Steel and Sorrow: Rise of the Mercenary king

Chapter 431: Among the ants (1)

Chapter 431: Among the ants (1)

Half a month had passed since Torghan had been guested—no, honored—by Alpheo. The time spent in the prince's company had been unlike anything he had ever experienced. After that grand dinner, he had taken part in many activities alongside the prince, from riding through the rolling fields to observing the strange yet disciplined formations of Alpheo's soldiers, in a not so subtle propagandistic line of activity coming from the prince.

He could not communicate much with him; after all, it was not easy to speak through two translators, and many of the jokes did not maintain their funny side when translated. 

Still, it had been fun to be in his company. 

Actually, it had been the most exhilarating week of his life. Every night since leaving, his thoughts drifted back to those days—how the horses thundered beneath him, how the soldiers moved like a single beast, precise and unyielding, how he had sat beside the prince himself, spoken with him, learned from him.

A part of him longed to return, to once again be in that world where he was not just another son among many but someone seen, recognized, and given purpose.

But for now, he was back at sea.

The wooden deck of the ship creaked beneath his feet as the salty breeze tugged at his clothes. Around him, Alpheo's people worked the sails, the rhythmic crash of waves filling the silence between them. On the horizon, the outliers of the land he had departed from stood against the sky, growing smaller with every passing moment.

He had been ordered to depart by his father and yet he chose to remain there. But as he gazed toward the receding shore, he wondered—not for the first time—whether it would be okay to leave his home behind.