Interrogation in the Carriage.
The crisp morning air greeted Elara as she stepped out of her tent, the faint sting of her injuries causing her to move slower than usual. Beside her, the physician walked with a quiet, purposeful stride, a soft lavender scent trailing behind her. Lady Calytrix Arvendale—known simply as "Lady Caly" to her patients—was from the esteemed House Lavender, a family renowned for its expertise in healing and medicine. She was tall, with pale pastel purple hair tied into a neat braid, a pair of soft gray eyes that reflected both compassion and sharp observation, and a faint sprinkling of freckles across her nose.
Ahead of them, a soldier stood by the carriage, opening its door as Elara approached. She hesitated briefly, eyeing the vehicle, but her attention shifted when a hand appeared in her peripheral vision.
Adrian.
The Crown Prince stood at the carriage's side, offering his hand with an expression too neutral to be accidental. Elara's gaze shifted from his face to his outstretched hand. For a moment, she debated ignoring it, but practicality and her throbbing body won out. With deliberate slowness, she placed her hand in his, allowing him to steady her as she stepped into the carriage.
"Thank you," she murmured, her voice betraying none of the storm of confusion in her mind.
Lady Caly followed close behind, a quiet but curious glance passing between her and Adrian. Elara settled onto the bench, letting out a controlled exhale as Lady Caly took the seat beside her.
What neither of them expected was for Adrian to follow suit, stepping into the carriage with a casual air and taking the seat opposite them.
The atmosphere immediately grew awkward. Lady Caly raised an eyebrow, though her expression quickly returned to its composed mask. Elara, on the other hand, stared at Adrian, her confusion evident.
The carriage jolted into motion, the creak of its wheels and the rhythmic clip-clop of horses' hooves filling the tense silence.
Minutes passed, the quiet almost unbearable, before Elara finally broke it. "Your Highness," she began, her tone carefully measured. "Why are you in this carriage?"
Adrian, who had been gazing out of the window, turned his attention to her. He raised an eyebrow, his expression faintly amused. "Why shouldn't I be?"
"That's not an answer. I am sure a carriage was readied especially with Your Highness's comfort in mind."
A flicker of something—perhaps calculation—crossed his face before he leaned back, casually resting an arm along the back of the bench. "I'm here to hear your report, Commander Lupina," he said smoothly. "You were meant to give it to the Supreme Commander, but since I'll be delivering it on your behalf, I thought it best to hear it directly from you."
Elara's lips parted slightly, but no words came out immediately. The explanation seemed plausible enough, but his tone...
Lady Caly's gaze flicked between them, her curiosity barely concealed. "With respect, Your Highness," she said, her voice polite but pointed, "I wasn't aware the Crown Prince personally involved himself in field reports."
Adrian smiled faintly but offered no response.
Elara shifted slightly, the movement sending a dull ache through her side. "Very well," she said finally, her tone neutral. "If you need the details, I'll provide them."
Elara adjusted her posture slightly, ensuring her tone remained calm and unbothered as she began her recounting.
The operation had begun with a tip—information passed anonymously about individuals she had been investigating on Imperial orders. These individuals had been working against the empire's interests. They were stationed in a secluded area, deep within treacherous terrain, far from any watchful eyes.
Upon arriving at the location, she and her unit had spent days scouting the area and setting traps. Their approach had been meticulous; she didn't want to risk alarming the targets, which could lead to their escape. The individuals weren't traitors in the gravest sense of the word—rebels might be a more apt description—but their activities and intentions were dangerous enough to warrant action.
Elara had personally chosen a small group of skilled knights to infiltrate the site. Lieutenant Dren, loyal and dependable as always, had been by her side. She'd also brought along Sir Kaedin Voss, a precise swordsman with years of experience, and Lady Maera Linnet, whose quick thinking had saved their missions on more than one occasion. Together, they made an effective team.
The remaining knights, under Captain Verren's command, stayed behind to circle the area and ensure the criminals couldn't flee if things went awry.
There were five individuals inside. As Elara and her team breached the hideout, the encounter quickly turned violent. Swords clashed, the air crackling with tension as the two sides battled. The criminals were skilled, their desperation driving their ferocity, but they were no match for the disciplined precision of Elara's knights.
The fight ended with all five subdued, alive but injured.
Elara's words trailed off as she finished recounting the events, her tone steady and devoid of unnecessary detail. She shifted her gaze to Adrian, her expression calm and confident. Her clear, deliberate delivery left no room for doubt, as if daring him to question her account.
Lady Caly turned her head slightly to study her, her gray eyes filled with quiet surprise. It wasn't just the eloquence of her report—it was the poise, the detachment, as if Elara had rehearsed it a hundred times.
Adrian, for his part, returned her gaze, his expression thoughtful, but said nothing. His silence felt deliberate, almost as if he was weighing her words.
Elara's confidence didn't waver. She maintained her composure, her demeanor betraying none of the deeper truths she held close to her chest.
The truth was, Elara had anticipated such a situation. Sooner or later, someone would definitely ask her about it, and she remembered Dren talking about giving a report to the supreme commander. So, she had discreetly instructed Dren to prepare a detailed account on her behalf, feigning weakness and using her injuries as an excuse. It had taken careful planning, as it wasn't easy to feign weakness when she'd acted strong all this time. But the act had been necessary.
What had truly shocked her, though, was something entirely unexpected. It was the report Dren had written. At first, she hadn't noticed anything unusual about it. The words had come naturally to her, as if the text were written in her native tongue. It was only when her thoughts settled that she realized something was off.
The language wasn't one she remembered ever learning. Its symbols were foreign, their structure unfamiliar, and yet she had understood every word without hesitation.
A chill ran through her as she recalled another instance—the scroll bearing the imperial seal and her name. That, too, had been written in a strange script. She had recognized her name without effort, seamlessly embedded in the alien language, just as if it belonged there. How could she read something she had no memory of ever encountering before?
The unsettling realization threatened to pull her deeper into her thoughts, but Adrian's voice cut through the haze.
"Who tipped you off?", his tone measured but sharp, his gaze fixed on her with an intensity that made her momentarily speechless.
The question wasn't unexpected, but it still caught her off guard. She didn't know. The identity of the tipper was as much a mystery to her as it was to anyone else. The reports she had reviewed hadn't filled in that particular blank, and when she had asked Dren, his answer had only deepened the enigma.
"You never told us the name, saying it was confidential," Dren had said, his tone carrying no hint of doubt.
Elara had no idea why it was done so, yet she couldn't contradict him without raising suspicions. Now, in the confined space of the carriage, with Adrian's piercing eyes locked onto her, she had to maintain the facade.
"The tipper's name is best kept undisclosed," she said evenly. "Revealing it could put their life in danger."
Adrian tilted his head slightly, and for a fleeting moment, she thought she saw the barest hint of amusement flicker in his eyes. It was gone as quickly as it appeared, replaced by the composed expression that seemed almost etched onto his face. On her side, Lady Caly shifted ever so slightly that Elara was unbothered by it.
"That's fair," he said, his voice giving away little.
But then he asked the question everyone had been dying to know.
"Then, let me ask you something that won't put anyone in danger.... " Adrian stopped for a moment, contemplating, his eyes fixed on Elara's face as if weighing his words carefully. Then bending forward and resting his elbows on his outstretched knees he finally asked. "What happened to you? Where did you go, and how did you sustain those injuries?"
Elara froze for the briefest of moments, her mind racing. She saw the same curiosity mirrored in the eyes of the physician and felt the weight of Adrian's words pressing down on her.
The carriage seemed to grow quieter, the anticipation thick in the air.