The next morning there was a lot of commotion at the Targavis citadel. Sudden visitors came to the there that had alerted everyone. The mercenaries were alerted fearing it was the enemy. Helmut Gröhl came to the courtyard to meet these unexpected visitors.

"Well, well. This is a surprise. What brings you here, Joan Plangent?" Helmut asked looking positively surprised.

Joan Plangent arrived with the last of the knights of the black sun. Around fifty knights were left from the original hundred knights. They were all battered and were unable to return to their home base at Teutonia. Most of them were exhausted with dirty armor with some even carrying their comrades. Joan looked frustrated and was dragging her large sword with her.

"My brother...." Joan said with a furious voice.

~ ~

Back in the keep, Joan was given her first meal in a long time. She was devouring her food fast and with a good appetite. She took an entire chicken leg, devoured it in seconds, and then chugged down an entire glass of wine.

The knights of the black sun were all resting and given rations to recover. The Guiscard mercenaries were all looking at the knights and making jokes about them on how bad they looked.

The knights had marched a long way with all the citizens refusing to help them see them as enemies forcing them to live without food for a long time.

"It seems you did survive through the battle of Ins," Helmut said with a grin.

Joan stopped drinking.

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"Not thanks to you. I saw the regiment you were leading. Being blown away and losing its nerve after one blast from that Rufus. You hadn't even gotten into the battle before you all turned and fled," Joan snorted at Helmut.

Joan proceeded to keep eating and filling her stomach as Helmut felt insulted.

At the table, Tankred looked at Joan with a grin

"I heard you are the daughter of the Plangent family. The Plangent's are known even to us. Many times a king of the Haraldrar kingdom has met his or her demise by the sword of a Plangent. The mighty great swordsman of the Plangent family has been the loyal lapdogs of the royal family since the founding of the kingdom. You came to express your family's loyalty to the prince," Tankred asked.

Markus was standing at the side of the room. He also was curious about it.

Joan looked at the prince and then looked away.

"We are loyal to the throne. I will slay the enemies of the throne for the throne and the one to who it belongs," Joan said and kept eating.

"So we have a common enemy then," Tankred said with a pleased voice.

"Yes, but unlike you, I have a more honorable motivation than a chest of gold. I am not a mercenary that unsheathes her sword because of gold," Joan said and insulted Tankred.

Tankred looked insulted.

"You knights are all the same. Thinking there is something honorable in battle, not realizing it is more than victory parades in shiny armor. Always being surprised when they realize that they also bleed the same way as anyone else. Realizing they are not special at all. We at least are not lying to ourselves and want to be awarded accordingly for the brutality we do," Tankred said back.

"I know that well. I have fought on the battlefield since I was twelve. Killed and butchered dozens of battles. My armor and sword may look expensive, but there is for a reason. I need to stay alive so I can kill my enemies and they do that job well enough."

"Then what enemy do you have to kill so badly?"

"My brother.....He betrayed his family. He betrayed his kingdom. He betrayed us all. Betrayal cannot go unpunished."

"No, it cannot. I will raise a glass for that," Helmut said and raised a glass with Joan who abruptly ignored it.

"I am very curious about your brother. I have always loved to clash swords with your father, but I guess your brother will due. He might be even a greater swordsman than your father ever was," Tankred said.

Joan slammed her fist on the table startling everyone.

"You can kill all the grey skins and usurpers you want mercenary. But my brother is for me to kill."