Warm and humid air washed over me as I shifted my heavy leather boots through the dry grass. Almost instinctively, I closed my eyes and inhaled as much as my lungs would allow. The waft of steam smelled odd. Slightly metallic with a faint hint of egg.

The cold wind blew the warmth away and my face once more felt its bitting sting. I held my breath a moment longer before releasing the air from my lungs and opening my eyes to witness the smoke escape from my mouth. Lionheart had told me it wasn’t smoke coming from my mouth but hot air, but I liked to imagine I was actually breathing fire.

I let my gaze slowly lower itself and in front of me, I witnessed a large fuming lake. Its surface made difficult to distinguish from all the mist hanging over it, creating all sorts of coloured rainbows in the sharp morning sun.

It’s called a hot spring. One of many in the Lowland region we were now travelling, but while most were little more than a fuming puddle, this one was large enough to fit a boat in. Several actually. From what Lionheart explained, the water came from deep beneath the ground where it was heated so hot it came bubbling up like the water through a kettle whistle.

I walked as close to the side of the water as I could without falling in. I bent down and touched the water and I retracted my hand reflexively. It was hot. Like an especially warm bath.

I had asked Lionheart if we could swim in these hot springs. He had explained that we could, but that doing so out here in the wild might be dangerous. After all, who knew what was underneath the surface?

I looked beyond the boiling waters toward the horizon, large mountains spread through uneven grounds. I remember dad calling it the ‘steppes’ when the landscape had first changed, but it didn’t really mean much to me. It did somehow remind me of the rolling hills of Oblon, but rougher. Wilder. Untamed. That made me feel at ease. As though this place had yet to be tainted… Although from the ruins that cluttered these lands, perhaps it would be more accurate to say that whatever might have tainted this place is now long gone.

I felt something being placed on my shoulders. Surprised, I turned around. My eyes lit up when I recognised Lionheart’s smiling face.

-Are you cold?-

He asked, I suddenly realised that the weight I had felt on my shoulder was a heavy blanket. Now warmer than ever, I shook my head as he placed a hand on my shoulder and looked toward the hot springs.

It was relaxing. Even more so with my father at my side.

I took a deep breath again before exhaling for several seconds. I almost wish this moment would never end.

Lionheart tapped my shoulder again and I turned to him.

-Let’s head back.-

I looked toward the hill beyond which our caravan had stopped for the night before looking back at the smoky waters.

-Just one more minute.-

I asked him pleadingly to which he simply answered with a nod, before leaving me to admire the springs a bit longer while he headed back to the camp.

There was still a long way to Clotop, but so far the trip had been nothing short of pleasant. It was a bit exhausting to stay cooped up in a carriage all day, but every so often I would be allowed to climb on someone’s horse or even sit with the coach driver.

Dad had been very worried that I might be something called ‘motion sick’, but whatever it was, I didn’t catch any kind of illness other than being a little bored sometimes

I turned heels and started heading to the camp, but looked back once more toward the waters. I caught one more whiff of the warm air, before heading into the cold tall grasses.

During my short walk, it seems the people had almost finished packing back the tents and were busying themselves with readying the horses.

Dad was busy talking to uncle so I walked over to the large campfire where a maid was pouring the last of the morning gruel into pots so they may be reheated for lunch. Seeing me approach, her eyes lit up and she quickly produced a bowl and poured me a generous portion and produced a pear from a basket.

I gladly accepted the food, sat down on a bench and ate my breakfast quietly. After a few weeks on the road, I had gotten used to this routine. The food on journeys wasn’t anything to write home about. Mornings were either eggs or gruel, lunch was either leftover or dried produce while dinner was often stew, dried meat or fish.

I finished my meal and handed the bowl back to the maid. I headed back where Lionheart was just wrapping up a discussion with two men in studded leather armour. After they were done, he turned to me.

-All set?-

He asked me.

I nodded and he led me by the hand to the carriage. He was about to pick me up to get inside, but I glared at him.

I had asked him to stop carrying me around while on the trip since I noticed some of the people chuckling when Lionheart was picking me up. Also, an increasing amount of the people who talked to me through Lionheart seemed to be referring to me as a ‘princess’.

Although I did like the idea of being a princess like in the stories, it made me feel very embarrassed to be called that way for some reason…Dad tells me it’s supposed to be a compliment, but I don’t think I look like a princess at all with my short hair, so it feels wrong.

I finally managed to pull myself onto my seat and dad draped a blanket over our knees. Another man entered the carriage after us and sat across from our seat.

I recognised him as one of the Ashbrook’s garrison lieutenant. He was pretty young by ranking knight standards. Younger than dad, by several years, but he was still allowed to ride with us sometimes so he must be respected enough.

He smiled kindly in my direction, which I returned politely. He exchanged a few words with Lionheart before tucking himself into the corner of the carriage and closing his eyes.

He must have had guard duty last night.

Lionheart gently wrapped his arm around my shoulder as the carriage departed to stop me from losing my balance and falling forward, which had embarrassingly happened more than once in our journey so far.

It was still early in the morning, so we stayed quiet for a time and I even fell asleep momentarily while being rocked side to side by the carriage.

When I woke up again from my short morning nap, the sun had risen up in the sky and it became comfortable enough to remove the heavy blanket from my shoulders.

I looked at my side and noticed Lionheart was busy reading a heavy book. Not wanting to bother him, I went toward the window of the carriage and looked outside. We were passing a small valley shaped as though a large axe had cleaved it in two. On the other side of the valley, I noticed yet another ruined building. This time, I could almost recognise the shape of a castle.

I turned back and walked to dad.

-Say– -

I began signing and waited for Lionheart to turn to me.

He slowly finished reading his passage, placed a bookmark and turned to me with a patient smile.

- –Why are there so many old abandoned buildings around here?-

I finally asked, gripping Darkie expectantly.

Lionheart crossed his arms and looked pensive as he stared at the ceiling for a moment before nodding and looking back down toward me.

-Well there is not a single answer to that question. All these places have their own history, but if I was to give you a general answer, it would be that this region has been a No Man’s Land countless times over the centuries.-

He started explaining, but I frowned.

-What’s a no man’s land?-

He nodded understandingly.

-It means land that doesn't belong to anyone. Lowland was the site of countless conflicts with the Heillhs Empire and the Seeir Theocracy. Both these kingdom as well as Firsland have claims on the territory which is often used as an ᐊct of wr…-

-What’s an ᐊct of wr-

I interrupted.

He had spelt out the word in letters instead of signs for some reason.

He nodded understandingly.

-Good question, it stands for Act of War 1. It means a reason to go to war with another country.-

-You need a reason to go to war?-

-Absolutely! Otherwise it would be an illegal war.-

I squinted at him.

-Why would a war be legal or illegal? Is there like… A war garrison that arrests people who go to war illegally?-

He rubbed his chin and looked pensive for a moment.

-Well not quite. It’s more that people will not approve of the war. No one likes a crazed war monger, even in the Heillhs Empire. In the worst case, someone attacking another territory without just cause might see themselves stripped of their title, excommunicated and probably executed as an example.-

I gulped.

I still didn’t really get it, but it seemed that there really was such a thing as an illegal war.

-But what does that have to do with Lowland and the ruins?-

I asked him, realising we had strayed from the topic at hand.

-Everything really. You see, Lowland is at the corner of three powerful nations. There is a saying that goes, ‘Those who hold Lowland, hold the continent’. If any of the three countries wish to gain territory into the two others, they need to take Lowland first or risk a counter-invasion. And so they do. Often. The last time it happened was just 10 years ago at the beginning of the Heillhs Empire’s “Khaln Campaign”, but we reclaimed it in only three years later.-

-We?-

I asked curiously.

-That’s right.-

He nodded.

-I led the Ashbrook garrison for three years during the campaign. I also participated in the assault of the Khaln fortress after which the campaign became known for.-

My eyes grew wide at the discovery.

-I didn’t know you were a knight!-

Lionheart chuckled.

-Well not a knight per say. Knights are soldiers who have sworn fealty to a member of the upper nobility, like this lieutenant in front of me.-

He signed while motioning to the man still snoozing across from us.

-All nobles are, in theory, soldiers as well. It is their responsibility to protect their land. So they are addressed by their title.-

My mind felt like it was spinning from all the information. Every noble is a soldier?

-So you’re… Like a strong knight..?-

Dad put a hand on my head and ruffled my hair.

-You could say that, yes.-

I nodded and looked out the window once more to stare at the ruins.

-So every single one of these ruins was somewhere a battle took place.-

I stated, but he looked hesitant to agree.

-Well not always. Unfortunately, non-military structures such as farms or watch towers get destroyed by stray blessings as well.-

-Blessings? Is there blessings strong enough to destroy entire buildings?-

Lionheart nodded.

-Absolutely. See the valley? That’s the result of a Steihnner blessing.-

I felt like something enormous had just been revealed to me. Amazing. Here I thought most blessings could only do small things like rolling dice on numbers and making rocks move.

-Can you do that?-

I asked dad excitedly.

-Do what?-

He asked confused.

I pointed to the valley, but he shook his head.

-No. Only clŕcs and plďns have that much power in their blessings.-

Again strange words…

-What’s a clŕcs and plďns?-

-They are warrior kinsmanns who have both mastered the way of their gods as well as the swords. They are terrifying foes on the battlefield. Although those who are powerful enough to create valleys such as this are one in a thousand… And there are very few clŕcs and plďns to begin with.-

I nodded and looked out the window again.

Clŕcs and plďns. It must be pronounced something like clrics and paladins. I would like to meet one someday, they sound very interesting… But also a bit scary.

Suddenly, the carriage came to an abrupt stop throwing me forward. I was only barely caught by Lionheart before hitting the floor.

He screamed something to the lieutenant who had just been woken up from his nap. Without a moment of hesitation, this one stormed out of the carriage toward the front of the caravan.

I tried to look outside, but dad stopped me and forced me to sit down on the hard floor of the carriage. I wanted to protest, but seeing his expression, this was not the place nor the time

What is going on? Why did we stop? Why are they both panicking?.

The lieutenant came back through the door and said something to dad who nodded gravely. He stepped off the carriage only to turn to me briefly

-Stay here.-

Not knowing what else to do, I nodded and watched the door close behind him.

Author note:

1. An “Act of War” in this case is used in the same way as the latin term “Casus Belli”