- Laith Taher 299
about his brother, killing him, and the way Florrie had
tricked him.
He had stayed that way ever since he returned from
the hunting trip. He reached a horrible and painful end. His
life became like hell as remorse was so strong that it
prevented him from having any peace of mind. A lifetime
could not heal what he was going through. Only retaliation
from Florrie could spare him such long time to heal. But
that was impossible then, which made him delirious.
The Prouds were like stray beasts who did not know
what to do. They relied on the leader to make decisions,
prepare, and plan for battles. But their leader was in a
pitiful state and could not plan a fight with a cat, let alone
fighting a great army. Therefore, every one of the Prouds
refused to assume any responsibility, except Reynold. All
Reynold could think of at that moment was saving the tribe
from the king who was coming to destroy and annihilate it.
Holding Hammond, Milton, and the Small One accountable
for what they had done, did not matter then. Only the best
interest of the Prouds mattered to him.
“Stand up. You must prepare to lead us in our battle
against Matthew’s soldiers,” said Reynold firmly and
angrily.
Hammond hallucinated, “My brother... I killed my
brother. She left before I had my revenge.”
Reynold grabbed him by his collar, lift him up, and
shouted, “You must lead us in battle. You brought this
upon us and you have to act.”
But, Hammond did not reply, so Reynold left him to
go back to his seat against the wall.