Tarvanna

[Rokku Hizori]

The battle did not last very long. An ambush combined with being outnumbered and out-matched made very quick work of the Arrows, and Lon was quite thankful for it. He shouted orders in Agasarian, and recieved a chorus of responses, and the men set to work reorganizing and finishing off a few of the stragglers. A man came forward, and nodded his head slightly, and spoke. "The enemy are dead or fleeing. The camp is ahead, my Lord." Lon nodded, and turned to see the three after the battle had ended. "We march ahead, and we'll be traveling by cart from there. Loot as you please, I suppose." Lon said, eying the dead men. The bastards were richer than half of Tarvanna combined, and Lon would not feel the slightest tinge of guilt at their loss. He himself would do so, but he would not do so in front of his men.

 

[Osuka]

Back at the camp, Connell had wandered off to explore as Ent sat with his daughter. He could tell she had been distressed, seeing as she sat motionless in her bloodstained robe. She wasn't the kind to be stable with killing, but it was necessary and he could see the cogs working in her head attempting to rationalize it.


"Naomi," came his voice as he let a puff f smoke exit his lips. "I know it isn't easy, child, and I know what you had seen. But you have to know the rules of engagement."


"An you know how I feel about murder..."came her reply, shaky and quiet.


"It wasn't murder, Naomi. You did what was much better than he would have done to you, and our efforts would have been for nothing if he didn't..."


"Die.."


He could only nod at the answer. She had known perfectly well and he knew that. But what could he do to settle her mind? Unfortunately there was little to none, and only time could heal.


"Naomi!" Came Connell's voice as e trotted up to them, sporting a bow from one of the Red Arrows in his hand, and a quiver in another. The quiver jostled with the sound of arrows clacking against one another until he came to a halt, crouched beside her. "I've brought you somethi-"


"I don't want the damned weapons, Connell! I don't want to kill.."


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[Rokku Hizori]

The camp hummed with activity. The day had come and gone, and now that the battle was over it was time to rejoin the main army at Centralia. Lon looked over the reports from the skirmish yesterday, and noted that there were no casualties, only wounded. The five would need time to recover, but they would at least heal completely, and that was always good news to a commander. The soldiers were packing up camp, and would be ready to move on the hour, and the twenty or so Lunar Corp soldiers were prepared already. Lon walked out of his tent, tucking in the map of the region, and headed to Naomi's tent. "We're moving out in about an hour, we'll be on carts, most of them self-powered....How are you holding up, your majesty?" Lon said, knowing the girl was frail at the moment. He had not expected her to have to attack and kill someone yesterday, but there was nothing to be done about it now. Connel, God damn him, had brought her weapons of all things, that he had looted of the men, though in truth a ring or the like would have been just as bad. "Put those things down boy. The battle's over and we have more important things to deal with now."

 

[Osuka]

A sigh passed Connell's lips as he shook his head before he placed the weapons near his father and began to pace away. He was only trying to arm his sister so she wouldn't have to get near the dirty end of the business. It didn't make sense to him, but it was the General's call. Instead of simply pacing, though, he decided to pitch in and help the soldiers pack up.


"Did I do something wrong, general...?" She asked, her body beginning to shiver. "Do I have to do it again? I can't be useless to everyone but I can't kill.. I refuse to take another life regardless of the situation, so what do I do?"


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[Rokku Hizori]

Lon sighted,and ran a hand through his shoulder length black hair. Killing had become second nature to him, but he remembered his first, and he had felt pretty similar. "You did not, your highness. None of us want to kill, we have to. It is, sadly, a fact of life, at least for the time being." Lon said, looking over the girl and over at Ent. He would not lie to the girl, but he could sugar-coat it as best he could. "I'm not going to say you won't have to do it again. But I will say I and your soldiers will try their best to prevent you from having to."

 

[Osuka]

She shook her head. That wasn't entirely their place. Their occupation was to protect - not to sacrifice themselves so she wouldn't have to get over something. It was something silly to ask them to do and more lives would be lost that way. It was better that a few die over the many than for the exact opposite. So what could she do..? Her eyes flicked to the bow and the quiver full of arrows and she couldn't help but wonder...


"Is it possible to attack without taking a life..?"


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[Rokku Hizori]

Lon sighed, and nodded. Was it possible? Of course, as for how difficult it was...well, that was another story altogether. "Yes, of course it is, but rarely will your opponent only be seeking to wound. You can try to knock them out, but remember that they are not giving you that same courtesy." Lon said, and then motioned for her and her father to follow him. Shouts carried over the camp, and things were making progress. The two were led to a simple table of rough wood with stumps as benches, and he motioned for them to sit. He took a seat across from the two, and with a heavy sigh began to speak.


"In general, royalty does not fight. In an ideal world, they would never even see the battlefield. However, the world is not ideal, and Tarvanna is not a fairy tale. You're going to be on the front lines sometimes, or at the very least behind an army. You have a lot to learn upon reaching Imperia, and I may even start to teach you before then, God knows being secluded has likely clouded any idea you had of the greater world." Lon wondered if they had eaten, though he wasn't sure if Naomi's stomach would even be able to keep it down. If that were the case, the rations had long since been packed away at any rate. Lon looked the girl up and down, and then took out a map, a random plot of land on a distant continent. It depicted a wide river, and a series of hills toward the North. The rest was flat land, with little variation. "Where would the best place be to place your troops?"

 

[Osuka]

They had not much choice but to follow as they beckoned, and Naomi listened carefully, taking at least some comfort to his words - she had done what she had to in the last battle or she would b dead or halfway to some sleaze's kingdom. No one judged her or slandered her for it, either.


And she knew this was no fairy tale. In fairy tales, there wasn't graphic detail and battle was the last thing one would consider for children to read. Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden growling deep in her gut that made her hands press to her stomach, but otherwise she pushed it off. Gods knew someone else had it worse than she. She was asked a question anyway, and a very important one.


"The hills..?" She asked, her brow furrowed. "Whenever father spoke of his hunts, he always used the hills to get a better view of the animal he was hunting.. And if you needed to intimidate, you could always just have the rest of your men hiding behind it. It'd be silly to go where anyone could see you, wouldn't it?"


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[Rokku Hizori]

Inwardly Lon breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that the girl had a basic idea of military strategy, and could form a quick basic plan; a useful skill to have. "Yes, always go for the high ground when given a choice. I would add that you should always make the enemy cross a river, not your troops; but also meet that at a bridge when outnumbered, it makes the front smaller, forcing the battle to be more even." Lon folded his arms, thinking of another simple test that could be done in the short time. Rokku was far more suited to this than he was, but Lon knew a few things. " What is the easiest way to offend a Dwarf? "

 

[Osuka]

She couldn't help but giggle at his last question. It was as if she had suddenly been afflicted with a disease that could cause it as her gentle soprano rang behind her cupped hand, her eyes closed and squeezed from the exertion. She knew the answer and she knew it well hanks to her father being particularly cruel towards them.


"Ask how my lunch smelled down there? Or ask them where the other half of them is? Or ask if the view is why they have such a crappy attitude?"


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[Rokku Hizori]

Lon laughed at the remarks and nodded lightly. "Well, yes that will sometimes work, though usually they'll join in with you, especially at a party or a feast. Now, something that would amount to a personal assault..." Lon began, changing his tone from lighthearted to more serious. "Is to call them stingy or a poor host. They pride themselves on hospitality, and when they host an affair they are quite offended if you tell them it is not good enough. That, however, is more tantamount to basic good manners." Lon ended with a smile, and then rose from the table as a few workers moved toward the small group, bowing slightly as he stood. "Well, it looks like things are about ready...the first cart is yours."

 

[Osuka]

She picked up quickly on the severity of his tone and realized just how important the subject has turned. With what he said, she could whole-heartedly agree that being called a poor host with even their standards - let alone Dwarves, would be wounding. So she nodded and thought to keep it in mind for but a moment before her attention was brought to a man who had approached.


Having seen him bow, she only thought it polite to bow back and she did so before nodding once more an looking to Lon.


"Would it be insulting if I were to assess your men and request some of them to be guards for the royalty?" She asked, her voice unsure as she took a step towards the cart.


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[Rokku Hizori]

Lon considered for a moment, and glanced at the men around him as he made for his horse. He shouted at the penkeeper and the man led his white stallion over. Lon quickly mounted the beast, and turned to look at Naomi. "I wouldn't be opposed, but we will speak of this on the road. Mount up your majesty. "

 

[Osuka]

Horses? She had never rode a horse before, but she was more than willing to try. So, without another word, she looked towards the Pen-Keeper that Lon had whistled to and waved towards him, pointing towards one of the horses. She was wondering if perhaps they had any extras she could attempt to use, and, fortunately, they had. A quirk of his brow before a shake of his head after looking down accompanied a horse he had brought to her.


It, to her, was beautiful. A stallion of chestnut brown, towering over her, let out a breath that came as puffs of warm air visible in the cool air before she, having watched Lon, gripped the saddle and slid her foot into the stirrup before hoisting herself up on the saddle itself. Oddly enough, it didn't stir in protest as she had expected, but instead stood stark still before looking left, then right, then back down to the ground. She blinked for a moment before she petted the mane of the beast, smiling to herself. From here, however, she had no idea on how to direct it.


"Does this horse have a name, Lon?" She asked, looking towards him.

 

[Rokku Hizori]

The army had gotten underway, and the infantry had already begun marching southeast toward the city. The thousand men marched in tight, even columns, and marched in near-perfect rhythm. Their armor chinked with their movement, but other than that, they were relatively silent. Lon pulled his horse to the cart where the royal family was to ride, and saw Naomi mount a horse. An older one, one long meant mostly for hauling carts, but he wouldn't complain. "No name that I'm aware of, your majesty." He said, and looked forward as the army marched, taking in the terrain up ahead. There was nothing special about it, snowy forest with a gentle decline. The over-eager Red Arrow captain had made sure no more ambushes were likely, and Lon was thankful enough for that, and to take the bastard's head. "Tap him with your heels. Let's move out everyone!"

 

[Osuka]

She nodded and sighed, smiling down at the horse while she petted it's mane. For now, she'd have to watch and learn on how to steer the beast, taking in how Lon would interact with his own before mimicking. The horse stirred before setting itself to a steady trot behind Lon which brought a smile to her face.


"That wasn't so hard, huh?" She asked her horse as she watched the terrain pass by. She thought to herself for a long moment, pursing her lips before a smile came to her.


"I'll name you Korinth."


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[Rokku Hizori]

The frigid air wrapped around Lon's body, but he paid it no mind.It would warm slightly upon descending the mountains, but not by a lot. Tarvanna was entering its winter season, short, but brutal. Soon most of the country would be as frigid as the mountains. "The winter should keep a relative peace once we get to Imperia. No one moves large armies in the snowstorms, but the second spring arrives...that all changes. The wall of Imperia may or may not be repaired...we will have to see what hands we are dealt."