Ren's heart skipped a beat, then another. For a long, horrifying moment, it felt like his body had forgotten how to function, until all his senses returned to him in a rush that left him breathless. “Thais!” The breaking of his own voice, loud in his ears, almost startled him as he turned to run towards the stairs and the gate below, but Anik seemed to come out of nowhere and locked his arms around his torso, keeping him in place.

“Halt!” Anik's voice was a roar, even louder than Ren's had been, and almost instantly, the sounds of the fighting died down around them. Fraynean soldiers pulled back, looking up in bewilderment. The Skarlan soldiers kept their swords raised, moving in through the open gates.

“Surrender, or the boy dies.” The commander's voice sliced through this new silence like an arrow through flesh, but Ren's own heart beating loud in his ears almost drowned it out.

A blur of movement made Ren turn. Anik was no longer holding him in place, but was reaching for Ren's discarded bow and nocking an arrow in one fluid motion.

“What are you doing?” Ren hissed, closing his hand around Anik's wrist.

“I can take him out.”

“No! From this distance, you could hit my brother.”

Their eyes met. Slowly, Anik lowered his bow.

Ren let his gaze sweep over the courtyard, over the remains of the Skarlan army. Victory had been within reach. A few more minutes, and Stag's Run would have been secured. He tried frantically to think of a way to turn this around, to outsmart the commander, save Thais and recover their victory. As the seconds passed, it became terribly clear to him that there was no alternative. Just like that, it was over.

“My lord.” Jayce's voice made Ren flinch. He came up the stairs towards them.

Ren turned slowly with blood still rushing in his ears.

“You should surrender.”

Ren's jaw worked. “You... Our soldiers...”

“We'll be all right,” Jayce assured him, voice hushed in the silence. He placed his hand on Ren's shoulder and pulled him close. The scents of sweat and blood clung to his body. “Save your brother.”

Ren locked eyes with Anik. The Lowlander looked furious, but the anger wasn't directed at Ren. He gave a single, stiff nod. “Let them through.”

All along the ramparts, archers lowered their bows. Ren sheathed his sword with a trembling hand.

A deathly silence descended over Stag's Run as the Skarlan commander rode through the gate with Thais against his chest, the remaining Skarlan soldiers trailing behind. Several of them sneered at Fraynean soldiers and spat at their feet. The Skarlan force was a shadow of what it had been, but Ren felt no relief at the sight.