1. Raelynn Rosevelt

The blazing hot sun was shining brightly on the training grounds and its harsh rays fell on the men who were practicing their skills with great zeal and determination. They did not care about the scorching heat as it was a daily occurrence to them and they continued with their exercise. Perspiration dripped from their faces like molten ice and vanished into their clothes. However, it was not something they loathed. To them, it was a display of their strength and their capabilities, a prize which they liked to exhibit with pride. The arrows swished through the air and gunshots were heard everywhere and the man repeated it until they perfected their marksmanship.

Amidst the chaos and the noise, a man dressed in black was walking around the passage observing everyone on the training ground. His eyes were fixed on them like a hawk as he scrutinized everybody's capabilities and every now and then, he would bark orders for his men to improve and work on their weaknesses. 

The training ground was huge and there were a lot of men in there practicing their skills, not even caring about their exhausted bodies. It was not the time to think about themselves when their kingdom would be at war at any time. Their enemy was keeping them on their toes by sending them false signals and they wanted to be prepared in case they attacked their land one fine day.

The man in black continued to survey the arena when suddenly he noticed a knight, who did not come under his command, rushing towards him from the other end of the passage. The hallway was long and it surrounded more than half of the arena. So, it took some time for the knight to approach him. 

The man placed his hands on his hips in an imposing manner as he waited for the knight to calm down. His demeanor was not something to be ignored, not when he was the Knight Commander of the battalion. He was just second in command in the order of chivalry and the knight who had come running to him bowed to him as a symbol of respect when he calmed himself. He pushed back the hair that had fallen on his forehead before he wiped the sweat.

"Is anything the matter? What was so important for you to come running here at this time of the day, Sir Barlowe?"

The knight was surprised to hear his superior call his name especially when he did not belong to his battalion. The man was trained under another Commander and he was here to convey an important message.

The man noticed the look of shock on the young knight's face and he smiled mysteriously. "I keep tracks of all the people who are in charge of guarding the Lord. Now, tell me what brings you here?"

"Sir Laurier, I am here on the orders of the Lord. He has sent a letter to the Commander of the East Batallion." The Kingdom of Volar had four battalions: North, South, East and West Battalions, which took charge of keeping the kingdom and the people safe and preventing any enemy to enter from the respective directions they were in charge of. The man who was here to convey the message belonged to the North battalion and he had been appointed as the guard to protect the Lord immediately after his training.

"What letter?" Laurier asked, his eyebrows narrowing at the man who stood respectfully before him. 

Barlowe then retrieved a letter from the inner pockets of his coat and handed it over to the Knight Commander. "The Lord has ordered me to hand it over to the Commander in charge or you and not to anybody else." The man uttered and this time Laurier furrowed his eyebrows wondering what had happened now. They were already in a difficult predicament with their enemy keeping them on their toes. He did not want any more problems to add to their basket of troubles.

Laurier dismissed the young knight and stared at the letter that had the royal seal on it. He gazed at it intensely wishing its contents to reveal itself before him without him having to open it. He was the second in command and even though the Lord had ordered the knight to deliver the letter to either the Commander or the Knight Commander, Laurier did not attempt to open and see what it held. He knew that this act of his would surely irk his superior and this was something he did not have in mind.

So, he decided it was best to hand over the letter to the Commander and took the stairs to the first floor. The Commander's room was located on the first floor, just above the passage where he was standing a few minutes ago. It was right in the middle of the passage and from where he stood, he could see the entire arena at one glance. 

The Commander's room had the splendid glance of the entire ground and with just one look through the window, anybody could see what was happening outside. Laurier took one glance at the arena before he proceeded to knock at the door. While he waited for his orders to enter, he noticed a group of soldiers running down the steps with enthusiasm. Their faces were filled with emotions he was too familiar with. There was fear, zest and excitement in them and it was all because of one reason. They were thrilled to put their skills into practice in the war that would start any day from now.

Only when Laurier heard his Commander's voice, did he enter inside. However, to his surprise, the entire room was plunged into darkness and the thick curtains were drawn close, not allowing any light to pass through the window. If not for the torch at the wall behind the table that was burning lightly, there would have been no light even for him to see his next step. What was even more startling was that there was no one inside the room.

The man wondered how it was even possible when he had clearly heard his Commander. Blinking his eyes twice, he then ran them around the room once again and this time he noticed a dark silhouette at the farther end of the room. He padded softly lest his Commander should get annoyed by his noisy footsteps and halted before the couch. His eyes landed on the lady who was lying asleep on it as she took slow deep breaths. Though the room was dimly lit, he could make out that she was dressed in a black attire just like him.

Laurier's expressions changed from respect to fondness and he continued to gaze at her beautiful face. Her short brown hair had fallen over her forehead and she looked angelic in her sleeping state, utterly different from her usual brave and robust form. She was the only Lady Commander in the Kingdom of Volar and he prided on it that she was his superior, unlike many men who had other thoughts altogether. It hurt their ego to be led by a woman, but Laurier marveled at it. He knew how efficient she was. The woman before him was more skilled than any person he had known and she was the only one who had made him feel things he could not yet decipher.

Laurier was so deep in his thoughts that he did not realize when his hands had reached her cheeks. Before he could touch them, a strong arm held his wrists stopping him and startling him completely. His black eyes met her hazel colored eyes and his eyes widened suddenly. 

"Raelynn, you scared me." He whispered as withdrew his hands and sighed in relief when he noticed that she had not sensed his feelings. He had been careful enough to mask them when she had opened her eyes. Though he wanted to tell her everything, he was scared about her answer. He feared that if she did not reciprocate his feelings, it would become awkward between them and he did not want to ruin their amicable relationship.

"Who told you to come in like a cat? Why did you not make any noise?" The woman chided him as she hoisted her legs and got up immediately. She adjusted her holster and dusted her pants before she gave Laurier a smile that had him blanking out for a second.

Raelynn Rosevelt was the most charming woman he had ever met. Although she did not fall into the category of beautiful women, she had her charms that could attract men and that made her more alluring than those beautiful women. She had the courage and the stubbornness which the other graceful and doll-like women lacked and that was what pulled Laurier to her.

Raelynn noticed her friend's absentmindedness and she rolled her eyes at him. "Your disease has started to act up again. Why don't you listen to me and go visit the medics? I tell you that you need some serious therapy."

"Am I supposed to be laughing here? Are you mocking me?" The man retorted back immediately coming out of his thoughts on hearing her words. 

"Not at all. I am being serious here. You are sick and I am concerned." She sassed as she took a seat on the chair and gave him a thorough look. 

Shaking his head at the woman's ludicrous words, the man went to the windows and drew the curtains apart allowing the light to enter in. The sudden brightness in the room made Raelynn to scrunch her eyes and when she got adjusted to it, she glared at her friend. 

"Are you trying to scare me now?" He asked her as he looked at her innocently.

"What do you think?" She scoffed. Her expression changed when she noticed the letter in Laurier's hands and she became serious at once. "What's that?"

"The Lord has sent us a letter. I presume it's something urgent."

"Did you read it?"

"No. I didn't want to get killed for not handing it over to you."

"I appreciate your thinking." With that, Raelynn took the letter from him and started to go through it. Gradually, her expression changed to horror and finally, it settled on anger.

"What is written in there?" Laurier had been observing her and he found it perplexing to see her furious all of a sudden.

"We need to meet the Lord. Our enemies have sent death threats to him."