The Forsaken Hero

A pair of sixth-level soldiers stood guard in front of the command tent, somber-faced and tense. They saluted as I slipped between them, and one grabbed the flap, letting me pass inside.

Bethiv stood with his hands on the strategy table, glaring across the illusory map of the mountains at Korra, Gayron, and Grace. Korra’s arms were crossed, and Gayron’s tail switched indignantly. The storm hero just leaned against a tent post, a bored look on her face.

”It wasn’t our fault. We had them pinned when Xiviyah–” Korra froze, noticing an absent wispy of starlight curling around her foot. She whirled and broke into a grin. ”You’re here!”

She swept me up in a hug, squeezing the breath from my lungs. Her enthusiasm startled me more than anything. Hadn’t she just been chewed out?

”My Lady?” Bethiv said, easing back, clasping his hands behind his back. He offered me a tight smile.

I gasped for breath as Korra’s grip finally loosened, wiggling out of her arms, checking to make sure nothing was broken.

”Sorry,” Korra rubbed the back of her head. ”I was just worried. After that ninth-level attack landed...” She shook her head. ”I’m just glad you’re alright.”

”If you’re here, does that mean Luke’s alright?” Gayron asked.

I hesitated before nodding. ”Something like that. But what’s this about the heroes?”

”It’s like I reported to you earlier,” Bethiv said, frowning at the trio. ”I was merely questioning how such a thing could happen. Even losing the Sun Hero’s companion was a blunder. That’s leverage taken right out of our grasp.”

Korra rolled her eyes. ”Look, I told you. When Xiviyah stopped time, they disappeared.”

All eyes turned to me, and I took a step back, my tail curling.

”She, er...” I bit my lip, looking down. ”I had to save Luke. I knew Verity might pick up on that, but...I’m sorry. She must have grabbed Trithe and fled while we fought Soltair.”

Bethiv exhaled through his nose, and some of the tension bled out of his shoulders. ”I see. But that still begs the question,” he said, rounding on Korra. ”You’ve trained to pick up on the activation of the Oracle of Eternity, have you not? Why was a hero who had never experienced it able to take advantage of it, but you were not?”

She looked away. ”Well, you see...when Xiviyah did that, I was in the middle of beating Trithe’s face in. I didn’t really have time to worry about anyone else.”

The corner of Bethiv’s eye twitched, and Grace started snickering.

”I thought you had her on the ground already?”

Korra shot her a glare. ”Not helping.”

”Whatever.” Grace stood, looking me up and down. Her eyebrow rose as my tail swished, a quirk in her lips. ”You’re not so bad yourself. I saw what you did to Soltair’s light. Maybe I’ve been picking fights with the wrong person after all.”

”Grace!” Korra put her hands on her hips. ”I told you to leave her alone. Besides, you haven’t beaten me once since you joined us.”

She shrugged. ”Maybe you’re just a bad counter to me. Bad luck.”

”I am not! I’m way stronger than–”

”Korra,” Gayron grabbed her hand, and she turned her scowl on him. She started to say something, then paused, and let out a sigh, surrendering to his grip.

”Thank you,” Bethiv said. His tone could have chilled lava. ”If you’re done squabbling like children, then please show some respect for the Oracle.”

”I’m fine,” I tried to say, but he shook his head, having none of that.

”You’re exhausted, my Lady, and quite stressed, if your tail’s anything to go by. I won’t have anyone, friends or no, bothering you in my camp. Is that clear?”

The others nodded. Even Grace seemed a little taken aback. I couldn’t help but smile, my tail easing just a bit. Given how much everyone worshiped heroes and apostles, I doubted they’d been dressed down like that in a while.

”Still, we did manage to capture the War Hero. No thanks to you three.” Bethiv snorted, shaking his head. ”But I suppose you did well enough. Next time, however, I expect you to capture your objectives without issue.”

”They tried their best,” I said.

Korra’s head snapped up, but she just chuckled. ”Somehow, that’s even more patronizing.”

”What’s done is done,” Bethiv said. ”What matters now is our next move. The church is licking its wounds, but it’ll be ready for us with an even bigger army once we enter Radia. Do you know the apostle’s plans yet?”

I shook my head. ”Luke’s...sleeping. I think we’ll remain here while he recovers from the battle. Soltair was a lot stronger than any of us thought.”

”Then we’ll need to come up with a strategy to face him. Our next fight should take us to the gates of Roann.”

”And then the Divine Throne,” I whispered.

Grace cracked her knuckles. ”And then we can finally kick some divine ass.”

I could tell Bethiv had more he wanted to discuss, but it was at that moment I couldn’t suppress a yawn any longer. I covered my mouth, blushing slightly, but he just smiled. His face softened, and he rested his hands on the edge of the map.

”Go, rest and recover, my Lady. My officers and I will review the terrain ahead and send scouts to gather what intel we can. We have the advantage of having mortals in our ranks. They would catch a demon, but what’s one more refugee slipping in?”

”Oh!” I startled upright. ”That’s right! The refugees and prisoners. What are we going to do with them?”

”I was hoping you would have an answer. You’re the one who instructed us to preserve their lives,” he answered.

I flinched, gripping the hem of my sleeves. ”I...I don’t know. I just didn’t want them all to die for nothing.”

”Why not just let them go?” Korra asked.

Bethiv shook his head. ”Impossible. Never mind the infernal hordes would fall on them the instant they left our protection, but we can’t leave possible enemies at our rear.”

”Most of them are just civilians,” Grace said. ”They just had the misfortune of living here.”

”And the soldiers only fight because demons threaten their home,” Korra added.

”They fight us, as well, for standing with them,” Bethiv said, folding his arms. ”But we don’t have the resources to maintain them in Enusia. If we were to take them into Haven, it would be a different matter, but there are almost thirty thousand of them.”

”We could...” I trailed off, my eyes widening slightly. Thirty thousand? I’d thought it was, at most, like five!

”Yes?” Bethiv prompted.

”Well, er, I was going to say...” I clasped my hands, looking down. ”I don’t know if it’ll work. That’s a lot of people.”

”Just say it,” Korra said.

’Well, um, we could send them to Elise.”

It was absurd. She had only just begun to stabilize her region and had only secured enough provisions to last her own people through the winter. Asking her to take on an entire city’s worth of refugees would be too much.

”You know, that’s not a bad idea,” Bethiv said slowly, rubbing his chin. ”Demons and monsters slaughtered hundreds of thousands across the Northern Continent, and Brithlite was hit harder than anywhere but the kingdoms under the Black Mist. Lady Elise could certainly use more laborers, be they craftsmen, farmers, or soldiers.”

”But what if they rebel? She can’t have more than a few hundred thousand under her rule right now,” Korra said worriedly. ”Even a few thousand troublemakers could destabilize everything.”

”What would they be rebelling against?” Bethiv asked. ”Every soldier we captured was defending the city itself, not a part of the divine coalition. Their home is gone, and they know that. But we saved almost everyone in Emberhold, including most of their families, I presume.”

Her eyes lit up. ”That’s why we send them all. A new chance to start over, free of the war.”

”Devious,” Gayron murmured. ”If they were to rebel, Elise would have all the hostages she needed right there.”

bethiv nodded. ”We’re too far for any of them to return before the war ends, even if they could brave the seas during winter. But should they choose, they always have the option to journey back to Radia. Or what’s left of it, when we’re done.”

”Do you really think that will work?” I asked, looking between them all.

He shrugged. ”We’ve no other suggestions right now. Our only real alternative is to kill them all.”

I shuddered, hugging myself. ”Then...should I go to Brithlite?”

”No, you need to rest. If you can open a gate, I’ll send some soldiers experienced in diplomacy to propose the idea to Lady Lastlight. I’m certain that once we explain the situation, she’ll be willing to help. She owes you a great debt, after all.”

”I wouldn’t want to force her.”

”I understand, but at a time like this, it’s not wrong to call in a few favors. I’ve found that most people are willing to reciprocate the help they received in their time of need.”

We talked for a few more minutes, finalizing our plans, before Bethiv finally convinced me to rest. He gathered a few soldiers, and I opened a Spatial Rend for them before retreating to Haven. I breathed a sigh of relief as the realm embraced me, wrapping me up in warmth and stars.

”Haven?” I called, stepping aside as Korra, Gayron, and Grace moved past me. ”Please, take me to Luke.”