--- Elise

Elise was astounded by how natural all of that seemed. She barely had to think.

Maybe the royal blood in her veins was the reason, maybe a talent she still couldn't grasp and identify, but it remained as a fact that everyone she would meet outside the safety of the keep answered her call and joined the march. The men from the backline, the guards of the inner gates, even the archers of the reserve left their duties and listened to the words of their princess. It was then that the girl truly realized how much power she could wield as the heir of Cassidia.

If I lead these people and give them a reason to fight, they will obey without any question. The sadness and resignation in their eyes became a spark of hope. This is how much this kingdom trusts me. This is what I can do!

Her self-confidence further increasing, Elise kept moving towards the place where the noises were most intense. Roric was sure to be there, if he was still alive.

"Forward!" she yelled. "Let's show those Barbarians that we aren't afraid!"

***

--- Roric

The young warrior stared in disbelief as the defenders reorganized themselves, taking advantage of the small gap between the attacks he had created by wounding Rickhart.

Someone is leading them. Is... No, it's not the general. That's Elise!

He turned to the necromancer, who was staring into space. Thanks to his magic he was unharmed, but he didn't seem as aggressive as before. It was almost like he was held back by something.

"What?" Rickhart clenched his left fist. "No. I came here to conquer! It's too early!"

Roric's strength began returning to him. "I won't let you, bastard. This ends-"

"I said no!" roared his opponent, "I'm angry! I'm killing him and all the rest of them. Even if it means..."

He is discussing with himself again. So, with him being this busy...

After a quick check, the boy confirmed his hypothesis. The undead servant had all stopped moving, and shambled aimlessly in the plaza. Only the Barbarians kept fighting, and as a result the Cassidian forces were gaining some ground. With the reinforcements Elise had gathered, there was a distinct possibility of turning the tide. The necromancer couldn't press on in that state.

Now I'm certain there's someone else talking to him.

"What about what I want, Grandma? I'm enjoying taking on this flea. You can't ask me to-"

Grandma? Grandmother? She's still pulling the strings?

Anyway, Roric couldn't let that chance slip by. He closed the distance, and prepared for another fast blow. His muscles were aching, but he was sure he could do it at least once before they gave in.

The enemy got a hold on himself, all of a sudden, and glared at him in disdain.

"We'll meet again," he hissed in rage, and turned away.

"You aren't going anywhere!"

Sprinting forward, the young warrior cleaved through two monsters Rickhart was using to cover his retreat. If his target was running in a straight line, there was no way he could miss. Again, the boy's power surged and boosted his lunge.

Shit! He was expecting it!

A third Barbarian corpse raised from the ground like a puppet, shielding his master from the sword that was about to stab him. Roric impacted against the abomination at full force, tumbling to the side.

"Come back, you coward! We are not done yet..."

The words died in his throat. Simply staying awake was enough of a burden. The young warrior followed the silhouette of the necromancer with his eyes until it disappeared in the distance. Then, he crawled back towards the ranks of the defenders.

All the ancient undead, without the support of Rickhart's magic, collapsed. The remaining assailants put up an admirable resistance for a couple of minutes, but against the superiorly armed Cassidians they were forced to put down their weapons and surrender. In the end, the only sound that could be heard in the plaza were the voices cheering for the princess.

Some of them, however, also commended the courage of someone else.

***

--- Elise

"Roric! Roric!" Elise kept shouting, making her way into the crowd.

From what one of the captains had told, her friend had faced the necromancer and stopped him before he could use his magic to wipe out the defenders. Word was quickly spreading among the soldiers that Cassidia had sent someone incredibly strong to fight Rickhart. The general opinion was still divided between him being a Mage or something else, but it was undeniable that he was on their same side and his intervention had saved many lives.

The young princess ordered her men to capture the Barbarians and escort them to the plains for the moment, until she decided what to do with them. Her first thought was of having them executed on the spot, yet she left the issue for later. What had happened with Roric in Norburg, in fact, had taught her the danger of judging someone right away, before her head was completely cool.

All she wanted, for now, was to meet the boy and see if he was alright.

I hope Rickhart didn't hurt him. Everyone who saw their duel said it was fierce.

Moving through a gathering of soldiers, Elise finally found the person she was looking for. The boy was standing and seemed mostly fine.

"Thank goodness!" she exclaimed, running to him.

"Elise? Elise!" he replied, hugging her.

She blushed, but didn't care too much about it. The important part was that they were reunited. Tears almost fell from her eyes as she glanced up.

"The others told me what you did. I couldn't help you in any way..."

"You did enough by leading them all here. Sorry if I let him escape. If we ever meet him again, I'll be sure to finish him."

The girl nodded happily. "We'll hunt him down once the city is safe, I promise. All that's left is to get rid of those who were supporting him."

Roric's face became somewhat sadder. Every trace of satisfaction had quickly disappeared.

"Elise... I know you won't like this, but listen. Maybe it's better if you don't kill the Barbarians."

It's better if... What?

She let him go and took a step backwards. "Come... Come again?"

"Please consider sparing them. It's true they were the enemy, but that doesn't justify you turning into their executioner."

"You... You can't be serious," said the princess, angrily. "We both saw what happened today."

"Yes. Many have died. That's enough."

Is he mad? He fought in this plaza like anyone else! If we don't send a clear message those savages might simply get revenge and...

The young warrior glared at her. His expression was very determined.

"Put yourself in their shoes for a moment. They want a brighter future for their kin. Who are you to blame them for this?"

"Are you telling me I should let them go?" asked Elise. "Those who came here to destroy my people?"

They served the damn necromancer. He of all should be mad at them. Did something change in him?

Her friend shook his head. "I'm not telling you to be merciful, just respectful. They trusted Rickhart's words in the very same way our soldiers did with yours. I understand that you hate them now, Elise... Still, I think the Barbarians don't deserve any more punishment. They lost. Let them return to the Steppes in peace. I'm sure they will remember it."

It's not this simple. It would mean taking an unnecessary risk. They are our enemies, and now they know Lyngard can be breached if they really put themselves into it. What's stopping them from finding another overlord, swearing loyalty to him and... Be used?

She sighed. Suddenly, she felt guilty.

"Maybe I should let my father decide."

"Maybe you should take the responsibilities you always talk about. You were the one who won this battle, not him," answered Roric.

He came closer to her, and grabbed her shoulders.

"That bastard left them here to die and ran. How can you hate them, after what happened? I can't, no matter how I try," he said. "Rickhart is our real enemy. He is the one we should take care of. There is no sense in killing warriors you have already defeated."

He has a point, but... It wouldn't make me live up to what I read about Lynn and the rest of my family. They wouldn't have hesitated. They would have shown strength.

"This compassion," the girl whispered, with a trembling voice, "Won't make my ancestors proud."

She was hiding behind that word, but she also realized that the Barbarians too had been lured into that trap by someone telling them their deeds would praise their ancestors. All those who had led Cassidia before her...

Roric simply stated, "You aren't them."

"Then... What am I?"

"You are someone who will become a legend. Someone I'm willing to follow to the end. I trust you, so listen to my advice. Become the good queen you want to be."

They exchanged a look. So many things had happened during the past months but it felt like a lifetime since they were last able to be together. However, just thinking about those happy times made Elise smile.

"Roric, I... I'm sorry if I thought you had betrayed me."

"It's in the past now," replied the boy, smiling as well. "Now it's about time we move on, don't you think? And by the way, I should be the one apologizing. If I hadn't been so scared of telling you about my Elemental nature, all of this could have been prevented. That's part of the reason why I won't stand aside and watch as you kill the Barbarians. I'm responsible for their lives at least as much as you."

The princess cracked a laugh, unconcerned by the eyes of the soldiers who were witnessing such an informal conversation between them. To be honest, she was tired of hiding how important Roric was for her.

"You are right," she said. "Now, shall we get back to the keep and tell Cremont?"

"After you, Your Highness."

***

--- Rickhart

Furious, the necromancer bluntly pushed away one of the cultists and sat beside the fire.

An evening like that, with the sky completely clear and the sound of the sea, would have been perfect if not for all that had happened in the past few days. Rickhart had walked out of that battle with his life, but had lost his pride in the process.

"Was the trip safe, my dear?"

"At least tell me that running with the tail between my legs was absolutely necessary, grandma," he replied. "Because I'm not in the mood for your games today."

The old woman stood up, a bit hardly, and went on. "Come on. I wish only the best for you, you should know it. I arranged a safe passage until the coast, while you were busy in Lyngard."

"You didn't let me kill that Roric."

"Ah, yes... The young Elemental. He could have injured you seriously, had he been a little stronger. I've never seen anyone pose that much of a challenge to you before," the lady observed.

Rickhart kicked a piece of burning wood back into the bonfire. "He wasn't like that in Norburg. Either he was out of shape that night, or he learned some trick. He might become a threat, at this rate."

He felt a wrinkled hand caressing his shoulder. For some reason, that touch had stopped being comforting lately and just brought him a vague shiver.

"Rickhart, my grandson," said his grandmother. "Don't lose your faith. Your enemy will become nothing but a mere flea once you obtain the absolute power. Speaking of which, the stone is ready."

Yes. I'll just crush him, his princess and the rest of the Kingdom afterwards.

"What about the ship?" he inquired.

"It will arrive in a few hours. Keep trusting me. With your talent and my knowledge, soon you'll be the master of this world."

The necromancer sighed, but in his heart he could barely contain the excitement.

"Sure, Grandma."