The captain continued to take the measure of this now young man before him. He did not know what to expect. The king and queen had cautioned him of the possibility the prince would be weak or frail as they did not know when during his exile the illness would leave his body. They also told the captain that their most trusted servants were previously very capable court magicians and would ensure the prince was trained in both Magic and court etiquette but again it would be unknown how much they could teach the prince with his illness. Recalling that conversation, and what he knew of some of the pampered nobles, he was not expecting this.

The prince carried himself with a sureness in his actions, an aura of authority, and his eyes held a deep intelligence that seemed far beyond his years. Prince James, the captain really did need to start using his name, seemed to just be genuine, he showed actual consideration for the position and responsibility placed on the captain. This young prince has just turned into a man yet has the forethought of possible risks they might encounter and ways to reduce risks. He also shows genuine concern for the men and their well-being. These ideas would help the captain ensure no harm would come to his charge. Yes, this was a man worthy of following.

Seeing Captain Reginald Spears lost in thought, James just chuckled and went to go check the horse and saddle. ‘This was going to be a long ride and in my previous life I still remember the importance of checking on your horse and making sure they were well taken care of.’

James produced a carrot he had pulled from the garden and stored in his pocket storage dimension. To everyone else it just looked like he reached into his satchel and pulled out a carrot. He figured it best to keep a low profile with such things as a giant city sized storage space. After feeding the carrot to his horse James proceeded to talk to the animal in a kind and caring voice, cooing it while he checked the saddle straps.

LT Simmons walked over to the captain while they both were watching what Prince James was doing. LT Simmons said in a low voice, “Prince James seems to be a very capable young man, nothing like what I was expecting but in a really good way.”

“I agree wholeheartedly with that statement Simmons. I feel sorry for any nobles that underestimate him.” Captain Spears answered.

LT Simmons replied, “I felt proud to be included in this mission but now I feel proud but also a feeling of greater weight of responsibility. The importance of this mission is clear. Prince James must be able to ascend the throne when the time comes.”

“I agree lieutenant.” Captain Spears confirmed.

LT Simmons continued, “You know some of the factions Captain, when they realize just how capable he is they won’t like it.”

The thought seemed to concern Captain Spears and decided to shift the subject, as he answered. “I am aware of that lieutenant. But that is a worry for another day. Let’s get packed up and get this escort on the road.”

‘This is a well-organized ...caravan? Convoy? Let’s go with convoy! Anyway, impressive how quickly everything was packed up and ready to go.’ James thought as he wore a hooded travel cloak and rode along with the rest of the knights.

James thought as he moved his horse to ride next to Captain Reginald Spears, ‘I wonder if he will let me call him Reggie?’

“Captain, any idea on how long we think this trip will take?” James already had an idea of the distance after based on reviewing the map of the kingdom at the valley estate and the knowledge he gained from John and Susan.

“To avoid unwanted attention, our plan is to navigate around the towns and cities as much as possible along the way. With that in mind, we estimate four days travel time my prince.”

“This convoy is not exactly small Captain. I think attention will be unavoidable.”

“Do not worry my prince, you travel with some of the most highly trained royal knights and soldiers in the kingdom.” LT Simmons said as his horse came up on the other side of James.

“Oh, I am not worried, LT Simmons. I have the utmost confidence in all of you. I merely am stating people are bound to take notice of such a large convoy.”

LT Simmons replied, “Let them, Prince James you point out any that look at you wrongly and I will teach them how to act towards the heir to our kingdom!”

James laughed; he enjoyed Simmons’ antics. “Hahaha. I will keep that in mind Lieutenant. I appreciate your attempt to lighten the mood.”

Captain Spears chimed in, “That is our lieutenant, comic relief.”

LT Simmons smiled and gave a slight nod, then he realized what his captain had said, speaking up in mock protest. “Hey now! I resemble that remark!”

The convoy seemed energized after their much-needed rest and having achieved their first objective of retrieving the prince. During their journey, the prince would make his rounds, taking time to chat with knights, soldiers, and the support personnel like cooks and hunters. He would talk to them about anything and everything. James was more focused on getting to know them and learning what interested them. This seemed to brighten the atmosphere as they marched on, leading to the convoy making good progress before making camp for the night.

Everyone began to set up tents, make firepits for the evening meal, and establish guard rotations. Cooks prepared food as several scouts and hunters returned for the evening meal. The forest provided plenty of food to hunt so no one in the convoy would go without tonight. As everyone began to gather to eat, a cook made a point to bring Prince James a plate overflowing with food. One of the men intercepted it and tasted it to ensure there was no risk of poison. After confirming the food was safe to eat, the man bowed and handed James his plate.

“The food is safe to eat your majesty.”

James took the plate with gratitude as it smelled amazing, and he understood the fact that this man had risked his life to protect him. “Thank you… What is your name?”

“Sloane, your majesty.”

“Well Sloane, I appreciate you risking your life to protect mine.” Prince James commented.

“Sloane has very high poison detection and resistance skills. The risk is minimal, and it ensures he proves his loyalty.” Captain Spears commented.

James could tell there was something there. It was clear Captain Spears did not completely trust Sloane.

“Nevertheless, thank you Sloane, I appreciate your service.”

Sloane bowed again and seemed to give a smirk to Captain Spears before turning around and going towards his own spot on the outskirts of the camp.

“Sit Captain, you too Lieutenant, and join me.”

“Of course, your majesty” Captain Spears replied as he took his seat.

“It would be my pleasure.” LT Simmons answered before he took his seat.

James observed the knights while eating. They were attentive, ready to be of service but still focused on their food. Most of the convoy seemed to slowly become more relaxed around him. Seeing that most were focused on their food and talking with their comrades, James decided to ask his question.

“So, what was all that about with Sloane?”

“Nothing sire, he is known for having a ‘colorful past’ and has been known to associate with shadier individuals. As such, we like to keep an eye on him.” Captain Spears answered as LT Simmons just nodded in agreement.

“Very well.” James said, deciding to drop the issue for now.

As they ate in relative silence for a while, James thought back to his interactions throughout the day. He had made a point to talk with as many as he could along their journey that day. ‘I think deep down they appreciated my interest and lack of concern regarding protocols. Hopefully this will help reduce the feeling they might have of me being an unknown quantity. I was determined to win them over.’

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After finishing his meal James decided to see if he could further win over those here. “Captain Reginald Spears would you be willing to spar with me and teach me some of your fighting techniques? I hear from the men that you are a master swordsman.”

“I will not turn away from someone interested in growing stronger. Are you sure Prince James? I will not go easy on you.” Captain Spears replied.

I nodded and stood. We both walked over to a clearing towards the center of camp reserved for the men to practice. I drew my sword, and he did the same.

Several people noticed Prince James and Captain Spears enter the clearing. Several stood and walked over, but all paid attention as the rest of the camp immediately grew quiet.

Captain said, “Mastering the sword requires both finesse and a willingness to push yourself past your limits.”

With that said Captain Spears kicked off the ground and rushed Prince James, attempting to use both speed and strength to overpower the prince. It was clear Captain Spears was far faster than any normal human. He either was using body enhancement magic or broke past the normal human boundaries. To be expected for a person who held such an important post. He wanted to show the prince and everyone here the power of the royal knights. At least that is what he attempted to do.

To Prince James, even with Captain Spears using body enhancement magic, the man still seemed to move in slow motion. ‘It is like he is moving through molasses.’ Prince James thought as he waited for the captain to arrive. Out of the corner of his eye, Prince James saw Sloane draw his own blade willing to interfere. ‘Hmmm, he seems protective, that or he just does not like Reggie here.’

To everyone else, Captain Spears was still moving far faster that everyone around him as he seemed to blur like a flash towards the prince. Several were worried the captain might be going a bit overboard to prove the power of the royal knights. Prince James felt like he had all the time in the world, so much so that he looked right at Sloane and winked at him. To James at his speed, it was a simple matter to parry Captain Spears blow with his hand pushing against the flat of Captain Spear’s blade while bringing his own blade up towards the captain at the same time. To the captain’s credit or honed battle instincts he was already twisting his body to dodge under the swipe.

Captain Spears used the dodge to gain some distance from Prince James. “Impressive your majesty, but perhaps that is to be expected as one trained by the legendary adventurers John and Susan. Time to kick it up a notch.”

Sloane sheathed his weapon before anyone noticed as he thought to himself, ‘This prince is quite capable and cunning, far more than he lets on. Competency I can respect.’

The Captain and Prince exchanged rapid blows across the clearing, each exchange the captain seemed to grow faster and faster, almost like he was building up momentum. Constantly increasing until after 30 minutes he seemed to hit a peak. The fight was getting harder and harder for everyone to track, and the royal knights had to activate their own body enhancement magic just to keep up with their moves.

Prince James thought to himself, ‘Had I not learned so many combat techniques and had stats so high I do not think I could’ve kept up with the ever-increasing speed and exchange of blows.’

As the fight went on practically the entire camp was focused on the fight. Everyone cheering. To the non-combatants and regular soldiers, they had never witnessed the Captain’s Relentless Momentum skill. Even the other royal knights who had already witnessed their captain in battle, this was still a rare treat to witness such a powerful skill without being in a life-or-death situation. Several cheered and let their feelings be known as they watched the fight unfold.

“This is why he is the captain of the royal knights!”

“Agreed, so amazing!”

“I have never witnessed such a fight, no one has ever lasted this long again such a skill!”

Then there was their prince who was a complete unknown. What they had witnessed in the span of a day was a kind and competent young man who showed genuine interest in their lives and getting to know everyone. The crowd couldn’t decide who to root for, so everyone just decided to root for both and just enjoy the show.

“Our kingdom is twice blessed to have two such amazing individuals!”

“Yes, this is such a wonder!”

“How can they keep going like this?!”

After the latest heated exchange of blows Captain Spears was clearly showing signs of running out of stamina. He ducked under one of Prince James’ swings, rolled away to gain some distance between them.

Heavily panting, Captain Spears called out, “You are... quite...good.” Catching his breath he continued, “There are not many people in or outside our kingdom that can keep up with my family’s enhanced speed and ability to ramp up our attacks the longer the fight goes on.”

“Thank you for the compliment, Captain Reginald. I can say I have learned much from this spar. You truly are a master in battle. I truly appreciate this lesson.” Prince James replied.

“Lesson?! Hahaha, I think I could learn a thing or two from you! The way you countered my backhand slash, I’m going to have to incorporate that move. Prince James, if I may be so bold, please call me Reggie.” Captain Spears said.

“Only if you call me James, at least while we are on this journey.” I replied.

Both men sheathed their sword and approached each other, grasped forearms, and gave slight nod towards each other. Then both started laughing as a simple way to relieve the pent-up battle stress as only two guys seem to be able to do after attempting to beat the crap out of each other.

“Hahaha, the nobles will not know what hit them! Come James, let us share a drink to ease the soreness!”

“Sure, soreness, I’ll buy that Reggie.” Prince James chuckled.

JAMES’ PERSPECTIVE

Watch rotation was set and we all turned in for the night. I set wards in my tent to prevent unwanted visitors and quickly let sleep take me. After coming to this new world, having a body with such high stats I found I didn’t need much sleep, if any really but for some reason that night I slept well and deep.

The night was uneventful, and morning came quickly. I awoke just before sunrise and after handling my morning business I began my daily exercise routine. I started with some stretches and then moved to various exercises. I would then rotate to different moves and repeat the process in different order to create muscle confusion to ensure proper warm up and continued growth.

As soldiers and knights woke up, they began to notice my routine. Several seasoned knights and soldiers recognized the difficulty of some of the exercises. They had been impressed by my fight with Captain Spears especially because as the battle ran on it was clear I was gaining more and more of the upper hand. To them Captain Spears was a pillar of the kingdom, someone who never lost a battle. As they watched my exercises, they thought just maybe the moves were clues to my strength or just a sign of my dedication to improvement. Either way it did not matter, my presence seemed to have an influence on them. Many silently joined in on my routine including the Captain and Lieutenant. By the end of the exercises, most of the camp was following along. Even the scouts and hunters did their best to attempt the same moves. The cooks and other support personnel remained focused on their duties and getting breakfast prepared.

When I stopped, I was a bit taken back, it was as if a spell had been broken as everyone blinked and went back to their morning duties.

LT Simmons seemed to have a voice that could carry as he spoke loud enough for the whole camp to hear him. “Thank you, your majesty. That exercise is just what these men needed to help whip them back into shape.”

Several groans could be heard across the camp at LT Simmons’ words.

“Ugh.”

“He’s a slave driver!”

“I am so sore.”

“I agree, we should not shirk our training even when on a mission.” Reggie affirmed LT Simmons’ sentiment and to cut off any further disagreement.

Several of the royal knights came up to me and bowed.

“Thank you, your grace, for showing us such effective training techniques.”

“Yes, thank you, your majesty.”

‘I do not think I will ever get used to all the bowing and use of honorifics.’ I thought as the knights went back to their morning duties.

After our exercise routine everyone ate a quick meal, packed up camp and we started our second day of travel. I observed more of the comings and goings of the convoy. Scouts would ride ahead and circle around the convoy to keep an eye out for monsters or beasts. Then the scouts would return and request assistance if they found anything they could not handle on their own. Royal knights and soldiers who were dispatched to support the scouts did not encounter anything that posed a true threat. Most beasts steered clear of so many people marching together. Only a few monsters were dumb enough to attack us, they were weak and easily dealt with. Some were even tasty after a little seasoning was applied.

So, the day went on. I continued to mingle between the convoy, getting to know the soldiers, cooks, hunters, and knights. We talked about mundane things. I learned about their families, what led them to serving their country and other random interesting facts. In all honesty, it was just nice to get to know everyone. As the soon to be crown prince, these were my subjects, which meant I had a responsibility to them. I may not be able to get to know everyone in the kingdom, but I could learn about these men and women.

We once again made good progress according to Reggie as we set up camp. That evening was nice and peaceful. The atmosphere of convoy camp was light and jovial, everyone seemed in good spirits. Everyone seemed to be more comfortable being themselves with me around. Several knights and soldiers shared stories of past battles both in war and in love. It was a good night, and I went to sleep with a smile on my face.

The next morning, once again the knights, soldiers, hunters, and even some of the noncombatants joined in my morning exercise routine. After our impromptu training session, several people thanked me for taking the time to teach them. Reggie and LT Simmons approached me. LT Simmons asked a question. “Your grace, would you be open to showing the royal knights back at the capital this morning routine of yours?”

“Of course, Lieutenant. It would be my pleasure.”

They both thanked me before turning back towards their men and ensuring the camp would be ready to depart after breakfast. I just chuckled to myself. If these people were representative of the kingdom, I shall enjoy my time here in this new life.

Our third day of traveling was much like the second, non-eventful and filled with good conversations. Many in the convoy seemed excited to be getting close to the capital. The convoy decided to set up camp near the edge of a forest.

“We are almost home, my prince. So close to the capital we should not have any problems the rest of the way.” One of the cooks commented as they handed me a plate.

‘Don’t you know you never throw out death flags like that! Ugh, some people!’