"So have the plans been finished?" 

Edward grunted impatiently as his gaze flickered around the room at the other barons and lieutenants that were there. Penelope sat calmly amongst them as their gazes shifted over to Bennet. The baron gave a firm nod of his head before pulling out his map to demonstrate where the forces would be attacking the Younisians. As discussed before, the next battle would be closer to Myrefall. Bennet's plans were rather plain, sending most of the battalion to target one particular spot of the Younisian side. Penelope shifted her gaze over to Mia, who pursed her lips together as she listened to Bennet speak. 

"That's fine and all... But we should be more careful considering how close this battle is to our base." Mia said crossing her arms. "Let's focus on using our archers this time. Weaken their forces even more before we send out our ground forces."

"Not a bad idea." Edward muttered reluctantly. "But they're weak as it is. We should just focus on pushing them with our ground forces like Bennet has here. We could start to turn the tide after this battle. Three consecutive wins and soon victory will be ours."

"Exactly what I had in mind." Bennet grinned. 

Tomas frowned and shifted in his seat. "But our forces likely aren't much stronger than theirs right now... We may have one but we lost a good deal of numbers too. It might be a wiser option to adjust the plans to Mia's."

"Don't forget they lost their supplies too." Layth added this time with a snort. "They're still hurting from that and our victories. Now is the perfect chance to push against them again at full force."

Edward eyed Mia challengingly. "Playing it safe could cost us a bigger win." he told her. "I think you'd be wiser to just agree with us."

Mia held his gaze with a stubborn gleam in her eyes. After a moment of thinking it over, the baroness muttered, "Fine. We'll do it Bennet's way." 

Edward smirked, looking rather pleased. Penelope leaned back in her chair, thinking it over. Though Mia's idea was likely more strategic, she actually found herself in favor of Edward's. It sounded like if they managed to drive Younis further back in this battle, the end of the war could be on the horizon. It made her a little excited, especially since it would also mean Brerra's victory.  She didn't argue against it, despite both Mia and Tomas looking a little reluctant to agree with the others. Wanting to change the subject before the baroness went back on her word, Penelope flickered her gaze between the barons. 

"So when is this battle going to happen?" she asked. 

"It shouldn't take too long to prepare the troops." Bennet mused. 

"But we need everyone to be fully ready for this kind of attack." Mia spoke up narrowing her eyes challengingly at the other two barons. "Give the battalion at least a week before we head off to fight again."

"A week!" Edward scoffed. "That's ridiculous. We've had plenty of time since the last battle. I say in two days!"

"Do you want to win this or not?" Mia challenged. "You're asking a lot of your troops after enduring two battles in a row. In order to make these plans work, everyone needs to be ready. Otherwise, Younis will gain an advantage over us again in no time."

Edward glared at her in frustration. "Fine! A week then but no longer!"

"Thank you." Mia said bitterly.

---

The meeting didn't last much longer. The barons finalized a few small details before letting their lieutenants go to relay the message of when the next battle would be. Penelope spoke with a couple of the high ranking knights among them, making sure the word was spread properly since Mia had stressed about how everyone needed to be prepared. By the time she finished, it had grown late in the night and she was eager to go to bed. The following day she'd be able to meet with Crow again and this time she actually have some news for him about the upcoming battle. 

[i]At least it's not as soon as two days..[/i] She thought with relief as she laid down for the night. The female knight didn't find it hard to drift off to sleep despite her excitement to see the thief again and so soon. She fell into a deep sleep, one filled with dreams of her trip to Younis and the war.