Illegitimate Blood

Roy's smirk faded as he sat back, his expression shifting to something more thoughtful and heavy. He stared into the distance for a long moment, lost in memories that seemed too burdensome to bear. Finally, he exhaled deeply and spoke again, his voice quieter than before, stripped of its usual arrogance."Miral wasn't invincible," Roy said slowly, choosing each word with care. "He wasn't some untouchable force of nature, Erika. He bled. He stumbled. And there were days when he doubted—just like the rest of us. But what made him different, what kept him standing when most would have fallen, was that he knew how to carry it. He bore the weight of an entire rebellion on his back, and it didn't break him."Erika listened in silence, her gaze unwavering. This was the first time Roy had spoken about Miral in this way, as though the man who had once seemed a symbol of unyielding strength was also someone who had faced his own human flaws."Miral was a man of principle," Roy continued, his voice steady but filled with a quiet, underlying bitterness. "But that didn't mean he was immune to the consequences of his decisions. The rebellion… it was falling apart."Erika's brow furrowed, and she opened her mouth to ask a question, but Roy held up his hand, signaling her to wait."We were losing the war, Erika. Not just in terms of battles, but in terms of the people we had left to fight. Narzan had crushed us in almost every way they could. They cut off our supply lines, decimated our reinforcements, and—worst of all—they exploited every crack in our coalition. Men we'd fought beside for years were defecting, and even the ones who stayed began to doubt."Roy paused, his expression turning grim."It wasn't just that we were outnumbered. We were outlasted. Narzan's empire was huge. They had resources, they had manpower. More than enough to keep throwing at us. Meanwhile, Miral was forced to make choices I wouldn't wish on anyone. Each decision carried consequences, and those consequences often came at the cost of lives."Erika's gaze softened for a moment, but Roy didn't give her a chance to comment."Miral was a man of impossible will. You saw it, didn't you? How he stood in front of his officers, unwavering, even as our forces collapsed around him. But the truth is, the longer he fought, the harder it became to hold everything together. In those darkest moments, when he knew that he was losing the war piece by piece, I saw something in him that I hadn't before. He was exhausted. He was human."Erika said nothing, but her heart ached at the thought. She had always seen him as the embodiment of strength. To hear Roy speak of him this way… it felt different."We were at a breaking point," Roy continued, his voice darkening with the memory. "The generals were panicking, the officers were scrambling to maintain what little we had left. No one knew what to do. Every strategy we deployed failed. Every time we thought we had a victory, it slipped away just as quickly. And that was when Miral… Miral did what none of us could."Roy looked down, his eyes briefly closing as he took in a deep breath. "He didn't panic. He didn't lash out. He stayed calm, detached in a way that I couldn't understand. And that's when he started to play the game in a way no one expected."Erika couldn't help herself. "What do you mean?"Roy's lips curled into the faintest of smiles, but there was no joy in it. "Miral knew something no one else did. Narzan's empire was rotten from the inside. Their generals didn't trust each other. Their nobles were all vying for control. There was division, infighting—real cracks in their power. And Miral? He exploited that."Erika leaned forward, her curiosity piqued. "How?"Roy's eyes darkened with the memory. "He turned their own chaos against them. He sent false orders to Narzan's generals, pitting them against each other. He made it look like one general was betraying another. He leaked just enough information to stir up suspicion, to make them question each other. And while they were busy fighting amongst themselves, Miral rebuilt what was left of our forces. He found new allies, even from unexpected places—former rebels, criminals, anyone who had something to gain from a victory over Narzan."Erika's breath caught in her throat. "So, he manipulated them. He used their weaknesses."Roy nodded, his gaze unwavering. "Yes. But it wasn't just about deception. It was about timing. Miral was a master at knowing when to act and when to wait. He never made a move without calculating the risks first. When Narzan thought they had us cornered, that's when Miral struck. He launched a series of surprise attacks that crippled their supply lines, cutting off reinforcements. It wasn't a full victory, but it gave us a chance to survive."Erika's eyes widened in realization. "But at what cost?"Roy's face hardened, his voice colder. "At the cost of everything. He sacrificed entire battalions to make sure we had a chance to win. He sent men into battles we knew we couldn't win, just to keep Narzan distracted. He made deals with people we would have otherwise called enemies. He did whatever it took to stay one step ahead."A silence hung between them as the gravity of Roy's words settled over the room. Erika's thoughts were racing, trying to process the extent of Miral's decisions."And the people he sacrificed?" Erika finally asked, her voice soft but full of the weight of the question.Roy's eyes were hard, distant. "He never stopped mourning them. Not for a second. But you have to understand, Erika—he knew that if he didn't make those choices, there would be nothing left. He wasn't trying to be a hero. He was trying to survive. And when it was all over, we weren't just surviving anymore. We were winning."Erika's gaze softened, a flicker of empathy crossing her features. "He did what needed to be done, didn't he?"Roy nodded, his tone somber. "He did. And that's why Narzan couldn't break him. He didn't just fight for himself or for the rebellion. He fought for the people who believed in him. For the chance to build something better, even if it meant burning everything else down."The room grew still as the weight of Roy's words lingered. Erika sat quietly, her mind turning over the story she had just heard. It was hard to reconcile the Miral she had known with the man Roy had just described—ruthless, calculating, and burdened by the lives lost in his wake.But in that moment, she understood something deeper about her father. He wasn't just a symbol. He was a man who had made impossible choices, and who had borne the consequences of those choices with a strength that came not from his victories, but from his willingness to carry the burden of the war, no matter the cost.Roy broke the silence with one final remark, his voice barely a whisper. "He didn't survive by being a hero, Erika. He survived because he refused to be broken."To Be Continued...