The Order.

chapter 2

Nero , Valeria and the fate of a good Samaritan .

"You never ceases to amaze me Valeria , that whole journey just so that you can get the real scoop on old Atticus ". Nero says as he bounced lightly on the back of his faithful steed Ramsay .

"You know very well I didn't do this out of fancy .Atticus has given out his Creed to someone , his adamant and refuses to admit it but one doesn't merely lose his Creed like you lose a quill or a piece of paper. You know .
Plus the mass murder he committed was an atrocious crime seeing as many of his maids were Syrian . It could cause the people to revolt. It's my duty to ensure our empire doesn't loose any strong hold" . Valeria answered .

"You were always too sharp and clever for school " Nero said smiling broadly ,"But your escapades are surely too much trouble for me , I mean was it too much trouble to ask for an escort from your guards or at least to inform Gregory we were off . You are too reckless , all the more reason why I think your amusing "

"Oh really General ," Valeria answered smirking lightly as she rode her horse . "You of all people then should know better than to follow me , or are you far more, let's say in love than amused with me ." She said making Nero to pull back on his steed bringing Ramsay to a sudden stop. His lips forming a frown before tugging up into a devious smile.

"Well if you had to find out at least it's by your wit than by a surprise proposal." He answered causing the young princess to stop her horse too, her face red from blush .

"..And here I was thinking I was just joking , quite bold of me to put it right out their in the open like that don't you think". she replied jabbing her horse to go on .

"Yes , a little too bold for a woman your age " . Nero replied inaudibly following suit.

"What was that General ?" She asked .

"Nothing , I was just saying you should stop calling me by my father's title I am in no way a general, well at least not yet 😉 ". Nero answered , "I'm only twenty years old . Not all of us can wake up in high rankings like Atticus can we? even if our parents are all nobles ."

"Afraid not Nero " . Valeria answered looking quite thoughtful about it .
"Remember though you promised when I become the Empress you shall become my general . "

"We shall wait and see your highness. First things first let's get going to the meeting tonight or else Dear Gregory will tell our parents we skipped town unprotected for the weekend ". Nero announced making his horse run faster .

°°°

The two rode for hours ,none bold enough to break the cloak of quite that had fallen over them . The dirt road ahead and behind them seemed to have no end , however both knew on a distant hill not far from where they were Jerusalem stood with all it's Glory . Each however dwelt in a surreal realm of imagination lost in a fantasy only their minds could conjure up.

After some time Valeria who was ahead came to an abrupt stop ,her steed digging up a dust cloud as it came to a sudden halt .
"Nero" she called her voice coming out a little shaken .

"Yes ,my lady "he answered as he stopped right behind her steed , by then she had already got off and was headed towards a woman clutching to her side near a large Boulder .

"Careful my lady bandits often play such disgusting tricks on kind hearted Samaritans such as yourself" Nero warned the warm smile on his face never wavering even though his words implied the situation to be otherwise unnerving.

"Nero dear ,you can't possibly think I'm stupid enough to fall for such a trick, your father himself made sure I was trained in combat and strategy from a young age ,besides not many bandits carry their young babies with them ."she answered pulling off the woman's cloak to reveal the child .