It had been an entire day since I heard anything from the scouting team. But in that time frame I was able to get wounded back to the Palace, and the dead where they belong. The field constantly smelt like rotting flesh and stale blood. It was not an appealing smell, but it was getting better every time we burned a batch of bandit bodies. We did them in small piles so we wouldn’t cause a huge grass fire. We didn’t have the water supply around to be able to stop such a huge fire. So small piles where just more convenient. With the last pile burned this morning, the forest was safe from hazards for one more day. Not that there was much of a forest anyway.
It was a small meadow that surrounded us. Perfectly plowed fields laid scattered about in preparation for the early spring seeding. But now with the master of the house
We trekked through the forest until we came upon the camp site of these would think bandits. It seemed quiet at this base of theirs. Small groups of mercenaries walked down the dirt path between the houses, chatting quietly while the scanned the perimeter. They seemed nervous and on edge as they glanced between each other, holding their swords down at their sides, almost like they were expecting an attack. With having scanned the surrounding area, they walked onto the porch of an old, battered home and shut the door. Something didn’t feel right. The air seemed tense and on edge. Even my skin prickled as I scanned the small, abandoned village. Dreadfort was a very historical battle sight between my father’s Kingdom, and the Kingdom that laid just North of us. This village use to be
Nothing about this meeting made any sense to me. Who was that man and his mistress that they kept talking about? Why would they go after Illia when she was just a mere Princess? She had no real power of authority besides ordering the servants around and bossing around the people of the Kingdom as well. Other than that, she couldn’t make executive decisions or even make any laws. It was out of her jurisdiction. She was basically just a trophy that my father harbored under his wing until she could find a suitor. I could understand if they where trying to kidnap her for a ransom, but they where talking about killing her. I wonder if Illia had done something wrong to anger a nearby Kingdom. It was thanks to the river that passed through our lands that we had made some enemies. It has been awhile, and it w
I could feel the exhaustion of the last few days fall over me. My body ached with every step; my head throbbed at every slight of sound. I was sleep deprived I knew that. I could feel the heavy lids of my eyes droop as I slowly walked to my father’s study. All I wanted to do now was sleep in the soft cushions of my bed. Or maybe even relax in the warmth of my tub. I just wanted all of the anxieties of the last few days to melt away. But having to address my father with the current situation was a high priority. With my sister’s safety already addressed, I was at peace with having to deal with him. Thankfully though I wasn’t alone. General Bregus strode by my side, his stance held higher than my own. His bags under his eyes where evident like myself, but he was used to the struggles of sleepless nights and battle worn fatigue. I myself was not as use to it yet.&nbs
With a satisfied sigh, I plopped myself down on the edge of my bed, toweling off my still damp hair. I missed my bathtub and its warm relaxing waters. I missed the scent of the lavender soap that wafted the air and sank into my skin. I missed being clean. With the itch dirt no longer invading my body, I felt like I could take on another battle. I wanted to conquer another Mercenary camp and take on the evils of the world. Of course, I knew this feeling was temporary and that as soon as the feeling wore off, I was going to become dead weight again. I might as well take advantage of this feeling while I still had energy and get some work done. I could only imagine how much work had piled up in my absence. I rose from the edge of my bed and headed towards my desk. A neat pile of papers were stacked on the corner. With a gasp of disbelief,
I sat staring at my desk, the papers threatening to spill over with the new documents that had arrived. Even though the stack was just barely reaching the tip of my lap, I still felt like it was looming over me, threatening to topple and drown me in its wake. I could feel my eye twitch in annoyance, knowing for a fact now that my father was indeed assigning more paperwork as a punishment for my disobedience to return home. I suppose he could use the break though. After all that’s all he these days was slave over paper work. I better get use to it, because once he steps down or passes on, it will become my full responsibility. I picked up the first document and scanned diligently over the contents. It mostly explained the contents of the damage done by the Mercenary gang had
“Has our Prisoner spoken yet?” I asked approaching the jail cell that Emmanuel was staying in. It was so dark and gloomy down in the dungeon that even I was starting to feel uncomfortable. There where no windows to illuminate the dark and decrepit room. The air was full of moisture and it stank heavily of stale mold. I swear I felt like I was swallowing an ocean every time I inhaled. We seldom have any prisoners, at least ones worthy of keeping around. Negligence was the key reason the dungeon had gotten so bad, but at this rate having a maid clean down here would be beyond punishment. Hopefully, he would speak up soon so we wouldn’t have to keep coming down here. “Ah greetings Princess Alliah! No, I unfortunately regret to inform that he has refused to say a single word. He has a very strong will power. I don’t think basic torture is going to get anythin
I found the General wandering down the hallway, completely lost in thought. His eyebrows where scrunched together, and his eyes where cast to the ground. His once bright gray eyes seemed to grow darker as he continued with his train of thought. I have never seen him look so perplexed before. Something was bothering him, that much was evident, but what would make him seem so worried. I wonder if he had heard the rumor too. If anyone were going to cause a huge fuss over this, it would be him. Ever since I was young, he had always been over protective of me. He acted more like a father than even my own, so relied heavily on his judgement and advice. I don’t think I could accept though it if came down to Nicklos. He didn’t know him like I do. At least he didn’t know him like I thought I did. &
Marquise and I had sat for hours already, scanning through document after document, hoping to find anything related to the incidents from last week. With each passing paper, I could tell that he was getting tired, or maybe just even bored, from scanning through all these papers. Every hour that passed, he would start to slow, his form slowly slumping over the table. But he was a champ because he didn’t ever complain once about being stuck in a stuffy room mulling over numerous documents. But the discourage upon his face told me that he had no hope we would find what we where looking for. Unfortunately, even though I was use to this sort of thing, I was starting to lose hope as well. “Can we call it a day your Majesty? I can tell from the doorway to the hall that the sun is starting to set and quite honestly, I am famis