At the castle, Dova was already anxious. He didn’t know that there was a chance for the message not reaching the one it should but he knew that there was a very real danger of Thaim running into a group of soldiers.

If that happened, only Eloindha knew what would happen to him. Maybe they would grab him and carry him back, asking him to tell them what he knew about his lover. In the worst case, they might torture him until he told the truth. Maybe they wouldn’t want to bother with a Tarlheyn though and just kill him on the spot. They wouldn’t be above that.

The more he thought, the more he worried. He had tried to fit in at this new place and offered help wherever it was needed. But now, he was making one mistake after the other, probably making a lot of people angry. He continuously apologized but what was done, was done and he didn’t think that he would get better anytime soon.

"You saved an idiot."

Simaen glanced at his brother who had joined him on the wall walk for once. He remembered a certain someone having been even more of an idiot when he was madly in love but he didn’t say anything about it. That time had long passed and he knew that the memory still pained him. He wasn’t about to pour salt into that wound.

Instead, he turned back to the courtyard to watch as Dova was trying to make up for his latest mistake of spilling some grain. The person he was trying to 'help' looked faintly annoyed but there was some indulgence in that gaze as well.

That guard from the first day had gone around, spilling the news that some idiot-in-love had arrived and was waiting for his lover to everyone who wanted to listen. Dova wasn’t the first one who had come here with that kind of background and there were many who had a soft spot for a pair of star-crossed lovers. Well, their tunes might change when they found out that the person in question wasn’t another Velheyn.

"Is he still alive?" Arias’ tone sounded casual but below the surface, the memories of the past were likely rearing their head.

Simaen nodded faintly. "He should arrive later today."

"That’s good." Arias turned around and leaned against the wall with his back, looking toward the south. His gaze seemed to be boiling with untold emotions.

Simaen glanced at him but kept quiet once again. There were many things he wanted to say but he knew they wouldn’t change anything. Save for feeling guilty, what did either of them have left to say?

Arias faulted himself for his lover’s death and he … he faulted himself for not gaining a grasp on his skills sooner. If he had, maybe he could have prevented it. Maybe he could have saved him from that pain. But then again, even now that his abilities were no longer a mystery to him, he hadn’t been able to help many others. This couple that was anxiously waiting to reunite was one of the few that had profited. It really made him feel useless.

Simaen continued to stare at the Velheyn down there that continued to make a mess out of things and figured that his blood was pretty useless outside of these small things. He couldn’t save everyone, not even people that he cared about, and he surely couldn’t change the fate of the world as much as he wished he could. Still, for these people whom he could help, it meant the world.

Even though Dova didn’t know yet that he would soon get to hold his lover again, Simaen could already imagine the scene of their reunion. They would both be happy, relieved, and hopeful for the future that they could finally have again.

He glanced at his brother when he thought of that. Whether it was him or Arias, neither of them expected to find love again after they had lost their partners. Arias fought this war because he felt he owed it to him while he … he just didn’t know what else to do so he followed along as he had always done.

There was no personal goal for either of them, but others still had them. A lover, the wish to get married, maybe raise a child if you could, and just spend your days in bliss. If the war ever ended, those goals might be achievable. Fighting for that … it might be worth it.

He turned around as well, looking toward the south where they had originally grown up, his eyes narrowing faintly. "The Cejta didn’t do itself a favor. It’s not just these two. There are so many that are unhappy with them. Give it some time and I guess our position here will be even more secure."

Arias gave a hum but, to be honest, he wasn’t too sure about that. "Looking at him, I don’t think he will actually fight on our side. Living here with his lover … Yes, he is willing to do that. But he is fleeing the laws in the south. It isn’t that he believes in our cause. And I don’t think he will want to throw away his life for something he doesn’t believe in.

"There will be many like that. Many who actually believe that the Cejta has the right to exist and who don’t want to change that belief or question them. No matter what the Cejta has done, they see this new law as the issue, but not the Cejta as the root of the problem. So while they all want to start a new life here, they don’t actually support us." Not to mention that a ton of refugees also meant a higher risk of spies and assassins mixing into the crowd. But he trusted his people to figure that part out.

"Support comes in many forms. I wouldn’t worry too much about it if I were you. With how things are going, I don’t believe that the Cejta really has much of a chance to win this war after all."

In fact, their chances had been really good just a while ago after the person in charge of operations changed. He had made many reforms, some of them on a smaller scale that didn’t change much but some also greatly benefiting their side and strengthening them. It had given Arias quite a bit of headache.

But then, the Cejta had gone and passed that law in an attempt to gain even more of an advantage. They had thought that it would strengthen their side, some bullshit reason about wanting to boost their numbers and needing more marriages between men and women for that reason, even though they had been told it was a stupid idea.

In the end, they had gone ahead despite that and managed to anger quite a few people as a result. And some of those … they would regret having antagonized them. A small foot soldier like that Dova down there was nothing in comparison to some of the actually influential people who had been struck by this as well. The most notable surely that Layor of theirs.

Rumor had it that the day they announced the change, he had hit the member of the Cejta he disliked the most square in the face. Simaen could only imagine that scene too well. That man’s temper had never been good. He probably would have done worse if not for the fact that he had immediately been tackled by half a dozen soldiers who had undoubtedly regretted their position at that time. There was a reason that man was in charge of the military.

Yes, how had the Cejta ever thought this was a good idea? That man was almost infamous for his love for his spouse. If not for the fact that he truly believed he stood on the right side in this war and both of them had family in the south, he probably would have been the first one to take a horse and bring his husband here.

And even though some people might have had a problem with accepting him thanks to the fact that he had rained death on the battlefield before — killing relatives, friends, and lovers of the people of their side alike — they would have been able to make good use of him. Or both of them. His lover wasn’t to be underestimated either.

Well, he likely wouldn’t do that but he might make some other drastic decisions. For example, he might decide to just lay down his weapon. Supporting their enemies might be beneath him, but refusing to fight for the people who had torn him and the love of his life apart wasn’t. He might even laugh in their faces while he did.

So yes, the Cejta would probably come to regret their decision of passing this law rather soon.

Even though the number of men that were actually hit by this law might only be small, it could still make a huge difference in a war if those people’s loyalty was swayed. That was something that the Cejta had apparently never taken into consideration.

Well, this could be used to their own advantage. Thinking of that, Simaen spoke up again. "Give it time and make sure that you give people the option to join us even if they don’t want to be soldiers. In fact, it would probably be good to spread that message."

Arias glanced at him, his brows faintly raised. "Why do I feel that you have gotten even more shrewd recently?"

Simaen glanced at his brother in return, the corners of his lips curling in the faintest of smiles. "Things are changing. Maybe they have since a long time ago but it is only now that we realize that they do.

"This war … we’ve been at a standstill for much too long. But now, there is a change in the status quo. Even if it takes another thousand years, I’m pretty sure that, for better or worse, things are coming to an end.

"I can’t explain it to you. I just … I feel it." He raised a hand, looking at his fingertips. This was something that he hadn’t been able to sense before. Maybe there had been a hint of it but it hadn’t been obvious enough for him to pick up on it. Or maybe his powers had indeed just grown. In any case, he was sure that major changes were heading their way.

He would do his utmost to make sure that they would get out of this as well as they could. Not just for his brother’s sake but also for the people that had been at their side for all these years and trusted in their ability to lead them.

Simaen didn’t cherish the illusion that they would all make it to the end but if he could save at least one of them or make their passing easier, he would be there. These powers … they couldn’t be for nothing.

Arias continued to watch him, keeping his thoughts to himself for a while before he finally made his decision. "Alright. I think that suggestion isn’t bad. We should indeed let them know that they are welcome on our side no matter whether they want to fight or not. Can I leave this to you? I guess the Aldhar might be willing to help you with that."

Simaen sighed at that. He wasn’t necessarily happy about involving his wife’s people in this but he still had some connection to them so there was indeed a chance that they would agree to spread the message. Especially since they had looked on with horror when the Cejta passed that law.

So even if they didn’t want to help him, they would be willing to help those people, just like they would be willing to take them in as well. But for most Velheyn, he was sure that they would rather join the North than live among the Aldhar. That was just how they were. As stupid as it might be.

"I’ll do it. I can’t promise you what the effect will be though. We’ll have to see about that."

"If it doesn’t work out, don’t sweat it. There will be other ways to take care of this. This is simply the easiest approach that might gain us the biggest result. I’m willing to give it a go. If it doesn’t work, we will figure out something else."

Simaen nodded and the two of them dropped the topic, soon going their own ways.

Time slowly passed and soon, somebody neared the castle’s gates. Simaen had already told the guards that this person would come so when Thaim stood in front of them, they just raised their brows, exchanged a glance, and then asked for his name. Having given the right answer, the gate was opened immediately.