Everyone brought their things into their own rooms, which wasn't much—just a few clothes, essential items, and things we brought from home. Not even an hour after settling into my room, I got a knock at my door.
I opened it to see the commanding teacher holding up a piece of paper.
"You will be going on your first mission after three days. Be prepared to leave earlier if needed."
I nodded and took the paper from him before closing the door.
It was simple. Meet with the earth queen and convince her to have a meeting with Naeva.…
Nope! I cannot do that! She will surely recognize me!
I ran back to the commander who was talking with my last teacher, Commander Felix.
I ignored Felix and talked with Commander Martin.
"I have some issues with my mission, and I don't think I will be able to complete it," I told him.
"Pad, there is no changing your mission. What you get is what you get." He explained
"Yes, I understand. If I could only just switch with someone else's mission, I'm sure that would be fine."
Felix couldn't hold in his bull shit and spewed it out.
"What? Too pussy now that you're with the big boys?" He asked
I still ignored him and watched Martin. He looked like he was about to comply until Felix opened his trap.
"You think you're some kind of teacher's pet?" He laughed "Why don't you ask the queen herself if she could change it for you while your at it?"
He was sarcastic, I know. But that didn't stop me from saying, "Sure. Why not?"
The two commanders looked at me as if I were crazy. But Felix wasn't about to let up and said to meet them in two days.
I agreed. In the meantime, they took my mission and gave it to someone else, which I didn't mind.
In those two days, I prepared myself for whatever mission I would be given.
Just like they said, they knocked on my door and escorted me to a building on the far side of the mountain.
Almost everyone had gone out to do their missions, leaving me and a few other people behind. They also took most of the horses, so only a couple were left. The commanders decided to leave them behind if a mission suddenly arose and they needed a horse.
We walked down the path until we came to a dead end.
I followed the commanders through the trees until we came to a shabby house. The same house where I met Naeva and her husband on their wedding day. When we walked in, there were a few other people there as well.
A voice called from another room. A voice I could remember like a lullaby.
"Is that Feliz and Martin? What took you two so long?" Naeva asked as she walked into the main room.
When she saw me, it was safe to say she was surprised.
She looked between the commanders and me before asking why I was there.
"This snob refused to take a mission that was handed to him. Said he wouldn't be able to complete the mission." Felix explained
"We were just wanting to give him a new mission. We hadn't wanted this to go as far as bringing him all the way here, but we felt as if we had no choice," Martin said.
"Soldiers who are scared to go on certain missions are not unusual. Why not just give him a new mission?" Lucas. He still had his title as commander over the water kingdom; from the looks of it, it seems he recognized me.
He wasn't very old—barely older than I. This might be why Naeva kept him but not Brair and, from the looks of it, Leon. Martin is most likely Leon's replacement.
"He wanted his mission to be given to him directly by the queen. Perhaps his punishment as well." Felix quipped.
"Punishment? For what? Backing out of a mission? Just give him a new one and if this continues then just kick the chicken out." Lucas said. When I looked his way, he turned his eyes away from me.
*Yeah, that's right. I heard you loud and clear.*
"But, Your Majesty," Felix looked towards Naeva. "Isn't it better to cut off bad habits now rather than later? We don't have as many soldiers as we need. It would be a waste to waste such a…fine soldier…" He grimaced as he said that last bit.
She didn't spare him a single glance. She only had her eyes on me.
"What was the mission he refused?" She asked Martin
"A plea for the earth queen's presence at a conference." He stated
Hopefully, she understood, and I didn't need to explain it. Not with so many people around.
"What punishment do you think you deserve, soldier?" She asked me
I stood straight and said, "Anything to help this kingdom out. I promise to put this kingdom before my life."
"Why couldn't you do that before? We wouldn't have this conversation if only you'd carry out your missions like a good soldier." Another commander I didn't recognize said.
I bowed to everyone in the room. "Thank you for sparing me some of your time."
"Alright then." Naeva said, "Why don't you have a seat while we continue our meeting."
The other commanders muttered among themselves.
"Isn't it dangerous for him to be here?" "What if he spreads information?"
Naeva paid them no mind, and she started the meeting.
I sat in a corner chair, crossed my legs-one on top of the other, and waited for them to begin their meeting.
"The other region has informed us that they will be stopping trade with the fire kingdom completely but will be willing to negotiate in a few parts of the water kingdom. They will be willing to give food, water, and a few weapons. The weapons are not for our use, though. If there is any word that those weapons have made it to the fire kingdom, they will completely end all contact with both kingdoms."
"What should we do? We have a food supply that will last us about three months, but considering that many people have left the kingdom already, we should have a bit more time. But what should we do after it's all gone?" The mystery commander asked
"Gabriel, gather as many farmers as you can and prepare a list of foods that we are able to grow within this kingdom. I'll send some soldiers out to help with gardening as well. We will need all our agricultural products and staff to be ready to grow as much as they can in so little time. We will also have a limit to how much food people can buy to limit them from overeating. Next, tell me what's going on with the earth queen. Any sign that she'll be willing to talk with me?" Naeva asked
"Any soldiers that we send to her, she gives them a small trinket and sends them back. She always gives us lighters made from the other region. We're not sure if it's a good or bad sign that she will continue with the peace treaty." Martin answered
"If she doesn't show any sign of aggression towards the kingdoms, then we should be fine. Don't try to cause drama where it's not needed. What about the wind kingdom?"
"We just recently got word from a couple of soldiers from there. They are willing to negotiate with us for a peace treaty." Felix said
"And what are their terms?" Daphne asked
"…a life."
"A life? Who's?" She asked
"Our strongest soldier should do."
I can't believe they are serious about giving their life for a rumor of a peace treaty.
"Shouldn't you go in person to make sure the treaty is real? We shouldn't kill people like some sacrifice." I said from my corner.
"The boy is right. We need to send someone in person so they can see the person for themselves. What if we kill someone, and it's not right?" One of the commanders asked
The queen considered it and then said, "We will also need to find someone who is willing to go."
They all looked at me. Their eyes watched me like they expected me to volunteer with no questions asked.
The queen didn't say anything, but Felix said what they were all thinking.
"Why not give him the mission? Exchange the one he refuses to do and give him a new one. To make up for the time he wasted. All in favor?" He raised his hand and looked around to see if anyone else would as well.
A couple of people did, but most looked unsure.
"Come on! Who else would you volunteer? You?" He pointed to one of the commanders. "You?" He pointed to another. "How about your sons or daughters? Are you willing to give them up for the kingdom?"
Some looked away in shame, and others shamelessly raised their hands.
It wasn't until the queen herself also raised her hand that all hands were up. She avoided my gaze and instead looked straight ahead.
Felix laughed, "Haha! There you go! I knew you'd understand me!"
He looked at me and said, "Think of it as an honor."
I smiled and slowly stood up. "A shame you don't have any."
"You…little-" His tomato face was back
"What? Am I lying? Purposely sending your team on a suicide mission for personal drama. Killing your own family, pretending to have survivor's guilt. I'd say the most shameless part would be that you preach about the dishonor of abandonment twenty-four-seven. When you did it for your own gain."
When I finished, I kicked Felix off of me, who jumped on top of me to stop me from saying anything more.
When he tried to get back up, a few commanders held him back as he yelled, "It's not true! It's not! You don't know shit!"
I left as he continued yelling. Daphne walked out with me.
"Merkikh…" she started
"How long do I have until I need to leave?" I asked her
"A week or so. I need to give them a heads-up before we send someone." She replied
"Forget it. I'll be the messenger and the sacrifice. The sooner we get this situated, the better. I'll leave tomorrow. Get the letter ready by then."
"But it's not that easy! I need the letter to be approved by everyone and rewritten a couple of times until I can send it out."
"No need. All they need is proof that you're serious about the peace treaty. Leave the rest to me."
She nodded.
I turned to go before I heard her say, "I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault this time," I said and left.