The Prince's Light

Chapter Four

Dinner last night had gone by uneventful. Mother was still lost in her world of grief. I felt bad for her. To lose your twin, your partner in crime, it had to be unbearable. I hope for Andi and As' sake that this doesn't happen to them. I jumped, startled, when someone knocked on my door. "Come in." I said, quite shaken.

"Emmie?" My mother opened the door. "Y-yes, Mother?" I stuttered. My mother and uncle had been the ones to call me that, and my mother had stopped as I got older, but Uncle Seric never did. She must really be hurting bad to revert back to that, then again it could be making her feel like he's still here. "I'm sorry but I have some important business I have to attend to for a few days on the outskirts of the kingdom. I will be back in a week, but I thought I'd let you know that I wouldn't be here." She grimaced. "It's alright, Mother. Hurry back." She nodded, closing the door softly behind her. I heard her soft footsteps eventually fade away.

I had one week. One week to join the Army and fight for my people. After that, I had to return to the castle. Piece of cake, I laughed at my false sense of bravado. It sounded like such a long time, but it wasn't at all. I knew I'd leave for the Army in the morning, and luckily, there was a draft tomorrow. They would test everyone's skills and place them in fighting groups based on that skill. After that, they'd set out for the battlefields.

The General, General Martel Trunber, was in charge of everything. He decided who went where, who ate what, who got what, and so on. Basically, if you wanted to go somewhere good, you needed to either get him to like you or to impress him with your skills. I knew him growing up, him and Uncle Seric were best friends, and he often watched my uncle teach me how to fight with a sword. I just hoped tomorrow he wouldn't recognize my fighting style. If he did, it could mean trouble.

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I woke the next morning to the birds singing. Sighing, I sat up and rubbed my face. Today was the day. Today I was joining the Army. I jumped out of bed quickly and changed into my disguise. I climbed out of my window and down the trellis below, careful to stay against the wall. Once I hit the ground, I took off running towards the training grounds where Army tents were visible.

I ran to the sign-up line, setting me behind some large and burly men. Looking around, most men were on the larger side. This isn't going to be easy. I felt a small hand tap me on my shoulder. Turning around, I saw two boys smiling at me. "Hello." I nodded to them. "Hello, are you here to join the Army too?" One of them asked.

At my nod, he continued. "Well so are we. I'm Turnip and this here's Walsden." He held out his hand and I took it in mine, shaking it. I shook Walsden's then too. "I'm Resmec. How old are you two?" I asked, strangely curious. They looked a little young to be joining the Army.

"I just turned sixteen." Turnip said, grinning and probably feeling proud. "I'll be eighteen in a month or so. How old are you?" Walsden looked younger than he was. "I turn seventeen in about two weeks." I said, smiling. "Well, looks like I'm the oldest of us then." Walsden laughed. "I guess you are." I agreed. It was hard to talk slightly more improper and all, I had always been trained to speak proper, but I liked it. I felt like I could let loose a little with it.

Quickly, the line to sign-up had made it through and now all of us stood around, idly chatting until further instructions were given. "Everyone! Gather 'round!" General Trunber, or Marty as I knew him, shouted in a don't-question-me tone. The second he spoke up, everyone quieted and did as he told. There was a little noise as people shuffled around, getting closer.

"Now, we will begin giving out numbers and you will fight each other depending on what number you are. Everyone make a neat line in front of me and we will start handing them out." There were shouts, pushing, and shoving, Every man wanted to get his number first. "Quietly! We don't want to bother the Princess." He yelled over the noise, silencing everyone yet surprising me. No one pushed and shoved anymore, everyone content with where they were in the line.

Since a line had been made, they began passing out numbers. Men started hooting and hollering, excited by their numbers. There were the occasional ones who cussed, upset with the number they received. I finally reached the front and was handed a paper. I quickly skirted out of the way and sat down on a nearby bench. A few seconds later I was joined by Turnip and Walsden. "Ready to look?" I asked them. "Yeah! I wanna know who I hafta fight!" Turnip glanced at his and jumped in triumph.

"I have number 37!" He was truly excited. He was later on in the competition and had plenty of time to practice. "I got number 24." Walsden's eyes shone with happiness. He didn't have as long, but it was still a good number. I glanced down at my sheet. "I have... number 19!" I exclaimed. At least, I wasn't like 5th or earlier. I had plenty of time to practice, although I wouldn't need much. We grinned and laughed for a bit, obviously happy with ours.

These guys seem kind-hearted, especially Turnip. Turnip was what I imagined my little brother would have been like had I had one. He was just so lovable. His boyish-cut blonde hair reaching the tips of his ears, and his hazel eyes sparkling. His energy and smile were contagious.

Meanwhile, Walsden seemed like he'd make a good friend. He seemed reliable, like a good shoulder to lean on, even though he was more on the lean side of builds. He wasn't really muscular or too skinny, just lean and fit. He had dirty blonde hair with blue eyes, a few shades lighter than Tas'.

"You guys want to practice a little? I need to warm up." I mentioned, itching to stretch my muscles. "Sure, I wanna watch though. Wanna see what kind of power you're hiding." Turnip winked, nudged me, and we walked towards the practice area. As soon as we stepped in the practice circle with the dummy, they called for numbers one and two. "Guess they're starting." I shrugged. "Guess they are." Walsden responded.

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So Emseria is getting ready to join the Army, she just has to pass her mock fight first. She has met new friends (Turnip and Walsden), and we'll see how their friendships grow. Next chapter, you'll get to see a portion of Emseria's ability but not the full force yet. I hope you all enjoyed and keep reading! Please vote and comment as you wish to. Thank you!

<3 Azalea Rose