“So am I. The men will keep you safe. It's not your job to hack and slash, it's your job to give orders and keep the fight under control.”

Meeting Anik's steady brown eyes, Ren suppressed a sigh. “I've never done that, either.”

Anik's laugh was quiet, a welcome sound. “I'll help you with that. Come on, get your ass off that bench. Your men are waiting.”

The fort was buzzing with activity as they left the armoury, even if their army was only a shadow of what it should have been. Two soldiers guarded Niklas, and with Ren and Anik added to the roster, they were still only twenty-nine souls. They'd be outnumbered almost four to one.

As Ren watched, soldiers moved into position, led by men who were led by him. Ren Frayne, the bastard prince, leading his first fight against Skarlans, during a Fraynean-Skarlan peace agreement, deep inside Fraynean territory.

In truth, Ren was leading the fight in name only. Of everyone gathered in Stag's Run, he was likely the most inexperienced on a battlefield. His only job was to tell these men when to strike. It was up to the soldiers to win the day. Still, Ren began to realise, that didn't make him any less important. He had the final say. The responsibility was ultimately his, and he wasn't sure how he felt about that.

The sound of the alarm horns echoed between the mountainsides as the lookouts in the towers spotted the Skarlan advance riders ahead.

“Archers at the ready. Gather the cattle.” Anik's orders were passed across the courtyard. The wind tugged on his hair, pulling a few strands loose from the leather band that held it back from his face. Ren absently wondered if he ever let his hair down. Ren heard the subtle sound of men raising their weapons. Their faces were hard with a mix of determination and nervous anticipation.

“I really hope I'm not about to get all these people killed,” Ren said quietly as they ascended the steps that led to the ramparts where archers were crouched behind the battlements, Anik right behind him. A few glanced back at him as they approached, but most of them were focused on the threat ahead.

“You aren't,” Anik said, fingertips playing with the hilt of his sword, a restless motion. “The plan is sound. Trust it.”

Ren looked across at him. He wasn't sure at what point this sense of camaraderie had developed between them, but regardless of what had triggered it, Ren appreciated the break from the constant hostility. Especially if this was going to be their last day alive. All around them, men and women stood with straight backs and their hands clasped firmly around their weapons. Any one of them could die today, Ren thought. No battle had ever been fought without casualties. It turned his stomach to think about.