Page 13 of The Wild Prince’s Favorite (The Dragon Empire Saga #3)
Tievin stood still by his side while the Prince’s body slowly, and most likely painfully, healed up.
The fights with his dragon were happening so often that this crazy beast had managed to leave some permanent scars on a body that could heal itself at an insane speed.
There was apparently a limit to how much the Dragon Blood running through the Prince’s veins could heal, and the proof was on his skin.
The same places had been attacked over and over again, so much that his body had lost the battle, and instead of healing him perfectly, he was covered in orange scales or deep scars.
Tievin knew that even when one had lost their dragon, the scales would still heal a dragon owner.
Would the orange scales have stopped protecting Prince Kassein if his dragon had a say in this?
Or was it enjoying being able to harm its owner again and again?
“...Who won?” Tievin asked with a dull tone.
The Prince didn’t answer. Well, if both the Prince and dragon were still alive, one would have thought it was even, but in Tievin’s opinion, being able to survive a dragon’s murderous intent was a victory for the Prince.
Seeing that the dragon wasn’t in the area anymore, the Prince had probably dealt enough damage to that beast to convince it not to come back too soon for another round.
“I see.” He sighed. “Well, it might take a while to repair the damages, so I hope it won’t be back anytime soon.”
As always, the Prince didn’t bother to answer him.
In fact, he had closed his eyes, looking exhausted.
Tievin didn’t really blame him, and simply stood still by his side, watching the injuries get reabsorbed and his breathing calming down.
Soon enough, some soldiers finally came to the training ground.
“Sir, shall we call a doctor?” one newcomer asked, horrified by the amount of blood.
“No need,” said Tievin. “Stay away, just take care of the area. Quietly.”
Although a bit surprised, the men nodded and started sorting out the debris, piling it up, and noting the damages, silently as asked.
Tievin tightened his coat around him, internally protesting against the biting cold.
The Prince had most likely fallen asleep to recuperate, and he would stay by his side all through that nap.
Unlike common mortals, those with Dragon Blood didn’t fear the cold, so sleeping on a mattress of snow was probably as good as any other for him.
He wouldn’t allow anyone to touch him, let alone move him, so he might as well nap here until his injuries were healed.
.. For some reason, standing by the Prince’s side while he was like this was one task Tievin always took on.
Making sure no one disturbed the Imperial Prince’s rest and that the soldiers would carry on their tasks was his duty, even if he had to stand and shiver in the cold for hours. ..
Tievin was reading the list, only his arm out of the thick fur coat to hold the parchment. He was back in his tent, in a chair put as close as possible to the fire without the risk of burning anything. He was still shivering a bit, but his expression was stern.
“Good job,” he said once he was done reading, turning to the General standing there. “Is that all?”
“Yes. Luckily, no one sustained life-threatening injuries, and the newcomers learned a good lesson about getting too close to a dragon...”
“Morons,” Tievin grunted. “Anything else?”
“A rough first estimate is that the damages will take about a week to be repaired. Naturally, the defense wall is our top priority, but the construction units are quite hopeful. We have enough wood stored and as per your recommendation, we had planned a few more extra panels in case such a thing happened, so it shouldn’t take too long to replace the damaged parts. ”
“I see. Make sure to establish twice the usual number of night patrols to compensate, and put some men on surveillance duty as well. It will be bothersome if the barbarians notice our defenses are down... No, they most likely already noticed. Just make sure they don’t get the wrong idea and use it to attack us. ”
“Yes, sir. The other generals and I have already begun working on a defense strategy.”
Tievin nodded and flicked his eyes to the next piece of parchment.
The estimated cost of the damages was about what he had anticipated.
Thankfully, the camp was already used to this.
It would mostly cost them in manual labor to replace everything that was broken, as most supplies could be found in the area, except for the new tents they would have to order.
And they had no shortage of men with free time on their hands.
“Once you’ve confirmed the list, send it back to me for approval and have some men ready to go to the nearby villages to purchase what is needed,” said Tievin, handing one piece of parchment back, “and have the medical unit give you a list of their own needs as well; we might as well replenish everything that ought to be... Any news of that bothersome dragon?”
“No, sir. The last reports are that it flew north after the fight with the Commander in Chief.”
“Good. That crazy beast might go annoy the barbarians and make them stay hidden for a while, that would save us some time. And the Commander?”
“He’s still in his tent, sir.”
“Alright. Don’t be stupid and send anyone to him yet, I’ll bring him dinner...”
“Understood, sir.”
Despite being one of the five men with the most power in the camp, the experienced soldier knew that the whole camp wouldn’t be functioning if it wasn’t for Tievin, the Grand Intendant.
While they could handle training the men and organizing the daily schedule of the camp, it took someone highly educated like Tievin to do all the paperwork, take care of the finances, anticipate any needs, and watch over the supplies.
Tievin and Prince Kassein had arrived together at the North Camp, and the whole army had seen drastic changes applied ever since.
What was a simple outpost of defense against the occasional barbarian attacks before had now turned into a fully functioning army camp.
They had conquered as much ground as possible in a matter of months, and made it so that the army camp that was previously relying on the nearby villages could now survive in the cold north by itself.
Instead of focusing on battle, they had turned some of the units into construction units, supply surveillance units, supply management units, catering units, hunting units, and so on, everything the camp needed to function like a whole village without any exterior help.
This wasn’t so much by necessity as it was the Prince hating to request any help from the Capital.
The less he had to ask anything of his Emperor brother, the better his mood.
Thus, every single soldier understood that there was no task too small to be undertaken for the well-being of the camp.
If it had been a different Commander from a different era, perhaps this would have almost been perceived as the first signs of a rebellion; the Prince’s army was growing to be self-sufficient and independent from the Empire, and strong enough that it could probably take a small city in a matter of hours.
Luckily, it was common knowledge that the Wild Prince had no such ambition.
This was a man with no desire for conquest; he had even abandoned the once-legendary Onyx Castle to live in the bitter cold of the most northern part of that region instead.
He was acting more like a man who had exiled himself than a prince looking for rebellion.
Tievin was an essential part of the North Army precisely because the Prince had little to no desire to lead anyone.
Both of them had been sent here against their wishes, and both were doing what was expected of them: the Commander in Chief led the North Army, the Grand Intendant managed it.
As long as he wasn’t required to lift a sword, Tievin could be content with that, and Kassein only gave the bare minimum of attention to the paperwork that did require his approval.
The only reason the duo had taken the army this far with this little ambition was because they both effortlessly excelled in their own occupations.
“You may go now,” Tievin dismissed the General with a movement of his hand. “I’ll finish reading the report and go for an inspection tomorrow morning.”
The General left, leaving him alone. It was getting too cold for him to put a toe out, except when he’d bring food to the Prince.
In normal circumstances, he’d have put his tent close to the Commander in Chief for convenience, but convenience didn’t weigh much in the prospect of being close to a potential dragon attack.
Thus, Tievin had put his tent as far as possible from all the places the Prince visited daily, in a quiet corner near the forest. Quiet and safety were the best, especially as it kept him not far from the camp’s kitchens.