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Balgruuf

I looked down on the bound men and women kneeling before me.

”Present me their leader,” I commanded from horseback.

One of the Reachmen glanced up at me, hatred in his eyes. “Our lord is a Prince!” he spat, reddish liquid leaving his bloodied lip. He was too low however, and the liquid was spread on the floor. For his impudence, a nearby guard delivered a kick into his stomach. The man moaned in pain as he fell front-face onto the dirt.

For a moment, I glanced up to scan the aftermath of the battle, and it was the picture perfect image of desolation.

Carrion birds squawked as they feasted on the dead, or perched themselves on where they could, patiently waiting to dive onto the dead being piled by stone-faced Nords. They had their work cut out for them, as the dead were many. Equipment and loot were going to be piled and distributed as a reward to those who proved themselves in the battle. Briefly, I coughed, as the wind picked up and the noxious smell of death punched it’s way into my nose. This was always the part of the battle that was difficult, taking in the odor of sweat, blood, and suffering. It was difficult to build-up a resistance to at first, and the first time I had vomited my breakfast on the floor.

I mean, it takes a special kind of stomach to tolerate the aftermath of a battle. I forced myself to get used to the smell though, as I was going to see shit like this in the future and being queasy about it wasn’t going to help me in the future.

I turned back from looking at the dead and back into the kneeling Reachmen under me. As I did, a pair of men approached us carrying a stretcher, on it was a body wrapped with the Reachmen’s banner, and on it was a bronze-tinted helmet.

Immediately, I recognized who the body might be. And so did the Reachmen, as they wailed as the stretcher-bearers got closer.

Honestly, it was rather difficult to not feel sorry for these guys. They had dreams of freedom and we basically just crushed it. And plus, seeing other humans crying their hearts out also was, well, difficult to not feel sorry for as well. But I had to remember that these were Reachmen, who worshiped deplorable Daedra and did deplorable shit in their name. Plus, what I had done and will do was for the benefit of Whiterun. I had to think of my people and Hold first rather than these guys.

”Take the body, and burn it,” I commanded.