Page 12 of The Wild Prince's Favorite
“...You’re a foolish woman,” he muttered. “Just like your mother. But your disobedience stops here, Alezya. If you don’t grab that thing and bring it to me, someone else will. This is my clan, this is my mountain. You may defy me, but you won’t be able to hold on to that creature. I was going to show some benevolence to you, but you persist to defy me. Fine. There are two weeks until the gathering. One way or another, I’ll have that creature by then.”
He turned around and his eyes fell on her cousin’s husband.
“You. Spread the word. Whoever brings me that thing will be rewarded. Whoever helps her hide that creature, however, will be treated like traitors and punished.”
“...Understood.”
She knew there was no use trying to talk to her cousin’s husband or to anyone else in the clan, for that matter. Alezya had months to see how quickly they could turn on her for their own benefit.
There was no one that would be on her side. No one. She was already trapped. That’s why she knew she had to escape.
Chapter 2
“...Commander?”
The man carefully stepped inside the tent, nervous. It was dark inside; nobody had bothered to light a flame. He carefully stood a step away from the entrance, suppressing the terrible urge to leave this place. He waited a couple of seconds for his eyes to adjust to the darkness until he located the silhouette of a man, seated at the opposite end of the tent, immobile as a statue. He tried to control his breathing and not gulp down that knot of fear inside his throat. After a couple more seconds, he noticed the faint shine of the blade spinning where the man sat. A shiver ran down his spine, and the urge to run away got even more pressing. Still, he chased this thought away from his mind, trying to act bravely.
“A new unit of recruits arrived at the North Camp this morning, Commander. Around a hundred men arrived from the Capital for reinforcements and training. I am their representative, Captain Dajan, sir. This is our first time in the North Camp and an honor, Your Highness. We are setting up our tents and we will take our posts around the camp shortly. My men and I will join the camp’s daily training schedule as soon as tomorrow.”
The man waited for a response, but only a heavy, scary silence followed. He hesitated for a few seconds. Was he supposed to stay until dismissed? Or run out of there, as his whole body was screaming at him to? He dared to raise his eyesagain, looking for a response. That’s when he spotted them. Two dark green emeralds shining in the dark. It was like crossing paths with a dangerous, mortal snake, and realizing it was already too late. The man shivered irrepressibly in his armor, regretting his mistake instantly. He knew he wasn’t supposed to look him in the eye!
“M-my apologies, sir!”
“...Get out.”
The voice sounded like a beast’s thunderous growl from deep inside a cave. Suddenly, the tent felt a whole lot bigger, and the poor Captain a whole lot smaller. His feet refused to move at first; his legs had gone numb from sheer fear. Embarrassed, he tried to force his feet to move after a huge effort and kept his eyes riveted on the ground. Leave, he had to leave. Immediately. Quickly, before he got killed. Or eaten... He finally managed to move his right foot, then the other, and he stumbled back with shaking legs and that fear screaming from the back of his mind for him to get out of there. He tried hard not to fall, not to turn his back either, and after vaguely remembering to bow again before stepping out, he finally found the tent’s curtain and kicked himself out of there. He didn’t even take two steps outside before he tumbled into the snow, falling on his knees and wetting his pants all the way to his thighs. He was drenched in a cold sweat, and out of breath for some reason. He’d never been so grateful for fresh air. The cold shiver down his nape wasn’t going away, and even as he tried to get back on his feet, he felt weak in the knees.
“You fool.”
He looked up. A man with a pockmarked face, thin lips, and an annoyed expression wearing a pale blue leather outfit under a thick black fur coat was looking down at him. If he hadn’t been so busy being scared, he might have thought the man looked funny, with just his head popping out of the thick fur coat.The man looking down on him raised a thin eyebrow, while his fingers drummed on the little notepad he was holding firmly.
“Who are you?” he asked as if he was already annoyed by the answer. “Which unit do you belong to? I told them a hundred times not to bother the Commander in Chief without warning me first. Why did they send you? Are you looking to die, soldier?”
The questions were fired quickly, one after the other without much room for him to answer until the man with the notepad was done. Once he finally stopped, his fingers still dancing along his notepad, the Captain forced himself to stand back up, feeling embarrassed. His legs were still trembling a bit.
“Th-they couldn’t find you, and someone had to warn the Commander about the new recruits, s-so... I’m Captain Dajan of the new division...”
“You moron,” the other one answered right away. “The Commander doesn’t care about new units arriving at the camp, the higher-ups played you... They’re going to hear from me! Either way, don’t bother him again. You’re lucky he let you walk out without twisting your neck, Captain Dajan.”
The man’s expression sank. What kind of cruel prank was this? After everything he had heard about the Wild Prince, how could he make a fool of himself and get on His Highness’ bad side from his very first time meeting with him?! Seeing his expression, the man in blue sighed.
“Don’t fret over it. If you’re lucky, the Commander in Chief will have forgotten your face already. Try to do your best on the battlefield, and maybe you’ll be more than a bothersome rat to him.”
The man nodded.
“Thank you for your advice. Y-you are the camp’s Grand Intendant?”
“You may call me Intendant Tievin. In the future, don’t bother His Highness again. Come to me if needed. You might be able to survive longer if you do.”
“Don’t you... fear the Commander? I heard even the generals are cautious around him...”
The man sighed as if the answer to the question was obvious.
“I have been by His Highness’ side for ten years. Of course I am afraid of him, but I am certainly the best at handling his temper. Newcomers like you should just make yourselves small and stay out of his way. ...Morons.”
Captain Dajan nodded and showed a resolute expression that made Tievin raise an eyebrow again. That young man seemed more earnest and unwavering than most. A lot of men were sent to the north with selfish dreams of honor and battlefield achievements and only had one objective: to stay out of trouble. This one at least seemed to have some respect for the Commander in Chief.
“I understand! I will make sure myself and my unit become valuable elements to this army, so even the Commander in Chief won’t be upset with us!”
