14 Cooperation

Marion's horse trotted. Bucky was a good horse, she was fast and not easy to tire. Of all the horses in the stable, Bucky was the best. The only problem was her attitude. She was moody and would sometimes refuse to move. Marion doesn't know why Bucky does this sometimes. She was the first horse he had met with an attitude.

Marion sighed. He was still a long way from Castle Thespelae. It would still take him days to reach the castle. The road to the Castle was not that bad, but the journey was boring. He had made this journey dozens of times in the past and none of those times were fun. But he must endure. Inside his bag was a red-sealed letter from the King. A red-sealed letter! And it was from the King! How happy he was when the captain entrusted him with this task. It was an honor for him to carry this letter and he will deliver it at all cost.

Marion knew how important his job is. Prince Timothy himself will lead the army to annihilate those damn Tulosans. Apparently, a portion of the Tulosans went to the villages around Solon and they are currently razing the villages one by one. Scums, Marion thought. War is for soldiers, not civilians. Are they so afraid of the Castonian army that they chose to bully the civilians instead? They should leave those villages alone. Luckily the higher-ups decided to protect the civilians by sending Prince Timothy. He had heard of the third prince before. Some people say that he was kind but strict. They also say that the third prince was smart. He was very popular with soldiers like Marion. In the barracks, they always talk about the royal family especially Timothy. But Marion knew that Timothy lacked experience. Yes, he had been to Knightsend for a year, but that was not a battle. Marion fought in several battles a few years ago. A real battle was so different from exercises. A real battle was chaotic and frightening. The deafening noise of the battlefield drains one's courage. So he would be lying if he said that he wasn't worried about the Prince. Experience was the best teacher and qualification. Being smart and being experienced were two very different things. He could only hope the prince good luck.

It was dark. He already entered the domain of Baron Braun. The Baron doesn't care about his land so many of the farmers already left the domain. Marion doesn't understand why Baron Braun let his land degrade like this. It was not a bad land to have, Marion thought. Well maybe not the best and probably not on the category of good, but it was not completely barren.

Suddenly, Bucky stopped moving and neighed.

" What? Not in the mood? Now's not the time girl. We need to deliver the King's message" Marion cursed his horse. He caressed Bucky's back to calm her. She can't throw a tantrum now. They still to finish the mission, a very important mission.

Suddenly, two figures on horseback emerged from the darkness. One of them was taller than the other. Marion froze. He could somehow feel their murderous intent. Years of experience in the field had shaped his instincts to detect dangers. Bucky must have also felt the danger and that the reason why she stopped.

Marion quickly turned Bucky around. His instincts were never wrong before. If he felt that there was danger nearby, then there was probably danger nearby. Now he felt that the two men were dangerous. Why else would they hide in the abandoned houses? Are they bandits? Even though banditry was rare nowadays, some bandits still rob merchant from time to time. But there were only two of them. Normally, bandits group up so that they can attack larger caravans. This brings him to a second and more dangerous possibility. The men were assassins. They must be after the red-sealed letter from the King. If he will give them the letter, they would probably let him go. But Marion was not a coward. He was also not a traitor. Castonia and Prince Timothy need him. He won't fail his mission. He urged Bucky to run at full speed.

The two people chased after them. Surprisingly, their horses were fast too. In fact, their horses were faster than Bucky! Marion whipped Bucky as hard as he could. Both of them were running for their lives. If the two assailants catch them, then the letter will not reach Thespelae. Damn it, he cursed. The men were probably Tulosans. They wanted to steal the letter from him to put Prince Timothy in peril. Dirty tricks! Why can't they just fight them fair and square? Marion looked at the two chasing men. The distance between them shortened. He was a soldier but two people were too much for him to handle. A fight of two versus one would almost always end up with the death of the person who was alone.

Whiz

A crossbow bolt went past Marion's head. That was close, he thought. His hands were sweating hard, his heart thumping like crazy. Will he die tonight? No he shouldn't think of something so negative. He will not die tonight. And if he did, he will at least die trying to do his duty.

Whiz Whiz

Two bolts nearly hit him. He got lucky. Those bolts could have hit him. A single shot finding its mark will not immediately kill him, but it will slow him down. Marion gritted his teeth.

The assailants were getting closer. Now Marion could see their faces. Wismarines? The men are Wismarines! He thought they were Tulosans. Why would the Wismarines want to kill him? Wismar and Castonia just signed a trade agreement. Wismar was not hostile towards Castonia. But now the two men were trying to kill him. This could start a war!

A bolt hit Bucky's neck. Marion saw the bolt enter the skin and into the flesh. Blood started to flow out of the wound. At first the horse was fine, but she fell down after a while. The impact of the fall was so strong that Marion almost lost consciousness. But one thing made things worse, Marion's right leg was crushed under Bucky's heavy body. He couldn't move. It was over.

One of the assailants dismounted his horse. He went to Marion and pulled a dagger.

" What do you want Wismarine?" Marion shouted with all his might

" Nothing personal Castonian" The Wismarine answered. He went closer to Marion and unsheathed his dagger "Just my job"

" You won't get away with this!" Marion shouted " When the King hears of this, he will declare war to Wismar" he warned

The Wismarine ignored his warning

" Any last words Castonian?"

Marion thought for a while. It seems he was going to die tonight. He smiled. He failed his mission. Prince Timothy will be put in danger. The Wismarines had won the chase. He could only hope that his brothers will avenge him.

"Long Live Castonia!" those were his last words. The Wismarine stabbed Marion in the neck. After a while, he died.

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Nirvana, Capital of Castonia

" Her highness wanted to see me?" Escanor knelt in front of Lucia. They, along with two of the Vanadian Royal Guards, were inside Escanor's room.

" Have you heard of the news Escanor?" Lucia then looked around. Escanor's room was clean, small and empty, a room of a real merchant. Since he was travelling a lot and only sleeps in the room whenever he's in Nirvana, a total of about two months each year, he doesn't really need a huge and extravagant room.

" About the third prince your highness?" Escanor asked from behind.

Lucia turned around and nodded

" He's leaving in two days right?"

" Escanor, I need you to ask around. Listen for news, rumors, anything. Something feels off" Lucia felt that something was not right. The sudden change in the decision of the King still bugs her. The decision of the King to attack the Tulosans rather than wait for reinforcements was a very risky decision. She had heard of King Leopold's personality. He was a very careful man. For him to change his mind just like that, something big must have happened. It was just a hunch, and she hopes that it will remain that way.

" That would be easy." Escanor assured her. " Merchants talk to each other all the time about rumors. Rumors sometimes point us to profit."

" Thank you Escanor" Lucia felt that lucky meeting Escanor.

"Will that be all your highness?"

"No. There's one more thing. Do you have connections to other Vanadian merchants from other cities? Solon, for example." Asked Lucia. If Escanor was loyal to her, then his connections will be of great help in the future.

" My brother is in Solon and I can still send a carrier pigeon to him. He respects the Vanadian Royal Family as much as I do so he will help you. As for other the other cities, I think I have. " said Escanor

" I might need your connections in the future Escanor"

"It will be my honor to help you, your highness" the merchant smiled

After speaking with Escanor, Lucia went back to the Palace. She lied in her bed. It has been a long day, but she was not tired. She thought of her long conversation with prince Timothy. She got to know him better. Every time she thinks of him, her heart flutters. She buried her face into the pillow.

Prince Timothy, what are you doing with my heart! Why do I feel this way whenever I think of you?

But a sudden sadness hit her. She hoped that he will be safe. She won't see him for a long time. She will miss him for sure. Lucia was about to sleep when someone knocked on her door.

"Princess Lucia" Bisham called to her "Someone is here. She said she wants to talk to you. I'm sorry to bother you this late Your Highness, but she said it's important"

Lucia opened her eyes.

"Who is it?" Lucia asked

" Freya" a female's voice answered.

Lucia opened the door and saw Freya

" Freya." She was a little bit surprised. Why would she come here at this hour? "What is it?" She looked at Captain Bisham as a sign to leave them for a moment.

"I will be in the royal guards' room. Just call me if you need anything" the captain reluctantly said.

After he left, Freya started to talk "You know already right? Tim is going to battle"

So it's about Tim, she thought. It was important after all.

" Yes. I went to his room and talked to him about it" Lucia said

Freya frowned " Went to his room?"

" Ahhh. Yes. He won't change his mind. How about you? Did you talk to him about this?"

Lucia was somehow afraid that she'll say, 'Yes. I also went inside his room and we talked'. But Freya's answer surprised her.

" No" She smiled and shook her head "He won't change his mind anyway. I'm here because I want to talk to you." She then looked around to ensure nobody was listening. "Don't you find the King's decision strange?" she asked in a hushed tone

" I do" she admitted. So she wasn't the only one who thinks something bad was going to happen.

"Then we're the same. Tim is smart, but he's not invincible. He makes mistakes."

" Mistakes? Like what?"

"Like trusting his father. I've been here for 10 years and I've seen how the King treats Timothy. He doesn't love Timothy as his son, I'm sure of it. Timothy is blinded by his love for his father." Freya explained

"So you want me to protect him from the King?" asked Lucia

" Not just from the King, but also from anyone who tries to harm him"

" Even if you haven't talked to me about this, I would still have protected Tim"

" That's reassuring then" Freya sighed "If you need anything, just tell me. I hope we could work together"