Once they reached the cell and Fenrin was locked inside, he stuck his hands out and Jakob removed the manacles. When Fenrin moved his ankles through the bars, Jakob shook his head.

"Those are yours to keep," The man growled. It was the first time Fenrin had heard him talk all day.

"Oh good, I'll be sure to use them to smash in your skull."

Jakob just turned and left. Jayln had a smug look on her face as she glanced at the ball and chains which Fenrin kicked at unhappily. "Your town has a strange set of priorities. I've been to castles with less security. You give all your guests these baubles?" he asked.

"No, you're special that way. Jakob was being funny when he said they were yours. You killed his brother. He made those weights out of the metal of you and your men's weapons. Good night, Fenrin."

She left Fenrin in the dark and he sat down, chains rattling. "Hilarious."

The next day when Jayln came in, Fenrin was waiting. "Mornin' jailer!"

"Should I be nervous?" She pushed the food over but Fenrin ignored it for now.

"Always, but I've got a counter offer for you."

Jayln sat down, unable to completely hide her amusement at his mood change as he continued, "After seeing your town and your crazy band of fist fighters, I got thinking. I happen to be in need of some men after my last batch got tragically knocked off. How about you join the estate, I take some fighters with me, and you never need to fear harm from the south because you'll be our northern line."

"You really don't get it.” Jayln pinched her nose bridge. “We want to be left alone. Getting wrapped up with brigands is worse than being attacked by them."

Fenrin was honestly surprised. He'd expected some harsh haggling, maybe even a blunt refusal. That they'd rather be killed he had a hard time believing.

His voice grew grave and serious. "Whether it's me or someone else, eventually somebody is going to find your little haven and they will kill everyone here. Your resources are too good, your buildings well fortified. I'm actually surprised you haven't been raided already."

Jayln shot up, her voice escalating. "We have! Why do you think there are so few of us? Why do you think we are so bent on avoiding conflict? All we want is to live in peace."

"What you want you have to take," Fenrin whispered, the phrase flowing from his lips like a prayer.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

"What?"

"That's the way the world is. If you want something, you have to take it. If you want peace you have to secure it. You need enough force no one will mess with you. And you don't have that—I do."

Jayln looked at him strangely, like she was trying to understand some foreign creature. She calmed herself. "The founders of this town fled a war. They wanted nothing to do with the conflict. We stayed hidden for nearly a century until finally being stumbled upon by the Imperial army. When we did not answer the emperor's call, they condemned my people as traitors."

She gestured to the door and the village beyond. "We fended off the initial attack with heavy losses. It would have been the end of us, but my grandfather gave himself up to the enemy for a chance to speak with their leader. He told him that we meant the emperor no ill will and we asked for nothing that was his. The leader of the forces relented, declaring that we had the right to live in peace. It's been three decades since that battle and the Soli have not bothered us since."

Fenrin snorted at her tale. "He must've died before returning his report or your people would have been killed by the emperor long ago."

"Is it so hard to believe that someone would just let us be?"

"Yes. It's not how people think. You are naïve."

She studied his face. "You really believe there is no one that wishes for peace?"

"They may wish for it. But if given the choice between peace or any increase of their own happiness...well,” Fenrin chuckled, “peace goes out the window."

Jayln sat thoughtfully for a moment before giving Fenrin a curious glance."And what makes you happy, Fenrin?"

The question blindsided him and for a moment he struggled to come up with an answer. "Winning," he said simply, satisfied.

Jayln paused as if expecting more but Fenrin had no more to say.

"That's...not a lot," she said lamely before smiling into a space beyond Fenrin. "What about a cool breeze on a hot day? The perfect slice of bread. Watching someone you've trained grew and become better. The smile of someone you care about. The embrace of a friend. The creation of something new."

Her focus returned and her eyes grew clear. "Those things don't require someone else to lose. Your happiness shouldn't depend on someone else's unhappiness. Peace brings more joy than war, that is why it can be achieved."

Fenrin's lips curled back. His mother had come unbidden to mind. Her soft touch, her selfless love, and his childhood happiness—but then his mind turned to her betrayal, her standing aside as his father forged him into a soldier and abandoned his twin sister, and finally to her death, cut down in cold blood just to send a message. Any peace in his life had been an illusion, there was always a war. A war of interests, who wanted what and who was able to take it.

"Naïve."

Jayln's eyes flashed. "I'm not an idealistic fool, Fenrin. I know there are people who forget themselves, who let jealousies and envies lead them to act cruelly. Even out here people do wrong." She gestured ironically. "Why do you think we have so many jails? The difference is we don't kill unless forced to. Violence comes from a problem, whether real or constructed, and problems can be fixed with time. We don't punish with death."

She turned away, waving and leaving him. "I'll see you tomorrow, Fenrin."

Fenrin cursed. Too many thoughts whirled in his head, too many resurrected demons he had long since buried. He knew he should laugh at Jayln's philosophy, he knew Lyra or his father would. But all he could hear was Jayln's curious voice.

"What makes you happy, Fenrin?"