The morning is dewy and brisk. The sun is right about to make its appearance over the distant mountains. Few are up so early, but the camp is not completely quiet when Trinsi finishes wrapping up her tent and loading it onto a wagon.

“I’ll be back in an hour,” she tells an Orr before walking off the campground.

She is able to track down the waterfall she had spotted during one of her scouting's. The spray of the water is colder in the morning. She watches, sitting with her knees to her chest, meditating on what she remembers from the night prior.

Trinsi kissed Seis.

She could accept that, if she knew why. What does she think of Seis? That’s the problem, she doesn’t know.

Trinsi has never known emotions in this way. She loves her family, she loves Lunetta, but whatever this is with Seis, it doesn’t feel like love. Or what Trinsi’s idea of love is.

Trinsi is not head over heels for the woman. She’s far from perfect, rather unnerving at times. Trinsi likes her, but she wouldn’t call it ‘love’. All she wants is to be around the woman, for Seis to be safe, and to be important to her.

---

The party continues in the direction of Cloakwood for weeks before seeing another Storm. This time it appeared that the Syar’s had an advantage… or that was their initial impression.

General Usel spotted the lone Storm ahead of time. Seis, Cheron and Trinsi went ahead of the group and snuck up on the Storm. Together they were successful in defeating and disposing of them without too much hassle.

Trinsi had worked very hard during the last couple of weeks, training herself to avoid getting trapped in Seis’s spell whenever they were fighting Storms. She was proud of her success in doing so. Focusing on little things is what had gotten her this far.

The three have only begun their journey back to the original party, when Olan appears before them. He is beaten and bloody but running without notice of his injuries

“S-Seis!” he cries. “There’s more at the camp! They ambushed us!”

Seis reaches for his hand and pulls him onto the top of her Beareater, then books it toward the direction he came from. Without the need of a verbal order, Trinsi and Cheron follow.

Lamentably, when they arrive at the camp, the attack is over. General Usel and his men have taken control over the situation, but it has come at a heavy cost. Soldiers are running, there’s shouting, there’s red everywhere.

Trinsi jumps off her beareater and dives into the chaos in search of her sovereign.

“Lunetta!” she calls out, scouring the area for her wagon or tent.

A fellow knight nudges her and points to one of the wagons in the distance. The First Knight sprints forward, shoving and pushing through the mass hysteria.

The fluttering of her heart is nauseating. If this had happened before Seis ‘fixed’ Trinsi, she definitely would have passed out by now. Her panic is instantly nullified when she sets eyes on her friend.

Lunetta is conscious, but Trinsi’s stomach sinks upon seeing that she is injured.

“Lune,”

“Trinsi! General Usel! I’m fine! General Usel needs help. We need to clear the area and get somewhere safe now. We can’t afford to stop again, we need to make it to Cloakwood now.” The woman spills out with haste. The healer tending to her wound reminds her not to move when she sits up slightly.

“Lune-”

“I’m alright go!”

Her knight waits for the healer to confirm that Lunetta is fine before following orders.

Back outside, the chaos ensues. Some rushing to help those wounded, others hurriedly throwing items in wagons. There is a small fire in the corner of the site that a couple of the soldiers are putting out.

Trinsi grabs the first person that passes her, “Where’s General Usel?”

“He’s looking for you, he’s over there,” the Orr points.

‘Over there’, ends up being a random wagon. She wonders why he isn’t in his own but quickly it becomes evident why. This had to have been the closest to where he was injured. He’s on a futon, several healers hover over him arguing over how to bandage him in order to avoid infection. From the first glance, Trinsi knows he’s worse off than Lunetta.

“He’s unconscious,” Seis, who was already in the wagon, comments morosely.

Trinsi hadn’t noticed her or Cheron there, but passes Lunetta’s message along.

“We need to get going, Lunetta wants us on the road as soon as possible.”

Seis nods and turns away from Usel, “The sooner we reach Cloakwood, the sooner we can get him real help.”

“Were there any casualties?” Trinsi figures that if anyone knows already it’s her.

“Not yet, but it’s bad out there. I’m afraid some of them might not make it to sunrise.”

“Seis…” Cheron reaches out and touches her shoulder.

“Cheron carry anyone who is unable to walk onto the largest caravan that we have.” She turns to Trinsi and momentarily she forgets that she’s not supposed to look into the Ester’s eyes. “Round up everyone that can walk and have the better fit ones keep watch. Everyone else can assist packing up.”

---

In two days, General Usel’s condition worsens. The healers suspect infection.

Lunetta, has recovered some, but remains confined to her wagon. This is most frustrating to her because their party is not advancing as quickly as she would like. They are in all likelihood three days away from Cloakwood.

Without stopping, Seis has assigned shifts to those capable of keeping guard. Their numbers are thin divided this way. This keeps their pace slow, but it can’t be helped.

“Duka Trinsi go on break,” Seis orders firmly as she passes her one morning.

The white haired knight ignores her, this doesn’t sit well with Seis when she makes a later round.

“Duka Trinsi, I’m not telling you again. You’ve done two shifts in a row, I won’t let you do a third.”

“I’m not tired.”

“Horse shit Trin, you look awful!”

The knight’s eyes narrow, shooting the older woman a dirty look before begrudgingly walking away. She doesn’t head back to her wagon, in fact she walks out, with intention, into the unexplored depths of the forest.

She doesn’t know where she’s going and knows it’s stupid of her to do so, but she’s angry. She’s angry, tired, and sad. Why? Because everything is shitty. She is helpless and she hates it.

Once she finds a clearing she stops to take a deep breath. An unfruitful attempt to calm down.

She flinches when the earth drops beneath her feet, except it hasn’t. That must mean-

“Trinsi,” Seis’s voice makes her heart pound. The knight turns to see her come into the clearing.

“Dux Bellorum.”

“Cut the crap, what’s going on?”

“I thought it was obvious that I want to be alone,” Trinsi comments crossing her arms and hugging her elbows.

“You can be alone in your wagon, you need rest.” Seis’s eyes are begging, why does this make Trinsi feel even guiltier? The woman means well, she’s not wrong. Trinsi can feel the swollen bags under her eyes, however… she’s too anxious to sleep.

“What’s wrong Trinsi? Please tell me. I can’t help you if you don’t tell me,” Seis continues when Trinsi gives her no response.

The question weighs heavy on Trinsi. She doesn’t want to have this conversation, but it appears like this person has given her no other choice. “You shouldn’t have helped me. If you hadn’t, you could save him!”

Seis is taken back by the answer. For one, she thought she would have to fight more in order to get it out of Trinsi. Mostly however, she didn’t expect this to be the reason for her being upset. Not that it isn’t justified, rather, unexpected.

“Trinsi I don’t regret helping you. You’re never going to make me regret it. What I will apologize for, is for putting you in this situation in the first place. I shouldn’t have made you worry and I’m sorry. He’s going to be okay I promise.” Seis swears with ernest eyes.

“That’s not the only reason I’m frustrated I suppose.”

The sincerity in Seis’s eyes switches to curiosity at Trinsi’s comment.

“I hate being in this situation yes, I hate this place and I hate the Storms… but as senseless as it sounds, I hate that you don’t like me back, and I’m taking it out on you.”

“I know.”

“You know?” Red flushes across her face, first from the embarrassment and then from the anger.

“If this can get you through the horrible situation that is our life right now, I won’t discourage it, but you can’t allow it to interfere with your duty to the Syardom. You’re a First Knight.”

Seis sure knows how to cheer someone up, Trinsi thinks, her mouth ajar in disbelief. “What kind of ultimatum is that? You’re acknowledging my feelings, but admit you won’t reciprocate them? Just tell me to get over it, you tart.”

She shows amusement at the last comment with the look on her face. She steps closer to the knight, her expression fades from mischievous to contemplative. “Is that what you want to hear? I’ll say it if that’s what you need from me.”

Trinsi is distracted by the unexpected approach. Seis’s scent is familiar and sends Trinsi back to the night when she healed Trinsi. How can she ask that? Seis should be trying to make the knight hate her, not like her more. Then again, Trinsi already tried to hate her and that didn’t exactly work out.

“No,” she answers finally.

“Good, I don’t want to hurt you Trin.”