the wall. The sounds of the conflict began to dwindle replaced by the screams and moans of wounded fighters.
The battle at the wall had ended. Restella heard Silver call up to open the gate. She descended the stairs and, with Gasolo’s help, let the soldiers in. Restella stood with her bloodied sword as her fellow soldiers streamed past her.
“You are dismissed, Lieutenant Beecher,” Captain Shortwell said.
Restella didn’t resist and fell on her bed, fully clothed.
~
The princess sat at an early breakfast along with the other officers. Injured soldiers lined the hall along with a bound Earl Louson, sitting on the floor gagged after everyone tired of his complaining. She had woken up in the early morning and couldn’t return to sleep, going through every parry and every thrust. She’d killed men in the night—‘blooded’ as the soldiers called it. The thought of actual battle had frightened her, but she didn’t let it affect her mood. The thoughts of her blade doing damage still flashed in front of her, even now.
“Good for you, Beecher,” Gasolo said, his mouth full of bread.
“Good for all of us,” Restella said feeling warmed again by the compliment. “Who would have thought we walked into a trap?”
“Luckily you did,” Captain Shortwell said from behind her. “Good work, Lieutenant Beecher. Your closing of the gate saved the lives of our officer corps, including your own. Louson’s men mixed his men in with the Oringians. It appears that he and Baron Jiffero have decided to set up their own little country on the border with fealty to the Oringians. That won’t happen now, thanks to you.”
Restella continued to chew. “That would mean complicity on the part of the King of Oringia, then.” So many back at the castle bragged about the peace. She knew that peace never lasted for very long in the history of Besseth, but she didn’t expect war to blossom on her first foray into the countryside. Her battlefield experience from the night before didn’t help her appetite.
“Indeed it does and that is an act of war. I’ll be sending you, Lieutenant Gasolo, back to Beckondale with this information. Be ready to leave in an hour and go straight to General Piroff. I’ll give you a letter for the General and chits for horse exchanges along the way.” The captain left them to their breakfast.
“There goes lunch and maybe dinner until I get far enough west to an inn I know,” Gasolo said. “I’ve done this before. I just wish we had brought some birds.” He began to shove more food in his mouth. Restella let him eat.
War. This is what she had hoped for, but as she looked at the men lining the great room of the keep, there was the death and injury side that she hadn’t integrated into her perceptions. At least she hadn’t frozen in fear when the battle started. Indeed, she felt like she fought for her life and she had.
She could have been killed up on that gate. Her stomach gave a violent turn. She had to hurry out of the keep and threw her food up against the wall.
“Not to your liking, ma’am?” Silver said as he walked up with a bucket.
“Too late for that.” She said.
“Wash your mouth out, Lieutenant. You’ll feel better. We all go through that after our first battle.”
Restella looked at Silver with new respect. “Even you?”
He nodded and gave her a grim smile, “Even me. It’s not exactly a badge of honor. This reaction might not be your last. It wasn’t for me. War is serious business and the consequences are never good for soldiers.” After Restella put a couple of handfuls of water in her mouth and spit it out, Silver dashed a few sloshes against the wall to clean off the contents of her stomach.
“Good job, ma’am. Takes guts, no pun intended, for a junior lieutenant to wake the old man up and tell him she’s got that itch.”
Restella squinted at Silver. “I didn’t tell you I woke him up, because I didn’t. He was already awake.”
He
The battle at the wall had ended. Restella heard Silver call up to open the gate. She descended the stairs and, with Gasolo’s help, let the soldiers in. Restella stood with her bloodied sword as her fellow soldiers streamed past her.
“You are dismissed, Lieutenant Beecher,” Captain Shortwell said.
Restella didn’t resist and fell on her bed, fully clothed.
~
The princess sat at an early breakfast along with the other officers. Injured soldiers lined the hall along with a bound Earl Louson, sitting on the floor gagged after everyone tired of his complaining. She had woken up in the early morning and couldn’t return to sleep, going through every parry and every thrust. She’d killed men in the night—‘blooded’ as the soldiers called it. The thought of actual battle had frightened her, but she didn’t let it affect her mood. The thoughts of her blade doing damage still flashed in front of her, even now.
“Good for you, Beecher,” Gasolo said, his mouth full of bread.
“Good for all of us,” Restella said feeling warmed again by the compliment. “Who would have thought we walked into a trap?”
“Luckily you did,” Captain Shortwell said from behind her. “Good work, Lieutenant Beecher. Your closing of the gate saved the lives of our officer corps, including your own. Louson’s men mixed his men in with the Oringians. It appears that he and Baron Jiffero have decided to set up their own little country on the border with fealty to the Oringians. That won’t happen now, thanks to you.”
Restella continued to chew. “That would mean complicity on the part of the King of Oringia, then.” So many back at the castle bragged about the peace. She knew that peace never lasted for very long in the history of Besseth, but she didn’t expect war to blossom on her first foray into the countryside. Her battlefield experience from the night before didn’t help her appetite.
“Indeed it does and that is an act of war. I’ll be sending you, Lieutenant Gasolo, back to Beckondale with this information. Be ready to leave in an hour and go straight to General Piroff. I’ll give you a letter for the General and chits for horse exchanges along the way.” The captain left them to their breakfast.
“There goes lunch and maybe dinner until I get far enough west to an inn I know,” Gasolo said. “I’ve done this before. I just wish we had brought some birds.” He began to shove more food in his mouth. Restella let him eat.
War. This is what she had hoped for, but as she looked at the men lining the great room of the keep, there was the death and injury side that she hadn’t integrated into her perceptions. At least she hadn’t frozen in fear when the battle started. Indeed, she felt like she fought for her life and she had.
She could have been killed up on that gate. Her stomach gave a violent turn. She had to hurry out of the keep and threw her food up against the wall.
“Not to your liking, ma’am?” Silver said as he walked up with a bucket.
“Too late for that.” She said.
“Wash your mouth out, Lieutenant. You’ll feel better. We all go through that after our first battle.”
Restella looked at Silver with new respect. “Even you?”
He nodded and gave her a grim smile, “Even me. It’s not exactly a badge of honor. This reaction might not be your last. It wasn’t for me. War is serious business and the consequences are never good for soldiers.” After Restella put a couple of handfuls of water in her mouth and spit it out, Silver dashed a few sloshes against the wall to clean off the contents of her stomach.
“Good job, ma’am. Takes guts, no pun intended, for a junior lieutenant to wake the old man up and tell him she’s got that itch.”
Restella squinted at Silver. “I didn’t tell you I woke him up, because I didn’t. He was already awake.”
He
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