Middle-Earth: Kaen, Lord of Light

"Don't say that, old man. You never promised me anything. In fact, I would've done it regardless of whether you agreed or not."

Kaen didn't take Gandalf's words too seriously—after all, the wizard had never been part of his original plan. The only reason he brought him in now was because of the dark power lurking within the lord's castle. That was why he intended to send Gandalf to request aid from Lord Elrond.

Kaen said calmly, "There's nothing wrong with this outcome. There's an old saying: 'Good fortune may lie in calamity, and calamity may lie in good fortune.'"

"Blessings and misfortunes are often intertwined. At the very least, we've discovered the truth—that the Troll-woods harbor so many dark creatures. And as for the dark power inside the lord's castle... rather than wait for the two forces to merge in the future, it's better to strike first. This is what I meant by snuffing out danger while it's still in the cradle."

Gandalf shot Kaen a side-eye.

With a hint of irritation, he said, "I'm not blaming you. I'm blaming myself—for rashly agreeing to your request without fully understanding the enemy's strength, and even going so far as to send word to Elrond."

"You must understand, once war breaks out, it won't just be a matter of one or two casualties. The fates of countless people rest in the hands of those who command. Every sacrifice must have meaning."

"I don't know where your confidence comes from, Kaen, but I can't ignore the lives of the thousands of free folk living in this town. One of a wizard's duties is to protect them."

Hearing this, Kaen lowered his gaze. He knew he hadn't done enough reconnaissance in advance, so he didn't try to make excuses. Instead, he offered a sincere apology: "I'm sorry. I should've been better prepared."

"This isn't the time to argue about that," Gandalf said, shaking his head. His expression hardened with resolve. "What we need to do now is rally every bit of strength we can and annihilate that army of Orcs."

…..

Slave Market

Kaen, Gandalf, and Caden arrived at the slave market.

"Lord Kaen."

Will and Balord greeted them, accompanied by a woman dressed in a flowing violet gown.

Kaen turned to Will and asked, "How did the task I gave you go?"

"Rest assured, my lord. All the slaves here now belong to you. Also, regarding Balord…"

He trailed off and glanced at Balord and the woman in the purple gown beside him.

"Well…" Balord cleared his throat and gestured to the woman. "Lord Kaen, this is my cousin, Tifa. Her family runs an arms business. When she heard from Will that you're short on equipment, I invited her here."

Tifa was stunning—likely in her twenties—with cascading golden curls, bright eyes, and flawless makeup. Confidence and sharp intellect radiated from her every movement.

She looked at Kaen with curiosity and said, "Kaen Eowenríel, you look younger than I expected… and quite handsome, too."

Kaen smiled lightly and gave a courteous nod. "A pleasure to meet you, Lady Tifa. Your compliment, in this autumn chill, feels warmer than spring sunlight."

After the brief introductions, everyone moved into Balord's sitting room. Even Bree, the old lord's second son, had been brought along.

Kaen wasted no time with pleasantries.

"I'll be blunt," he said. "There's an army of eight thousand Orcs marching toward Azure Spring as we speak. By nightfall, they'll launch their assault."

"Until the Elves of Rivendell arrive, we must hold the town. So I need to know exactly how many able men and weapons we have."

Will responded promptly, "My lord, you currently have the old lord's 104 personal guards, 110 strong laborers, and 300 healthy men. Altogether, that gives us a force of 514."

"In the past few days, I've purchased a good number of weapons in town—swords, spears, bows—enough to arm about a hundred men. Unfortunately, we have no armor."

Balord added, "Lord Kaen, I command fifty guards of my own. They'll fight."

"Oh?" Kaen raised an eyebrow. "Weren't you planning to stay out of this conflict?"

Balord chuckled awkwardly. "Well… thanks to a few words from Will, I've had a change of heart."

Will quickly recounted what he'd said to Balord.

Kaen looked at Will with approval, then nodded to Balord. "What Will said is true. I do need people, weapons, food… If you can provide them, I'll gladly pay you in gold."

"Then I'm grateful, Lord Kaen," Balord said with a beaming smile, then turned to glance at his cousin Tifa.

Balord had already briefed her on Kaen before they arrived, so Tifa wasn't surprised by the direction of the conversation.

She thought for a moment, then said, "I came to Azure Spring because the new lord, Brill, had ordered a batch of gear from our family business. The order included 300 sets of leather armor, 300 sets of chainmail, 250 spears, 50 bows, and 3,000 arrows—worth more than 2,000 gold coins."

"Originally, I was supposed to deliver the gear directly to him. But for some reason, his castle has been sealed shut for the past couple of days, and yesterday we missed the agreed delivery date."

"Now that you plan to rise against him, I doubt he'll live long. He has only 300 soldiers, while you have over 500."

"I'm a merchant. Profit comes first. Since he didn't honor his end of the deal, if you can pay me the 2,000 gold, the equipment is yours."

This unexpected offer was like a gift from the heavens for Kaen. Three hundred full sets of gear—ready and waiting—was a godsend in this desperate hour.

He quickly nodded. "I'll pay you 2,000 gold. If possible, I'd also like to establish a long-term partnership with your family. I'll need a great deal of arms and equipment."

At that, Tifa's eyes sparkled. She agreed without hesitation.

"Of course. Our family has been in the arms business across the Western Continent for generations. As long as the price is right, we can supply you with the finest weapons and gear."

…..

With the arrangements in place, Kaen turned his gaze to Bree, who had been silent until now.

"Your brother, Brill, has become… unhinged. Can you tell us anything about him?"

Bree responded slowly, "Perhaps I used to know him… but he's no longer the man he was."

He continued, "My brother was once hot-tempered, yes, but he was also a just man. He treated me well, and respected our father deeply."

"But that all changed six Months ago."

According to Bree's account, Brill had once been a brash yet righteous youth. But six Months prior, something in him had shifted. He became irritable, bloodthirsty, aggressive. He often locked himself in his chambers, or wandered out to pick fights—sometimes killing his opponents outright.

It was around that time that Brill also began to fall out with the family. In the worst moments, he even lashed out with venomous words.

Bree couldn't understand what had caused his once-loving brother to change so drastically. Hoping to uncover the truth, he had traveled to Rivendell to consult their sister, Joanna.

But he found nothing.

When he returned, he was greeted with tragedy—his father had suddenly died, Brill seized the lordship, and without a word of explanation, threw Bree into the dungeon.

There, Bree was tortured for a Month, then sold off as a slave.