The sound of metal on metal rang through the air. War cries and groans carried over the clanging of weapons. Each time a man fell my knuckles grasped the wall. "They've improved," a voice said. Turning to my right, I saw Erik strolling towards me. He remained quiet next to me on the battlement. Below us Sir Gregory, King Syrus, and General Howe instructed our men in practice. "Each day they have. The added numbers from King Syrus and King Tathrow have given our own men a boost in courage. Together we may just have a chance," I said.

Erik placed a hand on my shoulder. "Sam, together, we have more than a chance. The men from Esklay and Nivetara are here under order from their commander. The courage you are seeing in your own men, however, comes from their desire to defend their home and serve their queen. They see how you do not stand above them nor do you shy away from danger. You have just as many bruises from practice as they do. You have shown them, you are a leader worth following," he said.

We stood in silence for a few minutes longer before I turned to Erik. "Thank you for believing in me and pushing me when I doubted myself," I said.

He smiled down at me. "Always."

Walking through the training grounds I watched as the men continued to practice. Stopping a few paces away from one of Sir Gregory's apprentices I watched as he went against Brooks. "Stop going easy on him," I said, surprising the two. "Chad, right?" I asked the apprentice who nodded. "Brooks, if Chad is going to survive the battle he needs to be prepared. La Fray's men won't go easy on him, because he's distracted looking at his feet and making sure they are in place," I said, walking over and kicking Chad's feet apart so he'd have better balance. "Chad, keep your eyes up. Trust yourself. You have to keep your eyes up or you're not going to make it," I said. I saw the discouragement in his face. "Don't beat yourself up too much. You're a first year, there is a lot to learn," I said, pulling up my sleeves to reveal a few of my scars from my first year. "These are my memories from my first year, the Dragons didn't go easy on me," I said, shaking my head. "You've got this," I gave him a quick smile before moving on. Stopping at a few more, giving encouragement and pointers, I made my way to where the commanders stood on a raised platform in the middle. "They're doing well," I said, standing with arms crossed.

The three turned and smiled at me. "Yes, and it doesn't hurt that the queen herself is walking among them giving pointers and showing she had to learn too," King Syrus said, smiling down at me.

Grinning, I shrugged my shoulders. "They have to know we are human too. Battles are terrifying. We need all the encouragement we can get before heading out," I said.

"Daniel's arrived," Erik said, jogging up the steps. "He's getting a bit of food and will meet us in the council chamber," he informed us.

Quickly we made our way back to the castle and to the council chamber where Daniel set with a plate of food in front of him. "Working for the queen pays off," he said, holding up a piece of prime meat. Once we took our seats Daniel put his food down and pulled out a piece of paper. "It wasn't hard to find La Fray's camp. They aren't training, from what I heard they think they could take us any day," he said.

"Then why wait?" Sir Gregory asked.

"Because they were waiting for news from Moshad. When I arrived they numbered a little over three thousand men. La Fray had sent for a portion of the Moshadian army," he said, earning gasps from around.

"And to think that we wanted to make a treaty with them," General Howe spat.

Daniel held up his hand. "I said he had sent for, not that they had arrived. The messenger that returned didn't live long. He informed La Fray that King Nirved denied him any men. Saying that he would not wage war for no reason, nor for money," Daniel said.

"So we're even! Three thousand to three thousand!" Sir Gregory said pounding his fist on the table in excitement.

Daniel's face turned grim. "Not exactly. King Nirved did not send his own men, however, like Nivetara, mercenaries have arrived from Moshad as well. They numbered close to five hundred when I left," Daniel said.

"Were they preparing to move?" I asked.

Daniel shook his head. "Not from the looks of it. I don't know if this means that they are waiting for more men or for the right timing. I tried to find this information, but could not," he said.

"Thank you for what you did bring. Even though he has those extra five hundred we still stand a good chance. Our men are improving and we have the advantage of knowing the land we fight upon," I said.

"And having a reason to fight, besides money," King Syrus said. "All those men La Fray has are paid. If it becomes too difficult then they may simply turn and leave. Your men are fighting for home and family," he said.

"I don't want to wait for La Fray to have more time to find men. We need to prepare to move out," I said, looking around the room. All heads nodding. "How long do we need before we can head out?" I asked.

The men all looked at each other. "Give us two more days of practice. Two days for our men to rest and be with family," Erik said,from his seat beside me.

I nodded. "We leave the morning of the fifth day," I said. The room fell into a silence, as we all realized that the battle we had been preparing for was upon us. I stood to my feet, quickly followed by the rest. "I'm going to go practice with our men," I said, turning to the door.

"Sam, you're supposed to be using this time to spend with your family," a voice said, approaching from behind. "What are you doing here?" Alakay asked as he took a seat beside me.

The water in the stream splashed as I threw another rock into it. "Have you ever led an army into war?" I asked, not taking my eyes off of the water. "Have you ever held the lives of thousands of men in your hands?" I asked, throwing another stone into the water. "Watching them practice is one thing. Knowing that tomorrow we head out to face La Fray is another. We won't be practicing anymore. Lives will be at stake. Lives will be lost," I said the final stone in my hand falling next to my feet.

Alakay didn't respond right away. He picked up his own stones and tossed them into the stream. "My father was one of those lives lost," he said, after a moment. My head shot up and I turned to him. He rarely spoke of his family. "He was one of King Antonio's soldiers. He was one of the first to respond when La Fray attacked, and one of the first to give his life," he said.

"You said you grew up in Arrowside," I said, confused at his story.

He nodded. "I did. I was eight when my father died. My mother took me and my three younger siblings to Arrowside after his death. I knew that I would return though. So did my mom. When I first decided that I wanted to become a king's soldier I thought my mom would be furious. She lost two brothers and her husband that night. However, when I told her what I was planning, she understood and was supportive. She understood the desire to protect others. The honor that lay with giving your life if called upon. The men you have under you understand that and so do their families," Alakay said, placing an arm around my shoulders. "And no I have never led an army, nor have I had countless lives depend on me. I do know this, I would follow you into any battle. With you in control the difference in number means nothing. You have an army ready to fight beside you, not for you," he said.

The tears were silent as I leaned into my brother. We stayed near the stream for a few more minutes before Alakay stood pulling me with him, his arm still wrapped around me. "Now, you have more family that wants to spend time with you," he said guiding me back to the compound. When we were within sight of the compound he stopped and turned towards me, a serious look on his face. "You may not feel prepared for what we are about to face, but not only do you have the training but you have the heart for what is to come," he said, placing a kiss on my forehead. "One more thing, if you get me killed I'm haunting you for the rest of your life," he smirked, before releasing his hold on me and shoving me into the compound.

Dinner and the hours after were spent with my family; everyone that had made an impact in my life was at the compound. Ikaika, Sparrow and Scarlett ran around with a few of Rowen's brothers while the rest of us sat watching and talking. As the sun sat and the fire drew us closer, Sparrow found her way to sit between Rowen and I. "Don't worry about things here. I promise to keep watch until you return," she said, reaching for my hand. The gravity of this situation had shown a growth in all of us. Sparrow had not argued once about needing to come. "Ikaika and I will keep Jarrow safe," she said, looking to where Ikaika sat beside Elakiam.

Smiling, I pulled Sparrow close. "And I know that you will keep that promise. Chloe and Amber will need extra help with the little ones as well," I said glancing to where the two families sat spending a few more minutes together knowing that tomorrow the men of the household would be taking up their stations.

Sparrow nodded as she leaned into me. "They will have all the help they need," she said.

Much too soon, it was time to say goodnight. Those with children had bedtimes to uphold while the rest of us needed rest for what was to come. As Nikolai and I were heading to our room Benedict grabbed my wrist. "Not tonight," he said, then nodded towards the tower.

"And you can even bring Nikolai," Alakay said with a smirk.

Nikolai raised an eyebrow. Smiling, I took his hand and led him to the tower where everything was already prepared. His confusion cleared when he saw the bedding. "This is what you meant by sleeping on the tower," he said.

I nodded pulling him into the middle of the platform. My brothers took up their regular spots. Conversation continued for a little longer before each of us slowly drifted off to sleep.

The following morning I woke before anyone. Carefully making my way off the tower, I headed inside knowing one person, well two, would already be up. Walking into the house I heard a hushed voice speaking softly with baby noises responding. A tug at my heart came as I walked into the living area. "Your papa, and aunty are two of the bravest people I know. They will soon leave us, but not for long. With those two working together, victory is surely ours. Then, they will be home and all will be right," Chloe whispered to Elias who smiled up at her. "Yeah, that's what we're going to go with. We can't think the other way," she said, a few stray tears falling down her cheeks.

"That's how it will be," I said, making my presence known. Chloe didn't jump, simply smiled up at me. I quickly walked over scooping Elias onto my lap and reaching for Chloe's hand. "Knowing we have so many we are fighting to return to will give us the strength and courage to fight hard and end it quickly," I said.

Chloe shook her head. "That is part of it. The courage and strength is something that has always been in you. Even when you used it to get into trouble, Papa and Mama always knew in the end you would grow to use it for good," she said, using her free hand to wipe the tears from my own face. "Remember, it's okay to be scared. It's okay to not know what to do and ask for help," she said.

I swallowed hard as I nodded. "I love you, Chloe," I said.

"I love you more, Sam," she said, pulling me close. In the silence we took in the comfort of one another.

In each other's arms is where we stayed and where we were found when Erik woke and joined the silent family time. Knowing that when we stood, the safety of one another's arms and the loving embrace would be gone until we brought peace back to Auroja.