March

        With a collective effort all of the earth elementalists in army reached out and removed the heavy rock roof that had concealed them. Sunlight cascaded down onto the camp as Reinhardt and Roas left his temporary room. Covering her eyes, Roas pushed Reinhardt's shoulder playfully.

        "Thank you for keeping me company last night. I needed to keep my mind occupied before we tore down the camp and moved out."

        "Roas, remember what I taught you. There will not be very much time to practice before we leave and it will be hard to apply these concepts while in battle, but if you can, than you will be unmatched by nearly everyone on the field."

        "I will never forget what you have taught me Reinhardt." Turning to face him she paused for a moment, waiting for him to notice her stare. Ignoring her he placed his sword into it's sheath and locked it in place. Wrapping his cape around his body, he clipped it back into place and started to walk. Matching his pace the younger woman was uncomfortable close to him as they moved through the crowd of people.

        "When we reach Klaas and the others I need to know that you wont tell them about what happened to you last night. We don't know what would happen if they found out that you could become a fire master, and to be completely honest I don't believe I agree with what Klaas is trying to do."

        "I thought you joined us because you wanted to help our cause?" Roas took hold of his arm and wouldn't let go, forcing Reinhardt to face her. Having never been this straight forward before he knew he didn't have a choice but to answer her question.

        "What I told the council wasn't true. I don't agree with what you are trying to do. My only goal is to crush the four winds for what they did to Briccio." Without letting go she moved closer to him. Their height difference was drastic and Roas was almost looking straight up at Reinhardt.

        "You're lying, that isn't what you want. What are you actually after?"

        "In the end, my only desire is to end the War of Greed, and to do that I will remove those responsible for it from power." Looking away from her stare Reinhardt could see Klaas approaching. "Understand that one day this may place us onto separate sides of the battlefield."

        "I will never fight against you. That is a promise." Within her eyes he could see the truth in what she said. Wiping away a tear she turned towards Klaas and gave a cheerful wave, one that was absent of any worries, pain, or sadness. Reinhardt hadn't given her enough credit, she was more skilled than he had thought.

        "Good morning! I hope you all slept well because today will be one of the most important days of your life. The camp has already begun to move and the men you will be leading have saddled their horses and gathered to await your orders." 

        "Where are our horses? I wish to leave immediately if we are to reach the ambush point before Astreaus arrives." 

        Pointing towards a large mass of soldiers gathering nearby Reinhardt left them standing alone and worked his way through the crowd. Happily waving goodbye, Roas followed after him. Each of the larger man's steps took three of hers to cover. Eventually she had to resign to running to catch him.

        "You left in a hurry Reinhardt. Is everything okay?" 

        "It's time you start getting your mind ready for this war. Remember what I told you last night Roas, I am not here to fight this battle for you all. During the initial assault I will keep them from breaking our advance with their elementalists and do what I can to increase our own power." Having finally reached the mass of soldiers he looked them over. Most of the men looked no more than farmers compared to the seasoned knights serving Klaas. Reinhardt understood what a diversion was, but didn't appreciate the slaughter they were likely to meet at the hands of Astreaus.

       Searching the crowd carefully he spotted what he was looking for. Moving through the men with force he broke through them all until he stood before a large black warhorse. Reinhardt placed his hand on the animals neck and felt his breathing. It had been a long time since he had ridden a horse, but he was happy to do it once again.

       A strong hand grabbed hold of his cloak and turned him suddenly. The size of the man now standing in front of him surprised him. It was rare for men to reach Reinhardt's size, but to be larger was even more rare.

       "Why are you touching my horse?!" Beer soaked the man's beard and breath. Men like this lived lives of drunk fun and crimes similar to the ones that took his family. If not for their looming death he would have made sure they sobered up before the assault. Deciding it wasn't worth the effort he went for a more direct approach. A loud crack echoed through the area as three of the man's teeth fell to the ground. People all around watched Reinhardt carefully to see what was going to happen next, more curious about what had led to altercation.

       Silence fell over his men as Reinhardt mounted the saddle on his new horse. Without having spoken a single word everyone knew he was in charge, and that he was the man elementalists had begun to fear. Having never laid eyes upon him before the carefully crafted image he had wanted to depict did exactly as intended.

       "Today your lives mean nothing. Follow me now and I can guarantee that tomorrow will be the first day your exploits will be spoken of, and they will continue to be spoken of for hundreds of years to come." Turning away he nudged his mount into a gentle walk and didn't turn back. Roas followed closely behind on her simple brown mare without speaking a word. Within minutes the entire camp was following behind a man who had turned away from his life as a simple farmer, and taken up his place as a Death Elementalist.

Author's Note

In this chapter Reinhardt accepts his role as a leader, and takes control of the force provided for his assault. This is also the first time he notices that Klaas is setting him up for failure, but decides to continue with the mission for the greater good of the effort.