"We need to try again with Lord Sedon," Harudan said, pacing the length of the small room Cira had shown him to. Jonin sat on the edge of the four-poster bed, armour discarded and sword sitting next to him. He was given a separate room, but both knew that he would never use it.

He grunted and crossed his arms over his chest. "Is that really such a good idea?" he asked, raising an eyebrow when Harudan stopped in front of him. "I don't think trying again will convince him to give up his army."

"Then he is an enemy of Brenmar," he snapped, glaring at the floor. Lord Sedon was an idiot, focused only on his pride. He couldn't see the bigger picture. His daughter, Cira, on the other hand, she at least had some sense.

"If you believe that, then you believe those past the mountains are also enemies of Brenmar, when they are unable to help us," Jonin said, the voice of reason for Harudan's anger.

His long hair was tied back, making it impossible for him to run a hand through it like he normally did. "He can help us, he just won't," he said. The Lord didn't understand how dire the situation was. If General Juna wanted to go through with their plan, they needed all the soldiers available.

The Askari had double their numbers. They were untrained, but it was still more than enough to stall their progress. Harudan had wanted the war to be quick, he had expected it to be so. Minisia was weak in winter, with low resources and moral, the takeover should have been easy. And yet, he would have to face every man, woman, and child in the country before he got his hands on their throne.

He would do it though, not even a bigger army or rebellious lords would stop him. Even if he lost everything, his armies, his family, he would take their throne and rule Minisia and Brenmar as one. After years of threats and suffering, he would make it right. To make it easier, all he needed was Lord Sedon's army.

Jonin wasn't being much help either. "Then trying to convince him again will just make things worse," he said.

"It's worth a shot, isn't it?" he asked and paced the room again. He should get some sleep, but he wasn't tired.

"If you think it will help, then do it," he said and stood from the bed. "But I don't want to hear him insulting you again. No one should speak to their king in such a way. Lower people have been put to death for it."

He stopped and watched his captain, lips pursed and brow furrowed. "They have, haven't they?" he said and smiled. "The daughter, she seemed nice, didn't she?"

"I suppose so," Jonin replied, a twinkle in his eye. "You have an idea?"

"I do, but it can wait until morning," he said and took Jonin's hand with a sigh. "We'll sort this out in the morning, then we can return and deal with the crystal and Nerin and everything else with the war."

Jonin didn't resist as Harudan pulled him towards the bed. "We will get him back, Harudan," he said.

He hummed in agreement. "Even if he is with them willingly. I will get him back." He wasn't going to let his brother be swayed by a pretty foreign Princess, not if he could help it. Getting him back and making him see the truth of what he was doing still couldn't be made a top priority, no matter how much he wanted it to be, but it needed to happen.

Rest was something he needed if he was going to do what needed to be done. He pulled the thick blankets away and climbed into the warm bed, Jonin following close behind. "Everything will turn out as it's meant to, Harudan, you needn't worry," he whispered and blew out the candle on the bedside table, leaving them shrouded in darkness.

The next morning, Lord Sedon had already made preparations for them to leave before they had even sat down for breakfast. He hadn't looked pleased when Harudan said they would be staying for another couple of hours, something the King had taken great pleasure in.

"I am not the kind to give up so easily, my Lord," he said, watching in satisfaction as the wrinkled man tried to rein in the rage on his face. He smiled politely and ate the bacon and eggs before him with practised grace.

Jonin sat next to him, the smallest of smirks on his face. No one would notice it, no one but him. "I'm sure your men won't mind waiting just a couple more hours. I can send mine to help them if that makes anything better," he suggested with a shrug. They both knew it wouldn't and from the look on Lord Sedon's face, he knew they were just rubbing it in. It was childish, but after the day before, he deserved it.

"Do whatever you wish," Sedon said with a tired wave of his hand. "You are my King."

There were so many things he wanted to say in response, but he had a reputation as a monarch to uphold. There were too many strangers around to gossip about his words. It wasn't just the Lord they sat with, but his wife, three daughters, two sons and many screaming grandchildren. Watching them run about with little to no discipline only furthered his plan to only have the one child to carry on his line.

"I wish to speak with you again after breakfast, my Lord. I believe I can convince you yet," he said, still smiling.

The Lord's jaw clenched, but he said nothing. Next to him, Cira cleared her throat. "May I join you, Your Majesty, father?" she asked.

"Of course, it is no bother," Harudan replied. She was ambitious to learn, which was a good sign. Perhaps she was more open to his plans than her ancient father. Lord Sedon nodded his approval, looking tired even though it was still early in the morning. He'd barely touched his food, but no one at the table seemed bothered by it.

Lord Sedon took them back to the same room they had spoken in the day before, a scowl on his face the entire time. "I trust that this will not take long, Your Majesty," he muttered as they walked. "You do not have much in the way of words. Your father did, and even he could not convince me to do what he wanted."

Because Lord Sedon was a stubborn old man when no sense of pride in his country. The words rang through Harudan's head, but he dared not speak them. Sedon could insult him all he wished, but it looked better if he didn't return the favour.

"You can't fault me for trying," he answered, smiling when Cira opened the office door for him. "Thank you, my Lady." Once again, two of his guards stood on either side of the door, their faces still and bodies straight. If there were any assassins like Jonin was worried about, they'd never even get through the door.

"Hm, I suppose not," the Lord said, sitting at his desk and gesturing for Harudan to follow.

"I'd rather stand, thank you," he said with a shake of his head. "This will be quick and then we will be on our way."

Lord Sedon grumbled something under his breath as his daughter moved to stand behind him. "Well, get on with it then, Your Majesty."

Jonin stood next to him, face a mixture of anger and irritation and Harudan almost laughed at his protectiveness. "I would expect more politeness from you, my Lord, especially when regarding your King," he said and crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't like being talked down to."

The Lord clenched his fingers together, his knuckles white. "I apologise for any offence, Your Majesty," he said. The words couldn't be more forced if he tried, but that wasn't what Harudan cared about.

"Thank you, my Lord," he replied, plastering on a sweet smile. "Before we leave, I thought it worth a shot to ask one last time for your help. In return for your men, we will make sure that in the case of an attack on Reed, you will have the protection you desire."

Sedon didn't miss a beat. "Or I could keep my men and have the protection ready for when the Askari does attack. It is inevitable, your Majesty. Your war is hopeless," he said, yellow teeth bared.

"Do you have so little faith in your King?"

"The only things I have faith in are my Gods and my family. They will not betray me or manipulate me as you are trying to do." He looked to his daughter as he spoke and she smiled weakly at him, glancing between her father and her King all the while.

Harudan laughed, the sound low. "You apologise for offending me and offend me again. You have no sense of politeness, my Lord," he said, his cheerful tone hiding the real anger that curled in his gut. "Just because you are older, does not make you exempt from respect, even to someone younger than yourself."

The Lord bristled, but said nothing, giving Harudan a chance to think. Things weren't going according to plan, but it wouldn't matter. He would get what he wanted, one way or another. He caught Jonin's gaze out of the corner of his eye. The man's hand twitched against the hilt of his sword.

Harudan sighed. "My Lord Sedon, will you lend me your army so that I may fight the Askari and take Minisia?"

The old man shook his head. "As I told you yesterday, Your Majesty, I will not sacrifice my men for a pointless cause," he said and leaned back in his seat with a smug smile. "I hope you understand."

"I do. That is most unfortunate, my Lord," he replied, forcing the sadness into his voice. Truly, he didn't care about what was about to happen to the Lord, it didn't matter in the grand scheme of things. "I had wished for this to end differently, but sometimes, stuff like this must be done."

"What are you talking about?" Sedon asked, his orange skin paling. There was confusion in his eyes and if Harudan looked close enough, even a hint of fear.

He said nothing, just smiled and signalled for Jonin to move forward. He would do what needed to be done and General Juna would get the soldiers they needed. Sedon jumped from his chair, knocking into his daughter, who backed into the wall. Her eyes and mouth were wide, gaze locked on Harudan, but she was silent.

It was over in less than a minute. Sedon had nowhere to run, his voice coming out in quiet gasps. No one would hear a thing except for the guards outside, and they were loyal to their King. He smirked, relief flowing through him as Jonin's blade pierced the soft flesh of the Lord's belly.

Blood stained the front of his white tunic and dripped from the tip of Jonin's blade. Sedon gasped at him, hands clutching his stomach. "You are a traitor to your own people, Harudan," he croaked and fell to his knees.

Jonin nodded at Harudan as he walked back to his side, wiping his sword with a cloth. There was a dull thud as the Lord fell to the ground, his eyes still staring up at his killers and his breathing coming out in ragged pants. His death would be slow and painful and Harudan would watch every second of it.

"The daughter too?" Jonin asked as they watched, his voice monotone.

She was still standing against the wall, shock written into her face. "I- I-" she stuttered, her hands shaking.

"I don't think so," Harudan answered, ignoring the sound Sedon made. "Give it a few minutes."

Cira stepped forward, stumbling over the unmoving form of her father. "I told you last time that if I were Lady of Reed, I would give you the army," she said in a soft voice, wincing when she stepped in the slowly growing puddle of blood. "I suppose I am now."

He made a noise in agreement, sneering at the mess that had been made in the office. "And will you do what I ask?" he said. She had better, he didn't want to go through all that effort for his plan to not work.

She didn't even spare a glance at her father. "We should have accepted the instant you asked. I've been waiting to become Lady for a long time, Your Majesty. I will help you. The army is yours," she said, hands in the pockets of her long coat. "What should I do about my father?"

He shrugged. "Tell your family that he was a traitor to the crown. This is the punishment traitors get. I will make a speech tomorrow morning announcing your father's sickness. You can announce his death sometime after I leave," he told her. During the night, when he had been unable to sleep, he had come up with the details of the plan. He didn't want anyone catching on that he'd had the man killed. Having his family know would be bad enough. "You are all sworn to silence. If I hear one word about this, Jonin will come back for you. Do you understand?"

"Of course, Your Majesty," she replied and bowed at him.

"Thank you, Lady of Reed," he said, satisfaction fluttering in his stomach like butterflies. Juna had the army they wanted, the plan would go ahead without much issue if he was lucky, and all it cost was the death of one crotchety old man. Cira didn't even seem that upset about it; she was just as ambitious as he had guessed. "My guards will help you dispose of the body."

He didn't give her a chance to reply before stalking out of the room, Jonin at his heels. The two guards at the door entered in his wake, silent as ever. His lips tilted upwards and he let out a sigh of relief. He could leave after his little speech the next day, return to Ishmar and work on everything else that needed to be sorted until the first real battle.

"That worked better than expected," Jonin said next to him. "I thought I would have to kill the daughter too."

He hummed in agreement. "I had to admit, I was worried for a moment, but she has already promised. If she goes back on her word, she knows what will happen," he replied, looking up and smiling at him. He no longer had to worry about the numbers in his army, not with him dead and the town's new Lady on his side.

"I've been wanting to do that since we arrived," Jonin said and Harudan let out a small huff of laughter.

"Of course, you have."

Once they returned to Ishmar late the next day, there wouldn't be much time before the first battle. He'd wasted too much time in Reed, but in the end, it had been worth it. They had the numbers they needed, the war effort was secured. The Askari no longer had double. They still had more, but it wasn't anything his army couldn't handle. He would see soon enough when he watched over the first battle.