It was the late hours of the morning.
The people of Winterseed had only started retiring from their houses so late because the feast had lasted a few hours past midnight. The events from last night remained on their mind, causing smiles to plaster on the faces of each individual.
Black Drifter, in a small form, around the size of an eagle, flapped its wings and patrolled the streets.
Blaze, on the other hand, could be seen strolling with a group of women to fetch water. The women patted his furs as they strolled together.
Nonetheless, at the same time, soldiers had begun to gather at the village square.
The streets were filled with men rushing towards a single destination.
Some of them discussed amongst themselves as they drew closer to their destination.
Most of their discussion revolved around the reason for their sudden call to gather as no information was given.
Some imagined it was just the captains calling for a quick training, as it had been a long time since they trained.
Others believed it was just a short meeting to discuss new shifts.
While a few believed something deeper was happening.
Riela and Dragun had already arrived at the village square.
Riela's face shone with vitality and confidence as she watched the village square gradually fill up.
A gentle and beautiful smile adorned her face as her white hair danced to the rhythm of the wind.
Dragun simply stood and watched. His mind still struggling to grasp how Riela could predict an incoming war. But he did not worry about it — Rowan was strange, so it was normal for his wife to be the same, he thought.
Soon the village square was filled up with the entire Winterseed army.
Their discussion created noise that spread across the village square.
But with a single hand signal from Riela, they came to an abrupt hush, turning their heads in her direction with attentiveness.
"Good morning, everyone." She greeted with a smile. "I hope all of you are in perfect health."
The men nodded with smiles.
Riela followed the steps she noticed her husband follow every time he gave a speech. She spent about a minute addressing them, and afterward, she began with the serious aspect — she told them about the war that would soon storm the village.
"A war?"
"We haven't even had enough time to relax from the monster horde. Dammit, who are we up against this time?"
"A war when Lord Rowan is not around? Can we survive? What if it is something similar to the monster horde attacks?"
Voices trailed off after her announcement.
Questions, confusion, and speculation filled the air until Winston, standing close to the front of the crowd, lifted his hands and asked a question.
"Sorry, Lady Riela, but how can you tell a war is coming?" He asked, his voice gentle and rigid.
Dragun turned to look at her as well. He too was curious to know about it.
Riela on the other hand was calm about the question. She welcomed it with a smile before answering, "Rowan sent a message to me, warning of the war. He believed in your strengths to handle this issue and preserve peace."
"Lord Rowan really trusts us."
"I feel so proud."
"I need a shoulder to cry on. Waaa!"
Another round of chattering, this time with glee and pride, began.
Dragun looked at Riela.
'That is definitely a lie.'
He could not prove it, but he knew his assumption was correct.
At the same time, he was proud of her. A solid leader has to lie at appropriate times for the good of their people, he thought.
After the crowd had settled down, Riela began addressing them once more.
"The enemy would come from the south, and since we're aware of their arrival, we can forge plans to ambush them," she said.
"I need your brilliant minds to create a brilliant battle plan to not only ensure victory but minimize casualties."
She continued.
She already had a plan in mind, but she felt it would be better to allow the soldiers the opportunity to make their own battle plan.
If the battle plan was better than hers in the end, she would use theirs.
At the same time, she had another important thing she wanted to address them about.
"The details of our meeting should remain between us to prevent our people from worrying. Tell them we're only leaving for a brief adventure to scout the south," she suggested.
She recalled how worried she was when Rowan and the men would leave for war.
How worried and unsafe the women and children felt being alone in the village.
She does not want that to repeat itself, hence the suggestion.
Of course, it was quickly accepted by everyone — none of them would like for their family to worry sick in their absence, especially those like Roland with little kids at home.
With their agreement, the meeting ended, and the soldiers dispersed to their homes, leaving only Riela, Dragun, and the captains.
A meeting was held inside the meeting hall where battle plans were drawn and strategies were decided.
As they had once fought within the woods in the south during the war with Glenwood, they knew just how to utilize the area to their advantage.
The plan they came up with would not only keep them hidden but would guarantee safety and victory.
It was a great plan.
Riela loved it.
It was similar to hers but with more layers that made it more effective.
After the plan was drawn, the captains left.
Riela was now alone with Dragun, who did not hesitate to use the opportunity to try and satisfy his curiosity.
"You are right. I lied. Unfortunately, I can't tell you the truth," she responded.
Dragun nodded. "I won't pry into your secrets."
"Thank you."
"Haha, don't bother, you did very good out there."
"Don't flatter me too much. It took a lot of practice last night to come up with that speech. Now I can't help but wonder how Rowan manages to come up with a different speech for each different occasion without practice."
"Rowan is an anomaly." Dragun smiled. "We're lucky he is on our side."