Hope and Devotion (Chapter One)

Hope and Devotion (Chapter Nine)

"I'm sorry, but 'tis the truth."

"Perhaps but, even so I can hardly believe it." Rasler shook his head.

It was all too much to take in for Ashe, but her husband's theory made sense. She had known the captain since she was a child, and he would not betray his adopted homeland, to work for the empire that he fled. There were also witnesses to the murder, and Vossler had seen him getting arrested. The little evidence she had, pointed to Captain Ronsenburg being the murderer, but she had no way of being certain of the fact. Everything seemed to contradict itself; none of it seemed to add up at all. Now was not the time to ascertain the truth, of what really happened when her father was murdered. She crossed her arms and sighed, "Can we change the topic? At least for now." She said her voice wavering slightly, not ready to discuss the subject her father's death quite yet.

He turned his attention to his wife for a moment. "Sorry dear."

Both men nodded at the same time. Vossler then began to speak, "We must organize against the empire."

"How?" Rasler swirled the contents of his cup.

"Milord, if you let me finish."

"Of course, sorry."

"First we find soldiers who survived the war, and then we seek out volunteers who wish to help the cause. It shall take some time, but we should be able to build an army of our own. We will weapons, and funding of course, and some of them will need training." He paused for a moment, and gestured to the couple, "And you two must take up assumed names, they believe you to be dead, and if the empire were to find you two, I cannot imagine the consequences of such."

"How so we start?" Ashe asked.

"I shall take care of the first recruits; the men who served under are loyal enough and would jump at the chance to take back their homeland." Vossler said.

"Sounds good enough." Rasler nodded.

"And I would?" She gestured to herself, wondering what part she played.

Vossler turned to her, "You would hone your skills with the blade, with all respect my lady, you are no master swordswoman but you have potential. And we need someone to help with the record keeping."

She looked down for a moment, feeling that if she quietly agreed she would be forced into a more peripheral role, due to her sex. "Very well then, but I must be treated with the same respect my husband receives, and I shall not allow myself to play an inactive role in this, despite what others may say."

Rasler gave a small smile and nodded. "It seems that my wife tires of sitting in the sidelines, perhaps it is time that she proves herself in battle." He reached out for her hand. "I shall see to it that she is treated well, and without restrictions, for I already am restricted in battle. You would treat her as you would treat me." He let out a sigh, and motioned to his injured knee.

"Very well then. She shall fight for you when you cannot, I assume." Vossler said.

The prince nodded, saying no more.

Ashe squeezed her husband's hand. "I would be honored to take your place." She quietly relished the freedom that she received. It was the first time that she would be seen as an equal, and would have say in what happens. She could no longer be the quiet complacent princess, who let her father, brothers, and husband dictate what she might so.

"I knew you would." He whispered back, his thumb stroking the back of her palm.

Vossler cleared his throat. And the two turned their attention to him. "Now that we've settled that, I've found a place for us to make our headquarters. It's here in Lowtown, but I cannot take you until the fighting has subsided."