Winterseed Vige
It has been more than twenty-four hours now since the men left for war, and the vige has be really calm thanks to the efforts of Ri, Brandon, and the soldiers. Nevertheless, while the vigers no longer revealed their worries verbally, inwardly, they were all concerned and praying for the safe return of Lord Rowan and his soldiers.
It was the afternoon hours, and Ri could be seen speaking to a group of youngdies gathered at a corner in therge vige square. Thedies were of varying ages, ranging from the youngest, who was twelve, to the oldest, who is in herte twenties.
Ri held a small needle, a long strand of thread, and a piece of clothing, performing simple sewing tasks on it as she exined to the youngdies.
They all listened attentively, their eyes shining brilliantly, showing their interest in learning.
"Wow, look how fast she''s sewing! It''s twice as fast as my mom, who ims to be an expert at it," one of the youngdies whispered.
"My mom has been teaching me how to sew for over two years, but I still can''t hold a needle without injuring myself, and I don''t even know how to move my hands. But just looking at Ri and listening to her teachings, I feel like I can sew anything!" another added.
"I im to be an expert, but her hands are so angelic with that thread and needle!"
The youngdies continued to discuss among themselves, and it was clear from their words that they were amazed by Ri''s sewing prowess, which made them feel jealous—but in a positive way.
Ri kept exining and demonstrating, a friendly smile on her face. Every time she looked at the youngdies and observed their expressions, her joy increased, and her desire to teach them grew even stronger.
Thanks to the skill book she had received from Rowan, her teachings became creative, clear, and easy to understand, even for those who hadn''t tried sewing before. Even the twelve-year-old girl looked enlightened as she watched her.
In the beginning, Ri couldn''t believe her own ability to exin with so much creativity and energy.
The moment she opened her mouth to teach, her natural timidity vanished, reced by the confidence of a skilled teacher.
She had been teaching for more than five hours now, but she felt no sign of tiredness, either mentally or physically.
Nevertheless, while the joy of teaching blossomed in her heart, her worries about Rowan''s safety didn''t cease.
Far away from thedies, Brandon and the soldiers observed her with smiles on their faces.
Brandon was proud to see Ri smiling and doing something she loved.
He saw her as his own daughter, so seeing her happy ddened his heart.
As for the young soldiers, they smiled because they felt proud of their Lord for winning such a beautiful woman.
"Lord Rowan is a badass when ites to women," they all thought in their minds.
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**Glenwood**
It was evening, and Glenwood was as calm and peaceful as ever.
The men were still outside, drinking and celebrating the arrival of new ves to work on their farms and the beautiful women they could woo all day with their excessive free time.
The women were still plotting how to punish the new beauties, while the children yed happily.
At the gate, the guards sat down and drank, already celebrating the victory of their Lord.
No one in the vige showed any signs of worry as they continued with their merriment—but it would soone crashing down.
As the vigers continued with their celebrations, suddenly, a loud trumpet sted across the entire region of Glenwood, reaching everyone.
The people who had been sitting and talking stood up abruptly, looking at each other with confused expressions.
"So soon? They shouldn''t be back until at least tomorrow, and that''s if they didn''t rx along the way," one of the men said, his expression confused.
But the others around him didn''t share the same confusion.
"Are you underestimating our military? They must have arrived already and wiped out Winterseed in less time than expected. This is something to celebrate," one said with a proud smile.
"The trumpet signals their return, and as the people of Glenwood, we should not ignore its meaning. Let''s go wee them," another reminded the group.
The men left their drinks and hurried to the vige entrance.
The women did the same, as did the little children.
Everyone in the vige at that moment was headed toward the entrance to wee their gant men.
They all had smiles of merriment and curiosity on their faces, eager to see their Lord''s return.
If there were a camera zooming over the vige right now, it would capture a scene of people flocking toward the gates like ants.
They soon arrived at the entrance, and their expressions crumbled at once when they saw the scene before them. Their eyes quickly widened in terror.
Guards were lying on the ground in pools of their own blood. Glenwood''s soldiers were bound and led into the vige like ves, apanied by a strong, fierce-looking group of men. Worst of all, their beloved Lord Fagin was being dragged like a cursed ve.
In front of therge group of strangers and fellow vigers pouring into the vige, a young, handsome man was riding a white horse. He had a sweet and charming smile on his face, but it seemed to hide something demonic beneath, scaring everyone.
"What is this?" one of the men who had been celebrating earlier whispered to his colleagues.
"This is impossible… we lost? How?" someone nearby said in terror.
"That young man must be the Lord of Winterseed. He doesn''t even look older than eighteen. How did he manage to defeat our strong soldiers?" another added in disbelief.
Seeing the terrifying strangers marching into their vige, even the little children became frightened, clinging to their parents'' legs.
Both the men and women were terrified—everything they had hoped for had crumbled right before their eyes.
Rowan observed their various reactions with a calm smirk.
[ You have entered enemy territory: Glenwood Vige. ]
[ You are 60% away from conquering this territory… Good luck. ]