That brazen response took me by surprise. I grinned. I would've acted playful and coy, but this was a princess I was dealing with. But what should I say? Sorry? I apologize, Your Highness?

I cleared my throat instead.

"I'm glad you're safe... Your Highness."

Camille giggled. "You’ve been wonderful. I’m proud of what you did… I'm afraid to acknowledge, however, that I have forgotten your name.”

“Connor,” I said quickly, giving her a nod of acknowledgment.

Her lips curved into a faint, knowing smile. “Aha. Connor, the Tactician of the elves. I'd grant you a medal if I could, but as you see now, it seems like they'd give a medal to the one who chops my head instead. And my brother.”

I stammered. “That's quite a way to put it, Cami— I mean, Your Highness.” I looked around. “So, about what I said earlier. I would like to explain to you what it is, so that you can make a decision. It'd really help.”

“Again? Lord Tactician."

"Call me Connor, please."

"Connor... It's a bit brazen of yours. Wouldn't you inquire about my health instead? The first thing that comes into that tactical mind of yours is to ask if I want you to be my tactician. How much do you want it, Connor? How important is it for you to become my tactician?”

She talked like someone out of a 1950s film. Could I even describe the way she said that last thing? Was it a cheeky comment? Was she being flirty?

Alynna peeked from one side of my shoulder. Her voice was as lively as ever. Perhaps a little too much.

“So, Princess! You know our wonderful husband better now, don’t you?”

Camille’s eyes widened, though her composed demeanor barely cracked. Her lips parted as if to speak, but she hesitated.

Before Camille could speak, Lariel appeared too, posing right behind me. Her fingers brushed my shoulder, then rested there as she leaned in, her chin lightly settling on my deltoids.

“He’s technically our fiancé,” she said, a sly smile curving her lips.

Camille’s eyes widened even more, her calm composure cracking just slightly. “Are you two being serious? Are both of you ladies engaged to this man?"

“Of course!” Lariel said. “Something wrong with him? Why that astounded face? Ah... Right… You humans… Alabenians, I mean, don't like it when men have two wives.”

“Yeah,” Camille said, blinking rapidly. “We believe in the holy institution of monogamy.”

“Boring!” Alynna hissed, making a sour face. "And yet every Alabenian I know has a mistress."

Camille shrugged. “So,” she said evenly, though her tone betrayed a hint of conflict. “But I don’t judge; I know our ancestors did do that. And... well, I'm not gonna comment on that. He’s all yours.”

“No,” Lariel replied, giggling, tilting her head toward Camille, her voice quick and firm. “That’s not what we mean... Just—”

“That he’s amazing,” Alynna interjected, stepping forward. Her gaze lingered on me as if she’d been hungry and I was dessert.

Lariel gave her a pointed look and cleared her throat. “Exactly. He’s brilliant at what he does. The best. And the Goddess herself approved of him to lead all of us in battle and toward victory!”

Their words hung in the air like a verdict, their eyes fixed on me. I opened my mouth to reply, but the weight of their attention left me speechless.

"Oh, is he?" Camille said, cocking her head.

Boy, she was beautiful. She had an oval face, pretty hazel-colored eyes, and that unique hair color. Her look was so much different from Lariel and Alynna, both of whom were already 10s in every possible way.

"So, Connor,” Camille continued, watching me attentively. “Where did you study strategy and tactics? Did you have a mentor? Do they have academies where you’re from?”

"He's a natural talent," Alynna said. "Really, and he's good at combat too, especially wrestling."

“Part of it is from his past life,” Lariel added matter-of-factly, her tone carrying an air of authority. She folded her arms across her chest and smirked. “He was Aria’s greatest commander, and she gave him access to some of that knowledge. And isn’t he cute?”

“Alright, alright, girls,” I interjected, holding up my hands in mock surrender. “That’s enough.”

"Don't worry, Connor, we’ve got it," Lariel broke in, then turned toward Camille. "I see you're also well-trained in the art of battle. I'd rarely seen someone handle a halberd like that."

Camille blinked, momentarily caught off guard by the compliment; her cheeks reddened. “It's nothing. I just had plenty of free time in between my tutoring hours.”

“You'll fit right in," Alynna muttered, watching her from head to toe. "And you're a natural beauty. Men in the steppe would kill each other for you. Why don't you join Connor and us?”

“Join you?” she asked, her tone guarded. I noticed her blush deepening. “Excuse me, lady-barbarian, what do you mean by joining you?”

Right. She thought Alynna meant our triangle… polycule… thing?

I cleared my throat. “We wanted you to join our warrior crew. We’re a small unit, but like Lariel here has explained, we have many special abilities granted by Aria.”

She played with the ends of her hair. “Oh, no, thank you, but I’m not a soldier. I have duties elsewhere.”

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“Doesn’t mean you’d have to fight on the front lines,” Lariel replied smoothly. “But now that we’re going to be, you know, running away together, you’d get many benefits as part of our team. Even if you’re not actively fighting. See, we can do amazing things, like communicating without words, seeing our enemies’ power quantified, and so many other perks!”

Camille raised an eyebrow. "Right… What does that mean?"

Alynna reached for the princess’s shoulders, drawing her toward her like a girl playing with her little sister.

“You should experience it! It’s amazing!”

Lariel placed a hand on Alynna’s elbow, pulling her away from the princess.

"Alright, Alynna, you don’t need to touch the princess like that,” Lariel said apologetically before turning to the princess again. “I’ll try to be clearer. Aria has chosen Connor through her oracle, and now those who choose to follow him have... access to a set of powers that are pretty helpful. It could help you not get caught again, and if it happens, you can tell us your location."

Camille raised an eyebrow.

"You believe in Aria, don't you?" Lariel asked pointedly.

"I believe in Aria as much as any good follower of the Church of Aria in Alabenia, but, wait, I'm sorry. I... don't understand what you're saying. What do you mean by system? I'd have to get some more information first."

"It's hard to explain," I finally said. It felt honestly weird to be pressuring her like that, and it didn't look like she was interested. I just couldn't force it. "That's why I asked you before. It's just about accepting me as Aria's commander."

Camille cocked her head. "I mean, many religions have oracles, but it’s been established by philosophers such as Cilium and Master Akhran that, more often than not, they err."

Lariel broke in, as if her response was the most convincing argument anyone could ever hear. “But the oracle said it! Our Oracle!"

Camille placed a hand on her chin. "Yes, I understand that, but has a statistical parameter been established to prove how accurate her predictions are?"

I broke in. "It's alright." It was a good thing that this society was reaching a rudimentary version of the scientific method, but this conversation was going nowhere. It didn't feel right to pressure her like that. "Lariel, you don't need to pressure her."

CONNOR: She'll come around.

ALYNNA: Will she? What is she even saying? I think she's a lost cause.

LARIEL: What did she mean she doesn't trust the oracle? How can she say she believes in Aria and not trust our oracles?

CONNOR: Do they have oracles of their own?

LARIEL: I guess. Aria doesn’t actually speak to them, as far as I know.

CONNOR: How do they worship Aria? Do you know whether Aria is in contact with their priests or anyone?

LARIEL: ...I haven’t heard of any such thing.

“Your Highness,” another guard was addressing the princess, drawing a horse by the bridle and guiding it toward her.

“If you’ll excuse me,” Camille said, lowering her head in a reverent bow. And my eyes… they drifted down like asteroids inevitably drawn to a planet.

I cleared my throat, but around us, most of Kent's men were already mounted and ready to continue their way. Dead bodies littered the ground, all of them belonging to the guards, and a single one of Kent's men had seemingly fallen, was now bandaged, and was being carried by one of the others on his horse. The fallen carriage billowed with smoke, most of it charred, with the fetid smell of human remains coming from inside. It was a dreary scene that I never wanted to look at again.

"Let's go," Kent said sharply. "Or else, they'll be asking questions and tracking us to our home. I can already see it happening. Let's get out before any local serf sees us."

I was worried, however, for Ina. Lariel could probably sense it, placing a hand on my palm.

"Ina's alright," she said, pointing ahead. "Look!"

One of Kent's knights shared his horse with her. The girl was still asleep, basically tied to the man, her cheek pressed against the back of his plate armor.

"That's one of their strongest horses," Lariel said. "I asked him to help her."

I nodded, reaching for one of the horses, this one provided by Kent and already saddled.

We rode westward, cutting through the fields and not taking the main road, galloping as fast as possible and zigzagging across cultivated sections of wheat and vineyards with high fences. The sun finally rose above the rocky hills, casting dark blue and purple hues, the sun like an egg yolk through the clouds.

We circled down on the opposite edge of a small village, toward a large rocky hill, and a small fortress on the opposite side, the wall built with limestone from the mountains, even bearing his own banners. During this time of year, flowers of various colors blossomed on the outskirts.

A stone wall, around twenty feet high, protected the small castle that rested on top of the hill. Lord Kent was well positioned. Not only had he helped us through his influences and lost one of his properties, but he also had his own fortress.

The king advanced in the middle, along with Camille, almost invisible and unrecognizable were it not for his smaller height and his conspicuous attire.

We finally made our way across the wall, crossing a modest bridge over a creek that seemed to wind down from the mountain, reaching an open gate, the banners of Ala Bin above what I assumed was Kent's coat of arms, an axe upon an anvil.

It seemed like a small city on the inside. Attendants reached for us to assist us down from our horses, and Lord Kent was the first to dismount with a regal gesture, removing the helmet from his head.

"Welcome to my home."

Our friends were waiting for us inside. I was shocked to have Zyra, of all people, rushing toward me and wrapping me in her arms.

“Connor!” she exclaimed, her voice warm and relieved as she threw her arms around me. The strength of her embrace caught me off guard, and I stumbled slightly under the weight of her affection. “I’m so happy to see you.”

I patted lightly on her shoulders. It felt awkward.

“Well, I’m happy to see you! I’m so glad you guys made it safe and sound.”

Nidar approached, ready to hug me as well, tapping on my back with more strength than I would like.

“What happened out there?” I asked. “How did you make it out?”

“It was not that difficult, Lord Tactician,” the elf replied. “At least for me.”

“I should’ve asked you the same thing,” Zyra said. “I thought you’d die out there. Your communications through Aria’s power were a mess. And the king… He’s here, isn’t he?”

“Thank God… I mean Aria, that we made it alive. It’s worse than we thought. And it’s gonna get worse. Come on. We’ll talk about it.”

Kent’s sharp voice echoed behind us. “Lord Tactician,” Kent said. Now I had time to look at him; his face was still marred with soot, displaying a few scratches across his lip after the battle. Did I look as terrible as he? Or worse?

“What is it?” I asked.

He chuckled, tapping on my arm as if he’d been a friend for life. “Come. There’s plenty of room in the castle. We’ll make sure to accommodate you.” He blinked an eye and gave me a playful punch in the arm. “Don’t be a magnet for evil sorcerers, though; this one’s not insured with the construction guild.”

Did they have insurance, but no running water?

“I’ll be careful.”

“Before you settle in, I know this is a dire time, to say the least. Come in and discuss with your comrades, away from interruptions and suspicions. I’ll prepare a quiet room for you to plan. But rest assured, if your plans are reasonable and not a threat to me, I’ll be happy to help you. I’ve seen the mess that Virna has made as an advisor, and I don’t like it. And now this... You have my support to kick that sorcerous scum out of the city.”