Swordsinger glanced up at the bluff high above Fort Sungard. “Hammerleaf.”

 

“Yes, oh fearless leader.”

 

“How many times have we taken this fort?”

 

“Including now? Four.”

 

“As I recall, last time we were here, I gave you very explicit instructions on what to do if we wound up coming back.”

 

“I’m not going to bash in your skull with my hammer until there is nothing left but the sunken remains of your brains buried in your chest cavity.”

 

“So you’re disobeying a direct order, is that it?”

 

“It appears so. You’ll have to punish me for insubordination.”

 

“Fine. Your punishment is to stay with the Company instead of going to a plush prison cell in Windhelm where you would have a roof over your head, a bed, and three meals a day.”

 

“Dammit, none of my plans ever work out.”

 

“That’s why you’re Hammerleaf, not Tacticalleaf.”

 

“That doesn’t even make sense.”

 

“I know. I’m tired. Best I could do.”

 

“So how do you want to take it this time?”

 

“Good question. We could wait for the dragon to come back. I’d love to know which milk drinkers let it escape.”

 

“It has to have been the Foresworn since Jaunty isn’t sending us any reinforcements to hold these positions after we take them.”

 

“Except the mines, it’s hard not to notice.”

 

“Yes. The mines held by Companies J and S. Just a coincidence, I’m sure.”

 

“Yes, I’m certain the fact that the Companies that are full of Jaunty’s extended family members have been assigned to hold the only gold mine and second largest orichalcum mine in Skyrim is a complete coincidence and has nothing to do with the waste of time and men that is this strategically useless invasion of The Reach.”

 

“Hm, when you put it that way, it doesn’t sound like you think it’s a coincidence at all.”

 

“I should have named you Astuteleaf.”

 

A laugh and then a pause before Hammerleaf raised his eyebrows. “So what are we going to do about it?”

 

“What do you mean? We are going to continue with the stupid plan.”

 

“Even though it’s just for Jaunty’s personal profit?”

 

“We don’t know that for sure. Don’t look at me like that – I’m trying to give that pompous ass the benefit of the …okay, I can’t say it with a straight face. But it doesn’t matter - even if it’s true, those are our orders and neither Ulfric nor Galmar have been around to gainsay them.”

 

“You would think there would be more progress in the north with those two heading the attack.”

 

“You would think so, yes. If I didn’t know better, I’d say the war is being purposely stalled, but I can’t see any reason for that to be the case. Ulfric and Galmar – especially Galmar – are so violently anti-Imperial and anti-Thalmor, I can’t imagine either willingly dragging it out.”

 

“Aye.” Hammerleaf sighed. “But we’ve been running in circles for over a year and since Jaunty refuses to send reinforcements, that’s not going to change.”

 

“No it is not.”

 

“So I ask again: what are we going to do about it?”

 

A long pause punctuated only by momentary gusts of wind that carried the voices of her Regiment. The Regiment that was relying on her to keep them alive. No, not just keep them alive – to lead them to victory. She had managed the former for almost all of the Regiment, but the latter was just as far off as it had been when they entered this Divines-forsaken land.

 

She sighed and shoved her helmet onto her head. “For now, we take this fort. Again. After…well, I’ll have to think on it some. Let’s go with plan C – they look like they just got here, so we should have the advantage.”

 

“As you say.”

 

Hammerleaf turned away to relay the orders while Swordsinger focused on the fort. Whatever future course her Company took was for the future – losing sight of the present would only get more of her Regiment killed. She gathered all the discipline her training, her mother, and three plus years of war had given her and put all thoughts out of her mind except taking this fort at this moment in time. For now, nothing else in the world mattered.