By the turn of Winter 491, the AELON had retreated from most of Eastern Europen and had confined themselves to the safety behind the first major line of defence into the western region of the continent. River Wada remained an important network of fortresses and trading hubs that continuously fuelled harmonious or threatening interactions between the two distinct nations of Zhermannen and Lechen. However, following the end of the Second Calamity, new borders were redrawn, and new strategies had to be created for these new territories. Despite being formal allies, Zhermannen and Lechen were still bitter rivals. Both kingdoms built forts, walls, and trenches along either bank of the river, but these structures remained untested, unused, until the Third Calamity, when it was too late. When the Rus overran Lechen, they commandeered the defences of their enemies. The AELON could do nothing but wait as the Rus gathered its strength while the League continued to stagnate from their prior defeats. However, no one could have predicted that the Rus would dare an assault across the river so soon, not to mention, during the winter. The AELON were caught off guard, and many of their leaders, sensing that total defeat was an inevitability they were simply delaying, betrayed the alliance in hopes that they would surrender to the Rus on more favourable terms. If its leaders had stood and fought, perhaps the Sixth Kingdom would not have been so easily ended. Instead, it was swept away by the Rus, which needed not even a breeze.1234 copyright protection287ＰＥＮＡＮＡcNus44n49t 尼