CHAPTER 16: THE CROWN’S LEDGER [4]

For three long days, Princess Nyella had worked tirelessly to complete the Crown’s Ledger. It wasn’t just about signing papers it meant inspecting everything that had to do with the realm’s army. She watched the soldiers train, examined their weapons, and observed their discipline, strength, and unity. She studied their rations, their morale, and how prepared they were mentally and physically.

And truly, she wasn’t disappointed.

But while she assessed their side, she also studied their enemies. She also listened to what the generals whispered when they thought she wasn’t paying attention, but didn’t find anything suspicious. She took note of the intelligence reports, the timing of the coming war, and how close, or far, the fight really was.

Now, the inspection was done, and the next morning, she was expected to return to the capital to deliver her report in person.

That night, sleep just refused to come.

So, she stepped outside, it was quiet and she sat down feeling the cold air. The camp had gone silent and the soldiers were resting.

Nyella sat still and fixed her eyes on the moon. She gently touched the grass beside her and was lost deep in thought, far from war and politics.

Then, without turning around, she said softly, "Do you ever wonder what life would’ve been like if we were just... ordinary girls? No titles. No duties. No expectations. Just little girls, playing in the fields, laughing over nothing. Do you think we’d be happier? Or... would we still want more?"

A quiet chuckle came from behind her. Footsteps approached.

"Can I ever sneak up on you?" a voice said gently.

Nyella smiled faintly. "Never."

It was Sira, her best friend and her personal guard. She stepped forward and sat beside her. She always knew when something was bothering Nyella. The two had grown up like sisters, though their lives were very different.

Sira looked up at the same moon and replied, "Even if we were just little girls, Nyella... we’d still want what we don’t have. It’s human nature. We’d envy other girls with fancier ribbons, bigger dolls, or sweeter fruits. We’d still cry over something. We’d still want something more."

She paused, then added gently, "So maybe... the trick is to just live the life you’ve been given. Make the best of it. Use what you have, where you are, as best you can."

Nyella turned to her, smiling again. "Do you ever want to say something discouraging?"

"Not to someone like you," Sira said smiling. "Not to someone whose choices can shape the future of an entire kingdom. You don’t need more weight on your shoulders. You need encouragement. Always."

The smile on Nyella’s face faded again. Her voice dropped.

"This war will cost us so much, Sira. So many lives. Mothers will weep for sons who don’t return. Villages will burn. Families will break. I can’t stop thinking about that. And I wish... I wish there was something, anything, I could do to stop it before it begins."

And just as she said that, her eyes caught something moving far in the distance, fast and light.

A shadow... Someone was jumping from fence to fence, hidden under a cloak.

Nyella sat up straight. "Did you see that?"

Sira jumped to her feet instantly, her hand reaching for her dagger.

"I saw it."

The figure was fast. Too fast to be an ordinary passerby. This wasn’t someone who got lost.

Sira took off after him; she was fast. Nyella too, without a moment’s hesitation, rushed to the nearby horse post, mounted one, and galloped after them.

They chased him beyond the camp, past the village and they ran deep into the forest. Sira moved like she was flying and was closing in on the figure. She would run over roots and low branches without looking at them as if she’d done it a thousand times. Nyella was right behind with her horse.

As they neared a clearing, Nyella pulled up and gave Sira a hand signal, an old one, one they used whenever they went hunting. It meant: "Circle. Corner him."

Sira nodded and took the left path while Nyella vanished into the woods from the right.

Moments later, just as the intruder was running through a corner in the path that Sira made him do, Nyella jumped out in front of him. She threw a rope low across his legs, pulled it tight and he fell. He crashed into the ground so hard and rolled across the ground.

Sira got him and pinned him down before he could rise. Then slowly, she yanked off his hood. Both of them were shocked at what they saw.

It was a boy.

A very young boy, not older than fifteen. His eyes were full of panic, and his face was pale and frightened. His clothes and his skin made it all obvious that he was a Sandborn.

An enemy.

Sira instantly raised her blade.

But Nyella grabbed her wrist. "Don’t," she said firmly. "We need to know why he’s here. Killing him solves nothing. Not now."

Reluctantly, Sira lowered her blade.

They dragged the boy back to camp. The generals surrounded him quickly. Lord Kasien Arvel arrived first. He was furious. He saw the boy as a threat and ordered immediate and harsh questioning.

The boy who was so terrified, said over and over that he didn’t find anything. He claimed he was just looking for a scroll he’d been told about, but he couldn’t find it. He begged them to believe him.

Lord Arvel didn’t care. He lifted his sword and said, "He’s a spy. We have to end him now."

"No," Princess Nyella said immediately as she stepped between them.

Arvel scowled. "He’s Sandborn, Your Highness."

"And I said no," Nyella repeated. "I leave tomorrow, and I will take him with me. The King will decide what is to be done. Until then, he remains alive."

Arvel didn’t like it, but he couldn’t defy her.

Then Nyella turned to Ser Devic, who had been quietly watching everything from the side.

"Is everything ready for our departure tomorrow?"

He nodded. "Yes, Princess."

"Good," she said. "We leave at dawn."