Let You Break My Heart Again

Alas, the Younger Stanillo’s recollections came to an end. He and the boys began to walk on over to the village, after learning of the appearance of the Jarl of Stalavat in the village. The Younger Stanillo was not intrigued at the presence of the Jarl, knowing well that she was not the type of person to wait without causing a commotion. Diana of Stalavat did not deserve to hold the position of leader. On the contrary, she was an immature and hot-headed woman, who was difficult to engage in conversation.

Stalavat may have much greater prestige and power compared to Belomas and Rostov, but they do not compare to their two western rivals when it comes to their institutions. The three city states were primitive compared to their eastern neighbors, who did not have the need to defend their territory from the barbarians out west. When it comes to economic power, Rostov outranks Belomas and Stalavat.

Rostov is always importing goods from other nations, strengthening their economy and providing an endless supply of important goods to their people. Their increasing power in the west has given them the opportunity to negotiate with the great powers in the east. Oftentimes, it has led to them developing relations with these great powers, compared to their neighbors, who continue to live isolated. In a change of fortune, Belomas was beginning to make its way into the world.

Belomas was beginning to grow in power through their conquest of Ugrica. As a result of that, they were quickly building the strongest military in the west. Each tribe that came under their control allowed them to continue their crusade in Ugrica, expanding their borders further out. The resources these tribes provided were plenty, but their greatest resource was their warriors, for campaigning. Of course, tribesmen were paid two thirds less of the standard pay, a person from Belomas would be paid.

Stalavat could no longer prove to be their superior in power now. To the Younger Stanillo, Stalavat was no longer worth the trouble. The truth is that they underestimated the power of Rostov, who was proving to be the real big fish of the west. Stalavat was a mere obstacle to their goals, and they could not allow their Jarl’s impudence to continue. Stanillo simply had no need to worry about Stalavat, when they did not possess nearly half the power that the Sejuku did.

Anyhow, the Younger Illya some way somehow accompanied Stanillo and Iziaslav to the village, a complete surprise to the Younger Stanillo. However, Illya kept his distance from the two, trying not to reignite tensions with the Younger Stanillo, again. The trio were walking in a single file line with the Younger Stanillo leading the pack. Iziaslav, who was in between the two, began to grow curious about what had occurred between the two. The two had not said a word to each other since they began walking over to the village, so what could have happened between the two of them?

In an attempt to break the silence, the young Iziaslav asked Stanillo, “Hey, Stanillo, I have a question. What is my father up to? I have not heard of him in a while, and I thought you would know, since you are his best friend and all!” On the other hand, Stanillo was quick to respond, saying he had not heard of him either. However, he was expecting an envoy this week. The conversation concluded swiftly, leaving the young Iziaslav to pout.

The silence was driving the boy mad, so he began to look at what was around him. In his curiosity, he got to take a real good look at his brother. He looked so different! His hair was much longer than before, but it was also so messy! It was unlike him to have his hair so messy, he thought. Not to mention, his brother had a disgusting smell to him that was the equivalent to that of a dead animal. However, the most notable change in his brother was that scar on his face.

Iziaslav looked at his brother. “Why did you do all of this?” Iziaslav asked. “My mother has been worried about you. There is not a day that passes by which she does not pray to the gods for you to be safe. Do you not have any shame in what you are doing?”

The Younger Illya scowled at the boy, finding his remarks to be impudent. “I am aware of the worry and trouble that I must have brought upon her.”

The boy lowered his head, trying not to get on his brother's bad side. “O-Okay, I just wanted to let you know. I do not mean to pick a fight with you…”

“You continue to be as possessive as ever, Iziaslav.” Illya chuckled. “I thought, I told you to say ‘our’ mother, and not ‘my’!”

“Sorry! I do it out of habit. I promise, I do not do it to spite you!” Iziaslav apologized.

“I never said you did.” Illya smiled. “Stanillo, I believe you and I have something pending.”

Stanillo came to a halt, staring at his hand for a moment. “I thought so.”

Illya approached his friend, he put his hand onto his shoulder. “I do not intend to fight you any longer, my friend. I apologize for everything. In my anger, I failed to realize the good that you were doing. You were giving shelter to the woman that I loved, but also providing her with the nourishment that she needs for the child that she bares.”

Stanillo was a bit surprised to hear him apologize. He turned around to face Illya. “You what?”

For a moment, Illya hesitated to continue. “I know, it is hard to believe. Believe me, friend, I am being sincere.” He fidgeted with his fingers, trying to find the courage to continue.

“It is hard to believe,” Stanillo said. “A few minutes ago, you spat on my face and battered me, like a dog.”

“I know, I know, it is hard to believe.” Illya ran his hand through his hair. “I just felt angry at that moment, and I could not control myself.”

Illya tried to assure him that he meant it, but the Younger Stanillo appeared hesitant to believe him. Stanillo continued his walk on over to the village, finding the Younger Illya to be insincere.

“Do not ignore me,” Illya said. “I am trying to make amends here!”

“You have done enough for today,” said Stanillo.

The young Illya raised his fists, commanding the Younger Stanillo to stop and listen to what he had to say. “I admit, it was not wrong of you to fall in love with her. Who could blame you? It is only reasonable to fall in love with a woman, like her.”

Stanillo continued to doubt his sincerity. “Are you done?”

Illya surged forward, pulling onto his coat. The force was not enough to drag him back, but enough to keep him in place, demanding his full attention. “I know, I left her. I had no right to act like that. She is a free woman. She was never my wife. I said what I said to her out of desperation. If I had the courage to fight, I would not have left her. However, I did not have the courage. As it stands, I must abide by my father’s wishes and leave her for good. “

This surprised the Younger Stanillo, who could not believe what had come across the Younger Illya. “If you are doing this for me, do not. It should be I that should forget about her.”

“This is difficult,” Illya stressed. “But I must do it, because I have the obligation to marry the woman that my father wants me to marry. It was foolish of me to fall for Coria when I was not my own man yet. My father continues to dictate my life, and as long as that continues to happen, I cannot become my own person.”

This was truly an unexpected development. The Younger Stanillo could not process what he had said. “I will marry that woman,” Illya assured him. “All that I ask of you is to give me the opportunity to set the record straight with Coria. It is important for me to talk to her. Please, tell me, where is she?”

Stanillo understood the sacrifice the boy was making, saying she was at his estate. He assured the young Illya that he had no obstacles before him. There were no guards or dogs that would impede his entry into the estate.

Illya asked, “How far is the estate from where we are?”

Stanillo answered, “Not too far away. Walk on over south, until you see the old settlement. Then, turn west and continue until you see my home.”

Illya clasped his hands, thanking him. He promised it would be swift. “I will be waiting for you outside your home for a further in-depth explanation of the situation in Rostov.

In about half an hour, the young Illya arrived at the estate. There were no guards or dogs to impede his entry, as the Younger Stanillo had said. The villa was vast. A rough estimate of the villa could be said to be about 43,000 square feet. Although it could be much larger than that. The villa had a courtyard and a bathhouse. In addition to this, it had fountains and a complex that had the windows sealed shut, which must have been where the servants resided.

Albeit, it was the first time the young Illya had come to Stanillo’s home. He was amazed at what he saw, but what surprised him the most was to see Coria on the porch. At the sight of her, he felt joy to see her. On the other hand, Coria was shocked to see the young Illya, who she could not believe, was standing before her.

Her face began to grow pale, believing herself to be hallucinating. “I—Illya?” she muttered.

Illya did not smile at the young lady, trying not to distract himself from what he had come to do. On the other hand, Coria tried to hide her joy from seeing him, putting up a tough front. The boy saw through her act. He approached her, asking her whether she had the time to talk.

Coria turned her back to the boy. “I do.”

The young Illya was thrilled to hear it, and so he attempted to walk inside with her. She had him sit in the kitchen, asking him if he was thirsty or not.

“Yes, please.” Illya answered. “Thank you.”

“It is no hassle,” Coria said. “After all, you are the father of my child.”

Illya finished his glass quickly, staring into the center of the glass. “How are you doing?” Illya asked. “It has been three months. Any notable changes?”

Coria murmured,“If you were around, you would know.”

Illya uttered, “Perhaps.”

He tried to reignite the conversation, but Coria was not eager to talk with him. Illya pleaded for her to hear him out, but Coria claimed that she did not have the time for this. After all, she and his child were no longer his concern.

Illya pleaded, “Please, women. Hear me out.”

“Hear you out!?” Coria blurted out.

“Please, I beg of you.” Illya cried.

“Have you any idea of what I feel? No, you do not! If you did know, you would not be here trying to act like nothing happened! If you came to tell me, what you said was a lie. I know, Illya. Stanillo told me you were lying,” Coria shouted.

Illya replied, “I know. He and I fought each other just now.”

Coria quickly dropped her calm demeanor, grabbing onto Illya’s hair. “You did what!?”

Illya chuckled at her reaction. “Release me, Coria. It was a mere misunderstanding on my part, but it is part of the reason why I am here to speak with you.”

She released him, asking him if he had not hurt him too much. “He is fine. Iziaslav intervened before it got worse,” said Illya.

After a long pause, Coria asked, “What were the two of you fighting over?”

Illya answered, “You.”

Her face turned into a crimson red. “Me?” she muttered.

Illya admitted, “Yes, but that is beside the point. My conduct and words were not appropriate that much I know.”

A wavering, thin sound escaped her. “It took you long enough,” she gasped.

“Forgive me, Coria,” Illya said, “I cannot take back what I said, nor what the two of us experienced together. Every word and moment spent together was genuine. If the circumstances were different, I would have left with you.”

She sniffled, “What was stopping you?”

He answered, "Politics."

She glanced at him, not understanding what he meant. “You did not come here to return to me, did you?”

Illya stated, “No, I did not.”

The woman went livid. Her hand, trembling with repressed furry, she flung the glass that she had given to Illya at him. The young Illya was quick to evade it. The glass smashed on the tiled floor, halting the conversation for a moment.

Coria hunkered down to the floor, shaking in pain. The young Illya quickly stood up, walking over to the young lady. He knelt down to be at eye level, his expression soft and open. “I did not learn of the arranged marriage until after the battle. I fought that battle with the intention of returning and being a part of our child’s life,” Illya said. “Afterward, I learned of the marriage between the Jarl and I. My father openly detested the idea of us being together, and I tried to defy him, I promise. However, when he threatened to kill you and the child. I froze in fear.

The young lady turned to her side, not wishing to see his eyes any longer. “Coward,” she murmured.

Her words hurt him, tearing up at the sound of them. He thought of giving her a final kiss, but he knew that it was not proper. The young Illya felt a lump in his throat, making it hard to say what he had to say. He had to set her free.

He scrambled upright, his heart pounding from what he had to say. She deserved proper closure, and he knew it. “I wish you love, Coria,” he wailed.

Not another word was said. He walked briskly, trying to hold it together. The young boy burst through the door, not wanting to have second thoughts. It hurt her to hear the words that she desperately wanted to hear from him. Those words that were no longer of comfort.

In typical fashion, the Jarl of Stalavat garnered the attention of the masses. The brazen woman was not one to take ‘no’ for an answer. She had forced her way into Belomas by deploying her shield maidens against Belomas’ defense. However, the encounter could hardly be called a fight due to the defenders of Belomas being ordered not to fight the maidens, allowing them to enter the village without hindrance.

These orders came from the higher ups, specifically from the wise Mirofa, who knew that the best way to handle any affairs with Stalavat was to give them free rein. Therefore, she ordered Malko the Coward to grant her entry into the village. Malko was hesitant in following her command, considering she was not the Younger Stanillo. However, Malko trusted Mirofa’s judgement, believing her decision to be what the Younger Stanillo would order him to do.

The brazen Diana and her entourage succeeded in entering the village, and continued their march to the Furia. The anxious Mirad felt unprepared about how to deal with the woman, who asked the wise Mirofa about how to proceed with Diana.

Mirofa bit her lip, thinking of how to guide Mirad. “To be honest, I have no idea. I did not think she was the type of person to step outside of her domain. Not to mention, she came with a considerable number of warriors. Could this be a declaration of war?” she said.

He shrugged. “Who knows? You can never be certain with her. She is far too unstable for leadership of a state.”

Mirofa fiddled with her quill, trying to find a solution to the problem. “In matters of love, any woman can become irrational. The truth of this matter can not be concealed any longer. He should have told her the truth."

Mirad sighed. “If it were not for the chief’s insistence on gaining Stalavat’s support, we would not be in this mess. The worse of it all is that we gained her support through trickery, and now we have to deal with it.”

“It has been troublesome to manage the wars in Rostov and Ugrica,” Mirofa said. “If Stalavat were to declare war, we will be forced to pause the campaign in Ugrica.”

“Ugrica?” he asked.

“The campaign in Ugrica is the sole reason our resources are dwindling. I fear that the chief is growing arrogant, believing he can continue these campaigns. Belomas is a tiny village that does not possess the necessary commodities for wars.”

“His growing arrogance is reasonable. Illya has laid claim to the treacherous Nori, who proved to be our biggest threat up to this point.”

“The chief laid claim to no one! It was the efforts of the resistance that did so!”

Mirad groaned. “It is not the time for this.”

“Quite to the contrary. I will not continue to allow you or anybody else, to continue diminishing the credit of my elder brother!”

The young Mirad began to walk out of the Furia, trying to avoid Mirofa’s rant. “Listen, Mirofa. Stanillo may be your brother and all, but he, like many others, has sworn allegiance to the chief. He is a mere servant of the chief, just like you and I are. It is best to remember where you stand, woman.”

As he exited the Furia, the thought of bowing down to the chief made Mirofa’s blood boil. Illya was a usurper to the chiefdom, who had garnered success through the efforts of her elder brother. “If there is anybody deserving of that seat, it is Stanillo. Illya is a mere brute, who does not have the capability of managing Belomas,” she hissed.

On his way to find the Jarl, Mirad could not help but feel angry at Mirofa. She was far too young and immature. The young lady may be the younger sister of Stanillo, but she did not have the talent to be involved with matters of state. She owes her elevation of importance to her brother, who placed her in a position where he could closely monitor her.

Mirofa was an impulsive and intolerable woman. The Younger Stanillo, at a young age, was tasked with caring for his sisters, who had nobody to look after them. Oftentimes, he found it easier to bring his baby sister to the training grounds, where she grew up around the men of the village. It was here where the young Mirofa learned to fight at a young age, and soon enough she found herself training alongside her brother.

However, the Younger Stanillo objected to his sister's involvement in the battles against the Nori. However, he was unable to keep her away from it. The young of Belomas are allowed to enroll in the army, if they are able to meet the minimum qualifications to join. By the time of the expedition to the lands of the Nori, Mirofa had five years of military experience at the age of nineteen. Rising to power, the first thing that the Younger Stanillo did was to remove Mirofa from the front lines. Therefore, he stationed her in the village to serve as his advisor.

Mirofa was thrilled to learn of her brother giving her such an opportunity. At first, the young lady was not hard to get along with. The passage of time gave rise to her bottled emotions towards the Household of Illya, who she believed to be illegitimate rulers of Belomas. It did not help that the Younger Stanillo played a major part in the success of Belomas, which led to Mirofa trying to convince her elder brother to reclaim the chiefdom. The Younger Stanillo not once considered the idea of it.

Mirad could not fault his comrade for using power to make his sister, his advisor. In a way, the Younger Stanillo was trying to keep her safe. Mirofa was his only sister who remained unmarried, and he believed it to be his obligation to take care of her. She was a capable warrior, but she was not as powerful as the other woman. Not to mention, Mirofa was educated at Rostov in her early years. She was suitable to work alongside her brother, who believed her to be his successor.

The Younger Stanillo had no children of his own. Mirofa was a young and promising woman, who could prove to be an asset to the village one day. The people at Belomas tend to die at a young age, and it is natural for people to seek successors. Those who did not have children usually left their wealth to their brothers and sisters. In the case of the Younger Stanillo, his wealth would be left in the hands of their sisters.

On his way to find the Jarl, Mirad was stopped by a villager. The villager was anxious, saying that there was a crazy battalion of women at the marketplace. The villager told him that the woman with the green eyes was picking a fight with Lady Himari, who did not back down from the green-eyed woman’s insults.

Mirad gulped, quickly running over to the marketplace. ‘That darn woman!’

The villager was left confused, finding Mirad’s reaction to be odd. “These young people of today sure got a lot going on.”

At the marketplace, the brazen Diana stepped up to Himari. She towered the woman. A smug smile spread across her face as she looked down at the woman. With a patronizing sigh, she put her hands on her hips, ‘So this is the woman, I am to replace.’

The air filled with tension. Himari’s open palm connected sternly with Diana’s face. Diana’s head snapped to the side, her eyes filled with anger and shock. A stinging red mark formed onto her cheek, a bright red hand print visible on her pale skin. The silence was heavy.

“You think that you can lay a hand on me?” she seethed, and smacked Himari hard on the face.

At this point, a brawl was bound to break out between the two women. The villagers began to side with their chieftess, who was being assaulted by an outsider on her home turf. The shield maidens began to raise their arms against unarmed citizens. Mirad was running late to stop the conflict. By some miracle, the Younger Stanillo and Iziaslav arrived just in time to put an end to it.

Immediately, the Younger Stanillo put an end to the hostilities, demanding the villagers to return to their homes. With a tight jaw and blazing spirit, he stood rigidly, his finger pointed to Diana, ‘And you woman, are in no condition to act freely at Belomas! Put your dogs back on their leashes, before I do it myself!'

One of the shield maidens found his words to be insulting, threatening to kill him for his loose tongue. Diana smiled at his audacity, telling her maidens to settle down. ‘The errand boy of my husband is here!' she jeered.

For a moment, the Younger Stanillo nearly lost his cool at her remark. At that moment, the young Mirad had arrived at the marketplace, finding the situation to be under control now. He panted, finding himself relieved of his troubles. On the other hand, the Younger Stanillo turned to Himari and Boudiaca, who happened to be accompanying Lady Himari. He informed the woman of the whereabouts of the Younger Illya and Coria.

The two women were thrilled to hear the pair had been found alive, but Stanillo pleaded with them to not be harsh with the Younger Illya. The woman could not understand what he meant, and it was not something for him to convey. He told them that the pair could be found at his estate. The woman thanked him for the news, asking if he needed them around.

“On the contrary, I would like to handle this alone,” he confessed.

“I can never find a way to repay you sir,” said Coria.

“There is one way you can repay me,” said Stanillo.

“Really?” she said.

“Get going, dear. Accompany the woman to your side, keep her safe,” said Stanillo.

“Sure thing!” said Coria.

Himari’s patience was wearing thin, she exclaimed.“If you do not mind Boudiaca, I would like to get going now. I want to see my son!”

Boudiaca grabbed onto Himari’s hand, running off with the woman to Stanillo’s estate. “Right! Let us get going. See you around, sir!”

He threw his hand into his face, a low groan escaped him as he realized that he had to deal with Diana now. “Follow me, Jarl. Leave your guards behind, I assure you that you are in great hands.”

The shield maidens protested this, finding Belomas to be untrustworthy. Surprisingly, the Jarl agreed. She was willing to follow him, considering that she was finally receiving the attention that she craved. Stanillo ordered Mirad to guide the shield maidens to the dining hall, and attend to their needs. Mirad guided the shield maidens to the dining quarters, asking them what they desired to eat. Some of the shield maidens just wanted a glass of water.

Others wanted a fruit or two. One of the shield maidens, politely asked for some elk and wine if it was not a hassle. Immediately, her comrades shamed her for such a request. Mirad chuckled, asking the name of the shield maiden. She blushed, keeping her head down. ‘Phillipus’.

Mirad smiled, looking over his shoulder. “I will see what I can do, Phillipus.”