The two friends immediately left the arena and rushed to meet the Lord on their horses. The two horses galloped across the deserted roads at a speed that was not comprehensible to the naked eye. It was just like a bullet piercing the air as they swooshed through the roads. The East Batallion arena was situated more than forty-six miles away from the Royal Palace and it was the second farthest battalion, the first one being the South Batallion which was fifty-two miles away.
On the way, they had to pass through a thin jungle that stretched a few miles, only after which they could enter the kingdom. Even though the jungle was thin, it acted as a barrier and protected the kingdom and the people like a shield.
Raelynn and Laurier rode their horses in the deserted area. Not many people were in the region as it was a hot summer day and moreover, it was lunchtime. They could only see people who were carrying woods from the jungle or the hunters who were out to hunt deer or other wild animals. Occasionally, they would come across travelers on their route who were making their way towards the kingdom entrance.
The kingdom of Volar had two entrance gates. The outermost wall had the first entrance gate and was the one that surrounded the entire kingdom, along with the jungle, the four battalion arenas, the two lakes, and the only waterfall in the kingdom. The second gate was the entry point to the actual kingdom where the Royal family and the people resided. If any person who did not belong to the kingdom had to enter, they had to go through both the gates and undergo a thorough checking before they could enter inside. This was done as a precaution in case any of the travelers were spies sent from the other kingdoms.
Raelynn and Laurier reached the kingdom as fast as they could, riding their horses at the speed of lightning. They then stopped at the second entrance gate where the guards stood with utmost attention and alertness observing the people who were entering and leaving the gates. The guards who were stationed here knew almost everybody in the city and this was what they had been ordered to learn and memorize when they were first allocated with this job.
It was not that they were suspicious of their own people. No. This was because the previous king, the current Lord's father, Lorcan Kharal had died after being mercilessly murdered by a stranger who nobody in the kingdom knew about. The person had entered the place without being noticed and the security too during his reign was not that tight. People could come and leave without being scrutinized as criminals and the only point for travelers where they were checked was at the outermost gate.
But after the attack, the current Lord, Eldrick Kharal tightened the security lest he should meet the same fate. Every strange person was thoroughly interrogated before entering the kingdom and they had to state their reason for coming there. Though the people of Volar had their complaints, they knew it was necessary for their own safety as well as their king's. Their beloved king had died under a mysterious attack and they did not want his son, the current king to meet the same fate. They loved and respected him as much as they did to his father and they did not want any harm to befall him.
The twelve guards near the entrance gate bowed as soon as they saw the Commander and the Knight Commander. Without another word, they allowed them to go inside. Raelynn too nodded at them with a smile on her face. Though she was the only Lady Commander, the other knights still respected her, not because she was their Commander. No. It was because she was the only Commander who treated everyone below her in the ranks equally and fairly. She respected them as much as they respected her. Even though their pride was wounded to think that they were being led by a woman, they still admired her greatly.
Unlike the other Commanders, who did not even look at them as they passed through the gates, Raelynn would enquire about their well being to make sure the knights were well and healthy and if they were comfortable working at their current positions, even if they did not belong to her battalion. She did not have the attitude or the haughtiness which the three male commanders possessed and that was why, unknowingly, she had a lot of secret admirers in the army.
She smiled at them amicably while Laurier just nodded at them. He knew how the other knights felt around her and it made him a little jealous. But he could do nothing. He could not control their feelings nor could he stop them from admiring her by giving them orders. She just had that charm in her which she did not even know about.
The two friends entered the kingdom without any problems. However, their way from there was not that smooth sailing. There was a huge fight going on in the market place and by the time they reached the venue, the fight had become quite bloody. Raelynn got down from her horse and went to see what was happening with Laurier following close behind. Although the fight seemed to be intense, to Raelynn it looked like a chicken fight, with two roosters banging their heads against each other in a cockpit.
The fight was as boring as ever even though blood was spilling like crazy from both men who were involved in punching each other. Raelynn even stifled a yawn seeing their spineless fight. 'There is nothing entertaining here. The men are as horrible as losers and if this continues, I might die of boredom. Looks like it's time for the great me to step in and provoke them more.'
Raelynn made up her mind and the next instant, she stepped closer towards the duo who were involved in their intense bout without caring about anything else. "Hey you, punch him hard. Why are you holding back? And you, why are not kicking his shin? He needs a good beating. Come on both of you start punching and kicking each other. We need more drama and it would be better if one of you even died here."
Raelynn started barking orders assuming the position of the Commander she was. She looked more enthusiastic than the two men who were busy trying to change the facial structure of their opponent. Her voice was loud enough and everybody, who was trying to stop them from fighting, could hear. As soon as those words slipped out of her mouth, the market place which was bustling with noise due to the commotion, became silent all at once. Everybody's eyes were turned to her, including Laurier's.
While everyone looked at her in confusion, Laurier was the only one who stared at her in amusement as he controlled his laughter. He knew what she was doing and could not help praise her in his mind. The two men had even stopped fighting after hearing her weird commands, although they were still holding each other's shirt lapels.
"Why did you stop? After a long time, I am seeing such an interesting fight. Don't stop. Continue until one of you dies." She said enthusiastically with mirth dancing in her eyes. 'Interesting?' She scoffed inwardly for using such a good term. The situation was anything but interesting. 'If this is called interesting, then I will pluck my eyes out and feed them to the cows.' She chided even though she was the one who had coined the term in the first place.
Just like that, the fight ended and the marketplace returned to normal. The two men gave one look to each other that clearly said, 'I'll get back at you later,' before they left the place.
Raelynn dusted her hands to make an impact as though she was one who had been involved in the fight before she sent a playful wink at Laurier, who could do nothing but shake his head at her cheekiness.
As Raelynn and Laurier entered the castle, they met two of the ministers from the Lord's court, who were walking towards the court hall. These were the type of men who held contempt and looked down upon women, even if they were more brilliant than them and this was what exactly made them feel annoyed. To them, women were only meant to dress up and be presentable in social gatherings, and once they were inside the four walls, they were only allowed to cook and take care of the children. Heavy and strenuous works like being a Commander or a minister in the Lord's court were all meant for men.Thus, Raelynn being a part of their environment irked them whenever she was around or even if she was mentioned in any of the topics of conversation. To them, she was a taboo whom they wanted to avoid at all costs. So, as soon as they saw Raelynn sauntering proudly with Laurier beside her, they scoffed at her arrogantly before walking away with their chins held high.Raelynn was not
Murmurs erupted in the court hall and everybody was involved in discussion except for Raelynn and Laurier. They were more or less interested in finding out the others' opinions rather than forming their own theory. It was best to listen to others first, weigh the pros and cons of their suggestions and then prepare a complete strategetic plan.Raelynn was getting so bored staying in the room without doing anything that she had to stifle a yawn many times. She was silently wishing for someone to start the conversation. She wondered how long she could sit still without doing anything and stare at the idiotic people around her. Raelynn turned to her right only to meet Laurier's eyes who was already looking at her and she smiled at him faintly, only to receive a boring shake of the head in return. She nodded at him conveying that she was feeling the same. But what could they do? They could not leave the session halfway as they were in the Lord's court and it would be disresp
"We need to declare a war as early as possible," Raelynn suggested without any change in her expression. She fixed her eyes on Lord Eldrick, not caring about the looks the other people around her giving. As soon as she spoke the words, loud whispers erupted in the hall and everybody started to chide the only woman in the room. She even heard one of the ministers nearby scold her quite harshly."Women," He scoffed. "They have no idea how to deal with the situation and they think themselves to be great. This is the reason why women should not be allowed to enter the battlefield or the courtroom. They will just ruin us." The man said to another man sitting beside him and received a nod in return. They then started to laugh as though they had just shared a good joke among themselves.Laurier who heard the man's words crystal clear could not sit still and he stood up to deal with the disgusting man. However, Raelynn stopped him. She shook her head at him and assured him sil
After warning even man present in the courtroom, Raelynn went back to her seat. However, she continued standing. She was yet to put forth her points towards the Lord. "My Lord, it is best that we declare war on them soon. Our enemy kingdom is using underhand tactics to get to us and I am sure everybody here to knows about it too. So, why should we waste time in sending a treaty of peace to them when we are sure that they will not accept it?"Minister Rowen could not sit still anymore after hearing this. "Young Lady, we are concerned about the lives of our soldiers as well as our people. We could try our attempt at the truce. If things do not go well, we can wage a war against them." Everybody accepted his words this time and they nodded at him."If everybody agrees to this solution, then I have no problems with it. But let me warn you beforehand that I will not take responsibility if things go wrong in the future. Also, I have something else to inform the Lord." Raelyn
Raelynn hugged Eldrick and the man too reciprocated it with equal vigor and affection. How long had it been since the siblings met each other?"I missed you, Brother," Raelynn whispered as she pushed herself closer towards her brother. She always felt secure in his arms. After their parents' death, it had been Eldrick who had taken care of Raelynn. She had been only seven years when her father was killed by an assassin while her brother was thirteen. Their mother could not tolerate the heartbreak of losing her beloved husband and she fell into depression.Barely a year had passed since their father's death, their mother too left them. Since then, it had only been the two of them and they took care of each other dearly."I missed you too, Raelynn." The Lord replied back with a smile on his face. After his sister decided to join the army, he had been left alone in the palace and he missed her more than anything. He did not have any interest in anything and y
After conversing with her brother, Raelynn reluctantly took her leave from him. It was not every day that she got the opportunity to speak to him and now that she had found a chance, it had ended sooner than the siblings had expected. Eldrick too was not ready to see his sister depart. But he knew that she had her responsibilities and he could not stop her, even if he wanted.Lord Eldrick's chambers were in the far interiors of the palace and other than his trusted servants, nobody else was allowed to enter this part of the palace. So, Raelynn did not have to worry about getting caught wandering in the private quarters of the Lord. Everybody she came across knew who she was as well as her relationship with their Lord. So, they bowed to her and greeted her respectfully.However, the knights guarding the other locations did not know about it and as soon as Raelynn appeared from inside, they gave her one scrutinizing look before they averted their gazes. Raelynn too did n
"The man is planning something malicious. Send someone trustworthy to keep an eye on him." Raelynn ordered, her gaze cold and indifferent. Laurier could even sense her unhappiness from where he was and he looked at her wondering if she had found something."Did you get that vibe too?""Totally. He does not seem like a good man. There is something running in his mind and he approached us with some other intentions which I am unable to comprehend." Raeylnn answered, making sure to keep her voice as low as possible. The palace was not a secure place, especially when there were many who wanted to take over Eldrick's throne. So, she had to be careful about what she spoke even if it was something that meant no harm to anybody."He seems to be over-friendly at our first meeting and that is something not sitting well with me," Laurier added, his lips quirking up with a smile. 'As expected, Raelynn was not that easy to fool.'Raelynn's thoughts evaporated when she
"In that case, what if I say that I like you?" Raelynn shot her question, her eyes fixed on Laurier. She observed the changes in his expressions from confusion to shock and finally, it settled on surprise. He looked utterly flabbergasted and his jaws dropped seeing Raelynn's expecting gaze. Nobody said a word for a long time.While Laurier did not know what to say, Raelynn was waiting for him to speak something. Minutes passed and Raelynn could not take the silence any longer. "Say something." Her voice broke Laurier's stupor and he blinked twice to see if he was hallucinating. He wondered if it was just a dream, a beautiful dream that would end right after his sleep broke. Raelynn could sense his dilemma and giggled. "It's not a dream. I am real, we are real."Only then did Laurier speak, "How? Whe-When? Really?" His tone changed from shock to joy in a few seconds and Raelynn too could hear it."Yes. Laurier, I like you." Seeing Laurier's positive reactions, Ra