General Zayn had stayed in place a couple hours after everyone else had went back to their cabins. In fact, he was there long after the fire had died out. He had no idea why he had stayed so long. He guessed it was because the warmth of the flames had felt so good to his skin --perhaps it was also because he was a bit nervous.
He looked up to the sky and noticed all the stars that were sprinkled across it. Seeing this, he knew that night had been long upon him at that he should go to sleep, but he was not tired.
This was his third time doing this -leading a scouting group- and he was still seemingly nervous about what was to come.
Out of the people he'd chosen ever since he'd been here, there had been only one death. It had been last year, when they raided the headquarters of an army camp. The man who died was name Angrir, and he was the rogue of the group.
Zayn remembered it like it was yesterday.
Angrir, along with all the others, had been a friend to him. Until the night that he died... of course. The general didn't wish to reminisce on the event, but that didn't stop him from visualizing that night.
They had been successful in their mission that night. In fact, he and his men were all walking away from the camp when it happened. There had been a man left barely alive near the encampment's exit. The man had stood up so fast... and Angrir didn't even have time to turn around before the sword was shoved into his back and all the way through to his stomach.
If it had have been Zayn, the blow would have just bounced off his armor. However, Angrir w
hadn't been so lucky. Immediately after the stabbing, one of Zayn's archers had shot an arrow right through the murderer's eyebrow. The general remembered just how fast Angrir had slumped, and then fell to the ground.
He hadn't even gotten a chance to tell his soldier goodbye.
This year, he would make changes in his group. The warrior would always be the last to leave because he had the heaviest armor. This time, he would put the lighter men in the middle. He thought of the archers a little bit... but Ingred was the one that he would protect the most. He would never let another rogue die as Angrir had. He, the other swordsman, and the warrior were supposed to distract from those in light armor.
This time... he would.
Zayn finally stood from his spot and walked over to the cabin in which he slept. He entered, and lit a candle in order to see. He then removed his tunic and threw it on his bunk haphazardly. Instead of laying down on it, he just sat on the floor, and grabbed the map he had drawn.
Upon unrolling it, he began to study it. He wished he had actually seen the fortress in person. As of now, he felt as if they were thrown into this blindly... and they were.
"Maybe we'll get the chance to explore the area first," he murmured to himself. "Fucking hell."
Not coming up with any way that they could infiltrate the area, Zayn cursed under his breath and shut the map quickly. Once he stood, he noticed that the room was started to feel stuffy. He figured that he was just frustrated to the point of needing fresh air.
He grabbed his sword just in case something happened, but otherwise left without his armor... and even his tunic.
The night breeze felt good to his bare skin and with a few breath, the general had calmed down significantly.
"Damn it," he grunted to himself, the words a breath on his lips, "I'm not going to be able to sleep tonight. Might as well do something useful."
Then, he took off into a jog. He wasn't going fast by any means, but the air still whipped coldly onto his face and through his hair. This did wonders to ease his mind. He was just beginning to enjoy the run when he heard a familiar voice.
"General?"
Iris watched as the general halted and whipped his sword from his sheath, as quick as a cat. She almost wanted to laugh at him, but she did not. In his current state, she could best him in a second. Donned in only a thick pair of breeches and leather boots, one hit could kill him.
He sheathed his sword.
"What are you doing up at this time of night, Ingred? Don't you know what tomorrow will bring?" he seemingly scolded her.
"What are you doing up, General?"
He sighed at her statement, knowing that he was at fault too.
"I couldn't sleep," he admitted.
"I understand. I slept for a couple of hours, but then I woke up. Seems you and I had the same idea. Would you mind if I joined you, General Zayn?" she paused for a single second, and then added, "Usually, I run alone. But I'd like to have some company, especially if something were to attack us."
She knew that he wouldn't be of too much use, due to the fact that he had rejected his armor.
The general stared at the rogue for a long minute. Up to this point, Ingred had been a puzzlement to him: always stoic, determined, and quick learning. Now, Ingred's slight friendliness made him incredibly enigmatic. Who is this boy? The general thought to himself for a long moment. The silence had grown awkward.
"Yes," he finally agreed, "that would be alright."
He expected Ingred to say something else, but he did not. Instead, the rogue ran past him and along the tree line. General Zayn started running as well --this time a little faster-- so he could keep up with Ingred. After a few short minutes of running alongside the new recruit, the general felt himself getting slightly winded. After noticing the slight shortness of breath, he looked to see if Ingred was experiencing the same time. Zayn was dismayed to see that he didn't look fazed in the slightest.
A few minutes later, Ingred finally spoke to him.
"Do I need to slow down?" he asked, not mockingly, "You seemed to be getting tired."
"No," the general huffed, but after a more strides, said, "well... perhaps a little."
Iris slowed down a bit, but was still staying a few feet ahead of him. Every once in a while, she would look back to see if he was still there. When she did, she would have to immediately face forward again.
Kayde's earlier accusation had affected her in a way that she did not expect. Before his uncalled for statement, she was actually starting to feel like she was not a woman. She felt like a true soldier among the rogues. Now, though, when she looked back at her leader, she, instead of noticing General Zayn's armor or sword or anything along those lines, noticed that General Zayn was unrighteously good looking.
His face was smooth with a strong looking jaw and a straight nose. She knew from her glances that he also had high cheekbones that tapered at his hairline. Not to mention the golden skin that stretched across his strong physique. She scolded herself, knowing that nothing would ever come of it. Even though she was a girl, he would always see her as a man.
If Kayde could see me now, she thought, I would never hear the end of it.
Frustrated, she picked up her speed without realizing it. In her frustration, she was immediately able to cast aside any thoughts that she knew would be wrong. In fact, she felt a tad ashamed for letting herself slide even for a moment.
I am a soldier and have no time for such ridiculousness.
She only noticed how fast she had gotten when she looked to see the general farther in the distance that she had expected. At this point, she looped back again to meet him once more. Upon approaching him, she had to slow down tremendously to match his speed.
"Gods, you're fast," he remarked, slightly out of breath.
When she looked over at him, he was still not wearing any sort of expression.
"Should we rest for a minute?" he asked.
When Iris halted, he took two more steps before stopping himself. Still hoping to keep his pride very much intact, he quickly spoke.
"While I can run distances... I am not quick."
"I see," she replied, "that is quite alright. I've been running my entire life, so it isn't as challenging for me."
It wasn't a lie. She couldn't even begin to count the number of times she'd sped to the market and back in her old neighborhood.
"Either way, are you ready to sleep? If not, we can keep running..."
"Sleep sounds good for right now. You should go and rest as well. When I tell you we have a long day ahead of us, I mean it."
He used one of his hands to wipe sweat from his forehead. She gave him a curt, respectful nod and saluted him. The general took a few more glances at his surrounding before jogging away from Iris and to his cabin. Iris took off for her own bed. She knew it would be a horrible idea to set out tomorrow without proper sleep. The moment she stepped through the door she was face to face with Kayde.
This made her nearly jump across the room.
"I see you're trying to make new friends," the statement was innocent, but Iris could hear the underlying "I told you so". There was a slightly bemused curve to one corner of his mouth.
"I'm here for my father, and nothing else," she said, as honest as he'd ever heard her, "Not the other soldiers, not for the fighting, not for the honor or the glory, and I'm certainly not here to find a mate. Shite, if I was here for that, I would not even think of going onto that battlefield, and I would certainly not be dressed like a man." She stood taller, "Do you think me as a foolish girl, still?"
This took Kayde aback. He had not meant for her to take the statement so seriously. Teasing was one of the tell-tale things he did to show affection to his family, friends, and others he cared for. Her question made him really look at her. She was in a full set of armor, with two razor-sharp daggers at her side. She stood erect now, and the look in her eyes looked anything but timid. She looked rather intimidating, actually.
"No, I do not, Iris. It was only a jest."
"I'm not here to be teased. Why did you come here?" she asked simply. He took a minute to recollect his thoughts.
"I came to tell you that I will leave tomorrow moments after you. I will not be seen, but I will be there. If you need help, all you have to do... is ask."
He then turned for the door, not wanted to bother her any longer. She let out a loud sigh that made Kayde stop in his tracks and turn back to look at her. She looked... apologetic.
"Maybe I overreacted," she stated, "I do appreciate your help, Kayde. I suppose I am a little anxious about what is to come. I was wrong to take it out on you. So... thanks," she then turned on a heel and he knew that he was expected to leave now.
Once he left the cabin, Iris sat on her bed, thinking that she might get some sleep after all the exertion. Even still, her thoughts were whirling around her father.
She wondered what he was thinking right now. Would he still be up worrying about her? She hoped not. Though, she knew that if she were in his place she would surely be fretting over what was happening, or what was going to happen, to him. In his place, she would not know whether they had headed out or not.
She would not know whether he was alive or dead. In a moment, she figured that it would be worse to be in that position.
However, that might not be the case if she was injured like he was. If he came to fight this war, he would have known from day one that he would never see her again. Now, there was still a chance that their family would once more be reunited.
If she was at home, she would feel the exact same hopelessness as he would have. This... this gave her hope. She hoped that he also had faith in her to do this right.
This would be the only thing, she knew, that she had ever done right.
She guessed that it was better for both of them to have a little hope rather than to have none at all. She wondered if Renna was helping to console him. Knowing her aunt, Iris knew that she would try her very best to keep their small household together. She sighed, trying to shove all of these thoughts back into the back of her mind.
Even though she felt like she had more of a purpose here than she did in her village, she would always know one thing: there was definitely no place in this world, no matter how grand, like home.
"This is all for you, papa," she whispered to nothing in particular, "I promise."