It's been half a month since the grim news arrived. A dragon-class disaster is nesting in the mountain nearest to Windyfields and there is no one around to fend against it.
Marquis Leopold ordered the evacuation two days ago, a little late if I had to say. The rumors had already spread by that time as nobles were quick to run for their lives on the first day.
But unlike the wealthy and the rich, commoners had their tasks to attend to; they didn't have the luxury to act on mere maid-gossip.
As for Sieg, he is nowhere to be found. The moment he finished his report he left the city, telling me to return home before the sun goes down.
"Hmph! Who does he think I am!? I'm a Lionheart! Running isn't something we do! He was the one who dragged our house into this mess in the first place! Did he expect me to throw dirt on the Lionheart name and run for my life as all those people face such fate?"
"My lady, I think it is best if you depart to your territories immediately. You have no obligation to see this to its end."
As I ride my horse along the lines of despairing people, one of the knights accompanying me came closer to state those words. He tried his best to keep calm but the shaking in his voice told me he is afraid for his life.
"What are you saying, Berthold? This is an event that will leave a mark on the kingdom's history! I would never allow for the Lionheart name to be remembered in that way!"
"But milady…"
"More importantly, has the reinforcement sent by father arrive yet?"
"They are expected to arrive in a few hours"
"Send a hawk and tell them to hurry. The Rorocks could attack any time now."
All four guards that came with me on this mission are married men with their families waiting for them at home.
Although I want to send them back, I'm unable to. Their task as knights required them to follow orders given to them by father, and they would follow it even if it meant their death.
Everyone seems to consider my safety above all. Father asked that I return immediately; so did Sieg, and marquis Greydeer wasn't too happy about me being on the battlefield. So, I had to give up on the condition I'm allowed to see the evacuations to their end.
In the plains closest to the mountain Marquis Greydeer gathered all the soldiers at his command to try and stop the massacre that might occur, but a massacre can't be avoided.
An army of four thousand is nothing more than a simple meal facing a dragon. It's a sacrifice that could hopefully buy sometime for the rest to escape.
…..
Half a day later only ghosts haunted the castle city. Things looked good; soon everyone would be safe and the men risking their lives as bait would retreat.
Anemone had a positive feeling. They would have the time to convince the king and send a request to the Phoenix Alliance to help taking care of this so the people could return to their homes.
"Hm?" Noticing some disturbance at the end of the line she turned back to see what it's all about.
"Wait lady…"The guards followed as the girl ignored their calls and rode her horse to the commotion.
"What is going on here!? Explain yourselves!" Albeit hesitant to do so, Anemone tried her best to sound like the noble she is when talking to commoners, holding her ground against the angry eyes of the group.
Most of them were middle aged men with rough features and bloody eyes. They numbered up to a hundred, something Anne hadn't expected now that the line had advanced.
"Oooh, well looky what we have 'ere!" a skinny man said as he approached her. "I thoht all them dirty- ass nobles ran fertheir lives!" His stance was weak, and his back was arched; he looked like a farmer, but the absence of muscle said otherwise, and the dirty clothes left no word to be said.
Anemone wondered what Task this man could have that ended up with him in this state.
She nimbly landed from atop her ride and stepped forward. "I am Anemone Lionheart, daughter of Marquis Logan Lionheart. Marquis Leopold Greydeer asked me to supervise the evacuations."
The man gave her a weird look, opening one eye and closing the other. "Aren't ye a little far from where ye should be? Papa musta be worried sick!" Nothing but disgust could be felt from this man as his yellow teeth urged her to run away.
A second later one of her guards arrived and drew his sword at his neck.
"Keep your distance, commoner, I don't want your filthy blood on my sword."
"Huuuh? Who do ye think ye are? Ye think yer shiny things scare me?" Even when saying that he stepped back with fear visible in his eyes.
Anemone lifted her hand asking her guard to lower his blade. Just then a shadow loomed over the man with the arched back.
"DAAAVVIDD!"Following the yell, a fist came down on the man's head slamming him to the ground like one heavy sack of grains.
"WHAT R YA DOIN' HERE YA PIECE OF FILTH HUUH? SNEAKIN' AWAY WHILE OTHER MEN WORK? YA GOT YER SHARE TO DO, SO MOVE YOUR BONY ASS AND GET IT DONE WITH!" A woman two meters tall, with arms thick as tree trunks and an angry face that could bring nightmares, stared down at him.
"Gilda ye bitch! Hitting me in the head again…"
"HUUUUUUUUUUUUH? DID YA SAY SOMETHIN'?"
"F-f-fine, fine…" the man waved his hand and left to join the others showered with laughs at his defeat.
"Fuh, what a useless garbage I'm stuck with." The large –really large– woman glared at the man then turned to Anemone with a less but still angry look on her face, "and? What is the Lionheart brat doing here?"
"Show some respect, woman!" the guard tried to step in.
"HUUH? SHUT IT! TINY!" You can't blame the guard for being intimidated as the woman could easily punch him all the way to his grave.
"I want to know why are they falling behind? Did some accident slow you down?" Anemone asked.
"Nothin' like that little girl, what ya see here are the idiots with no jobs," she turned to the castle's direction. "Now that they are forced outa their homes they have nowhere to go, so they stayin' behind to buy their kids some time." The men were preparing large, spiked poles and digging holes, most likely to make a pitfall trap. "Even old man Garran has never seen a dragon in his life, those damn eternals took care of 'em, always. We don't even know if this will work"
It would have worked if they were facing a wyvern, but a dragon would never fit in there. Maybe one of its legs would fall in it, but Anne knew, wooden spikes can't do much damage.
She looked at the woman who's about three times her size. The woman easily guessed what's on her mind."Yaaskin' why I'm not fleein' like the rest huh? Like hell I would let ma back to those sorry asses!" The really large woman looked Anne up and down. "Talkin' about that, aren't ya a little too thin for this place? Yer father doesn't feed ya well or…" she suddenly came to astop.
"Shhh… listen…"
One by one the crowd began to look up. It was faint, barely noticeable, but the second, third then fourth, all of them were loud and clear. The sound of wings cutting through the air.
"…it's here…"