Upon gathering the dead, the military men from the Walled Cities did discover the body of Shondor, the head Proctor. Having become fully aware of what the Proctors had done to deceive them all and to destroy both Akorsa and The Captain-General, they were rather upset. They had no other way to vent their frustrations, so, upon burning the carcasses of the Maseriff, they wished to burn him as well.
The Arimythians, seeing this to be an unfit form of burial for a man, however horrid he had been during his lifetime, decided to intercede in the matter. Not knowing what should be done in lieu of the burning, it was determined that the body would be bound and prepared for burial. It would then be carried back to the cities, along with that of Rymson, who had also fallen during the heat of the battle. As for Braaihre and Corrigone, they were both arrested and kept under guard inside one of the houses. It had been determined that the rest of the Proctors would be confronted and charged for their involvement in the conspiracy against Arimythia.
- - - -
It had been several days since the Proctorial Army had set foot on the Arimythian lands, since the Maseriff had attacked, and since two of the Proctors had been killed in battle. The men were preparing to leave, as they missed their homes and they were eager to make the remainder of the Proctorage responsible for their actions. They would have left before then, but Captain-General Verican had yet to fully heal and was not fit for the journey. Along with that, Fionn and Akorsa had finally been allotted the time to do those certain things that newlyweds are wont to do, and none dared to impede on the Lady Akorsa�s happiness.
At some point during her several weeks as a Proctor within the stone walls of both Ilyana and Uljaya, the people had come to adore Akorsa. They had come to realize that she was not just acting a figurehead, appearing only as part of a government that did not care hide or hair about them, the little people. The city-folk had become quite aware that she was a hard working, self-respecting person who cared as much about all that happened to them as she did about herself.
The military men looked upon her as one to be respected, not only because she commanded respect, but proved in nearly all she did that she was worthy of it. That was, of course, not mentioning that the lot of the men were awed by her skill with her axe; a weapon that proved to be literally nearly as big as she was. Half of the reason that they had come to Arimythia, however falsified it had been, was to save her from danger, and they were determined to be loyal to her, and her kin until the very end.
The people of the city that now dwelled in Arimythia also found that the environment was more to their liking. They took to the open space and lovely green pastures much like their Captain-General Verican had when he arrived. They were astounded by the freedom that came with being outside their cities and their stone houses and walls, and many of them spent their time roaming about the pastures, playing games with friends and with the many of the village children, who were now permitted to go outside their homes.
Lord Verican, when he was finally well and healed enough to get out of his bed and walk about, took to watching his men in their antics and games. He determined that once they returned to the cities, he would work to have more settlements made outside the walls. The Proctors would be charged with conspiracy to commit murder, and, if all went well, they would be removed from their positions in office. In that case, Akorsa, more than likely remaining on the council of Proctors, would have better suited people fill the empty positions.
One of the changes to be made would be that more settlements ought to be made outside the Walled Cities. There were too many people being crammed up inside the walls, and, as Verican noted, being outside appeared much healthier than he had once thought. Though there was still a great risk of attack by the Maseriff, the threat would need to be dealt with accordingly. Smiling as he watched the Arimythian children roll down the side of the grassy knoll with laughter, he determined that these thoughts would wait for one more day, and then he would approach his Arimythian counterpart concerning their departure.
