"So, how should I bring Cress and the wounded soldier back to the river?" Scarlet pondered.

She had already walked back to where they were and is now standing right in front of them. Cress was chewing on some grass while the soldier was still sleeping soundly.

Scarlet thought aloud, "Fighting seems so much simpler than taking care of others." She stabbed a nearby tree with her dagger, causing it to shake and some leaves to come pouring down.

She heard a groan beside her and she saw the soldier sit up. He started stretching and he wiped off his sweat while brushing off a few leaves that fell onto his black hair. She broke into a smile, "Finally, you're awake. Took you long enough. By the way, you still haven't told me your name yet. I'm Scarlet by the way."

"Adam, name's Adam." After a brief pause, the soldier's eyes widened, "Wait, wait, wait. You said your name is Scarlet? As in Princess Scarlet?"

She nodded and she put on the earring which increased the amount of shock visible on the soldier's face who said,

"Why are you headed to the general in the first place? I can warn the general about the enemies on the backlines with magic by myself. Go back to the palace."

Scarlet gestured at his legs and said, "I highly doubt that you can run yet. Besides, why can't I go find the general?"

Adam replied, "What will you do when you find him, your highness? Help fight?"

Scarlet said, "Of course not. However, I studied combat for nearly my entire life so if the general asked me to then I wouldn't say no. Besides, it's not like you could fight as well." As she was talking, Scarlet took out her dagger and threw it. It flew rapidly and wedged itself onto a thin tree branch far away.

Adam whistled and said, "Alright, so you can fight. Also, I'm a medic, not a fighter. Respectfully though, that doesn't excuse the fact that you are the princess. Do you know how much trouble it would cause if you were captured or injured?"

She inwardly rolled her eyes and thought to herself, "Didn't I just explain this to Dunlas yesterday?". Outwardly, she said calmly, "Yes, yes. That is assuming, of course, that they know I am the princess. Also, stop addressing me so formally.

When we get to the general's camp, pretend that I am just a random passerby who happened to help you."

Adam mumbled, "How did you even manage to learn to fight in the first place? Aren't princesses supposed to learn politics? What was Emperor Kalvis thinking?"

Scarlet smiled and said, "What was that? Did you say something?"

Adam shook his head repeatedly and said, "No, nothing. I did not say anything at all."

Scarlet walked over to the tree branch and plucked her dagger back. "Can you walk yet, Adam?"

Adam grimaced and then gave a small smile, "I was only fatigued back then. What gave you the idea that I was dying?

The only way I could have died back then was from the fire. Assuming, of course, that I was not going to move from that position for an hour or two. I probably could have crawled away."

Scarlet nodded, "Alright then. Help me gather a bunch of tree branches off the ground. I am going to try to tie them together to help drag Cress over to a pseudo-campsite I made by a nearby river."

He turned solemn and Scarlet heard him mumble, "If only that bastard died in the fire..."