--- Roric

During the following week. Roric and Elise spent most of their time moving things to the new house.

Just five days had passed since the meeting at the Mountainside, and Dominic's armchair was already adorning the main room, right next to the fire. To be honest, the boy thought that place to be a great improvement compared to the farm. However, he couldn't stop thinking about his friend's words about keeping Fradot safe.

The way she wanted to drag me into forming a militia... I can't ignore the feeling that she brought me to the Mountainside for this exact purpose, the other day. What if she just wanted to see my reaction in order to convince me to train volunteers later? How could I be this careless? Knowing her, she must have planned it from the very beginning.

His fondness for the girl couldn't influence his decision. He had already decided that, if those people really had to be protected, teaching them to lay low was a much safer option. Had they fought back against an enemy, who knew what they could have lost. It was better for them to remain humble villagers for the rest of their lives. Not to mention there were no enemies around.

To clear his mind a little, Roric decided to visit the hunting grounds once again.

He woke up at dawn, heading out in silence because he didn't want to wake up Elise, who slept in the other room. It was better if she rested, the boy thought, but he also wanted some time to figure out the shortage of game in the northern woods by himself.

Going there doesn't seem necessary, but I can't wait until the villagers take care of it. Maybe those people are right and there's nothing to be so concerned about, but I need to be sure. Wolves leave a different kind of destruction on their path.

The morning was beautiful and sunny. As he abandoned the village Roric turned around, giving a troubled look to his new home. It wasn't like he didn't enjoy being in Fradot, but lately he had started asking himself if it was only because of Elise that he accepted to live there. That girl had shaped his stay in every possible way, at that point, and he wasn't completely sure to be happy about it.

She was meeting her council friends again today. What were they talking about? Always defending the village, right? Elise is getting a bit too enthusiast about this idea of training the recruits herself... I wonder if she'll remember to eat. She was so tired yesterday evening. Well, like every evening.

In truth, he also believed the way she was trying to influence the council without being a part of it was a little... Rushed. Maybe the elders were right and Elise needed to be a bit older and experienced, after all.

The boy shook his head and moved forward, towards the fields.

***

--- Elise

Her fingers twisted around the wood of the spear.

Sitting on her bed, Elise was lost in thought. That day the council members would have decided if the village needed protection or not. Her friends had voiced the proposal in her sake just a couple of days before, and since then there had been a lot of discussion. Moreover, the girl was already suspected to be the mastermind behind that plan.

I hope I'm doing this right... To be honest, I can't believe I've gotten this far with so little help. That was what Dominic meant when he urged me to protect my people... It's a great deal of responsibility. And I'm willing to take it all, if it's necessary.

She stood up, proudly, and walked out of the room. Roric wasn't at home, as he had already told her, but he had left some food for her on the table. The girl ate it, just to avoid worrying him. A minute later she was outside, headed to the tavern for one last meeting with the people who were supporting her proposal before the voting. During the week, they had managed to snatch away another member of the council and convince him that Elise was trustworthy, and that was a good thing because now they only needed one more person to achieve a majority.

We even talked about the weapons. For now, the people of the village will use whatever they can find. Gardn has taken the task of making spears and other workers are ready to start building a palisade around the lower part of Fradot. The farms won't be protected this way, but that's just the first step.

However, Elise felt a little guilty for the farmers that had exchanged their house with her and Roric. Living outside of the village, they were exposed and defenseless. Maybe in the future she would have asked the council to organize some patrols.

Her dreams didn't end there, of course. The girl wanted to make Fradot bigger, wealthier and start trading with the northern valley. Eventually, that would have led to a growth of the militia. Then, cleaning the villages of the West from lowlife and unite the valleys under one banner would have been as simple as breathing.

I have so many plans for this place. Let's hope that Roric will follow me. I mean, why wouldn't he? Once he realizes what I'm doing, he'll join in like the rest of them.

If someone had told her that she would have soon become such a confident girl, a couple of months earlier, Elise wouldn't have believed it in the slightest. But now things were different. Her Dominic wasn't there to keep the entire world away from her anymore, and she needed to take her fate into her own hands.

Speaking of which... What will happen after we bring the valleys together? I might even be ready to leave at that point... In search of him.

Those thoughts distracted the girl, who failed to notice that she was already nearing the Mountainside where the council members had decided to meet an hour later. For that reason, a lot of people were gathered near the tavern.

"Elise! Where are you going?" Gardn called for her.

"We are here, dear," echoed Enn. "Come and join us."

"Oh, sorry," replied Elise, snapping out from her reflections. "I was just thinking about something."

***

--- Roric

Roric abandoned the path after passing by the small lake that lay more or less at the center of the valley. He advanced between the pine trees cautiously, keeping an eye out for the appearance of any animal. Despite his goal being slightly different from normal hunting, the boy had his bow ready. Bringing back a prey, at least, would have helped mending his mood.

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Yet, just like the previous time, he didn't manage to find any wildlife.

This looks even worse than last week. I can't even see tracks on the ground. It isn't surprising, after the rain of the other day, still... I'm not even close to the point I already visited and the situation is the same.

He went further North, where the woods were thicker. The atmosphere was unnaturally quiet, reminding Roric of that time when commander Lowan had led them into the deep of the republican forests to chase the necromancer. Not that he expected to find Rickhart or his cult so far from the site of the battle, but that didn't prevent a shiver from crawling up his spine.

The boy nervously checked his surroundings, to verify that he was alone. He even summoned a spark between his fingers, just to be sure that he could protect himself from any danger. The tiny lightning crackled, jumping across the hand, then it dissipated at Roric's will, leaving a mild tingle on the skin.

There's no point in being so tense. I can hear birds chirping above. It's just like... Someone or something took care of all the game or made it move from here.

He remembered a time when he was out hunting with Rata and the two had ventured inside the territory of a pack of wolves. Even then, however, they could still find a couple of animals for themselves.

Wolves have nothing to do with this. I'm certain of it now. It's more like the place has been used for hunting by many, many people for a while. I need to go deeper into this.

With his bow ready, Roric advanced for half an hour until a glimpse of brown fur lured his attention, making him crouch in the thick vegetation. There, twenty meters from where he was, walked a beautiful female deer. She was clearly young but didn't seem to belong to any herd and had no fawns following her. What the animal was doing there all alone, the boy couldn't even guess.

How did this deer end up here? She must have been separated from the rest of her kind.

On the back of the deer, around the top of her left leg, was stuck a short arrow. Its grey, worn plumage was all frayed and stained with blood, but Roric couldn't be mistaken. It hadn't been fired from a bow.

Who the hell goes hunting with a crossbow around here? I don't think anyone at the village could afford one...

As he looked, trying to decide what was best to do, his keen eyes caught another movement between the trees directly in front of him. Two people were there, stalking the beast as she stumbled around the forest. She didn't seem to have noticed their presence, anyway, because they were approaching from outside her field of vision. Had Roric moved, she would have escaped for sure. He thought about helping the poor animal, but didn't want to be discovered and kept watching instead.

Another dart whistled in the air and pierced the deer's ribs. With an agonizing lament, the animal collapsed on the ground. The hunters emerged from the bushes, armed with rusty knives, and finished the job in a couple of seconds.

Those two are definitely not from the village. Did they come from the northern valley? No, there's no way, they have plenty of game there. That leaves only one option...

"Good shot," said one of the men. "You've got her for real, this time."

The other one wiped the sweat from his forehead. It was pretty hot, and they must have been on the trail for several hours.

"Finally, good grief," he answered. "The boss would have skinned us alive, had we come back empty-handed."

Boss? Why do I have the feeling they aren't talking about a regular employer?

From the poor way they were dressed, they must have been highwaymen or maybe deserters. Roric cursed himself. He should have brought the sword, more than the bow. Rapidly, he looked around to see if the bandits were alone, but even if he couldn't currently see anyone there was no way to be certain. The boy knew he could take care of the one with the crossbow with a single, well placed arrow, but he there was no way to avoid a noisy clash with the other. He had to eliminate them in silence, if he wanted to do so.

Do I let them go? I hold a vantage point plus they haven't spotted me. Maybe I can just try to use my powers on the second... Or maybe I quietly go back and report this to the village, or...

"Speaking of which, how about those who were sent ahead?" went on the man without any ranged weapon, who was roughly eviscerating the deer.

"Don't know a thing," replied the other. "But they must already be on their way back."

"Did the boss plan an attack?"

"Not for now. Seriously, how bloodthirsty are you? I know you are new and still have to get used to our ways, but-"

"But what?"

"We don't assail villages out of the blue. It would be too risky. The boss waited a long time before sticking his nose out of the valley, did you forget about it?" yelled the man with the crossbow. "We just want supplies for the winter. That's why we are here."

The other bandit, however, seemed pissed.

"Where I'm from, we aren't scared of a bunch of peasants. We take what we need," he said, spitting on the ground. "Plus, I really miss stabbing people."

"Shut up, everyone knows you came here to hide."

"To hide? Are you calling me a coward?"

"Behave. I'm the one with the crossbow."

And that was true, the man was pointing the weapon at his companion, but not menacingly. It all seemed like some sort of banter to Roric. Still, he had to leave and leave at once. Outlaws had taken an interest in Fradot.

Elise was right to be worried, after all... But it's just a coincidence. Now, it looks like these people aren't going to attack, so if we bow our heads and give them what they want I'm sure they'll leave us be. Maybe their numbers aren't even that scary.

Careful not to make any noise, he took a couple of steps back and abandoned that place. As much as he wanted to end those cutthroats right there, he just couldn't risk it. That would have alerted their boss and incited his rage on the village.

It was better to play it smart.

***

--- Elise

"It is time," whispered Lod. "All ten council members have voted the proposal."

"Let's hope the man we brought to our side kept his word," said Elise.

"He's a farmer," commented Enn. "One who said to be interested in taking some kind of defensive measures. At least to keep wild boars away from his fields."

The girl nodded. They had spent the previous week working a lot to tie the numbers at the village council. Even then, convincing Fradot that a militia was necessary was a difficult task, especially without any sign of threat from the outside. Still, she didn't accept the idea of leaving her people unprotected.

"We have the results!" announced a man, who was acting as a crier. "We have... Even numbers. Five against five. That means a rejection."

Elise felt her mood crumbling. She had to think of something else for her next try.

***

"Everything all right, Elise?" asked Lod. "You have been silent for a while."

"I'm fine," replied the girl. "I just hoped they would be a little more far-sighted."

They were standing in front of the Mountainside, waiting for the last of the crowd to disperse. The proposal hadn't passed, that was a reality now. The other council members didn't think the village to be in any kind of danger, because of how peaceful the southern valley was, and thus they had refused to even take preventive measures. They looked at Elise's group in spite from the other side of the plaza, probably pissed off by the fact that a young girl was discussing with them like an equal.

"If only there was a way to let them see," she wondered. "To see that danger can come at every moment and..."

Elise glanced at Lod, waiting for a nod of agreement, but in that moment she felt that something was off. The people around them had all focused their eyes on the same point, right behind her.

What...

She turned to watch. From where she stood, just outside the tavern, the girl could clearly see some figures approaching. Two ruffians, dressed with poor clothes, were advancing on the main road. Their looks and the old weapons they carried told a lot about their usual habits. Elise instinctively searched the area for something to defend herself with, but she had left her spear at home and the only ones Gardn had ready were still in his shop.

Bandits. I can tell by just looking at them. Why now? Damn, we have to do something...

The girl looked to the left, only to find Lod's worried face. A steady hand grabbed her left shoulder. It was the bulky carpenter, his expression already annoyed and directed against the two strangers. She had to admit that he was a bit scary.

"Gardn?"

"Get inside," said the man. "I'm smelling trouble out here."