Slowly Shourya withdrew the blood-soaked blade, he looked at it for a good few minutes. Watching the blood run down the edge of the blade, before dripping off of the tip onto the body of the dead rebel. Very quickly all of the other prisoners were called. All he could co though was think about how cold she had become. He wondered if it was because he had left her in that place, all alone.
Pavitra watched the action from afar, unseen by Shourya. Next to her was Pallavi, who herself was nodding quietly. "He will make a good commander you know? As long as he can learn to obey his orders perfectly and not doubt them. He will perfect. Just be careful Pavitra...Men are funny things and can never be trusted. Do you understand?"
Pavitra herself did not respond and just carried on looking at him. Watching him as he was frozen, then as he finally came to his senses, she turned around and began to walk away. "Captain. Collect all of the weapons and armor from the dead. Burn the bodies. Then makes sure we have taken everything from the fort that we can. We move out in two days."
Pallavi just saluted at her back as she walked away. Then she looked back once more at the soldiers who had survived. Pavitra had made no words about the wounded though. She thought to herself for a few minutes before much like Pavitra she walked off in her own direction to do her own tasks.
***
Once more she was on her horse as she looked back at her army. Pavitra mumbled to herself about the state of some soldiers. They were drunk, she could see it from here. They were stumbling around and speaking loudly. As she watched them her frown only got bigger and bigger. Looking to her side, she caught the eye of the Pallavi. As she looked back at the drunk soldiers. Her frown increased so much, that it looked like it would be able to break the ground open in two.
Then instead of signalling the march, like she was meant to do. She dropped off her horse and walked over to the drunk soldiers. She could see that they were part of the ninth regiment. Her own regiment. There were better when she left.
Her eyes were covered no in fury and as she stood right in front of the soldiers they didn't even react. Then one took a step back and nearly fell over her.
The drunk soldier slowly moved around. Stumbling as he did. Then once he had turned fully, well nearly fully anyway.
He drunkenly spoke, "Oh...if.." Burp! "It isn't our General. Hey, I bet you are lonely are night. Why don't you come to warm my bed for me." Then once he had spoken, he reached forwards and tried to grope her!
Pavita's furious face seemed to only lose it even more. Then there was a flash of light. Nothing seemed to have happened and the soldier continued to carry on, then his hands fell to the floor detached from his arms!
He looked at the some for a minute, not quite realizing what had happened. Then as the blood began to pour out and onto the floor he screamed.
"My hands..my hands. You whore, those were my hands!"
The soldier, suddenly forced out of his drunken state by the pain started to curse and curse over and over. Then there was another flash of light and he suddenly became really quiet.
The next second, he fell to the floor dead.
Pavitra looked up at the surrounding soldiers. "Drunken behavior is not tolerated! Rape is not tolerated! Harassment is not tolerated! Disobedience is not tolerated! Anyone found to be doing any of this will be met with death!"
As she looked at the other drunk soldiers, she just frowned. The fury that had been in her eyes, had died down quite a bit but still. She was pissed. Very pissed.
"Take them all away. Hand them from the gate so everyone can see the punishment as they march out!" Some other soldiers, quickly did as they were ordered. They dragged away from the drunken soldier drunken and screaming. As she watched, they were brought up onto the gatehouse. Some robe was tied around their necks as well as along one of the beams, coming along the gatehouse. Then after making sure the rope was all tightly secured, they were kicked off.
With a sickening crunch, they all died except for one. He just dangled there, trying to breathe but he couldn't. His legs kicked around for a few minutes. Pavitra just stood there watching the whole thing. Only when he stopped twitching did she remount her horse and with a swing of her hand. The march carried on.
The next few days were peaceful. Not one rebel was found along their path and nothing even happened. The days soon turned into weeks.
Then their first stop was finally in sight. The city of Blaik Taun. It was much smaller than she had expected. Nothing like the capital. From what she could see, the walls were made of stone, though there was only one set of walls as well as another smaller set that surrounded the keep.
The road which led to the city was also weirdly empty of merchants and peddlers. As they continued to get closer and closer. The stronger her feeling grew that something was off.
"Sound some scouts into the city. I want to know what is going on and make sure they know that we are coming." Her orders were quickly followed a few scouts quickly moved off towards the city.
An hour later they came back. The lead scout quickly walked over to her. Bowing down before her horse he rapidly reported what he found.
"The city is fine your highness. No signs of any rebels. It is just not busy and is quiet. No real business here or at least from what I could see."
Pavitra nodded her head slightly, then looked back up. Focusing on the keep in the distance.
"Move out!"