Wind's Breath Keep's gates slowly opened in the morning light, and the drawbridge sent the moat's stagnant water splashing as it descended.
Hall Duke rode a warhorse, with the Watchers Legion soldiers standing in neat formation behind him. Their breastplates bore the scars of battle, covered in scratches yet lending them an even more imposing appearance.
Harrison Abbott wore a crisp dark-blue military dress uniform and stood directly before the gates. Prince Yuriko stood slightly behind him, his ornate armor glittering in the sunlight, while the gold embroidery on his cloak swayed gently in the morning breeze.
"Duke Bradley!" Harrison stepped forward and gave a solemn military salute. "Welcome home victorious. Sorry for the trouble!"
Hall dismounted, his movements slightly slowed by his old injuries yet still steady and powerful. "General Harrison, you restored Wind's Breath Keep far sooner than we anticipated as well."
Yuriko hurried forward and warmly clasped Duke Bradley's hand. "Hero of the kingdom! Your feat of reclaiming Watchman Fortress will surely go down in history!" His voice rang out loudly, and the nearby soldiers all turned to look.
Hall Duke lowered his head slightly. "Your Highness exaggerates. Without Lord Greiman's support and leadership, we could never have succeeded so smoothly."
That evening, the hall of Wind's Breath Keep blazed with candlelight. The long tables were laden with roasted venison, mead, and fresh bread, while musicians played a melodious tune in the corner.
Yuriko raised his golden goblet, the wine gleaming amber in the firelight. "A toast to our wall of steel—Earl Hall Duke!"
The assembled commanders cheered in unison, and the clinking of goblets rose and fell around the hall.
"I heard Marquis Greiman's next target is those mountain folk?" Harrison asked in a lowered voice.
Duke Bradley merely nodded slightly. "It hasn't been decided yet,