"Rise and shine, Cricket!" Sophia sat beside her, the horizontal scar on the bridge of her nose just as prominent as the bubbly grin on her face.
"Abel's already at the field! Get your stuff on, we've got to go get started!" Sophia popped up onto her toes, staring closely. She was only a few inches above her.
The energetic demeanor and smiling face were met with Cricket's mildly irritated silent response. Cricket didn't speak much in general these days--it would be too easy to make connections--or worse, friends if she had conversations. Already she was regretting talking about Abel and her past with one another the day before.
She put on her clothes and tried to figure out just what she was going to do. The longer she stayed here, the more at risk everyone around her was. The more at risk she was.
"Mm, you are in pretty good shape...I'm excited." She popped up to stand fully on her feet now, stepping back to let Cricket adjust herself. When Cricket was finally ready, Sophia led the way out of the tent.
"Vel doesn't like tardiness....want to race?" The question came up, her bare feet practically bouncing on the dirt. Without Cricket's answer, she started to sprint away from the camp as fast as she could. Sophia knew though, that Cricket didn't know where the field was. It was more of a test to see if Cricket could keep up with her rather than anything else.
Cricket may not have been a trained fighter--but she was fast. She'd been able to outrun her would-be-abductors for days in the woods after all. So she was able to stay right at Sophia's heels for the entirety of the trip to the field. She would have been able to run past Sophia with relative ease--if it weren't for the fact that she didn't actually know where she was going.
They ran for a total of 15 minutes, eventually making it out of the forest and onto the large, grassy plains that stretched out as far as one could see. There were more trees, barely visible on the horizon, tiny green dots that would lead to the other side of the forest.
In the field, there was an assortment of weapons on top of several wooden tables, as well as dummies made of hay.
There was a certain lack of...entertainment in the camp. So hearing about some recruit training had drawn a handful of 'audience members.
Vix was such a person, taking a large bite of an apple as she leaned against a tree where Abel stood. An experienced warrior with a vicious scar across her left eye, but an almost permanent smirk on her face--she tilted her head as she spoke to Abel.
"So, I've heard you are finally trying to be a man now." She said, an echo of Sophia's words to him the previous evening.
"There's a betting pool on how things will fare today. Where do you place the odds and expectations?" She asked teasingly.
"Wha?" Abel glared at Vix, the joke going a step too far for him. "N-No, I'm not trying to be anything. You guys are going to give everyone the wrong idea."
Abel shook his head, his silver eyes glancing up to see Cricket and Sophia.
"My guess is as good as anyone's. She doesn't look like a fighter. I haven't seen enough to bet anything but...." He paused in thought. "I think she'll pass. If there is one thing I can say about her is that she has a lot of resolve. More than most that I've met."
Sophia turned to face Cricket.
"I'm really impressed, I don't remember the last time someone stuck to me like that." She nodded in approval, placing a hand on her own hip.
"I am Sophia Terrace, Master at Arms!" She flexed her biceps from her sleeveless top as she introduced herself.
"I'll be assessing and placing you within the band according to your skill set. I have a keen eye when it comes to spotting natural talents, even if you don't realize it yourself, I may think differently."
A healthy red apple was tossed to Cricket with a grin. "Eat up."
Suspecting that Vix was teasing Abel about their conversation, Sophia winked and waved at him from a distance, her optimistic smile hiding her mischievous intentions.
As Cricket ate her apple, Sophia began to explain.
"Over to the left are a bunch of weapons. To the right are a bunch of dummies. I want you to choose what you like and give the weapons a test drive. I'll be making a mental note of your form and efficiency with everything you use. Take as long as you like. When you are ready with your weapon of choice, your assessment will begin."
Sophia practically bounced with her massive grin.
"I really don't know how to use any of those weapons." Cricket said as she eyed the options available to her.
Her gaze paused on one or two long-distance options--a bow and arrow, a sling shot--but she wouldn't even know where to begin.
She grabbed herself a dagger and had at the dummy---her face flushed as she felt the judgmental weight of eyes on her.
Cricket clearly didn't know how to wield a dagger. She was fast with it. Bad, but fast.
Sophia pouted, slightly disappointed but it was mainly an act. The truth was that she was even more excited because Sophia would get to instruct her on how to use the dagger properly. Cricket's pause between the bow and arrow had Sophia's grin acting as a bullet point to her own thoughts.
"We're Soulmates," Sophia said aloud, the glimmer in her eyes practically glistening with eagerness.
"Soulmates?" Cricket echoed, eying Sophia's obvious glee with suspicion and trepidation. She wasn't sure what to do about all of this. Sophia seemed eager to make a connection with Cricket, but Cricket knew the dangers that lurked if that was allowed to happen. They could not be soulmates.
The redhead picked up a bow and a quiver of arrows along with a dagger, making her way over to Cricket when she tired herself out swinging the sharp weapon.
"You've impressed me again," Sophia said, twirling the dagger until she caught the grip firmly. She demonstrated the correct stance, feet spread, and quickly switched the grip of the dagger. "Holding it like this will allow you to use all that speed you have."
Taking out the bow and slinging on the quiver, she demonstrated how to fire the bow. "Dominant hand gets the arrow, firmly grasp your bow, draw the string back with your arrow like this, and focus on your target, not the arrow. Then release."
The arrow shot powerfully to hit the heart of the furthest dummy in the distance.
After demonstrating slowly for three more shots, she looked at Cricket and handed her the bow and quiver.
But the training was interrupted by the sound of Velstadt's loud whistle.
"Three scouts and several more troops are dead to the east of the camp! Everyone take your positions!" Velstadt moved his way over to Sophia and Cricket. "Soph, join Gael and be his eyes until further engagement. Princess, take Abel and head west of the camp. That way." He pointed, just in case she didn't know.
Abel looked over to Vix with furrowed brows, asking himself a question. "How many?" He didn't expect so much coordination unless it was a significant amount.
Vix! On me!" Velstadt called out, making his way northeast until he disappeared into the tree line.
Vix's smirk faded to a scowl as the announcement of the dead drew everyone to attention. She didn't bother with any more taunting towards Abel, focused entirely on listening to Velstadt's orders and moving to protect the camp from outside threats.
Meanwhile, Cricket moved over to Abel as instructed, more than happy to be advised to go to the opposite of where the actual threat was.
Abel watched Vix and Velstadt make their way towards the danger, some of Morya's troops heading north and south to take up their positions. He quickly decided that it was probably his own fault that their presence was known, but it was still very unlikely that a full counterattack was underway. When Cricket made it to him, he immediately started to make his way to the west, a dozen of Morya's troops coming along with them to secure their side.
"Abel, Abel I need to tell you about something." She'd tried to tell him the day before, but there had been far too many distractions.
Cricket's voice caused him to peer over his shoulder, listening to her carefully while they quickly traveled down the field.
"Wha? What is it? If it's about Nadia then you can relax. The camp will be well defended." He explained, traveling up a small hill while Morya's troops covered the area around them.
The area was still grassy and open but contained more hills than their training ground. Moving onto the downslope, he sat down and rested his back against it, the view high enough to see anyone coming ahead of them. The sheath to his sword rested between Cricket and him, ready to draw whenever something unusual would come up.
"You did mention something about Nadia hunting you down. Did you slap the queen or something?" He laughed jokingly though it was something he considered.
"Something like that. Metaphorically, in a sense." She chewed at her thumbnail. 'Slap a Queen'. Isn't that exactly what she'd done? By existing? The Great Queen of Nadia had held an iron grip on the nation for over forty years. She was famous for the sheer strength of her closest circle of Innates. And even her secondary bonds were nothing to sniff at. But what she'd truly done was reshape what magic looked like in Nadia.
During the feudal era of Nadia, hundreds of Queens would emerge and amass as much power and land as they could, as fast as they could. They would battle and skirmish with each other over every morsel of land and power in sight. Battles were fought, won, and lost--and then a new queen would emerge from the wild and the process would restart overnight.
The Great Queen of Nadia had changed all of that.
After amassing her power and claiming control, she also created a new standard for new queens. Especially since she found an excuse to go to war against Morya. When a new queen was uncovered, they would be conscripted into the Great Queen's army. They'd be attached to a soldier or two in order to create a fast bond, and then be thrust to the front lines. Any queen that survived that was promised rewards beyond their imagining--given more opportunity to prove themselves, and earn land and titles for them and their bonds. Wealth, status, celebrity--all that and more.
Most queens never even got close to reaping the benefits of conscription. The average queen's life expectancy was around three weeks. Only five had famously survived long enough to be given those precious titles and rewards. And they were heralded and placed on pedestals. Propaganda for the Great Queen's brilliance.
Five.
Out of hundreds if not thousands of dead minor Queens. So when Cricket had discovered she was a Queen, with powerful blood running through her veins, could she be blamed for how she'd responded?
"...Be honest with me. If I tried to run from camp, what are my chances of succeeding?"
Abel's eyes removed themselves from the line of trees in the distance to look at Cricket His grey eyes scanned the expression on her face, the concern and fear evident under her words and small gestures. Even though Abel was quite a warrior, it didn't take Abel long to piece it together. A woman on the run with the Kingdom of Nadia on her tail. The man said Cricket was accused of abandoning her legal requirement for inspection and duty by the regional queen. Cricket had been trying to avoid that to the point of malnutrition.
He watched Cricket, silent but in denial. What were the chances of Cricket being a queen herself?
Abel grabbed his sheath and looked down in thought. There could be other reasons for running away that made much more sense but Abel couldn't buy any of those reasons. Cricket's question regarding the chances of escape kept his eyes locked down below them. It was very clear that he was in heavy thought.
"If they wanted to, the band would find and take you back," Abel admitted honestly. "I tried to escape the month I was recruited. Sophia's too good a tracker and scout. She alone would be able to get you with no effort."
His eyes rose to her, standing up to sling the sheath over his back and fasten the harness. "However," He slowly started to realize something due to their circumstances.
"There's no reason for the wolves to keep you anymore." He started to walk down the hill, signaling to Morya's troops that he was leaving his position. He elaborated to Cricket, focused on leading her even further west. Far, far away from all the action. "Our camp and plans are already compromised. It was risky for you to be let go because of the possibility of giving up our base of operations. But now, they don't have any reason to give chase."
But if they realize she's a queen....
Abel eventually broke into a jog, trying to cover more ground. After going down a few rocky slopes and a section of dense trees, they reached a massive meadow that stretched and would eventually lead away from this region's borders and more importantly Nadia's capital.
"I'll get you out of here....But I cannot go with you." Abel revealed. "I have a score to settle." His eyes were locked ahead as he thought about his words, almost nonsensical to him. This was his best chance to escape and he wasn't taking it. It infuriated him but he came to realize that there was much more to his reasons.
"It wouldn't have been right of me to expect you to come. You've helped me more than enough as it is." Cricket offered him an almost smile, "I've survived this long on my own. You don't need to worry about me."
They both began to jog through a pasture of flowers and animals, traveling until the sound of hooves galloping through dirt was heard behind them.
"?!" Abel spun around, surprised to see three of Nadia's forces penetrate through Morya's men. Drawing his sword, he tried to make out the men who pursued them.
"What the hell is he doing here?" Abel asked, sliding his feet apart to take a defensive stance. The man Abel referred to was easily the most notable, fully clad in battle-worn armor whose colors were dark iron and worn, barely capable of seeing the original red and gold that it once was. The damaged crimson cape that fluttered behind him was the only vibrant thing.
It was the great queen's executioner.
He was with another man, whom they would both recognize. The smug Innate that Cricket escaped from. The wolf commanding guard from the capital. "Gambit." The distorted voice that came out from the executioner's helm didn't sound human.
"You are more trouble than you're worth. Submit or die."
Abel clenched his teeth.
Damn, it was too obvious.
The attack on the camp was never their goal. It was Cricket. The camp was just a distraction to draw our troops away so he could just circle in and take Cricket.
"Your queen doesn't seem to think so." Abel shot back, watching the three surround and dismount from their horses. "Sending the capital executioner as a fetch dog? What a joke."
"Kill him and grab the girl."
A nerve was struck but it was impossible to tell behind the slits of the wicked knight's dark helm. Like the thought of many of Abel's opponents, Abel was underestimated due to his youth.
After Abel's arm extended behind him for Cricket to stay back, a knight lunged forward in an attempt to take Abel's life. Immediately, Abel's sword swooped low and vertically cut through the unarmored under section of the low-rank knight's armpit, powerfully dismembering the arm with an upward cleave. The low-ranked knight's scream was silenced after Abel drove the tip of the sword through his metal chest plate and dropped with a heavy thud, leaving the executioner speechless for the moment.
Suddenly, three wolves revealed themselves behind Abel and her--effectively surrounding and trapping the pair of them from any outside aid. Cricket fumbled with the bow and arrow she'd been demonstrated on how to use just an hour ago.
It was surprising to Abel, how Cricket didn't even try to convince him to go with her. There was a sense of modesty he admired despite her insisting that she could take care of herself, leaving him feeling discontent with her wanting to leave. Regardless, it looked like he would die here and Cricket would be taken. Likely to be ejected into battle to die anyway. He would never settle the score with Sophia or Thorne, known to the band as a promising warrior who died to wolves. Abel's heart sank the moment the wolves surrounded them. Put in the same situation for the second time.
The sound of more hooves roared in the distance, gaining the attention of everyone in the standoff. The dozen men who were previously with Cricket and Abel were charging to their rescue, a glimmer of hope that gradually began to shine the closer they approached.
"This task has become infuriating."
The executioner turned his large black steed to face the rescue party, his armored gauntlet glowing with a red outline of energy and light. The space around the galloping men reverberated with a choppy ripple of reality before they were all gradually lifted from the ground. The twelve men as well as their horses were helplessly rising high into the sky until the executioner turned to face Cricket and Abel once more.
Helplessly, the armored men and their horses began to plummet onto the ground below, their grim screams, panic, and heavy impacts heard softly behind their killer.
"I've grown impatient. Kill them both."
Abel steeled his resolve with a scowl. At the very least he wanted Cricket to escape with her life. In that way, he would have accomplished something. The young man without purpose would create one for this moment. Cricket's voice chipped away his scowl, his head turning enough for an eye to catch her.
"Abel...do you trust me?" Her voice low, she glanced at him. Dumb question. He hardly knew her. "Will you trust me?"
Her question of trust simply made him think of when he first saw her, running for her life. How she peeked around that boulder, tired, hungry, and dirty with a lack of proper clothes. Like him, she was alone. Fighting against the destiny that tried its hardest to bury them. It was probably naive, possibly too simple a reason to think in the way he had. But he believed that they were the same. Parallel lines on the same road. Her dumb question was met with a dumb answer.
"I will." His voice was as low as hers.
"I do. I trust you."
The wolves that snarled and circled them were much more cautious this time around, unable to judge the pivotal moment that Abel's eyes had locked onto hers.
A moment that would link their fates and change his life forever.