Ares overlooked the pair of villages that had been overtaken by the oxfolk whilst he had been gone. Surprisingly there wasn’t much damage done to the villages, it seemed as though that the oxfolk used the villages as their own base whilst they tried to invade.

“At least everything seems fine,” Ares said.

“What do you think?” Heria asked.

“I think we can have those that lived here move back.”

“What else did you have in mind?”

Ares turned to look at her. “It’s scary that you already know I had other plans in mind,” Ares said.

“It is scary,” she said, “I might start thinking like you one day.”

“A terrifying thought.”

Those that had escaped the village to head to Rivea proper soon returned, though Ares stationed six of his own Roaring Tridents here as well in order to ease their worries.

“What of the Reptai?” Heria asked as she bit into a fruit.

“I’ll speak with them in a couple of days. I need to speak to the Riveans first.”

“Why not start with this village?”

Ares shrugged. “I don’t suppose it matters who I start with.”

So Ares began to explain to each village the new plan. From now on the army would work in tens rather than sixes. The main component of each army would be the hundred unit blocks. No doubt many Riveans were annoyed by the constant moving and shifting of plans, but Ares wasn’t sure exactly how he could appease everyone without some experimentation.

Yet it seemed as though the new plan had gone down poorly. Ares caught Rori’s look before they walked off with about six Marching Blades following them.

“Many have lose their faith in you,” Rori said. “Many wish to leave.”

Ares nodded. He sat down on a rock and looked out to the trees and the sun ahead. “I’ve lost a lot of faith in me too.”

“What shall I tell them?”

“Tell them to leave if they wish. We will give each person some food, some cloth, and safe passage out. Once they are beyond the fort, they will be on their own.”

“We will have less than half of the population remaining,” Rori said.

“That’s fine by me.”

With that Rori left, leaving Ares with the six Marching Blades.

Ares turned to look at the warriors. “Do any of you want to leave?”

None of the soldiers moved.

Ares nodded. “Then Rivea will be fine.”

Ares waited on the rock. He couldn’t bear to see how many people were going to leave.

When he awoke the next morning, having camped out with the Roaring Tridents taking up watch in the evening, he looked out to the soldiers. He waited until evening before he returned, seeing that those that lived in Rivea had mostly remained. Apparently each of the villages had been reduced to almost nothing when it came to the population, and like that, Ares had lost so much.

‘I guess that’s what I get for being an idiot.’

The migration had been peaceful at least, though that was in no small part thanks to the fact that most of the soldiers remained. Ares now had about five thousand people within his Kingdom, with another thousand outside in the form of the Reptai, who were still foreigners and a source of tension.

“Yinyin has left,” Rori said. “I have sent Heria and her unit to escort her and her people.”

Ares nodded.

“I don’t think it’s wise to so easily welcome the hyenafolk after so many have left,” Rori said.

“I know.” Ares nodded. “I will keep my word to the hyenafolk, but I have thought a little about what it means to be Rivean.”

“Have you thought much about the Reptai?”

“I will speak with them tomorrow.”

“What of the Storm Lord?”

“I haven’t even bothered,” Ares said as he bit into a fruit. “I have no idea why he’s even around.” Ares was glad the pair were alone. The panic that would have spread through Rivea would have been too much for even he to handle.

“That is discomforting.”

“If he wants to mess with Rivea, now would be the best chance to do so.”

“I have come to the same conclusion.”

“It’ll still be quite difficult.”

“I have faith in you.”

Ares turned to look at the bearman. “I’m glad I have you by my side.” Ares smiled.

Evening soon came and the mood within the camp was low and heavy. Though there were many who tried to lighten the mood, there was an unspoken tension in the air.

“I had a sister,” Ares said.

All fell silent.

“Before I was King, before Emerli, before Rori, before Rala, before I was even Ares, I had a sister.” Ares stared into the campfire. “Our relationship was like any other brother and sister from where I was from. We would banter as though we hated one another, though that was partly because she had such poor taste in everything there was no way we were related, but our parents assured us we were. I wasn’t going to call my mother a liar, she had gone through enough with the pair of us.” Ares chuckled.

“It sounded as though we hated each other, but that’s not how it was really. I knew, no matter what happened between us, she would always have my back. Sometimes I would get…” Ares blinked at the flame. “Sometimes the world wouldn’t seem quite so bright. I would feel ever so lonely, as though I had no one. I did always have someone though.”

Ares looked up from the flames. “I will say this. Though I am your King, and though I am whatever, part god, part phoenix, part whatever… I am just a man. I’ll make mistakes, just like any one of us here, and I’ll fail time and time again. It’s not the role of a King to be always right. It’s the role of the King to assume every failure and to fix whatever issues may arise as best as he can, the same goes for a Queen as well of course.”

Ares sighed. “I fucked up.”

“Did you love your sister?” Rori asked.

“Of course. I loved each of my family members.”

“Did you have children?”

“No.”

Rori looked up at Ares. “Did you want children?”

Ares smiled.