishing to unhear what he had heard. The last time that he heard that sound…. Across the hall, Haelith walked over and reached out her arm as far as she could. Barret slid over to the door, and likewise reached across. They couldn't quite reach, but just knowing that they tried was enough.

"Barret?" He didn't say anything back to her for a while, and eventually their arms grew tired, and they pulled them back to their side, sitting silently. A while later, they brought food to the prisoners, though Barret didn't eat. His stomach turned and twisted inside of him, the horror growing all to real. His will was beginning to break. He could feel it. He didn't say anything for the rest of the day. No one else came through, and as the sky grew dark, Haelith returned to her cot and rolled over to sleep. The night went on and the prison grew dark as the thunder rolled outside, but Barret stayed where he sat on the floor.

He had no one. He was alone. His mom was killed in front of him. His dad died in his arms. His brother turned against him. Trace and Flora were on the other side of the world with Keith, Natani and Zen. They wouldn't even begin to worry for two months, if they were even still alive. Raine had fled into the night. He had no one else. He was alone.

He leaned his head back against the stone, and looked over. I'm not alone. I have her. Haelith had fallen asleep a while ago, as had most of the other prisoners. "I love you." He whispered into the night. "I wish I could have told you sooner. I wish I had the courage to say this to your face. I wish we could have had more time together, to be free together, to enjoy our lives together. I will try to find a way out of here, and when we are free I will tell you everything. I love you with all of my heart. I would give anything to see you smile one more time. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, just trying to make you smile. I would go to the ends of the earth for you if it made you happy. If you asked me for the stars, I would give you the moon too because I love you so much. I would ask you to marry me, to start a family with me. But I know that will never happen. And I'm sorry. I made mistakes, got us trapped, and doomed us to die alone together. It's all my fault. And I'm so sorry. If I had just let him go, we could have run away, we could have been free. But I was a fool. I knew he wouldn't turn back, and I still went after him. And I got us into this mess. And I'm sorry." He stood up and walked over to his own bed, looking back to her. "I'm sorry… for everything. I wish I had the courage to say this to you for real. But no amount of magic would help with that." With the weight of the world on his shoulders, Barret fell onto the plank that was his bed, and let himself fall into a dreamless sleep.

…

He had taken his glaive down to get is sharpened, collected several maps of the area, found some books on tactics, and had retreated to his room. He poured over the books endlessly, but to no avail. He perceived the maps, he saw the words, he read them, but nothing came of it. His attention wandered, and though he tried, he could not make his mind focus. Closing the large book with a heavy thud, he sighed and turned to the window. The sky was growing dark in the evening, and rain pattered on the window as it had all day. Many often complained about the noise of the rain, but Eris always enjoyed it. It reminded him of when he was young, when he would lay beneath the trees and in tents, listening to the water roll down around him. And yet, it did not bring him comfort today.

He turned away from the window back to the desk. It was a mess of paper and quills, some ink to the side, a few small trinkets he had picked up during his travels, and a dagger with a whetstone next to it. He had spilled so much coffee on the wood that it was stained in some areas, and there were dents where he had walked into it or hit it with a chair. The desk was much like Barret, he realized, a mess on the surface, with stains that run deep, wounds that would never go away, but it wasn't broken. It was perfect. Just under the mess was what some might find dull or plain, but to those who knew what he had gone through, his brother was stronger than anyone could imagine. Eris scowled, wishing that he had the same strength.

For the first time in seven years, he felt powerless. He felt weak. He felt pain. But it was not pain like he knew. It was not the pain of a dagger cut or a stubbed claw. It was a pain of the heart, and not a dull ache, but like a sharp jab, like someone held his heart against a blade. Barret held a secret from him, the biggest secret. And yet, as much as that hurt, he could forgive Barret. He thought about what he had done for so long and wondered if Barret would do the same for him. He was a hunter of his own kind, a traitor to blood. He brought his own brother in. The pain turned to anger, and he suddenly reached for the dagger that lay on his desk, and hurled it at the door with all his might, snarling as he did. With a loud thud, it stuck into the door, and he fell back to the chair in anguish.

His anger was not abated. The pain was not gone. He wished for nothing more than to do back and change everything. He wished he could go and change the past, to spend more time with Barret, to try and run with him. But the past was set in stone. It could not be undone. And tears rolled down his face as he sank deep into the chair, his body shuddering as he cried. The pain was overwhelming. He was a liar. He was a deceiver. He was a murderer. He was a monster. He would never be forgiven.

Time passed, though how much he didn't know. Hours seemed like minutes, and minutes seemed like years. Eventually the tears stopped, and he lay his face in his hands. There was a knock on the door, and he wiped the tears from his face. "Come in."

"Anger issues?" Aezr chuckled as he walked in, pulling the dagger from the door.

"Something like that. I'm shocked you're still here."

"The storm is pretty rough when you don't have a roof over your head. I won't stick around too much longer. I did hear that you're leavin' too."

"I'm to take command of the assault of Edinmire. There's a lot to go over, and it's rather overwhelming."

The old fox set the dagger on the desk, smirking. "Take it one step at a time. You can't lay a trap if you start with the blade."

"Never heard that before." Erisdar smiled. "But that does make sense."

"You sure you're alright? Yer eyes are red."

Erisdar cursed and turned away. "I'm fine. I just… I've been thinking pretty hard about what I've done. Everything I've done has lead to this moment. And I'm not sure if it was worth it."

Aezr scowled, but shrugged. "Eh, who knows? My suggestion? Go clear yer head. Grab yer bow an' go kill someone. Always helps me. Anyways, happy huntin'." Aezr staggered his way out the door, giving a small salute as he left. The Hunter kept his eyes locked on Erisdar until the door was closed. Eris leaned forward with a sigh, and looked down at the many maps in front of him, his heart suddenly torn. My mind is clear. My heart is what troubles me. He needed sleep. He needed to think. But most important of all, he needed to decide.

…

It itched every time. Slowly, the tail, then the ears, then the arms and legs. Her body cracked and popped as her joints shifted, the transformation nearly perfect. It took a lot of effort, but she had managed to shift from human to Keidran fully again. This time, it took way more out of her than it did in Valinos. She looked at the fortress, which had been quiet after the drums during the morning. She knew what to do. She held the scales close, and steeled her resolve. She would be in there in the morning. It would be getting back out that would be the issue.