Farie couldn't help the smile that curved his lips as the kings words settled over them. As those around them began to drift away Farie walked over to Barth and said in passing,<span style="color: #FF8080">"It's about time you were properly recognised,"</span>he didn't wait for a response from Barth, instead he kept going back towards his tent. There would be plenty of time in the coming days and months for words to be exchanged. For now his support had be established and that was all that would be needed.<br/><br/>As Farie made his way back to his tent Cordian stepped to his side. Farie looked at him with a small half smile,<span style="color: #FF8080">"Old friend, you did not have to stand by me in my defiance, you know my father will make you pay for this, in ways he cannot me."</span><br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">"Aye lad, but this old man has plenty of tricks of his own, the warriors of house Shalerin do not follow Lucianus anymore lad, they follow the man they saw fighting the Tutar alongside the warriors who were there and who clearly know the enemy better than we do. Lad your father is toothless dog who will not say any of us. He will instead divide us. Do you think he wishes to do such? While his own position with the king is tenuous in the wake of all this? Nay, lad none of this will come back on me. Or the others."</span>Cordian said with a barking laugh as if the whole thing was somehow funny. Farie frowned slightly as he neared his tent and thought over the words his friend has spoken.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF8080">"When all is said and done the end result will be no less harsh Cordian,"</span>Farie finally said taking a seat inside the tent leaning back and closing his eyes. His mind was a blur from everything that had happened.<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">"You're troubled about them aren't you?"</span>Cordian said ending the long silence that had descended over the them. He regarded Farie from where he stood just inside the tent. Farie's eyes opened and focused on Cordian.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF8080">"How will all these deaths, and the attitude of my own people affect those we are suppose to be sheltering Cordian, when our very actions are the reason so many are dead?"</span>Farie replied. His voice soft. The pain in his gaze and words evident. Farie had never liked war, never wanted to see death, he had imagined glory and riches. This. This was atrocious and it was horrible. All those innocent who had died. All the loss and tragedy. He couldn't focus on that right now. And yet he couldn't just push it aside and not care either.<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">"We did what we could,"</span>Cordian shrugged. He was a veteran of war. Had seen more death than most.<span style="font-weight: bold">"You need to rest Farie, and you need to tend to your wounds. Now get out of your armor and let me take a look at the damage. You can't change the past and you can't change your father Farie. You heard the prince's words, if your father throws you from your home he'll take you in under his banner. If it comes to that, you'll not be going alone."</span><br/><br/>For the next few hours Cordian tended Farie's wounds from the battle and after a time left the young man to his own thoughts. Farie sat for a while with his eyes closed, not even sure how long he remained. He thought of home, of Elisia. He thought of his mother and just as his thoughts returned to his father with a deep sadness Lucianus walked into Farie's tent.<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">"You ungrateful child! How dare you humiliate me like that in public! And for what!"</span>Lucianus barked as soon as the tent flap closed behind him. Farie sighed, but he didn't rise to his father's words. It would be pointless.<span style="font-weight: bold">"I cannot disown you now or I will loose all those who heard the king's words, but boy the moment we get home! You rest assure if you survive this Farie I will not have you within my home to sully your sisters with the corruption of your wild ideas! This is the last of them I will be deal with boy!"</span>Lucianus finished and waited only a moment, when it became evident that Farie wouldn't respond to his words he turned on his heals with one final warning,<span style="font-weight: bold">"This isn't over Farie."</span>It was far from over.<br/><br/>Farie regarded the man as he turned and left, knowing full well that the moment this was said and done, he wouldn't have a home to return to. So be it. Every war had its price. If it didn't cost him his life, that is. It was still more than those who had lost everything had. For a moment he allowed himself the anger and pain of the loss, then he rose and pushed it all aside. It didn't matter. For all he knew they wouldn't life to see the dawn. With those final thoughts he finally decided to rest and catch what sleep he could. For sure the next few days would be only harder.<br/><br/><div><hr style="height:2px; width:100%; border:0; color: white;background:white;"/></div><br/><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 150%; line-height: 116%;">8 DAYS LATER</span></div><br/><div><hr style="height:2px; width:100%; border:0; color: white;background:white;"/></div><br/><br/>Farie still continued to attend the meetings, but wasn't ever as easy for him to do so. Every time he neared his father that anger simmered within him. He didn't show it to the others, only Cordian knew what awaited him after the wars end. He couldn't allow the man he commanded to be divided in loyalty. He valued their lives to highly for such. Yet, a part of him couldn't come to terms with his father's actions. He couldn't simply blindly agree to his father's wishes anymore.<br/><br/>He wasn't regarded the same by the nobles anymore, this too grated on his nerves, but it was yet another thing that wasn't worth the lives of countless people to satisfy. So he would attend, in silence and listen. Lending his support to Barth and to the war efforts without spoken words. So it was that when the camps were to be moved Farie pitched into the effort of moving and relocating the camp.<br/><br/>So it was that Farie found himself yet again at one of these meetings and as was so often the case, the Lebidan knights argued. So often that he was beginning to think it was some unwritten rule to do so. One that was starting to seriously piss him off. Every time they did this they wasted valuable time in which they could be preparing. And for what? Pride. Farie watched Barth with patient understanding. Even if he didn't feel particularly patient, he remained silent, determined not to make this any worse by speaking his mind. Something the younger Farie wouldn't have hesitated to do. Farie had come to accept that Barth was a wise and knowledgeable leader who's request were done in order to better their chances of survival and victory. Yet, not many had. Farie didn't hesitate to follow. He had seen Barth's skills first hand in battle.<br/><br/>Farie offered a small smile and a nod of understanding to his words, as Barth spoke. He would have dug the trenches even without the explanation, but he payed close attention to those words. They may become useful in battle. He was after all curious as to the reasoning. Wondering what purpose the trenches would serve, but he'd have done the work regardless, even if it didn't make sense to him until Barth explained the reasoning. The man had faced these beasts more than once. Farie's single experience against them had been a learning curb. A painful one at that. Though he was a formidable warrior, he didn't have the experience or battle skills that Barth had earned in hard combat. Farie's experiences of war were minor in comparison.<br/><br/>Farie and Cordian, who had become a fixture at Farie's side, headed for the shovels without hesitation, and without fearing repercussions. Farie didn't' fear Ausan, he respected her strength and even if the concept of a female warrior still made his head ache, it was something he was growing accustomed to. He respected her strength and her prowess in battle. He admired her tenacity to stand up to man, and he admired how she'd punched his father. Something he could never forget. However, what really made him see her and the maidens as a whole in a new light was the battle they had all survived. It still seemed odd to him to have a warrior maiden, but he was growing to find it appropriate.<br/><br/>Without further need to wait he headed out the one of the furthest dig sites and began digging. Cordian began to dig not too far away. For the first little while Farie hummed an ancient folks song his mother had often sang while he was younger, but soon he grew to need every breath he had to keep digging. It is after all hard work to dig trenches and eventually even strong men grow weary.  For hours he dug only stopping for a quick break or some water, knowing that his example was what those who followed him looked too. It has been taught to him as a small child, had been drilled into him by Cordian since he had begun training. No man would follow another in war if his commander was a coward. When it came to war, every man was equal. He chided himself for his thoughts, every<span style="font-style: italic">human</span>is equal. He reminded himself that here woman were as powerful in their battle prowess as males were.  This would take some getting used too. He realized that his chances of making inadvertent insults was quite high.<br/><br/>All this time digging gave him time to think, of what he would do knowing his father technically didn't own his loyalty. He considered Barth's words from many days ago. Could his allegiance shift from his own kingdom this easily? Farie didn't know, inside he felt torn by the choices awaiting him. Choices he was doing his best to avoid thinking on, and yet all this digging left his mind free to think on this. He couldn't get away from the thoughts that spun around his mind. Would it really be this easy? Could he really just leave all he knew? The answers he didn't have were staggering, but he knew one thing, he respected Barth.