The battle traveled further and further away as the defenders of Fort Montclam chased after the enemy. Judging by how the sounds were coming from several directions, I figured Baron Hugo's men were thoroughly routed and were running for their lives in whichever direction each deemed the safest. The ground on which I stood became eerily quiet. It was a gruesome sight, to say the least, the freshly slain headless bodies of the chevaliers and Sieur Guido mixed with the corpses from the previous battles half-buried in the mud. Trying to avoid looking at the remains of those poor souls, I stood there, fidgeting, shifting from one foot to the other.

"Ehem."

I jumped, startled, but calmed down quickly, seeing it was Sieur Henry. He was still there, by my side, on his horseback. Guido's squire was nowhere to be seen, and I assumed the guy had run off when the Comte's men charged past. Hang on. Wait a second...

"Halt!" I shouted, fumbling with my handaxe. At first, I tried pointing it at him, but then I thought 'No, but this is an axe,' and lifted it ready to swing down, but it didn't feel quite right because he was on his horse. To be honest, I had no idea what I was doing. Anyway, I waved it in his general direction.

"Sieur Henry, I am taking you as my prisoner!"

"That's the spirit, my lad!"

He dismounted and took off his helmet. Standing by my side, Henry stretched, groaning, and stared into the distance, listening to the fading sounds of men being killed.

"What a magnificent way to break a siege."

He commented and then fell silent, looking tired and troubled. I assessed my situation and concluded there was no way I could possibly subdue this knight by force. I put my axe away.

"Sieur, you look troubled."

"Indeed, I am." He sighed and continued. "I am questioning whether my allegiance was decided rather in haste."

I kept my mouth shut. I feared further prying into the matter would bring out a lengthy rant weighing the pros and cons of both Princes and then evolve into a lecture about the legality and the justification of each side's claim on the throne and such. That was how noble minds worked, usually.

"That blade..."

I froze. With his hands on the waist, Sieur Henry was staring into the distance where Anna had ridden off to.

"Sieur?"

Henry gave me a quick, shy smile.

"As much as I remain humble, I do indeed know quite well about swords. Very well, indeed." He faced me, but his eyes were darting in the air, re-seeing what he had seen. "That blade!" Then he came back to reality and stared me down.

"What is it, my lad?"

"Sieur, I am just a lowly servant." I bowed my head, avoiding his questioning eyes. "I would not know."

"Hmm..."

I felt his gaze shifting away from me and raised my head back.

"I am most certain," Henry was saying, staring again into the distance. The triumphant men were returning. "I am certain I read about it somewhere a long time ago."

Now that piqued my interest. Some book somewhere, recent enough for this forty-something-year-old Sieur Henry to had read it at some point in his life, mentioned Firis' sparkling blade.

"It made me feel..." Henry was looking for the right words. "The sight of it made me wonder. Were I on the wrong side?"

Then he turned his whole body to face me.

"My lad. What do they call you?"

"René of the Tavern, Sieur."

"Good, René. Of the Tavern. The voice of La Rose," he patted my shoulders. "I surrender myself to Her Ladyship. Not the Comte, not the Seigneur Montclam. Her and her only."

To be honest, I was a little disappointed. It was not even minutes ago that I had declared him my prisoner. Sieur Henry simply ignored it and declared himself Anna's prisoner. So unfair.

We waited for the men to return. Sieur Henry had asked my help, and we huffed and puffed carrying and laying the dead chevaliers and Guido, and their respective body parts, in a somewhat more presentable arrangement. I politely waited in silence for him to finish his prayer.

"Sieur, were you good friends with the knights?"

"I would not say so, I am afraid." He shook his head. "I had arrived only two days ago. Met the late Sieur and the chevaliers only then for the first time."

I was puzzled.

"The Sieur has not come with the Baron's army?"

"No, my lad. I have come from the west."

According to Sieur Henry, he had been requested by an acquaintance, who had unexpectedly fallen ill, to aide Baron Hugo on the acquaintance's behalf. Being a good man he was, Henry had traveled with his entourage from the west and joined the Baron's siege camp only two days ago.

I looked around. There were only Sieur Henry, the knight, and humble me in the vicinity.

"Your men..."

"Yes, I am indeed quite worried. I fear the worst-"

We were interrupted by a loud cheer. Some hundred yards away from us, two groups of the Comte's men, returning from different directions, had come to join and merge. They cheered again as another group, led by the Comte himself, came from an off-angle. Together they were heading this way, towards the Fort, but there was no sight of my Anna.

"I do not see Her Ladyship," Henry spoke first, craning his neck.

We waited some more for the men to come near.

"Have you seen my Lady Anna?" I asked the men, but nobody had a clue.

Comte d'Armas trotted forward and stopped in front of us.

"I see the Sieur has not run," the Comte noted, eying Henry.

"My Lord Comte, I have surrendered myself to Her Ladyship." The knight bowed.

"A wise decision," the Comte gestured towards the dead knights laid on the ground. "I presume Her Ladyship would receive a good amount of ransom for your release."

"I do not seek my release, My Lord." Sieur Henry bowed again. The Comte raised his eyebrows.

"Explain yourself, if you please."

"I have witnessed, with my own eyes, Baron Hugo breaking the Codes of noble hommes. Having seen such, any knight of honor would question the legitimacy of His Royal Highness Prince Charles' claim to the throne. No rightful king should surround himself with such degenerates as Baron Hugo."

The Comte laughed delighted.

"A noble cause! The good Sieur knight is truly a man of honor." Then the smile on the old man's face was replaced with sorrow. "But mind you, men like Hugo are drawn to the Archbishop. Not to His Royal Highness. I assure you the young Prince is innocent."

"I will keep that in my mind, My Lord." Henry bowed again.

It was already evening, and the sun setting low cast long shadows on the muddy field. Sieur Henry and I had been waiting, still out in the open. The Comte and his men had gone back into the Fort in preparation for a celebratory dinner, mostly consisted of the spoils from the Baron Hugo's siege camp.

We did not talk much as the Sieur was rather depressed for having lost his men who had traveled with him to their deaths. I had nothing much to do, so I kept wiping the mud off of Anna's sheath that I had retrieved. With the help of Henry, I had managed to pull Anna's shortsword out of Guido's helmeted skull. I cleaned it as best as I could and hung it by waist next to my handaxe.

Sieur Henry and I stood side by side in silence and stared into the barely visible horizon. It was getting quite chilly, and I shuffled from side to side, occasionally jumping up and down, to keep myself warm.

"Ah!" Henry uttered.

I saw it, too. The remaining ray of the red sun reflected off something in the dark distance. Something long, like a sword; it was angled sideways towards the ground, and its motion indicated Anna was galloping towards us.

"Anna!" I shouted then remembered Henry was there. "Milady!"

Soon she was close enough for us to see her in full. There was something round hanging by Lilly's neck, and the longsword's blade was glistening red and orange. Dozens of seconds later, Anna came to a stop before me. She was shivering, and her mouth clattered from the cold evening air.

"Where have you been?!" I yelled in frustration. Instead of answering, she unhooked the round object that hung by Lilly's neck and tossed it to me. I caught it without thinking but was horrified to discover it was the severed head of Guido's squire. Sieur Henry seemed to be startled, too.

"What's the meaning of this?" I asked flabbergasted. "You went looking for him?"

Anna nodded with a satisfied expression.

"But why? He was just... Why go out of your way for a mere-"

Anna shook her head, scowling. She pointed at the head.

'He... I saw him... At you,' Anna was trying to find the right word, which was a challenging thing to do when her entire dictionary was composed of hand-signs. She tried a few more times, but I, once in a long time, failed to understand her.

"You saw him do what?"

Anna made the signs.

"He. Me." I read her words aloud, trying to understand her.

'He. You.' Then she pointed at her face and...

"Sneer!" Sieur Henry butted in. "Sneer. I think that is the word Her Ladyship is trying to say."

Anna nodded vigorously and gave a thumbs up to Sieur Henry.

"My Lady," Henry was baffled. "You went to look for him because he sneered at your René?"

Anna nodded again and made a series of hand gestures, which led to Sieur Henry turning to face me expectantly. I sighed and shrugged.

"She felt offended."

"How kind! The Lady cares for her servant." Henry seemed to be impressed.

'What is he doing here?' Anna asked me, but I did not answer.

I took the squire's head to where Guido lay assembled, and carefully put the head down next to Guido's. This poor sod had unwittingly looked down upon the herald of Firis. Rest in peace and regrets.

I turned around and faced Anna. She had carelessly dropped her divine sword on the mud, probably expecting me to pick it up and take care of it. I sighed and picked it up and slid the long blade into the equally long scabbard. Anna sat on Lilly, hunched forward now and hugging herself, shivering and teeth clattering from the chilly air. A fragile monster.

###

We were sitting around one of the many fires set up inside the Fort, eating hot stews and drinking meads. Anna and I were not much of drinkers, so we settled with spiced honey meads watered down with warm water. I had appropriated thick wool blankets and covered her from the chilly air, and she seemed to fare better now. The color of her lips had returned, and her curious eyes darted around, listening in to the noble men's conversations.

"So, in essence, nobody knows where Hugo ran off to?" The Comte summarized the situation with a sigh. "That does not bod well."

"Indeed, My Lord." Victor nodded. "If Baron Hugo spreads the words, our esteemed Seigneur would be known across the kingdom as the one who stood up against and survived the Archbishop's wrath."

"All eyes would be on Montclam. And then, trouble would come." The Comte commented and glanced at a frail middle-aged man sitting next to him. It was the Seigneur of Montclam. The Comte had sent his men out to fetch the Seigneur from wherever the hiding place. The Seigneur came alone and was delighted by the sight of Baron Hugo's army gone. He was, nevertheless, still shaken by the whole ordeal.

"My Lord Comte, although we have overcome the hardship this time, for which I am forever grateful, I am afraid Montclam cannot weather another storm like this." The Seigneur sighed and continued. "What few men I had lay slain in the mud outside the Fort. My manor has burnt down, and my people are scared they have refused to come out of hiding despite Your Lordships outstanding victory today."

"The Seigneur would be under continuous threat by the Prince Charles' faction." The Vicomte summarized.

Anna had been listening, and she nudged my ribs with her elbow.

'Seigneur,' Anna spoke through me, 'I remember fondly of your generous gifts and kind words during many of your visits to my father's manor.'

"It always is my pleasure, My Lady, to see the delighted face of such a radiant child." The Seigneur, a good neighbor to the Roseland, nodded with a reminiscing smile. "My. The young Lady has grown quite a lot, though I believe a few more pounds on Her Ladyship would do wonders."

Anna blushed shyly and continued.

' It pains me to witness the Roseland's friend in peril. Seigneur, I, on behalf of my family and the Barony, offer you and the people of Montclam a refuge in my land.'

At first, the Seigneur of Montclam was taken aback, but after a brief moment of mulling over the generous offer, he bowed gratefully and thanked profusely. With that, the deal was sealed.

"Splendid!" The Comte exclaimed. "Now we are assured of the Seigneur's safety, onto the next issue; what now?"

"My Lord, if I may?" The Seigneur spoke up. "Baron Hugo's Bourg is to the southwest of Montclam as we all know." He paused and surveyed the noblemen gathered around the campfire. He continued.

"But to come here, the Baron would have to pass my good neighbor Forez between Bourg and Montclam."

He picked up a small twig of wood and begun to draw the map of the kingdom on the ground. There was a piece of land belonging to the Seigneur of Forez, almost the same size as Montclam, if the Seigneur's accuracy in drawing was to be believed. To its southwest, it bordered the Barony of Bourg, Hugo's land. Its south and east were fenced off by the wild forest that spanned all the way to the south of the Roseland. The Seigneur drew a straight line from Bourg to Montclam, cutting through Forez.

"I see..." Victor the Vicomte mumbled, getting the implication.

"If the Seigneur of Forez were on the Prince Charles' faction, surely we would have seen his banner among Hugo's army." The Comte pointed out.

"My Lord Comte, I assure you Seigneur Forez has pledged his allegiance to His Royal Highness Prince Louis. I had the pleasure of convincing him to do so." The Seigneur of Montclam spoke proudly, but then his face darkened. Nobody needed to say anything. Baron Hugo would not have left Forez in peace while passing through.

"I fear for my good friend..." The Seigneur trailed off.

The Comte of Armas closed his eyes in deep thoughts. We sat and waited. Surely the wise old man would know the best course of action. It did not take long for him to reopen his eyes.

We were heading southwest. To Forez.

###

"My lad, René. Of the Tavern," The Seigneur of Montclam called me out before heading back to where his people were hiding. "I am relieved it is you accompanying the young lady."

I bowed humbly. He silently observed me for some moments and added.

"As I recall, the young Lady listens to your words, René."

"Seigneur's words flatter the lowly me."

He patted me on the shoulder and got on his horse. Before leaving for real, he faced me once again.

"It is the tenth month of the year. What was the color, again?"

"Red, my good Seigneur, but please worry not. Many of Montclam know the path by hearts."

He gave me a nod of appreciation and set off into the darkness, accompanied by a trio of armored knights as his escort.

I returned from the Fort's gate to the small tent that I had pitched by a campfire. I crawled inside and found Anna soundly asleep on her bedroll under multiple layers of wool blankets. Her lips were slightly ajar, and her cheeks were rosy from the warmth. Her left hand was sticking out from underneath the blanket twisted in a very uncomfortable-looking angle, so I gently turned it in a more relaxed position. In her sleep, Anna reacted to my touch and squeezed my hand for a brief moment. It was still a bit early in the night, but Anna was a girl who slept early and woke up late.

It seemed she had managed to take off the metal armor herself as the pieces were nicely stacked on one side. I felt a bit proud of her. 'My. She did it herself!' I lifted up the blankets to peek inside and was relieved to find she was still in her leather shirt and trousers that were worn underneath the armor. Usually, Anna would sleep in just a simple linen shirt and nothing more, but I had warned her the men would frown upon a young lady presenting herself in such a state. I touched the leather clothes, and they were still somewhat damp from all that rain earlier today, which was a big no-no, but I had no other option. I couldn't risk being caught in the process of stripping a sleeping girl, especially when the said girl was a Baron's precious daughter. Anna herself generally did not mind showing me her body, for I bathed her until one day last year when I noticed the first stubble of maturity. The people of the La Rose manor knew of this, but these men in the Fort... they would surely get the wrong idea and execute me on the spot.

I grumbled and sighed upon finding Anna had moved my bedroll from the outside and laid it next to hers. Were we alone, I would sleep in the tent next to her. But that would give the men a wrong impression. So I had told Anna I was to sleep outside, in front of the tent. She hadn't said anything then, but it seemed while I was gone she moved my bedroll inside as a protest. 'How cute,' I scoffed and rolled up my bed as quietly as I could. 'Maybe I should get her a teddy bear...'

I lied on my back outside our little tent, my eyes darted between the stars in the sky, for I had trouble falling asleep. The chill of the night and the warmth from the fire made me drowsy, but the sleep came rather slowly. I thought about what happened today. I re-watched Sieur Henry praying for his dead peers; he was so sincere I hoped God would listen and relay the prayer to the relevant goddesses.

I thought about mother and father. They were likely worried sick. I was sure father had never seen a battle. But then again, he had experienced the pain of losing sons and daughters during the epidemic. He could probably relate to the sorrows the fallen's moms and dads would surely feel.

I thought about the Baroness and the people of the manor, too. I imagined they, too, were worried. And in some days, a stream of refugees from Montclam would emerge from the swampland and would surely tell the story of the horror happening outside the Roseland. As my train of thought reached this point, I became really worried about Her Ladyship the Baroness. I knew her well, for she was, in all practical sense, another mother to me. She was a remarkably strong woman and would never show her fears and worried face to anyone. Still, I had seen her breaking down, a bumbling mess of a scared mother covered in tears and snots begging on her knees for her daughter to please stay. It took a divine effort to convince the Baroness to finally let Anna go. But how would she handle the news which the people of Montclam would bring?

Then I thought about tomorrow; Forez. I had no idea what Forez was like. My geographical knowledge of the kingdom stopped at the Roseland and its immediate vicinity and a bit of Montclam. Anything beyond was a mystery to me. I wondered. As far as I knew, the kingdom was in the middle of a civil war. But how did the Comte and his army travel all the way across the kingdom? How did Sieur Henry come from the west? Surely they must have crossed some frontlines where fierce battles were happening? What the heck was going on?

###

Morning came, and I immediately knew the day was going to be beautiful. The sky was clear, and the breeze wasn't harsh. The soldiers of Armas were already up and getting ready for the march to Forez, and the Fort was filled to brim with activities.

Amidst all the noises, Anna kept sleeping, for it was still a couple of hours earlier than her usual wake up time. 'Really, if you are going to play a soldier at least be diligent about it.' I shook my head as I crawled into the tent with a portable potty, a simple fishbowl-shaped pot. I pat my own back for having thought of bringing it.

It took me a considerable effort to wake her up, but she eventually opened her eyes. Yawning and stretching, she squatted down on the pot and filled it with the wastewater accumulated during her sleep. I half crouched, and half stood blocking the tent's low entrance so nobody could peek in. Once she was done, I let out a sigh of relief, for she did not discharge anything else, making it easier for me to get rid of the potty's content.

Anna noticed my bedroll was not in the tent and sulked, complaining about how I had left her all alone.

'What if I had a nightmare?'

"Come. You are not a child anymore."

I turned her around and combed her hair, which was matted and greasy from not having been washed past several days. I did my best and pulled the hair, which wasn't that long, just shoulder-length, into a ponytail tied up with a strip of silk ribbon I carried for this purpose. Now she looked somewhat presentable, so I ushered her outside. I had prepared a pot of lukewarm water and used it to wash her face. Now she looked better.

I was helping Anna put on her armor when the Vicomte came by.

"The Seigneur's messenger came; they are already on the move."

"Very well, milord."

"The Comte wishes to leave shortly, so I urge you to haste."

I quickly finished up on Anna and disassembled our tent. Anna helped me gather our things, and we threw them into the large sack on Slinky's back. Soon we were off to Forez.

###

The second day of marching was even sunnier than the previous day, and everyone was in a good mood. We were making our way along a stream of water that glistened brightly under the sun.

The night before had been uneventful, although we had seen the light of a lone campfire in the far distance ahead of us. The next day we reached the spot and found footprints of half a dozen men and the equal number of horses on the muddy bank of the stream. We suspected it was Baron Hugo and his entourage making their way to Bourg, traveling along the water as we were doing.

"Hugo must have seen our campfires, too," the Comte speculated. The wise old man thought there wouldn't be much point going after them as the sight of our fires would have encouraged them to gallop as fast as they could.

Anna and I rode our mounts, Lilly and Slinky, somewhat in the back of the marching progression. The Comte was leading his men from the very front, closely followed by Victor. Sieur Henry was also up ahead, and it seemed he had already made friends among the Comte's knights.

I had not noticed the scenery changing, but a foot soldier tapped on Slinky's shoulder and motioned for me to look around.

"We are in Forez."

Anna and I must have looked like clueless children as we were turning our heads this and that way taking in the scenery. Every step further the two of us took we were breaking our records in how far away from home we had ever been. I noticed the subtle difference. Trees in the woods were taller and denser. The soil was somewhat darker than in Montclam, coated with moist grass rich in green. The soldier pointed his finger on some animal footprints on the ground.

"Those are elks. "

I studied the footprints. Judging by the size, they must have been fairly big ones, even bigger than Lilly. We had elks in the Roseland, too. Mostly in the southern part near the forest. But those few I had the chance to see were about the same size as my Slinky. I got excited and hoped to see the massive beasts with my own eyes.

The stream curved southward, but there was a small wooden bridge, beyond which a presentable trail led to the southwest through a small wood, a sign of settlement not too far away. From the very front came a barking order, and the whole progression came to a full stop. Anna and I craned our necks to see what the hold up was about. A group of riders, who had gone ahead as scouts, had returned and was talking to the Comte of Armas. They occasionally pointed to the southwest, beyond the wood, as they spoke, and then for some reason, the knights turned around to face us. Anna in particular. After some more inaudible discussion, Sieur Henry came to us with a grim face.

"Milady, His Lordship insists the young Lady Anna and her servant stay here while the men clear what lies ahead."

'What has the Comte found ahead?' asked Anna.

"It seems the Baron had passed a village not too far from here."

'Does the good Sieur imply I shall not see dead villagers?' Anna's nostrils flared as she moved her hands.

"Your Ladyship," he looked at me briefly as if to tell me I should help convince Anna to stay put. He continued, "What lies ahead is a disgrace to the Codes of noble hommes. Comte d'Armas, and also I, would fall dead in shame if Your Ladyship laid her young eyes on the despicable deed the Baron, a fellow noble homme, had done."

I got it. He worded it tacitly, but simply put; they didn't want the noble young lady to see the horrible scene that was up ahead. Sure she had seen dead soldiers. She had even contributed so there be dead soldiers in the mud. But those in the village down the trail were not soldiers. They were the people of the land. From the look on Henry's face, I figured the scouts had seen something really really horrible. The men were going out of their way to make sure Anna didn't see it. They just could not allow themselves to let a young girl walk into that.

I dismounted from Slinky and took Lilly's lead in my hand.

"His Lordship the Comte and the good Sieur are too kind. We thank you for taking Lady Anna's tenderness in consideration. Her Ladyship will wait here."

Henry sighed in relief and gave me a nod of appreciation.

'What? No-,' Anna protested silently, but I deliberately looked away. She tapped on my shoulder, but I played dumb, whistling.

###

I sat on the bank of the stream, watching Anna. Lilly and Slinky were resting in the shadow cast by a tree nearby, but I had decided I wanted some sun, so I sat there bare-chested with my leather trousers rolled up to the knees. Victor the Vicomte was with us, staying behind as per the Comte's advice, for he was a man of pen and papers and could not handle blood and gore very well. Lying on his back with a handkerchief on his eyes to block the sun, Victor was sleeping after having stayed up all night getting things ready for the road.

Anna had returned from behind some shrubs that I had never seen before. The leaves were large and star-shaped with a fine coat of transparent furs, and small berry-like red fruits were hanging down the twigs. I had to tell Anna not to eat them as we did not know if they were edible, but I was quite certain she ate some while squatting down behind the shrubs hidden from my view.

Feeling lighter, she wanted to get in the water. I had already helped her out of the armor, so all I needed to do was to roll up her trousers legs and shirt sleeves. Barefooted and knee-deep in the stream, she waded up and down, with a bow drawn ready to fire an arrow with a long string tied at the tail. She was bow-fishing and was on an impressive streak. There were already some dozen fish by my feet. I was deeply in a thought; whether to grill them or boil them, when Anna called me out.

"Né!"

That was all she could manage with my name. Given her condition, it was the only way for her to get my attention when I wasn't looking or within arms reach. I looked up and saw Anna was pointing at the fish on the bank.

'Skewer them with an arrow, perhaps?'

"Good idea."

I started by gutting and cleaning the fish first. My voice must have woken up Victor. He half sat up and watched me working on the fish.

"She caught all of those?"

"Yes, milord."

"My! What a resourceful young lady!"

He watched in fascination as Anna threw one more fish, freshly caught, at my feet.

"I think, with a bit more, we could make some good soup for everyone. Do you eat fish, milord Vicomte?"

"Yes. But seawater fish mostly, what with Armas being at the coast."

I looked up from the fish.

"Oh, the sea. Her Ladyship and I have never been to the sea."

"Aha, yes, I see." Victor nodded as he studied the map of the kingdom in his head. "Roseland... is a bit remote, do you not agree?"

"Indeed, milord."

Another fish landed at my feet. I got back to working on the fish. Glancing sideways, I saw the Vicomte's fascinated eyes following Anna's movement. He sighed after a while.

"This looks too tranquil and beautiful."

I knew what he meant. Down the trail through the wood was a remnant of the bloody carnage that was ravaging across the kingdom. Yet here we were, a tired nobleman and two young country bumpkins fishing and basking in the sunlight.

"What do they call you, my lad?" Victor asked, breaking the silence once again.

"René, milord. René of the Tavern."

He patted on my shoulder.

"René. Of the Tavern. I wish to apologize for my rudeness on the first day."

"Milord, you do not need to-"

"And," he cut me off, "for the state you found the kingdom in. It is not an ideal time for the young ones of the Roseland to come out adventuring."

Anna and I weren't exactly going on an adventure; we came out of the Roseland precisely because there was trouble brewing in the kingdom. But I kept my mouth shut. This Vicomte was feeling responsible and sad, for it was the grown-ups, the men of the power of this kingdom, that brought whatever the mess the kingdom was in. He sounded so sincere I did not wish to ruin the mood. Needless to say, my impression of the Vicomte improved a lot.

"Maybe someday... if we are still alive after all this, come visit Armas. I will most certainly take the lady and you, my lad, to the sea."

Another fish landed at near feet.

###

We arrived at the burnt down village about two hours later. The Comte's men had laid down the bodies in neat rows at the center of the village and covered them with whatever they could find. They did what they could, but I could still see puddles of blood and severed digits all over the trodden ground. The scars left on the tree branches told me of the now-removed nooses with dead weights.

The Comte and the soldiers were gathered in the center of the village. They were offering prayers to the victims of this senseless massacre. Sieur Henry noticed our arrival and came over.

"I am glad Your Ladyship did not see what I saw."

I sensed the rage in his eyes, but I wasn't sure; was he mad because the people of the land were dead, or because of the shame that this killing had brought onto the noble hommes? I hoped it was the former.

Henry informed us that the Comte had sent some men to the manor of the Seigneur of Forez. They had just returned with the news of finding the manor burnt down, and the Seigneur and his wife hung dead on a tree. The peaceful sunny day Anna and I had enjoyed up to this point suddenly turned very grim.

We got off our horse and donkey and pretended to pray. After that, I looked around the burnt remains of the village. There was a pair of sparrows perched on the charred frame of a small house, which probably was the home of a family of... hang on, something wasn't quite right. I looked at the dead shapes on the ground, and counted one, two, three...

'What are you doing?' Anna tapped on my shoulder and asked.

"Would you count the houses, please? Houses only. No barns and storages. Only where you actually live and sleep."

She shrugged and started counting the remains of the structures in the village. I went back to counting the dead bodies as best as I could; some were not whole.

"What do you count, my lad?" Henry asked.

Anna came back with the number. Twenty-one buildings.

"Sieur, it does not add up."

"What doesn't?" Victor joined in, curious.

I waved my hand over the rows of the dead bodies.

"I count seventeen... nineteen at the most remains. But there are... were twenty-one houses in this place."

The Sieur and the Vicomte exchanged glances. Then they both started shouting orders to the men.

It took the men a while to finally find a trace. The surviving village folks had mostly walked on solid grounds, but at some point, they had to cross a patch of mud, which by now had dried up under two days of sunny weather. It was found about a mile east of the village, towards the thick forest that enveloped the southeastern border of the kingdom. The footprints were small, and the strides were not long, but the now-dried mud splashed indicated people were running.

"It won't be necessary for us to go out of our way to look for them. Surely they would come back." One of the Comte's men said.

"No." The Comte shook his head, "Do you know what happens to the peasants who have lost everything and their Seigneur is dead? They become bandits. Bandits are made, not born," he looked around his men with a determined face, "I must show them my face. My banner. I must tell them. When Comte d'Armas says there is tomorrow, there WILL be a tomorrow for the people of Forez!"

The evening was approaching as we marched closer to the edge of the forest. The men were silent, studying the ground in the hope of finding further traces. We had passed a lone hut on the way, about four miles from the village. It was a modest hut, and whoever lived there was living a very simple life. There was nobody inside, but we found many footprints around the area. Clearly, the villagers had stopped here for a moment.

Anna kept to herself, but something was bothering her. She continuously shuffled on her horse mount uncomfortably and occasionally groaned softly. Her face was pale, and she was sweating. When asked what was wrong, she simply shook her head and blushed a bit. I left her at that, thinking the scene at the village must have upset her somewhat. I turned around and checked the three dozens of fish skewered by arrows hanging by the side of Slinky's hind. Ever since we entered the village, the mood had been so grim I had had not the chance to show off the fish to the men. It would have been incredibly inappropriate to flash them with a gloating face amidst all that deaths and destruction.

Soon we reached the forest. The men hesitated at the edge, afraid of going in further.

"My Lord Comte, further in is the land of the Treedwellers." The men informed their lord, worried.

I had never seen a Treedweller, but I had heard about them. Some weird folks with thick bark-like skins and moss-like hairs, and the eyes that can see in the dark, and the ears that can hear your footsteps apart from all the noises in the woods. They were said to be very territorial and would hunt down any outsider who ventured too deep into the forest.

The Comte gritted his teeth. He seemed not wanting to risk his men to whatever threat the Treedwellers posed. But I could see he was tormented. All the signs indicated the villagers had run to the forest. To what end, though?

The marching progression had by now fully stopped and formed into a row with the Comte in the middle, facing the thick wall of trees. The shadows cast by the tall trunks hindered us from seeing any further in. For some reason, the pair of sparrows had followed us all the way from the village, and they now sat on a branch, watching us with curious eyes. I had this odd feeling they were watching me in particular, but I brushed it off as just some meaningless coincidence.

"People of Forez!" The Comte shouted as loud as he could. "I am Marco, the count of Armas. Come out from your hiding, for I have driven Baron Hugo away! You are safe!"

There was no response.

"Come out-" The Comte trailed off as the sparrows suddenly took off, chirping, flying into the forest. And then, slowly, shapes appeared in the shadows. Arrows. Many arrows. Pointing our way. The men took steps back. In unison, the shapes moved forward slightly, and the hands holding the bows become visible. Yellowish bark-like skins; the Treedwellers.

"Greetings, creatures of the forest!" The Comte shouted. I was immensely impressed by this old man. He showed no sign of fear. "I have come with no ill intentions towards you. I leave you in peace and hope you kindly do so in return. Do tell me though. Have you seen my people?"

They did not answer, but the hands that were holding the bows made the way. A frail old woman of the humankind in rags appeared out of the depth of the shadows. She took her time walking slowly and came to a stop several yards out of the forest. She moved her eyes along the rows of the Comte's men, looking at each of us.

"Lads, who among ye is the Reborn?"

I heard Anna gasp. A sudden chill ran down my spine. The old woman kept looking, her eyes squinting.

"Reborn? Born again?"

"Woman, do you mean René?" asked Victor. Many heads turned my way.

"I know not what I mean. Marion has asked for the Reborn." The old woman shrugged. I heard the men murmuring in the shared confusion. Who the heck was Marion?

And then the sparrows flew out of the forest. They sped across the field and pecked my head. Trying to shoo them away, I turned to Anna for her help, but alas, she was pale, almost twitching, hanging onto Lilly's neck. Something was seriously wrong with her, and she clearly wasn't in the condition to help me.

"Alright! Alright! It's me. I'm René!"

###

The old woman led us into the forest. We left the horses behind and were walking single file on a narrow trail that I was sure if we had not had the old grandma and the Treedwellers guiding us, we would never have found it. The Treedwellers silently walked alongside, taking long strides between the trees. Apart from the skin and the patch of hairs, they looked just like us humans. Dressed in hemp-like shirts and trousers, carrying longbows and spears. But they were tall. Really tall. Maybe seven feet or so.

Anna was not well. She was having trouble walking, so I tried carrying her on my back, but then she twitched and moaned in pain. I eventually ended up princess-carrying the girl. I couldn't figure out what was wrong with her, and she refused to tell me. I was getting exhausted thanks to the weight of the armor she had on her. I was on the verge of collapse when the progression stopped. We came to a large clearing, and the ground was covered with a soft bed of moss, and there was a small stream running in the middle. The trees, though, had huts on their incredibly thick branches. And from the huts, humans, mostly women and children, and many Treedwellers were looking down at us through the windows and open doors.

In the middle of the clearing, there was a group of several Treedwellers with bark skins so thick and old it was evident they were the elders. A tall human woman in olive-green hemp robe stood among them. She looked somewhere around the mid-thirties, thin build with long unkempt black hair. But the most striking feature was the wide strip of dark brown linen that blindfolded her eyes and covered her ears in multiple wraps. She had her mouth open as if in awe, and the sparrows landed on her shoulders and chirped away. The strange woman moved her face in my direction as if she could see me.

"The friends of woods have told me of your coming."

I sat Anna down on a rock, but she sprang up with a yelp and opted to stand and lean onto me. Supporting her, I tried to bow to the strange woman. The Comte and his men were watching the scene with curious eyes.

"René. Of the Tavern. You have asked for me?"

The woman laughed out loud.

"Your parents literally named you a Reborn?"

"They had lost children to illness. My name conveys their wish that I carry over."

The laughter stopped. It was apparent she felt awkward; she tried to say something, stopped, then something different, but thought better about it, and so on. This was someone who didn't deal with people very well. Finally, she had decided to skip the part about my name and move onto the next topic.

"What is it that you carry?"

"What do you-"

"You know what I mean!" The woman snapped. She was trembling. "It's so blinding like hundred suns I have to cover my eyes. It's so deafening like thousand trumpets I have to cover my ears. It's so suffocating like a waterfall of fog I can't breathe. I could feel it from miles away! Answer me, Reborn! What do you carry?!"

One of the Treedwellers put his hand on the woman's shoulder to calm her down. He spoke in a language I had never heard before, but it was beautiful as if an old oak tree was singing. The woman protested initially, but after some more discussion, she quieted down. The elders and the woman formed a ring and started discussing something, occasionally throwing looks in my direction.

At this point, Anna finally had had it enough.

"Nrrrggh!" She squirmed in agony.

"What's wrong? Tell me already!" I yelled at her. She put a finger in front of her lips, indicating that she wanted me to use the sign language, so people did not hear what we were talking about.

'It burns, and it itches!' she was saying.

'Where? What burns?'

'My bottom!'

'What? Why?'

I noticed people looking at us with great interest. The Treedwellers also had stopped their discussion and were looking at Anna and me. Good that nobody could understand what we were talking about; Of course they couldn't, for it was Anna and me who had made the language from scratch.

'Your bottom? What have you done? Since when?'

'I think it is the leaves that I used to wipe.'

'What leaves?'

'Those!'

She pointed at some shrub at the edge of the clearing. Those seemed to be quite common in this area.

'And your bottom itches and burns?' I asked.

"Ahem!" Somebody coughed. I looked around and noticed people were trying to look away, whistling. Even the Treedwellers. Then I realized the limitation of our sign language. Even though we were not uttering words and sentences, we actively pointed at our asses, did wiping motions, scratched our asses, and pointed at the shrub. I heard suppressed giggling from the huts above our heads.

"Young lady," the blindfolded woman spoke to Anna, she herself trying not to laugh, "I don't know who you are, but I know you need some ointment."

She took Anna by hand and dragged her towards a crowd of giggling Treedweller women. She turned her head in my direction.

"After I'm done with her, René, you will tell me what brought you here." Her face turned to the Comte. "You are all our guests. Have a rest. Feel at home." Then, dragging Anna, she disappeared behind the wall of tall tree people. The survivors of the village and the Treedwellers swarmed us with foods and meads.