Ser Castaver was the most severe man that I had met. Tigrisian army was loyal to me and respected me, yet they trusted him more as a commander in those days. This army that Vukasin brought to Edre was in absolute harmony and was strictly disciplined. Castaver knew all his men; he organized them before, and after the camps we had throughout the journey. They kept the territories in custody and were always on a knife edge.

Nevertheless, despite my attempts to break the formality between us, I felt I was just a valuable package to be delivered to him. These people that I referred to as mine were estranged from me. The voice of Vukasin had already started to echo; all those years that I spent far away from the land of Tigrisia made me nothing but a fairy tale, a man endowed to the nation. As far as I was concerned, soldiers didn't trust appearances. 

After five and a half weeks, we reached the Balaban Forest between Kashcar and Malpitz mountains. I had never gotten past the forest but took my men from the mountain path during battle times. On the other hand, the mountain path could not carry more than two, maybe three thousand men. The forest was formed from massive, dark pine trees that embraced each other with their long and spiky branches and made it impossible for light to escape. Castaver stopped the army. They gathered seven knights around to search the forest. I insisted on coming with him. It was told that groups of exiled Mongolians and plunderers were sneaking in this dark matter and nested between the trees like moths to catch their prey. It was hazardous to light torches as that would make us easily spotted. At the same time, Castaver realized that without a light source, it would be the hardest to reach the other side of the forest. He returned to the camping site. "The army is going to split in two; half will use the path on Kashcar, and the other half will go on Malpitz," he demanded. I stood out. "I will lead the left army to the Kashcar while Commander Castaver will pass the right army on Malpitz." I likewise ordered. Castaver's face got blunt. He squeezed his eyes. His ginger eyebrows were raised and ready to judge. He reverenced 'front of me. We slightly got distanced from the frontiers. "My prince," he started rigidly. "I must accompany you safely to the lands you rule. In such a case, it would be undesired for me to leave you alone without any custody of a highly titled." I responded in an equal spark. "Commander, I will be your king very soon. A king must lead. As a knight who has lost neither of the battles I've faced, I will lead my army. I do not need any custody or care. Hence, your very duty is to take orders from me and only me. We do not know each other, but I assure you I have a habit of introducing myself very soon." He reverenced, yet I could hear his teeth clamped together and see his eyes ashamed and irritable. 

Leading the left army, we climbed the peaks of Kashcar. The weather became freezing. Consequently, our steps slowed down. I saw men with icicles hanging down their moustaches, and their faces became so red that those blue eyes embarked like diamond balls stuck on their heads. After a while, like seeing an inevitable beast come, storm clouds appeared in the sky. Tents were tried to be constructed, and men shared coats; horses were attempting to be fetched. However, the storm brought frost within. I reckon that soon enough, we would be trapped under meters of snow. I dug a small hole in the ground and fired a torch. I raised it above. "Go down, harbour in the forest!" I shouted. I bore men who were so frozen that they were unable to move. 

I ordered a pioneer to count the men as we entered the forest. We had no men lost. All of them gathered behind. "It is required to get split into groups of ten; each group will have at least 20 steps of distance between them. Walk at the side of the trees and face your shiny weapons to the group in front. Never get separated. Do not fire or make noise. In any clash, do not ever leave your group's spot. We will not let them surround us, make zig-zags, but always walk parallel to the other groups. Understood?" I looked back at the dark forest beneath. "If I light a fire, it is not a clash anymore, but a war. Ready to raid." 

The union started to proceed as I ordered. There, we faced a few looters yet handled them quite easily. Instantly, I felt like the woods were buried in a silence not caused by darkness. I raised my sword above, and the army saw the reflection and stopped proceeding. Suddenly, a weak spark of fire was seen from afar. The flame rose above and then vanished like a newborn butterfly. I slowly approached forward. There were Tigrisian knights with their golden capes fighting to... Tigrisian knights with the same golden capes. I couldn't manage to understand at first. At the head of a union, I recognized Ser Castaver; his rival was a similarly equipped Tigrisian Commander with a scarlet cloak. I saw the pennant on his shoulders to be torn off.

I reordered to proceed without changing position. I was close enough to hear what that scarlet cloak said while choking a young blond knight. He hit him to the ground with a heavy mace. He shouted, his voice spitting and creaking. "After I am finished with you, Jaromir, I will fuck  that bitch, your Queen Mother, so hard that she won't ever recognize that piece of King Dragar." He hit the young knight's head numerous times with the mace, laughing and squealing. I remember that I was so furious, feeling so out of control, that he turned towards us, who were already swallowed by the darkness of the forest and, with his long beard and evil sharp eyes, happened to be my uncle Darcia Dragarevic.

I looked back to the army beneath. I was ordered that only five groups in a row who were distanced from each other light their torches, and the others continue to walk in the dark without losing their position. I rode Goliath directly into the battleground. I sliced three grounders while on the saddle. Then I jumped to the land. Five knights appeared around, but there were so many that getting rid of them didn't take much. Silver Dragon was a monster; all the blood she shredded splashed on my face. A red curtain had blinded my eyes, which were servants of rage. One attacked with a silver spear; I grabbed it and pushed it back to his face. He hallowed back and forth briefly with a spear rising from his face and then fell. At that moment, someone stabbed me in the shoulder. I took the dagger out and looked directly into his pathetic face, which was not a Tigrisian's but a traitor's. Silver Dragon was stuck in the chest of a man who tried to attack from the side. I let the sword go. He jumped. Jumping on the man, he heard the cracking noise when his back hit the ground. Punched his face once. Twice... I didn't stop until I saw that more of them were coming. I retook Silver Dragon and started to walk directly to Darcia. "Uncle!" I shouted. He was shocked at first, but then he recovered. "Nephew!" he giggled. I walked towards him while cutting anything between us, a trait I learned from Bayezid. 

I confronted him. "Are you going to kill your uncle? Your blood? If you will, these Turks got into your veins more than I thought." I couldn't keep myself from laughing; it was a psychic laugh which blood was dropping between my teeth. "You are already a dead man; you died when you disrespected my mother." I hissed. He grabbed his mace and ran towards me. It was a quick burn. He was fighting too aggressively, yet his legs were too bulky. Such a spoilsport, I thought. He couldn't stop screaming and yelling and swearing. Finally, I caught him behind and took his knee. "Come on, boy, cage me, send me to your deepest, darkest dungeon." I grabbed his jaw and faced him in the forest. "This is your deepest, darkest dungeon. Look closely, uncle; this will be the lightest view you will ever see except from the hellfire." I cut his throat, it bled a lot but slowly, and that finally silenced him. He crowed, "Vukasin, as long as he lives..." He died. 

Next, I separated his head from his neck. He gripped his dark hair and raised this shapeless sphere to the sky with his bloody, dark navy eyes. The traitors slowly stopped fighting. Castaver walked next to me. He was mesmerized. "Look at your leader... A piece of your leader. This is going to be the end of all the enemies of Tigrisia. They will be in pieces." Some left their swords on the ground and kneeled to pray for mercy. I looked at their miserable postures. I said, "No mercy to any traitor." They were frightened, got up, and a few stayed to fight back; the others ran to the forest with their torches. Castaver shouted behind. "Follow them; do not let them escape." Yet he noticed that the lights in the forest grew faint one by one, and then he saw the groups that had not lit any torches behind. Thus, nobody could escape from vengeance.  

I gave the head to Castaver, "Ser Darcia is coming with us to salute his remaining supporters in Tigrisia." Castaver nodded; his dark, black eyes got a different brightness. He was proud and impressed. He suddenly kneeled in front of me and leaned his head down. "Long Live King Jaromir!" he shouted. The whole army kneeled and repeated. Their dirty and tired faces had bloomed flowers and shone in a manner of honour. 

"Long Live King Jaromir! Long Live King Jaromir! Long Live King Jaromir!"