"You all are to accompany me to Gyyza in the morrow," Mircea observes the four royal officers standing behind her.
"We ride for Gyyza after the sunrise. Pack all your weaponries and essentials. The journey is long, and the time is less. Pick your horses wisely. They will be more of a shield than your weapons." She continues glancing at the door yet again.
Lilith is still not here, and if she doesn't show up on time, the council will select someone of their convenience.
"Gyyza is in the north, a kingdom not blessed with sun unlike us. Their land is frosting. It will be smart to ride Gyyza on dragons, your highness." Cosmas points out.
A bright soldier who had been promoted from the front army to the royal army three summers ago. Cosmas had caught Carsten's eyes immediately after fighting in the combat training. Carsten had suggested her to Mircea.
He thought that she was fast and strong. She will not break even if the devil himself tortured her.
"Indeed, it will be cold there. The horses can slow us down, but they are our only way. King Diomedes does not know we are starting our journey in the morrow. Moreover, if we take our royal dragons we are more at risk if the frost causes any storm." Though, it all would have been so easy if they could have just travelled on dragons. Mircea sighs.
"Does the Witcher lives in the east of Gyyza or the west?" Orion questions.
"East" An awfully familiar voice resonates. Mircea immediately recognizes the voice; she clasps her hands together and moves towards the map of five kingdoms which is widely spread over the round table.
"Now that Lilith is here, let me explain our travel strategy." She stands in front of the miniature that is Slyve.
Mircea points at the little miniature covered in thick ice- the east of Gyyza. There are numerous mountains arrayed abreast one mountain she particularly points out.
"The Witcher lives here, away from the busy streets of the capital city of Gyyza. It will be hard to find his house in the frost. It can be enveloped in magic to keep the enemies out. But at the same time, we will not have a crowd if things go wrong. So, I am casting that as a plus point for us."
"If our horses do not cause any trouble, it will take us roughly three to four days of journey." Lilith continues after Mircea.
"We will not take the sea route. We will ride along the east sea. A ship will only take more of our time. Our best option is the first crossing Ruzzi bay, which will not be an easy task. We have to beware of demons and rogue vampire town."
"But this is not the original route, it is?" Chiron asks. Lilith nods in his direction, scrutinizing him.
Chiron was the council's little spy; Lilith had hated him the second she heard the news.
Mircea told her not to make a big out of it. They already must think of a way to cross Ruzzi bay unnoticed. Ruzzi bay was a land of its own command. No one ruled it. Everyone there belongs to no one and everyone. It is a place for savages, having been declared the Rouge land after the partition of the five kingdoms.
Ruzzi bay was a common place for banished tramps of every kingdom. No high officials were allowed on the land. They abhorred the royals and attempted to kill one whenever they got a chance.
Mircea knew without King Diomedes's help reaching Gyyza alive is long odds but, nevertheless, she must do it.
The council and Faustina did not know they were taking the crosscut. It was better that way Mircea convicted. Else, Faustina would gladly remove Mircea from the plan to keep her safe. Lilith was almost done explaining their travel plan when the groom knocks on the open door.
"Your Highness, I'm sorry to interrupt." He bows
"Oh, we are almost done. Lilith, will you continue without me, please?" Mircea asks, getting ready to leave.
"Yes, you are checking out the horses?"
"Ahh, yes. And yes, I will make sure Dalco is riding with us for you." Mircea chuckles softly, knowing what Lilith was going to question her.
"Say hello to Athena from me, will you?" She smiles in response.
"Will do." Mircea closes the door behind her leaving them to discuss more. She knows Lilith can manage them fine. Right now, she needs to check if their transport is intact.
"You have all six of them ready?" Mircea asks the scrawny boy walking behind her.
"Yes, your highness." His tone is light, somewhat scared.
Mircea is not only a princess but a soldier. Trained by the chief of the great army himself, she is good with swords and therefore feared more by the People of Slyve.
Faustina is more respected; she does not have a scar on her body. Of course, a queen ought to be splendidly perfect as Faustina is. Mircea could never be elegant like her, let alone be the queen. She had discarded the idea of it even before the king had decided his heir.
She remembers all too well when she had tiptoed in her mother's chambers to tell her how she had picked up a sword for the first time. Her mother had been attending to an urgent matter, much to her dismay, but she did not want to return without telling her.
She waited for her mother in excuitement, but soon boredom crept her mind. Not too late, she was rummaging through the chamber for a toy to play with when she came across a shiny round thing. Her mother once told her it was an enormously powerful toy.
And one day, if her father decides she is to wear it, she will have the most glamorous and dangerous toy in the whole kingdom.
When Mircea had first seen it, she had regarded it as a magnificent and alluring play toy. Now the toy was there, right in front of her. She jumped on the chair placed next to a gigantic mirror.
The toy was still out of her reach. She stretched her body further. Her fingers felt the icy cold touch of diamonds, she further stretched her fingers to grab it whole when a sharp sensation made her hiss in pain.
The skillfully cut diamonds had pierced straight through her skin to get a taste of her dark red blood. It had hurt more than the sword she had practised minutes ago. She glared at the toy which was sitting proudly, donned in drops of blood. It reflected the red making her hate it more. It hurt her, unlike the sword.
At that moment, she decided that a sword is a better toy than the crown.
"Your Highness?" The groom's voice breaks her train of thoughts. She glances at the horses in the stable.
Every one of them is perfectly trimmed. "Uh… Yes? You were saying?" The familiar black horse catches her attention.
Athena, the horse was a gift from her mother. She was merely thirteen summers old when she first met Athena. The horse was separated just after her birth from her mother, who lived on the other side of the east sea.
She walked towards Athena, "I am assuming you have taken diligent care of this one. You are new so I think you should know; Athena is like a child to me." She was meeting Athena after a month. When the king had taken ill, the whole kingdom had been disrupted, making every busier than usual.
A load of people had lost their jobs, making it harder to adjust.
"Yes, your highness. The last groom briefed me with the crucial information." He does not dare look at her, his kind were not allowed to do so.
Sometimes it ticked off Mircea, but at some point, she knew if they so much as made friends out of maids, it would be more bizarre.
"We are to ride these beasts in the morrow. Equip them with the essentials, make sure they can travel in the cold. Gyyza is a court of frost and magic." She looks at Athena one last time with the same adoration she held when she saw her for the very first time.
***
The linteum of black velvet is smooth across her pale skin. Specially crafted for war, it has a poignant smell to it.
It is magic, she immediately realized, a rare smell she had learned to wear over the years. It was made from old magic and thick fur designed to block bullets and knives. She had asked her lady to hand out the same apparel to every soldier travelling with her today. Mircea gazes at the mirror in front of her.
Her long midnight black hair, caged in a low bun. From neck to toe, she was covered in a black linteum robe. Her framer hands her the mask. It is the same colour as her robe, delicately made to cover half of her face.
The sun will be out any minute now. She must hurry. Faustina must be waiting for her. The framer tightens the lace around her head and ties a knot around her bun. She bows to her before stepping out of her chamber.
Mircea fixes her last knife in her tight bun. "Perfect," She picks up her sag (did you mean sack?) along with her sword and marches towards the west wing of the palace, where her sister had asked for a conclave.
***
The halls are dimly lit. The guards, half asleep. Mircea quietly walks, wishing for the sun to grace them with his noble light so she can set out for Gyyza. She does not hate it here, but sometimes a getaway is necessary. Especially after staying in a situation like this for so long.
Everyone knows that Slyve is a court without a king. Even if the king is alive, he is in no condition to rule the kingdom. The other Kingdoms are waiting for Faustina and Pyron to step up and claim the throne together.
Prince Pyron, originally a duke now titled prince, to marry Faustina without any obligations. However, Mircea saw Pyron as Faustina's puppet because she knew being a royal meant no place for true love.
"Finally! You are here." Faustina exclaims after seeing Mircea silently opening the door to her study.
She notices Faustina is still wearing her silk nightgown. She smiles warmly at her messy attire. This is the Faustina she grew up with.
"What is it that you wanted to tell me?" Mircea questions looking out of the window. Light golden rays are softly dancing in the blue sky. The sun is rising slowly. They must hurry.
"The council wants to take over the kingdom." Faustina breathes out
"What?" For the past month, Mircea had
contemplated numerous ways as to how her father's sickness will turn things around. This was not one of them.
"How are they planning on doing it?" Mircea demands
"All the other kingdoms think that we are weak right now, but they are wrong. The council, as it may seem, have been preparing for a situation like this since forever. Pyron and I get overlooked because we still do not possess the title. How are we supposed to step up when father is dying like this a little every day?!"
"You have to step up before they steal the kingdom from you. And as for father, I promise I will bring the Witcher back with me."
"But there is one thing you need to know. No one is safe right now. They could kill us: you, me, Pyron and anyone who dares to stand between them and the throne. The place you are travelling to is no less dangerous. I want you to look out for yourself. Kill if necessary, do not trust anyone except for Lilith. I may not like her, but I do understand that you find a… friend in her." Mircea watches her sister's face scrunch as she says, 'friend,' she finally chuckles at her.
"Do you find this humorous?" Faustina questions perplexed
"No, although hearing 'friend' from your mouth is a little comic. And yes, do not worry, I will not die on you. I mean, wherever would you find another chief for your great army if I die?" Mircea smiles at her warmly.
Faustina plods towards the window, a faint smile sparkling on her face, "No one is dying. The sun is up. It is time now." She looks down at the horses standing in front of the west wing. No reply comes.
Faustina does not look back.
She knows Mircea is already marching out of the palace.
"Ride safe, Mir." She whispers to herself.
"I hope you track down the Witcher."