“Excuse me, Captain Hazeel, ma’am! There’s someone here to see you-” A member of Hazeel’s platoon stepped into the room and then hurriedly ducked as a quill pen barely avoided his scalp and dug itself into the walls of the barracks behind him.

He turned slowly to meet Hazeel’s scowling eyes and shriveled. “Braunn, what did I tell you about walking into my room unannounced?”

Braunn eyed the oversized sword that his captain was polishing before shifting his gaze to the floor and kneeling with his head bowed low. “I apologize Captain, but the guest is of the utmost importance, I would recommend not turning this one away.”

Hazeel looked down on the man, whose lackadaisical attitude and lack of training had been annoying her lately, and sighed.

“Fine, I’ll take your advice this last time. But should this person turn out to be another Godsforsaken cretin, I’ll move you to latrine duty for ten weeks.” Contrary to Hazeel’s expectations, the man didn’t cower and offer his apologies.

Instead, he gave her a relieved smile and stood up. “Understood. Thank you captain.” Braunn bowed and swiftly left, leaving Hazeel all by herself, which she appreciated. It was getting increasingly difficult to get alone time, even for mundane things like the maintenance of her gear.

Hazeel sighed and looked at the calendar on a nightstand to her left. She frowned at the current year, then turned back to sharpening her blade.

It had been five years since she had joined the Imperial Army, and all the labor, toil, and grunt work was finally beginning to bear fruit for her.

She had finally been named a captain and given her own platoon of twenty soldiers. It wasn’t much, but it was a start.

When she had first broken onto the scene, she only had the words of Jane to back up her skill. That was, until she won the amateur fighting competition in the capital that year and was offered a position in the military by Jane herself.

Of course, being only the second woman to hold a position above foot soldier in the army was an amazing accomplishment, but the drawbacks of such exposure could also not be denied.

Several times this week alone, she had been accosted by the rich sons of high nobility, only to be offered a place as a concubine, not one as a bodyguard, or even for a sponsorship as she had hoped her success had warranted. It went without saying that Hazeel met all such proposals with her buster sword in one hand and her other in a clenched fist.

However, that had earned her the bad reputation of being ungrateful for the “opportunities” presented to her. She had become somewhat of a sore subject for the Kingdom’s nobility, as she had been dubbed as the second coming of Jane Clairborne, who had apparently done the same thing as Hazeel had done before choosing her human husband and bearing her first child.

With Jane’s daughter living in the city, the nobles of Songrande now recognized that she had a reason to stay and defend the Azure Continent instead of defecting somewhere else because of the human-supremacist nobles that infested the capital.

However, Hazeel still didn’t have any “physical” attachment to the kingdom, and that bothered some people. So much so that they brought up the condition of slavery to King Pola in exchange for joining the Imperial Army, which thankfully, he vetoed.

Thus, bringing Hazeel to today. As sure as she was that this, “important guest,” was just another suitor, she had to wonder who it was to make Braunn that worried. Perhaps it was a duke this time, or better yet, maybe the king himself had come for her hand in marriage.

Hazeel chuckled to herself at the absurdity of that last one, and started to polish her blade with a smile on her face. A smile that quickly faded when King Pola himself walked into her small room.

Hazeel’s eyes widened and she quickly knelt down to the ruler of the Azure Continent. That gods damned Braunn! He had to have known and he still didn’t warn her? Oh, he’ll pay for this! Wait. Was the King really here to propose top her!? No, it couldn’t be! How was she supposed to politely decline the king of a gods damned country!?

Amongst the thoughts of hopelessness, the desire to dishonorably discharged Braunn struck her, even though she knew she couldn’t technically do that, he’d pay for this if Hazeel managed to get out of whatever had landed her in the sights of the ruler of Songrande.

“Rise.” Hazeel slowly stood and lifted her head. She looked at the king’s cobalt robes, whose satin finish and felt look looked extremely out of place among the grimy walls and dim lights of the barracks.

“King Pola, what an honor to-”

“Please, throw away your honorifics, and speak to me like you would to Jane.” Hazeel finally looked at the King’s face and saw a warm smile directed her way.

“You… you know Jane, your highness?” The king sighed and pointed to the table she had been polishing her sword at, motioning for her to take a seat as he took one himself.

The king then sighed. “Well, I was hoping for I assume you are aware of your own position in this country, Hazeel?” Hazeel opened her mouth, closed it, and then opened it once more.

“If it’s on the subject of my attachments to the kingdom, then fear not. I have heard them all and my current plan is to become affiliated with a guild so that I may be perceived to have a bond with this nation.”

The king nodded, but frowned. “I had hoped you would take one of my nephews as your husband, since your matter of being a “Lost” - one stolen by another species- could have been kept a closely guarded secret, but no matter. I suppose it is ‘normal’ for people to want their marriages to mean something more than a measurable value.”

Hazeel felt sweat dripping down her back, and felt as if she had just dodged an arrow. She assumed the king had heard of her “Lost” status from Jane, and was thankful he wouldn’t use that to his political advantage. “While that is great, that isn’t the main reason I have come to visit you.” The sinking feeling that just left Hazeel had come back to her and she felt a tingle up her spine.

“Then what was your reason for visiting my quarters, your majesty?” The king stroked his brown beard, which had become tinged with white in recent years, and exhaled.

“The truth is… my son is being unruly and I am in need of a new sword instructor for him.” Hazeel’s mouth hung open for a moment, until the king gave a small cough and she quickly closed it.

“Are you being serious, your majesty?” The king sighed once more and started to tap his fingers on the table, causing Hazeel to tense up as he brought his well-kept hands dangerously close to the edge of her blade.

“Yes, he’s such a brat. Honestly, I wish he wasn’t so much like me when I was his age. He’s already chased away seven teachers with his antics.” Hazeel dreaded where this was going, but an idea popped into her head that she instantly regretted bringing out into the world.

“I have the perfect man for you, your majesty. Take Braunn from my platoon. His sword skills are-”

“Are you making fun of me, child?” Hazeel shivered and bowed her head to Pola.

“I’m sorry your majesty. I didn’t mean to offend you, a small joke to lighten the mood was all it was.” She kept her head lowered, not daring to look the king in the face for fear of seeing his disgusted expression.

Soon, she heard a cough from the other end of the table. “Raise your head and spare me with your humor, even I could see the flab beginning to form on his arms. However, as a captain, his failure is your own to claim, so bear that in mind the next time you train your platoon.”

Hazeel lifted her head and saw a faint smile on the king’s face. “So, would you like to try out the job? You’ll have full say when it comes to decisions involving his discipline and training. Are you interested?”

Hazeel stared quizzically at the aging king. She studied the wrinkles beginning to form on his brow, and the crow’s feet that still weren't too deep around his eyes. Yet, the thing that struck her the most was the almost childlike glee in his devilish smile.

She nodded at the king. “When do I start?” The king stood up and gestured to the door. This time, it was Hazeel’s turn to smile. Perhaps this wouldn’t be so bad… and who knows, having ties with the royal family couldn’t be a bad thing, right?

---

“What is it, Garn?” Rora Clairborne looked up from her painting and looked over at the future crown prince of the Azure Continent.

“Father’s brought a woman over… ooh, and she’s an elf to boot!” The prince flashed a sadistic smile before turning to face Rora. “This is the first time he’s brought a woman over since my mother and Aunt Jane! This calls for a celebration!”