CHAPTER 14: THE CROWN’S LEDGER [2]

"I just hope," King Tharyn Elyndor said with a deep sigh, "that whatever it is you’ve planned this time won’t end up hurting our daughter."

He stood by the window of the royal tower and fixed his gaze on the distant trail where a small group of soldiers, maids, and their daughter, the princess was disappearing into the mist. Beside him stood Queen Serenya Elyndor who was always calm and unreadable.

"You can’t protect her forever, Tharyn," she said firmly. "She’s not a child anymore. It’s better to send her down a path where she has a chance to survive, or you leave her here, helpless, to be devoured by the political predators you’ve let grow fat in your court."

Tharyn clenched his jaw. "I’m allowing this because it’s not the main war. If it were, over my dead body would I let her leave this palace. Not even for a second."

He ran a hand through his graying beard, then muttered to himself, "I still keep wondering how we got here, the point where we rule but can’t really do as we want as if we’re prisoners of other people’s influence. How did it get to this?

Serenya didn’t hesitate, she turned to him slowly. "It started the moment you started adhering to the pressures of House Vanýr, now their corruption has eaten deep into the kingdom. You let their corruption creep in slowly like poison."

She took a step closer.

"But I’ll tell you this, Tharyn, I’ll never allow that corruption to affect my daughter. I’ll burn this kingdom to the ground if I have to, before I allow that to happen. You’d better rise, King. Because I’m already on my feet." Without another word, she turned and walked away.

Meanwhile...

Princess Nyella’s journey had begun. She didn’t travel alone. At her side rode her Phoenix Guard, an elite force made up of females only, trained to the core and fiercely loyal to their captain, Lady Sira Veira. Also, there was Ser Devic Thorne, who was chosen personally by the king as the man he trusted most with her life.

Along them were several foot soldiers, a few maidens, and one important political figure: Lord Edgar Seldor, the Lord Arbiter of the Crown. He carried a scroll sealed in gold with him. It was the King’s Decree, and that gave Princess Nyella full authority to carry out the Crown’s Ledger.

For a day and a half, they traveled through uneven terrain, they went past villages and forests until finally, they saw the northern cliffs of Velgard. Velgard was the mouth of the North. The first gate before entering the lands of Ivarion.

If war were coming from the north and everyone believed it was, it would start in Velgard

"..."

When they finally arrived at Velgard, the winds were icy. The soldiers stationed there quickly stood straight as they sighted the royal banner.

Two figures waited just past the gate: Lord Kasien Arvel, the High Marshal of the Realm, and Lord Lucius Imre, the Lord of Shields.

It was clear neither of them was entirely comfortable with the idea of a young woman leading this mission. No woman in history had ever carried out the Crown’s Ledger before. Not ever.

But they bowed all the same. "Welcome to Velgard, Princess Nyella Elyndor," Lord Kasien said with a formal and respectful voice. "Your quarters have been prepared. You may rest from your journey. We can begin discussions tomorrow morning."

Princess Nyella didn’t even get down from her horse. She pulled her hood back, letting her long dark hair fall around her shoulders, then she looked at the Marshal.

"I’m not here to rest, Lord Kasien," she said. "I’ve had enough rest to last a lifetime. I want to be taken to the command post immediately. We begin now."

The lords exchanged unsettled looks but they didn’t argue. With a slight nod, Kasien turned. "As you wish, Your Highness. This way then."

"..."

The command post was a hall built for the generals for the preparation of a fight in Velgard. It had a long table at the center with maps, scrolls, and battle plans that cover the surface.

Princess Nyella sat straight at the head of the table, looked at every face in the room first. Behind her, at her right, stood Ser Devic Thorne, her most trusted protector and the head of the king’s Phoenix Guard, a warrior who had sworn a blood oath to protect her with his life. On her left was Lady Sira, head of her own Phoenix Guard, deadly with weapons. On the table sat Lord Edgar Seldor, the Lord Arbiter of the Crown, who was carrying the scroll that gave Nyella full authority from the king.

Across the table sat Lord Kasien, Lord Lucius, and three other generals from the border army. The room was tense. No one had expected the princess to command the Crown’s Ledger. No one knew what to make of it.

Nyella looked around the room and spoke clearly. "Let’s not waste time. What’s the current movement of the Sandborns? How are their forces? How close are they to Velgard? When do we expect the first strike?"

There was silence. The generals glanced at one another and avoided her eyes.

"I asked a question," Nyella said, raising her tone. "You’re all trained military minds. Somebody, anybody, give me something."

Finally, Lord Lucius, who had been quiet all this time and never said a word, leaned back in his chair and said with a measured tone, "And why should we reveal our strategy to a young girl who’s never seen a battlefield?"

At that moment, Nyella remembered what her father told her as she was preparing for the journey. "These men will try to test you, Nyella. They will play with you, not unless you show them that you’re not just another girl."

Lord Edgar started to rise, clearly offended, but Nyella raised her hand to stop him. Her eyes locked on Lucius, and she repeated in a slow and steady voice. "A young girl?"

Then she stood up. "Need I remind you that I am Princess Nyella Elyndor, the only child of King Tharyn Elyndor, heir to the throne of Ivarion, bearer of the Crown’s Ledger, successor to the throne, and the future leader of the kingdom of Ivarion. I ride not with pretty words or a crown full of jewels but with the authority of the king himself. You will answer me, and you will show me the respect that position demands."

She took a step forward while raising her voice. "Or insult me again, and you’ll see why they say the Elyndor women are not as peaceful as their men."

The silence that followed was indeed tense, and before anyone else could say anything... "I had to see it for myself," Lord Lucius said. "They say you’re not like most girls, that you’re fierce and not afraid to speak. I had to test if the stories were true. And clearly, you didn’t disappoint."

"Let us begin"

"..."

"..."