A/N = authors note
Are prefaced by this A/N, and are always in bold.
Y/N = your name.
E/C = your eye color.
H/C = your hair color.
If it is in italic, it means that it is a thought, a memory, or occasionally a dream. Use context and common sense to figure out which it is.
"Spoken words."
Important words.
"Projected words."
"YELLED WORDS."
I shall write in anything else you need to know, as it comes along.
Until next time I'll see you on the other side
~J. C. Coltt.~
The sky to the east was just beginning to turn graey as the morning drew near. The cold light that proceeds the dawn luminated a vast city of tents, blanketing one section of an expansive prairie. On the western horizon, the black, jagged silhouette of a mountain range could be seen.
Even though it was very early, the military encampment was beginning to spring to drowsy life. The murmur of male voices accompanied by occasional laughter and the soft nicker of horses could be heard through the fog that mingled in the valley among the tents.
Since it had been nearly seven years since any of the soldiers had seen battle, their discipline had been considerably eroded, not that they had much, to begin with. Thus the soldiers would wake up at varying times in the morning and conduct themselves with very little order whatsoever, especially when some trace was found of ale.
Standing in the heart of the sea of tents, there was a large clearing surrounded by four tents several times larger than the rest, adorned with their own flags and banners that flapped in the wind. The first three were the living quarters of the three generals who led the Luccian army in tandem, while the fourth was dedicated to meeting between the three men to strategize their next movements in the war.
The tent had seen very little use the past seven years, but early that morning its canvas walls glowed with warm light from within. Candles burned on the sturdy wooden tables that had been set up within the tent. They had been lit earlier when the three generals entered, at last, they had something of military importance to discuss.
Standing at the head of the table was a man with rich dark brown hair, tied back with a ribbon. His handsome face was chiseled, and he sported a neat and incredibly well-groomed beard and mustache that only just extended beyond the corners of his mouth. His eyes were the color of moss and stood out strikingly against his sun-kissed skin. He wore a stylish tunic embroidered with his family crest but forewent his heavy, gold embossed breastplate as he was only meeting with his fellow generals, and not giving an official speech to the soldiery. His name was Vanbinicci Arrogari, and he was the unofficial leader among the three generals.
"Meccio," Vanbinicci snapped at the man sitting at the left side of the table. "When does the letter from king Ilidoro say that the general from Estain will arrive?"
The man to whom Vanbinicci had spoken to quickly shot from up from his seat, nervous from being arrested in such an aggressive manner. His name was Meccio Vilu and with his delicate features and cleanshaven face, it was clear that he was younger than the other two generals by several years. His milky skin was dusted with freckles, and his short copper hair contrasted with his violet eyes. He wore a tunic bearing his family crest, like Vanbinicci's but at least two sizes smaller. "Yes, s-sir. The letter from the king only said that g-general Denlleonis w-would arrive in the next several days." He responded, his voice strained from anxiety.
"The next several days," Vanbinicci scoffed, stroking his beard absentmindedly. "Well, that is certainly vague and unhelpful, even for our king. Wouldn't you agree, Baccoso?" He asked the man on his right.
"Mmm," the third and final general only grunted in response. His name was Boccoso. He lacked a last name as, unlike Vanbinicci and Meccio, he did not come from a noble family. With his hulking figure, he dwarfed even the tall Vanbinicci. Boccoso was built like a bear and his face and arms were littered with scars. He had wild black hair and stubble that made him look even more vicious. He was the least talkative of the three generals, but he was also the most violent. That led to many of the soldiers giving him the nickname of Boccoso the Beast.
Suddenly, the three generals were distracted by the distant sound of shouts and screams, along with the clang of metal and faint pounding of hooves. Meccio locked up in fright while Boccoso only grunted and turned his head in the direction of the commotion. "Whatever could be the cause of such a forsaken racket?" Vanbinicci muttered as he walked to the doorway of the tent.
Meanwhile, on the far side of the camp, the cause of the uproar was incredibly apparent. As the sun finally appeared over the horizon to the east, the sound of marching feet roused the majority of the soldiers on the eastern side of the camp. They stumbled from the tents, still half asleep, in time to witness a striking arrival.
Silhouetted by the dawning sun, a group of half a dozen soldiers carrying banners and two riders on horseback crested the top of a small hill at the entrance to the army camp. The blue flags flapped in the morning breeze, contrasting with the purple and red flags of Luccia. They bore a yellow flower with green, spikey leaves.
At the front of the group of Estainian soldiers was an impressive dapple graey horse. Its powerful stride intimated the soldiers who watched it advance nearly as much as the severed heads that had been tied by their hair to the mighty steed's harness. But both the beast and the gruesome trophies were nothing compared to the rider.
She sat proudly on her mount, with eyes cold enough to make even the most seasoned veteran tremble in fear. Her H/C hair blew in the wind along with the blue cape that fluttered behind her. She wore a silver chest plate that gleamed, but it was forged in such a way that her right breast was completely exposed, leaving no doubt in anyone's mind that she was a woman.
The soldiers gawked, open-mouthed as she rode into the camp. No woman in Luccia had ever attempted to disguise herself as a man to fight let alone had the gall to try and march with an army as a woman. But this was no woman of Luccia.
"You, soldier! How dare you disrespect your general?!" The H/C haired woman declared, her E/C eyes blazing. "You should stand at attention as I pass!!"
She rode down into the camp, striking the flabbergasted soldiers with the pommel of her sword. "I will beat some respect and honor into you spinless assortment of garden flowers if it's the last thing I do!! NOW SALUTE YOUR GENERAL!!"
The soldiers scrambled away from the general like mice fleeing a cat, shouting and yelling in disarray while those who she had struck down groaned in pain from the forceful blows they had received.
"Pathetic cowards," she spat at the ground in disdain as she continued to ride through the camp, soldiers scattering before her as her entourage followed close in her wake. "Can't even take the slightest bit of disciplining."
Leaning down from her saddle she managed to snatch one of the soldiers attempting to run. She lifted him off the ground so that she could look him squarely in the eyes. "Where can I find the general of this group of degenerates claiming to be an army?" She hissed. The man opened his mouth, his eyes widened from fright, but no sound came out. "ANSWER ME!!" She ordered, shaking him.
"I-in the b-big tents with the flags," he gasped, trying to shield his face from her fearsome glare. "P-please don't hurt me, l-lady!"
"That's general to you," she growled before releasing her grasp, letting the frightened soldier fall. He landed roughly in the mud, gasping for air. The general continued on her way not sparing the soldier a second glance.
"General Denlleonis, how are you finding the state of the Luccian army to be?" The other rider asked. He was mounted on an ass instead of a warhorse, so even though he stood a fair bit taller than the general, he only came up to her chest while they were riding. His name was Esclave Azeeion and out of all the people who met her, he feared her the least. Which was fortunate considering that he was her Subedict General. (An assistant that was bound to fight and serve at the side of one general for his entire life.) His hair was tawny brown and his eyes a sparkling blue. He was cleanshaven, with only a red birthmark below his left eye to mar his otherwise handsome face.
"Well, Esclave, I'm starting to think that I'm more likely to turn eunuchs from the Empire Beyond the Sea into effective soldiers than I am to get the Luccian army fit for war," She answered with a course laugh that sounded like the cawing of a crow.
"If there was ever a general able to accomplish such a feat it would be you!" Esclave praised her, smiling at her crass sense of humor. "You are the most capable warrior I have ever known."
She snorted at that but looked pleased with the compliment all the same. Before either of them could say anything else, they crested another small incline in the camp and found themselves in front of a grouping of four large tents.
General Denlleonis stopped her horse in the clearing before the tents and the others followed her example. Moments later three men exited swiftly from the fourth tent and came to an abrupt halt as they spotted the entourage directly outside.
The three men started up at the woman on the dapple graey horse in shock. It had been seven years since any of them had seen a woman, and provocative the sight of her exposed breast caused some unforeseen reactions.
General Vanbinicci was the first to come to his senses. Tearing his gaze away from her half-naked bosom he focused his attention on the man riding next to her. "General Denlleonis I presume," the brunette said, trying to make a good first impression. "It is a pleasure to have you join us."
"I-I'm afraid you're mistaken," Esclave said, his face showing discomfort. "I'm not the general-"
"-I am," the woman interrupted proudly, startling the other generals. Holding her head high, H/C hair tossed about in the wind. "I am the Esedict General Y/N Denlleonis."
A/N
Well, I think this first chapter more than made up for the lack of action in the prologue.
I'm curious to hear what you think about General Denlleonis because she's very, well... Intense.
Until next time I'll see you on the other side
~J. C. Coltt.~