Page 53 of Crown of Iron
I thank everyone for helping me and retrieve my canteen from the ground. I'd stupidly hyped this moment up all day, hoping to impress my friends with my budding powers.
My friends. Were Greer, Terro, and Ulric really my friends? From the moment I stepped foot in this camp, they knew who I was. The attention they paid to my betterment as a soldier was nothing more than watchful eyes making sure their future queen stayed out of trouble. I never intended to step foot on a battlefield until that night. The skills I've been learning from them were meant to help save my father. But things have changed. I want to be as valuable as them in a battle. I want them to turn to me for guidance and help, but I doubt it will ever happen. They will never see me as an equal, not in strength, power, or in status. Yet I keep trying.
“Raelle,” Kyron calls, jogging up behind me and matching my pace. “Don't be hard on yourself. What you did was amazing.”
His compliment eases the pain of my broken ego. “I'll try not to and thank you. It's just so important to me that I get this right and I'm an asset to you.”
He places a hand on my shoulder and turns me to face him. “You're more than an asset. Most of these soldiers are too young to have fought beside Micah. When the time comes and they learn you're out here sweating and bleeding for the cause, they’ll fight even harder for you. You will give them hope.”
I scoff and say, “When they learn their queen made a fool of herself and enlisted in the army?”
“No. When they learn you didn't waltz in here and demand we find your father because you are anointed the next ruler. When they learn you've undergone the same rigorous training as them, with a few extra chores.” He smiles like he is picturing me mucking the stables before his features sober. “When they learn you care about them as people and not just soldiers.”
His words fill a void inside me that has slowly bled since he confessedhe knew who I was. Maybe I did earn my place here, and the respect and friendship given were not part of a guise. But if it was, it doesn't change the reason I'm here.
“I just want to give these soldiers back their general.” I wince as soon as the words leave my mouth. “Not that you aren't their general.”
“I know what you mean, and I want him back too.”
I release a long sigh. “You said before that Papa was like a father figure to you, and you were so young when you arrived here. What did you do when he came home? Who took care of you?”
“Are you worrying about my well-being?”
I meet his sarcasm with my own quick-witted response, saying, “You were a child. I’d worry for any young person growing up in this environment without parents.”
“Three of the retired families that have remained at camp cared for my basic needs before I could care for myself. They gave me a room in their homes, tended to my school lessons, and made sure I was fed. As I got older, your father took the lead on teaching me history and began my training as a soldier. At sixteen, I asked him if I could move into the barracks and that’s been home ever since.”
Kyron forms a ball of flame and tosses it to me. I throw it back to him, settling into a comfortable game of catch as we walk.
“I don't mean any offense, but you don't seem like the ideal candidate to be my father's second in command. He had to have known it was going to be difficult to get the soldiers to rally behind you in his absence.”
“He did, but he always said I was born to lead, and it was my choice what kind of leader I'd be.”
I catch the fire in both hands and let it warm my palms as I bask in the words of my father. It amazes me that he raised Kyron on the same principles he taught me, and at the same time, it doesn't. My father is a firm believer that no one is a lost cause. Given the correct environment and opportunity, they will choose the right path.
“So leading was easy for you?” I ask, sending the flame sailing through the air to him.
“Hardly. When I was old enough to understand how I differed from the others here, I fought him on the notion. How was I ever going to convince these people to follow me when I was what they were fighting against? But Abrum was adamant that it didn't matter who commanded the army.If they were void of integrity and not willing to die for every soldier, they would eventually be without an army to lead. To prove his point, we made a pact. For a year, I would conduct myself as a leader and take on every responsibility he threw my way with no complaints. When the time was up, we would evaluate my standing with the other soldiers.”
“I bet he made it hell for you,” I say with a smile, swatting the fire back to him.
“He did, and I wouldn't have had it any other way. Ulric and Terro were the first to fall in line with my leadership. Greer…” He chuckles and shakes his head. “It was harder for Greer. I was competition. Our sparring matches were brutal, the whispered exchanges between us were hateful, and at one point, she asked to be stationed at another camp.”
The notion of Greer not being here shocks me. Every soldier knows who she is, and she is a fierce leader to them. “Really? Why didn't she leave?” I ask.
“I begged her to stay. She’s one of the best soldiers and her place is here. If I let her walk away, it would’ve been the most careless thing I did for Basecamp. And that winter, when his second in command was named general of another camp, Abrum went to Micah and told him he was replacing him with me.”
“And Micah was all right with that?”
Kyron shrugs. “I'm sure Abrum received some pushback, but he got what he wanted. The king signed the promotion order. But I’m sure Micah thought my leadership wouldn’t take place while he was king.”
“Are you saying he was going to leave you to be my problem?” I ask with a laugh.
He cocks an eyebrow. “Or your father was setting you up with a very capable general at Basecamp.”
I hum as I think that over before saying, “Why do I actually think that’s right?”
“Because it is. He would have never left you and the kingdom in incapable hands.”
