Kindly edited by @CollinHarrison4

Kelton opened his eyes after Juno's closeness had pulled the brunt of the battle-sting from his bones. Men were moving with purpose. Some he recognized, others unfamiliar, though they all operated as if they had been part of his force all along. The wounded were being led to care, and the dead carried far from where they fell. Sanlina could be heard barking orders from the trees, where the injured were taken. To his surprise, even the King's Own were being treated. Many who surrendered were moving at Bynard's direction, assigned duties they did not shy from.

"I must help," Juno said.

"Aye," Kelton agreed, releasing her. There were women he did not recognize abiding by Sanlina's word, moving this way and that between fallen men.

Juno took his hand and drew him toward the makeshift healing ward. "They deserve your words," She said. "It is you they risked all for, and I am most grateful for their arrival."

"Aye," Kelton sighed. He straightened, letting his full height return. He nodded to the uninjured in passing, some choosing to kneel as he neared. Signaling for them to rise was taken as notice and permission, not the end to the genuflecting he intended. New guilt was building for achieving such respect through the dealing of death. Kelton would prefer to earn such a thing through building, not destroying. In truth, he desired the equal grasping of wrists, and nothing else.

The first wounded man they came upon looked to be more farmer than soldier. His face was shockingly pale, as if the blood had drained from it and refused to return. A young woman sat at his side; the wilted rose on her wrist. She was holding his hand and cooing as if the man were a child, ignoring the labored wheezing that usurped his normal breath.

"It is a chest wound," Juno whispered into Kelton's ear. "He will not see tomorrow." Blood coated the man's tunic, and a fresh pool glistened anew with each gasp.

Kelton knelt beside the man, "I would know your name."

"It is you," the man said, his words broken and weak.

"Aye," Kelton said. He forced a smile, for it is what he would desire to see at his last. He took the man's hand, which brought out a smile from the woman who cradled the other. Her duty was a horrid one - better if it were shared.

"Motie, sire," the man gasped.

"Sire?" Kelton said with uplifted eyebrows, "It is a term for kings, and I am but a name in a tale. It is you who deserves the crown, Motie. Your courage has preserved what will be. Had you not arrived, I would have surely fallen." Kelton bowed his head. "I thank you, sire."

A sputtering laugh rose from the man. He showed teeth separated by thin lines of blood. Kelton returned the smile with all he had. A short moment of bonding, broken only by the last breath leaving the man's chest - a long sigh, hopefully painless. The young Cursed reached up and closed Motie's eyes with a tender touch.

"It was a good last breath," the woman said. She looked at Kelton with eyes that evoked memories, though Kelton could not place them. "You are taller than I remember, though you were tall then as well." She indicated his torso. "There are more marks upon you this day. Were you not happy with only one?"

"These were not of my choice," Kelton said. He stood and offered his hand. The woman took it and rose. She released it, and her eyes shifted to Juno.

"Juno?" she asked.

"Aye," Juno replied, exposing her wrist as if it were a badge of honor instead of the curse it was.

"Mother has sent me to seek you out. There is much I am to share with you. The way has been loud with word of the Answer, and you."

"Lilly," Kelton said as his mind placed the eyes. The girl who had watched over him in the Shunneer City nighthouse had grown into a woman. The mention of her name caused a new smile, one that did not match the somber task they had just undertaken.

"I knew you were the Answer," Lilly said. She looked around at the other wounded men. "Mayhap, you can tell me your tale when I am no longer needed."

"Aye," Kelton agreed.

"I am well trained in healing," Juno offered. "Where am I needed most?"

"Come," Lilly said. She and Juno moved as if they had known each other for many winters. Kelton initially followed, but soon drifted away to meet with each of the wounded, some of which were no longer in dire need of a healer's talent.

Once more that day, Kelton witnessed the end of a life. It had been easier in the heat of battle, when his blood was boiling, and the sides were divided cleanly between good and evil. Now, evil had morphed into men not unlike himself, and the good suffered along with them. The sides had merged, and the differences faded to nearly nothing. There were books in the Unglang library that spoke of the horrors of battle. Kelton now knew them to be truth.

"It is a fogged memory," Kelton said in response to a question from Bynard as they walked. "I saw all those who fell before me, yet not the ugly of it. The desire to end the Brethren dimmed all but the movement of my blades. Mayhap, the Nagada marked more than my skin. Their way is to judge, then act without remorse." He remembered Taggert's death at the blades of Ger'vy, who saw evil without considering its shades of good.

"You left these in the field," The living Taggert said as he approached. He was carrying Spider's-bite in one hand. His other was bandaged, though no blood showed through, and it seemed to move with painless ease.

"Aye," Kelton said. "I needed to separate from them for a moment." He retrieved them and saw that they had been cleaned and oiled. "I thank you." Once sheathed, he felt more whole. Bynard led the trio toward a fire. Kelton's stomach had settled enough for the food he could now smell. He wondered if Prince Sandatic Victalica's stomach would roll after a battle. The Prince always looked sturdier than Kelton felt. King Victalica even more so. Perhaps being born to it gave one resilience in such things.

"Come, you must eat," Gossamer said, his hand waving Kelton over to sit next to him. "I feared Bynard would fail to gather you, and I would have to retrieve you myself."

"A King must see to his men," A lanky man said, then smiled. It was Fingers, and seeing him brought some cheer to the dreary aftermath.

"It is good to see you, Fingers," Kelton said as they grasped wrists. "I had meant to speak to you, and others, soon. I am grateful you did not wait for my visit." He looked around at the other new faces who sat around the fire. "I am grateful to you all. I know not how you knew our need, but I thank you for meeting it."

"That is an odd story," Fingers said. Gossamer nodded in agreement, obviously having already heard the tale. "Sit, and eat. Those words can wait for a moment." Kelton sat between them as a plate was brought forth. A bone of beef and a large chunk of bread. Food from the city. Much better than watered-down stew split among too many.

"Was it the Goddess in you?" One of the newcomers asked.

"Goddess?" Kelton asked as he took a bite of the beef. It was well cooked, charred on the outside and juicy inside. He was hungrier than he first thought.

"No one moves that fast," another said.

"He has done it before," Bynard said. There was pride in his words. Kelton was pleased that Bynard replied, giving him more time to savor the meat. "Though he did not glow as he did today."

Kelton stopped chewing. "Glowed?"

"Your marks," Gossamer said, indicating the Nagada swirls on Kelton's arm and shoulder. "They had a light about them, as if they wished to be a hundred candles. It has made me consider that the Goddess does guide you." Others were nodding, including Taggert and Bynard.

Kelton looked down at the warrior marks and began chewing again. He swallowed and looked up at those that circled the fire. They were waiting for his reason for what they saw. The memory was too thick to draw out a cause. Glowing was not something he noticed, nor the speed. There was an odd feeling of the world slowing; soldiers moving like they danced in water.

"There is much I know nothing of," Kelton admitted. "I saw the end of those I love, and desired to stop it. My anger grew. It only saw the ones in white, and the need to end them." He shrugged and tore off another bite of meat. A smaller one, so as not to be caught wordless.

"May you love us all as much, sire," A heavyset man said, adding a feminine air. That brought out laughter, a good thing to see after such a battle. A bad thing for the bite of beef. It flew from Kelton's mouth before he could stifle his laugh. That caused even more laughter as Gossamer kicked the offending piece of meat into the fire.

"Let him eat, let him eat," Gossamer said, his own laughter barely restrained.

Kelton ate and listened to the descriptions of how he was seen in battle. It was as if they were describing someone else. His memory was less vivid than the colorful descriptions that made the circuit around the fire. Embellished, was his first thought. A good story needed fanciful words and exaggerations to grab the ears of the listeners. It was most likely caused by the Nagada fighting style with twin-tails. They had never seen it before. After all, if the Goddess were in him, he would know.

Kelton handed off his empty plate to one who was kind enough to collect it. Many were deferring to him as if the word 'sire' had lost its respectful humor and now held true meaning. It was heartening and terrifying, all at once. His numbers had grown well before planned, and now there were more souls to worry over. He had not expected to care for so many, so soon. In his mind, he saw a single gathering and a great battle deciding it all, while suffering losses only once. Now, smaller battles seemed more likely—more protracted days of injuries and death than he desired.

"I must know why you came when you did," Kelton said to Fingers. There was so much he did not know, and ignorance made future decisions poor guesses at best.

Fingers nodded and stood. "Best if our words are less known." Kelton and Gossamer followed Fingers deeper into the woods, far enough that voices wouldn't carry.

"Your name decorates many structures in Shunneer," Fingers began. It was more of a question than a statement.

"Not of my doing," Kelton said, then smiled. "Well, it was taught by me, but spread by another. Such a thing was not my intent."

"Whoever it be has grown your name," Fingers said. "All now know the symbols, though most are blind to the scribing. It sparks the mind at every sighting, and in Shunneer, a man passes it many times a day. The Brethren are inflamed by it, unwittingly adding to its power. There are meetings, some attended by the agents of your Bynard. Your army grows around you, in numbers none can count. They train with what they have, and trade learned soldiering between them." He paused, adding importance to his next words. "The Seven have never acted without collecting coin, yet they have tasked me to acquire your desires of them, even if it be their coin you require."

"I was on my way to them," Kelton said.

Fingers nodded. "It is known. Word was passed, and they feared you entering the city. There are still many who see the Brethren as a source of sustenance. Others, like those who came this day, are willing to war with them on your word." He shook his head. "There are too many white robes and the King's Own in the city. Fear of you taking the port, we suspect. I have seen your skill with blades, but do you wish to swing them among women and young ones?"

"Nay," Kelton said.

"Your needs of the Seven best travel through me," Fingers said. "Whatever you desire, if it is in their means, it will be granted."

"A missive is my need. One that crosses the sea," Kelton said. "There is a ship awaiting me, though I will not be traveling upon it as first planned. I have the coin the captain requires, and I trust he will see a message as easier cargo than passengers." Kelton looked around absently as he considered what was needed. "I have nothing to scribe on."

"Cloth," Gossamer suggested. "There be white cloth aplenty. I must gather it before the pyre is set." He smiled at the idea before he left to collect the garments.

"Pyre?" asked Kelton.

"They mean to burn the Brethren," Fingers said with a shrug. "None wanted them buried with those who fought."

"Fitting," Kelton said. "And what of the King's Own who perished?"

"Buried with our men. It is thought that the victory is theirs as well, whether they knew it or not."

"Wise," Kelton said, surprised he hadn't thought of it himself. If they were lucky enough to end the Brethren and King, all must be forgiven, or the victory would be lost to new strife. Perhaps some more of the King's Own would be swayed by the gesture. "Bynard has a mind on him."

"Aye," Fingers said. "Though, I think it comes from that woman, the one who breeds envy in flowers." He smirked as if he held private dreams of her.

"Serenity?"

"Aye, that be her name."

"Last-of-the-line," Kelton said. It surprised him when Fingers' eyes grew wide. For a moment, Kelton had thought Fingers knew more about what is than he did.

"She is for you?"

"Nay," Kelton said. "I have found my next days in another. Mayhap, Serenity is finding her place in the story." He found he was pleased with the idea. "We need one who thinks of what is to come while I struggle on how to get there."

"I met an odd man who struggles for you as well," Fingers said. "He is the reason we came to your aid this day." Again, Fingers left the statement open as if it were a question.

"I sent no one," Kelton said.

"He knew more than he should and looked as if he feared bathing. No name was given, though he knew mine." Fingers leaned against a tree, his eyes studying Kelton as if he held the secrets Fingers desired. When Kelton failed to respond, Fingers continued. "He knew of the Seven, and my connection to them. I know not how a man who offends noses as he does could have gathered such knowledge. Even his leathers smelled of rotting earth." Another pause, then he surrendered and finished. "He knew of your location and the King's Own. He would not say how he knew, only that a collision between you and them could not be stopped. He spoke as if he had tried."

"And you trusted him?"

"Odd as he was, I did. That he sought me directly led to trust. Few know of my duties, yet he spoke as if he owned all my facts, and those of the Seven as well. He was adamant that you required help and even spoke of the numbers we would face, Brethren and all." Fingers shook his head. "It was as if he rode with the King's Own himself. Goddess help us if he is false." He shrugged. "I sent out word, and you see the numbers it brought. We walked through the night to arrive, the shouts of battle guiding our last steps. Now, the tale of Goddess' Grove will gather more to your side."

"Goddess' Grove?"

"Aye," Fingers said. "You must speak to this last-of-the-line. She means to spread your tale to every corner. A storyteller could do no better with such a name."

A battle named is a battle remembered. Kelton had seen it in books. Such things must be second nature to Serenity. He wasn't sure it was a good thing. Death, no matter the reason, is not something to celebrate. That, and the strange man who sought the help of the Seven in his name made Kelton feel tossed about again. Great things were in motion, and Kelton felt he was floating atop a wave in the sea of it. He was sure he was as much follower as guide.

"This man you speak of, he was not the same as the first time? The one who gave coin for my passage."

"Nay," Fingers replied. "That man was balding and had none of the earth upon him." His eyes moved to the north. "Another approaches," Fingers said in warning.

"Aye," Kelton said. The Knowing had little trouble recognizing Juno. Others were ants on a hill, unidentifiable without the help of eyes. Juno, he could feel as if she were a different color or smell. "It is the one I spoke of, Juno. She knows all I know and holds my heart."

"Juno," Fingers said, bowing his head and flashing his broad smile.

"Well met, sir," Juno replied, her eyes uncertain.

"This is the man I spoke of a while back. Do you remember the story of Fingers?" Kelton asked.

"Aye," Juno said, her smile now on full display. "The one who put you in a box." She moved next to Kelton, and he wrapped an arm around her as if it were the most natural thing. It was.

"I am at a loss," Fingers said. "I know almost nothing of you... unless," He looked at Kelton, "she is the one you spoke of; the healer who made you wish to be sick again."

"It is often I wish I were poxed, ignorant, and in her care again," Kelton said, nodding his head.

Juno laughed. "It was easier to manage the boy than the man." She looked up into Kelton's eyes. "Though the man is more...enjoyable."

"It is fate," Fingers said, looking at Juno's wrist, and the wilted rose upon it. "The Answer must succeed if your curse is to be broken. Mayhap, the Goddess put you here for that alone." He looked up with that warming smile of his. "I find myself eternally in your debt, my lady."

"My curse does not bother you?"

"Nay," Fingers said. "You had no choice in it. Choices are what I trust, not the Brethren's words or marks. Kelton has chosen you, and you chose him. I need no more than that."

"Then we shall be good friends," Juno said. "Do the Seven also desire our friendship?"

"She does know all," Fingers said to Kelton, adding a chuckle.

"Aye," Kelton agreed.

"My lady, the Seven will do all they can, and they can do much," Fingers said.

"A missive across the sea is their first task," Kelton told Juno. He turned back to Fingers. "It is weapons and supplies we will need, some of which I hope the message will bring." He looked back at the field - Goddess' Grove. "There is much we lack, and we cannot hold a large force together for long. Mayhap, we can ease the Seven's troubles by bringing our force close and tease the King's Own to meet us. Supplies can move up from the south and be augmented from the city. Can the Seven acquire swords?"

"Some," Fingers said, nodding. "There are stashes, but they are not vast. There are smithies with some talent and have done work for the King's own. They can forge more in time."

"Three, mayhap four, moons is all we will have," Kelton said. "When winter bites, we must be done. I'll not gather all to starve in the cold."

"Mayhap, we can borrow a few blades as well," Fingers said. "I know soldiers whose loyalty is less than the King would desire. If metal leaks from their stores, it grows us and weakens them."

"Many now think the Goddess touches this place," Juno agreed. "they would feel it a blessing to come, and it would instill courage."

"Then that is what I wish of the Seven," Kelton declared. "Weapons, and what food they can provide. Goddess' Grove is our field, and it is where we lure the King's army." Kelton smiled. "I declare it the Answer's land. If they wish their sovereignty, they must defend it here. Let them gather in the field, and we will seek to end it from the trees."

"It will allow them quick access to the port," Fingers said. It was a warning that supplies could easily be added to any battle to come.