As we near Ravage Rock I am lost in thought. What happened between me and Hugh has left me in serious thought. We were unable to beat them when we were at our highest, how can we beat them now?
I sigh at my negative thinking. And apparently Captain Robert seems to have noticed since he trots his horse next to me. "What's wrong sir?"
I give a sigh in response. "It's just, what happened with the Tollenisi Prince, and about our last war. I think I'm over thinking things."
He gives a warm smile to match my sigh. "What's with that sir? Weren't you excited about this mission?"
I nod. "Yes, I was."
He pats me in the back as if I'm his little brother. "Then where's that excitement? You're not the Prince Leo that ordered us to be prepared in only one night while smiling like it was normal. Come now, you shouldn't be thinking of such negative thoughts. Remember, we're getting stronger. And with you and your brother leading us, it will be a quick process."
I smile at his optimism. "Thanks for cheering me up Captain. That stupid Tollenisi, wrecking what was supposed to be a fun trip."
He laughs at my statement. "Now that's the prince that we've always known."
I laugh as well and as I turn my back, I see the men smiling. It seems they too were affected by that standoff but it looks like Captain Robert cheered them up as well.
As we stop laughing, Captain Robert clears his throat. "Now then sir, seeing as you're in high spirits, may I ask a question?"
I grin at him. "Sure Captain, ask me anything," I say as I call for a soldier to give me some water as this journey has rather made me parched.
He seems to look at me with a teasing smile as he begins to talk. "What do you think of Princess Sierra?"
The shock of the question was too much that I threw up my water at the soldier who gave it to me.
I cough out any remaining water from my mouth as I wipe myself off with a cloth. That question is far too sudden and too embarrassing to answer.
"Sire?" The soldier asks as water that may or may not be mixed with my saliva drips off his face and apparently, he looks like he was going to cry.
"I am so sorry." I say as I get another dry cloth and give it to him. "Here, dry yourself with that."
He just nods and proceeds to wipe himself with the cloth while several soldiers snicker earning themselves a growl from him.
I then turn and face the captain fully, my nervousness slowly rising. "What was that Captain?"
"What do you think of Princess Sierra?" he asks but this time his smile is wider.
"Oh, uh..." I struggle to find words. "I think she's fine."
He narrows his eyes at me while keeping the smile. "How fine?"
"I uh... Oh look, the village in Ravage Rock. We seemed to have arrived."
By a stroke of luck, I seem to have escaped Robert's interrogation by finally arriving to our destination.
"Okay, I guess we will continue this some other time," He states with a sigh.
As we enter the village, I am greeted with what I expected. Small village houses, a small town center, and a small market huddled up inside a wooden wall. Though the physical defenses aren't really impressive with the wooden wall and gate that offer little protection against an attacking army, it's the guards that I met as I enter that give me pause. All of them were so huge and muscular that they make my guards look like children. And each of them have looks of a beast watching their surroundings. Apart from the elites I encountered earlier, these men also give off a frightening feeling.
As I reach the village center, I am greeted by a sharp scream as something goes by me and hits the windows of a nearby house.
"AAHHHHH!" The man's voice echoes through my consciousness as I saw his face contorted in both fear and in what I suspect, a look of regret after doing a foolish action.
"What the?" My mind finally snaps out of it and I am filled with both shock and terror. Who just ups and throws a man through the window?
My guards seem to panic and move forward to cover me, their drills with the captain paying off as they manage to lock shields in an efficient shield wall in so little time. As they do this, I look at the small stage in the center and I see the sign 'Ravage Rock Annual Fighting Festival. The winner gets to have all the drinks in the cellar for free for only one day.' And along with that, villagers are actually brawling it out and fighting. An old man using a staff to perhaps support his posture is actually beating a fully grown man with that same staff as he cries out what I perceive as his motivational cries such as, "You think my age will stop me from drinking all that beer?" Or "Don't think I'm an easy target just because of my condition. You're still a hundred years too young to beat me son!"
I pinch the bridge of my nose at the sheer stupidity of it all. A son targeting his own father for a few drinks and the father beating his own son for the exact same reason and...
My thoughts are interrupted when an old woman approaches the two and drags them back to the house. "You two are so idiotic if both think you'll win this tournament. You're already crippled dear and you son, you're too weak that you can't even beat an old man. And you two believe you can win? Pathetic! I'll show you how it's done. And don't worry, I'll share those drinks with you two."
The old woman grabs the old man's staff and starts screaming as she runs towards a large muscular individual and starts beating him with the staff.
I feel like I had enough watching that display and look to my side but it just became even worse...
A little girl, probably at the age of seven, just head-butted a middle-aged man in his gems as he collapses to the ground in pain.
The little girl then kneels before the man and kisses his forehead, "Sorry papa, but I want to know what beer tastes like." She just states this with so much innocence that I just want to whack myself in the head.
I cover my face with both my hands in exasperation at everything around me. This village is full of madmen, why would the Dragon General stay here?
But my thoughts are interrupted however when someone approaches me and my panicking guards.
"Quite a bunch of guards you have there boy," The man says with a wolfish grin. He is so tall and big that I must probably look like a five year old when in front of him. He has messed up black hair to go with a big and messy mustache and beard that really shows off characteristics of being someone who loves a fight. Also, he looks so strong that it looks as if he can take my entire group of guards all by himself.
"H-hello, my name is Leo. I'm l-looking for Frederick Hulls," I introduce myself as my voice is shaking with whatever coming up to my throat I quickly push down with a gulp. Best to act innocent and scared as I really don't want to end up like the man that flew by earlier. And by act I mean show my true feelings.
His smile is suddenly gone. Now replaced with a look of hostility. "Why are you looking for him?" He starts with a growl. "You looking to finish him?"
Several people soon gather as they watch our exchange. Many are even looking a little angry. I don't really want my guards to use their weapons against my own citizens and especially against those freakish guards but they look as if they might charge without giving us time to explain.
I become more afraid as something now starts creeping near my business and I push it back so as to avoid embarrassment. "N-no, on the contrary, w-we came to p-pick him up."
Confusion is shown through his face. "Why would you-"
He stops mid-sentence to my confusion and shows a look of realization. "Wait a minute, didn't you say your name was Leo?" He asks again.
"T-that's right." I respond with fear.
He starts looking at me with a wide smile that could probably eat me whole. "You don't happen to be Leo Sanloren, the second prince are you?"
"T-that's me," I reply. Oh I sure hope this won't end bad before I meet the Dragon General. That and I'd prefer to keep all my guards and for them to still be in top condition as much as possible so as to show them off in case the general refuses in order to change his mind and show him we were serious about regaining our power.
The man howls in laughter as any hostile feeling I once felt from him is gone. "So you're Leandro's boy. Why didn't you say so."
"Huh?" I look at him in confusion.
His smile was even wider. Like he's a child seeing his favorite toy. "You were looking for Frederick Hulls right?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Well you found him," He says as he gestures himself. "Frederick Hulls my liege. At your service," He then kneels to bow before me.
My initial fear wears off only to be replaced with surprise. "You're him!?"
"That's right your majesty, it is I, the Dragon General," He gives me a beast-like smile.
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