Chapter 31.1

When dawn came, Eirwen woke as if by reflex, despite no sunlight hitting her face. As she blinked her sleep away, she saw Red's face in front of hers, his eyes too opening. He smiled and shook his head. "An hour more won't hurt us today." Reluctantly, she closed her eyes and nodded off once more.

The first bell woke her and she had to agree, the extra sleep had treated her well. She spread her senses to cover the entire inn, verifying the status of all of her people. All were awake, and all were well. Next to her, Red stirred and stifled a yawn as his senses spread wide as well. She could tell most of her knights also were keeping an eye on the inn, though Light and Rook were subtly scanning the surrounding area instead.

The bath had long since cooled down to room temperature, but still sufficed for quickly washing up as they changed clothing. Back in light armour, the two picked up Eirwen's doorguards on the way back to the dining hall. There, she saw Light and Rook still throwing each other furtive glances, much to the amusement of both Oath and Fang. Fortunately for the two knights, Eirwen and Red arriving drew everyone's attention away from them.

Fang grinned at them, while eating a mixture of fresh food and leftovers from the night before. "Well look who finally joined us. Were the two of you so busy, you couldn't get up with the rest of us? Or that exhausted instead?"

Red rolled his eyes and took a seat, refusing to take the bait. But Eirwen felt playful today as she leaned over with a smile. "Fang, are you asking me if it was a long, hard, exhausting night?" Both Red and Oath spat out their drinks at the way she stressed every word. Unable to speak due to his coughing, Red spoke mentally instead.

"Mo Stór! Please warn me first!"

Eirwen grinned at him, then sat down to eat herself. "Today's plan is to travel to Bealach na Caisteal, correct? Anything we should worry about?" Oh, the food still tasted well. It seemed that staff had kept apart only the food that wouldn't spoil overnight, likely consuming the rest themselves. She ignored Red and Oath throwing her mildly indignant glares over their spilled drinks.

Fang looked a bit in doubt at her question. "Possibly? Both dire wolves and frost giants have been spotted near the fort more frequently in recent days, so we should stay alert. But unless something strange happens, we should be safe. Still, you never know, so best to prepare for the worst."

Even with carriages, the group was faster than caravans. As such, it was easy for them to reach towns that were less than a day of travel removed from each other. That didn't stop them from enjoying company. While the group prepared to venture forth, they were called over by a small group of merchants, represented by the swordsmith Red had commissioned.

"Greetings, miss. We heard you're going to the fort today. Is there any chance we could accompany you, and spare ourselves some mercenary expenses? Our wagons are light, so we shouldn't be much of a burden."

Red chimed in with a smile. "A few of them are travelling smiths, who make deals with blacksmiths in several places to borrow their forges when needed. Ores face less taxes than weaponry, so this lets them produce products at a lower cost. The rest are merchants transporting food and hoping to bring back trade goods such as mountain silk."

Eirwen only briefly hesitated before accepting. Their combined group wasn't so large that it would attract Frost Giants. And with them and the smith combined, they could vouch for all merchants present, so little chance of betrayal. With a grateful smile, they quickly decided on a formation and departed.

As they travelled forth, Fang kept up her act as guide, while Eirwen kept Red by her side, deliberately playing herself off as a maiden in love. An enjoyable act that should help conceal their identities.

The road had damage from the occasional snow slide, showcasing how upkeep had also reduced during the war. The wardens had grown more lazy due to the lack of active Flameheart intervention, so they didn't care about caravan safety. Once their trip was over, Eirwen would need to work on that.

Fang had been right, no enemy obstructed them, though Eirwen did catch signs of nearby wolf packs. Dire wolves that knew better than harassing them as they made their way over to the largest town in the territory.

Eirwen could feel the town's presence before they could lay eyes upon it. It wasn't just the people, or its location drawing in ambient mana. No, it was the distortion. Ambient mana pooled around the walls, as if avoiding a scar carved into the mountain. Not all walls, though, only part of them.

As they rounded the crest of the hill, they could finally observe the place properly. Sharpening her eyes and focusing her senses, Eirwen noticed quite easily what that was all about. The mana scars were formed by torched remnants of the old walls, which had been used as foundation to build new walls on top of. Logical, cheaper and easier as it was, but it did mean the damage remained even decades later.

She frowned at the sight. "Now I know what you meant with a town marred by fire. The place is injured, and rather than make it heal, they just built on top. As a result, there is no escaping the sixth Duke. Those walls, those scars, are his legacy. The only kind he could leave behind, one of fear."

Fang turned towards her with a cautioning look. "Be careful with those words, miss. There are those who survived those events decades ago and feel gratitude still, and more recent fools that worship the man based purely on his show of strength."

Her warning was seconded by several merchants looking conflicted. But before Eirwen could think of a good response, Red loudly scoffed at the situation. "Worship him? That man who liked the territory desperate, so that it was easier to control? He deliberately shorted their food supplies and denied them military aid, because he wanted them to admit they needed him. Throughout the entire war, his only words regarding this place were filled with contempt."

Fang shrugged at that. "You weren't born here, so you don't know what it's like. We face threats constantly, so people vehemently remember those that made a difference. Like the Berserk Flame, who burnt down an entire town to bring it salvation, leaving nothing but ruins in his wake. Or the Crimson Giant, who let his own blood be shed and burn, just so others wouldn't pay the price instead. They don't see the people behind the facade, they just see the deeds. And those outsiders don't stay long enough for their stories to stabilise, so they turn into legends instead. That's why even now, some actually worship the late Duke."

Red shook his head at that. "Such a waste. They worship the man who burnt sixteen Frost Giants alive, but don't know he was too afraid of a single ice blade to leave his home for over four years. If he had had the guts, he could have won the war in a bloody battle, but he stayed home and cut down every tree within sight, so none could hide in them. Maybe in time, those stories will spread enough, so that people can realise he never deserved their admiration."

The other Iceheart guides voiced their agreement to Red's words. They had seen the Duke's cowardice, knowing full well who had actually led them in battle. Nameless mountain veterans, all with contempt for Duke Flameheart. Enough to make even the merchants think twice about any form of praise for the Duke.

Eirwen broke the uncomfortable situation with a smile on her face. "Well, it doesn't matter. He is as gone as his family name, so there is no point in discussing him. Let's just not touch on that subject any more. So Red, is there any lasting impact to those mana scars, other than the uncomfortable feeling they give off?"

"Just rougher control, which is a limitation to some." Red shrugged. "Not that it matters much, because any militia member skilled enough to suffer from that, is skilled enough to find a good place to stand at instead. And mana usage within the walls is actively discouraged, so you normally would never use so much of it that the scars make it uncomfortable."

As Eirwen asked questions, which Red and Fang dutifully answered, the group came closer to the town gates. On arrival, they explained why they had arrived together, which meant Eirwen's group was asked to pay some visiting fees, rather than a form of tax over mercenary income.

Once inside the walls, Fang split off with Rook's half of the group, bringing the carriages with them. "I'll take this lot and try to find you a decent place to stay, miss Snow. Enjoy your shopping date!" Eirwen noticed she was already used enough to the teasing that she didn't even blush at the loud remark.

Red smiled and offered her his arm. "If it pleases you, milady, let's see if the local markets catch your fancy." She returned his smile and accepted his offer. Time for another date of sorts.