Brother

The sounds of legs moving against the swampland's of Ishgard, frogs croaking and other animals moving within the waters were the only thing filling the air as humans marched through. The trees were about three horses wide, it's trunk seemed like a contortion of thick roots that dug deep into the knee high waters. Green moss sitting on top of the blue liquid. Even as the night befell the lands, the waters glistened with an unnatural bright glow, lighting up paths and keeping from being lost in night.

There were at least forty of them, each carried the vigil of Greyjoy, one of the cities of the Kyros Empire. There were large men in the back dragging small thin boats which were filled with their supplies, weapons, firestarters and food. The men were armed all moving along the waters with a grim look upon their faces, most were dressed lightly as to not be slowed by the knee high waters.

"How much farther Issac?" A soldier said to the man in the front, whom was dressed in light leathers with a hood over his head.

"Look ahead, I see flame-light." He said, his voice was deeper than most as Issac pointed forward where there was a shimmering yellow glow barely visible among the blue light of the waters.

"Aye, will we scout before we strike?" Another man asked.

"No, it's hard to be silent in these waters. We can't risk alerting before we're upon them. Every second they are unprepared is an advantage we have on them." Issac didn't want to do this, but he couldn't go against the orders of his lord. The war against the Ishgardians wasn't born of malice, only of fear.

Eight months since defeating the Gorbos have been filled with nothing but bad omens, people have been discovered devoured in their homes, the crops have began dying and animals moved further and further from the cities. There have been talk of monsters lurking in the night, blamed for the deaths of the people but either the guards find nothing or they also end up dead. His lord was one of the cowards that decided that moving territory was easier than dealing with the Gorbos curse. The King left the lords to do as they wished.

Slowly they all reached the small water made village of the dravians, all the homes were built upon scaffolding and connected via small wooden bridges. There was a single stone made fire-pits in the center of the village which illuminated everything, the fire was bright and it gave the Greyjoy soldiers a view of dravian citizens walking along the wooden paths.

"They don't seem to be expecting us." A feminine voice said behind Issac, it carried a certain sadness.

Issac looked behind him, glancing over with deep green eyes to see a girl lit up by the blue waters and fractions of yellow that reached through the trunks of the tree their small group hid behind; The rest of them found their own spots to take cover.

The girl had honey brown eyes that nearly matched her skin tone, they stared into his own with a softness he thought unfitting a soldier in his ranks but he knew better than to see it as weakness. Long silky black hair tied to rest over a single shoulder, she stood about a foot lower beneath him but carried the exact same garbs as him however her hood was down.

"Aye, they might believe their village not worth our time with the city of Ignis not to far." He said looking over from the side of the trunk, counting the houses. "Eighteen times four, seventy two people estimated in there." One of the soldiers at his side sent hand signals to the others to inform them of the numbers.

"You're counting the children too?" She asked almost as a whisper. Isaac hesitated before responding "I doubt there are any true children, the youngest one there is likely older than any of us. I just know they can only have two children, always boy and girl"

"I don't like this." She sighed "It feels wrong to fight them, especially this village so out of the way."

"This point is to our advantage. We can set up to take the city here. If you don't like it then why'd you enlist?", he asked in annoyance. He thought the same, that fighting Ishgard was wrong.

"My brother..." The girl said in a broken voice, the memory of her older brother breaking her composure slightly. "I wish to know what he went through, in the war."

"Ah, I've heard you speak of him before Sabrina. His unit disappeared before the final battle against the Gorbos, what was his name so I may keep an ear out for it?" Issac said glancing back at her.

"It was Logan, Logan Crespy." She smiled at the sound of it.

"Aye, I'll keep it in mind." He said looking over to the other troops, raising his hand to them. The higher he lifted his arm, the farther back his men drew their arrows.

"Are you ready Sabrina?" He said without looking at her.

"Aye" She said drawing her long-sword.

He dropped his arm.

The arrows flew.

The battle had begun.