Page 9 of The Wild Prince’s Favorite (The Dragon Empire Saga #3)
“...Commander?”
The man carefully stepped inside the tent, nervous.
It was dark inside; nobody had bothered to light a flame.
He carefully stood a step away from the entrance, suppressing the terrible urge to leave this place.
He waited a couple of seconds for his eyes to adjust to the darkness until he located the silhouette of a man, seated at the opposite end of the tent, immobile as a statue.
He tried to control his breathing and not gulp down that knot of fear inside his throat.
After a couple more seconds, he noticed the faint shine of the blade spinning where the man sat.
A shiver ran down his spine, and the urge to run away got even more pressing.
Still, he chased this thought away from his mind, trying to act bravely.
“A new unit of recruits arrived at the North Camp this morning, Commander. Around a hundred men arrived from the Capital for reinforcements and training. I am their representative, Captain Dajan, sir. This is our first time in the North Camp and an honor, Your Highness. We are setting up our tents and we will take our posts around the camp shortly. My men and I will join the camp’s daily training schedule as soon as tomorrow. ”
The man waited for a response, but only a heavy, scary silence followed.
He hesitated for a few seconds. Was he supposed to stay until dismissed?
Or run out of there, as his whole body was screaming at him to?
He dared to raise his eyes again, looking for a response.
That’s when he spotted them. Two dark green emeralds shining in the dark.
It was like crossing paths with a dangerous, mortal snake, and realizing it was already too late.
The man shivered irrepressibly in his armor, regretting his mistake instantly.
He knew he wasn’t supposed to look him in the eye!
“M-my apologies, sir!”
“...Get out.”
The voice sounded like a beast’s thunderous growl from deep inside a cave.
Suddenly, the tent felt a whole lot bigger, and the poor Captain a whole lot smaller.
His feet refused to move at first; his legs had gone numb from sheer fear.
Embarrassed, he tried to force his feet to move after a huge effort and kept his eyes riveted on the ground.
Leave, he had to leave. Immediately. Quickly, before he got killed.
Or eaten... He finally managed to move his right foot, then the other, and he stumbled back with shaking legs and that fear screaming from the back of his mind for him to get out of there.
He tried hard not to fall, not to turn his back either, and after vaguely remembering to bow again before stepping out, he finally found the tent’s curtain and kicked himself out of there.
He didn’t even take two steps outside before he tumbled into the snow, falling on his knees and wetting his pants all the way to his thighs.
He was drenched in a cold sweat, and out of breath for some reason.
He’d never been so grateful for fresh air.
The cold shiver down his nape wasn’t going away, and even as he tried to get back on his feet, he felt weak in the knees.
“You fool.”
He looked up. A man with a pockmarked face, thin lips, and an annoyed expression wearing a pale blue leather outfit under a thick black fur coat was looking down at him.
If he hadn’t been so busy being scared, he might have thought the man looked funny, with just his head popping out of the thick fur coat.
The man looking down on him raised a thin eyebrow, while his fingers drummed on the little notepad he was holding firmly.
“Who are you?” he asked as if he was already annoyed by the answer. “Which unit do you belong to? I told them a hundred times not to bother the Commander in Chief without warning me first. Why did they send you? Are you looking to die, soldier?”
The questions were fired quickly, one after the other without much room for him to answer until the man with the notepad was done.
Once he finally stopped, his fingers still dancing along his notepad, the Captain forced himself to stand back up, feeling embarrassed. His legs were still trembling a bit.
“Th-they couldn’t find you, and someone had to warn the Commander about the new recruits, s-so... I’m Captain Dajan of the new division...”
“You moron,” the other one answered right away. “The Commander doesn’t care about new units arriving at the camp, the higher-ups played you... They’re going to hear from me! Either way, don’t bother him again. You’re lucky he let you walk out without twisting your neck, Captain Dajan.”
The man’s expression sank. What kind of cruel prank was this? After everything he had heard about the Wild Prince, how could he make a fool of himself and get on His Highness’ bad side from his very first time meeting with him?! Seeing his expression, the man in blue sighed.
“Don’t fret over it. If you’re lucky, the Commander in Chief will have forgotten your face already. Try to do your best on the battlefield, and maybe you’ll be more than a bothersome rat to him.”
The man nodded.
“Thank you for your advice. Y-you are the camp’s Grand Intendant?”
“You may call me Intendant Tievin. In the future, don’t bother His Highness again. Come to me if needed. You might be able to survive longer if you do.”
“Don’t you... fear the Commander? I heard even the generals are cautious around him...”
The man sighed as if the answer to the question was obvious.
“I have been by His Highness’ side for ten years. Of course I am afraid of him, but I am certainly the best at handling his temper. Newcomers like you should just make yourselves small and stay out of his way. ...Morons.”
Captain Dajan nodded and showed a resolute expression that made Tievin raise an eyebrow again.
That young man seemed more earnest and unwavering than most. A lot of men were sent to the north with selfish dreams of honor and battlefield achievements and only had one objective: to stay out of trouble.
This one at least seemed to have some respect for the Commander in Chief.
“I understand! I will make sure myself and my unit become valuable elements to this army, so even the Commander in Chief won’t be upset with us!”
Tievin nodded and watched the young man go.
So eager, so young... and so stupid, he thought.
It wouldn’t be long before that spirit would die down, as they all experienced.
Most men who came here became disappointed after a while.
The fights weren’t as often nor as thrilling as most thought, the weather was worse than harsh, and the food was not that good either.
Plus, there was little to no entertainment around.
Glory couldn’t be achieved in just a matter of months, and there were plenty of men who had gone from being as hopeful and enthralled as Captain Dajan to being wrapped up in utter resentment and boredom.
This could only be expected. Those soldiers were unknowingly caught in a struggle between the Imperial Palace and the North Army that only a handful of people knew about. In other words, pawns.
The Intendant combed his long, black hair twice before stepping toward the tent. He frowned at the darkness of the place before entering. He did not need to look around for the Commander. Not only did he know where he was sitting, but there was no need to cross his fiery green glare.
“...Good morning, sir. It seems like the Emperor sent more souls to get lost here with us. Again.”
Tievin did not need to look up to feel the burning glare on him. Still, he was used to it, and instead, only kept his eyes down on his notes.
“This is the last unit expected to reach the North Camp this month since we’re already at full capacity. ...Commander, those men are going to need something to do here. Like everyone else.”
A long silence answered him. Tievin didn’t even try to suppress his eye roll; luckily for him, he was one of the few who could make that kind of disrespectful gesture in front of the Prince and still get away unscathed, all limbs attached.
“Sir, I won’t take care of this for you this time. Unfortunately, this is something only the Commander in Chief of the North Army Camp is entitled to do. Me stepping in won’t work this time, the generals won’t allow it.”
This time, he glanced up. This was it. That heavy, numbing sensation of danger.
Luckily for him, Tievin knew this killing intent wasn’t actually directed at him, but at some unlucky souls out there, who were probably shivering already, if they had any half-decent instincts.
Were the generals going to be able to keep their necks?
It didn’t make the situation any less scary for him, but it was a good way to convince his body not to run away from that place, not yet.
He forced himself to breathe, only to be disappointed with the smell of a place that hadn’t been aired out in quite a while.
He had to convince His Highness to get out of there. ..
“Alright,” he said. “I know we both love the sound of my voice, so I’m just going to continue this monologue, as usual... I did need to let Your Highness know that your dragon was spotted again.”
This time, he clearly felt the tension increase in the room.
Tievin could never tell if he should be glad to have the Commander’s attention, or if he wasn’t just unknowingly walking a very thin line that could sever his head from his neck at any time.
Hard to say, but so far, he’d managed to stay alive.
“Kein was sighted above the mountains, probably hunting. He disappeared before dawn though, so that’s... another issue you might want to look into.”
He waited as if there was a chance for him to get a response, but none came, as expected. He sighed. At least the hardest part was done.