Returning to the capital and urgent preparations for defense...

Thinking about what had happened had a profound effect on Jason's psyche.

Grief and anger, disappointment and shame...

And a furious, but unsuccessful, search for a way out of this dire situation.

The journey back to the capital was swift.

A mounted detachment of Prince Jason's elite bodyguards galloped along Thicket's Road, accompanying Jason himself, who rode his swift, thoroughbred steed, lost in sorrowful thoughts.

The prince saw the dire consequences for the kingdom of his rash decision.

Piles of corpses on the battlefield...

The cries of horror and pain from those humans who tried unsuccessfully to flee...

The glow of fires over the villages located in the area near Thicket's Road...

Fate is a cruel bitch...

Just one decision - and the lives of many inhabitants of the Kingdom of Eborvair "burn away" like a small wax candle thrown into the flames of a volcano.

And the most ironic and cruel thing about all this is that all these many dead or enslaved people will end up in this "hell" not because of their own actions.

Not at all...

They will all die or become slaves of orcs because of the actions of one... just one noble prince, who should have protected his subjects—but managed only to bring them all to disaster.

Thoughts like these kept running through Jason's head.

"Perhaps Gellian's circumstances in the north are better? "Perhaps he could send me troops to bolster the capital's defenses?" - Jason reflects, but almost immediately realizes this is an illusory hope due to the slow pace of troop movements through the northern mountainous terrain and the small number of Gellian troops.

As he rode into Segh-Teinarel Castle with his mounted detachment of elite bodyguards, the prince saw crowds of frightened plebs refugees huddled near the castle walls.

Obviously, their attempt to find refuge was futile...

After all, the castle simply couldn't accommodate such a large number of people.

Complaints, screams, groans, tears...

The prince saw an endless stream of frightened faces from these plebs.

The head of the Prince's bodyguards, Captain-Commander Richard Einkirsh, approaches and leans over to say: "Your Highness... These noisy crowds of plebs are a problem... There's clearly not enough room for them in the castle... Besides, we don't have much food—it would be reckless to cut our warriors' rations..."

Richard Einkirsh's forehead is disfigured by a fresh scar...

Fortunately, the orc archers weren't accurate enough to leave the Prince's bodyguard without a leader...

Alas, many weren't so lucky: for example, after the battle, it was never determined whether Sir Denric Tahlane and Sir Neil Kayburn survived.

The Prince now recalls Sir Neil Kayburn with conflicting emotions: "Kayburn is almost certainly dead... But why the hell did I believe in the adequacy of that naive idiot's attack plan and allow our entire army to be routed?! Am I really an even bigger idiot than he was?!"

Richard Einkirsh coughs impatiently…

Prince Jason sighs and, gritting his teeth in self-annoyance, replies: "Begin a mass mobilization of all these plebs… We must create militia units from these crowds that will be at least minimally useful in the fight against the enemy… Use the most combat-ready militias to organize the castle's defense… Distribute the rest into small detachments that should be sent to the surrounding area to organize ambushes for the orcs… Let an ambush await the orcs in every small, dirty village! Use everyone… Regardless of gender or age… Carry out my order immediately, Captain-Commander!"

Richard Einkirsh bowed respectfully and gave the necessary orders: part of the prince's elite bodyguards stopped and began preparing of execution of order.

Soon, the prince and the rest of his bodyguards quickly arrived at the capital's central palace.

They dismounted and began to climb the steps.

Inside the palace, a line of court servants surrounded Prince Jason, helping him remove his armor.

"It's clear that the orc army will soon approach the capital's walls... I must organize a defense and crush their bloodthirsty hordes!" - prince thought.