"If you'd been here with me, what would you have done?" I pondered. I've always assumed that if you were here with me, things wouldn't be the same. We would have opened a little tavern in the countryside and lived happily with our daughter.

"Those fucking cretins...!!" I tried to yell, but my voice was muffled. As a captain, I must always keep my own emotions at bay.

"Don't worry, Liz; I'll make them pay for what they've done to you and our child." I gritted my teeth as I vowed to myself.

On my way back to camp, I overheard Stan yelling at a bunch of men. Amid all of that, I noticed a large campfire burning in the middle of nowhere.

"Do you want to broadcast our location to the entire world, or what?" Stan yelled, pointing to the massive hellfire in the centre.

"W-We thought it might brighten everyone's mood a little." Coming forward, a boy at the back of that little group said. He wore a worried expression on his face.

"At the very least, Hale, you should have asked me or the captain before thinking of it." Stan made a point.

Hale, our group's youngest member, was in his early twenties. He is Theon's son, a close buddy of mine. I tried to join him in an orphanage after his father died in prison, but he insisted on working under me to get stronger. He's nothing more than a hot-blooded teenager.

"Uncle Stan, what difference does it make in the end? These are the Grim Woods!!" He snarled at Stan. "Everyone knows that a secret in Grim Woods is like a heart bind. Nothing that happens here is ever revealed to the outer world." Hale concluded, looking at the remaining members of the group.

To no longer be entertained by this farce, "You're correct, Hale." I took a step forward. Everyone made room for me when they noticed my presence. "However, that doesn't mean we can't be unduly cautious, does it?" I stood in front of Hale, my face deadpan.

Without looking me in the eye, he said, "Y-Yes, captain!!" with a salute.

"Now return to what you were doing. It will be exhausting for the next three days until we arrive at Vanora." I gave the command to everyone present." -and Stan..." I turned around to face him. If we take away that stupid brain of his, he has the potential to be a prominent leader. He possesses something that most of us do not: faith in others. Everyone trusts him... even more than me. Everyone here has their own story to tell, with a dark, tainted past clouding their future. So, unlike Stan, we put little effort into earning people's trust.

"Feed the slaves until their bellies are full," I said, "but Cap—" Stan expressed concern, " Don't worry about the rations." Despite his interruption, he listened calmly as I continued.

"We'll resupply at Vanora, and don't worry about money; it won't be coming out of our pockets," I exclaimed. "Yes, captain!" He turned to return to his place as he saluted.

"Stan!" He turned his gaze to mine. "After supper, send Brom to my tent." After another salute, he returned to assist the others.

I looked around for my tent before returning my gaze to the huge fire for one more time. My tent is the largest in the area. As I walked back to my tent, I took in my surroundings and the people were busy preparing dinner and chatting in front of the bonfire. It's one way to forget about the physical toll we've taken these past few days.

Cullen is in charge of our meals here. He used to be a mercenary when he was younger. Once upon a time, he had a one-million bounty placed on him. He did some filthy jobs, but in the end, he was only a tool used by aristocrats. For those wealthy Nobles, we are nothing more than a toothpick that they discard after each meal.

When the time limit on his bounty expired, he ceased his mercenary work. With no wife or any family to speak of, he now simply wishes to live a peaceful life using the culinary abilities he gained on his travels.

He was preoccupied with ordering other cooks. "Hey, Cullen, are you still not in the mood for women?" I called out to him as I moved closer to my tent.

"Captain, what did you say!?" He stared at me, clearly not amused by my mocking.

"Even if darkness covers the entire sky, the lone moon adds beauty, and the dazzling stars make us gaze at the sky even longer, don't they?" With a grin on my face, I said.

"I've never liked it when you say things like that, but I'll think about it." He sighed to himself and returned to stirring spices in a pot.

I sat on a dried grass cot that had been raised to the height of a chair. I wouldn't be able to sleep properly until I reached the central kingdom, I realised. Travelling is more perilous than any other. I need to get things along more quickly. These people may believe Grim Woods is feared for nothing, but as Hale stated, whatever happens in Grim Woods stays in Grim Woods. This is true not only for secrets but also for people's lives.

"Captain, it's Brom!" Brom yelled out from the outside while I was thinking about things that could affect our course of action.

"Come in." My thoughts were still wandering over the uncertainty as I stated that.