As the two generals left the tent, Cyril took a sip of water. When he finished the glass, he asked the physician near him to get him the envelope on the table nearby.
Once the physician arrived at his side, the physician gave the envelope to him. With trembling fingers, Cyril opened the envelope.
He tore the first letter he had written. He wrote a new letter and then he slowly took his engagement ring off. He put the ring into the envelope.
He signed a nearby guard to come over.
"Please give this to our messenger and tell him to send this to Princess Amandine," Cyril said softly to the guard.
He folded the paper then he put inside sealed the envelope and handed it to the guard.
"Take care of it. Please"
The guard bowed respectfully. Then he saluted Cyril as he left the tent.
Cyril waited until he was sure the guard was out of sight to sigh deeply.
"You-Your Highness, does that mean you're calling the engagement off?" The physician near Cyril asked in confusion.
"No, not yet," Cyril answered with a small sigh.
"Well....The battlefield will be my grave, and then it will all be.
"Do you mean you are going to fight in the battle tomorrow?"
"If I'm lucky we will win. If not..."
"Then you might die!." The physician said.
Cyril shrugged as he leaned back against the wall.
"It's not like anything is impossible" he whispered.
"It's dangerous for you, Your Highness." The physician added.
"I have no choice. This is the only way to protect our home" Cyril replied.
"But if Your Highness dies in the battle tomorrow, we will lose everything."
"If I don't join the battle, what difference does it make? We're doomed to lose. I prefer to give my life as a brave warrior than to survive as a worthless one. And I won't go back to the palace with shame." Cyril said bluntly with a sad look in his eyes.
"That's why I have to go through with it" Cyril added.
"You won't make it to the battlefield." The physician said.
"I have to try. It's my duty" Cyril replied with determination written all over his face.
"Alright." The physician agreed reluctantly followed by a sigh. He was well aware of their leader's stubborn nature.
.....
It was in the early hours of the night. Princess Amandine was standing near a window and staring outside through the window.
She was dressed in her simple white silk dress, which was covering her legs. Her hair flowed smoothly down her back.
She held onto the window sill and looked outside, gazing at the night sky, filled with stars.
"Princess, the Royal messenger got a letter for you.." A maid said as she gently knocked on her door.
Amandine glanced at the door a few seconds before she decided to ignore it.
"And it's from Sir Cyril Van De Veld" the maid added.
As soon as Amandine heard his name, she quickly stood up.
"Come in"
After entering the room, her maid placed the letter on her bed stand and then walked out closing the doors behind her.
Amandine picked up the envelope and opened it. There wasn't much. Just a plain, short note written in Cyril's handwriting.
Amandine sighed heavily. Her fingers gently ran over the elegant calligraphy, trying not to tear it.
Her eyes were filled with tears as she reread the short letter again and again. She couldn't believe that he wrote this.
She couldn't believe her eyes at what she just read. She wanted to scream out loud and cry.
She shook the letter along with the envelope as she was furious.
Then something dropped on the floor making a sharp noise. Amandine slowly picked it up and saw that it was the engagement ring.
It's Cyril's engagement ring that she put on his finger. Amandine started crying desperately as she held the ring so tight. She could feel the cold metal digging into her palms.
Amandine was crying for countless hours, praying for her man to be safe.
She didn't even notice when she lost her grip on the ring but she suddenly found herself falling down the floor, clutching her chest tightly.
She tried to get up and crawled onto her bed. She felt dizzy so she just closed her eyes.
...
In the dark of midnight, a black raven flew past the window next to the princess. Its cawing awakened both of the guards in front of the princess room. The guards hastily went to check but there was no one around.
While the two guards were busy checking out other corners, the raven entered the princess's room.
The raven circled the princess, flapping its wings. The raven then landed right in front of Amandine.
And then the raven turned into a dark human-like figure. The dark figure seemed like it was watching the sleeping princess.
After a few moments, the dark figure turned into the raven again and flew out of the window.
In the blink of an eye, the raven disappeared completely. No trace of the raven remained behind in the castle.
...