War was a difficult thing for rulers, soldiers and the common folk, though not a rare thing in this day and age. People fight for what they think it’s right, but there is no right or wrong in war, instead the victory goes to those who survive it to tell the tale and the defeated is always condemned to be the villain.

Leona knew only so much from textbooks and history lessons from the Grand Academy and thinking back, she was probably not taught everything that actually happened back then. In the days of old, even before men used to be at odds with demonkind, there was already another conflict, dwarves from the Citadel of Akrapocalis and the people from the Kingdom of Arcadia used to trade blows in the selfsame Great Forest, in a much smaller scale for sure but it was still war nonetheless. Death soaked the soil with lives of good men and women who were forced to kill in order to live to see another day. One can only do so much in order to imagine the horror witnessed by them.

Rulers were concerned with territory and wealth, the people suffered, soldiers died, such was the reality of those days. Now, with another war brewing at Arcadia’s doorstep, Leona knew something had to be done, but she couldn’t do it alone.

She tried her best to understand everyone, no matter their birth, creed or status. By trying to do so, she began to see the bigger picture, why people do what they do and how to rule in a way that could help benefit the majority in need. At least, that was how she was taught by her mother. Upon clutching the pendant tightly in her right hand, she turned to the knight, her voice firm as it could ever be.

“Krieg. For the sake of my late mother and father, we have to survive and put an end to Alexander’s plans. Come what may, we must win.”

His helmet turned to face her determined expression, a revitalized beacon of hope strengthened by her resolve.

“So we shall, in your leadership I trust, Princess Leona.”

She smiled at him, having the knight by her side meant much more to her than he realized, for he was the only one left she could truly call family. Though she couldn’t dare to say that in front of him.

Krieg on the other hand felt a stinging sensation of uselessness, glancing on each of his feet covered in metal swinging forward each time he took a step forward made him ponder about his purpose beside Leona. Surely, he was much stronger than the average soldier, but from there on out, there was no telling which kind of foe they could encounter and that seriously worried him, with good reason.

Magicians weren’t exactly common, from the general populace only a handful of people could use magic offensively to an extent, but it wouldn’t be more than just a spark of flames. But the ones who could, were potential risks even to a fully armored soldier.

Fire magic was the most common among the six known schools of magic. Ice, wind, earth, lightning and water made up the rest of the known controllable elements by mages of that era, but since fire based spells are easiest to grasp its concept and make use of it in actual battles, it is the most widely known element. Now, a mage could make use of multiple elements, being able to wield different kinds allowed for much more complex and more often than not, dangerous spells.

It was not something easily accomplished however, casting spells takes a toll on the user, with more power comes a greater cost, anyone could cast a fireball and hurl it, but there were many steps before that could happen. The first one was the mind, the caster needs to visualize the shape and element of said spell, giving it form and purpose. Having done that the next component was enhancing one’s body in order to better accommodate the casting, that is done by reinforcing the body part of which you are casting from, since offensive spells have the chance of backfiring if not cast correctly, enhancing could be taken to be the most important part of the process. Next was control, stabilizing the spell before releasing was a component to allow it to do its job properly, releasing a half-evoked fireball could result in an early detonation or a delayed one. Finally, the integral part of magic was mana, a magic caster could employ different methods to channel said resource, be it from the environment around them or from their own body.

Though Krieg had no idea how to conjure even the most basic fire spell, he knew it was an art of its own, just like the blade he carried on his shoulder that was used to defend others, magic was just a means to an end. He saw it as a chance to improve himself where his swordsmanship could not.

“Leona.”

She glanced towards the knight walking beside her steed. He was looking straight to the road but was paying enough attention to her after calling her. Leona slightly tilted her head.

“Hmm? What is it, Krieg?”

“I was wondering if you could teach me magic.”

There was a brief pause of silence, only the sounds of the mud sticking to the horse’s hooves and the knight’s boots could be heard alongside the brisk rain pelting the vegetation around them. Leona resumed by clearing her throat before speaking.

“I didn’t know you had an interest in such things.”

“It’s less about being interested. My swordsmanship can only do so much about magic users from afar.”

He recalled the bitter memory of having to throw his greatsword at the flying wizards back in the Windravt desert. Meanwhile the princess seemed conflicted.

“I can try, but I’m not sure if I’ll be of any help. Everything I know is mostly what my mother taught me.”

“Anything will help, it is better than just standing powerless against magic users.”

A weak smile formed on her face as she turned her attention again to the road ahead of her.

‘Krieg sure changed…’

She thought.

‘Back then he would not speak a word nor leave my side but now…’

Glancing through the corner of her eye, she saw him staring at his own right hand, opening and closing before extending it, seemingly pretending to chant a spell quietly under his breath. Leona giggled. It was a fond situation, knowing the knight for such a long time and seeing him interact more with her made her glad. If anything that’s exactly what she needed, a time to quietly spend together with people she was happy to have as company. Even in such a disheartening situation she found herself in, the princess could find solace in the small joys of life.

“Krieg, don’t you do anything for fun?”

A teenager Leona was sitting on the edge of the mountainside overlooking the seemingly endless Great Forest, only a hint of civilization peeked in the orange horizon from afar in the form of walls of stone, the dwarven Citadel of Akrapocalis. The Princess swung each of her legs back and forth while enjoying the calm breeze from the dangerous seat of one of the highest places in Arcadia.

“Princess Leona I believe it would be best to have this conversation inside the mansion, lest have the wind interrupt you.”

“Oh don’t fret about it Krieg. This might actually be the best place to have a calm talk. After all, look at this scenery, is there anywhere else so breathtaking?”

“I believe I haven’t seen any other place like this one, Princess.”

“Then at least sit down and relax a little. I won’t be out here for too long.”

The knight was conflicted, nevertheless it was his duty to keep an eye on her so nothing could come to harm her. Hesitantly, he sat at arm's length distance from her.

“Very well… I’ll take up your offer.”

She was staring towards the sky, mesmerized by the few stars visible in the calm sunset. A weak smile came across her face as she extended her right hand out to the sky.

“I wonder… if my mother is out there somewhere still looking at me.”

Leona closed her hand as if she tried to pluck out a star from the skies. Her dreams of a new kingdom without strife was still fueled by her own ambition, an ambition that only grew with her mother’s passing.

“I hope I made her proud with my speech at the capital.”

“Yours is a righteous path Princess. Lady Ravness couldn’t be more proud of you.”

She brought her right hand tightly closed to her chest. Her body twitched slightly up, Krieg could hear faint hiccups coming from her and tears started to form in the edges of her eyes. She leaned in forward trying to suppress her crying but with no avail.

While a ruler must keep appearances to their subjects, they were no more than any other man or woman. It was even more burdening for Leona, having lost her mother in an early age and still having to play the role of a ruler. It was too much for anyone to handle, but for the people who couldn’t speak up for themselves, for the people who suffered far longer than she could ever imagine, she endured, she fought and rose to ever greater heights, being recognized as a brilliant tactician and prominent ruler of the Arcadian kingdom.

But nothing could be achieved if it wasn’t for those who stood alongside her and she knew that better than anyone. In order to do right by those who helped her, she had her mind set on building a kingdom where everyone could live peacefully. Many trials awaited her, a young naive noble girl who didn’t quite know the meaning of life itself.

“Leona.”

Like a snap back to reality, Krieg’s voice made her realize she was still on horseback in the muck filled road. Krieg was looking at her, although she couldn’t see his face, it was obvious from the tone of his voice that he was worried.

“I think it would be wise to keep yourself out of the rain once we create more distance between us and the kingdom.”

She couldn’t help but smile a bit. It was comforting to have someone worrying for her well-being but time was of the essence, if they didn’t make it to the citadel that meant they would be forced to sleep in the forest. The absence of trade was already a sign of danger lurking in the woods.

“I appreciate your concern Krieg but we must reach the citadel as soon as possible. Although we have no money, it’s better to find shelter in a city rather than the forest.”

“Oh that.”

He reached for a satchel that was strapped to his new leather belt. The sewing was unique as it formed crosses on the edges of the satchel, giving a more elegant look to the otherwise mundane item of holding. He proceeded to pull a few silver coins from it, fiddling them between his fingers with surprising dexterity, given they were covered with steel armor before explaining where it came from.

“I was given some funds from the commander. Thankfully it’s enough for a comfortable stay at an inn for a few days.”

“That eases my mind, we haven’t had a good place to sleep in days. Don’t you find it exhausting to sleep outdoors?”

“A little, but I’m used to it. Back when I was Eleonora’s second in command, I would always sleep with the troops in tents, which were more often than not, outside.”

“I can’t get used to this…”

They almost didn’t notice the crashed carriage on the right hand side since they were conversing. Leona’s eyes went wide when she saw the crash site, mangled bodies were lying around broken wooden wheels, the smell of putrid flesh hit her nose the moment they had a clear vision of the carnage. There were about three bodies, mostly impossible to discern from man or woman from the way they were torn apart.

Leona could feel last night’s meal coming back up in her throat, the nauseous smell became even stronger as they passed by it, she tried to ignore it but the sight was already burned in her mind. After coughing a few times, she turned to the knight for guidance.

“Krieg, what do you think happened here?”

“That looked too gruesome to be a bear attack. Something like a demon perhaps?”

“It was a death angel.”

“Ah!”

Phoebe’s voice came from the opposite side of the crash site, to Leona’s left side, startling her in the process. Upon looking at the elf she noticed she had her longbow out instead of the daggers. The princess proceeded to question her after she had recovered from the minor scare.

“How can you tell?”

“There was a trace of white blood, apparently one of the travelers managed to wound it.”

“I see…”

“Thankfully it’s old so I don’t think we’ll need to worry about it roaming around this place.”

“Still, that warrants caution. We hardly have the means to kill any medium sized death angel should it attack us.”

They left the carnage behind them and Phoebe decided to vanish into the forest to scout ahead of them once again. Leona felt a certain unease building up inside of her, death angels were known for devouring their prey whole in order to strengthen itself before moving on in search for another meal in a never ending cycle of hunger. Mangled carcasses were a very uncommon sight in those attacks. Something else must have done that.

Leona glanced to the horizon towards the citadel. There was a faint breeze coming from the east carrying more clouds of rain for the next few days, which wouldn’t be bad if the roads weren’t already filled with mud.

The horse’s hooves made a sloshing sound each time it moved through the muck, Krieg’s sabatons were also starting to look less like steel and more like work boots from the thick cover of brown sediment. However he didn’t seem to mind the extra effort to walk, in fact it didn’t seem like it bothered him at all. Seeing how he marched without any hint of exhaustion, Leona decided to ask.

“Krieg, how can you walk with your armor full of mud like that? Doesn’t it weigh you down?”

He slightly turned to see her in the corner of his closed helmet.

“Hm? No, not really. It will be bothersome to clean this but it can be done after we reach a safe place to rest.”

She wanted to know just how strong he was, but couldn’t quite gauge his strength compared to the common soldier, at least, not by comparing mud covered boots. Adele would often tell her that Krieg was one of a kind, that the Crossford family would be hard pressed to find someone like him. Frankly, it was true, most former high ranking officers would rather be peddling the streets rather than working as a bodyguard for nobles, but he was different. Not only in his conduct, which was unparalleled to other knights, but also the way he carried on with his duties. Being a personal knight meant he would spend most of his day by her side, but more than just a bodyguard, he would become her most trusted ally and friend.

He would offer much welcomed advice when it came to military matters, such as unit formations, strategic use of the terrain in the battlefield and army morale. Knights were slowly becoming obsolete for large-scale warfare with the appearance of muskets and long range magic, but most of his time spent as second in command of the Arcadian army served to shape him into a proper captain.

However what most didn’t know, not all orders came from him. He just served as a proxy in order to shape men’s morale. Lead by example, was the concept and who better suited to lead the knights if not the best of all of them? Commander Hawk was mostly in charge of the strategies and the ‘how to’ in the day to day operations. Though that didn’t stop Krieg from trying to learn what he could from him.

The knight looked to the clouded sky, lightning struck in the distance and after a few seconds they heard the echoing thunder. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, before the war was over, the clouds didn’t seem to part from Windravt. A world of darkness ruled by demonic beasts and demi-humans. The only reason why he kept going was to hopefully pay Eleonora back one day.

‘Death is part of our duty, but more than that, we must seek the light in the darkness.’

Those were the words Eleonora left him with before she parted to fulfill her own duty by the demon prince side. Then from there, once the war was over and the queen was gone, the uprising began. Demi-humans were persecuted, the chasm between nobility and the common man only grew. Violence and hatred grew within the Arcadian’s heart like a plague.

It was until a teenager Leona decided to rise up as a potential ruler of the kingdom, back then everyone doubted her words since she was just another noble amongst the plethora of corrupted candidates, but with much effort, she managed to show the people just how much she was capable of, by increasing the capital’s efficiency in food production by introducing crop rotation and mining precious metals by designing intelligent and more important, safe methods for excavating the mountainous terrain of Arcadia.

Getting results, that was her way of showing how much she could improve while being the ruler of Arcadia. Though the people’s hearts were still afflicted by the war, forgiving demonkind was not something easily done, with almost a hundred years of seemingly endless war, asking them to forgive a mortal enemy was too much and it proved so when Alexander rose in power.

It rendered her powerless, but she knew better than anyone that a prosperous future was not one created from fear and hatred. Something had to change.

Leona looked over her shoulder towards the towering castle atop the plateau, she dreamed of being there not for the sake of being a queen, but for the sake of leading a nation towards a better future.

‘Goodbye, Arcadia.’

She thought as she slowly turned around to the road ahead of her. Dark clouds were gathering in the distance, the way to Akrapocalis was a perilous one.