"Disgusting beast, I will not let you toy with the siblings!" Dandrie shouts as soon as she enters my tent. Lina stays near the entrance, ready to strike if needed.

"I thought Enon spoke for the three of you" I barely manage not to snap back at her.

"No more. I decide what is best for us and your little scuffle with the humans or orcs is not our problem" She tenses up, her imposing frame flaring up my instincts to fight.

"But it is. You are part of this camp just as anybody else, and will help with its protection if you wish to enjoy its shelter"

"We are not part of your den" She spits the last word with such disgust on her face, that I bare my teeth in return "We do our due until Spring arrives and then we are gone. That was the deal and we have honored our part of it"

"Deals change. Our previous arrangement is no longer enough. I need all the muscle I can and you will help"

"Or what?" She takes a step forth, I motion Lina to stay put as I match her step with my own "You think you can defeat me in a real battle?"

"Do I need to? You are in no place to threaten me, elf" Oh, Indri was right, she didn't like that. At first, she looks at me in disbelief that I would say that, but soon, her anger spills out and she lashes out.

Her swing is so fast I can barely dodge it, and so strong it sends a gust of wind at my face. If it were not thanks to our constant training, my face would be on the ground right now. Wasting no time she turns around and tries to kick me, but this time it is Lina who hits her from the back with her shield, pushing her away.

Dandrie grunts and summons her spear, prompting Lina to jump before me, ready to fight.

"ENOUGH!" I shout, shoving past Lina and pulling out my sword, pointing it at Dandrie "You know that this camp is the best and only option you have. Fight us if you want, but I know you would have done so long ago if you didn't doubt your capacity to be unscathed by it. And why is it that you have not gone to the humans, or orcs, or back where you came from? You have nowhere to go"

"You assume a lot you filthy creature. You know nothing" Dandrie doesn't look away from me, her spear darting between Lina and me.

"Am I wrong? Do you happen to have a secret place where to hide and let the winter pass?" She doesn't show the slightest change in her posture or expression, but her silence speaks enough on its own "I don't care what you think of my war band, or what you want. You need us"

Her face hardens, it may not be what she wants to hear, but it is what she needs. Even though I itch to let all hell break lose and fight her, I know that antagonizing her further will lead us nowhere. I take a deep breath and sheath my sword back in place.

"We need you. All of you. Enon is helping with the construction of walls and houses, and I know he is planning something with the blacksmiths, a weapon of some sort. He did that all on his own without me ordering him to. And Indri came to me, I didn't push her to anything. The siblings want to do their part for the safety of us all, and I'm not telling you to feel the same, they are involved in this already, If you really want to look after their well-being, then you better be there with them"

My words hang in there for some time before she finally looks away, thinking over what I have said. Soon after the spear vanishes and she stands straight, no longer in a battle stance. Lina too relaxes.

"She will not fight the humans" Dandrie finally speaks after taking a deep breath of her own, and I see her muscles relax for the first time since she walked in here "And if she tries to sneak away like last time you will stop her"

I nod. Feeling my teeth grit having to give in to her demands.

Dandrie doesn't stop frowning and just leaves. Now I will have the full support of the trio. Dandrie is an incredibly powerful warrior, and I know with her active aid the east side of our territory will be defended from the orcs...for now. Looking back at Lina I acknowledge her quick action with another nod.

"What is she made of?" She says, letting her shield fall on the ground, her left arm shaking "It was like running straight to a boulder" She tries to hide it, but I can tell she is hurt.

"Let one of the men look at your arm, we can't...no, come," I say jerking my head at a nearby stool.

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I spent a few minutes massaging and applying ointment on her arm. She winces in pain, her arm could even be broken. It makes me think just how different I am once again. Fighting her constantly and surviving our training, being able to push her back...the old me would be in a similar state to Lina if I dared face an opponent like her as I do now.

"Chief" Lina's voice takes me away from my thoughts "I'm alright now, thanks," She says leaning closer to my face as if trying to make sure I'm listening to her.

"Good" I reply, letting go of her arm.

"You like this don't you?" Her question catches me off guard "You always look so calm when you are treating an injury, no matter how severe...like back in the mountains. Is not the same thoughtful expression you usually have always lost somewhere in your own thoughts, it seems no different from how you look"

"And how do I usually look?" I say straightening my back as I begin to put the medicine back in its bag.

"Angry..." Well, that doesn't come as a surprise "... but when you are treating a wound, you seem calm, and collected. It reminds me of my father when he taught us how to hunt, he loved it. Or how my brother looked when he sang away from home"

"Well...I like it, is one of the few good things I remember"

"Who taught you?"

"...Go to your tent and rest for an hour or two, we may be attacked at any moment," I say finishing to put everything back in the bag and turning my back on her.

I glance over my shoulder as she stands up and begins to walk away. I remember everything from the moment we met. All the times she has been wounded, and all the times I have treated her wounds. I just now realized that this is something I enjoy...I always knew that treating wounds is calming to me, but treating her is much more...peaceful.

The first time when I led the slaves out of the human kingdom...and from there, every time she was harmed. And a lot of those wounds came because of me. And yet here she is, my bodyguard.

"Lina" I speak up, and she turns to see me"...Thank you"

When was the last time I thanked, anyone? Out loud? All this time it feels like the world only takes, and takes. Digging the knife deeper and twisting it with a sickening grin...but even through all the pain I have led her to, Lina is still here. This is the least I can do.

"You are welcome" She replies, with a smile that forces me to look away. I don't like how my heart beats faster for the briefest of moments.

Shove those thoughts away, they are fake, an illusion. Nothing more than a reaction.

Then my ears hear it. Faint and weak, far away from here, but loud enough.

I run past Lina and step outside the tent. My eyes met with Jorr, but we were not the only ones who heard it. I see Dandrie look west for a moment before turning around from whatever place she intended to go, going straight back to her tent of roots, where her armor lays.

Finally comes the sound of a horn in the distance. The humans are making their move.

The camp jumps into life like a nest of ants that has been struck by a rock. To keep an eye on the humans a few goblins are tasked with patrolling the woods near the humans all night, using their great hearing, sense of smell, and sight in the dark. Each carries a horn to blow so that the other closest goblin hears it blows theirs.

"Shit," Jorr says on top of a warg, rushing to my side "Time's up, we are fighting"

"I need you to lead the men Jorr, Get off the warg" He jumps down without protest.

"We are going to take some time to reach you, are you sure you want to go alone? I can take the remaining pair of wargs and a couple of men. Fill them with arrows and keep them in one place" Jorr adds As I get on the warg, I see Lina approach us.

"We would need Nojus and the Huani for that, but they are busy on the east. The men can shoot a crossbow or bow well, but not mounted" I whistle to the armorer giving away equipment to the men, I point at a crossbow near him "And they have Andrei, they know the terrain too well and will likely break off their army in two."

"Right, that bastard will fight dirty, who will lead the rest of the men to you?"

"You. We are facing off too many to let anyone less experienced face the brunt of their attack"

"Then who will lead the others to face Andrei?"

"Lina," I say looking at her and she immediately takes a step back. Fear invades her like a buck surrounded by a wildfire, She opens her mouth to say something but I stop her "Just fend him off, you will take some of the best we have, Don't engage him in battle, slow their advance and prevent any detachment from meeting with the main force"

"Are you sure, Boss?" Jorr says voicing everyone's concern. And in truth, I am not. But the camp can take a skirmish force if Lina fails, whereas if their main group defeats me...Well, I will be dead but I have no doubt the camp will follow soon after "Shit, shit! Alright, come! I will give you some words of advice while we go grab the map" Jorr tells her as he jogs away.

Lina stands there, petrified, A thousand thoughts must be invading her mind, and when she glances at me I see the faintest hint of anger in her eyes, buried deep beneath a sea of worry. A shout from Jorr makes her turn around and leave.

I hurry and reach the armorer who hands me over a crossbow with a few bolts. I would go with a bow but I want to be as far from the enemy as possible, I may be more powerful than ever...but I can't take on a hundred men on my own. He hands me a pair of daggers to tie to my boots, so now I have four strapped on my body.

Soon after the men begin to pour out of the camp, Jorr shouts a few words and divides the men into a large, nearly eighty-strong group of mostly hobgoblins with a few goblins, and Lina gets around twenty others, mostly goblins with a few hobgoblins. She is given the two other remaining wargs.

I see them march away with a quick step, cursing under my breath I didn't get to work on the alchemy project I had in mind sooner. But after a minute or two of waiting, Dandrie steps out of her dwelling, now with her strange armor on.

"You will be coming with me," I say, jerking my head back, and letting her know she is to ride with me.

She scoffs but doesn't protest further. Silently she shoves me back and takes the lead, and I swear if I wasn't about to face off against an army I would dig one of my daggers in this bitch's neck.

But no, I need her. And we ride past my marching men, into the woods.