In Dwarvenands we left the three wounded legionaries to recover, resupplied and headed towards home the next day. Five days later we reached the Guard Mountains, the Vetulonian northern border. I thought I’d be happy, but felt confusion and sorrow instead. It took us another four days to breach through the mountains by various narrow paths and trails. And then finally we arrived to the Northern Forest. In the evening we set up camp and built fires. The legionaries started preparing dinner. Tomorrow they’d leave us, heading to their western barracks and we’d board a ship that would sail us down the river straight to Lux.

“Why don’t you help me with dinner?!” Marius nagged me. I ignored him and wanted to be alone. So I walked away from the camp, deep into the forest. I was still tormented by the Orc attack. I also felt somewhat of a fool. I’d always dreamed of living in exciting times. Wars, glory, all of that! But the more I saw of Helena and its ill rulers, and how fate of so many depended on so few, the more I felt disgusted. The Orc attack was the final straw that broke the illusion of my simplistic understanding of the world.

I wandered around the woods aimlessly until I got cold and headed back to camp. There I ate dinner, bean stew with some dried bread. After I had eaten I started sipping on a cup of beer. Otho and Atia soon retreated to their tent. They were deeply in love and inseparable. To be honest, I found them annoying, but was happy for them nonetheless. Cecilia and Flavia disappeared as well, not long after finishing their plate. They were not the same since the Orc attack. Well, none of us were.

Now it was only me and Tiberius left, sipping our beers. It was another cold night. The ground was dry, but I could smell the upcoming snow in the air. Winter was upon us.

“You’ll remember to dispatch the Wolves to save Calista?” I reminded him of his promise.

“Of course, I have not forgotten. We’ll get her out,” Tiberius nodded, not taking his eyes from the flames.

“Have you considered who the new Vicelord will be?”

“I have. It will be your master from the camp. Kato. He’s a dear friend of mine and more than qualified for the job.”

The news made me happy. Tiberius continued:

“Of course some Captains will grumble as he’s merely a Knight and relatively unknown. But that is the decision I’ll be going with.”

“Will Kato accept?”

“He knows his duties.”

“Can I ask you something? It’s been on my mind for some time now…”

“Ask and we’ll see if I answer.”

“How did you and Octavia’s great-uncle persuade the old Lord to step down?”

“First we put a knife under his neck. He sneered at us. Then we put a knife under his manhood. He relented. That’s the short version… Ah, the trouble was long brewing. Lord Marcus rose to his position by being a good administrator. But it takes more than that to be a good Lord."

“How come he didn’t have you killed for treason after you let him go? Because at some point you had to, he had to publicly step down. How come he didn’t fight to keep his lordship?”

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“When the plot to overthrow you involves two thirds of your Captains, there isn’t much you can do about it. His retiring was an elegant solution for him and for us, the plotters. And so Octavia’s great uncle became the Lord and I Vicelord. This made some of the Captains annoyed, me being so young and somewhat inexperienced. But the people liked it. To them I was a hero, due to what happened on the island… But I’m no hero. Julia is the real hero of that story.”

“But history often repeats itself. Aren’t you afraid the same thing can very well happen to you? Especially when considering what we’ll be up against in the years to come.”

“No, I’m not afraid of that. I filled the captaincies with loyal people – more or less. The Captain of coin will object to war, that much I do know. He’s a nasty cat! Capable, but nasty! But the rest of them will be on board. The loss of Julia will have some effect on my rule though. She was well liked and knew how to deal with different temperaments. My ways are more… Straightforward.”

“One last question?”

“Go ahead.”

“Do you know where my friend Antonia Cicero’s at? She’s a pledge of the Diplomacy division as well, we were at the camp together. I don’t know if you know of her. I figured I’d ask anyway…”

“She’s in Lux, working at the Dwarven embassy. That’s all I know. And now, Antonius, I suggest we go to sleep. Tomorrow’s another long day.”

He stood up and left, saying goodnight. I stayed a bit longer to smoke my last tobacco stick. As I finished it and threw it into the fire, a grinning Marius appeared, holding a full cup of bear in his hand. He appeared drunk.

“There you are, diplomat! So, tomorrow we part ways again, ey? Me back to the barracks where I’ll freeze my ass off and you to our dear capital Lux. Me on foot and you on a fancy river boat! Well, good for you!”

“So it seems,” I smiled and kept staring at the fire. He sat down next to me.

“Here, give this to my mother.” It was a small bag filled with a bunch of scrolls.

“I will. Gods, we’ve been on the road for three months and I feel like we merely spent an afternoon or two together.”

“Well, you had your meetings in the great dining halls of Helena, and I had potatoes to peel. You always were the smarter one, hah! Don’t worry, though! There’s a good chance we’ll soon stand together in a battle line, wearing armor, slicing through enemies. May gods forgive me, but I can’t wait for it.”

“Are you serious?” I asked him, almost mad.

“Yes,” he answered, confused as to why I’d get angry over such matter.

“There are no winners in war, Marius.”

“Of course there are,” he waved his hand almost annoyed, “I’ve lost friends by the hands of those bloody Orcs. Don’t be telling me they died for nothing, Antonius!”

I kept quiet. He then cooled down, offered me some of his beer and nudged my shoulder.

“Don’t be so grumpy. What happened is nothing when compared to what lies before us. Everything is in motion and one cannot redirect such strong currents. So, might as well enjoy the time we have by not taking everything so seriously. Because all is but a wild dream that ends the same for everyone. That’s the difference between you and me, I think. I see the world as it is and it’s fairly simple. While you always seek some deeper meaning with the intent to make sense of your pain. A fool’s errand… I’ve lost friends, yes, and I’m hurt by it, but I keep moving on. You and Otho are a different breed. Philosophers, pha!” He was right, I knew that.

“How many beers have you drunk tonight, Marius? Such wisdom, such guidance!”

“Ha ha ha,” he laughed at the top of his voice, but was shushed by one of the tents. He then stood up and said:

“Goodnight, Antonius. I wish we were both legionaries and in the same unit, because sometimes, on rare occasions, I’ll admit, I miss you,” he smiled.

“Such sentimentality. You are drunk!” Again he laughed and again he was shushed once more by another tent.

“Don’t worry about these, I’ll deliver them to your mother,” I waved with the bag in front of him.

“Do that, or I’ll never hear the end of it. You know how she is, boring old bat! Good night, Antonius.”

“Good night, soldier,” I joked. He saluted me, grinned and trotted to his tent.