The Meeting

"You are not Leandis's bastard, you liar," Balian spat as they trudged along. He said it quietly, so the soldiers up ahead wouldn't be able to hear. "Lucky cunt. I could tell them the truth right now."

"Then why don't you?" Caelus whispered.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Balian asked. "No, I'll answer that for you. You're a deceitful, sadistic, insane fucker who is destroying my life one step at a time. I bet there's not a single thought going through your empty skull."

It seems he doesn't know about you, Caelus thought.

Of course he doesn't.

"I live to serve you, Sir Balian. I understand you're angry, but my being here doesn't change your predicament in any way. If anything, I'm here to help."

"I don't need help from a murderer."

"Aren't we all murderers?" Caelus asked. "Haha, that look. Balian, you killlll for a living. And so do I. We're not so different."

"You murder innocents. A child, Caelus. A child is much different from a man fighting on the other side of the war."

"Are they? Neither know what they're living for. The man on the enemy's side is still innocent, in the eyes of his family and his people. He fights for them, just like you fight for your people. Do you ever stop to think about the men you slaughtered? They probably have families who'll never see him again. Some of them might starve to death, as their father is no longer there to provide food. Some might go mad, just as I, when they realize the cruelty of this world. Youuu, Sir Balian, think you fight for justice? Noooo. You fight to keep the world the very hell you wish to escape. You contribute to the suffering, just as much as any man."

"You're right," Balian said hesitantly. "We're all murderers. I murdered Styte's men. I murdered my own men. They're dead by my command. And I've murdered many of their families, who'll suffer from my actions."

"So I've murdered my son…," Hawke said, his voice raspy. 

"Seeeee? Embrace it," Caelus said enthusiastically. "In truth, I killed the boy back in the Capitol in self-defense. He tried to steal from me, and I…got carried away."

He raised his stub of a hand. "But that's not where I got this. The law says a man loses a hand if he murders, rapes, or steals. But I cannot recall doing any of those…I can't recall anything before that murder. It was like I woke up, standing over that dead body. Everything that came before was gone. I don't know how I arrived in your Capitol. I don't know my family. I don't know who I am. So for all I know, I could be Leandis's bastard."

"Blasphemy. King Leandis is an honorable man. He wouldn't betray his marriage," Balian stated. 

"Lust is one of the strongest emotions. Just like fear, it is a feeling that you cannot resist. There is no man in Erosia I would define as 'good'," Caelus said. "There is no ideal being, No perfect person, capable of no wrongs. Your king is likely no better of a man than any of us."

"King Styte is the greatest man to have ever lived," Kallos spoke up. 

He was listening? 

Caelus watched the golden knight as he spoke. This was the man who controlled whether he lived or died. 

"Now shut your mouths. We're here. When in the presence of your new king, you will not speak out of turn. You will move when I say you can move. And most importantly, you will kneel before him. Understand?"

"Understood," Balian said, controlled anger in his voice. 

Caelus scanned his surroundings. Tents were popping up now, along with wagons full of supplies. There were multiple trebuchets here, as well as a line of battering rams. 

They had entered Styte's camp.

*******

Balian went silent. He had nothing else to say to Caelus. The mad man was right after all. 

They walked along quietly for a minute, and Balian watched Sir Hawke. 

His old mentor looked completely broken, back hunched, a limp slowing his gait. He stared at the ground with an empty gaze. Since they had been captured, Sir Hawke had yet to say a single word. He had failed, after all. Kaladia was gone. He had lost everything. 

Sir Hawke's son was dead. Balian had known Elond since the boy was born. They'd trained together, laughed together, gone on adventures. Though they hadn't been related, Elond was like a younger brother to him. 

A soldier gave Balian a shove from behind, and he stumbled forward. They were in Styte's camp now. There would be no escape from here. 

The "king" himself sat behind a massive oak desk. He was slouched over a piece of parchment paper, scratching out long strokes of letters in the nicest handwriting Balian had ever seen. 

He looked up at the approaching group, though he didn't acknowledge them. Turning tired eyes back to the parchment paper, he finished writing his letter.

Balian and the others knelt, as they'd been told.

It was a display of power, he knew. There was nothing Balian could do but wait until Styte finished sealing the letter.

A guard stepped up to him, taking the letter from him. "I'll send it immediately."

Styte nodded and stood from his chair. He walked around the desk with a slow stride, stopping just a few feet from Balian. He looked him over, then glanced over Sir Hawke and Caelus. 

Finally, he spoke. His voice was as smooth as silk. "So…they are of value?"

"They are," Kallos responded. 

Styte frowned at his bastard. "What the hell happened to your face, Kallos?"

The golden knight paused. "This…this wasn't you?"

"Would I be asking about it if it was me? Why would I take part in deforming your body? It is…disgusting."

Kallos blinked his red eye. "It was a gift, father. It saved my life."

"Who caused those wounds?"

"These three. And only them."

Styte looked them over again. "Balian Hawthorne. Delnor Hawke. And…? Who might you be?"

"Caelus."

"Who?" Styte asked with amusement.

"He claims to be Leandis's bastard," Kallos clarified.

"And is that the truth? Or just a way to save his skin? Tell me, boy, how do you know this?"

"My mother told me of my heritage often when I was younger," Caelus said without hesitation. "She was a maid in the castle. Leandis was struck by her beauty and had his way with her often. That was until she became pregnant with me. The Queen found out and wanted her executed. Instead, Leandis sent her away forever."

How does he lie so easily? Balian wondered.

"And how is it that you ended up under the service of House Leandis in this battle? And your hand…did you commit a crime?"

"I grew up in the woods with my mother. She eventually grew sick and passed on, leaving me to fend for myself. I traveled to other villages, in search of food and a job. Joining the army of House Leandis was my dream. Rations, pay, and the possibility of knighthood. What more could a man want?" Caelus glanced down at his missing hand. "And this? When I was younger, I hunted fish for food. A swamp beast got the best of me and made off with my hand."

Styte sighed. "Either the truth or an elaborate lie. I cannot tell. Take them to the pit. I want them on constant watch, every second of the day. Hopefully their capture will be enough for Leandis's surrender." 

*******

Stiela ducked under a branch, carrying a bag under her arm. The soldiers were still following her, she could tell. They were on her trail. If she stopped for even a moment, they would catch up to her.

Thousands of civilians had evacuated Kaladia before its fall, escaping through the tunnel. Styte soldiers had been waiting there for them, and only a few hundred had been able to escape their grasp.

She had to reach the Capitol, just as Delnor had asked of her. 

I will survive. Just as long as you survive.

Please, Delnor. Survive.