249 Saving the Queen 15

"So, we're truly in the north now, huh?" Alex commented, his breath forming wisps in the frosty air as he scanned the rugged landscape before them. "To think that our journey here would take this long," he chuckled softly, shaking his head. "I can't tell whether that's a good thing or a bad thing."

Everyone around him nodded silently in agreement, their faces marked with fatigue and resolve. Their mission to reach this desolate northern region had been fraught with delays as they diverted to rescue and aid villages ravaged by the same turmoil that had befallen the small village of Alba.

From village to village, they witnessed the raw ugliness of human nature, laid bare by desperation and chaos. It was a sobering realization that not even the threat of execution could deter some from acts of cruelty and selfishness.