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 yearned for his sister's company occasionally.
Even while walking along the palace corridors, he would reminisce the good times they had spent in the childhood when their parents were still alive. If not for the attack, her parents would probably be alive and his sister would not have had to deal with the stressful work of being a Commander. He still remembered the day when Raelynn had approached him to ask permission for enrolment in the army.
A month had passed since their mother's death and both the kids had lost their smiles. Eldrick had taken over the throne at the age of thirteen and with power came responsibilities. He had to deal with the political issues as well as take care of his kingdom, making sure that his people were safe. He would be surrounded by ministers and other soldiers all day and he barely had time for his sister who was left all alone in the palace.
Although Raelynn had a governess who taught all possible things which a girl of her age must know, the little girl still found it lonely and she yearned for company. The only time the brother and the sister met was at breakfast. And then, the entire would be spent with them getting busy with their work.
One day, she was taking a break from her learning when Raelynn noticed her brother practicing sword fighting with his trainer. She observed the way the two fought while each making sure not to severely injure the other person. Raelynn was immediately captured by it and she too wanted to learn sword fighting. At that time, she was only fifteen years old.
That night itself, she made a decision she knew would change her life forever. The next morning, when the siblings met at breakfast, she put forth her wish before him. "Brother, I want to join the army." She neither requested him, nor did she beg him. She straight away declared her wish and the man could only gape at her in surprise.
"Raelynn, why did you have this thought suddenly? Did something happen?"
"No, Brother. Nothing happened. I just want to join the army and I hope you will allow me to do as I wish."
"But Raelynn joining the army is not as easy as it looks. You will have to undergo a lot of trouble and strict and hard training. It will be nothing like palace life. Your life will be in danger at all times." Eldrick tried to sway his sister's thoughts. But the girl was as adamant as ever. She stayed fix on her words and none of his attempts to change her decision was effective on her.
"Fine. You may apply for the selection of the next batch next month. But remember, my dear sister, if at any time of the day you find the training to be hard, you can return home immediately. Your brother will always be there for you." Raelynn was touched by her brother's words. However, she had made up her mind to survive the harsh training, even if it meant that she would have to undergo things she had never done before.
Eldrick had expected his sister to return home after a month or two, but who knew that the girl would survive all the harsh conditions end up becoming a soldier. Not only that, just in a matter of six years she had ended up becoming the first female Commander of the kingdom of Volar.
The man who had been waiting for his sister to return home, could not help but smile at her in pride once he found out her abilities. Just like him, Raelynn too was extraordinary and he then decided not to intervene with her happiness. If being in the army excited her, so be it. He gave her the freedom she wanted. But with freedom came its limitation.
At first, before Raelynn joined the army, the siblings at least met during breakfast. But now, they met once in a few weeks, and sometimes, even months would pass with them not seeing each other.
Now that the two had met after a long time, they decided to catch up on each other's lives. "How are you, Brother?"
"I am not doing good, Raelynn. With you not around, I find the palace lonely and it becomes miserable to even spend a minute." The man said dejectedly.
"Then, why don't you find a suitable bride and get married brother? She will accompany you and you will have someone to love and cherish." Raelynn suggested with a playful smile on her face. Eldrick chuckled lightly hearing her words. This was what they spoke about whenever they met. His sister never forgot to bug him to get married. He was already in his early thirties and it was high time that he got married.
"I will when I find a bride of my liking."
"Looks like I will have to step in now and take matters into my own hands."
"I would be glad if you do so. Saves me the trouble." Eldrick winked as he handed her a chalice containing juice. Raelynn could only roll her eyes at her brother.
"I wonder how the girl who is destined to be with you will tolerate you in the future."
"I wonder too. I hope she has a strong heart and can bear with me. That reminds me, how far are you along with Laurier?" Eldrick gave his sister a mischievous smile as he took a sip from his chalice.
"We have not even taken a step into it."
"Why? The man clearly likes you. His expressions are quite vivid and even I can feel it. Why can't you?"
"Do you think I don't know about it, Brother? I can see the way he looks at me when I am not noticing. But what can I do when the man himself is hesitating to take the first step?" Raeylnn shrugged her shoulders as though she was not the one at fault here. She had long known how the man felt about her and she too felt the same about him. She had no idea when she had fallen for him. Slowly, but surely, she did. But the man was dense and he could not get the subtle hints that Raelynn had been sending him occasionally.
"In that case, why don't you take the initiative? Laurier seems to be afraid of losing the friendship he has with you. That might be the reason for him to not convey his feelings."
"Do you think it would be a good idea?" Raelynn thought about her brother's words and her brows furrowed as she tried to think of a solution.
"Of course. Follow what your heart says, Raelynn. Go for him. I don't think you would find anyone who is better than him."
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
The new couple returned to their battalion after spending some more time with each other. Laurier could not believe that he had got the love of his life and that she too felt the same way towards him. Everything felt surreal to him. Moreover, what was highly shocking was that the Lord knew about them and he was happy for them. What more did he need?The knights at the arena saw their Commander and the Knight Commander return. They could feel something to be different about them with the way they were smiling and exchanging glances. But they could not point out what. Raelynn immediately went to her study as she had to prepare a strategy in case a war broke out between the two kingdoms. While Laurier stayed back to convey the information they had discussed during the meeting. The two people had decided to keep their relationship a secret for now until the issue was resolved, although Eldrick already knew about it.Meanwhile, at the palace.After all the commanders
Minister Oakley immediately got to action trying to sort the issue that had popped up out of nowhere. He first contacted the head of merchants who he was all too familiar with. The man was in his fifties and he had been trading and selling his goods in the Kingdom of Volar for quite some time now. The man was well known around the kingdom and all the merchants had unanimously voted him as their leader so that he could put forth their requests before the Lord when needed."Sir Fergus, how is the trade surplus this month? I wonder if there is any improvement or has it been stable like the last few months." Minister Oakley questioned as he took a sip of his tea. Oakley was with the head of merchants, Sir Fergus. The man seemed to have the built of a knight and just by his stance alone, anybody could make out how trained his body was. However, not many people knew that the man was actually a knight and had served Lord Eldrick's father once upon a time."Minister Oakley, there
Meanwhile, in the kingdom of Hollis.A courtroom session was in full progress and the ministers were in deep discussion. And, the king of the land, Dimitri Vegus looked at everybody with a bored expression. He had no idea why they were even trying to complicate things when he had the easiest solution. His wicked eyes ran around trying to read through the people's minds. After a long time, silence ensued in the hall and Dimitri raised his eyebrows wondering what his genius ministers had come up with."My King, after a lot of discussion and suggestions we have decided to attack the kingdom of Volar when they would have lowered their guards against us." One of the men with a small white beard stood up and started to put forth his words before the evil man.Dimitri smiled suddenly and it was one filled with mystery. Nobody knew what was running in his mind, not that they ever did. The man was the most enigmatic creature anybody had ever seen. His mind functioned in
"I hate it when people betray me," Dimitri bellowed and the next second, the man's head rolled to the floor. There were blotches of blood on Dimitri's face as well as his clothes. But the man did not care. He liked the smell of blood, especially when it belonged to someone who he did not like. It gave him a bestial ecstasy like no other and it made him feel all the more powerful.Dimitri did not even care to wipe the blood off the sword. He dragged his weapon with its tip scratching the floor while blood dripped from it, leaving a trail behind him. Although some of the older men could not tolerate the gruesome scene, they sat still lest they should anger their king. They did not want to be the next in line to get their heads chopped off.Dimitri's back was towards his audience. So, nobody could see him, especially the demonic form that had taken over him. He was nothing less than the devil reincarnated and the men in the hall hoped that he would calm down soon. But who
Dimitri had a doting smile on his face as soon as he reminisced Zaina's face. It was only her who could bring a feeling so foreign to him. Since the first time he had seen her, he had been infatuated by her and as time progressed, his heart had fallen for her completely. The prolonged wait was making him anxious. All he wanted to do was to drag her to his room and fuck her senseless.Her beautiful face was enough to send his heart thundering and his body was already getting warm. He wanted to see her and he wanted to see her now. Without further delay, he decided to give her a surprise and his sudden enthusiasm scared the guards who were guarding the courtroom. But what was more frightening was Dimitri's face that was painted with streaks of blood.The two guards had not ventured inside the room when the session was in progress. So, they had no idea what had transpired. Seeing their King's face now, they were relieved that their job was to guard the courtro