Inside the cold forest, where the sun was now slowly creeping its crown over the horizon in the sky, giving way to dawn, Adric and his men, who had tried to keep the men of Eridor away from their hiding place, were getting tired and weaker as they had fought all through the night.

Adric’s armor and face were already covered in blood, which mostly belonged to the enemies. As the fight was now coming to an end, the remaining soldiers of Eridor started retreating, leaving their dead comrades behind.

"We made it through the night!" Adric shouted, with a strong voice that boosted the morale of his tired soldiers.

As they gathered together, ready to head back to their camp, Rowan noticed the absence of one person.

"Your Majesty, General Malcolm is not here," Rowan informed, his eyes scanning the area.

Adric narrowed his eyes. "Did anyone see him leaving?" The rest of the soldiers shook their heads negatively.

As they were looking around for the general, Malcolm stepped out of the forest holding one of the soldiers of Eridor, who now had a bloodied face.

"General Malcolm!" One of the soldiers ran to help him while holding the enemy soldier by his neck.

Adric and Rowan walked forward, closing the distance between them. Their faces were covered with different questions as they stared at Malcolm.

"I chased him down as they were running. It’s always good to have an enemy soldier alive. We might get information on their defense," Malcolm breathed heavily as he spoke, evidently having been running.

Adric nodded at this idea. "You’re right, let’s take him to the camp with us."

The soldier of Eridor pushed himself up. Swiftly, he held the neck of the Avon soldier now holding him captive.

"I shall never betray my kingdom! Eridor shall conquer Avon and prove to their king that we are not weak! And dignity shall return to our crown." With these words, he slit the throat of the soldier of Avon, and then pushed the knife into his own chest.

"No!" Adric shouted, as everyone rushed to save the two soldiers who were now bleeding to death, but it was already too late.

Adric watched the two men who now lay lifeless on the ground with their eyes open. He bent forward and closed their eyes.

"Let’s head back to the camp. We will bury our man there." He ordered, and quickly two warriors of Avon wrapped their comrade with some dried leaves, ready to carry him back.

Adric’s eyes stayed on the lifeless body of the Eridor soldier. He was going to keep the man alive. It was sad to see a soldier lose his life over nothing.

"What are we going to do with the body?" Malcolm asked, standing beside Adric.

Adric shook his head. "Nothing. Let’s hope his people come to claim his body soon and bury him in his land; that way he will find peace."

Rowan, who was also standing with them, twitched his lips. "Prove to their king...that Eridor is not weak...hmm...he was talking about you. Did Avon ever mention that Eridor was a weak kingdom?"

"You’re right, this war started without even a warning from a kingdom or reason," Malcolm agreed with a small nod. Both men now turned to look at Adric.

Adric narrowed his eyes. "I have only heard of Eridor, and nothing more. They stay far from Avon, so our territories have never crossed. I was only surprised when they attacked Avon unprovoked."

"Unprovoked?" Rowan muttered. "The soldier said something about returning dignity to their crown. They must have been provoked, but not by you."

That was when it dawned on Adric. He had always been one to prepare tactically before he left for war and always dialogued with the enemy kingdom to reach an agreement. He should have known something was amiss when the King of Eridor refused to meet him.

"There was never a reason to go to war. Someone made you leave the palace," Malcolm added, as the three men now understood what was going on.

Adric turned his face towards the path that led to Avon. "Oriana."

The words of the ritual mistress he heard before leaving the palace came back fresh in his mind. If he was sent out to battle to be killed, then his wife, father and supporters were in danger.

"We need to return to Avon," Adric spoke with a firm voice, making his way back to the camp.

Rowan and Malcolm turned to look at each other before running after him.

"What about Eridor? They still have the wrong idea. You need to clear it up, or they will attack Avon," Rowan suggested, walking hastily to keep up with Adric’s strides.

Adric shook his head. "This was never about Eridor. It was about me leaving the palace. How did I not think about this? The perpetrator must have taken time to plan this out so well...it must be someone close to the crown, someone with firsthand information about the kingdom’s defense...someone in power."

"Nicholas," Rowan’s voice was low, at the realization that they were sent out by the prime minister to face their death.

Adric closed his eyes. "That weasel," he cursed under his breath, praying that Oriana was still safe wherever she was.

"If that is so, the prime minister will still want to fuel the attack, making it look like Avon wants to go to war with Eridor. This is just a fight for pride. You need to meet with the king and settle," Malcolm suggested, following Adric behind.

Adric clenched his teeth. He knew that the more time he wasted, the more Oriana’s life was in danger. She was a strong girl, but he didn’t know how long she could survive.

"The king wouldn’t want to meet me unless we accept defeat. And for that to happen, I will have to lose a lot of soldiers. I can’t risk the life of my men for a war that means nothing," Adric said. Malcolm nodded in agreement, with a tired sigh.

Rowan snapped his fingers. "What if we change our attack to capture? Let’s infiltrate Eridor’s camp and capture their king. The soldiers can’t do anything if we have their king, and all you have to do is have a conversation with the king."

Adric thought about it for a moment. It was easier to do and also there was low risk of losing soldiers. The only thing was the time it would take.

"Gather up the men. We attack their camp tonight and capture the king. We have three days from now to leave for Avon," Adric decided to accept and end everything once and for all.

Rowan looked down at Adric’s stomach, which was now soaked in his own blood as a result of the wound. He knew that suggesting rest for Adric was no option. All he and the soldiers had to do was protect him.

"Wait for me, Ana. I’ll be home soon," Adric muttered under his breath, his eyes looking at the distance where Avon was located.