"So, Grohir. What's the plan?" Ambre asked.

Grohir sat at a makeshift table built of several barrels and pieces of plywood, looking to a tattered parchment that mapped Winter's Peak. He ran his fingers across the weathered paper, eyes focused and his dark eyebrows arched, thinking deeply about their next move. After a few moments, he acknowledged Ambre's question with a sigh.

"Our manpower is limited," He said, tapping a finger on his chin, "My guess is that we split into three and hit them from all sides."

He stopped and pointed to the map, his dirty finger lingering over the east and west walls.

"The castle is up high on a mountain and unless you want to scale the cliffside, I'd suggest we climb the city walls instead then head to the castle from there. Either way, there's a huge risk and I'd rather do the latter."

Ambre nodded.

Scaling the wall may prove to be hard but they were left to no choice in the matter. That or climbing the mountain which wasn't a viable option at all. The problem was climbing the walls without being noticed.

"Grohir, let's delay the infiltration until tomorrow night," She said.

"Why?"

"We need to scout the walls, watch the guards and determine their rotation... See if we can find a window to scale the walls unnoticed."

Grohir raised an eyebrow and slowly nodded in agreement, "We haven't much time before they find us again. If you think delaying will help, then I won't argue. I'll simply warn you of the risk."

"I'm aware of the risk, but it may be best to be a little cautious."

"Alright, I'll set up two scouting parties to watch the walls tonight," Grohir replied, getting up from a makeshift chair.

"I'm going to go too," Ambre said.

"But My Lad-"

"I'm going, Grohir. I'm tired of standing here with my thumb up my ass!" Her voice was stern and final.

Grohir didn't argue, he simply bowed.

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The day moved over slowly and by the late afternoon, the teams were ready and set for the scouting mission. The overcasting clouds loomed high above, blanketing the snowy landscape like a grey veil, consuming it with darkness. As it did with most days up in the snowy north. Ambre had missed it, wishing she were there under different circumstances. Tycon slept quietly by the wall on his lonesome, Ren had been called upon to take on the scouting mission too. Grohir was left to watch him, to his dismay. She was confident that he'd be fine. 

Tycon had slept most of the day, Ambre knew it was the most rest he'd had in weeks. She envied him as the weariness set in at the sight of his soundly sleeping body. Her mind was in a constant rush, sleep was rarely a concern for her, but at that moment, the reminder had set itself within her. She shook it off, leaving Tycon to rest in an attempt to forget how tired she was. 

Leaving the dilapidated farmhouse she saw Ren tightening the saddle on a nearby horse. He took a quick glance her way but quickly returned to his task. They were to set out soon, admittedly she was afraid, mostly of getting caught but also the wilderness they had to trek through. The forest was unforgiving, especially in the eternal winter that blanketed the region, though she was aware that they could handle anything that came their way.

Tai stood by a nearby tree with a hand over his eyes, staring into the dense forest before him. He was strapped in leather armor with fur lining on the inside. His white cloak fluttered slightly in the weak wind and his jet black hair moved with it. He was an attractive man, Ambre had to admit but his personality was the equivalent of a horse carcass left in the sun to rot. At the very least his heart was in the right place. 

Ambre brushed some snowflakes from her shoulder and winced as her hand tapped the cold silver shoulder plates, making a slight noise as she did. Tai turned his head to the sound and let out a chuckle, the condensation slipping from his nostrils and mouth. She gave him a slight wave and he took a few steps over to her, leaving tracks in the snow.

"Ready? We're set to head off soon," Tai said, placing his hands in his armpits and shivering.

"Yeah, I am. Not long now, we need to make this little excursion quick."

"Well, of course, my lady," He replied with a hint of sarcasm. 

Ambre rolled her eyes, "Don't do anything stupid Tai."

She didn't wait for him to reply and instead quickly made her way to her horse, fastening its straps, she climbed into the saddle and took hold of the reigns. 

"We're leaving now," Tai shouted, the soldiers quickly fell into motion.

Off they rode into the dense and snowy forest, under the cover of darkness in search of a way to infiltrate the city of Winter's Peak. The cold wind brushed over Ambre's pale face as she rode fast and hard with the rest of the scouts in tow. Disappearing into the darkness, the sounds of galloping horses fading along with them.

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Tycon woke, the sun was down and the house was covered in darkness. Only the faint orange glow of the candlelight guiding his groggy eyes as he scanned the empty room. He saw Grohir sitting alone by a table made of barrels, his head in his hands, occasionally brushing his short greying hair back with a sigh.

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The pain of his wounded arm suddenly set in again, he scrunched his face and gritted his teeth as it seared through him. After a few moments, he scanned the room again, looking for Ambre, but she was gone. He tried to call out to Grohir but another surge of pain stopped him, letting out only a coarse breath. It was enough for him to glance over at Tycon for a moment, then returning back to gazing at the table.

"She's gone with a scouting party," He said, softly.

It was clear the man was worried, his expression told it all, as well as his silence. The sole commander of the rebel forces reduced to sitting there worried like a mother waiting for their child to come home.

"What makes you think I'm worried about her?" Tycon asked.

"Oh don't give me that. It's obvious you two are in love, I see the way you look at each other," He paused for a moment, reaching into a nearby pack and removing a bottle of a foreign alcohol, "Am I wrong?"

Grohir rose from his seat and made his way over to Tycon, with the bottle in hand.

"No, you're not," Tycon admitted.

"I knew it. Don't worry, the secret is safe with me," He took a seat by the wall beside Tycon, "I guess I have you to thank for keeping her safe."

"She can take care of herself... Saved my arse a few times, to be honest."

Grohir pulled the cork from the bottle and took a swig, "Is that so? Though I shouldn't be surprised, she's always been a feisty one."

"I take it you know her well then?" Tycon said.

"Well?," He let out a cackle, "That's an understatement. Served as her father's advisor, I watched her grow from an infant to the woman you see today... Before, well... Now."

He offered the bottle to Tycon and he accepted and took a sip. It was whiskey, a kind he hadn't tasted before, it was a lot harsher than he expected and went down his throat like a fireball. The aftertaste lingered something sweet, cinnamon perhaps?

 With a cough, he passed the bottle back to Grohir.

"A bit tough for you is it?" He said with a laugh.

"I'm more used to wine."

Despite the attempts at lifting the spirits, gloom still lingered within the room. Much had transpired in just one day, it all felt sudden to Tycon but he guessed, to Grohir, it was more of a shock. They sat in silence for a long while until Grohir began telling Tycon stories of Ambre in her youth. Ironically she was rebellious in her teen years and from what Grohir had told him, he could see just how much she had matured in just a few years. Often times he longed for how she was when they met in Meliora, flippant and silly. He smiled to himself at the thought, but both she and he hadn't been the same since that job. 

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"Stop here," Tai called, pulling the reins of his horse.

Ambre and the others followed suit and slowed down their horses. 

"We go on foot from here. Ren, your team will cover the east wall. The lady and I will cover the west wall, is that clear?"

Ambre heard a couple of "Yessir's" from behind.

The soldiers all strung their horses to the nearby trees and preparing for the mission at hand.

They were nearing the mouth of the forest, where it would break into a lonely snowy road. She guessed they were roughly five-hundred meters from the city gate. The forest surrounding them looked the same as ever, pillars of spruce scattered upon the snowy canopy with the occasional brush of the tree-leaves overhead. She caught a glance of lights through the trees in the direction of the city, they were really close, she hoped they wouldn't be seen through the trees. 

Ren's team scattered to the east, disappearing through the trees. Ambre followed Tai, his back to her, she stayed close but made sure to keep her distance as to not breathe down his neck.

 The city glowed like a lighthouse amidst a dark sea, looking like a beacon of hope shining upon the broken and weary. In reality, the city was anything but a beacon of hope or security, just a playpen for the powerful to toy with the cities inhabitants. It wasn't much different from a slaughterhouse.

She was convinced that her uncle's actions were caused by the gem somehow. 

That had to be it, but it won't matter in the end. The damage is done.

The two arrived at a large rock that protruded by the roadside, yet was deep enough within the trees for them to watch the walls without being seen. Tai crawled on top of the rock slowly and Ambre followed, looking to the large snowy stone walls before them. She counted three guards on the east wall, dotting in between two watchtowers. The men seemed bored, judging from their body language. They barely looked their way, or at the road at all.

The two waited for what seemed like hours in silence until the guards made a shift swap. 

"Ambre, look," Tai whispered.

She squinted toward the wall and watched all three of the guards upon it leave.

"Okay, count."

one... Two... Three... Four...

By the time they had counted to three minutes, a new trio of guards returned. She knew, however, that one change over wouldn't be enough to make an accurate approximation of how large their window would be. She wasn't looking forward to spending the entire night out in the cold, but she could bear it.

Then, suddenly something seemed odd. The guards all turned in unison and began jogging toward the western wall, halberds at the ready. She knew that wasn't a good sign, glancing over at Tai, she could tell he was equally concerned and she knew that he was thinking the same thing she was.

Ren's team had been discovered.

"We have to go and help them," Ambre said quickly.

Tai grabbed her as she went to turn away, "No, we can't."

"Why?"

"We're outnumbered and besides," He cocked his head over at the wall, "This is our chance."

Ambre's heart sunk as he said those words, "You want to just leave them?"

"This is the best opportunity we have. Ren would happily die if this meant we'd succeed... So it's best that we do."

Ambre was torn. She knew that to a degree, Tai was right and on the other hand, it felt wrong to use them as a distraction. If there was anything Grohir had taught her, it was that she shouldn't let her emotions get in the way of the greater good, though she never truly believed that. In this case, she had to swallow her emotions and go with her gut. Regretfully conceding to Tai's proposition.

"What's the plan?" Ambre asked.

Tai opened his pack revealing two grapple hooks inside, "Follow me. We have to be quick, it'll be dawning soon."

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No amount of warm drink or a fire could calm Tycon's nerves as he sat feeling useless in the rundown farmhouse. Dawn was nearing and it had been a few hours since Ambre, Tai and Ren had set off. Grohir had to constantly remind him that they would be returning at dawn but something felt off - wrong.

The feeling was familiar, like the one he had with the Duchess in Selenicar or the one in the tomb near Meliora. He was starting to suspect it wasn't a coincidence since this would now be the third time, the last two he was right about. He always thought it was just his gut feeling but it was as if something was guiding him, telling him that something was wrong, like a premonition of some sort.

"Grohir?"

"Yes?"

"Ready a horse for me."

Grohir raised an eyebrow and shook his head, "You're not going anywhere."

Tycon pulled himself to his feet, leaning on the wall for support, "Listen to me," He took a few steps forward, "I think Ambre is in danger."

"I already told you a hundred times, she'll be back at dawn."

"If you care for her, you'll do well to listen to me," Tycon could hear his own voice rise and Grohir simply studied him, shaking his head.

"If I let you go, make sure our highness doesn't kick my arse if you die," he sighed.

Tycon nodded eagerly.

"Alright, get ready and I'll prepare the horses."

"Horses?"

Grohir stood and smiled at him, "You think I'm gonna let you go alone after Ambre? I'm coming too."