Their blades moved slowly and carefully in wide arcs. They had yet to try sparring, but neither seemed too keen to start. Keiren watched in the early morning light with a cup of coffee in his hands, leaning on the side of a window on the second floor of his house. Every spare room was taken, as Trace wanted to spend as much time down in Edinmire as possible the past four days, and most of his friends joined him. The Ishtaer refugees had recovered, and many of them were taking up arms to join the soldiers of Edinmire, which he was extremely grateful for. Barret had explained their magic to him, and while he didn't understand some of it, he at least understood that they did not need any mana crystals, which was a major advantage given their current situation. "They're back at it again, eh?" Keiren smiled as Adira joined him in the window.

"That's all they've done for the past few days. The city is practically emptied of civilians, so all that's left is to prepare for war." A clatter from below drew their eyes. Barret's glaive had gotten caught on the stone street and ripped free from his grip, flying backwards. This was not the first time that had happened, and it wouldn't be the last. "You should take Maeve and go. It's not going to be safe here much longer."

"We're going to stay."

He nearly dropped his mug as his eyes went wide. "What?! No! Last time the walls were breached, the town burned, and we paid for victory with blood! You can't stay!"

"I won't take Maeve away from you." She leaned against the glass, staring into the courtyard. "Nor will I be taken from her. You have become what I should have been for her the past few months. You have become her parent. And as much as she loves me, she loves you the same. I won't take her away from you, and I won't leave her again. We are going to stay, despite the risks. I know that it will be dangerous, but would it be any safer to go anywhere else? If Edinmire falls, nowhere will be safe for anyone. It is the last stronghold of safety, the last bastion of protection, and there is nowhere that could be safer. And I know that you will not stop fighting as long as there is even one person at risk."

"I won't let you stay." Keiren scowled. "Not during the battle at least. As soon as we so much as see their shadows, I want you to leave."

"Until they are at our doorstep, I will be here."

Keiren scowled at her. She wouldn't even look at him. "Why won't you just let me prote-"

"Because I have nowhere else to go!" Gentle tears rolled down her face as she pounded her fist on the window. "My home isn't safe for anyone to go near anymore, I have no family on this side of the continent, and I have nothing to my name. All I have is what you have given me in the few days I've been here and Maeve. I have no home, no job, no way to support myself or Maeve. I have nothing." Keiren was silent. He hadn't even considered how little she had. Adira turned away and muttered "I'm sorry, I… I've been so… so stressed recently… I'm sorry…"

Keiren gently turned her around and pulled her into a gentle hug. "You have nothing to apologize for. Everyone's been stressed, but I can't begin to imagine what you've gone through. Everything is different now, and I haven't had any time to really address any of it with you and Maeve. I'm the one who should be saying sorry."

They walked away from the window, pulling the curtain closed. "I'm so sorry." Adira's voice broke as her face fell. "I've felt like such a failure. I see how much you've done for Maeve since I've been gone and I can't help but feel like I failed as a parent. I wasn't there for her, and I should have been. I had given up on ever seeing her again when I should have been fighting for her every day."

"You're not a failure." Keiren felt the weight of her sorrow pressing against his own heart, and he slowly sank onto a nearby couch with her. "You're stronger than I could have ever imagined. You may have given up, but at the first possible moment, you fought for your life to get back here. I don't know if I could have done that."

"You would have done it. You could have gotten out long before you gave up."

"I don't have anyone to fight for like you do. At least, I didn't before Maeve…" They sat in silence for a while, their hearts heavy with each other's burdens, but at least they were sharing the pain between them, and that was more tolerable than enduring alone.

…

Forty pages. He had forty pages of stories. He had forty pages of stories that he was trying to sift through and find the ones that most effectively portrayed what he wanted. Pain. Agony. Suffering. Horrors and nightmare. Fear and sorrow. Atrocities that Sythe would just as soon like to forget. And yet, he made promises to them. To every Ishtaer that he spoke to, he promised that he would send these letters, he promised the they would make a difference. He just needed time. And he needed his hand to stop shaking. Every time he closed his eyes he could see their faces. They were in pain just thinking about what had happened to them. He knew so much now. So much more than he bargained for. A hand suddenly appeared in the corner of his eye, and a cup filled with coffee was set on the table. "You are doing the right thing." Lynn tried to smile, but he had followed Sythe around the last few days, taking notes and copying some of the stories that they were told.

"I know. It's just hard. I thought that we had it tough, but these people have suffered more than I could have imagined."

"They are strong. They may not know it, but they are strong."

"Yeah…" Sythe sipped the coffee as Lynn took a seat across the table from him. "That one woman, Anriea. She's impressive. Her scars aren't just on the surface but on her very soul."

"Yes, she is very tough. To endure torture, to endure pain like she has is a feat that would be worthy of song in another time." Lynn leaned back, gently smiling as if remembering the days of old. "It would have been cause for great celebration some other time and place, as she would be revered as a symbol of strength and power."

Sythe smiled and reached for the papers that had her story on it. "Just her story alone would be enough to convince the Kanlektis to take up arms with us."

Lynn frowned and scanned the papers. "Kanlektis? I'm not familiar with that word."

"It means 'Order-Keepers'. They are a shockingly loose group that holds relatively high sway in the Keidran councils. They are a… militia? No, that's not quite it… They're just… people. They have no central leadership, and yet in practically every minor city there is at least one official who follows their alignments. It's like… well, there really isn't anything they are like. Local leaders call on the Kanlektis in times of danger or trouble to protect people from practically anything, from flash floods and fires to raiders and invasions. There's even an entire courier network that goes from town to town with aid requests."

"I thought I was well versed in the art of Keidran politics, but that is new."

Sythe chuckled. "Like I said, there's not really a central leadership to them, and there's no borders either. I studied them as a way to prove I could be a diplomat, and found that they have influence over the wolves, tigers, foxes, lynxes, leopards, and they even stretch fairly deep into human territory."

"Most interesting. And you think that they would take up arms with Edinmire?"

"In a heartbeat. People are growing tired of the war already, and it's only going to get worse. Sending out word that Edinmire stands against the Templars would rally people from all walks of life to our cause, and could greatly bolster our numbers, but it could also cause some to turn away."

"A risk we would have to take." Lynn reached for one of the papers, his eyes scanning the words quickly. "I would like to transcribe some letters of my own. May I borrow this testimony from Meklep? His story of how he lost his hand is most intriguing indeed."

"By all means. As many people as possible should know." For over an hour they worked in near silence, broken only by the sounds of pens on parchment and the gentle noises of coffee being consumed. As the afternoon turned to evening, Barret and Keith walked into the dining room, still drying off after cleaning up. "Well, how goes your training?"

"I don't know if I'll ever be used to using a weapon like this." Barret fell into a chair with a heavy thunk, his joints relaxing. "I've been a hunter all my life, I used to live and die by my skill with a bow, so this is… extra strange."

"Like I said, it's going to be a challenge." Keith didn't fall into the chair like Barret, but he let out a heavy sigh. "You're not just learning a new way to use a similar weapon like with a bow and crossbow, you're having to learn an entirely new set of skills unlike anything you've ever needed to use before."

"It certainly looks like a lot of work." Sythe smirked as he signed his name at the bottom of a letter.

"Oh, it is." Lynn smiled, drawing the attention of all three. "Polearms are quite challenging to use, but are among the most effective weapons in both single combat and group fights, as you can easily keep enemies at bay with the blade, while putting pressure on them without putting yourself at risk."

"You trained with glaives?" Keith asked, raising an eyebrow. "I had no idea."

"You expected me to only train my abilities out of combat? I am a bureaucrat at heart, but I can defend myself. I don't usually carry a weapon larger than a dagger, and tend to stay out of fights, but in the heat of the moment I can use any weapon I find to at least some extent."

"That's more than can be said for most of the tribe." Barret turned away, frowning. "Most of them are staying to fight, but most have never held a sword before. I know we have our magic, but that might not be enough."

"It's their choice." Sythe put the letter in a heavy envelope and pressed a hot wax seal on it. "I've spoken with many of them, and they aren't just staying to fight for Edinmire. They fight for you."

Barret scoffed. "I know. I told them that they didn't have to do that. I also told them that I would not lead them any further than here."

"And they will follow you anyways." Keith arched his back, letting it crack loudly a few times before standing up. "I'm going to go find us some food. You two have more than earned a decent meal for all the work you've done the past few days."