"You've sighed five times already," observed Hugo, the Guild Master of the Adventurers Guild, as he sat down across from Legion by the campfire.
Legion was on fire watch duty tonight, his hands absently poking at the flames with a stick while his thoughts wandered far from the icy wilderness surrounding them.
It was the first night of the expedition.
The first night he had been away from the Empress since he swore his Knight's Oath to her.
The first night he hadn't prepared her bath.
"Captain," Legion acknowledged him with a small nod, accepting the tin cup of hot broth the older man offered, one of the few comforts against the cold night.
They had barely begun their journey, but the trek was long. It would take ten days by carriage to reach the Frozen Sea. Since they were on foot, their journey would take twice as long, if not more.
"I thought you and Delphine were planning to leave for Vaelundis after your contract with the Empress was over," Hugo mused, watching Legion closely. "No noble would punish you for leaving. It's not like anyone actually cares if commoners break contracts with her."
Legion didn't react, simply swirling the hot liquid in his cup before taking a sip.
"Our plans changed, Captain," he said, his voice calm but firm. "We've decided to stay in her service."
Hugo let out a frustrated sigh, shaking his head. "You're telling me you'd rather be a servant in that palace, with barely any food or warmth, instead of leaving for Vaelundis where you and your sister could have had a better life?"
Legion chuckled, his gaze steady. "She's good to us, Captain."
Hugo narrowed his eyes. "You say that, but look at you. You had to enlist in this expedition for a single sack of barley. Everyone knows Princess Aurora and Prince Augustus are tightening the Empress's budget. She's got nothing to offer you."
Legion's lips curled into a small smile, his gaze distant.
"She has offered us more than you can imagine," he said, his voice soft but resolute.
Hugo sighed, rubbing his temple. "And what does she want with me? You mentioned she wants to speak after this expedition."
"I don't know," Legion admitted with an amused smirk. "She just said she wants to talk to you."
Hugo scowled. "She told you to arrange a meeting, and you didn't even ask why?"
Legion shook his head. "When the Empress gives an order, we follow it. We don't ask unnecessary questions."
Hugo looked at him like he had lost his mind. "Legion, when someone asks you to do something, you ask questions. That's the right response."
Legion only chuckled again. "Not with the Empress."
The conviction in his voice was enough to make Hugo fall silent.
After a moment, the Guild Master sighed in exasperation. "Fine. If we make it back alive from this mess, I'll meet with her."
Hugo pushed himself up, stretching his tired limbs. "Get some rest when Faelan takes over your shift. You'll need it."
With that, he disappeared into the large tent where the other guild members were resting.
Legion remained by the fire, watching the flames flicker and dance against the cold wind. His gaze wandered across the vast, snow-covered plains surrounding their camp.
There were nearly two thousand commoners who had enlisted in this expedition.
Men, women, even children as young as ten years old. Some of them had the strength to fight, but most were just desperate souls clinging to a chance of survival.
Among them were women who had joined, not as warriors, but as "comforters" for the male fighters, hoping that in exchange for their bodies, someone might take pity and protect them.
And the elderly… people far too weak to wield a weapon, yet still willing to take this chance because they had no other means to earn food for the harsh winter ahead.
Legion tightened his grip around his cup, the warmth of the broth long gone.
He knew the Empress hadn't told him everything.
But he knew, she was looking for a way to help Aquilonians survive the upcoming harsh winter.
And whatever she had in mind…
Legion knew one thing for certain, once he returned to the palace, the Empress would set her plans into motion.
And he had a strong suspicion that his mission to retrieve seawater from the Frozen Sea would play a crucial role in it.
If the salt the Empress created truly came from seawater, then that could be the key to ensuring the survival of every Aquilonian citizen.
Not just survival, but a chance at life beyond mere endurance.
But his main concern was the nobles.
The Empress had no allies among them. Not a single one.
Would they try to take advantage of whatever solution she created? Would they steal it for themselves, as they had stolen everything else from the commoners?
Legion exhaled sharply and looked up at the deep blue moon hanging over the sky.
His mind wandered back to the first night he had spent with the Empress. A night that had never been repeated since.
Would she ever summon him again?
Would she ever allow him to touch her the way she had that night?
When he left earlier that morning, just before dawn, she had still been asleep.
He had wanted to wake her, to bid her farewell properly. But he knew better.
She hated being woken up early.
So instead, all he could do was press a lingering kiss to her forehead before slipping away.
His thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a loud, angry voice.
"Useless bitch!"
The shout came from one of the nearby tents.
Legion's sharp eyes immediately turned to the disturbance.
A large man, a brute of a soldier, stormed out of his tent, shoving a nearly naked woman onto the freezing ground.
She landed hard, gasping from the impact, shivering from both cold and humiliation.
"You act all high and mighty, pretending you're some untouched virgin," the man sneered. "You've already popped out five kids, and you still can't even use your tongue properly?"
The commotion had drawn attention. Other night guards and adventurers near the fires turned to watch, some whispering among themselves, others simply shaking their heads as if this was nothing new.
"Please, Captain," the woman pleaded, crawling towards the man and grabbing onto his leg. "Just give me another chance, I'll do better, I promise, "
"Get the hell off me!" The man growled, kicking her aside like trash. "Find some other idiot to protect you when we reach the Frozen Sea. Let's see if anyone else is desperate enough to take you in."
With that, he spat on the ground beside her and disappeared back into his tent.
The woman remained where she had fallen, curled up on the icy ground, her thin clothing doing nothing against the bitter cold.
Legion clenched his jaw, his fingers curling into fists.
This was the grim reality of the expedition.
Women who had no choice but to sell their bodies in exchange for protection.
And men who discarded them the moment they were no longer useful.
Because what was dignity compared to an empty stomach? What was pride compared to the terror of facing the Frozen Sea alone?
Legion's sharp eyes lingered on the woman.
Something about her seemed familiar.
And then he saw it, the resemblance.
His heart clenched.
She looked just like the children the Empress had helped.
Legion took a deep breath.
"Their mother…"
His body moved before he could think.
Without hesitation, Legion approached the woman, removing his cloak and draping it over her shivering form. Her clothes were torn, barely covering her bruised skin. The harsh winter winds were merciless against her frail body.
"Come," he said, his voice low but firm. He gently helped her to her feet, steadying her when she stumbled.
She flinched at his touch at first, her eyes wide with fear and uncertainty.
But when he didn't grip her harshly or throw her aside like the others, she allowed herself to be led.
Legion guided her toward his team's tent, where Captain Hugo and the rest of their group were already asleep.
He pulled back the entrance flap and motioned for her to step inside.
"Stay here and rest," he murmured, setting down his pack and retrieving his blanket and extra set of bedding. He handed them to her. "You'll be safe here."
For a moment, she didn't move, just stood there, clutching the fabric as if it were something foreign, something she didn't deserve.
Legion heard the soft rustling of his comrades stirring slightly, but none of them reacted.
It was normal.
Men bringing women into their tents at night, no one questioned it.
But before he could reassure her further, she suddenly dropped to her knees in front of him.
And reached for his belt.
Legion froze.
"What are you doing?" His voice came out sharper than intended.
The woman didn't answer.
She just continued, trembling hands fumbling to undo his belt.
"I'll do it properly," she whispered, her voice raw. "I won't disappoint you, "
Legion stepped back in alarm, his hands gripping her shoulders and stopping her gently but firmly.
"No."
She flinched at the rejection. Tears welled in her eyes, but she bit her lip, holding them back as if even crying too loudly would get her punished.
Legion felt his chest tighten painfully.
This woman, she thought she had to repay him this way.
Because that was how the world worked for her.
She had never been given anything for free.
"I didn't help you for this," he said, softer now.
She still didn't move, still on her knees, shoulders shaking.
Legion ran a hand through his hair, struggling with how to make her understand.
"I am Legion," he finally said. "I serve the Empress of Aquilonis. She met your children."
At that, the woman gasped, finally looking up at him with wide, desperate eyes.
"The Empress…"
Legion nodded.
"She asked me to look after you," he said, crouching down so they were eye level. "That's all I'm doing."
The woman pressed a hand to her mouth, stifling a quiet sob.
"She… she met them?"
"She did," Legion confirmed. "She gave them food. And she made them promise to grow more. Did you not know about that? She met them at the day of the enlistment."
"I could not say goodbye to them. I was scared it might change my mind."
More tears slipped down her cheeks, but this time, she let them fall.
Legion sighed and stood.
"Get some rest," he told her. "You don't have to do anything. You're safe for tonight."
Then, without another word, he turned and stepped outside, letting the cold night air hit him.
He sat down beside the fire, the flames flickering softly, casting long shadows across the snow-covered ground.
His jaw clenched.
This was the world they lived in.
A world where a mother, someone's daughter, someone's sister, believed that the only way she could repay kindness was with her body.
A world where no one gave without expecting to take.
Legion stared into the fire, his fingers tightening around the hilt of his sword. The warmth of the flames did little to melt the cold that had settled deep inside him.
Then, a memory surfaced, one from just days ago.
The Empress had spoken to him while he bathed her, her voice carrying through the steam-filled chamber.
"Would you live in that kind of world, Legion?"
She had asked him as he massaged her scalp, his fingers working gently through her wet hair.
"A world without magic."
Legion had paused for a moment, considering her words.
"Is there really such a world, Your Highness?" he had asked, genuinely curious. "And if there is… wouldn't it be harder? How would people survive without magic?"
The Empress had hummed thoughtfully, leaning her head back against the rim of the tub.
"There is still poverty, yes," she admitted, "but you are judged by your skills, not by the status of your birth. A commoner can live a life fit for a king because of what they can do, because of what they contribute to society. Even without magic… in that kind of world, would you live?"
Legion had no answer for her.
"I don't know, Your Highness." He had been honest. "Would you?"
She had turned her head then, golden eyes locking onto his.
"I will make this world that kind of world."
That was all she had said.
And now, as Legion sat by the fire, watching the snow-covered camp, her words echoed in his mind.
"Is it really possible, Your Highness?" He murmured, lifting his gaze to the vast blue moon overhead, as if it were her watching over him.
"A world where commoners like us are given equal opportunity?"
His grip on his sword loosened.
A slow, determined smile curled his lips.
"And if you make this world such as that… whether you succeed or not… I hope to stay by your side."