Dustin sat at a polished rectangular table, in the company of the available members of King Manfred's war council. Hands clasped together and elbows propped up on the table, he glanced over the many empty seats while listening to the others debate the most appropriate response to the situation at the Innutukian capital.

"I say we withdraw all the troops and organize a better fighting force to accomplish our objectives." said a grizzled old man with a long face, "We mustn't sacrifice Monteraynian lives needlessly over our pride."

King Manfred leaned forward in his spot at the head of the table, narrowing his eyes as he said so. "Who said anything about pride?"

"Well, I mean no disrespect, but keeping them there despite the eventuality of defeat seems a move motivated more by pride than care for the soldiers on the ground. My grandson—"

"Withdrawing the troops would cause us to lose any ground we did gain, which would be a considerable loss."

Dustin cleared his throat loudly so as to call the attention of all present. "I seem to have been absent when this excursion into the Innutukian heartland was discussed. What is our objective in besieging the capital, exactly?"

"To force a surrender, obviously." the old man snapped before visibly regretting his tone. "Your highness."

"What are the intended terms of such a surrender? The dissolution of what remains of the Innutukian state? Are we seizing the capital as a Monteraynian vassal? Burning it to the ground?"

"The objective is to end the war." Manfred declared, "We intend to cut the Innutukian capital off from the rest of the world until their emperor meets our demands and ceases all hostilities. He will also be seized and brought eastward to discuss reparations."

"If I may, your majesty?" spoke a man with a dozen rings on his hand all equally vying for attention. After Manfred nodded to him, he rose and cast a glance over the whole table. "The situation is hardly as dire as my colleague has portrayed. The New Alcontean Empire and the Antapeñan Confederacy had both agreed to mobilize troops to join the siege effort even before our troops set out. While at this moment, the operation is manned by Monteraynians only, it is only a matter of days until Alconteans and Antapeñans join the effort."

Bella shrugged. "All the same, Monterayne began the excursion, and with Sir Wade no longer leading the operation, I consider it needful to provide it a new head."

"And who would do that?" the grizzled old man asked, "Surely you're in no shape to return to the battlefield, Sir Holt. Unless your left hand is as good as the right was, that is."

Manfred snapped his fingers. "I won't suffer such insolence at this table. If you insist on behaving like a child, I will send you to your room."

"My apologies, your majesty. I merely find this entire situation greatly irritating."

"Some would say the same about you." Bella muttered under her breath so quietly it was clearly for Dustin's benefit. They shared a hushed laugh while the table's attention remained closer to the head.

"As do we all. I only ask that all members of my war council behave with respect and act in good faith. Now, I agree with Sir Holt's point. Even though we have the promise of foreign aid sooner or later, we must send reinforcements, and among those, a new leader for the siege force."

Dustin shot to his feet and pushed his chair in. "No discussion required, my father. I will go."

"You just returned from several weeks away. You should rest."

"I can rest when the war is over."

"If I may, your highness?" asked the man with the many rings, earning a shrug from Dustin. "Due to my having met my wife in the Innutukian capital a few years ago, I may be the only person present with an intimate familiarity with the city's layout, and thus, I volunteer myself to lead the operation."

Dustin almost blurted out that he and Bella had been to the capital three years prior. Then he reminded himself that mission was to be kept a secret. Officially, they'd gone east for a diplomatic mission, and very few had been told that they'd actually been carrying out a covert objective for the crown.

"Familiarity with the city from the inside is an advantage so minuscule it becomes insignificant." Dustin said, "We're attacking it from the outside, which requires military experience, of which you have none. I see no need for further debate; I will gather men to myself, and we will take the Innutukian capital."

Manfred's face screamed uneasiness. "I still insist that you should rest. You have been away long enough, my son."

"Should we win this war now, we have the rest of our lives to rest. The time has come for the last of the empire to fall, and I shall be the one to give the final shove."

****

After knocking down every objection to his intention to take charge of the siege force in Innutuk, Dustin left the war room and set about preparing to turn his words into actions. He thoroughly baffled the commanders in the garrison when he called for a thousand soldiers be ready to ride out west with a month's provisions each by the following morning, but they quickly replaced their confusion with obedience. Dustin wouldn't waste any more time than he had to.

Even so, with that handled, he realized he had more pressing business to attend to on a more personal note. Serena most likely wouldn't be overly pleased to hear he'd be away to fight another battle so soon, but he owed it to her to deliver the news anyway. Spending time with her in general was an important priority anyway.

Hunting Serena down took him some time, however. He didn't find her at her abode, nor in the flower gardens she frequented, and even the fountain where they'd shared their first kiss turned out to be a dead end. Dustin asked around as he searched, and nobody knew where she was.

But where he did finally find Serena didn't surprise him in the slightest. To one side of a road in the capital, she huddled with a trio of children, etching the letters of the Alcontean alphabet into the dirt. Apparently, she'd made a game of it, challenging the little ones to name the characters before she could finish drawing them. Such a glimpse of his love's maternal side brought a beaming smile to Dustin's face.

He stepped closer until he cast his shadow over the group, and all glanced up with curious eyes. Dustin's heart warmed at the loving grin Serena gave him, and the excited looks on the little ones' faces as well.

"Prince Dustin!" one of the boys shouted, leaping to his feet and throwing his arms around his leg. "You want to play with us?"

Dustin smirked. "What might this game be?"

"Guess the leathers!"

"Letters." Serena corrected in a gentle tone, "I think you'd have to take it easy and give Prince Dustin a chance. He might have forgotten a thing or two."

"I don't think so." the boy replied, not picking up her sarcasm, "I think Prince Dustin knows all the letters! I want to be a prince when I grow up too."

Dustin shared a laugh with Serena, stooping down and tousling his blond hair. "You'd make one fine prince. Just make sure you learn all your letters."

"I think I will. Especially if Miss Serena teaches me."

"She is a fine teacher indeed. It is a blessing to be her student."

Serena flashed a look of appreciation up at Dustin before fully pushing herself to her feet and dropping the stick to the ground. "I think that'll be enough for today; you all did wonderfully. You should all go and tell your parents what you learned."

"I will! Thank you, Miss Serena!" the boy said, giving her a big hug before running off with his friends.

Dustin gazed into Serena's eyes for a few moments before snapping out of his trance and stepping back onto the street. When she followed suit, he put his arm around her and laid a kiss on her cheek.

"You really should consider working as a teacher." he said, "You have such a knack for it."

Serena shrugged. "They're bright children. I'm only showing them things."

"Isn't that the essence of teaching?"

"I guess so. It's just that making something an occupation can take the fun out of it sometimes. Perhaps that's selfish of—"

"No, I totally understand that." Dustin said, stepping a little to one side to let a horse and carriage pass them. He patted Serena's shoulder reassuringly. "Swordsmanship was always more fun when it wasn't practical."

"How you would kill a man is somehow more digestible than how you did kill a man." Serena said quietly, "You know what I find amusing?"

"What is it?"

"My mother always used to urge me toward teaching herself. Said I had a talent for guiding people toward unlocking their inner potential...making them who they were meant to be."

Dustin paused at an intersection to let a group of people cross in front of them. "I'm inclined to agree with your mother, then. It seems like nothing for you, but it can mean everything for someone else."

"I'm not denying I can be somewhat good at it, but I just have interests that lie elsewhere. I originally became a senator because I thought I could...not exactly teach others, but still...I thought I could use my skills to bring out the good in the other senators. We may have been under the thumb of the Empire, but there was no reason we couldn't do good for the people."

"You have a nurturing spirit. A quality I value quite highly in you, for in all the chaos around me, in you I find a sort of refuge. With you, I feel only peace, and no matter my trial, you give me reassurance. When I'm with you, I know everything will be alright in the end."

Serena stopped walking and turned to face Dustin, which he did as well. Her kind brown eyes peering up at him brought such warmth to his heart, yet also sent chills down his back. All the activity of the capital disappeared, for all Dustin could see was her.

"I'm honored." Serena said, her voice almost a whisper, "To be able to complement a man of your stature so is all I can ask for. Among all women, I feel myself blessed more than them all."

Dustin smirked. "No need to overstate things, darling."

"I'm not exaggerating, even a little bit. In my time, I've never seen such ambition paired with such principle. Your heart is full of love, but yet you aren't a soft coward. Even with all your strength, you have tenderness and know the time to display it."

With a slow and deliberate motion, Dustin brushed a tress of her hair behind her ear. Then, brushing her cheek along the way, he tilted her chin up a little with his finger. His heart yearned for her love.

"Would now be a time to display it, I wonder..." he muttered, earning a snicker from Serena.

Dustin lowered his lips to hers. She shuddered in his arms, and on his part, he felt goosebumps erect themselves along his arms, poking at the fabric of his sleeves. Pure contentment washed over the young prince as he shared a kiss with the love of his life.

Too soon, they pulled back, and after a silent moment of touching foreheads, they continued their walk. Dustin's thoughts returned to the news he needed to deliver her, and while he dreaded shattering the mood, he knew he had no choice.

"I do have something I must tell you." he said, buying himself a little time to work out the wording in his head.

"Then I have something I must hear, it seems."

"You know of the Monteraynian siege of the Innutukian capital, correct?"

"I do." said Serena, "I heard Captain Ernan Altruz and Sir Simien Wade were leading the operation, and the hopes were they'd get the emperor to come east for peace talks."

"Indeed. Well, the situation has taken a turn for the worst. Sir Wade has been slain, the troops are dwindling, and they need reinforcements as badly as they need leadership."

"Dustin, you just returned yesterday. You can't be saying..."

"Tomorrow morning, I will set out to knock the last leg out from under the Empire."

"And what if the same fate befalls you as did Sir Wade?"

Dustin paused only for a moment, and then he shrugged. "So be it. I won't live a second beyond the Lord's will, and it would be for worthy cause. Even so, I seem to have survived just fine all these years; what would change now?"

"Any battle could be your last." Serena stated, "It would be a shame to lose you."

"I'll be careful. Mark my words, when I return, I shall have toppled Innutuk onto her face, and we'll have a lifetime of peace to look forward to. Never again will I leave you to wage war, for there will be no more battles to fight."

Serena let out a long sigh and stood up on her toes to lay a kiss on Dustin's cheek. "I sure hope you're right about that." 

**** 

A/N: And there you have it...Dustin's off to war, despite the reluctance of father and lady love alike. All we can hope is he returns home safe at last. 😉

(You know what else I'm hoping returns home safe...your vote and even some comments. I'll take good care of them, I promise. 😂) 

Anyways, as I'm writing this, Thanksgiving is on the horizon. What dish do you look forward to each year at this time? (And even if you don't celebrate Thanksgiving, food is a great topic--I'd love to hear about some of your favorites.)

For me, it has to be the stuffing my mom makes, though with Thanksgiving, there's so many contenders. Especially depending on what relatives come by with their own dishes. I'd better go before I start drooling on the keyboard. 🤣

Hope you have a great day, and I'll see you in the next update!