Day 12 of the Fourth Month, Year 1016, morning

The Woods, Southern Goldburg Province, Forewood Kingdom

Devan Nathaniel Andres was walking towards his cottage in the forests before he realized that something was off.

Someone was here.

He cursed silently. That was never a good thing. It was always bad news that disturbed him from his vacation. It wasn’t that he predicted it—it had happened twice in the range of his two only vacations.

He sighed. One must sacrifice something when they served the army, he supposed. But come on, the bad news was never important. He began to think his superiors sent him false reports of sort because they hated him. Well, he had never been well-liked.

He put down his hunt for the day on his terrace and noticed a letter on the ground. The Forewood army insignia on it confirmed his suspicion. Someone did dislike him. Oh, it was only his third year serving the army! Well, maybe people just detested him because he climbed the rank too fast.

‘To Major Andres.’ When he opened it, he just saw some writings in the army's code, stating ‘CODE RED.’

That was it. Well, also some scrawling on the envelope by the deliverer that they were sorry they couldn’t wait on him in person, but he understood. Dev could spend hours hunting, so they never knew when he would be back. But this code red... Never in his three years of experience someone used code red—and to his knowledge, not even before that.

As important as it was, though, Dev couldn’t just let the deer he hunted rot before his cottage, so he dragged the dead animal to the side of his cabin, towards the kitchen. As he walked, he looked to his left and noticed that there was something odd—the bushes were ruined. He frowned. Did an animal run through it accidentally? He hoped it wasn’t a deer hitting his home—it had happened before, Dev knew. He was a hunter for a few years before he entered the Cerubalt Academy.

He put down the deer inside his kitchen and went out again. It made him feel unsafe, so he was going to investigate.

He followed the ruined bushes and arrived at the particularly huge tree. Dev slowed down and walked as quietly as he could. He knew this tree—sometimes he found rabbits hiding in there. Maybe it was a group of rabbits that could become his breakfast…

Then he saw a girl huddled up in there.

Huh. A girl! Whatever would a young girl be doing in a forest all alone? Was she lost…? No, what kind of girl would walk into the forest and slept in a tree? That didn’t make sense.

Or maybe the girl was some witch from the future, Dev's imagination started. Maybe this would be his adventure! Surely a witch from the future would help him escape his boring routine.

He observed the girl and she began to stir awake. But he noted with disappointment that her clothes weren’t anything out of ordinary, except for the fact that it was a bit ragged and dirty. Oh, it wasn’t a witch from the future after all.

Disappointed, he cursed inwardly again. His head began to speculate, and one of his speculations left him annoyed. This one might be a spy—should've known being a soldier was no good.

He was convinced the Goddess, along with the Universe, hated him with most definite, burning passion.

VICTORIA felt the sun on her face, but she was so tired that she didn’t want to wake up. The sun always felt so comfortable in the morning…

Morning?

She jumped up with a start.

As it happened, she saw a shadow loomed, closing in the sun. She looked at him, he looked at her. Victoria looked around her. She was in a tree, quite a big tree. Had she slept in there all night?

Victoria winced, feeling her head throbbed again. Then she remembered that she was kidnapped last night and successfully escaped.

With panic, she scrambled upon her necklace and tapped her ruby pendant twice. When nothing happened, she cursed out loud. “I’m too far out of range,” she muttered in annoyance.

“What?”

Victoria looked up.

The shadow formed a face. It was a boy around her age. He couldn’t be older than twenty Winterfell, and she was sure he was not one of her kidnappers. A hunter, most likely, seeing the deer on his hand. Oh. Poor dead deer. But she ate it too, so guess she couldn’t complain.

He raised an eyebrow at her. “What was that thing supposed to do? Magic?”

“Yes,” Victoria looked down at her pendant. “It was supposed to alert my friend where I am, if I was within range.”

He frowned. “Magic doesn’t exist.”

Victoria shrugged. That was what the general public believed. “Maybe it does?”

“Okay, stop jesting. Who are you? What are you even doing here?” He didn’t seem to believe her.

Victoria climbed out of the trunk almost with ease, if she didn’t hit her head in the same place she got hit yesterday. She winced again. “I was kidnapped and I ran away.”

“So, the magic doesn’t work?” He raised an eyebrow. He seemed quite intrigued with that part, rather than the fact that she just said she was kidnapped.

“It does,” Victoria nodded, “but like I said, within range. Beth, the witch that my family trusts, didn’t have enough magic for a bigger range.” Nobody ever believed this story of hers, so she always had fun telling this and saw other’s incredulous face all the while knowing it was true.

The youth kept looking at her pendant, then stared at her. “What are you really doing out here?”

“I told you, I was kidnapped,” Victoria grumbled, rubbing her head.

“Why were you kidnapped?”

Victoria stopped. Right. “I don’t even know why,” she said, surprised by her own words. “The last time I remember, I tried to help a bleeding little boy, then someone hit me in the head.” She startled. “Oh right! That little boy!” She looked at him. “Where is this?”

“The edge of southern Goldburg,” he answered, though he still looked quite confused.

“Right. Goldburg. Wait, what?” Goldburg was a province directly west to Grizzle. How far had she travelled? Who kidnapped her, anyway?

Her first guess was the Lirsk. Or perhaps not, she thought when she remembered some lady the two kidnappers mentioned. Who, and why would they kidnap her? I mean, it wasn’t weird. Being the Crown Princess, all sorts of people wanted to kidnap or even assassinate her.

“Yes, well. Who are you?”

Victoria shook her head. One by one. First the hunter in front of her. “I’m Victa,” she answered. One might not know if this one was a part of Lirsk too or not. Her feelings said not, but her training as a knight and a princess made her careful.

And anyway, she liked being just Victa better.

“That doesn’t answer my question. Why are you inside this trunk?”

“What else should I use to hide and also protect me from the snow?” Victoria remarked.

He looked at her in suspicion. “What are you going to do now, then?”

“I’m going to Grizzle,” Victoria replied, still looking around the forest. “How far south is this?”

“At least half a day of journey, on horseback.” He said that while looking at her. He looked conflicted for a second there before sighing to himself and said, “Well, as it happened, I’m also going to Grizzle. Come on.”

Victoria looked down at herself. Aside from her red ruby pendant, her clothes looked quite sad, with tear and dirt everywhere. She shrugged. No wonder he looked at her like that. Well, pity worked in her favor in this instance.

She followed him dutifully for some time before realizing that this was exactly why she was kidnapped yesterday. She believed in her guts too much. The little girl looked genuinely stricken, so Victoria just had to help. Now, this hunter seemed quite trustworthy, so she just followed him like a puppy.

She stopped, but he also stopped at the same time. “We’re here.”

The cottage looked small, but cozy. The wood that made up most of the material was polished, leaving quite a pretty sight under the shadows of the trees. The window had no glass, though, only covered with some kind of cloth. She wondered if it would be cold at night—although she was one to say, as she slept inside a tree.

While she stood in awe, though, she felt a blade on her neck. She groaned inwardly. See?! This was why she shouldn’t be too trusting!

“Who are you?” He whispered harshly from behind her. “Are you a spy from Lirsk?”

“What? No! Goddess, whatever made you think that?” Victoria exclaimed. “Where did you get the sword, anyway? You were bare-handed just a second ago!”

“Answer the question!” The blade cut through the outer skin of her neck.

“I already did! I’m not! I promised on the Goddess that I’m not!” Victoria felt her head throbbed now. How do you convince someone that you’re not a spy against your own kingdom?

At least now she knew this hunter was not a spy.

“You suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the early morning with that stupid story? How am I supposed to trust you?”

Goddess. She knew she should’ve appeared more scared. Now her fearless nature got her in trouble. “Okay, you know, if I really was a spy, I would play the act of a weak damsel in distress so you will believe that, not this! Come on. What kind of spy is as lousy as this?”

“That’s what a spy would say,” he replied, still suspiciously. But his blade loosened from her neck. Reasoning worked, apparently.

Victoria looked around the cottage desperately and found something on the table on the terrace. An envelope… Wasn’t that the Forewood army insignia? “You are a soldier?” Victoria asked with surprise.

“You mean you don’t know that already?”

There was something off about the letter. The way the hunter swung her around from the letter, trying to hide it, especially. What was in it?

What had happened?

Panic almost seized her before she remembered to keep a clear head.

She grasped the chance to take the blade from him instead. With a quick move, he was now on the end of his own blade. “Okay, I don’t want to hurt you, I really don’t,” Victoria repeated, “but I can’t take chance of you killing me. Now, if you really don’t want to help, I could just leave and we forget this ever happened, okay?”

Dev looked warily at his blade that was pointed at himself. “You really aren’t a spy?” He asked, his eyes meeting hers.

“I’m not!” Victoria clacked her tongue, frustrated. But she didn’t have time to prove that. Quickly, with the blade behind her, she walked towards the terrace, where the letter was located. The parchment was half opened. Major Andres, she could read, and something of a code red?

What?

“Code red?” She asked incredulously. Code red was only used in extreme emergency such as war. She was sure, even her disappearance doesn’t warrant a code red.

“You can read that?” He sounded incredulous, too. The army indeed had certain, different code from the alphabets that common people use. “You are a spy in the military!”

“No, you idiot. I am from the military.” Victoria answered exasperatedly. Suddenly alert, her body went straight and she looked around. The Princess scrunched up her eyebrows. With one quick move, she threw the blade she took from Dev to the bushes beside the cottage.

A strangled cry was heard suddenly, making Dev jerked in surprise. Victoria ran to the bushes and pulled someone from there. Her aim wasn’t off by much, as she hit the guy’s shoulder. “Who are you? Why are you here?”

The guy only stared at her before his head suddenly lolled on his shoulder.

He was dead.

Victoria winced as she smelled something unpleasant and dropped the guy. “He poisoned himself. That was quick... Must've really don’t want to talk.” She looked at Dev. “Someone was spying on you, Major, and it wasn’t me.”

Dev, astonished, walked towards the guy. He went to check his pulse and frowned. “He’s actually dead.”

“Well, yeah.” Victoria stared down at the corpse. “Most likely glyvil. Killed you immediately.” Inside, she felt her heart trembled. She never actually saw the effects of poisons in front of her, and especially not one that killed people instantly. She only learned about it in the Academy and delved slightly deeper into it while training in the military.

“Yes,” Dev murmured. “Glyvil, or perhaps dreovine. There are many types of poisons that spies used, but they don’t usually use it lightly like this.”

“They don’t want to risk giving up even the slightest bit of information, then,” Victoria scrunched up her brows. “Why do you think they’re spying on you for?”

“That part is beyond me.” Dev shook his head. “If it’s Lirsk, then they want intel, but how long has it been spying on me for? I haven’t been aware…” He turned to her. “How did you sense him?”

“I suddenly did,” she shrugged. “I have always been good at sensing people.” No one can enter the room without her noticing. “But this is the first time that I couldn’t sense him, not until suddenly. His presence was flickering.” She frowned again. It never happened before.

He stared at her, but there was no suspicion there. “I suppose I have to believe that you’re not the spy,” he grumbled.

“You don’t have to. Just don’t kill me.” She pulled the blade from the spy’s shoulder, wipe it on her ragged clothes, and threw his blade back at him. “Take that. Let’s go now, Major. Seemed like your company needed you.”

“Okay, even if you are not spy, you can’t just command me like that,” Dev muttered, but he followed nonetheless. He took his blade and sheathe it, then walked to the stable next to his cottage. Victoria looked at the corpse again, and when she saw the dagger on his waist, she only hesitated for a second before picking it up. Having no weapons made her feel unsafe.

And then she walked after Dev. The guy didn’t notice what she did, as he was busy saddling up his horse. “Who are you, anyway?”

“I’m part of the military,” Victoria answered vaguely, which was true in some sense. She grabbed the letter from the table. “Let’s just go. Something is very wrong.”

Dev looked reluctant, but somehow recognized the tone in her voice. “The universe really does hate me,” he mumbled to himself.

“What was that?” Victoria looked up from inspecting the letter.

“Nothing, Miss.” Dev saluted and went back to saddling his horse.

Victoria raised her eyes, but didn’t say anything. There was little use in saying anything else. She wasn’t willing to open up her identity, so as long as Dev agreed to bring her to Grizzle, she was fine with keeping quiet.

It was hard for her to keep quiet though. Not long after they set off through the forest, Victoria had to open her mouth. “Do I really look like a spy?”

“You really are suspicious,” Dev nodded. “Suddenly appearing out of nowhere, especially after I receive that letter? I thought you were some kinds of witches from the future or something.”

“What?” Victoria frowned at him. “What even are you talking about?”

He shrugged. “I read,” he said, as if it explained it all. It obviously didn’t. Sensing her confusion, he continued, “novels. Fictions. You know, tales.”

“A hunter soldier that reads,” Victoria was astonished. “Well. Now I’ve truly lived.”

“It’s not that weird,” Dev protested. “People have hobbies, you know.”

“I mean, I know people have hobbies, but I would’ve thought a soldier’s hobby would be swordplay or any of that sort.” Archery was her hobby, after all.

“Goddess, no,” he frowned. “I’ve got enough of swordplay in trainings.” He then looked pointedly at her. “Don’t tell me your hobby is swordplay?”

She shrugged. “Close. It’s archery.”

He gaped. “So, you’re one of those soldiers.”

“What soldiers?” She gazed at him, offended.

“The obsessed ones that trained every day,” he said matter-of-factly. “Met them a few times. Full of ambition, those are.”

She muttered something, annoyed. “No, I’m not that kind of soldier,” but she didn’t deny that she did, in fact, practice archery every day.

“So, you’re an artillery,” he said, trying to pry.

Victoria shrugged. “I suppose I am.”

“What do you mean, you suppose?” he frowned. “Where are you stationed?”

“Naveland,” she answered. Which was rather true, in a way. She was the Grand General after all. “I am slipping back and forth between artillery and infantry.”

“So, you’re twice as ambitious,” he was astonished.

Victoria winced. “I’m not ambitious,” she said. “I just am not good enough so I have to train more. Be better.”

Yes, she was not ambitious. On the contrary, she was always afraid she was not enough to hold the title of Grand General. She gained the title because of her birth, after all, and before, the military title had always only been a courtesy. But after her father set the example of being an amazing Grand General before he became King…

She was inadequate. She had to train more. To be worth all the respect, all the reference towards her simply because she was born on finer sheet than others. She was not good enough for it.

Which was why being free was simply better. Insisting on her friends calling her name without title was a way to do it. She didn’t have to worry if she’d done enough job for others to call her “highness".

“Why do you feel you haven’t done well enough?” He frowned. “If you trained every day, I reckon you’ve did your best. And now that I think about it, that means it’s not really your hobby. It’s just something you took on every day because you feel like you want to improve your ability.” He decided, then glanced at her triumphantly. “So, do you have a hobby?”

Victoria shook her head. “No, archery really is my hobby. I enjoyed the feeling I get when I shoot on mark. It is exhilarating.”

Dev looked confused. “Well, I suppose, if you say so. I cannot quite relate because I could never get my arrows on mark. Don’t get me wrong, I was on mark enough to hit a deer, but bulls’ eye on dart boards are elusive,” He laughed. “Probably better for everyone if I stay in infantry.”

She smiled at that. “You are a good soldier,” she nodded. “You look young, but already got promoted into Major.”

He shrugged. “Lucky, I guess. First time around my sergeant retired to inherit his title, so I was promoted. And not long after the lieutenant retired early and all. I’m not that good.”

“You are being too humble,” she said. “No matter how many lucky things are there, you won’t be promoted unless you show promising signs.”

“I suppose. I don’t know.” He didn’t really agree. “Feels like some of my superior really don’t like me, though. This is the third time I’ve had to cut my vacations short, out of three vacations.”

“There must be some important things going on, then?”

“Not quite important,” Dev scowled. “Last time they called me in because a nobleman's daughter disappeared. Turns out she only fell asleep in her back garden.”

She laughed. “And the other time?”

“A nobleman’s house robbed clean,” he said. “It was kind of pitiful, that one. He and his whole family went on vacation to the Villace County. When they come back, the whole house was robbed of their valuables.”

Victoria actually had heard of that. A baron in Grizzle brought the case to the capital court accusing his uncle of the deed, but no evidence could be procured. “But weren't those the city guard’s job?”

“I know. Really, feels like someone actually was targeting me and hated that I got a vacation,” he sighed. “Whatever. I probably climbed the ladder too high too fast.”

“Which, I believe, is entirely to your credit,” Victoria added good-naturedly. “You are quite a skilled one, you know. You procured your sword out of thin air.”

Victoria believed, too, that the guy was rolling his eyes. “It was not out of thin air,” he said, but not explaining. “And you, why do you have to go to Grizzle?”

“My friends are in Dustor City, in Grizzle,” she said, which was true, but completely avoided answering his question.

He realized that. “That is not an answer.”

“Well, you know, got to catch up to them and all,” she replied dismissingly.

“No, Miss, you have to answer this. I believe you are of the Forewood militia, I know you are stationed in Naveland, so why are you going to Grizzle?”

Victoria sighed. “Truth is, we heard about the situation going to the worst around the border, and my team got ordered to check it out.” Which was technically true, since she gave herself an order. Right? “I have an undercover mission there as one of the noble ladies and I tried to find out what actually happened. Probably why it suddenly went to code red. It wasn’t unforeseeable,” she frowned. She should’ve guessed that would happen. And it just happened during the time she went to Grizzle. Ah, her family and friends were going to give it hard to her.

“Right. It’s code red.” He sighed. “That never happened for over a decade,” he shook his head.

Victoria nodded her agreement. A decade ago, when her father died. “Which is why we have to get to Grizzle as soon as possible.”

As soon as possible turned out to be the longest time possible because of a very odd problem. Windrunner, Dev’s robust stallion, suddenly buckled down, throwing them off to the ground. He whined as if in pain, and then he ran away to the side of the path—like the wind. A fitting name, as they couldn’t catch up to him.

Both Victoria and Dev were stunned as they sat on the ground. “Does that happen often?” Victoria asked after a few moments of silence.

“My stallion had always been loyal and healthy,” he said with a frown. “There is no way he could suddenly be injured, and even if he did, he wouldn’t run away.” And nothing was on the road, too. Well, except some snow. Did it misstep anywhere? No one bothered to sweep the path in the woods.

“That was really odd,” Victoria agreed. “Let’s just walk.” []