Patriot and Queen – Part 01
“Did you see them off?”
“I did. They left early this morning. By now, they’re probably heading toward the Militant Nation’s border.”
Soft sunlight filtered through the window, gradually warming the room.
Hannibal, standing by the window, enjoyed the warmth on his back. Stifling a yawn, he turned to face Hugo.
“Apparently, they wanted to depart yesterday. Arvie was quite frustrated.”
Hugo sank tiredly into his office chair. “So unreasonable. We moved as fast as we could. Managing the meeting with the Knight Guard captains yesterday was hard enough.”
“Indeed. If anything, we should be commended for making a decision in less than a day,” Hannibal replied. Then, with a pointed look at Hugo’s troubled expression, he added, “But more importantly, why didn’t you let me go with them?”
“This again? Now you’re the one being unreasonable. You need to stay here to defend the city.”
“I’m just worried.”
“That’s why I sent Harvey along with them. You really need to let it go. I know you see Liza in Cecily, but you can’t be overprotective.”
Hugo hit the mark, and Hannibal grimaced. “She’s his legacy,” he mumbled.
The mayor chuckled softly. “That was a bit harsh, I admit. But Cecily would’ve gone no matter what you said. She seems quite close with Luke.”
Hannibal, fully aware of this, let out a very deep sigh. “Did fate bring them together? It feels like even God had a hand in it.”
“I’m not sure. That’s a tough question, especially considering you’re an atheist.” Hugo paused, then added, “But either way, they were bound to meet eventually.”
“Still, I wish we had more time.”
“We end up with regret because we act like we’re protecting her when we’re really only delaying the inevitable.” There was a hint of self-mockery in Hugo’s tone. “No, we’re bound to feel regret, no matter what we do. No matter how we try to control things, the forger of the Sacred Sword and the inheritor of its Sheath are destined to meet. And they’ve already set things in motion on their own.”
He looked out the window. Toward the direction of the Militant Nation.
“Let’s leave it to the young ones.”
The carriage’s wheels struck a large rock, rocking the entire vehicle. All four passengers yelped as they were tossed into the air before crashing back down with heavy thuds.
“Ugh! My butt’s killing me,” Aria grumbled for what felt like the hundredth time.
“S-Sorry. Please bear with it,” Doris, seated up front holding the reins, replied apologetically.
A bleak, overcast sky stretched endlessly above them.
Though the sun hung directly overhead, the season brought cold winds howling across the plains. The carriage carrying Cecily and her companions sped along the highway.
Maintained by the Continental Law Commission, the road itself was kept smooth, but the grasslands on either side were wild and overgrown. Leaning out of the carriage, one could see nothing but an endless expanse of grass, with the road cutting straight through. At first, they had marveled at the scenery, but hours of the same monotonous view quickly dulled the novelty. Not to mention, their backsides hurt.
“I wish I could take my time showing you around,” Doris called back over her shoulder, “but I need to get you to Lady Zenobia as soon as possible. Please, just hang in there.”
As she said, the journey was indeed a rushed one, with the carriage moving at a breakneck pace. The constant jolts from hitting rocks sent Cecily, Aria, and Lisa bouncing against each other in the cramped seats. Being the smallest and lightest, Lisa was frequently bumped against the roof, letting out little yelps each time.
“We got to see each other again, only for things to be so hectic,” Cecily muttered, rubbing her sore backside while pulling her cloak tighter around herself. Even though the sides and back of the carriage were covered, the cold still crept in. The Knight Guard uniform she wore weren’t nearly enough to keep her warm. Aria and Lisa had wrapped themselves in thick cloaks over their casual clothes.
“Not much we can do about it,” Doris raised her voice to be heard over the rattling wheels. “This is my job now. We can catch up properly once things settle down.”
“D-D-D-D-Doris.” Lisa’s voice quavered with the carriage’s shaking. “Y-Y-You became a soldier?”
“I did!”
With the assistance of the Independent Trade City and the Militant Nation, Charlotte and her three attendants—Doris, Margot, and Penelope—had sought asylum with the Militant Nation. Cecily hadn’t heard from them after that, but apparently, they had all found jobs. Doris, thanks to her strength, had been recruited into the military.
“But to come all the way to the city with the strategist? Doesn’t that put you in a pretty important position?” Cecily asked.
“They just called me in because I know you guys. Figured it’d make convincing you easier. I’m still just a low-level grunt,” Doris said with a sheepish grin. Seeing that, Cecily couldn’t help but smile too.
Doris, Margot, and Penelope had once served the Empire. Now, with Doris in the Militant Nation’s ranks, Cecily had worried about how they were faring, but it seemed her concerns were misplaced.
Now that Cecily thought about it, those three were serving a person, not a nation. They had no lingering attachment to the Empire that had discarded them. Doris’s carefree smile meant Charlotte was likely doing just fine.
The thought brought Cecily genuine relief. Crossing swords with them back then wasn’t a mistake after all.
“But the Militant Nation of all places. I never really liked those people,” Aria muttered, clinging to the edge of her seat. “Anyway, pretty bold of the Militant Nation to make a deal with the Independent Trade City, and a secret one at that. It’s a pretty big deal, no?”
Doris’s face tightened. “It is. Ever since joining the Militant Nation, I’ve realized just how tense things are. The whole continent hangs on a thread, more than I ever imagined.”
With less than a year left until Valbanill’s resurrection, the nations of the continent were scrambling to position themselves for the return of the worst Inhuman in history. The Empire and the Crowd Powers, in particular, were secretly developing Inhuman weapons. Countries were not on the same page.
“That’s why the Militant Nation took action,” Doris explained with a firm tone. “We owe them a debt. It’s only right we fully support the vision of justice they’re trying to establish.”
The Militant Nation’s proposal was a knowledge exchange on the crafting of Sacred Swords. Unlike the other nations, they saw Valbanill as a destructive beast that needed to be exterminated. Their goal was to develop an improved version of the Sacred Sword, and to do so, they had invited Luke, the only blacksmith in the Independent Trade City, to assist them—or at least, that’s what Cecily had gathered.
And then there’s me.
For reasons that still eluded her, Cecily had also received an invitation. Perhaps it was because she was acquainted with Luke. Naturally, Aria had joined her—these days, the two of them were often paired up in the Knight Guard—and Lisa tagged along as Luke’s assistant. Accompanying them was Harvey Blethyn, captain of the First District’s Knight Guard.
The carriage jolted wildly again. Cecily clamped her jaw shut to avoid biting her tongue.
Am I really up to this task? She wondered to herself.
There was actually no guarantee that the exchange would even go through. The Ainsworth family’s blacksmithing secrets were passed down strictly to their heirs, and not something they easily shared with outsiders. This puzzled Cecily, since she had been watching Luke work in the forge every day.
Luke had only agreed to the Militant Nation’s offer on one condition: he would participate only if he could personally observe their forging methods and ensure they were worth the knowledge he possessed.
But the matter wouldn’t end there. If the exchange went through, they’d also need to discuss Valbanill’s extermination and prepare for the inevitable fallout. Ultimately, the final decision would rest with Mayor Hugo Housman, with the Knight Guard’s Captain Harvey likely leading negotiations on the ground. Still, Cecily was determined to actively participate in the talks.
On the other hand, she couldn’t help but feel uneasy about dealing with an entire nation.
“This is going to be fun!”
Cecily turned to see Aria grinning at her. She clung to the carriage’s walls, legs braced against the floor to keep herself steady. Despite the awkward position, her cheeks were flushed with excitement.
“I just know you’re going to pull it off, Cecily. I’m looking forward to it.”
Her smile clearly expressed her happiness about her partner’s success.
“Yeah.”
Aria always had a knack for reminding her of what truly mattered. That’s right. Cecily had made a vow to Siegfried at the ball.
“I’ll seal Valbanill, lay to rest the burdens my dear friends carry, crush your schemes, and keep protecting the city I love.”
“I’ll make it all real.”
I’ll take this as an opportunity.
Cecily smiled and nodded back at Aria.
“Just watch me.”
She refused to let her words be empty bravado. Every promise she made would become reality. This journey to the Militant Nation was her shot at making it happen.
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