So of the n faltered. Others, driven by hunger and fear, rushed forward anyway. The clash was brutal. Steel t steel. The sound of grunts, shouts, and bodies hitting the ground filled the air. Without magic or shifting, everything ca down to skill, strength, and sheer will.
Osman fought close to the carriage, his movents precise and controlled as he deflected one attacker after another.
The Alpha King decided to split their convoy, choosing caution over pride. His own group moved ahead disguised as simple rchants, their armor hidden beneath travel cloaks, their banners stripped away until nothing remained but wagons, crates, and weary-looking n.
It was a calculated risk.
They took a route far from the main road, one rarely used even by traders, winding through uneven terrain and narrow passes where the land itself seed forgotten. Gavriel had chosen it precisely because it should have been safe... or at least unnoticed.
Candice’s nails dug into her palms as she watched. Then it happened.
One of the bandits slipped through the defense, running straight toward their carriage with a raised blade.
“Osman!” Candice scread. Only now did she realize the importance of the physical training her father had wanted her to undergo. Back then, she had been too lazy, too imrsed in mastering magic to see its value.
Osman turned just in ti, stepping in front of Candice without hesitation. He blocked the strike, but another attacker ca from the side, faster than expected.
The blade cut deep into Osman’s shoulder and blood spilled. Candice felt her heart stop.
“No!” she cried, throwing the carriage door open despite everything.
Osman staggered but did not fall. Gritting his teeth, he struck back, knocking the attacker to the ground. Two of Gavriel’s warriors rushed in imdiately, subduing the remaining threat.
“Candice, inside!” Osman snapped, even as blood soaked through his sleeve.
She ignored him and grabbed his arm. “You’re hurt!”
“I said inside,” he growled, but his voice lacked its usual sharpness.
Before either of them could argue further, Gavriel’s voice rang out across the battlefield.
“Enough!!!”
The remaining bandits froze. Those still standing dropped their weapons one by one, hands raised as fear finally overtook desperation.
The fight ended as suddenly as it began.
The road was littered with fallen n, so groaning, others too exhausted to move. Gavriel stood at the center of it all, sword lowered but ready, with his expression dark and unreadable.
“Bind them,” he ordered. “All of them.”
As the warriors moved to obey, Candice finally turned her attention fully to Osman. Her hands hovered over his wound, shaking.
“You idiot,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “Why would you do that?”
Osman let out a short breath, trying to steady himself. “Because you were in danger.”
Tears burned Candice’s eyes. “You’re bleeding.”
“I’ve had worse,” he muttered, though his pale face betrayed him.
lva rushed over with torn cloth, quickly helping to apply pressure to the wound. Ash whimpered, nosing at Osman anxiously.
Once the bandits were secured, one of them suddenly dropped to his knees.
“Please!” the man cried, his voice cracking. “Spare us!”
Others followed, kneeling in the dirt, foreheads pressed to the ground.
“We ant no harm!” another shouted. “We’re not killers!”
Gavriel approached them slowly. “Then why attack an ard caravan?”
The man looked up, tears streaking his dirt-covered face. “We’re starving,” he admitted. “Our village... the land dried up. Crops failed. Children haven’t eaten in days.”
Another bandit spoke up, desperation pouring from his words. “We didn’t know it was the Alpha King. We thought it was rchants. We only wanted food.”
Silence fell over the road. Candice felt her chest tighten.
She glanced at Gavriel, then at the n kneeling before him. They didn’t look like monsters. They looked broken. Thin. Hollowed by hunger.
Gavriel’s grip on his sword loosened.
“Where is your village?” he asked.
The man pointed west. “Two days from here.”
Gavriel turned to his n. “Search their packs.”
Monts later, a warrior nodded. “No stolen goods, Your Majesty. Just empty sacks.”
Gavriel closed his eyes briefly, then exhaled.
“Release them,” he said.
The bandits stared at him in disbelief.
“But take them to our supply wagons,” Gavriel continued. “Give them food. Enough to last. And send word to their village. No one under my rule starves.”
Candice felt the tears spill freely down her cheeks. The bandits wept openly, bowing again and again in gratitude. She had to blink rapidly, just to be sure she was seeing things clearly.
Normally, Gavriel would have killed these n without hesitation for daring to interfere with his convoy.
“What happened to the Alpha King?” she blurted out. “Is he really showing rcy?!”
“Yes,” Osman replied quietly. “He’s been changing ever since Elior joined our journey. He listens to him a lot now. I think both he and Lord Zander are learning from him.”
“Learning?” Candice scoffed. “To be soft-hearted?!”
Osman shrugged. “To be a great king, I guess.”
Candice fell silent for a mont. Then she turned to him, her expression shifting. Without another word, she grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the carriage.
“Co on,” she said firmly. “You’re wounded.”
Before he could protest, she dragged him inside to tend to his injuries.
As the caravan prepared to move once more, Candice stayed close to Osman.
“You scared ,” she said softly.
Osman glanced down at her, his expression gentler than she had ever seen it. “I’d do it again.”
She swallowed hard, fingers curling at her sides, but in the end she chose to stay quiet.
Osman took her silence as consent and continued, his voice firm but not unkind. “I already sent word to your father. His n will be waiting at the eting point to escort you back.”
“But I—”
“No more discussion on this, Candice.” He turned fully toward her, his gaze steady. “You can’t fight without your magic, and we both know you’ve always avoided physical training whenever you could.”
Her lips parted, ready to argue, but the truth of his words stung more than she wanted to admit.
“Go back to your house,” he added more gently. “Stay safe. This war isn’t sothing you should be dragged into.”
Candice clenched her jaw. “You’re saying that as if I’m useless.”
“That’s not what I’m saying,” Osman replied quickly. “I’m saying you matter too much to risk.”
She looked away, frustration burning in her chest. The idea of leaving, of doing nothing while everyone else marched toward danger, felt unbearable.
Osman stepped closer, lowering his voice. “Once all of this is over,” he said, slower now, as if choosing every word with care, “I’ll co to your house. Properly. I’ll ask for your hand in marriage the right way.”
That made her turn back to him.
Her eyes widened slightly, her breath hitching before she could stop it. “You’re... assuming I’ll say yes?”
A faint, crooked smile touched his lips. “I’m hoping,” he answered honestly. “And for once, I’m willing to wait.”
For a mont, Candice didn’t know what to say...
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