A Double-Edged Sword

A Chance Encounter

The next six days, passed by in a similar pattern of pure back breaking training. Lela barely remembered what she did from one minute to the next. She was exhausted enough that her brain seemed to have shut down. She was so busy throwing herself into training, that she didn’t even have time to worry about what was going to happen once her week of training was up.

It was now the end of the week. Her batch of recruits had completed their training and they had the afternoon off, while the commanders discussed where each man would be placed. Having nothing to do for the first time in days, was slightly unnerving. In fact, Lela was becoming more stressed by the moment. For the first time, she was actually grateful to have been worked nearly to death the last week. At least it hadn’t given her time to fret.

“Leake?” Markie’s voice interrupted her thoughts.

Lela looked down at him from where she was laying on her bunk.

“Some of the guys are going swimming. I was thinking of going with them?”

Lela smiled, “Sure, why not. Although I don’t understand how you still have the energy for it.”

“Are you sure that you don’t mind being left behind? I mean, it’s not like you can come with. I could stay back and hang with you.”

“That’s sweet of you, Markie, but really, I’m not going to be doing anything. It’s nice to just have a chance to relax.”

“Alright, as long as you’re sure.”

“I’m positive. Go have fun.”

“Well, I guess I’ll see you in a couple of hours,” Markie said, giving her a smile before he turned and left Lela alone once more.

Even though Lela hadn’t lied when she told Markie, that she didn’t mind being left behind and that she wasn’t going to be doing anything, the longer that she sat alone with her mind rambling, the more restless she became. Before too long, she had to get to her feet and go do something. However, she had no clue what to do with herself.

Glancing around, she stood for a little bit in indecision. Eventually, she decided that she would just head outside and explore some of the city just outside of the training grounds. For all that she had been in Kalaan for a week, she hadn’t had the chance to do any sightseeing. Maybe that was what she needed right now, to go explore something new. Anything to take her mind off of her imminent departure to the battlefields.

So she made her way out of the main gates and wandered down the crowded city streets towards the entrancing castle that rose out of the center of the city. The closer she walked towards the castle, the wealthier the streets seemed to become. Small parks were interspersed with the houses, and Lela paused at each of them to enjoy the greenery. Smelling the plants brought on a bought of homesickness, so she didn’t dwell there long. However, a few blocks before the entrance to the palace, Lela looked down the street to her left and saw the entrance to a large expanse of carefully manicured lawns. Captivated by the craftsmanship evident in the trimming of the bushes and landscaping, Lela turned off the main street and approached the lawns.

She paused outside the entrance, not sure if it was a public place or not. No gates barred her entrance, nor were there guards stationed anywhere in site, but the garden still had the look of a private facility. In the end, the beauty was enough to overshadow her doubts and Lela walked in. Glancing around her, Lela saw no one, and smiled at her good fortune. It seemed she was free to enjoy this private garden to her heart’s content, without anyone interrupting her.

She was bending down, with her face buried in a rose bush, when she heard the scream behind her. Lela turned around in time to see a child atop a white pony racing headlong towards her. The young girl had obviously lost control of her mount, and was bouncing along precariously as she was carried swiftly over the flat lawns. The pony neared a row of bushes a few yards away from the place where Lela was standing, and instead of turning, made a large leap over them. The pony cleared the obstacle, but the child did not.