19 The Queen's Journey, pt. 1

Jin placed his bag on the carriage specifically designated for equipment and the like. The company is structured in the following way. Three carriages form one caravan, led by five white horses, this caravan carries the enlisted, and the lower ranked soldiers, with one of the Saviors resting in the first cart, leading them.

The second caravan is equally formatted, holding the other elite knights, and the other two Saviors, who are sitting with the queen.

Jin makes sure that his equipment, a few daggers, his sword and Viscerin's bow, won't be slipping out of the bag. When he finishes, he turns, walks over to the side of the second cart, and finds Theresa waiting for him.

"Hop on." She simply says, extending a hand to help him up.

Jin takes it, and in a moment, he's inside. He sits down next to Theresa, and looks forward. In front of him, are three other enlisted. One dressed in a black shirt, black plants and black hair, with brown skin, another in the middle, with the head of a snake and a hybrid body, something between an elf and a beast, and to his right, a woman dressed in steel armor, with blood red hair, and a slightly freckled face.

Theresa next to him, was staring at the girl dressed in black for some reason, while that girl in turn was trying her hardest not to make eye contact with the elf.

Meanwhile, the girl with the red hair, and the man with the snake's head were shooting each other glances every couple of seconds. But neither looked too happy with what they saw.

Without warning, the cart started moving. Jin turned, and saw the other caravan moving ahead of them.

He turned and got off his seat to peak out through the carriage's side. He saw the village moving farther and farther away. It dawned on him suddenly, that he could not even remember the village's name.

A hand fell on his shoulder, pulling him back into the carriage.

"You'll want to avoid doing that." The girl with the crimson hair said, with an uninterested voice. "If the cart makes a turn, and you have half your head out you'll fall."

"Oh, sorry." Jin chuckled, and rubbed the back of his head.

Quickly, the awkward silence resumed. The redhead had turned her attention to Jin only briefly before going right back to sneaking glances at the man with the snake's head.

"I take it my presence unsettles you?" The man said. He sounded young, Jin noted.

"Not at all." The girl replied. "Rather, I'm sure you must be pretty uncomfortable being surrounded by so many people loyal to your enemy." He blinked.

"Are any of you loyal to Griffin's Sight?" He said.

"Of course not." The girl replied.

"Then who here is loyal to my enemy?" The man said.

"So, you want us to believe you're seriously intending on fighting your own kind?" She said.

"My kind? The same people who enslaved me? Yes. Is it truly that difficult to understand why I may be a little biased against them?"

The girl looked away, but her expression told Jin she was still somewhat unconvinced.

Distracting himself from the awkward silence, he looked outside, without moving his entire body out like last time. His eyes widened.

It was beautiful.

Green as much as far as his eyes could see, with the sun above radiating brilliance unto the ground beneath it. There were forests in the distance, with strange birds migrating towards them.

Jin squinted his eyes when he saw something strange though. Shades of blue and grey mixed in with some strange looking mountains in that direction.

He tapped Theresa on the shoulder.

"Hm?"

"What is that? Over there?" The moving carriage made it a little difficult to accurately point at what he wanted her to see, but she seemed to understand.

"That, my dear, is snow." Theresa said with a smirk.

"Snow?" Jin asked. He tried to recall the concept but nothing appeared in his memories.

"Over there, to the north is Farrah Valor. The demon nation. Daysinn Village is just below the edge of the border between Nova and Farrah Valor." Theresa clarified.

"Have you ever been there?" Jin asked, still staring at the strange mountians. They looked like ants, but he could just barely make out their shape.

"Several times." Theresa said. "It's a place much unlike anything Nova's citizens know. You see, after the Great War several thousands of years ago, when a rogue mage interrupted the bloodiest war ever fought between elves and demons. I will spare the details this time, but simply put, both parties were left in horrendous conditions, and after eliminating the mage, they settled into a truce of sorts. They shook hands and split up, with the elves inhabiting the center of Azeria, creating Nova, and the demons moving up north. However, while they took over a similar amount of land, the demons and elves focused on different things during their rebuilding. The elves made sure to train anyone left alive in the arts of combat, mastering and creating all sorts of weapons, while the demons focused on technology, and magic. The result was that while Nova has since become almost an imprenetrable fortress, Farrah Valor is far more advanced than my homeland."

Jin noticed that all three of the people sharing their company were listening to Theresa's words, their expressions captivated.

"To be honest," the girl with the red hair said, "I've never understood why the demons don't try their hand at invading Nova."

"Truly, Decena?" Theresa asked with that signature smile of hers, "this coming from a former knight? Or, is it precisely because you're a 'former' knight that you feel that way?"

"You know what I mean." Decena replied with her arms crossed.

"Oh?" The boy with the snake head said, "is that why you dislike me so much? You feel I may attack your former employer? Well, I'd say it is because simply having a superior technology does not mean they would be better tacticians, case in point, Nova clearly has much better technology than Griffin's Sight, yet, the war remains unsettled."

"Are you bragging?" Decena replied.

"Of course not. I'm simply saying that sure, technology is important, whoever's got the biggest stick generally wins, but if you can't reach them, if they can handle their stick better than you can, that matters as well."

Again, Decena didn't respond.

"What do you think?" Theresa asked the girl trying her hardest to crouch out of existence. The brown-skinned girl looked up, with a mixture of anger and shyness.

"About what?" She replied, with a voice so soft Jin barely heard it. However, he did pick up on her accent. By now, Jin had met people from several regions, except for Farrah Valor, but her accent was by far the most distinct.

"Would Farrah Valor beat Nova in a war?" Theresa asked.

"I don't care." The girl replied. She rolled her "r" in a strange way.

"Oh? Ah, I see. You only care about whose pockets you're going to rifle through next." Theresa replied, smirking at her.

"Personally, I like her take." The boy with the snake's head said. "Better to focus on what you can control rather than what you can't."

"Well, you're certainly boring." Theresa said, causing the boy to laugh briefly.

"I apologize. I'm sure I'll find something entertaining to say soon."

Jin ended up looking back towards that distant mass.

"Hey," He said, looking back at Theresa. "Where are we going?"

"Nova." Theresa instantly responded.

"N-No, I mean, specifically. Like, where are we going through to get there? The queen said this would be a dangerous mission, but so far, I don't see it."

"Well, we are just starting, dear." Her tone changed slightly. She sounded more somber. "The queen explained the path to me in detail while you were loading your stuff onto the caravan." She shifted in her wooden seat to face Jin properly. He noticed that once again, the other inhabitants in the cart were locked in on her as she spoke.

"First, we will pass through the Guillotine Canyons. A space between two cliffs, specifically, covered in a silver fog. There should be a town just ahead of that place. Then, we will take the Midland Bridge to the Diamond Plains. From there, it's a straight shot to Nova. A straight shot that lasts a week, of course." Theresa said.

"Guillotine Canyons." The girl with the brown skin spoke. She looked down at the small bit of wooden ground in front of her, as though she were recalling something. "We should not go there."

"Why?" Theresa asked.

"That place, I know it. It lies northeast of Corona. My elders said it is haunted."

There was a brief silence, up until Theresa laughed.

"What is your name, child?" Theresa asked.

"Mariana." She replied.

"Mariana, ghosts are but restless spirits that couldn't find their way. A single Light Mage can do away with them. They are pests. Even if it were haunted, it would not be of any consequence to us."

Mariana didn't respond.

"So confident in your abilities, are you?" The boy with the snake's head said.

"Well, my dear..."

"Ker'Tallen."

"Yes, do you know whom you are speaking to?" Jin saw Decena roll her eyes.

"Of course. Theresa, of House Varys." The elf seemed viscerally shocked. "I pieced it together the moment you said you walked alongside the queen. 'The Queen's White Flame' they call you. The stories about you reach farther than you know."

"I'm more surprised that a boy as young as you has heard of me." It was Ker'Tallen's turn to be shocked.

"How can you tell?" He asked. He was right to wonder that. Ker'Tallen's body was very much that of a grown man's, and his indecipherable skin texture didn't help.

"Your scales." Theresa explained. "It seems your story about being a slave is true, this is something Griffins are taught at a young age. I learned it from a Griffin friend I had once. The brighter the scales, the younger you are. Or, if you're a wolf-man, the brighter your fur, and so on."

Ker'Tallen placed a hand on his chin.

"Want me to guess?" Theresa asked.

"Sure. How old am I?"

"Twenty." Theresa said.

"Close, but no. I'm eighteen."

As the rumbling accumlated, Jin's head fell on its own. His vision grew increasingly blurry, and suddenly, things went black.

Decena's POV.

"I'll be back in a moment." The redhead told Theresa as the enlisted gathered around a campfire. The crickets serenaded her as she walked back towards the carriages. She went back where she had been, and inside the open cart, she found the boy she'd been looking for.

Most people look somewhat silly, or more innocent when asleep. This boy looked exactly the same. Decena walked up to him, and patted his cheek.

"What is it?" He mumbled.

"They're starting to cook, you don't get up, you'll miss out." Decena said.

"What are they cooking?" He was sleep-talking.

"Just careth legs. That was all the hunters could find. Decena shrugged, as if the boy could see it.

"Ugh." He replied.

"Yeah, this won't do." Decena said to herself, before grabbing the brown-haired boy by the shoulders and pulling him up.

"Wha!? I'm up, I'm up." He complained.

"Yeah right. Now, go." Decena told him, pointing at the campfire. The boy looked around for a moment before spotting Theresa, and walking over to her.

Decena sighed, and began walking back to get a meal of her own, when she caught a slight movement out of the corner of her eyes. She looked to her right, and found Mariana crouched behind a bush, with her hand on her stomach.

She was nearly invisible in the night. And so, Decena walked up to her.

"Hey, they're serving the food. Come on." She turned, expecting the girl to get up and follow her, but she stayed on the ground, looking up at Decena with a clear apprehension. "You're not hungry? Is that it?"

Mariana's stomach rumbled, seemingly answering for her. She turned away in embarrasment. The sight caused Decena to chuckle slightly.

"Alright... Wait here." She said.

Mariana didn't respond. A minute passed, and Decena returned with a clay plate, holding a single careth leg on it. Mariana was still at the spot Decena left her.

"Here." Decena said. Mariana looked at her quizzically. "I didn't poison it. I'm not gonna ask for anything in return. Just eat. Trust me, you'll be thanking me tomorrow."

The girl paused for a moment, looked down at the food, up at Decena, and nodded, taking the plate slowly.

"Alright." Decena said, before she moved away. Content with herself, she went and sat on the cart's floor.

In the distance, she saw Ker'Tallen, eating by himself standing near one of the other carts. Decena shook her head, before focusing on the ground in front of her.

She lost track of time for a moment, until Theresa waved her hand in front of her.

"Enjoying yourself?" She asked.

"Is that even possible in this place?" She looked around, spotting nothing but darkness covering what is during the day, a green landscape.

"They're certainly doing it." Theresa pointed towards the campfire. Decena saw several of the queen's soldiers, gathered around each other, eating happily and talking about things she couldn't hear. But she could hear their laughs quite clearly.

"You'd never know there's an army behind us." Decena said, and for a brief moment, she glanced at Ker'Tallen.

"You're worried he's a spy?" Theresa asked.

"Of course. Aren't you?"

"I was. But, that little exchange earlier let me know, he is a slave. That much was true. With that being the case, now, I don't see how a slave could be loyal to the country responsible for such hardships." Decena looked at Theresa with an eyebrow arched. "I'm not saying I trust him with my life or anything, but I do believe he is here of his own accord. The queen has put a little trust in him, why don't we?"

"I guess." Decena replied.

"That's a start." Decena's own stomach rumbled. "Wow, look at you. Getting the other's food before getting it to yourself? How humble."

Decena shrugged.

"I know what it feels like to go a long stretch of time without a meal. They don't. If something happens, we need them to be able to function." Theresa paused upon hearing Decena, before nodding.

She smiled slightly, and walked away leaving Decena to herself.

It seemed like it was going to be an uneventful night, until a single soldier ran into the campfire, exhausted. He went up to one of the Saviors, who was currently eating along with the enlisted, huddled around the campfire.

Decena didn't hear what words they exchanged, but she saw the Savior stand up, and clear his throat.

"Enemies!" He yelled out, hard enough for everyone to hear. Did Decena hear him right? There were enemies approaching!?

She unsheathed the blade she kept at her waist, and turned towards the dark fields of grass where she saw several shadows appearing, moving towards them.

"Warn the queen!" Theresa yelled, as she began running towards the carriages.

"Enlisted! Form a line in front of the carts!" The Savior yelled, but the adventurers were panicked. They stumbled around, as their minds probably raced in a million different directions.

Decena could see their indecision, and thought that if they didn't shape up quickly, this journey may be over as soon as the first day of the three weeks they'd be spending on it.

She ran up to a few confused men, and pushed them towards the carts.

"Protect the caravans! Protect the queen!" She yelled. Over, and over again, she yelled this message, pushing forward several confused soldiers. It didn't matter whether or not they understood her, their bodies simply needed to be there.

Finally, a few arrows suddenly appeared imbedded in the adventurers Decena was speaking to just now. They were here. She turned, gazing into the fields, and now the shadows were far more numerous.

On instinct, she began running towards them.

An arrow flew by her head, another scraped by her thigh, dissuaded by her armor. As she drew closer, the shadows stopped seeming like shadows, and more like people, until she was within an enemy soldier's range.

With one hard motion, she stabbed through a man's gut, beginning her own battle.

Jin's POV

Enemies? He crunched his eyebrows together. Shit. Shit, shit, shit!

He patted his waist, and clicked his tongue when he remembered that he had placed his sword inside the equipment cart, as several other adventurers had.

He ran towards the cart, at the same time several others did, all the while arrows were flying by him, punishing other adventurers who weren't so lucky. His was the last bag placed, so it did not take too long to find it.

He didn't bother removing the bag, and instead simply pulled his sword out of it.

Now what?

He looked around, as the sounds of clashing swords filled his ears. He didn't want to admit it, but he was terrified.

Animals were one thing, but these were people. Intelligent, experienced people. What chance did he have?

He realized just how in over his head he was when he accepted this mission.

Suddenly, an explosion happened to his right, and what he saw was downright inspiring.

Theresa stood on top of one of the carriages, her right hand engulfed in a blazing orange flame. She pulled it back and forth, tossing large orbs of fire into the grass fields. Screams and shrieks from burning enemies emerged, and Theresa found herself dodging several arrows to stay up there, as she became their prime target.

But, Jin noticed, as they turned towards her, he saw someone charging towards them with a kind of ferocity he didn't know could come from a person. Ker'Tallen was running towards the enemy at full speed, with nothing but a poorly made iron sword. Did he choose that weapon? Jin hadn't even been in civilized society for long, and he'd seen better weapons than that.

More yells entered his ears, but these were determined, battle-ready cries. He looked forwards and saw Decena carving her way through a few different soldiers. Deflect, parry, slice. That was her routine as she maneuvered through enemy soldiers with ease and grace.

A yellow light covered the battlefield, and Jin found himself stunned at the emerging sight. Three, radiating soldiers, dressed in golden armor, stormed the enemies. The Saviors.

Theresa had told Jin of these people. The best knights Nova had to offer. The last line of defense between the enemy and the queen. They were living up to this reputation.

Jin wasn't sure whether it was because of their speed, or because of the darkness of the night, but he couldn't register their movements. And, with just one swing of a thin longsword, they cleaved enemy bodies in half.

But the enemies numbers were great, and even though they were extraordinary, how long could three knights hold out for?

Jin shook his head. He had to act. He had to help these people, however he could. That was why he was here after all. And so, he ran into the grass fields.

Immediately, a man with a wolf's head ran towards him, wielding a kind of sword Jin had never seen before. It was like a half-moon, tied to a sword's handle.

He swung once, and Jin failed to defend himself. The weirdly shaped sword caught his left shoulder, and Jin swore that he ripped a significant portion of it away.

Was the skill gap between him, and what he assumed to be an average enemy soldier, that wide?

He fell back, as the rabid wolf-man went to finish him, when suddenly, a ball of fire disintegrated his opponent. Jin looked to his right, while clutching his shoulder in pain, to find Theresa aiming her hand in his direction. She saw that he was wounded, and quickly, she jumped down. She ran towards him, and knelt down by his side.

"Get it together, Jin." She simply said, as a white aura emerged from her hand, that was placed over Jin's left shoulder. Jin gazed in wonder as his left shoulder repaired itself before his eyes, and just like that, Theresa jumped back onto the carriage in a single leap.

She was right, but Jin was simply no match for these people. What could he even do?

He looked to his left, and saw the brown-skinned girl he had sat with in the carriage crouched behind a small pile of corpses. She was terrified, paralyzed. He couldn't blame her.

He looked to his right, and his eyes widened. A small group of enemies were trying to get inside the queen's, highly decorated cart. The Saviors, the knights tasked with her defense, were on the fields right now, completely distracted.

Jin's legs moved before he even knew what he was doing.

He ran towards it, sword in hand.

In a second, he was there, behind two unsuspecting enemies who had managed to place a hand in the cart. Something was stopping them, but from this angle Jin could not see.

Without hesitation though, he stabbed through an enemy's back. The way the sword ripped through his armor sent shivers down Jin's spine, but he didn't stop there.

He pulled his sword out, and faced the enemy who had become aware of his presence.

That half-moon sword began swinging, trying to take his head off, but this time Jin reacted.

He ducked under a horizontal swing, and clumsily side-stepped a vertical attack. His opponent raised his arms up once more, higher than before, and something told Jin to move forwards.

Before his opponent could bring his half-moon sword down, Jin impaled him.

Dead, but still standing, the enemy dropped his sword before Jin released it, causing a spurt of blood to drench Jin's torso.

Shaking his head, Jin ran and looked inside of the cart.

He saw the queen, sitting in front of her daughter with a very thin sword in her hands.

"Are you alright?" Jin asked loudly.

"Yes, yes." The queen breathed heavily. She was clutching her daughter's wrist, who was staring at Jin with wide eyes.

Jin nodded and turned around. Now that he had built up the will, he wanted to go fight in the fields along with the others.

But the battle was already over.

He saw dozens of bodies, most of them were enemy corpses, plaguing the grass.

Ker'Tallen was standing over one of his fallen kin, staring down at it, not with kindness, but with a cold, analytical expression.

Theresa was tending to some of the wounded adventurers.

But, in the middle of the field, clutching her sword, still ready to take on any new enemies, stood Decena.

The scene was impressive. A single girl, breathing heavy, with a circle of corpses around her.

...

Dawn had come. Of the thirty enlisted, only eighteen remained after last night's ambush. Jin was sitting in his cart, staring at the ground.

The battle had ended, but his hands were trembling, almost as if his subconscious expected an attack to come any moment now.

"The queen is safe, but we had several losses." He heard a woman say. He turned to find Theresa, sitting next to him. "I almost ran out of magic. Bastards managed to catch up to us somehow, figured we'd be helpless in the night. They were correct, if the saviors and I weren't here, the queen would be dead." She stated. "You're alright?"

"Yeah..." Jin replied, staring at his shaking hands.

"Next time, you'll be ready." Theresa said, before walking away, towards the snuffed out campfire.

Jin looked around. The smaller girl was still crouched by that same pile of corpses. Ker'Tallen was standing by his lonesome. Decena was walking around, talking to the survivors. He didn't know the queen's status, but the three Saviors stood by her cart as the adventurers began to get back inside the carriages. One of the carts was dropped, since so many people had died and there was no one to ride it.

They had scraped by tonight, but they had to do this for three weeks?

How foolish he had been to go on this journey.