Maximus stood there, struck dumb and full of awe-struck shock at the gruesome sight spread out across the floor – bodies everywhere, scattered haphazardly as if tossed aside like broken toys. The Princess, who'd always been overly sensitive to this kind of brutal gore, had already buried her face deep against Maximus's back, her shoulders trembling slightly against him. Most of the fallen had either lost their heads entirely, or been sliced clean through the chest; it was clear someone had done this on purpose, someone cruel and evil down to their very core.
"Clean all the bodies!"
"Y... Yes sir!"
When the order went out to the dark elves, they didn't hesitate for even a second – immediately moving to gather up their dead comrades and clear away the mess. Maximus just stood there with his hands clenched so tight his knuckles were white, rage burning hot in his chest.
"Who could've possibly done something like this... who in the hell would even think to?..."
It hit him all at once then, and his eyes snapped toward a nearby tree – the trunk was cracked bad with a huge crater blasted right through it, and sitting up on one of the thick low branches was Jyle. Without a second thought, Maximus gently pushed the Princess to the side and stormed over, reaching up to grab Jyle by the front of his clothing, yanking him forward as he shouted loud enough to echo through the trees.
"Jyle! I know you know something about this – either you know who did all this, or are you the one pulling strings behind the scenes?! Are you really plotting to betray us all?!"
Jyle wasn't having any of it though – he shoved Maximus back hard, catching hold of the hand that had him by the collar and forcing it away with more strength than he usually showed.
"Betray? What the actual fuck am I supposed to gain from betraying anybody like this?! I let him get away for all of your goddamn sakes, remember that! This is all just one huge messed up misunderstanding – I'm the only one around here who could even take out this many dark elves by myself! And for the record... no. I didn't kill a single one of them, Max. I tried so hard to protect every last one of them, I really did! But... well. Nothing ever goes the way we plan it, does it..."
Jyle's voice gave out then, and he broke down into heavy tears, covering his face with both hands as his body slumped forward a little. Maximus just stood there looking down at him, all that fiery anger melting away into deep sympathy.
"Look, I'm truly sorry–"
"Yeah right, sorry?! What even was the point of us planning to attack the fire elves just to help the forest elves anyway?! Everything in this cursed forest keeps trying to kill us one way or another! We can't keep going like this – we can't afford to lose another whole battalion of our soldiers to whatever's waiting out there!"
The Princess had made her way over to them by then, and she laid a soft hand on Maximus's shoulder. When he turned to look at her, he saw her beautiful face was etched with nothing but worry and quiet trust – it helped him pull himself together before he spoke again to Jyle.
"I know nothing about this whole thing has been easy, not even for a second. And let's be real here – this is just the first stage of what we're up against. We'll probably run into things way more dangerous than whatever you came face to face with just a few hours back. But we can't just–"
"We have to give up. Right now."
The words hit both Maximus and the Princess like a punch to the gut. Giving up meant turning tail and heading back to the dark forest without ever fighting the real war they'd set out to win. It meant their king would be overthrown for sure, cast aside and replaced by someone else... and the Princess would lose her place too, maybe even her life.
"No! We absolutely can't do that, Jyle! If we turn back now then every single thing we've planned and worked for will be completely useless! Maximus's plan was solid from the moment we all agreed to follow it! We have to keep marching forward – even if it means some of our friends won't make it with us. I know it sounds like I don't care when I say it like that but... we have to make sure their deaths aren't for nothing!"
Jyle finally looked up then, his eyes red and puffy from crying – and he saw the Princess was giving him a small, shaky smile even as tears slowly rolled down her own cheeks after she'd finished speaking. Maximus held out his hand toward him, his expression steady and sure.
"Stand up. You're my most trusted friend and companion in this whole world – I need you to be on your feet with me."
Deep down, Maximus had never really doubted Jyle at all. The Jyle he knew would never just throw in the towel like that, and he'd always been the first one to offer comfort and support when things got tough. After a moment's pause, Jyle reached out and took his hand, letting Maximus pull him up as he used the back of his sleeve to wipe away the last of his tears.
"Are you both really alright with this? With me?"
"Right. Let's get this done once and for all... I swear I won't ever say anything like that again. Not as long as we're fighting this fight together."