Arlo woke up to loud banging coming from his door.
Bang,
Bang,
Bang.
"Who is it?" he asked as he walked over to the door, yawning.
"Arlo! There's been an attack from the Vaequilians!"
It was Keith.
Arlo swung the door open.
"Where?"
"They only attacked the location of Destin, but they were able to obtain a little bit more than what they had lost in our attack."
"Really?" Arlo asked.
He grabbed his armor and jogged with Keith to the command post.
Gale, Eunice, Alice, and Hound were all already there.
"Arlo-" Eunice sat up.
"I've already heard. Is the battle still ongoing, or...?"
"It's already over," Gale sighed. "The damage has been done."
Arlo shook his head.
"Were any soldiers lost?"
"Fortunately, no. There are only a couple dozen injured."
"Thank goodness..."
Gale stood up from his seat.
"We need to make our next move quickly. We can't afford to lose more time, and there are rumors that Vaequilians are preparing another attack on the border."
"Gods... there's no way we can beat them at this rate. We have soldiers from Onkarden, but it's still only a portion of what Vaequiles has."
Arlo took a minute to think.
"Arlo?" Alice asked.
"I'm beginning to think that... perhaps destroying Vaequiles isn't the answer we should be looking for."
Eunice glanced at him.
She understood.
"What do you mean?" Gale asked.
"I had a vision... from Aerys. She said that I would... be the king of both kingdoms. I would make Czarina one again."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
Gale put a hand on his chin.
"I don't think that will work. These are Vaequilians we are talking about. They won't change."
"Really? What about the villagers we brought back?"
Gale sighed.
"This is true."
The villagers had been welcomed and many had become soldiers of the Endeavors.
Eunice crossed her arms.
"I think that he's right. At this rate, we won't be able to win this war by force. The best we can do is strip the ruler from all their power-"
"No. Under no circumstances will we try to save Vaequiles." Gale spoke firmly.
"Sir-"
"That is final."
