"What is the report from the western border, Narza?" Lodin asked his advisor, who, as always, was right by his side.
"Unusually few sightings of the enemy, your majesty," Narza reported. "They suspect the West's border patrol has grown, however. They see a lot of new faces."
The king sighed deeply. "I see."
That old man for a king had always been so fickle. That was likely simply a distraction for some other, big move he was making. Only, Lodin couldn't imagine what that other move could be. An ambush from the sea? Going to ask for alliances in one of the other Kingdoms? Bolstering the army?
There were so many things that old geezer could be doing. His best guess was that hw was simply trying to make Lodin make the first move for this war to begin.
He wouldn't be giving the bastard what he wanted, that was the only thing he knew for sure.
"Anything else?"
"Princess Ciara has not returned since yesterday." Sergon moved from the doorframe, where he'd suddenly appeared. "As a matter of fact, she has not even been spotted."
Lodin simply looked up at the Commander. He'd expected this to happen ever since she'd been reported gone. Such a ridiculously troublesome princess, even when she wasn't here.
"Is that right?"
"Yes." Sergon placed both hands on the desk and leaned closer to the king in an almost threatening manner. "What are you going to do about it?"
Lodin met his gaze. "I am not sure there is much to be done about it," he said. "The princess has made a choice - she went home. It is that simple."
He'd slept on it now, and since heard Narza's opinion on the matter. This is what they'd agreed upon for the time being.
Narza nodded. "It would take far too long to go all the way there and back - it would almost take a season," he argued, crossing his arms. "We do not have the kind of men to spare for such a trip."
Sergon glared at them both. "So, you are simply going to let her go and let that alliance - which would undoubtedly win us this war - slip right through your fingers?"
Lodin clicked his tongue. "Naturally, I do not wish to lose such a thing, but we do not have the men to spare. The West is acting suspiciously, I do not want to be even one man down."
"So, what if the Dragon Kingdom decides to ally themselves with our enemy? Then what will you do?"
At this, Lodin went silent. He had considered that, but he didn't have an answer.
Before he even got the chance to reply, however, a new person stood defiantly at the entrance to the office.
"Do forgive my intrusion, my king, however I feel the need to step in here." Alex did a stiff and wholly formal bow. Something he rarely actually did. "As the princess' daily guard, I am uniquely qualified to answer this," he told them, his words not a question, but a fact.
Lodin frowned. Alex wasn't known to be the most orthodox of guards - which was why he was so often partnered with the excessively orthodox Elias - but even he'd never dared do something quite like this.
It was intriguing.
Lodin gestured for him to continue and the guard quickly complied.
"First off, even if all this has happened, she would never allow an alliance with the West. You should both know her well enough to know at least that much."
Lodin nodded. "She would probably not, no. She is far too much of a bleeding heart to do something like that." He knew she'd bonded with a few of the guards and some of the general staff here, and for that reason, she wouldn't turn on them. However, she didn't make the decisions all alone. "The ones I worry would do such a thing is her family."
"They are close-knit and would take personal offense to any harm done to her, that is true." Alex frowned. "But that is also exactly why they would respect her wishes on the matter."
Lodin stared at the guard. Either, he was naive, or she was. Reality probably was that they both were. Did they really think all of this would just disappear and be as though it had never happened in the first place? That was impossible.
"That said," the guard said, bringing attention back on himself again. "She would not simply go visit her family like this without saying anything to anyone." As though that wasn't obvious from her apparently raging exit. "She fled form this place." His words were heavy with a weight Lodin knew he didn't understand.
Still, that didn't change the facts.
"I am aware of that. What is your point?"
The king saw his own dubiousness reflected in Sergon and Narza.
"Have you any idea why she might feel the need to do something like that?" Alex narrowed hos eyes.
Lodin shrugged. "The pressure got to her," he guessed. Hell if he knew what went through her mind.
"Not quite." Alex sighed, taking a moment to gather himself. "She was lonely."
"Lonely?" Sergon asked as the first one to react. "How can she-"
"It is easy to feel alone, even in a castle," the king cut him off, sending him a pointed look. Lodin knew that better than anyone. He looked back to the Royal Guard. "I thought the dragon would combat that," he asked the guard.
Alex nodded with a frown. "Kaisog certainly also helped - and Sunrose too, when she was here. However, even he was lonely in the end after Sunrose disappeared. The princess and the dragon are basically one person at this point, though," he said with the faintest of sad smiles.
What did that even mean? How could those two be one person?
Alex quickly continued, offering no explanation. "Have any of you ever seen it from her perspective?" He looked around. "She has come to live in a castle in a kingdom she does not know, where half its people hate her and the other is terrified of her. Her brother and the only ones she knew were killed as soon as they stepped onto land and she was brought here by a dragon - the only creature she could trust, but no one accepted. In the castle, she meets the king she is supposed to marry, and he does not even believe her when she says she was attacked. Furthermore, she finds he has been having a mistress. So, every day, she is met by either hatred from the Dragon Slayers, who killed her family right before her eyes, or harassment from Victoria. She gets only few she can call friends, but gradually all are taken from her, leaving her to fend for herself till it is only she and the dragon against half the castle." He finally paused - both to breathe and to be sure they were still listening. "That is why she went to the dragon the other night. He is the only one she has got."
"I- I did not realize," Sergon muttered, eyes downcast. It was no secret the Commander really cared for the princess, so this must have hit home.
"No, you did not," Alex sharply agreed, looking to Sergon. "Because you do not understand. None of you do." His gaze fell on the king. "Kaisog - and dragons in general - are as natural to her as the blade on our hips is to us. They mean everything to her, and you do not even know their names."
Lodin sighed internally while keeping his gaze steadily locked on the guard. Since when had his castle changed this much?
"You have shown her no interest despite the fact that you were the one who brought her here and she took a poisoned arrow meant for you." Alex straightened his stance a little. "You owe her so much more than what you have given her, your supposed future wife, your majesty," he said, returning to formality as though he'd only just remembered it was a thing.
Lodin sighed and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes. He hated being told he was doing something wrong. Especially when he knew they were right.
He opened his eyes and levelled it on the Royal Guard.
"So, what would you have me do, then?"
It was all fine and well that the guy had all these ideas and opinions and all, but was he actually being realistic?
Alex looked a little baffled to even be asked at all. As such, his reply could also only be a careful one.
"We should bring her back here. Make it up to her?"
Lodin nodded. "Yes, that would be wonderful. But, as I am sure you overheard, war is looming around the corner and I cannot spare even a single man the amount of time that would take."
Alex frowned. "Surely, you could spare one man - what if he brought you a small army of dragons?" He sidestepped to let a maid with a tray of tea pass.
"Except one man would never be enough for an entire ship," Narza pointed out. "Not to mention the time it would take. Two cycles in our fastest ship - and that is only if she decides immediately."
Lodin nodded for the maid to stop her pouring and then looked up at Alex.
"Besides, we can still make do with what we have. We should still be able to win against the West, even without the reinforcements from the Dragon Kingdom." Things were simply as they were before.
The maid paused then; the kettle held mid-air.
"Do excuse me, my king, my lords, but I really would miss the princess terribly. She is such a wonderful lady; she is so kind to us all." Her eyes fell to the floor. "And that dragon of hers, Kaisog - and Sunrose too - have been awfully helpful of late." Her shoulder bounced up to her chin once everyone looked at her. "I-I am sure everyone agrees."
Lodin furrowed his brow. If he didn't remember it all wrong, this one had been fluttering about his chambers occasionally.
Alex smiled brightly at her, reaching up and ruffling her already messy hair.
"Thank you, Chanti. I am doing my best." He leaned in with a bit of mischievous smile. "Besides, I will just bring her back myself if these bull-headed idiots do not," he promised the maid, who giggled as she finally exited the room.
"And how exactly do you plan on accomplishing that?" Lodin asked, feeling just a little tired at this point.
A bit of a smirk rose on the guard's face.
"I did not just spend my time dawdling in the princess' presence, you know."