[*]
His eyes, dark as lacquer, flickered with firelight, deep and grim.
The young man's eyes were usually so clear, but now they seemed shrouded in a black mist.
After a long moment, he said in a low voice, "So it was a dead end after all."
A hush fell, broken only by the CRACKLE and POP of the fire.
"Little General," Amy clapped her hands lightly and grinned at him. "Weren't you the one who wanted to serve the country with utmost loyalty, swearing to die for it? Why so scared now?"
"If I had been born in a time of chaos, with no one but myself to worry about, my death would mean nothing. But now, with my family and country in peril, even if I'm willing to die in service, I fear it won't be enough to save a great house from collapsing."
