*
His eyes were like polished lacquer, the firelight dancing in their grim, dark depths.
The young man's eyes were normally exceptionally clear, but now they seemed shrouded in a black fog.
After a long moment, he said in a low voice, "So it's a dead end."
A heavy silence fell, broken only by the CRACKLE and POP of the fire.
"Little General," Amy said, clapping her hands lightly and smiling at him. "Weren't you just talking about serving the nation with utter loyalty, vowing to die for your country? Why the sudden fear?"
"If I had been born in a time of chaos, with no one but myself, my death would mean nothing. But now, with my family and my country in peril, even if I'm willing to die for them, I fear my sacrifice alone cannot prevent the great hall from collapsing."
