chapter 5

Chapter 5: An Unexpected Victory

The army moved before dawn.

The mountain air was cold.

Mist clung to the narrow paths winding through the cliffs as soldiers advanced in disciplined silence.

No one complained.

No one questioned the orders.

Not anymore.

The decision had already been made.

All that remained was to see whether it would save them—or destroy them.

At the front of the formation rode Crown Prince Cassian Lucien Valmont.

His gaze remained fixed ahead.

Calm.

Unmoving.

Yet beneath that calm exterior, his thoughts remained on a certain white raven.

The altered route.

The shifted markers.

The strange certainty that had settled in his chest when he saw the creature's eyes.

He had trusted it.

A decision any sensible ruler would consider foolish.

And yet he had done so anyway.

"Your Highness."

Rafael guided his horse closer.

"The scouts have returned."

Cassian turned toward him.

"What did they find?"

A strange expression crossed the knight's face.

Disbelief.

Then satisfaction.

"An ambush."

The surrounding commanders immediately straightened.

Rafael continued.

"On our original route."

Silence followed.

Several officers exchanged looks.

No one spoke.

Because everyone understood what that meant.

Had they followed their initial plan...

They would have ridden directly into a trap.

Cassian's eyes darkened.

"So it was exactly as predicted."

"Yes, Your Highness."

A murmur spread through the ranks.

For days they had been cornered.

Every strategy exposed.

Every movement anticipated.

Yet somehow the raven had known.

No.

Not merely known.

It had corrected them.

As though the answer had been obvious.

The thought was absurd.

And yet reality stood before them.

"Continue forward," Cassian ordered.

The army resumed its march.

By sunset, they reached the enemy's supply line.

No one had expected them there.

Not the enemy scouts.

Not the enemy commander.

Not even Cassian himself.

The attack was swift.

Decisive.

Brutal.

Months of frustration erupted from the starving soldiers.

For the first time since entering the campaign, they held the advantage.

The enemy ranks collapsed.

Supply wagons were seized.

Food stores captured.

Weapons recovered.

And when the battle ended...

The imperial banner still stood.

Victory.

Cheers erupted throughout the camp that night.

Laughter returned.

Campfires burned brightly.

For the first time in weeks, soldiers ate until they were satisfied.

Some even cried.

Others toasted to the Crown Prince.

To survival.

To tomorrow.

To hope.

Hope.

Such a fragile thing.

And yet tonight it felt stronger than ever.

Inside his command tent, Cassian sat alone.

Reports lay scattered across the table.

Every single one confirmed the same thing.

Success.

A complete success.

He should have felt relieved.

Proud, perhaps.

Instead his attention remained elsewhere.

His gaze drifted toward the tent entrance.

Toward the darkness beyond.

Toward the forest.

Searching.

For what?

He wasn't entirely certain.

The answer appeared anyway.

A flicker of silver.

A flash of white.

Then a familiar figure landed silently atop a nearby crate.

The white raven.

Cassian stared.

The raven stared back.

For several moments neither moved.

Neither spoke.

The silence felt strangely natural.

At length, Cassian exhaled.

"...So it was you."

The raven blinked.

As if acknowledging the statement.

The Crown Prince found himself almost laughing.

Almost.

He had survived assassination attempts.

Political schemes.

Wars.

Court intrigue.

Yet somehow he was now speaking to a bird.

A bird that had likely saved his army.

"Do you realize," Cassian said quietly, "that my commanders believe you're some divine messenger?"

The raven tilted its head.

A gesture that looked suspiciously unimpressed.

For the first time in many weeks, a faint smile appeared on Cassian's face.

Small.

Brief.

But real.

Outside, the celebration continued.

Inside, beneath the lantern light, a tired Crown Prince and a mysterious white raven regarded one another in silence.

Neither realized it then.

But this would be remembered as the beginning.

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