Chapter 2

• General Ril’m felt sticky, dusty, and slightly exhausted—not to mention, grumpy. Going to and coming from Gezzo City to see for herself that the report was authentic, she had no time to even refresh herself. She had been up the whole night after her arrival on the camp past midnight to do her own patrol while the six bastards were ordered to return to the barracks to rest before their punishment early in the morning.
• So far, on her observation with a couple of other generals and lower ranking officers that patrolled with her, there were no movements from the barbaric tribes of Royan Gue Kingdom further north. But who was to know when these barbarians were going to attack again? One of the spies she secretly communicated with had no news yet, but it didn’t mean there wasn’t something brewing up behind this peaceful façade at the moment.
• For fifteen years while living on the Northern Border, she was used to these enemies’ sly attacks now and then. She was only ten at the time, and she was trained to fight every single day and night for several years. It was physically and emotionally taxing, but she held out for the sake of survival. And she had to. It was important that she must survive no matter what. There were still a lot of people who owed her their life. She swore they would repay her someday.
• As soon as they finished their breakfast—composed of bread, goat cheese, pickled veggies, and smoked meat—they went on to drink tea. There was something in Commander-in-Chief General Daramir’s look on his face while regarding her from across the table outside his tent. Today was kind of different, unlike other days when they ate together.
• “Something on your mind, My Lord?” she asked with concern.
• “Nothing. I’m just… proud of you, Ril’m,” he answered with a serious face. There was something that crossed his eyes, which she couldn’t read, though.
• “Thank you, My Lord. I owe everything to you,” she replied humbly, her head slightly hanging.
• He reached for her hand that rested on the table and lightly patted it, shaking his head. “No, it’s all your hard work, my pet. Don’t forget everything that I taught you, hmm?”
• She nodded curtly, though feeling a bit weirded. Something was truly up with this old man. She put her mask on and watched him looking out at the border where there were treelines and the stonewall that separated them from the Royan Gue Kingdom. The approximately twenty-four-feet-high stonewall had withstood the enemies for more than a decade now. Still, there were bursts of occasional attacks, ones they couldn’t guess when. Hence, they were always vigilant night and day.
• Once, they were attacked during the day before the morning patrol. They lost some lives, but fortunately, they were able to suppress the two tribes that charged at their own territory.
• There was a mountain on the right side beyond the strong stonewall. They knew that the enemies camouflaged themselves to watch their movements from there, too. On the left was a prairie, a huge lake, and a forest, so it was easier to watch the said area. Nonetheless, there was no guessing what tactic those barbarians would do and use next. They seemed to evolve over time, just like their attack-and-defense techniques. For now, it was status quo.
• And yet, her hate was the same. It didn’t fade away over time, her silent vow never forgotten.
• “Commander-in-Chief!” A lookout trooper from the front gates called out.
• The two’s attention was drawn by the newcomer. He was breathless.
• “Speak,” Daramir ordered in his usual tight, authoritative voice.
• “The king’s Royal Envoy has just arrived!” the trooper reported, bowing his head.
• Both Ril’m and Daramir stood up erect upon hearing it. After just a few beats, they watched as King Xarius’ envoy in his usual shiny green garb and beret came on his strutting gi’z. There were a few royal guards with him, wearing blue-green robes with swords hanging on their waist.
• ‘What is this annoying person doing here again?’ she thought sourly, almost spitting on the ground. Her jaw tightened when her gaze met those silver-blue eyes.
• She never liked this man, who was now in his mid-thirties. He was about the same age as their king; she was told. But who cared? She didn’t. She didn’t like the royal family very much. Maybe second to her hate for the barbarians was this man. She never liked how he looked at her, almost always taking her clothes off. It was filled with unmasked lust that she’d get goosebumps all over. She always itched to reach for her saber that was always on her back. It always took all her effort and self-restraint to cut off this pervert’s head.
• It had been about five years since she met this man and was in and out of Fronduro Border’s garrison from then on. She could still remember it was shortly after she was promoted as a general and paid a visit in the kingdom’s capital, Karavil City, as ordered by the king himself.
• They both cupped their hands and bowed to the envoy in greeting. The latter jumped down from his gi’z, followed by the royal guards. He also cupped his hands and greeted them.
• “May I ask what brought you here, Royal Envoy Sui?” asked Daramir respectfully.
• The old Commander-in-Chief gestured for the envoy to have a seat, while Ril’m signaled General Hild’m to have someone bring water and food for the new arrivals. At the same time, she gave up her seat for the man in a green garb, who was smiling at her with his eyes, though he looked serious.
• “I’m here to pass on the royal message from the king. It’s actually from the royal palace’s young foreteller.”
• The old and young generals exchanged glances. Both wondered what it was. It was not the first time they heard that the king listened to the foreteller, and the message was always not good. The two braced themselves. Was it another possible attack?
• ‘Still, why would the king send this Royal Envoy to send the message? Couldn’t it be sent by an ordinary messenger or simply a rixeau?’ she asked herself.
• Rixeau were a type of pigeon in the kingdom that flew faster and were mostly reliable to send messages back and forth. It was what they used to send messages to the capital and other parts of the realm.
• They waited for the envoy to finish drinking the water from Ril’m’s glass. She remembered she left a half-filled one. Her eyes almost widened, but she remained to project her cool demeanor.
• ‘Let’s not be shaken by this perv,’ she told herself. ‘He’s just thirsty after the long journey.’ She did realize that the capital city was about sixty thousand miles away from the border. She had no idea if the “green-robed person” and the royal bodyguards made several stops before reaching their garrison. The minimum was fifteen days, excluding around five to six hours of proper rest per night.
• Royal Envoy Sui stared at Ril’m. Their gazes locked. For some reason, it sent the young general’s heart racing. She could hear her heart thumping in her ears.
• “The barbarians are going to send a marriage proposal in a few days,” he stated.