Berengar and Hasan stood within the confines of the Granadan Royal Palace; throughout their absence in Aquitaine, the situation within Portugal had deteriorated rapidly. Though the Austrian Jaegers and Grenadier Guards were initially sent behind enemy lines to disrupt the border, they soon were embroiled in a chaotic and lawless region where deserters from the Portuguese Army ravaged the land as nothing more than filthy brigands.
The true extent of this lawlessness remained unknown. Still, one thing remained certain, a massive army of foreign peasants would soon be arriving in Portugal, whether or not they were capable of restoring order to the Portuguese Crown or would engage in the same criminal behavior as the soldiers of the Portuguese Army remained to be seen.
