***The next day.Tobias was already dressed in his room, wearing a white military shirt and a black furry winter coat. Black trousers and brown men's boots completed his look that dawn.He woke up earlier than everyone else in Archibald Palace; one of the reasons was to keep people from knowing of his departure, even though he would be met by the gatekeepers.The young man stepped out of his room, shook his head right, and left; nobody was there. After getting the mandate letter, Liam decided to take one of the rooms in Archibald Palace that used to be occupied by Luke."They won't know I'm leaving," Tobias said.He walked down the stairs with a steady pace, every single one of his steps echoing in the place he walked through due to the quietness of the place.It was three in the morning. No one would wake up and notice Tobias leaving so early; not even the maids in this place were in sight as far as the eye could see.The hou
Tobias rode until he passed several quietly flowing rivers, frozen tree leaves, and lands covered in deep white snow.He had ridden more than a week from Stratham, had passed Nashant and Sungate. Now, his destination was Fairspire.His appearance was different from when he left. His body was covered in a coat with a hood. It was warmer and thicker, so Tobias didn't feel the cold during the journey.From Sungate, he took a route south, passing over several hills and coming across several small villages that seemed to be surviving. The villagers warmed themselves inside their homes; few went out for a walk.Tobias stopped his horse right beside a man dressed in a heavy furry suit, seen carrying firewood tied to a log that he carried over his right shoulder."Sorry to interrupt you, sir. Is Fairspire far from here?" asked Tobias, removing the cloth that covered half his face, leaving only his eyes."Fairspire? It's behind the second hill. It ta
In the end, the woman couldn't behead Tobias. Her hands kept shaking, and dropped the longsword she was holding. The sword lay before Tobias, the young man picked it up."Don't burden your mind with things from the past. It's a soldier's risk to die on the battlefield," James replied, walking over to the wall of the house and putting the sword into place.Mia couldn't stop crying. She returned to her room, Alfred following wherever his mother went."Please forgive my daughter's behaviour. She is devastated after hearing that her husband was killed in the battle of Sungate," Ulsted said."It's all right. I understand the pain she's going through because I've been there, too," Tobias explained.He returned to his place, picked up his bag and prepared to leave. He thought that he couldn't stay in this place for long after what happened earlier.Tobias was worried that Mia's mental condition would worsen if he stayed there. His best option was t
***The next day.As Tobias walked out of the cave where he had been resting, the dark sky began to turn blue. The sun was slowly rising from the east, easing the stormy snow that had trapped them overnight."It looks like the storm has passed," Tobias said, standing straight in his long-sleeved black T-shirt and long brown pants.He turned his head to the back, looking at Mia, who was still sleeping close to the bonfire that was now just a smoldering coal. She was asleep with Tobias' warm coat half-covered, preventing her from getting cold.With the route approaching Fairspire, Tobias could estimate he would be there in half a day's riding.But there was one job he had to do before going to Fairspire: take Mia back to her home.Hearing the noise of Tobias packing made Mia wake up. She opened her eyes and realized she had fallen asleep wrapped in Tobias' coat."Is it morning already?" Mia asked.Tobias turned his head, looking at Mia with a smile on his face, "Yeah. The storm has pass
Tobias arrived at a small inn quite far from the city center, with the road still covered in thick snow.The inn's door opened, revealing two middle-aged female employees in their uniforms, welcoming the young woman who was none other than the innkeeper.Her parents originally owned the inn, but they were killed during Valcke's invasion of Atrea. She was able to go hide and rebuild this inn from scratch with the help of some of her loyal inn staff."Come in," the young woman pleaded, taking off her coat.Tobias had little to say. He entered after clearing his shoes from the snow, taking off his coat and the cloth covering half his face.Now, her face was fully exposed, as well as her hair. The young woman never expected that the person who had saved her was a young man."You're still young. What's your name?" the woman asked, curious.Tobias placed his bag that he had brought from the horseback ride on the wooden sofa chair, "My name
*** One week later. "You boys hurry up and get inside! The snow is bad outside." Mothers yelled at their children to stop playing in the snow in the front yard and go inside. Dad was busy with fireplace work, trying to light a fire on the snow-drenched firewood to warm up the temperature inside the house. Not only did they do that, but all the parents living in Valestria followed them. The Palace no longer provides food support to its citizens. This was done because the Palace was so economical that meeting their needs was so difficult. Because of this policy, many of the people in Valestria were starving. One week away from spring, as it always was. However, there was no sign of winter coming to an end. In fact, some people felt that this week was the peak of winter in Equestria, with winter blizzards occurring during the day, rivers freezing, and cold temperatures creeping into homes. Tobias arrived in Valestria after
Even though Tobias had made it clear, there was no expression of happiness on Giselle's face. Giselle's mind kept wandering, searching for a solution to what had just happened.Tobias' decision to establish a new kingdom is his right, considering he fought there in Archibald's name. The impact of his decision was what would occur to Giselle and her workers."What's wrong?" asked Tobias."Nothing," said Giselle.Tobias' eyes squinted hard, his forehead furrowed as he continued to look at Giselle sitting next to him. The wooden door to Giselle's study opened, revealing the figure of Marcela, who came in wearing a thin purple nightgown."Tobias!" Marcela greeted.Tobias turned around, but before he could look at Marcela, she had already embraced him tightly. The scent of expensive perfume drugged Tobias' mind; he almost lost control of Marcela's body."You're thinner than I remember, Tobias," Marcela said."The journey from Strath
Evening."Is there something bothering you?" Tobias asked.He arrived at Giselle's study after bathing himself in warm water for half an hour. The aches and pains in his body instantly disappeared after Tobias did that.Wearing only shorts, Tobias arrived at Giselle's study as well as her bedroom. His eyes are immediately drawn to his sister, who looks pensively at the snow falling outside her brothel.Giselle turned her body around, looking at Tobias with a sad face. Tobias understood the expression on Giselle's face and began to walk over to her."Nothing. I'm just worried about my ladies," Giselle said."Are you afraid they won't be able to live as happily as they do now?" asked Tobias. Giselle nodded lightly."When I took them all in, they told me their lives were tough. Right after working with me, their lives were put back in order," Giselle replied.Tobias cleared his throat softly, realizing that Giselle must love them as much as their mother did. The young man also felt guilt