Upcoming weeks were harder. Wetter, colder, hungrier. My body was exhausted, but my heart was over-joyous. Antonia and I were together almost all the time. Each night she'd crawl into my tent and we’d cuddle up, keeping each other warm. We kissed a lot, but didn’t go beyond that – the main reason being the lack of privacy. But again, for some silly reason, I preferred to take things slow.

Kato noticed our affections for each other. I expected he’d try to keep us separate, as a lesson of sorts, but he did quite the opposite. He paired us up, so the daily duties became much more pleasant.

In the upcoming weeks Cassius managed to win Livia’s affections as well and I was happy for him.

We learned a lot. How to hunt, set traps, build fires, build basic shelter, stretches…. Before we went to sleep, Kato gave lessons about military strategies, espionage and things of that sort. I adored his lectures and always listened with great attention.

On one night he stirred our imaginations with exciting news. By the end of the spring a handful of us would be chosen to be escorts to an important diplomatic mission. Our ears perked up.

“The League’s power in the east grows by day and it’s our duty we tame it. Not by force, but by diplomacy. We will visit Porosia and the League itself. Then the five City States of Elana, where we’ll also meet up with the Elves. Megalopolis will be next and then the Horse People, Sodomir. Then we’ll head home, passing by the Forbidden Forest. Our last stop will be to our northern allies, the Dwarves of Dwarvenlands. Any questions?”

“What about Giants? Will we visit them too?” someone asked.

“We won’t. Giants appear when they want to. We don’t bother them.”

“Is the League indeed that powerful?” I asked and everyone turned to me. I rarely asked questions.

“I visited there last year, Antonius. And what they achieved in a short amount of time is quite astonishing. Even more so when compared to Porosia. Porosia is a leftover of the old kingdom, a relic of the past. In time the League will absorb its predecessor without much effort. But it will not stop there. The League is hungry and it will keep swallowing nations all over Helena.”

“As we did in the past?” I smirked.

“Exactly,” Kato returned the smile.

“How come their power is growing at such a scale, as you say? Is their political philosophy more advanced than ours?”

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“Depends on the point of view, Antonius. Vetulonian system is set to empower the rights of individuals. Even our ruler, the Lord, has absolute power only over government, not citizens. They’re guarded by our constitution! The League’s power doesn’t come from individuals, it comes from the collective. Every aspect of their citizen’s lives is subjected to the goals of the realm. Those burdens of course don’t apply to their ruling class, hah! Those hypocrites live quite privileged – I’ve seen it myself.

When the civil war started, it was just. Old Porosia was an incompetent beast and people suffered greatly. But wickedness finds its place in even the most fair causes. Even more so, I believe. If their revolution followed our path and found a balance between freedoms and responsibilities... Well, we'd now have a great ally in the east. But unfortunately it did not.

The League is the most populous nation in whole of Helena. They have lots of fertile lands and rich mines. And people forcefully work for common goals, without the peskiness of personal rights."

“Could one argue their system offers more freedom than ours? Because of its effectiveness and securities, despite lacking certain personal freedoms?” I dug further.

“Of course. But safety and freedom and two different things. If by the end of the day the ruling cast has the power to end you, then you’re not free. Regardless of certain short term benefits you might imagine to have.”

“But could one argue that within their system, an individual is indeed free, even more so? The same way routine and discipline, instead of restraining you, unlock your potential?”

“But it’s not voluntary, Antonius. It’s enforced, often by violent means.”

“I think I understand,” I nodded.

“Good. That will be enough for today. To bed now.”

We all stumbled up and headed to our tents. Before walking away I glanced towards Kato. Our eyes met. He then scribbled something on a piece of paper.

Gods, I hope he doesn’t think I’m League’s sympathizer, I thought and was immediately overwhelmed with bad mood.

“What’s wrong?” Antonia asked with her soft voice. The bad mood went away. She was magic.

“Nothing, nothing at all,” I smiled.

We went to our tent and embraced each other to keep warm.

“I admire your mind, Antonius.”

“Oh, come now. You know you’re smarter than me.”

“Probably, ha ha! But nobody thinks to ask such questions. I think there’s a strong possibility you’ll be picked for the mission.”

“We'll both be chosen, you'll see.”

“Kato said they’re only going to pick one from each unit and it’s going to be you. By the end of the spring… We’ll be on separate paths. I know it.”

I felt knots in my stomach. I felt she was right.

“Nothing lasts…” she whispered.

“Everything flows,” I responded.