The days that followed the battle were met with weeping cries of mothers, fathers, wives, husbands, and children. The death toll had been counted, first on the town's own numbers. Casualties had risen to five hundred and thirty-one from knights, guards and recruits. Two hundred and eleven of them were pronounced dead. The remaining had varying degrees of injuries, and some were on the verge of death. Brina was also among these numbers.
Citizens caught in the crossfire reported fifty deaths and two hundred or so injured. The rebels had one thousand six hundred and seventy-nine people who died and two thousand three hundred and nine who surrendered. While most of the outsiders died, their heads now hung on the walls, while those who survived had been taken down below the dungeons, definitely being tortured to extract information.
The leaders of the revolt were also being displayed in the central plaza, being pelted with stones and refuse. They have been cursed and their families were put into house arrest, especially Eleaine, who had used her noble and merchant background to fuel this revolt. Lord Jouse had already sent a letter to the capital to ensure they were stripped of their noble ranks, with their assets already being planned to be seized and used to pay for the rebuilding of the town.
Helwind indeed had significant damage done to it, as fifteen percent of its totality was damaged with varying signs of destruction. Some areas needed total rebuilding while others could still be salvaged.
There was also the loss of life, the manpower needed to keep this town moving. Now they had lost some of the recruits, knights, and even the town's guard. Lord Jouse wanted to vent but had much-needed things to do.
He hoped it wouldn't have escalated this far. Now he would have to make an announcement about who was behind the attacks and a confirmation that these bastards were the ones behind the beast attacks as well.
The announcement came three days after the battle. Lord Jouse stood on the steps of the administrative building, looking haggard and older than his years. The crowd that gathered was subdued, exhausted, grieving.
"People of Helwind," he began, his voice carrying across the plaza. "We have paid a terrible price for our victory. Over two hundred of our guards and knights have fallen. Fifty of our citizens died in the fighting. Nearly two thousand rebels, many of them our neighbors and friends, are gone."
He paused, letting the numbers sink in.
"But I want you to know the truth. This rebellion was not organic. It was not born from legitimate grievances alone. We were manipulated. The foreign invaders we killed, the ones whose heads now hang from our walls, were the ones who orchestrated the beast attacks that have plagued us for months. They drove the Grizzled Wolverine into Wynstead. They herded the Lywolves toward our settlements. All of it was designed to weaken us, to spread our forces thin, to create chaos."
Angry murmurs spread through the crowd.
"And then they infiltrated our town. They whispered lies to our council members. They promised help that would never come. They turned us against each other so that when they struck, we would be too busy fighting ourselves to resist them."
Lord Jouse's voice hardened. "These were pirates and bandits from the mainland. They came to conquer Helwind, to take our mines, to enslave our people. But they failed. Because despite everything, despite the manipulation and the lies, we stood together when it mattered most."
The crowd was silent now, absorbing this revelation.
"The council members who betrayed you have been executed for treason. Their families' assets will be used to rebuild what was destroyed. Justice has been served. Now we must heal. Now we must rebuild. And now we must remember those we lost."
Meanwhile, Brina was still in a medical tent, significantly weakened. She could hear voices around her, distant and muffled. Her stomach throbbed with a dull, persistent ache where the fire had torn through her.
The healing potion and the healer's magic had saved her life, but recovery would take time. The wound had closed, but it was still raw, still fragile. She'd been told she was lucky to be alive. The fire should have killed her instantly.
She didn't feel lucky. She felt tired and sore and hollowed out.
People from her platoon visited her. Elena came every day, bringing food that Brina could barely eat and news from outside that Brina barely had the energy to process.
"Twenty-five of us," Elena said quietly one afternoon. "Twenty-five recruits dead. Out of a hundred and ten."
Brina closed her eyes. She'd trained with those people. Laughed with them. Complained about Sergeant Vorik with them. Now a quarter of them are gone.
"Himdal survived," Elena continued. "He's being hailed as a hero. Killed three pirates himself, they say. And you, saving Knight Captain Adam like that, people are talking about it."
Brina didn't want to be talked about. She'd just reacted. She hadn't thought about it.
And Ren also had returned. When he'd heard about the revolt and rushed back, all he saw was destruction. Of course he headed directly toward his sister after learning of her injuries.
She heard his voice before she saw him, panicked and demanding to know where she was. Then he was there, kneeling beside her cot, his face pale.
"Brina," he breathed. "They said you were dying. They said you'd been hit by magic."
"I'm okay," she managed, though her voice was weak. "Still here."
Ren's hands shook as he took hers. "I should have been here. I should have..."
"You would have died too," Brina said. "I'm glad you were away. At least you're safe."
"But you're not," Ren said, his voice breaking. "You almost died, sister."
"Ehhh… but I didn't." She squeezed his hand as hard as she could, which wasn't very hard. "I'm still here. We're still here. That's what matters."
Ren stayed with her for hours, telling her about his trip, about the merchant work he'd been doing. Normal things. Safe things. Things that had nothing to do with battles and death.
The loss of life and destruction of property was one thing, fueled by greed by a few people who wanted to take a seat at the helm of power. Within the following days, those council members had been hanged as a traveling magistrate had been requested to preside over their judgement. With all evidence pointing toward their guilty conviction, they were passed with the final judgment of death for their rebellious acts.
The executions took place in the central plaza. A gallows had been erected, and the three surviving council members, Dodong, Zino, and Eleaine, were led up in chains.
The crowd that gathered was massive. Some came to jeer and throw things. Others came as solemn witnesses. Still others came hoping to find closure.
Dodong went first. He looked broken, a shadow of the fiery speaker who'd rallied the farmers of Outerwinds. He said nothing as the noose was placed around his neck.
Zino wept and begged for mercy. But there was none.
Eleaine maintained her dignity to the end, her head held high, though her face was pale. "I was deceived," she said as her final words. "But I take responsibility for my actions. May my death bring peace to Helwind."
The trap doors opened. The ropes snapped taut. It was over quickly.
Brina heard about it from Elena. She was glad she hadn't been there to see it. She'd seen enough death.
Now they were left with loss and the mindset to be able to move forward.
The rebuilding began almost immediately. The town couldn't afford to wait. Winter was coming, and people needed homes. Burnt buildings were torn down. Damaged structures were repaired. The central plaza, stained with blood, was scrubbed clean.
Lord Jouse worked tirelessly, coordinating efforts, allocating resources, making decisions about who got help first. Brunswick, now the town's financial manager, proved competent at organizing the economic recovery.
The mines, thankfully, were undamaged. Work continued there, and the revenue would help fund reconstruction.
Knight Captain Adam visited Brina once as she recovered. He sat beside her cot, still wearing bandages from his own injuries.
"You saved my life," he said simply. "I won't forget that."
"I just reacted sir," Brina replied.
"That's what made your efforts brave and courageous," Adam said. "You didn't think about the cost. You just did what was right. That's the mark of a true guardian. Not just recruit, but the heart of a knight."
He stood to leave, then paused. "When you recover, if you still want to continue training, you'll have a place. And if you want to leave this life behind, I'll understand that too. You've already done more than most."
Brina thought about that after he left. Did she still want to be a guardswoman? After everything she'd seen, everything she'd lost?
She thought about Wynstead. About her parents. About Damian who haunted her own sleep and the other recruits who'd died. About the citizens caught in the crossfire.
Yes. She still wanted to protect people. Maybe now more than ever.
Because if she didn't, who would?