It's in the Blood (Part 1 of 2)

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🔵 | ⏸ | ⏩ PART 02 ⏩ | 🔵

The sound of wolves echoed in the distance, and the princess felt sick.

"It's in the blood, you see?"

General Amanda turned her head at the gaping wound. "I understand, but I cannot stand the sight of blood."

"A war general that cannot look at her own fallen. Does she even care?" Commander Nora whispered. But she knew Amanda could hear her, the little snake.

Amanda forced herself to look at the fallen soldier, the insides of her stomach churning like butter at the disfigurement. Nora was right, she needed to see this.

"The blood?" Was all the general could manage.

"Yes." The gleeful old man seemed at peace around the corpses. "They didn't die from the wound, your majesty. Some...poison, some trickery of the One Bellow, perhaps... It's in the blood, see?"

Amanda didn't flinch at the exposed flesh, she nodded, turned, strode to her horse. Once atop it, she addressed the group around her. "Nora, you are on corpse duty." That should show her, the little brat.

"With all due respect General, a Commander is not fit -"

"Dylan." Amanda cut off Nora's complaining with her most authoritarian voice. "With me. The rest, get some rest. It's going to be a long war."

They saluted, even Nora, and Dylan trotted up on his steed beside her. "Is it really smart to be making enemies already, your majesty?"

"You heard her, Dylan. What was I supposed to do?"

"I concur, your majesty. But if I may..."

"You may."

"Corpse duty is reserved for the lowest rank of infantry. To assign to a Commander, even as a disciplinary action, is unheard of."

All those corpses, her men, Their blood on her hands, their lives lost because of her. Their bodies, mangled and tortured and bruised and broken and -

"Nora's a capable warrior, I suspect if she knew of your affliction, she'd understand. She's not insubordinate, she just wants to win this war as badly as any of them."

Amanda's stomach was not concurring with her consular. "I concur, Dylan. We will speak of this later." The Heir Princess worried if she continued talking, that her guts would decorate the battlefield along with the... with the...

Once in her tent, she rushed to her privy, spewing her insides in one massive heave. She thought about the smiling medic and how he casually handled the dead man and puked again. Not for the first time she wondered what she was doing here.

She turned to find Dylan standing at her tent entrance. That's right, she didn't order him to stand outside, bother.

"Princess, no one will think less of you -"

"I'm alright, Dylan!" She tried sounding confident, but her voice was hoarse. "You... you know I have to do this."

"You being here proved your father wrong already, princess. You know this as well as I do. What good would be to continue torturing yourself with -"

"Enough." She sat behind her desk, the day's tiredness attacking her at once. "I said I'd see this through. And I will. Sit, let's discuss what the old man told us."

Dylan, visibly frustrated, obeyed and sat across from his not-daughter. He sighed, composing himself. "Well...I believe there's nothing really to discuss, General. The enemy has poison, tinted blades."

"You don't think it odd? That savages known for their brutality and bluntness would coat their weapons in such?"

"Odd? Perhaps. But we know nothing about these invaders, General. Their methods of coating their blades might be crude but effective."

"And why is this the first time they've used such methods? No. This is something else, Dylan."

After a while of back-and-froth no substantial ground was covered. Dylan was dismissed and Amanda took to her bath to relax. After which she found a disgruntled scribe and a bloody Nora waiting in her tent.

"General," Nora said through greeted teeth.

"You majesty, I apologize. I tried to tell her you were busy but -"

"It's alright. You may leave us." The scribe bobbed a courtesy and left.

Once the tent flap flopped Nora rounded on the General. "You... I..." Her eyes screamed malice, and her movement was frantic. "I've been a loyal soldier for over ten years and you come along and -"

"Nora, sit." Amanda did likewise. During her bath, she devised a plan. Nora was the perfect vessel for said plan.

She sat, obviously annoyed at being cut off. "I understand I questioned your capabilities earlier, but the punishment was deeming. My soldier won't look at me the same way anymore."

Amanda raised a hand. "Nonsense. I think your reputation will only grow after today." Nora said nothing at that. "Tell me, did you find anything peculiar about the... corpses?"

"You mean to insult me further? I -"

"Nora, calm down." Amanda's voice struck like a whip. "I do not mean to offend. The old man said there was something in our men's blood. Did you find out anything more during your duty this day?"

It took considerable effort for Nora to calm down, but she did. A moment passed and she nodded. "Perhaps. I've never seen such poison in all my years on the battlefield."

"Go on."

Nora seemed wary of her Heir Princess, but also intrigued. "By the end of the day the blood... the blood changed color. It had... almost a green tint to it. I've never seen the like."

"You've fought these invaders for over a year now, how do you explain them gaining such a weapon? And what purpose does it serve, truly? The barbarian will hack our men down anyway, no? What good is poison on a battlefield."

"I thought the same." Nora leaned forward. "I've heard tale of a new shaman among their ranks. A sage from up North. I feel he is the culprit for this new development. As for the reason... who knows how barbarians think..."

"There's a purpose to this, Nora." Amanda could feel it in her very soul. If she left this as mere barbarian folly, they would pay dearly. "We must investigate."

"Divide our resources when we're at the front line?" Nora scoffed. "With all due respect, General, we need all the men we can get right now."

Amanda smiled. "This would be a covert operation. I'm thinking three people. Trustworthy and efficient."

"I see, and who would that be?"

"I was thinking - you, Dylan, and myself."

Nora's eyes threatened to leave her head. "P-princess. No. That's too dangerous. You are too important to our cause to -"

"So you decline?" Amanda stood, her tall stature imposing in the tent. "Or do you accept the duty of protecting your Heir Princess? Your General?"

Nora sat with her mouth open. "This... doesn't seem necessary, your majesty. Heading into enemy lines yourself on... on a whim sounds... you will forgive me, childish."

Amanda felt more sure of herself than ever. She wasn't being childish. This had to be done. And perhaps by another, but the princess could feel a pull towards this poison. She had to see it through herself. Time to prove to father I'm not some fragile piece of porcelain.

"Do you think it a whim, Commander?" Nora was silent. "I think the very fate of our great nation rests with your decision this night. Will you come and protect your Heir? Or leave it to someone else?"

Nora's perplexed face gave way to determination. "No. No whim. I - 'm sorry for what I said today, on the battlefield. You do care. And I'll be there to protect you. I swear it."

Amanda nodded. "We leave at dawn."

🔵 | ⏸ | ⏩ PART 02 ⏩ | 🔵

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Obligatory shout-out to the 🍕PIZZA🍕 gang, 🤙 gang. 🤙

I thought this would fit in one part but I was wrong. 😅 I decided not to post a 3k word count story, so ya'll guys are getting a two-parter whaaaaaaa 😱

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Have a great weekend! Stay safe! 🙌