Thread: Under the Thumb of a Tyrant (Valanaer x Swagbeast)

Cain took a step out of his tent and into the chill morning, looking out at all the soldiers occupying the armies main camp, a fortified ruin on the edge of enemy territory. He had been fighting by these men for a some time, as an officer he knew the inner workings of the army and it had revealed a lot. At first he had been brought in from the main military forces to be one of the leaders of the new religious army and it had seemed like a worthy cause. It was only as time went on that he realized just how wrong he had been, how ridiculous the battles he now took part in were. To start they were not fighting another force, they were fighting pockets of resistance, people trying not to be slaughtered because of their religious beliefs. The people they killed were nothing but civilians, sure some were trained soldiers and there were a few provinces that held out against them but for the most part they were ordered to kill people who didn't belong in fights. That wasn't the worse of it. Cain had fought against peasants before, put down misguided resistances, but what he hadn't done was served under a tyrant and alongside trash. That was what it had eventually come to as the military campaign went on and as the tyrant leader of theirs came down upon the people who opposed her even harder, as it seemed the more they resisted the harsher she became. She even began assigning the officer positions to criminals, men who got results but used dishonorable tactics and had no respect . He had witnessed fellow officers rape women from the rebel villages, taking them by force and looting everything of value before burning a town to the ground. He had tried to put it out of his mind and do his job but he couldn't do it anymore and he had been up all night pondering what course of action to take, and he had come to the conclusion that he had to take action. He had decided to talk to their esteemed leader, sure it wasn't his place but if he could bring this to her attention it was worth it. Cain was a member of the Stark family, an old house that had quite a bit of power once upon a time, and a family that still held aristocratic status. He had decided to join the military young and although he was only 28, he had achieved the rank of officer and proven himself an able combatant many times over, not to mention him being a man that few could match with a sword. With a natural charisma he was a respected commander, even veteran soldiers following him into battle and usually he could sway people. He hoped it would be enough this time, that he would be able to convince their leader to straighten out her forces, that or he would have to consider alternate methods of ridding the army of the scum that had taken officer positions. He had made up his mind though and he had waited long enough for her to be up before leaving his tent, so when he did he didn't stand around long and instead turned and began walking through the camp. It didn't take long for him to reach the old Cathedral, now fortified as the main base for their forces. A few guards were standing post outside the huge wooden doors, and Cain had to explain his reason for coming before they let him inside, even at his status they were careful, no doubt because she had made many enemies, even among the troops. Inside was no less protected, more guards in the main area inside, the downstairs containing her personal guard. The staircase was especially well guarded, as the leader was the only one who stayed on the upper level where she had set up a quite luxurious personal area for herself, much more grand than the tents used by soldiers and officers. He didn't go up the stairs, instead he made it to the bottom of the stairs and stopped, the guards not letting him go any further and forcing him to wait for her to come to him, no doubt ordered not to let any unworthy one up to see the woman.