Hasqen and Skarr stood in the entryway to The Keep of Un'Sael, looking out the windows at the combined forces of Sawyn's Army and the Shadow Lord's Shadowkin gathered in the courtyard below. The decorative entryway was a representation of the Elven Forest of ancient times, with stone sculptures of ancient rulers and plants that no longer existed. Their design was so intricate and delicate that some would believe them to be real if not looked at carefully enough.
"It's like they're not even there," Hasqen said with disgust, as he adjusted the horned helmet, staring at the Shadowkin army below. "My eyes can't even focus on them."
"Yes, you keep saying," Skarr said quietly and turned to adjust and straighten his shirt as he looked at Hasqen. "So she slammed its head into the door until it was dead?"
"Oh, more than that. I'm pretty sure any brains that were in there were liquified by the time she was done," Hasqen replied. "Just like... Squish crunch squish crunch."
"Huh," Skarr said, nodding slowly. "Been a while since I've seen her like that."
"It was wild," Hasqen said while squinting out the window. "Their insides don't shift like their outsides do. Which is pretty weird."
Before Skarr could respond, they heard footsteps coming down the hallway, which made him immediately stand at attention while Hasqen remained staring out the window. Sawyn turned the corner in her traveling gear: her leather jacket lined with raven feathers over her polished chain shirt. Her hair was neatly braided and tight to her head, and her blue eyes scanned the room.
"His people haven't arrived yet?" Sawyn asked, frustrated. "We've been waiting here for hours."
"No ma'am," Skarr said matter-of-factly. "We have remained here as you asked."
"People out there are gettin' rowdy too," Hasqen said, almost with a sense of longing. "You can see them getting antsy, picking fights. He better hurry up, don't want anybody to lose their head."
Skarr let out an audible gasp at the phrase.
"And should you want to keep yours, you'll hold your tongue while the Shadow Lord passes through," Sawyn said curtly. "Something tells me he won't find you as charming as I do."
With that, they heard many sets of footsteps approaching from the hallway, and within moments six Shadowkin walked in with the Shadow Lord behind them. A few of Sawyn's guards were talking behind, carrying the Shadow Lord's armor and traveling gear.
"Have I kept you all waiting?" he asked, a smirk forming on his face. "I apologize profusely if that's the case. I can't have my most trusted allies start to doubt my word."
"Of course not, my lord," Sawyn said with a head bow, in a cold tone.
The Shadow Lord looked at Skarr and Hasqen, who each bowed at varying degrees.
"Before I go, there was something I wanted to talk to you three about," the Shadow Lord started as he took some steps over to one of the replicas of the ancient kings and ran a finger along the top. He stood between them as he turned to address them. "We need to increase our collections from the towns and villages. You will also need to renegotiate with the Elven leadership in Eilowyn."
The two lieutenants looked at each other before looking back at Sawyn.
"Increase.... Wh-.... They are barely able to make payments as is, and as far as I know there have been no more inc—" Sawyn said before getting cut off.
"I thought you weren't doubting my word?" he snapped back with a booming voice, his face matching the stone expression of the statue next to him. "And yet, here we are, running your mouth and talking back when given an order."
Sawyn took a breath before bowing her head.
"You're right, my Lord, I apologize. I am passionate about my people and those I protect. If you are demanding additional funds, then there must be a good reason, and I, of course, am not entitled to that information," she said, her voice softened. "I beg your forgiveness."
He watched her for a moment before he smiled again.
"Just stop feeding these guys so much, and maybe you don't even need to collect any more from those peasants," he said with a laugh. "Really we should just let those towns get picked off anyway huh? If we removed our protection crystals from their towns, how much do you think we'd save not needing to travel and address their concerns?"
Sawyn stood silently, almost breaching an uncomfortable length of time before responding.
"A significant amount, my lord," she said. "Is that your order?"
He thought for a second before responding.
"Yes, let's do it. Remove them from a quarter of the towns. Start with the small ones that really don't pay anything anyway," he said as he beckoned to one of the Shadowkin. "I almost forgot that I had a present made for you to apologize for upsetting you."
A Shadowkin walked over cradling a large object wrapped in canvas. The Shadow Lord motioned to Sawyn, and she walked over slowly to unwrap it. When she pulled the canvas off, it revealed a Greatsword made of the same black material as the Shadowkin shortswords.
"I had it forged specifically for you. Its name is Voidreaper," he said proudly. "You love it, right?"
"You said this metal only comes from the core of a Shadowkin," Sawyn said thoughtfully. "You once told me that their culture believed that a black blade was only to be wielded by one of their family."
"Yeah, you wouldn't believe how many it took to make a greatsword from," he said with a laugh. "The last one you took care of for me yesterday."
She held Voidreaper in her hands and ran a finger down the blade. It felt smooth but did not feel cool like steel, or warm like the ancient blades made in the Sunfall's Forge. It felt like each part that touched the blade became numb, and her eyes got lost in it, unable to focus. She glanced at the Shadowkin and noticed that all of their eyes were focused intently on her. They did not blink. They did not move. They just stared into her eyes. She turned to look back at the Shadow Lord who was nodding his head, trying to draw a response out of her.
"This is truly a testament to who you are," she said, studying his face. "For the last year, even a little longer really, I think I've let myself focus on the wrong things. But this has put things into perspective for me... completely."
The Shadow Lord clapped his hands together in success and let out a small cheer. He then began to cross the distance between them.
"I knew this one would do it," he walked over to her and put a hand on the back of her neck, pulling her in for a deep kiss. He ran his other hand down her side to her hip and squeezed before breaking the kiss and looking at her. "You know how I feel about you, right?"
She smiled and nodded.
"Of course," Sawyn replied.
The Shadow Lord stepped back to the Shadowkin and discussed a few things about their journey while they dressed him in his full dark adamantine armor. When they were done, Hasqen and Skarr opened the doors. Sawyn announced him, and he stepped out to massive cheers. He walked down the large set of stairs, as his entourage followed.
Sawyn, and her two lieutenants, stood at the very top watching him walk into the courtyard. Both armies cheered in unison as they separated, allowing him to pass. It was as if he was a knife, slowly cutting through the fibers of a cloth.
Skarr turned his head to look at Sawyn, as she continued to inspect Voidreaper.
"Which towns are we going to remove crystals from?" he asked, trying to think through all the locations from their territory. "And how much are we going to increase taxes?"
"We will be doing neither," she said immediately without missing a beat. "And we are to send one of our covert agents to reinstall the crystal in Four Roads. We no longer provide it our physical protection in the way of our patrols, but this is a passive protection that costs us nothing."
"But, the Shadow Lord—" he started to respond.
"I will deal with that when the time comes," she said confidently. "I need to do what's best for my people. Ramp up patrols making sure nobody is upsetting the status quo of the Green Sea. Let us establish order once again."
Skarr nodded and looked back out on the Shadow Lord's forces.
"I will follow you wherever you need me," Skarr said, unwavering. "No matter the outcome."
"And what about you," Sawyn turned to look at Hasqen. "You understand the implications of these actions. Do you have anything to say for you and your clan?"
Hasqen stood up straight and took off his helmet.
"I hate your new sword so much," Hasqen said flatly. "I can't even begin to tell you."