“Is it possible to have a...noblesse sixth sense. The man could literally smell Medulis’s and Ash’s common birth without a moment's notice. No wonder he had been giving them weird looks every time he came. I always thought he was just a creepy guy-” Jonas had been rambling on for a while after what had happened.

He tried his best to convince himself that everything was going to be fine. That he would get to land without a problem and the nobles of Petrous would still attack from the back of the pirates. Everything was going to be fine. It’ll all work out just perfectly.

“-who am I kidding. Everythings gone down the drain! We’re going to be forced to attempt an impossible assault on a fully prepared and defended harbor with mana canons aplenty and the city walls behind prepared to help them repel us. We don’t even have enough soldiers to attack much less win without killing a tonne of innocents without a place to go-”

“Jonas!” Frezar yelled calling out his name for the first time in what felt like his entire life. It did good to shut him up. “Get your nerves calm. You can’t be a mess in front of your men! As our leader, you must be calm at all times! What good will you be like this once you’ve actually taken your rightful seat? Would you fold like a paper at the first sign of struggle in later struggles?”

For a moment, Jonas’s mouth flapped like a fish. No matter what he tried, each excuse that came up couldn’t find its way out of him. He knew Frezar was right, but what could they actually do to make it through all that's in front of them.

They had just received a letter sent by pigeon of Petrous’s declaration. They broke ties with them and made their stance of aggression clear. Going as far as to state they would stand firm with the pirates and mercenaries of the harbor against enemy incursions regardless who that enemy is. No unrightful ruler, forger of royal decree, and young teen would stand above the great families of their land.

The letter had hit home how bad he messed up. Everything stood against him to fail now. How was he supposed to actually get through this?

“Frezar,” Jonas said with a bit more emotion than he meant. “How are we meant to get over this hurdle? We are limited in resources, whether that fresh water or food. Our soldiers are tired of sitting in front of the harbor.”

“Have you tried asking the rest of your honor guard on what we should do? Or maybe give Gravious Ash the reins to do what she has to do to get you there? Stop thinking you have to answer all the issues you face by yourself. We are sworn to help you succeed, let us fulfil our oaths to the best of our ability,” Frezar’s angry expression was one he had never seen before.

It hit home how bad he was making everything right now panicking like an actual idiot. It was his job to be calm and collected. To make the right decision, but here he was hyperventilating thinking of all the ways things had gone wrong ever since he left his home.

He had to get himself together, no more falling down the seems. No more panicking, he had a responsibility to uphold, even if its one he did not fully want to take.

Balling his fists, he nodded to Frezar and got up from his seat. The chair screeched across the wooden floor. Letting out a deep breath, he turned towards the door and took his first step. It was far more difficult than he could have imagined. That same act he had done a million times felt different, heavier and more meaningful. He shook his head.

“Frezar, call a meeting. Five minutes. Strategy room.”

Everyone gathered up in the strategy room. Their serious faces only hammered home how bad the situation was. Ash sat directly in front of him-on the other side of the circle table-staring down at the map of the colony and then another of Petrous and its harbor.

Jonas waited patiently, doing his best to ignore the snoring Clay as he sat back bent on the too small chair. Why he keeps choosing that one every time they showed up here was beyond Jonas. It did well to irk him to oblivion, but Frezar’s lesson was still ringing clear in his head.

Calm.

Stay calm.

He kept repeating that mantra while trying to listen carefully to any suggestions that arrose. They went from a frontal assault to attempting to sneak in from the smugglers path Thari had used every time. But each idea fell down the seams without recourse. A frontal assualt was suicide with three layers of defense not considering the actual massive walls of Petrous.

On the other hand, all smuggler paths had been completely sealed with stone by either the pirates or the knights of the noble houses. They made sure it was fully clogged up with stone and boulders unrealistic to move to excavate through without being caught off guard on all sides.

Magic was also out of the question. It was instilled into Jonas from birth that to harm the common people was to hurt the empire. To hurt the empire was to hurt the emperor. And those that hurt the emperor were executed with impunity. Traitors to the crown that so benevolently guarded them from the horrors just beyond their borders.

This same reason prevented them from simply bombarding the Harbor and city walls. The pirates-despicable the lot of them-had herded large numbers of normal people onto the harbor, knowing fully well that as a high noble, he would not fire.

He couldn’t starve them because he sat in the more isolated position. They could wait him out with a greater source of food and freshwater while he sat on the seas with a dwindling amount of both.

Ash finally looked up from her study. “Young Master, our numbers are too small. The five hundred mercenaries, nine hundred of your loyal soldiers, and the us, your honor guard. That is not considering the artisans and farmers we have taken with us, but they are useless in a battle like this. Our food and water, with what we’ve looted from the incoming vessels, will last us about six months.”

She smiled like everything was going to be fine. Unbeknownst to her, it did a lot to calm Jonas’s nerves. If they believed things would be okay, then they must be right...right?

He had studied an endless number of battles and their strategies, how to lead soldiers, what to do in different situations, how to plan for the future. But they were all quite useless to him at the moment.

He had no practical experience leading anybody. Barely more than his crew of high born friends he had gone out on the odd hunt or races, but nothing more. In the heat of the moment, he forgot everything he had painstakingly memorized his entire life.

If he was being truthful, he was beyond embarrassed. Was all the resources and gold coins put into his studies worth nothing now? That had to be wrong.

He surveyed his honor guard, each armored like they were going to battle alone against an army. Gregor barely fit into his seat, it creaked every time he moved. He acted with respect to anything any from the other guards. A ‘baby’ like Medulis was fond of calling him.

Huemara smiled broadly waiting for his turn to speak up.

Medulis played around with an orb of water and fire. Spinning it in every direction.

And then there was Clay. The bastard’s snores shook the frickin ship! How can someone be so loud and irritating even in their sleep?

“What do you guys suggest? I would take your council before I decide on anything,” Jonas said, unwilling to make the same mistake again.

In response, his guards looked at each other, speaking with their eyes only. Finally, Ash nodded. She got up and walked towards the sleeping Clay. Standing in front of him, she cleared her throat. That did nothing to wake him. Looking around for a second, she kicked the tiny chair from under him.

With a deafening crack-Jonas thought the man had fractured his skull-Clay fell to the floor. For a moment he didn’t move, but then he pushed himself up to lean on his left arm. He yawned loudly.

Jonas felt his eyebrow twitch in response. A subconscious reaction and nothing more.