“I must say, I’m very disappointed Lady James.”

Yulia wanted to spit in the arrogant man’s face but after who knew how long strapped to a chair enduring his questioning, she couldn’t muster the energy. Thankfully, the man hadn’t resorted to truly unsavory means but the constant barrage of questions on top of the deprivation, both of sleep and sustenance, was hard enough. Though she didn’t know how long such restraint would last. With each passing hour, her captor grew more irritated. Someone was applying pressure to him and she suspected it wouldn’t be long until he pressured her in turn.

The worst part of it all was that he kept asking questions she couldn’t possibly answer.

What kind of forces did the north have? How was she to know? The number of Victory’s knights fluctuated severely every couple of months, decimated by the campaigns before being filled with eager hopefuls. As a James daughter, she had access to the information if she cared but it wasn’t of any interest to her.

The average strength of a knight? A ridiculous notion. The north’s training wasn’t standardized. There wasn’t a test one had to pass to prove their competency. Complicating things further, orders like the Beasts and the Duelists encouraged their members to develop individual styles. As long as someone was good enough not to get themselves killed doing something stupid, which was more a matter of common sense rather than training, and wanted to fight monsters, they were allowed to participate in the campaigns.

The best answer she could come up with was better than the average hunter. He hadn’t appreciated her honesty.

Perhaps the most frustrating questions were those that related to her hostess and likely future in-law, Lourianne Tome. He tried to hide it, but she was sure he was more interested in her than the north’s military status. He tried to hide his true interest by asking everything under the sun, it always came back to one question. What was the secret behind her healing ability?

As if Yulia would be privy to such a precious secret. She had no clue what kind of divine blessing or abyssal curse allowed Lou to treat fatal wounds with less concern than the average person had for paper cuts. If she knew such a secret…well, there wasn’t much she could do with it, as speaking it would certainly earn the noblewoman’s ire. Worse, it would destroy any chance of reconciling with Alana, something she finally thought she was making a little progress toward. She’d share it with her husband and son of course. Who could fault her for wanting them to be safe? Despite that, she had never asked. Something like that was truly priceless. Future family or not, Yulia didn’t think she had any right to the information.

Her captor was clearly annoyed by her lack of information regarding her home’s war preparations but her ignorance regarding Lou angered him. His tone always became belligerent and he had even struck her to “loosen her heavy tongue”.

Yulia wasn’t a brave person. Nor was she particularly resistant to pain. If she had the information, she would have readily given it up in exchange for her life and the lives of everyone else that had been captured. Even if the hunters were lying about setting her free, it would mean better treatment. A foundation of trust. Something, anything, for her to work with.

“Your obstinance gains you nothing,” the man said. “As unpleasant as our acquaintance has been, you must understand that I am the least of the evils we have considered.”

“The guilds,” she said, voice hoarse from a lack of water. “You keep saying we. Us. Never giving your name. It’s a pointless gesture. I know who’s responsible for this.”

He sniffed. “The point is that things can get much worse for you.”

“I’m aware of that. I want to cooperate with you. I want this to end peacefully. You’re the one making it impossible.”

“…maybe you’re right.” She suppressed a frown as he grabbed her by the chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. “Maybe you really are a pampered lady of privilege. I suppose doting fathers can exist in the north. Is that what you are, Lady James? Another empty-headed, ignorant woman?”

It took considerable control not to spout curses at him. She was still fighting the impulse when there was hurried knocking on the door.

Her captor clicked his tongue as he stepped away and called for whoever it was to enter. A harried young man opened the door and came inside with hesitant steps, his features wide with urgency. He came up short when he spotted Yulia, eyes flicking between her face and her bound wrists.

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“Hey!” The second man jumped as her captor barked at him. “I assume you’re here for a reason.”

“Ah, yes. They, uh.” Another glance at Yulia before his gaze dropped to the ground. “They want a…oh, saints.”

“Spit it out man!”

He swallowed. “They…want a piece. To show they’re serious.”

“You’re not making any sense.”

“Lourianne Tome. They killed two of the north women in response to her declaration of war.” Yulia suppressed a wince at the news. It was a blow but one she was accustomed to. Reacting now might interrupt them and they were sharing crucial information, especially as it related to her immediate future. “This morning…they found ten people. All of them with connections to the guilds.”

“Connections? Was it not just hunters?”

The other man grimaced. “Everybody but hunters. Administrators. Clerks. One of our smiths and an alchemist.”

“How do we know that this was done by the Tome woman?”

“Do you think someone else killed so many of our people?”

“I think we should be sure before we start mangling our insurance. This method was meant to stop the tension between us and Lourianne Tome or, at the very least, halt it until we’ve handled the north. Instead, things seem to be escalating. Isn’t that a sign that things aren’t going well?”

The young man bit his lip. “I’m just following orders.”

“Well, now you have new orders! Go!” her captor scowled as the younger man stayed where he was, shuffling his feet. He shrank under the older man’s angry eyes, raising a hand to block his mouth as he coughed lightly. “What are you still doing here?”

“No offense sir, but I was told not to leave this room without…something.”

“Those useless—fine! Stay here and do nothing. If she is missing any proof when I return, I’ll be taking some proof out of you.”

Her captor left the room in a huff, slamming the door behind him. If the two hadn’t spoken a word, she would have known the situation was deteriorating from the man’s loss of control. It was the first time his carefully controlled persona had shown the slightest cracks. It seemed Lou was causing quite a stir.

It was scary to think of what would become of her should the relationship between Lou and the guilds deteriorate any further, thinking of what would become of them without the hostages to hold back Lou’s family made her feel much better.

Then there was the matter of her visitor.

She was the one tied to a chair, but he looked far more uncomfortable, his eyes bouncing around the room as he fought the urge to look at her. She didn’t know what was making him so uneasy, but she knew she could use it. Soothing unsettled hearts was what she did best.

“Hey.”

He jumped, eyes flicking toward her before slipping away.

“What’s your name?”

“…I don’t think I should tell you that.”

“Alright, stranger. Do you mind?” She jerked her head toward the table against one of the walls, where a glass pitcher of water and a cup sat. Always there to tantalize her. “I’m thirsty.”

“I, uh…”

“It’s just something to drink. It wouldn’t be here if it was dangerous, right?” She did her best to look pitiful, which took barely any effort at all given the circumstances. “A little drink. Please?”

At her tone, he looked over. Their eyes met and he swallowed heavily before walking over to the table. He poured a full cup and returned to her, hesitantly extending it.

She waggled her fingers. “I need help drinking it.”

“…fine.”

“Gently,” she whispered as the cup neared her lips. The stranger paused, a light flush reddening his cheeks and when he moved again, there was much more deliberation in his actions. Yulia parted her lips just so and took small gulps as he steadily poured the water. By the time she finished the cup, she felt refreshed. She didn’t need to put any effort into the smile she flashed him. “Thank you.”

“Ah, um. Sure.” He returned the cup, coughing all the way.

“Are you alright?”

“It’s just a cough,” he muttered.

“It might not feel like anything now, but it could be something serious if you’re not careful. Why are here instead of resting?”

“This isn’t the time to be laying in bed,” he said with a frown.

“I heard about what happened. I’m sorry for your loss.”

He scowled. “It’s your people killing them!”

“I know. It saddens me more than you know. I came here to save lives, if you can believe it. But that pain you feel? That is the same pain my family is experiencing right now. As long as they have reason to feel it, the killing won’t stop. Something must be done.”

“…the guild leaders will do something.”

“Why them? Why not you?”

He scoffed. “Me? I’m a nobody.”

“Sometimes, it doesn’t matter who you are, but where you are. Even a simple boy can be a hero if he’s in the right place at the right time.”

The stranger frowned. “If this is some kind of game—"

“It’s not a game nor a trick,” she said, keeping her voice the warm whisper she used to comfort broken veterans. “I’m hardly in a position to play games. All I can do is tell you that right now, in this moment, have the power to change the course of this conflict. You can save lives. Don’t you have people you care about? Friends? Family?”

“Of course I do!” he snapped.

“Mm, of course. Everyone has people they care about. So do your guildmasters, the ones you’re relying on. Who you believe in. They also have people they would do anything for. So, when they realize the mistake they’ve made, when they realize that Lou isn’t going to stop, who do you think they’ll protect? The people you care about? Or the people they care about?”

“This is so messed up,” he muttered to himself before coughing heavily.

Yulia waited for his fit to pass before speaking again. “I can see you are a loyal man. But you have to ask yourself, who is it you should be loyal to? After you leave this room, it’ll be too late to decide.”