The Warden | A For Honor Fanfiction

Intentions

Intentions
There were no more delays I could reasonably call. As I leaned forward observing the map on a hollowed out tree stump, I found myself wishing there was something else I could cite as a delay. Our first night we'd been brought to a near halt from a torrential blizzard, and on the third some of our horses had been spooked and ran into the woods. I had called an emergency camp that first night, and forbade any man or woman from advancing until we had found and brought the horses back on the third. Each time, I was glad. At the rate we were going, we'd arrive a day and a half after we should have. But now there were no excuses, our horses were ready to go, and the weather was clear save for a light sprinkle of snow. At best, I could order the march to continue in the early morning.

Our camp had been scouted out by Mercy, a small clearing in the forest that stretched for maybe half a mile before the forest took back over. It was a small thing, but more than enough for our soldiers to comfortably spread out, even with the assortment of rotted and half cut trees. My guess was that this was some sort of lumber operation that never took off, or otherwise had to be abandoned. Not that it mattered much, we only had so much time we could spend here, and the soldiers had already begun making preparations to pack our tarps and tents in the morning.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps, when I turned to face them I realized they belonged to Belial. Unlike myself, he had been annoyed with every delay we had encountered, I was sure he was more eager than any of us to be on the move. I turned to face him, keeping my weapon planted firmly at my side.

"Something I can do for you, Belial?" I asked. He did not immediately respond, and instead continued marching towards me until less than ten feet remained between us. When he did stop, he took my lead and planted his poleaxe squarely beside him, keeping one hand locked on the massive weapon. Only then did he speak.

"Just checking to see when you wanted to begin our forward march. The men are restless, and eager for battle." He explained. That was certainly news to me, the men I had spoken with had been all too eager to remain and find our horses, morale had even seemed to improve during that time. Those ready for battle had either kept to themselves, or Belial was inflating their numbers. Regardless, his initial question was a legitimate one, and one I couldn't hide from forever. Suppose now was as good as any to reveal my intentions.

"We will remain here for the night, we've less than an hour's worth of daylight left, and I won't have us marching in these woods at night." I explained. Belial seemed less than thrilled with my explanation, even looking away from me and shaking his head. When he turned back to me, I could tell from his stance his frustration with me.

"Why do we delay? Our men have faced much worse than the dark, we should press on." He argued. I had a feeling he wouldn't be pleased, and was glad to have a few points against him.

"Herongale is protected by rangers, who excel in the dark. How many of us could they cut down unseen if we pressed on? Besides, our men are tired, they've been searching endlessly for the horses. A night of rest and hot breakfast will better prepare them for our march." I rebutted. Belial sighed and walked closer to me, using the staff of his weapon as though it were a walking stick as he moved. I adjusted myself slightly as he came beside me and turned to view the horizon over the tree line, only faint traces of gold peaking over it.

"Every moment we delay is another day for the insurrectionists to fortify. We should deal with them sooner rather than later." He said. I still wasn't sure how I felt calling the people of Herongale such terms. They weren't traitors, they were simply caught up with one. Still, I knew the finer points didn't matter to him, or to our master. After all, we were already marching on them. So, rather than argue the morality of our actions, I turned to view the horizon myself, my axe head coming level with my companion's.