Note: Warning : from this chapter there will be violent scenes containing blood and descriptions of serious injuries, among others, people sensitive to this kind of content should aware of it.

Chapter 10: The mission has failed

Everything happened too fast. One second the battalion was advancing towards the forest following the plan perfectly and the next it was a nightmare come true.

They had all neglected to take more into consideration the terrain they were in. The forest was made of dead wood and no one had found it particularly dangerous. In a normal forest, or rather, a green one, it would be easy for enemies to hide in the foliage, but in a forest where there were only bald and dead branches, it made the task impossible. This is why the danger of the forest had been underestimated. It had been a serious mistake.

However, Selena had realized this mistake too late. It was impossible for Odin's battalion and Lalsow's to be in danger so quickly, especially only a few seconds apart. Impossible unless their troop was attacked all at once and by surprise. Since the origin of the enemies was unknown, it was impossible to know their abilities and fighting style.

That's why nobody expected the enemies to be masters of camouflage. However, by the time Selena realized this, it was already too late. A rain of arrows had fallen on the entire battalion.

When she turned her head to look behind her, after having stopped her horse hastily, she discovered with horror the state of her troop. Soldiers and horses alike had been hit. Some were on the ground screaming in pain, others still on their horses when the injuries were less severe.

As Selena and her sub-commander were in the lead, the arrows did not reach them. However, for the rest of the battalion not a single person had been spared. The panic had spread to everyone. The soldiers were struggling to keep their horses calm and their wounds were not helping.

Turning her gaze from the horrific sight of her battalion, Selena looked carefully at the forest. Everything was quiet. Too quiet. The rain of arrows, though devastating, had not had any following. The enemies had not come out of hiding to attack them head on now that almost all of their troops were either badly injured or weakened. This confused Selena. Why had the enemies retreated ? It didn't make sense.

She didn't know what to do. She refused to let her troops die, but she was also worried about Lalsow and Odin. She wanted to reunite with them, to make sure they were okay. She had to make up her mind and fast.

"Commander what do we do ?!"

Instantly Selena snapped out of her trance-like state and returned her attention to her troops. Fully assuming her role as commander. "Immediately treat those who are badly injured with the potions and elixirs. Then immediately return to the castle to get the necessary care for all other units."

"You mean-" "Yes! We are retreating ! And quickly ! Let's take advantage of the enemy's absence to leave without further damage !"

"Commander we can't do that ! If we return without completing the mission King Garon will have us executed !"

"Sub-commander if our troops stay here when the enemy returns then they will be slaughtered. I will not let any of those soldiers die under my orders ! I will stay here to deal with the enemies and you go back to the castle with the troops."

The troops began to organize themselves to get away from the forest as quickly and efficiently as possible. The stock of elixirs was low, so only those whose arrows had hit vital points and whose time was running out could benefit. Any other injury, though serious, if not fatal, would have to wait until they reached the castle to be treated.

Glancing toward the forest, Selena saw no commotion and so stepped off her horse and walked quickly toward a man on the ground that no one had yet had time to attend to.

The man had been shot in the shoulder and the arrow seemed to go deep into the flesh. If she didn't do anything he wouldn't stay alive very long. It was almost a miracle that he didn't die instantly. She took out an elixir from her bag and brought it to the lips of the barely conscious soldier. She helped him to drink the elixir by supporting his head, making it easier for him.

The man slowly sat up, coughing up blood. His life was no longer in danger, his wound had closed completely after she had removed the arrow, but he was still mentally weakened by the events. "Why...w-why us ? ...that wasn't...w-what we...were told..." his voice was weak and shaking, Selena could barely hear what the man said. "...w-we... are just... s-simple...soldiers..that w-was...not...how...it...was...supposed to...happen..."

Simple soldiers ? Weren't they supposed to be elite soldiers ! Selena was confused. "What do you mean by 'mere sol-"

"Commander ! Some of the horses were killed by the arrows, there aren't enough anymore for everyone. What do we do ?!" One of the soldiers had run up forcing Selena to turn her attention away from the man still on the ground.

"Mounted together the journey will be longer but it will still be faster than on foot. Moreover, take my horse. Leave without delay the enemy may soon return !" The man nodded and passed the orders to the other soldiers before returning to help the man Selena had just rescued. Helping him up slowly.

Selena observed her troops, the damage was much worse than she had noticed at first glance. Some of the horses had succumbed to the arrows, this would greatly slow down the return journey. Fortunately, no human casualties had been suffered, those who were close to death had been rescued. However, their stock of elixirs and potions was far too low to meet the needs of the entire troop. For the soldiers who had not been able to receive treatment, none of their wounds were fatal, but they could easily get worse if they did not receive prompt treatment or if they moved too much.

The return trip would probably take a two long days. All Selena hoped was that her troops would survive until then.

"Hey. Hold on." She called out to one of the soldiers nearby. The latter approached. She could see the fear and horror in his eyes. It only made her doubt even more. Those were the eyes of someone who had never been on the battlefield. Were they really elite troops ?!

"Here." Selena rummaged through her satchel before pulling out everything she had. "It's not much but take these elixirs." As she held them out to the man he hesitated to take them.

"But what about you commander ? Shouldn't you keep them for yourself ?"

"You need them much more than I do !" She snapped irritably. This was no time to question her orders not when lives were in danger. Under Selena's authoritative gaze the soldier quickly took the two elixirs before redirecting himself to the bulk of the troops.

The soldiers soon left and this took a heavy weight off Selena's shoulders. She let out a long sigh that she had been holding in for too long and ran a hand over her forehead to wipe away the sweat. She had questions but it would have to wait she had lost enough time she had to meet up with Lalsow and Odin. On her side she had managed to limit the damage she hoped it was the same for her two friends.

Throwing a last glance towards her troops who were already disappearing out of her field of vision she realized something, she had not seen her sub-commander leave with them. A horrible feeling instantly took over her whole body and without her deciding her body moved on its own. She jumped a step to the side narrowly dodging a stab wound that would have been fatal. After all, she had spent her whole life in the horror of war, feeling when something went wrong was almost like second nature, her instincts never deceived her. Indeed, when you grow up in an environment where you can die at any second, you start to develop almost superhuman reflexes.

She turned back to her enemy who turned out to be none other than her sub-commander. "Can I know what you're playing at ?!" She snapped.

While she didn't let her new enemy out of her sight for a second her right hand came to touch her left arm. It was wet, blood. An irritated growl escaped her lips. Although she had avoided the blow she had not avoided it completely. The wound was rather deep but it was superficial, nothing that would bother her in combat. Her outfit, on the other hand, was ruined; torn and stained with blood. It was irretrievable.

She pulled her hand away from her arm to find her sword and drew it. Ready to face her enemy.

"Tsk..." The man grunted, annoyed that he hadn't succeded in killing her. He charged Selena from the front aiming for her vital points. "I'm just following the king's orders !"

King's orders ?! Selena didn't understand anything anymore. She needed answers. As she blocked the blow and sent her opponent backwards ready to charge him in turn a dagger passed right in front of her eyes stopping her instantly in her tracks as she jumped back for safety. She then instantly directed her attention to the direction the dagger came from and Selena discovered a new enemy.

This one was one of the enemies that had attacked her troops earlier. He wasn't using his camouflage techniques this time though. Was it a Ninja ? From everything Selena had seen in picture books it was what the man's clothes looked like. He was a normal sized man wearing the armor of a ninja master. His light brown hair was tied in a ponytail. Moreover a beard framed his face. The absence of any mustache allowed to see clearly the half-aggressive half-mocking smile that pursued his lips.

"Hey you weren't hired to miss your targets! Do your job right !"

"You're one to talk, I wouldn't have had to intervene if you had managed to kill her in the first place !"

As Selena watched the two men bickering she tightened her grip on her sword. The two men were in some sort of alliance. They may not be getting along but they were definitely allies. And their goal was to kill her.

Their bickering soon stopped as both men focused their attention back on Selena. This fight would be two against one. Selena could handle it. However, it would be complicated if reinforcements arrived before she was done with them.

Her sub-commander charged. In order to confront her in close combat while the ninja will attacked from afar. Selena blocked and repelled the blows easily. But she had no opportunity to strike. If she charged daggers would come directly to stop her run.

The exchange of blows continued Selena was looking for a solution. She couldn't get stuck here and she had to save her energy for the upcoming fights. Waiting for the ninja to run out of ammunition was not a wise strategy, nor was waiting for her, probably former, sub-commander to tire.

As she blocked a blow, she quickly checked the ninja's position. This was her chance. In one fluid motion she grabbed the dagger on her belt with one hand and threw it at the ninja. This distraction gave her enough time to push the enemy away and charge at him with a clean but nasty blow to the shoulder.

As she backed away slightly, turning her gaze from the now kneeling man, groaning in pain as he desperately held his shoulder as if that would stop the bleeding and pain, she stared at the ninja. Unsurprisingly he was still standing perched on a tree branch. Only a slight cut on his cheek could be seen. He might have managed to avoid the dagger but it didn't matter. Now that one of the two men was down Selena could focus entirely on the ninja.

"Well ? Your friend is down aren't you going to help him ?" Though she didn't take her eyes off the ninja she gestured to the almost agonized man still on the ground.

"Go down and get me slaughtered by you ? No thanks. This man is not worth that I put myself in danger." The man spat, however a mocking smile was on his lips. The ninja took one last look at the man who was supposed to be his ally. "Pathetic." And with that he used one of his techniques that made himself disappear.

Selena frowned, disgusted by the man's behavior. She had no pity for her former sub-commander, of course not. But seeing so-called allies willing to sacrifice their fellow man when he could have tried to helped him disgusted her to no end.

A few seconds passed and Selena let her guard down. The ninja seemed to be really gone. She approached the only man left, he had lost a lot of blood. It was a hemorrhage. Yet he was still alive.

"Now Speak. Was it really King Garon who sent you to kill us ?" Selena snapped.

The man though weakened still found the strength to sneer. "If you think I'm going to answer your little questions you're a foolish girl." Although he had a confident and mocking look on his face something was preventing him from speaking properly. She didn't know if it was pain or perhaps a poorly concealed fear that was causing it but she didn't care.

Selena gritted her teeth. He was playing with her nerves. She could feel the annoyance rising in her and the man must have noticed because his mocking smile grew, enjoying the effect he had on her.

With a sudden movement Selena tackled the man against the ground under one of her boots. Under the shock and pressure the man spat out a large amount of blood. Selena watched in disgust as the crimson liquid spread over her boot. "Speak. It's an order."

"Or else what ?" The man scoffed, "You'll kill me ?" I don't care I'm going to die here anyway, I know it."

"Tsk..!" Selena hissed. She wanted answers but had no way to blackmail the man. She could torture him but that wasn't something her conscience or morals would allow her to do. Besides, given the man's condition, he must have already lost sensation in some parts of his body.

She couldn't stay here too long, she still had to join Odin and Laslow. But she couldn't leave the man alone here. If he ever played games with her and had anything to heal himself with, he could be a problem in the future. Should she finish him here and now or look for a solution to get answers.

A light cracking sound drew her out from her thoughts. Concentrating again all her attention on the man. She noticed that he was no longer moving, and his previously heavy breathing had given way to a deadly silence. Only a blackish liquid could be seen running down his mouth, down his neck, the sign of recent activity on the man's part.

"Poison?" Selena whispered, confused. Had he been keeping it in his mouth all this time? As she leaned forward, crouching over the now dead body of her former sub-commander, she noticed small shards of glass glinting slightly in the sunlight in the man's half-open mouth.

It clicked in Selena's mind. When she was focused on the ninja, the man must have placed the mini container of poison in his mouth. That was also the reason he was talking unnaturally.

Selena stood up and moved away from the now lifeless body. She was annoyed that she didn't get the answers to the questions she wanted. But she quickly dismissed those thoughts. She had wasted enough time as it was. She had to get to Laslow and Odin.

So she began her race through the forest in search of her friends.

The troop was moving faster than expected. The horses were overloaded but showed no signs of fatigue or exhaustion. Recurring breaks would be inevitable, but at the rate things were going they might arrive at the castle sooner than expected.

If the horses seemed to be holding up, the same could not be said for the soldiers. Half of the troop was lying down, arms and legs dangling from either side of the horses' backs, unable to sit up properly. Some had lost consciousness, others were talking in a vacuum or moaning tirelessly about their suffering. A mixture of deadly silence and despair was mixed with low moans of pain.

At the head of the battalion was a soldier who appeared to be the one who had suffered the least from the enemy attack and was the most clear in his thoughts. Although he had to act as if everything was fine for the good of the troop, he was grateful that no one could see his face, sweat was pouring down his face as he lost himself in his thoughts, tirelessly repeating the scene they had just experienced. His teeth were chattering without his consent and no matter how hard he tried to stop them none of his efforts seemed to have any effect. His eyes were empty. As if dead. But for the sake of the troop he had to keep his back straight. He was afraid that his voice would betray him every time he had to speak.

No one was really talking. Short instructions and some sort of unclear group response was what the conversation amounted to. The troop was advancing toward the castle. Leaving behind their commander and sub-commander whose absence they had noticed very quickly but hadn't had the courage to send someone back to look for him.

They were now far from the battlefield and yet none of them seemed reassured and safe. Firstly, because the state of the troop was disastrous and secondly, because there was no guarantee of what would happen to them once they reached the castle without having completed the mission. It was not impossible that an even greater hell would await them at the castle, making them wish they had stayed to die on the battlefield.

"Hey ! Look over there !" A soldier had spoken, pointing to the horizon on their right.

While some soldiers were sure it was insanity that had finally caught the man, others took the trouble to look in the pointed direction.

In the distance were troops on horseback coming toward them. From the looks of it, they must have been twice the size of theirs.

Enemies ? Panic quickly took hold of the soldiers. Fortunately for them, however, it quickly dissipated.

"Look ! It's our men ! The ones from the other battalions !"

It was a relief for the troops. No enemy forces were coming to attack them and their companions were still alive.

Soon the two troops joined, as the soldiers mingled among themselves to inquire about each other's condition and ask if there were any elixirs or potions left, the two soldiers temporarily designated as 'commanders' stepped aside to speak.

"What a relief you are alive, since your battalion never sent any smoke signals we thought you were all dead."

It was true, although the other two battalions had informed of their situation, Selena's never sent out the red smoke of danger. Their panic situation had made them totally forget the safety code.

"Excuse us, the panic has taken hold of the troops and all we could think of was retreat. How are your troops doing ?"

"No deaths but many injuries, our stocks of elixirs are insufficient." The commander paused, looking over the troops quickly before focusing his attention back on the commander in front of him. "I think I see that the same is true for you."

The commander simply nodded. "What do we do now ?"

"I know we have orders from the commanders, but as soldiers we can't just leave them to their fate. We have to go back."

Shocked, the commander hastily replied. "Are you crazy ?! We can't-" The commander's rise in tone caught the attention of some of the soldiers, the other commander quickly signaled him to lower his voice. So he did. "We can't go back, we'll get torn apart, besides, we need to face it, they're probably already dead by now !"

"Because you think we can just go back to the castle without completing our mission ?! How do you think King Garon will react ?!"

The two commanders knew that no matter what they decided to do, their fate was decided. Just thinking about the consequences they would have to face made them sweat, it was bloodcurdling.

As a tense silence settled between the two commanders, the seconds seemed like hours. One of the commanders swallowed loudly before speaking. "I don't want to die !" It was too much for him, he couldn't take it anymore. His voice trembled, his eyes filled with terror could not stay focused on one goal, rambling back and forth, up and down, desperately looking for something or someone to hold onto. He staggered forward, stretching his trembling, weak arms, before grabbing onto the soldier in front of him. Never letting go, pulling on his clothes with all the strength he had left, looking at him with empty and terrified eyes, sweat beading on his face, as he repeated the same sentence over and over again spitting in his comrade's face.

In front of him, the soldier didn't know what to do, the desperate man was just a reflection of himself, of how he felt inside. He felt hatred and jealousy, he too wanted to drop this facade of substitute commander. He too wanted to sink into his madness and blame it on someone else. He too wanted to get rid of his responsibilities. While the man continued to cling to him, to shake him, the soldier was still unable to move, tetanized, he simply watched helplessly as the man collapsed to the ground, slowly, painfully.

Their interaction drew the attention of the other soldiers, all of whom looked in horror at the man who was pathetically on the ground, crying and spitting, sinking into his madness. Some looked away, others could not help but look.

It was only then that they really realized their situation and what had happened, images storming through their heads as they recalled the scene of the attack. The rain of arrows falling on them, piercing their bodies, the screams, the blood and the pain, that pain that almost now hurt even more than the first time.

Some of them fell to the ground, their heads buried in their hands as if that would be a barrier to their thoughts. The commander, still standing, watched his men go mad, not knowing what to do. He was no different from the others, he was not a real commander. And yet all the soldiers still standing turned to him, waiting for orders or a solution to all their woes.

He didn't want to be there, no one did, he knew that. But he didn't want to know. He wanted to be ignorant. But he couldn't. He had to know. He had to act. He had to command his troops. So he spoke. "Let's go back to the castle." One sentence, cold, dead. He rode away with a blank stare, mounting his horse like a dead corpse. He looked ahead but did not move. He didn't really know what he was doing, he didn't want to think about it. The rest of the soldiers got back on their horses. They set out for the castle.

If it was even possible, their spirits were worse than they had been during the attack. There seemed to be no hope. But no one would say anything about it. They would just keep moving forward, even though each step brought them closer to their probable doom.

Selena continued to run through the forest, heading towards what she believed to be its center. The trees blocked her view, preventing her from easily finding her way, she could only see the top of the control post indicating she was still heading in the right direction.

On her way she had come across some enemies, taking her by surprise. The terrain was clearly not to her advantage and she had no time to be discreet. Unlike her enemies who were masters of camouflage and stealth Selena was running headlong into the forest, the branches and twigs cracking under her feet.

Enemies would only stand up to her for a short time, falling quickly under her sword as Selena escaped with only a few scratches. Once the enemy was down Selena resumed her run.

A slight rustling sound was heard to her left as a shadow swung at her. Selena blocked, she was getting more and more used to their fighting style, which made the fight easier. The man disappeared and Selena stood still, she closed her eyes concentrating on the environmental sounds. Again a rustling, almost inaudible, her body reacted by instinct, turning, and blocking the shuriken.

The ninja pulled out another shuriken and aimed at her waist. Selena considered stepping back, but in her attempt her foot slipped. She lost her balance, falling backwards with all her weight, the shuriken passing over her head, brushing her nose.

The ninja was already ready for the next attack while Selena was still down. She gritted her teeth, knowing she wouldn't have time to block or avoid. This was going to hurt.

~meanwhile~

"I hope the tea is to your liking."

"Oh~ is it what I think it is ? It's apple tea !" The young woman could barely contain her excitement as she watched with the utmost attention as the taller woman delicately and exquisitely poured the tea into small porcelain cups with golden rims. Her twin pigtails swaying happily with the young woman's movements. "Camilla you really are the best big sister !"

"Come on dear, what kind of big sister would I be if I couldn't even remember your favorite tea." A soft smile played on her lips as she looked fondly at the person in front of her.

"You know, I really love spending time with you."

While there was nothing unusual about that kind of statement coming from the young princess the way she seemed to avoid Camilla's gaze on the other hand said that there was something more behind it.

"Is there something you'd like to talk to me about dear ?" Her tone was not demanding, no, it was calm and loving, slightly worried too but Camilla hid it under a reassuring smile.

Elise looked shocked, then disappointed. She should have known that she could never hide anything from Camilla. Her older sister could read her like an open book. Although to be honest the young princess had never been someone particularly good at hiding her emotions. Unlike her siblings she didn't wear a mask, she wore her heart on her sleeve.

After a few seconds of hesitation, Elise sighed, "It's just that I feel like we're spending less and less time together...you're always busy with political affairs or with your retainers..especially since you have two of them now..." The end of her sentence had almost been whispered, Elise resumed however with a lively voice. "I know you do your best to spend time with all of us, I really do, it's just that sometimes I feel like you're going to forget about me...after all I don't know how to do much, I don't understand all this political stuff like Xander does and I'm not as smart as Leo, I can barely take care of myself properly, you, Arthur and Effie always have to keep an eye on me..."

At this point Elise was almost sobbing, a soft warm hand came to rest on her cheek. The young princess found comfort in this touch and shyly dared to look up to meet the amethyst orbs looking at her and her alone. As if there was only her in the world.

"Elise, you know that's not true. I could never forget you, my family is what matters most to me. And please don't degrade yourself like that, it's absurd. Without you who would cheer us up when times get too hard? You do more than you could ever imagine, Elise. And everyone knows it. Me, Leo and Xander, we all recognize it."

At Camilla's comforting words, Elise's little face broke into a radiant smile, no more sullen mood, her good mood had returned. She then undertook to tell to her big sister all about her day and all the adventures that Arthur had met during their shopping trip. It is absurd how much this man could be unlucky.

Camilla listened to her attentively, only nodding her head from time to time. A serene smile was on her face and her features were relaxed. She let herself be bathed in the words and the good mood of the young woman full of life. In her presence she felt light, her thoughts were far from all these political affairs and meetings, far from all her problems.

"By the way, aren't you worried about your retainer ? The one who went on that last minute expedition." Elise's eyes went wide, she had just realized that she had only been talking about herself for the last thirty minutes, she had totally forgotten to ask Camilla how she was doing.

Camilla frowned at the abrupt change of subject. Her features quickly relaxed, however, giving way to an almost weary expression as she suddenly found herself interested in the rims of her cup. Letting her fingers brush against them. "No, not really. Although the expedition itself is not to my liking. It's too sudden, too fast. It's not like Father to send his elite troops on a hastily planned expedition. However, my retainer was able to prove her abilities in battle, and if she doesn't come back alive, then maybe she wasn't up to my expectations after all. That's all."

A playful smile appeared on the lips of the young princess. At this Camilla raised one of her perfectly plucked eyebrows, she obviously didn't understand what could amuse her sister. "You know Camilla, you're not a very good liar either. I know you." At this Camilla frowned, offended by the remark. "You're worried about her aren't you ?"

Deeming it pointless to try to argue with the young woman Camilla sighed in defeat. "I have confidence in her abilities, Selena is a strong woman, persevering and tenacious, that I know. She's not my retainer for nothing. It's just..." she paused as if unsure if she should continue on her path. A slight clearing of the throat later and she resumed." It's the expedition, there's something about it that bothers me." There was a certain tone of finality in her voice.

Despite her explanation, Elise's playful smile had not disappeared. "You're not telling me everything..."

The two women stared at each other, Camilla was not one to say more than she wanted to. No. Yet in front of her sister she could not bring herself to lie to her. The young woman was far more perceptive than she was given credit for. "She left without even saying a word to me. I understand that everything went fast and that they couldn't waste any time, but still. She slipped out after the meeting and before I knew it she was already gone with the troops." Camilla almost had a sulky pout which only added to Elise's amusement. Who besides made no effort to hide the latter.

"You can lecture her when she comes back in a few days, but don't be too hard on her either. I've gotten used to her, I like her ! Even if she takes up your time..." Elise had a childish pout that made Camilla laugh.

Two days passed quickly at the castle. There was always something to do, the days were busy for the princes and princesses. The moments of rest were scarce.

It was in one of these rare moments that Camilla looked out the window, night had already fallen a while ago. Two days had passed and the troops had not returned. Camilla could not help but worry. What could be taking them so long ? The distance between the castle and the place of their supposed battle was certainly not negligible but to take two days was not normal.

As her eyes fell on the outer courtyard of the castle she noticed a commotion, by this time the soldiers' training was long over. This could only mean one thing. The troops had returned. Selena had returned.

At the same time there was a knock at her door, Camilla got up hurriedly, suddenly in a good mood, tiredness completely forgotten. She opened the door with a sudden gesture, whoever it was would have to be quick. Camilla had to go to the courtyard of the castle.

She found herself face to face with Beruka, who was as inexpressive as usual. "The troops have returned." Camilla nodded waiting for her retainer to get out of her way, which surprisingly she did not. Beruka seemed slightly confused, or was she distraught ?Camilla could not say. However her next words were all she needed to understand what was going on. "Selena is not to be counted among the soldiers who returned."

Camilla's expression fell, she could hardly understand what Beruka had just said. Confusion, worry, uneasiness, incomprehension, all mixed up in her.

She quickly passed Beruka, rushing to the courtyard. This had to be a mistake. Selena could not be missing, she had to be there among the soldiers. Camilla tried to convince herself that until she saw Selena's absence she would not accept it. This had to be a mistake. Yes. There was no other possible explanation.

When she arrived in the courtyard her stomach turned. It wasn't that she wasn't used to seeing the return of troops who looked like they had seen hell, no. She had been used to it since childhood. Blood was no stranger to her either, nor were the hysterical murmurs of the soldiers. No. However, if the troops had come back in this state then maybe, just maybe, Something had indeed happened to Selena.

She moved quickly between the soldiers, some of whom didn't even notice her presence, they were in their own worlds. As she searched more and more desperately for her retainer with her eyes, she finally found something to ease her anxiety. Yes. That horse was Selena's.

As a breath of relief passed through her, even allowing a smile to creep across her lips she quickly approached the horse. She could recognize it between miles, after all she was there when Selena had chosen it. And although she could dwell on this sweet memory she did not. The only thing she wanted right now was to see her retainer. Her Selena.

To her great disappointment when she finally reached the horse it was not Selena who was standing next to it. But a soldier. A soldier as one finds others everywhere. A soldier whose face or name she could never have remembered even if she had wanted to.

"You, tell me." Her tone was cold and firm. More than necessary, but she spoke with her emotions. It was her retainer she wanted near that horse not this man. "Where is the mistress of this horse ? Where is Selena ?"

The man looked at the princess with fear as if he was stunned. Camilla's impatience was growing, she frowned, letting the soldier know her displeasure at the lack of response.

The man swallowed as sweat beaded his forehead. His whole body was shaking, while his eyes reflected only dread. "She...she..."

The man couldn't finish his sentence, repeating the same word over and over. But Camilla understood. It was true. Selena had not come back.