As the captain had instructed the previous day, we made our way to the barracks before the sun was up. The cold of the early morning kept me awake, even if we were still inside. The purple tones in the darkness, the silence, the closed flower buds, and our hands - holding warm cups of tea. That’s how we walked across the castle halls, the prince and I, huddled in blankets, crossing the stillness of the madrugada. As usual, Kiochery followed close, as did Arsamira’s new guard, Luze.

- “It feels like an adventure- Like, like a secret! A secret escapade before everyone is awake!” – Arsamira was strangely excited despite his sleepy eyes. Even as someone who yearned for sunshine, his aura shone so bright, so bright, I was unable to stare. – “I haven’t been out this early in so long- I think the last time was when Ae took me to hunt with her. I kinda miss her- Ah. Kio, hold my cup.”

Aaaaand- he let that cup go as soon as he said it. Kiochery had to rush and catch it, while the prince rushed towards the open doors of the back entrance of the palace.

- “Sure is nice being young… Kiochery, are you alright?”

- “I’m- Yes, I’mmah- fine sir.” – Let him recover, just a few seconds. - “Oh? Young? But, sir, you two are about the same age, are you not?”

- “I’m not really sure, honestly... Oh! How old are you, Kiochery?”

- “24 harvest moons, sir! Still got a long time to serve you.”

- “I see. So, 25 years old. I’m… I guess I have lived through 20 harvest moons.”

- “Ah, the pinnacle of youth, then. I wonder, maybe you should eat more, sir. I’m sure that will give you more energy!”

And that’s how it was, a laugh and a nice chat ‘til we arrived at the carriage. The same as last time - a modest one, that Kiochery had chosen himself, as the driver. We left the empty cups in a basket Luze had with her.

Arsamira decided to sit by my side. That ‘it’s cold,’ he said, curling up next to me.

The stars were fading away from the morning sky, and I was mesmerized looking out the window of the carriage. There was slow movement throughout the silent city as we crossed the streets, like a stretch after you wake up. The bakers, the merchants, the early workers - all of them paraded around, lanterns illuminating the nooks and crannies, waiting for the sun to help them. A gust of air went by, rushing, spiraling around my head as I looked through the window; thank the darkness that freed me from having to hide under a cloak. It was so refreshing to be out of the palace again - the smell of the cold air and the tears from the sky’s first yawn, the strength of a purpose and the determination of the way.

It was so nice, until-

- “Ah! Oh god oh lord what- A bug?” – Splashing onto my glasses, a multicolor wasp-y creature.

- “What happen- Oh! Oh that’s gross- Uuuuuh, here, a handkerchief. Silly you.” – So said the prince, offering a typical, impeccable, embroidered handkerchief. Which of course I took. – “You can keep it, don’t worry about it. But this has been bothering me- If you can do magic, why do you keep wearing glasses?”

- “Eh- I can wash it, don’t wor- Wait what? What does magic have to do-”

- “You don’t know!? Well, well, let me tell you! Since Mizuen didn’t! You see! Learning magic can improve the body, and so and so! It’s really good for people who are weak or get sick easily, since it’s vitality! The energy that is life itself! So I’m sure your eyes could get better.”

- “Huh- Is it really that good…?”

- “Yeah.” – The cold of the morning circled around us as the prince looked down, the first rays of the sun covering him in shadows. – “There is my… My sister- Foebi. The second princess. She has always had a weak body, ever since she was born. But she managed to keep going.”

A grieving tone. My glasses now clean, I stared at him, feeling the weight of the implications.

- “And she became a really good medic, too. Even... she became the Queen’s advisor. The Royal Counselor.”

- “That’s quite the feat… Isn’t she younger than the both of us, too? But she was standing so calmly next to the Queen, back in the meeting- She’s amazing...”

- “Ah, you’ll break my heart!” – He laughed it off. – “It’s no wonder no one wants me to be king, with such talented sisters.”

Ah.

- “I did not mean that, Prince-”

- “Arsamira. Just Arsamira is fine. Even Arsa, if you want…”

-“Ah, I guess…I’ll try.”

- “And, well, since I can- Since we are-” - The hesitation in his tone made me worry. The shadows didn’t hide any smile. - “I-!...Well. Listen to me for a second, Von. I waited until now, so let me say this. I’m… I know I’m the one who should be responsible for you, and that I wasn’t able to do anything right. I was selfish, and summoned you for my own gain. To protect my people, yes! But also-… to protect my title. And once you arrived… I was dumbfounded. It felt underwhelming… And I… I left you alone. I left you, because I thought it was troublesome, even after you agreed to help us. But-”

He smiled at me once again, shining like the morning sun that approached from behind the mountains. The warmth of his hand held mine against the cold, a hopeful grasp.

- “I know I asked for a hero. I was a fool to think I would get a knight in shiny armor. But if there is one thing I know, is that destiny brings us not what we want, but what we need. Now that I can say it with my own words, now that you can listen to it directly from me, I have to ask.

Will… Could you aid me? Could you stay by my side? Von, could you help protect the things that are precious to me?”

As the sun rose above us, far away, illuminating the horizon… I just closed my eyes. The rays made me see red under them.

- “Isn’t it a bit too late to ask?”

- “I had to do it sooner or later. I do have my pride.”

- “Pride, you say…? But-”

- “I’m sorry, you don’t have to ans-”

- “Let me talk.”

The prince flinched. His eyes met with mine. A gaze was enough, apparently; was it that he didn’t want to confront it, was it that he didn’t even want to bother himself with it-? He turned away - away from my anger.

- “This is the first proper conversation we’ve had alone, isn’t it? I also had a few things that I wanted to say to you… No. I have a question for you, prin- Arsamira.” - I wished I could stop myself, but the words just flew and flew and-

- “What would be of me if I had dared to refuse? Did I… Did I even have the choice? Did you even think of me as a person? Did you even think that I, too, have feelings? That I have a family, a home, friends- And that you took me away from them? Qué- Qué- ¿Que me trajeron a un lugar donde estoy completamente solo? Do- ¿Donde dependo totalmente de ustedes?”

- “W-Wha- Yes- Of course- ! I’m really sorry for what happened, but I never thought you would feel like this- Von, you really don’t have to help if you don’t want to. I promise-”

- “Leave it alone.”

- “But-”

- “It’s a lovely morning. Let’s leave it like that.”

- “I prom-“

- “Promise me that I will live to see my world again, or don’t say a thing.”

Utter silence. Not even a cough. Just the sounds of an awakening world, and a traveling cart.

The only thing I remember from then on was Luze’s judging gaze; it made my mind go wild with all the types of torture I would have to endure for daring to defy the prince.

Now that I think about it, I probably leapt over Kiochery, as he opened the door from the outside, in an attempt to get off the carriage quickly. I couldn’t breathe properly, the cold was oppressing, and my thoughts kind of...went the wrong way, yeah- to the many medieval tortures I remembered: the pyramid, the rack, the thumb screw- I didn’t want to be dunked into water or tied to a wagon wheel...

(I’ll admit) I had overreacted back then, but even after calming down, the uneasy feeling of bothering someone who had treated me so kindly, despite their intentions, dragged me down.

The morning dew and the fresh air eased the spirits - it brought a mutual welcome of truce between the prince and I.

- “Sir, I’m sorry if this is out of place, but… did something happen?” - Kiochery whispered to me while we walked through the patio.

- “Ah… Nothing you need to worry about.”

- “I see… Is just, the prince looks unusually bothered.”

That’s one way to say it, with how bitter he looked. It ate me internally, to leave it like that.

Not being able to stand my ground, bearing a shameful stance of regret, I tried to approach him - the prince; even as bothered as he was, he shone as brightly as ever.

- “Pri- Arsamira.”

- “What is it, Von?” – I think... the fact he spoke to me so casually did calm me down, somehow. Maybe it did. My body was tense anyways.

- “I…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be…so... harsh… I’m just...scared. I know you are doing what you think is best for your people…! I’m just… Uh…”

He smiled at me, as he would normally do. Just that, his smile. That was enough. I didn’t wish for confrontation, nor for tension - or anything, really - to grow between us; aside from simple camaraderie - or, maybe, a lighthearted friendship. As addictive as his gleam of light was, I did not wish to stand under it. But, if kneeling down is what it took to keep him smiling, I would do it. For now, following him was… enough.

- “It’s fine, Von. It’s fine. You don’t have to be scared.” – He raised a hand. And, even with that charming smile, I feared the worst. My eyes closed by instinct, flashbacks coming to me as I waited for the pain. I let my held breath leave my body when all I felt was the warmth of his palm on my head. Some ruffles. – “I will make sure nothing happens to you. I will protect you, it’s a promise. I will…I will make sure that you get to see your world again. As well as those that wait for you.”

As I looked again at that bright smile, there was nothing to do but let it sit. The unwavering feeling of disappointment, the weight of a burdened heart, lurking in the dark.

But in my awareness of the charisma within his smile, within his words - a golden prince with a silver tongue - even with the wariness haunting me, I decided to trust him. Because his smile wasn’t a fake one, it never had been. And that, by itself, was good enough for me.

As I tried to hide, shaking ever-so-slightly behind Kiochery’s wide back, a feeling that shook my guts and compressed my heart attacked me violently.

I couldn’t ignore it, I couldn’t let it go; there was one thing I would never be able to run away from.

That if they knew I wasn’t going to be a mage, they would give me cold stares; what I deserved for the ‘lost potential.’ To walk the walk of shame. Disappointing others was, truly, the only thing I was good at.

Arsamira stopped them, elegantly waving his hand.

- “Now, we have something to do, so we don’t have time to lose. Go have breakfast for now. It’s an order, alright? Thank you. It’s nice to see everyone so energetic this early, please keep doing your best.” – He talked as clearly as possible over the voices of excited soldiers. Disciplined as they were, they didn’t waste time before leaving. Arsamira turned towards me. – “Are you alright?”

- “Yes, thank you, pri- Arsamira. I’m sorry I got-”

- “It’s fine. I told you I would protect you. And I keep my promises close to my heart, from the very second they are said.”

Kiochery looked at the both of us with a slightly dumbfounded expression, I noticed. I held to his sleeve after bowing to the prince, trying to hide my own confusion.

After that, past that, we finally arrived at the main building, where the captain’s office was located. Knock knock.

- “Ah, Arsaboy and the shrimp - finally! You are kinda late, huh?”

- “I’m sorry tito, I didn’t manage to wake up in time. I made them wait for me.” - Arsamira bowed slightly towards the captain.

- “Ah, it’s fine then. No prob. As long as it wasn’t the shrimp. Anyways. Chery, kiddo - since you’re already here, stay.”

Arsamira told Luze to go away, then.

Behind closed doors, the tension grew. The captain’s office was as one would expect of him; unfinished documents, empty bottles, a few dirty clothes - but the things that were important were immaculate. Not much dirt despite the carelessness; the warm wood and the dark red carpet gave the scene a sense of imminent, yet elegant, danger. An inevitable pressure that tasted like wine.

My eyes wandered towards the very sun: the prince. Wondering of the intricate schemes he was constantly working on. Wondering about his presence here.

To my eyes, he was standing beside one of his only assets within the Court. He must hold onto that bond.

- “I’ll assume you did your homework, and know some basic geography, yeah?” – Said the Captain, unraveling a map over his desk.

- “Yes, sir. Mizuen has been of great help getting accustomed to this world.”

- “Got it. Yeah, he’s a good kid. So, Zeliram holds the borders, right? There are still Zeliriamen soldiers here and there, but most of them had to go back to stop the civil war. Here, in the west. And here in the east- Iher, is holding the camps in the meanwhile. So, with some luck, we’ll have less to deal with. They ain’t got that much of an army, since their strength is on the sea, and not on land. But the thing they got and we haven’t is, well, a working economic system. You know we are basically hermits at this point. Yeah- I’m just repeating what you heard yesterday.”

- “Yes, sir. I also remember, if I’m not mistaken, that the merchants are being bribed into leaving our side, so I assume the government does not directly interfere with the economic system?”

- “That’s pretty much it, I dunno the rest of it thought. You should talk with the sheep to understand that.”

- “The sheep… Ah, Shepiqi”

- “It’s Sheqipi, Von.” – Arsamira corrected, laughing a little. – “The whole matter is that our country is founded under the principle of freedom with conscience. So, interference is forbidden for us unless absolutely necessary. We do have proper laws, but we prefer to educate our people, rather than forcing them to obey.”

- “I see. That’s truly a way only a kingdom so isolated could lead on.”

- “I feel like that was more insulting than you intended.” – The prince ruffled my hair. – “Back to you, Captain.”

- “Thanks.

Well, back on topic, we know it might be around a year before they get the civil war under control, but I don’t think their government will fall. They were strong enough to hold their position against us, I don’t think armed civilians will do a better job. By this point the king is just a puppet of their Council, or so we were told, and one never knows what dirty tricks the Doctrine might pull; but even for them, defending two fronts would be exhausting. So, we need to attack before they have the power to fight back. It will be an all-out campaign, we have no right to look down on them. The very first mistake of the Southern Island was underestimating their enemies, and you see how that ended.”

- “…No, I don’t know about that. How did it end?” – I dared to ask- as shy as I was.

- “Ah, well. They lost their north peninsula to Plaigas, and it became a tourist attraction. It was highly humiliating for the prideful Mora, they thought their strength would be unparalleled in the ocean. The very reason their relics and monuments are used as a tourist trap is just to humiliate them further. The Mora people are bound to start another war sooner or later.”

- “That’s… kind of awful… Having their lost heritage rubbed in their faces…”

- “If you’ll excuse me, sir.” – Said Kiochery, a solemn look of bitterness. – “Don’t feel bad for the Mora. They are no more than arrogant slavers. They couldn’t control their own beasts and force them to fight, so they bought slaves from the northern lands - who are known to be good tamers - and made them fight along with the beasts. Those who drag innocent people to war, those who enslave my ‘kind,’ as they say, are not to be treated with mercy.”

It rang a bell - it wasn’t the first time Kiochery mentioned something like that. The bitterness of his words, they carried history with them.

A history of pain. A history of wounds that were too close to his heart. Is it that history repeats itself no matter the world, or is it just my luck to land in a place like home?

People seem to be the same no matter where you look.

Even if it was to be expected,

it’s saddening that such a magical world carried these wounds.

- “Anyways. So, don’t underestimate your enemies. The Court is fine with simply losing as little as possible, just giving up if the citizens are in danger - but that would be disgraceful for us. I just can’t afford to lead my soldiers to only shame and disappointment. If we are going to fight, we will fight until the last one drops. Got it, shrimp?”

- “…Ah, yes, I understand.”

- “Alright. So, here is-”

While they kept talking about the situation on the borders, my mind wandered through all the possibilities - which apparently there weren’t a lot of. No tricks, no ambushes. Just rushing towards each other with weapons in hand. The knowledge from watching too many movies, reading too many books, playing too many strategy games, already gave me a mental image of what was to unfold.

- “…and then there is the forest to deal with. We have barely enough archers to cover one camp, but arrows are the cheapest thing we’ve got, so it’s the only weapon we can afford to replace. Armed soldiers will only deal with the leftovers after the archers have made an opening and a follow-up. I don’t know what to do with the mages, more than just leaving them behind the armed soldiers in case there’s a break in our lines.”

- “Then shouldn’t we move the mages behind the forest, maybe? The coverage from the archers will let them move without being seen, so they can attack before the armed soldiers- we’ll save swords.”

- “Ah, Arsaboy, what was I just saying? Let’s come from the hills, and intimidate them.”

- “One camp at a time?”

- “Not completely. At this point during the attack, we leave a few alive to sound their alarms, then wait for the nearby camps to come; we can leave the cavalry to deal with the leftovers there while we hold the main front, and when they join us, we’ll have them surrounded.”

- “Hold on for a second, tito. So we will divide the troops- with such small numbers?”

- “Yes - the mounted soldiers can move around the riverbend more quickly, so we’ll have them go clean the camps that were left behind. Unless they are dishonorable warriors that won’t aid their own people, Zeliram’s forces should come towards us, there, in the center. So we will be a destructive decoy.”

- “…Ah. That could work if-“– I unconsciously broke my silence. The sheer regret I felt half a second later still lingers to this day.

- “What is it, Von?” – Oh no. The prince looked at me with expectancy, a smile on his face.

- “Nothing, I just- It’s nothing.”

- “Talk now, boy. You are here to work.”

- “Well, I thought if the cavalry attacks at night, here, and here, we’ll-“

- “Ahhh. Listen, since you are new here, I’ll explain it again from the start. I see where you are going, and I really don’t like it. I understand what you mean… That there is so much else that could be done - but we have our own traditions. You come from somewhere else - a completely different place, apparently - so maybe you wouldn’t understand, but this is important for us. It might… come as a shock, considering how everyone talks of this kingdom as a place that focuses so much on pacifism, but our soldiers have an oath to follow ‘til the grave. We fight to protect what we treasure - and to not be haunted by it, we need to fight clean. The pain and disgrace would be even worse than death for most of us, kid… We may go back to the dirt we came from… but we will go with pride and bloom once again. We will be rewarded in our next lives. It’s the promise we hold close to our hearts. Us, as well as our brothers, because all of this region was once an empire - and we haven’t forgotten that.”

- “With all due respect, sir, I was called to help win this war, I was called to protect the people.” – I was regretting every word, but that didn’t stop me. – “And if we have to use what you call dishonorable methods to ensure survival, then-”

- “Shut it.” – And so I did. – “Tell me, would you be able to tell my soldiers to doom themselves - even after death - for their kingdom? To live a life full of shame, and expect death to be no better?”

There was a warmth in his eyes, as if scolding a child, when he talked to me, despite the stern tone. I made it clear that I understood.

After several moments in complete silence, he went back to the map; I decided to save my thoughts for later, while still paying attention to the rest of his ideas. I kept planning in my mind - studying the maps while writing down, mentally, the subtle details I had learned from the state of the kingdom and its people.

I was taking my job seriously - even if I had no idea what I was doing.

The rest of the meeting was… pretty uneventful, and we got dismissed just in time for lunch.

- “You did well on your first day. Just don’t argue so much with me.” – is what he said, patting me on the back. – “But it’s nice to see you’ve got some bite to you, even if you look like a stick.”

- “…Thank you…?”

- “Uhuh.” – He cleared his throat. - “And ‘bout yesterday. I had to get the Court off my back, I hope I didn’t scare ya.”

- “Ah, that’s- That’s fine. It wasn’t like… any of it was a lie.”

- “Why, don’t get all gloomy, kiddo. You are doing fine. Go get some food now, you’ll need the extra strength tomorrow. Take care, I expect some ideas next time.”

I didn’t think much of the implications of that; I just accepted the pat, nodded, and left with the others.

So, not done with the new experiences, and as tired as I already was, we had lunch with the soldiers. Even the prince, yes. His charisma was a weapon amongst the young and impressionable; I understood how, ever so silently, he kept gaining support from the common villager, rather than the wealthy and powerful.

I don’t remember much, just… the haze of a long table full of lively, hungry people. A girl who threw some bread at someone, a guy who was mimicking a bird… Maybe? It was a fun time, even if it was a ravaging mess. Above all, the prince offered to perform the daily prayer in place of his mother, for the humble folks. Standing there, his posture, his kindness- the delicate tone he used as everyone opened their eyes again afterwards; how he handed people the spices and asked about their days, how he remembered the names and faces of each of them - how he had trained with some of them, even. Genuinely bonding with his troops, the prince. A side of him that had shocked me a bit, as, until then, I’d only known a spoiled, bubbly prince.

- “It’s okay Von, you can eat now.”

- “Ah- Yes. Sorry. I was just out of it-“

- “While looking at me? Well, I am pretty handsome, if I say so myself. Heh, come on, or I’ll steal that cheese you got there.”

- “Ah, you can have it if you want.”

- “Gasp-! Offering cheese to me? Are you courting me?”

- “What- Does cheese mean-“

- “No no it doesn’t- Heh. You are, like, really out of it, huh? I’m just joking. I’m not going to take it; you need to eat.”

- “…So you can be charming when you try, huh?”

- “So my charm truly transcends world borders, I see.”

- “Uh-!”

It almost began to feel like a friendship, somehow - in such a short time…

How dangerous it really is,

to walk among the ambitious.