"I want to fight!" Izzimar declares with determination.

"Don't be foolish! An attack is imminent on the settlement! You're just a child!"

"I won't leave without him! I want to fight!" Izzimar asserts, holding his position firmly.

Baldur exhales deeply before swiftly lifting Izzimar and carrying him to the tent, with Arjana trailing beside them.

"You damned old bastard! Release me!" Izzimar yells, his temper unimproved since his outburst.

"Quiet down, you brat!" Baldur retorts, setting Izzimar down at the tent's entrance beside Arjana. He then grabs Menia who was kept snug in a wrap around his back and whispers to her, "I promise I'll be back, little Menia.. If I don't....", he hesitates, his voice trembling. "Just ....know that your papa loves you...", he says as he gently nuzzles her head. Arjana observes in silence as Baldur entrusts her with Menia.

"Please... look after her until I return." Arjana gazes at him with apprehension before reluctantly accepting the small child. Baldur nods, and then he, along with the other male elves, departs from the tent, some bestowing kisses on their wives and children, while others exchange farewells with siblings and parents before embarking on their task. Arjana turns to Izzimar, who is quivering with frustration, and gently extends her hand towards him.

"Izzimar... I'm going to take your hand now," she declares, leaving no room for his dissent. "I'm taking us to a place to sit until this is over... okay?" She holds his hand firmly, guiding him to an empty cot. Trakka approaches the children, tenderly stroking Arjana's head to reassure her before inhaling deeply. 

"Arjana, we must stay silent until it's finished... If these men fall..." Trakka pauses, a heavy feeling settling in. "Remember what your father said? 'It is better for us to perish with the blood of Parians than to thrive with the bloodline of the enemy,'" she reminds her, trying not to incite panic. With those words, Trakka draws an ornate dagger, and the terrible truth becomes clear to Arjana: they may have to commit the ritualistic suicide known as Dereak. 

The king had decreed that if captured, the women of Paria should take their own lives rather than be forced to bear the children of the invaders. It was cruel, but based on what the king gathered about the barbarians, is that raping the women and children of their enemies was the only way they kept their population from dwindling. Rumor has it, that after he had defeated the barbarians the first time, the barbarians regained their numbers by raiding small tribes along the lands. Capturing their women and girls, while slaughtering the men. Many of the victims subjected to such a fate often do not survive the cruelty. It is through this, the barbarians would have future children who were stronger and immune to diseases that those before weren't. The Dereak method was employed by the Parians to thwart the barbarians from increasing their population. 

Months ago, the Parian women were safe in Brymshire, but some had left after the empire was attacked. If the barbarians got to them, then they are long dead. Arjana began to think of how many of her people had taken their own lives to protect themselves from the barbarians. The thought brings tears to her eyes, thinking of those unlucky enough to be enslaved by them. She didn't even know how many of her people were left with the men fighting and the women scattered. Refuging in Tir Na Nog is her only hope if she wants to save her people. If they fail here... this would be the end for her people. As the night falls silent, regret begins to cloud her thoughts.

-----

Baldur positions the elves around the settlement's edge. After surveying the area, Avvian approaches him.

"How is Birger?"

"He's conscious now; they're feeding him."

"Good. He's our only hope. A strong caster... it should suffice," he says, peering into the forest.

"This is bad... the forest gives them cover."

"Perhaps we should burn it down?" Avvian suggests.

"There's no need...do you smell that?"

"I smell blood...and it's not ours."

After a pause, Baldur inquires, "And it's not from your wife?" Avvian smacks his shoulder, chuckling. "Bastard..." While they are briefly distracted, Birger strides over.

"What have your scouts reported?"

"Birger, glad you could join us—"

"What have the scouts reported? Are they approaching?" Birger interrupts, flipping through his spellbook.

Avvian rolls his eyes before replying, "Yes, they're on their way... And the news isn't good. They've got muskets and numbers. Roughly three hundred men to our fifty...in the whole settlement."

Birger looks at him, astonished. They could have overrun the settlement at any moment. "I don't understand; they could have attacked us at any time. Why now?" he questions. A scout approaches, holding a scroll.

"We've obtained some information on that... It seems they were waiting..."

"For what purpose?",Birger asks while looking out to the forest.

"...For some of the women to give birth,....and for the other girls to come of age. They have been tracking the Parian women for some time. These notes...they sicken me," the young scout confesses, handing a scroll to him. Birger receives the scroll and examines it before passing it slowly to Baldur. Confused, Baldur scans the document until his complexion turns ashen, and nausea surges within him. Crumpling the scroll, he exhales, "We cannot afford to be defeated here. I would rather incinerate this entire settlement with the women and children inside than leave them to these...demons."

Birger gives a solemn nod before turning to hone his blade.

----

Hours have passed while the elves positioned themselves around the settlement awaiting the assault, yet there was still no sign. Dawn was approaching, and fatigue had set in among the men. Even as they shared gruel, their exhaustion was palpable. Birger fought to stay alert as Avvian consumed liquid fire in an attempt to remain vigilant. In the midst of the lull, suddenly, a gunshot echoed, followed by shouts and the sound of heavy stampeding. Birger positions himself next to Baldur and observes a young elf struck down by a bullet. Raising his gaze, he spots them: a horde of men in masks, their identities concealed by cloaks, storming the settlement. The elven warriors stand firm, even as the forest around them succumbs. Trees topple and flames ascend, encircling the perimeter.

"They planned this!" Avvian shouted, realizing their strategy.

As the men drew nearer, Birger saw a glint of silver from under their cloaks accompanied by the stench of decay. Grasping their tactic, Birger swiftly placed his hand on the ground.

"Fjall!" he cried out, conjuring a rock wall beneath them. The elves were hoisted to a higher ground, while the barbarians halted at the sudden barrier.

"Isn't it a bit early for high-cost spells?" Baldur chided in frustration.

"I smell decay..."

"He's right... Their blades... Could they be poisoned?",Avvian questioned as he peered over the edge.

"No... it reeks of feces... or corpse rot... Either way, a single cut could be fatal," Birger gasped, collapsing to one knee. Baldur surveyed the barbarians below as some began to climb the rocky structure. "Bring out the Flames of Fafnir!" he commanded, as the copper elves were escorted back behind the walls into the settlement, and the remaining elves loosed arrows at the assailants scaling the wall. Birger ignited a torch and handed it to Baldur, who set a basin ablaze. Archers dipped their arrows into the fire before approaching the wall's edge to rain fire upon the besieged barbarians. Despite the position, the barbarians with muskets fired off shots at the elves, managing to wound those who were too close to the walls edge. Avvian, observing the chaos below, sneered.

"It seems their strategy was to destroy the forest and ignite a ring of fire behind them, trapping the women and children once they penetrated the perimeter," he observed. "If we had arrived a day later..." Avvian murmured, the realization dawning on him.