Kieran shifted in his saddle as he saw the fires of the camp ahead. He was sore from a long two hour ride. When they told him he’d be sent to war, he thought he’d be leading armies and witnessing great battles, but in reality, it was like a boarding school. Melak castle had been his home for over a month and in there he bled and sweat the same as he had in the palace. Alexandra never let up on her training. Every opportunity he got, he hid and relaxed.

When they reached the camp, they dismounted and Kieran tidied himself up. He was supposed to take command over a mid-sized group of forty or so people, twenty at the camp and twenty more arriving the next morning. While his oldest brother, Drastan, wanted him to join the more contested battlezones, his father refused and sent him here. His mission was to deliver supplies to a forward outpost near the Vayson Mountains, the mountain range south of Haald Plains.

Haald Plains was where the largest battle between the gods took place and where a mountain range was split into two, making the now southern Vayson Mountains and the northern Lancur Mountains.

Haald Plains was also where the bulk of this war took place.

“Do you need help, Young Master?” Teal asked.

“No. Why don’t you make sure the horses are okay?”

“...Of course.”

A few soldiers had already taken the horses and tied them up but Teal went over to speak with them. When he was done with his clothes, he took a few deep breaths. After making sure no one was watching, he hyped himself up with a little bit of shadow boxing. The brief exercise helped clear his mind.

“They’re ready, Your Highness,” said Me’dun who received him. He was a man in his mid forties with short but unkempt facial hair. Deep scars ran along his right eyelid causing it to droop lower than his left.

As he rounded one of the tents, Alexandra and Teal appeared beside him. Alexandra was obscured in a cloak, further hidden by Teal’s magic.

“His Highness, Kieran Reyteour, the fifth prince of Kheonyth Kingdom has arrived,” announced Me’dun.

Soldiers gathered around the campfires all stood upon hearing the announcement, leaving their wooden bowls filled with stew on the ground or on the makeshift lumber seating. They bowed in a clunky, staggered manner, dashing Kieran’s fears that his etiquette would be under scrutiny. A few of the soldiers, more than he had thought, were women. Most of them were still in armor, leather and padded cloth being the protection of choice, and had an assortment of weapons nearby. He had expected more swords but only the older and more veteran soldiers seemed to carry them such as Me’dun.

Their awkward and stilted response to his appearance both worried and refreshed him. The speech didn’t come to him immediately. He had rehearsed it in his head a couple times but he never got the chance to practice with anyone. Alexandra was difficult to approach and while Teal would have listened… He shook his head.

His vision swept across all the soldiers as he tried to buy time for the words to return to him. Anxiety had its grasp around him since he spotted the camp a few minutes ago and now it tightened its grip. Because of how late his studies started, the past three years had been a game of catch up and diplomacy wasn’t his best subject.

The silence continued for a while.

Why the hell do I have to have stage fright?

“His Highness is tired from the long journey,” Teal said from his side. “He simply wished to greet you all before we begin our mission tomorrow.”

Kieran glanced at her. She was doing something unnecessary. He cleared his throat, “Hello everyone. From today onwards, I will be in charge of you all. It is an honor to work with the brave warriors of our kingdom. I pray that Bel’ekah watches over us and that we will succeed.”

None were particularly moved by his lackluster and simple speech but it didn’t seem to dissatisfy them either. They gave him a somewhat unified, “It is our pleasure, Your Highness,” and bowed. He gestured for them to return to their activities and after a nod from Me’dun, they did.

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As opposed to the rigid atmosphere of a moment before, things were much more relaxing when he saw the soldiers interacting with each other. Most of them didn’t seem too battleworn, a few were on the younger side, close to his age, and listened to the older soldiers with interest. Hearty laughs came from all around the camp. As much as he wanted to join in, he knew his presence would only make things awkward.

“Shall I lead you to your tent?” asked Me’dun.

“Please do.”

It wasn’t difficult to tell which one it was. Compared to the size of the other tents, his was huge and the fabric was colored. It could easily shelter seven people. A part of him felt guilty for not helping put it up.

“I’ll go bring your things in,” said Teal as she started off.

“It’s alright,” Me’dun said, stopping her. “I have already sent some men on it. You all should rest as your trip was long and we leave at dawn.”

Alexandra nodded but Teal seemed conflicted, “Young Master, shall I advise them on how to arrange your things? They may not know how you like it.”

“No,” he said. “Me’dun was right, you should go and rest. I can take care of my own things.”

“Okay…”

Together, Alexandra and Teal left for their tent only a few meters away. Me’dun’s eyes were on him, filled with a curious look.

“What is it?” Kieran asked as he moved aside, letting the soldiers walk past.

“...Nothing Your Highness. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to speak with me. I may be a simple Middle Demon but I’ve led smaller missions before,” Me’dun’s scarred hand shook slightly. “I pray you have a good night.”

----------------------------------------

Alexandra and Teal were among the people to help take down his tent. Most of the others were already finished and now loaded up the horses. Although it rained earlier, the day was now a clear blue with few clouds in sight. If nothing impeded them, they’d reach the outpost by tomorrow.

Then, Me’dun and his second in command, Belen, came to him with concerning news, “Your Highness, the scouts we sent ahead a few days ago have not returned. We were also supposed to be reinforced with twenty more soldiers but they haven’t arrived either.”

The second group was supposed to be redirected from the Shawlis Forest area. That’s about a week away. It would be shorter if they took the path through contested grounds but maybe they were ambushed?

“What’re our options?” Kieran asked.

“We can wait here and hope they arrive or we can send word back for another group to join us. They were originally men from Overlord Kaal’un’s force. If we ask, he is sure to have more troops at the ready,” Me’dun said.

Kieran thought for a moment and then asked, “How long can the outpost hold without these supplies?”

Me’dun’s expression turned grim and Belen answered, “I’m afraid they wouldn’t, Your Highness. The outpost was made in order to assault the Marharden Empire’s fortress. While it went undetected for a while, the increasing pressure from the north and skirmishes near Haald Plains took up much of our focus and in that time it was discovered. I’m afraid they have already suffered some losses.”

“Shouldn’t it have been abandoned then?” He asked.

“No,” Belen continued, “the Marharden Empire’s fortress is in Tidal Valley. If we take it over, we can alleviate pressure from Haald Plains.”

“Young Master,” Teal said. She finished packing the tent. “I overheard the situation and I think it’s best if we’re cautious and ask for reinforcements.”

He tensed and shook his head, “We’re delivering the supplies.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea. If we were delivering less supplies, then maybe it’d be alright but-”

“I’ve already decided. Let me know when everyone is ready,” Kieran said as he walked off. Teal followed after him.

“Young Master, please reconsider. Without our reinforcements and the disappearance of our scouts, we’ll be in danger if we continue. What if we get ambushed on the way? What if the outpost isn’t even there anymore?”

He threw up his hand to quiet her. “It’s my first mission. I’m not going to stop because there are some hiccups. Besides, they need these supplies. They’re counting on us. I won’t betray their trust.”

Teal flinched at his words, nodding soon after and taking her leave. He hadn’t chosen them intentionally, or so he thought. They just happened to fit the situation… He shook away the thoughts being brought up in his mind. If Teal hadn’t been so overly cautious then she wouldn’t have gotten that cold reminder.

Me’dun informed him a while later that everyone was ready. Kieran mounted his horse and Alexandra and Teal got onto theirs. The group that he was told would be twenty strong was actually eighteen strong, not including him and his two caretakers. They would escort six carts of supplies to the outpost with only three protectors per cart.

One of the carts had a couple of drums in it and he wondered if he should just leave it behind.

They don’t actually need this, right?

“Let’s set off,” he said.