A fist slammed upon the marble wooden table, causing some of the silvery cutlery to fall upon the ground with several clatters. Despite Maya's trained composure and will, the small flinch was still evident in her form when it happened. 

 

While next to her, the highest standing noble of Glenrock merely raised an eyebrow with a glint in his eyes as he stared at the tall figure at the end of the table. 

 

"Your highness…?" Maya's voice carefully rang out across the room, her eyes rather avoiding the ones of the Norian king. His fist was still shaking slightly, and the war map beneath it crumpled. 

 

"It seems Almera has rediscovered their sense of Imperialism, and that is without their actual Emperor upon the throne. Impressive." Maya immediately shifted her eyes towards Kazen with a cold glare, but still, he simply wore the same smug grin upon his face like before. 

 

But she did not get the chance to scold him when the king suddenly retracted his hand from the table. 

 

"Almera has begun to spread their troops outside of their borders once more, and so the years from times long past repeat themselves under the rule of the crown princess." 

 

A strong sense of tiredness. Laced with the wisdom and knowledge of a king who has witnessed countless wars fought within his own kingdom. 

 

"I hope that our cooperation and shared effort will continue to blossom in the future. Your part in forming all of the noble houses of Glenrock into a solidified unit is invaluable." now, the king's gaze slowly drifted towards Kazen, who was merely leaning his head back slightly with his grin ever growing. 

 

"But of course. We stand at the side of our allies, especially in these dire times." 

 

Maya could have almost choked on that. Only when it was necessary did Glenrock intervene and assist, and now that their kingdom was threatened, their assistance was yet to be seen. Of course, she expected as much, but with their loss within the Imperial capital, she was losing her momentum and pressure upon the noble. And he knew that as well. 

 

But instead, the king merely heaved a long and deep sigh, his hands slowly relaxing again as he cast his eyes towards the war map upon the table one last time. 

 

"Their forces march into our land without stopping. Pray forgive me, everyone that I cannot protect from their onslaught… but mark my words, my fight is not over yet, Almera." 

 

And with that, he silently dismissed the two of them as the king stepped outside of the counseling chamber. 

 

Feeling the growing itch of irritation upon having to endure the presence of Kazen any longer, Maya simply took one of the plates filled with food from the table. 

 

"Visiting our new friend and prisoner, are we? Do give him my greetings, won't you?" Maya merely scoffed in the face of the grinning noble before she headed off towards the door at the end of the room. 

 

"I don't see why it would interest you." Kazen merely smirked once as he shrugged his shoulders with closed eyes. 

 

"It doesn't. Not really, anyway. What I am more interested in is what you are planning to do with him now, that would be quite amusing to watch. I can already imagine all of the possible scenarios, the crown princess, not believing in his death, fighting and sacrificing all that she has to come here and save him~ ahh, I shall write a poem about it." Maya's hands were beginning to grip the tray with so much force that it might have just bent as she halted in her motions. 

 

"Leaving out all of the details about the rivers of innocent blood that are left in her wake? He is a tool that we can bargain with should the need arise." Kazen merely scoffed with feigned offense as he raised his hands on either side. 

 

"Where is your sense of drama and romance?" that was the last string before Maya all but forced herself to remain calm, instead scolding herself for having entertained this fool for that long. 

 

Thus, leaving his words unanswered as she simply resumed her walk and left. 

 

---

 

A single knock made her presence known as Maya entered Maren's chamber with the silver tray of food in her hands. Spotting him at the far end of the room, he was sitting upon a wooden chair that was facing towards one of the windows, his eyes almost emptily cast outside without sparing the ambassador a glance. 

 

Remaining silent for a few more moments, she simply placed the tray down upon a nearby table. 

 

"By all means, you are not only confined to this room. You may roam outside of the palace grounds as well." silence was once again her only response as his form remained motionless. 

 

Knowing it would be futile for the time being to attempt talking to him any further, she left it at that before she stepped outside again, gently closing the door behind her. 

 

Maren was almost entirely oblivious to anything around him as his eyes were cast into the distance, set upon a certain, small building that had caught his eye amidst everything else outside. 

 

That small house… the longer he was staring at it, the more the environment around him seemed to change, reverting into a state that his mind was internally creating upon thinking back to his earliest memories of childhood. 

 

And yet, strangely enough, those memories were filled with anything but happiness. Once, he had fought to protect this place, this land, this kingdom… still, as he was now staring at the place that he had once called home… it simply wasn't the same anymore. Even though not a single thing had changed about it on the outside. 

 

This place… was not his home. He was but a stranger to it that held no joy or life for him. Reminding him just what a shell he had been, an empty husk, before he met… her. 

 

His home… was somewhere else. 

 

And regardless how much he had tried to suppress it, to keep himself together in the face of this situation, he was beginning to lose that internal struggle. 

 

Slowly but surely, he raised his left hand towards the cold glass of the window, barely stretching it against the lifeless rays of the sun which shone into the chamber. 

 

The light reflected upon the ruby's surface in a crimson gleam, seemingly growing stronger the more he held it towards the far, far distance to the north. 

 

And unbeknownst to him, he was not the only one to gaze into the distance, longing from afar. 

 

For even when it was worlds apart, a hand was stretching out towards his own, facing towards the endless horizon that was painted in a fiery, crimson hue. Upon an open field, standing amidst the burning remains of an abandoned village, stood a single figure, her eyes solely directed at the descending sun. 

 

With a raging inferno all but consuming everything around her, the only thing that could be heard was the metallic step of each and every single soldier that marched through the ruins of this once small town. 

 

And her eyes shone in the same fiery hue as the all consuming flames, devouring anything without abandon. 

 

“... I know that you are out there… and I will find you…” 

 

Her hand curled into a trembling fist, and her eyes gleamed with the ravaging fire.

 

“... I promise…”

 

---

 

AN:

Support comes in many ways
A like, a comment, a favorite
Each of them; I know how to savor it
To keep me writing for days~