Another week went by and after that another. Time seemed to flow differently. Everything seemed so unreal, every new day that came felt like a prison of time. With each hour that passed, the feeling of restlessness grew inside your chest. It was like a parasite that reminded you day and night what was going on out there.

Redanian soldiers had crossed the forest the other day. You had recognised their red armour and the language they had spoken.

Bernard had fled as soon as the message had spread that Redania had managed to break through the defence of Nilfgaard. Now, war was raging on the land of the empire instead of Velen. The war seemed to be at its peak. Sooner or later it would have come to an end. But it was unsure if Nilfgaard would be the winner.

Now, you and Herman were all by yourself. Deserted and left alone. To be honest, it was just you. Herman wasn't master of his senses no more. He didn't talk, he couldn't even eat or drink. Day and night you were sitting at the side of his bed, holding his weak hand and prayed that the gods would grant him mercy.

But he woke up every day. His suffering seemed to be endless.

Even though you loved him like a grandfather and wanted him to find relief, you couldn't free his soul from the old, fragile body. Your hands refused to take his life. Instead, you suffered by his side day after day after day. It broke your heart to see him like this.

But despite Herman getting closer to death every day you couldn't help but worry about Morvran even more. He had not called in a few days. It wasn't a big deal, sometimes he had a lot of things to do and fell asleep before letting you know he was safe.

But still.

Your heart was restless. It was a little as if you feared he would never call again.

With a deep sigh, you shook of the horrible fantasies that were growing inside the back of your head. It was a grim future, full of death and loneliness. You never wanted to feel this way ever again. But right now it seemed that it was a future that was made for you. And there was no escape.

Lost in thoughts, you dug with your hands in the solid ground. The earth was dry, it had not rained in a long time. Almost none of the vegetables you had plated had grown into food. Most of them were rotten or attacked by insects.

"Fuck.", you cursed and threw a cabbage away.

If things changed for the worse you and Herman would starve to death.

"Why so angry? Is the food not to your liking?", a voice suddenly asked.

Immediately, your hand reached for the knife hanging on your belt and drew it. With a threatening look on your face, you twirled around and held it to the persons throat.

Baffled, the young man looked at you, a crooked smile on his face. In order to appear harmless, he raised his hands into the air, dropping his sword and the helmet he was wearing. He was a soldier of Nilfgaard, you could tell by the black and gold he was dressed in. He couldn't have been older than twenty, judging by the young spark in his eyes. He was seeing war still as a fun game.

While dirt covered his face and the short black hair, he smelled surprisingly fresh. Maybe he had covered himself in perfume.

"Who are you?!", you asked, pressing the sharp side of the blade into his skin.

"Woah, easy.", he grinned. "I'm not the enemy. I'm from Nilfgaard, can't you tell?"

"I can. But that doesn't mean I have to trust you. What do you want? We have nothing to offer. We cannot feed ourselves, so if you want food, go look somewhere else."

Thinking, he tilted his head, eying you up and down. There was something in his eyes. A deep shimmer that promised no good.

"I don't want your food. Not all of it. I need a place to hide.", his mouth twitched. "I ran away. If they find me I will get killed."

"That's not my issue. Leave.", filled with mistrust, you threatened to stab his throat, forcing him to step back.

"But- but wait.", he raised his hands, taking a few more steps back.

"Leave!", you yelled.

"But the general! The general told me you would give me asylum.", he stumbled over his own feet, falling back into the dirt.

Surprised, you hesitated, the knife still pointed towards him. For a moment, you just stared at the soldier in front of you. He was shaking in fear. But somehow you could tell that he was telling the truth.

"Which general?", you asked, wanting to test him.

If he was answering wrong, you could kill him afterwards. But if he really had been send by Morvran it would have been a disaster to kill him off like a soldier from Redania. Now, he just needed to prove himself.

"General Voorhis. Morvran Voorhis.", the soldier stuttered. "He told me in private that you would be... like me. He promised me you would help me hide if I bring you a letter."

"A letter? What letter?", suddenly, your heart began to beat as fast as a heart was able to beat.

Hastily, you reached for the folded square of paper, as he pulled it out of his pocket to hand it to you.

It wasn't a big square, on,y big enough to fit into the palm of a hand. It was folded a few times and sealed with a red wax seal. Testing, you looked at the boy. The seal was undamaged but still.

"I don't know what it says. I only delivered it. Please, please help me hide. I have a girlfriend at home. She expects our child. I can't die in a pointless war! I need to return to her.", he begged.

For a moment, you hesitated. Then you nodded.

"Fine. But as soon as you cause trouble, you have to leave.", you demanded.

Eagerly, he nodded.