Steel and Sorrow: Rise of the Mercenary king

Chapter 180: New masters

The small, dimly lit room felt suffocating despite its modest size. A man sat on the edge of a simple wooden cot, wincing as he lightly swayed his head from side to side, his gaze unsteady and unfocused. His once noble features were gaunt, cheeks hollowed by days of sleeplessness, and his eyes, bloodshot and weary, seemed to stare through the air itself, as if seeing some terrible vision he couldn't escape. 

His right shoulder was tightly bound in bandages, the white cloth stained faintly with dried blood. A physicist knelt beside him, carefully unwrapping the cloth with a practiced hand.

"It's healing well," he said, his tone brisk and professional. "A few more days of rest, and you should regain full use of the shoulder."

Lord Maric, didn't seem to hear him. His eyes were fixed on the floor, unmoving, his hands trembling slightly as if caught in a memory he couldn't shake. 

"Dead," Maric whispered, his voice hoarse, barely audible. "My son is dead"

The physicist paused, glancing up at the lord, but Maric remained still, his lips trembling as the words tumbled out, almost as if he were talking to himself. 

"The tribesmen… they came down from the north like a storm," Maric continued, his voice shaking. "We… we were so sure. The king… the king said we would send them back to their snow. That we would stand firm against the wild men. But… we didn't. We couldn't."