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As the forced stalemate continued, more and more Northerners defected to the South. Whenever someone would go to cross over to the other Westbeech, they would often see countless field hospitals absolutely stuffed with injured soldiers. Towns where the fighting would take place were empty when there was no firefight. Many would be stopped by military personnel patrolling the borders and brought somewhere safe. That is, if they had reached the South. Many of those who attempted to flee the North were shot on sight, others being arrested and brought back to their home town.

At a town not far from Pubsberg, a young Northern soldier, no older than 16, stopped a mother and her three children from going to the South. The woman begged the young man to let her go, as there truly was only one Westbeech, and the Westbeech under Lilie Korban was the only way forward. The young soldier's stoicism wavered for a moment. What if he had been brought to the wrong side? What truly gave Marlene any right to the dictatorship? The boy looked around him. There was no sign of other soldiers in the area. He then turned to the woman and said, "Then it is only right to flee."

The boy then put his rifle on his back and motioned for the family to follow him. They passed through a town that was destroyed by the Southern counter-batteries during the siege of Pubsberg. There was not a single peep from any house, no lights. Behind them, a Leopard 2 passed at the end of the town, quickly followed by running soldiers. Luckily, those men were not searching for defectors.

Outside the town, they ran up a hill and straight into a command tent. The young soldier who was running ahead had tripped over a wire that was running behind the tent from a generator, falling straight into the tent. Almost immediately, a soldier picked the boy up. He could hear the mother crying somewhere behind him. He couldn't see anything, as something had been placed over his head. The boy felt some pressure on his shoulders while a calm voice told him to sit down.

When sitting down, the blindfold put over his eyes was removed and he found himself next to a fire in a staff chair. Straight across from him was Lilie Korban, who was looking the boy over. She herself was barely older than him. How a young girl was able to lead a country was a spectacle to the elders of the region, but then again, almost every leader in Westbeech had taken over at a surprisingly young age. The boy asked, "Where is the mother and her children? They were crying. What happened to them?"

Lilie smiled and said, "They are going to be given a tent to stay the night. In the morning, they will be brought further South where they will be safe. We ran a quick background check and found out that the mother's husband had died fighting for the North and I'm glad to say I won't have to say the same thing for you." She reached into a bag next to her and brought out a picture of herself, her brother, and her cousins. Her smile faded as she looked at it herself, the memories of her happy, privileged childhood and of the great friendship between herself and her family. "Fratricide is all that is happening. We are killing our brothers and sisters for the sake of whatever Marlene has claimed. I know her well, and I feel that this war should not have happened. Something out of her control caused this, something that influences her greater than I know. I don't want this war to be more unnecessary deaths and I want you to be given this choice. Stay here in the South and be free, use your abilities to do whatever it is you wish to do here. You may also return to the North and face the consequences there. I do not want a man dead by my own volition, so please choose the former."

The boy had just been looking at Lilie in awe and the question had gone in one ear and out the other. After a moment of silence and Lilie's expression turning to a look of worry, the boy shook his head and started laughing. "I can't comprehend all of this. I must be dreaming. I shouldn't be speaking to the leader of Westbeech as a conscript."

Lilie placed her hand on top of the boy's and said softly, "This is real, it all is. Stay in the south, for sake of your own safety and future. Don't throw your livelihood away because reality seems a dream." Lilie motioned for an officer nearby. "Give this boy my tent for the night, I will be staying with the family that came with him."

With that, Lilie smiled, got up, and left to the command tent while the officer helped the boy up and to the large tent. Once inside, the officer left the boy alone. He couldn't comprehend what had just happened and much less where he was now. Exhausted from all that had happened and his attempt to process it all, he stumbled to the bed and quickly fell asleep.