Chapter 5: Italica

Bandit: RETREAT!.

In the city of Italica, Princess Piña Co Lada and the Rose Order of Knights followed a lead from the waitress at the taven, leading them there. Instead of finding the colosseus, they instead found the city under attack by bandits and men from a different kingdom. Fending them off, the bandits retreated with most of their army intact. Pissed about the situation, the princess searched for her friends as she thought about what to do.

Piña: Norma! Hamilton! Are you guys alright!?

Hamilton: Alive and accounted for ma'am!

As the princess passed by him, the oldest member of the Rose Order of Knights spoke up in a joking tone.

Gray: Hey, what about me? Don't you want to know if I'm injured or not? Hurts my feelings.

Piña: Grey, after all these years, I knew you better than that.

Continuing on, the young girl, Hamilton, walked behind the princess as she wondered around, asking her the obvious.

Hamilton: Your majesty. Why did we come out all this way to fight out a bunch of insane, war mongering bandits?

Piña: Because we had no choice. They raised the alarm, letting everyone know they had armed forces trying to scale the walls. I thought it was the army from the other world. We did what we were supposed to, and went to defend our land. And what do we find!? Bandits and soldiers from other kingdoms gone rogue!

As a small crowd of people looked on at the princess, she turned her attention to them.

Piña: Listen to me. The bandits will be back with reinforcements soon, so let's bury the bodies and reinforce our walls! My kingdom's men will arrive in three days, so if you can hold on that long, the Order of the Rose will avenge your fallen loved ones! Three days!

Going into a massive manor, the princess took off most of her armor and sat down on a red sofa inside. The butler of the manor, right beside her, spoke with one's usual formal tone.

Butler: Princess Piña, with all due respect.

Piña: What is it? You want us to surrender?

Butler: Pfft. Of course not. But still, I'm hoping there's a way we could settle this without anymore bloodshed.

Piña: There certainly is....open the gates, let them all in.

Taking a drink of wine, she continued.

Piña: Let them steal your food, shackle your men, rape your women, let them pillage everything and enslave us all. That'll be a great start to a wonderful relationship.

Butler: You're sure are being pessimistic about it.

Piña: I'm trying to illustrate a point. I know this isn't an easy thing to do.

An older woman, the head maid of the manor, brought a large plate of bread to the princess and sat it down on a table in front of her.

Kaine: Please, enjoy the meal.

Taking the bread and ripping off a piece, the princess took a bite of it before putting it back.

Piña: It's bland and lacks any sufficiency.

Kaine: My apologies your majesty, but Count Formal was a rather original man and loved his bread this way. Besides, eating such rich foods actually shuts the body down.

Piña: Oh, really? So you've dealt with situations lime this?

Kaine: But of course. I was once an agent from Rosa, which is now a royal part of the Empire.

Standing up from the sofa, the princess asked the head maiden for assistance.

Piña: I will be sleeping in one of your guest rooms for awhile. Bring me any urgent messages right away.

Kaine: As you wish, your majesty.

Walking a bit, the princess stopped herself to ask the head maid.

Piña: Oh by the way, what will you do if I do not wake up immediately?

Kaine: A bucket of cold water to the face should do the trick, if it comes to that.

Smiling at one another, the princess responded before leaving their sight.

Piña: That will be adequate.

As she slept in the guestroom, she began to relive her young life: a little girl, born to great wealth and power, who wanted more than anything to become an honorable knight. Making friends with the daughters of the many nobles, she began to form the Rose Order of Knights: An order of exclusively  royal children, trained by one of many of the Empire's best knights.

Wanting to serve her kingdom in glorious combat, she convinced  her father to make them an official order of the empire. But truly caring about his daughter's safety, he made them an honor guard. Basically nothing more than decoration to their military parades. Despite her own anger towards him, she waited for the day that the Rose Order of Knights  would be called upon to serve their kingdom, and eventually she would see that day....today.