Anna and Kyren walked together to the middle of the camp, where a big bonfire was lit. A warm ambience prevailed as the golden flames burned blazingly, illuminating the surroundings with light.
As she unheedingly walked, the princess looked up at the fluttering blue flag hung high on the pole. The coat of arms on the flag featured a Griffin as the main charge that denoted strength, courage, and leadership. It was the coat of arms of the Duchy of Gerhard.
It was Anna's first official meeting with Kyren's subordinates, and the princess couldn't help feeling nervous. She saw the men gathered at the open area of the central bonfire for dinner.
Mustering her courage, she cast a smile on them, some of whom were familiar faces she had met at the infirmary and during the infamous fight between Eric and Noah.
From their appearances, she could identify that some were knights and some were ordinary soldiers. The knights wore blue surcoats with insignia, while the soldiers wore simple tunics with a badge on their right chest. The number of soldiers was less than the knights since they were temporarily borrowed from the border patrol station to assist the group.
Being the only woman and civilian in the camp, Anna initially felt ostensibly anxious and awkward, like someone who didn't belong there.
However, after spending a few days touring the camp with Noah and visiting the infirmary a few times, she found the surroundings were pretty decent.
Though most were not friendly, the knights greeted and respected her kindly. Only a few were daring enough to talk to her, asking about her day and making small talk. Others would only stare from a distance.
A small wooden table was stretched near the bonfire, and various dishes and drinks were served. Several torches and lanterns were also lit to brighten the campsite.
As she arrived, the knights and soldiers sitting on the logs and the ground around the bonfire quickly stood up and greeted the couple with a bow.
"Sit here, Anna." Kyren gestured to his wife and invited her to sit on a chair at the table.
"Men, let me introduce you to my wife, Lady Anna Raychard," announced Kyren to his subordinates.
Anna glanced at them, covering the nervousness that started to creep up on her. They didn't seem hostile. Instead, they seemed unconcerned with her presence and more focused on the commander's announcement.
"Treat her well with respect and honour," Kyren continued.
The commander was staring straight at his men as if he were giving a warning to them.
"Commander, let us have a toast as our congratulations on your marriage," Eric suddenly stood up and lifted his drink.
"Yeah!!" The other knights rose and cheered loudly. All of them raised their drinks high for the toast.
"Sure! I accept." Kyren got on his feet and lifted his glass. Anna followed and stood up as well.
"To the commander and his bride!" Eric exclaimed.
The rest of the knights cheered the same. They gulped down the drinks and then clapped their hands joyfully to the couple. With the cheers over, the knights quickly returned to their food and conversation.
The aftertaste of the drink lingered on Anna's tongue. She was sure that it was not an alcoholic beverage. Instead, it tasted more like tea. The princess lifted her glass and looked inside.
"It's tea," Kyren suddenly spoke up.
Anna turned to him and asked to reaffirm, "Tea?"
"You're not allowed to drink alcohol due to your body condition. Rafe precisely told me that. So, we're having tea tonight," he said.
"You're having tea too?" she asked in disbelief. He nodded.
"Why?" Her round eyes looked at him, seeking an answer.
"Because you're my wife. It's a way for me to support you." He smiled.
Anna couldn't be more grateful.
It had always been like that. When she was bedridden and had difficulty drinking the bitter medicine, Kyren always took a sip and pretended the taste was not bad to persuade her. Every time also, she would fall for his tricks as the face of the commander showed no reaction to drinking the medicine.
Today, the taste of the tea was not so bad, although it was still a medicinally brewed drink.
"Thank you," she said in gratitude.
Anna's eyes then darted to the men having dinner and chatting around. Rafe and Ayden were also among them, enjoying the served food. However, someone was missing from the crowd.
"Kyren, where is Sir Brooks?" she asked as her head turned left and right, looking for her escort.
"I assigned him to a new task," the commander answered nonchalantly.
The princess gazed at him with a questioning look and asked, "Did you send him away because of the fight?"
Her face dyed with worry when she uttered the question, making Kyren chuckle at her query.
"Of course not! I need his expertise for a new job. I told you already that he's your temporary escort."
"Oh, all right." The reply sent a relief to her heart, and she continued focussing on the dinner.
"There will be new escorts for you. They will come and greet you later," he informed her. She nodded to his remarks.
Looking at the food precariously piled up before her, Anna gulped down her saliva. The portion was too much, and she surmised she couldn't finish even a quarter.
"Why are you not eating? Is the food not to your liking?" Kyren suddenly asked when he caught her staring at the served cuisine.
"No! The food is fine. It's just that it's too much. I won't be able to finish it," she replied.
"You are thin. You need to eat more to gain weight. Here, have some of this," said the commander as he fed a piece of meat into Anna's mouth.
Unable to resist, she parted her lips, took it with her teeth, and began chewing. The steak was tender and buttery. Immediately, her eyes widened.
"This is delicious!" Anna exclaimed after having the meat.
After recovering, her food at the camp was always flavourful and hearty. Most of the servings were made of cured meat and potage. They were filling and suitable for the knights' and soldiers' diets.
"Eat some more," said Kyren, shoving the grilled potato and meat into her mouth like a bird mother feeding its little one.
The princess's eyes closed and reopened as she tasted the fine steak. A little moan escaped her lips.
"The food here is great. I've never eaten any meal as tasty as the one served in the camp," said Anna.
She remembered when she was in Ardel's castle. She was served with porridge, vegetable stew, plain bread, and hard meat, which were mostly bland. Only after becoming the sole heir of the throne was she given a better meal, but it was still not as good as this.
Since she rarely had the chance to eat good food, Anna often secretly read recipe books in the library. She had always wanted to cook delicious dishes based on the recipes she learned.
"Initially, it wasn't as tasty as this. However, since we are often dispatched for a long period, the knights begin to learn cooking. They efficiently use the available rations to produce savoury dishes," Kyren explained.
"Wow, interesting! I wish I could cook too," she said, hopefully.
"You don't know how to cook?" asked her husband.
Anna shook her head.
"Oh, I never got a chance to cook before. But I read many cookbooks. So, I'm hoping I could try the recipes someday," she replied.
"I see. You said you've never eaten a delicious meal like the one we have here. I guess you might have had a terrible cook," he teased her.
"Well… they said I shouldn't eat much because I was always sick. They scared I might throw up."
"They? Your family?" Kyren paused eating and turned to look at his wife.
"Umm…."
Anna couldn't mention who 'they' were. Her parents wouldn't bother whether she ate or not. 'They' she was referring to were the healers and maids who attended to her.
Only Crown Prince Ryan would quietly sneak in tasty snacks for her until his mother, Queen Clarice, caught him. She severely scolded and punished the young prince for being unethical in the castle.
Nevertheless, Anna was aware that it was just an excuse made by her stepmother to strain their relationship.
"Still, this food is a lot. It will be a waste since I cannot finish it," she manoeuvred from the question.
"I'll finish it up. Eat as much as you want," ordered Kyren.
Anna nodded and continued consuming her meal.
Suddenly, while they were at dinner, the horn was blown three times, indicating a call for an emergency. All the knights and soldiers hastily stood up upon hearing the sound.
Kyren immediately stopped eating and ordered his men, "Everyone, get ready now!"
Abandoning their food, the knights began to rush to their tents to arm themselves with armour and weapons.
He then turned to Anna and said, "There's an emergency. Return to the tent now."
"All right. Are you going to leave again? Will you be fine?" she asked anxiously.
Kyren replied, "Don't think of anything. Just stay safe and wait for me. Go."
He gave a short jerk of his head in his tent's direction.
There was no time to lose. Anna, who understood the situation, quickly retired.
As she looked back, an arriving messenger ran to the commander, informing the emergency details. She couldn't guess what it was, but from the look of her husband's wrinkled forehead, she was sure it wasn't a light case.
Anna could only pray that everything would resolve quickly, though she had a hunch that tonight would be lonely for her.