"I'm certain you are all well aware of the neutral relationship between Runevale and Namesh. We're neither allies nor enemies." Orin addressed the five hundred soldiers before him.
"The land that lies north between Runevale and Namesh, though fertile, is claimed by neither side. However, we're about to shatter that neutral relationship. About a week ago, the queen summoned me. These were her exact words. 'My people have continued to grow in headcounts, our farmers are barely able to sustain us. As the people grow, the Kingdom has to grow alongside them. March north and claim the neutral land as our own. Wipe out Namesh if they stand in our way. With how little head count they have, we need that land more than they do.'" Orin explained as he paced left and right in front of the legion.
"What we are going to do is announce our decision and wait for their response. As we march north, there's something you should all never forget. If you die out there, I'll kill you." Orin roared.
"YES, COMMANDER." Voices echoed as soldiers mounted their horses.
"Ride with me, I'll teach you how to ride later." Yoru's voice echoed faintly behind Aeloria who was figuring out how to ride the horse.
"Really? You don't mind?" Aeloria asked with an expectant look in her eyes.
Looking at the innocent expression, Yoru remembered the night Orin had asked her to help the cannibal clean her house.
"But, commander, why do they get to go to the border and I get to stay alone with the monster." Yoru pointed at the two soldiers who had sparred with Aeloria earlier.
"The two of you are dismissed." Orin said to the two soldiers who happily accepted their punishment. Then he turned to Yoru.
"Follow me." Yoru followed without question.
"The cannibal is a monster and you aren't?" Orin asked without looking at the young woman walking behind him.
"What do you mean commander, haven't you heard of the rumors? And earlier as we sparred, you saw it too, didn't you? Her wounds healed on their own." Yoru said with a perplexed expression.
"That's your view, but have you stopped to consider hers." Orin stopped walking but still didn't turn to look at the young soldier.
"Imagined if your eyes changed their shape. If your wounds healed on their own, if nobody wanted to have anything to do with you. When people called you a cannibal because they heard another person say it. When nobody stopped to ask you why you did it, or if you even did it, just because they've judged you a monster." Orin explained, however, Yoru was silent as though lost in thought.
She had a guilty look on her face. She wasn't there when Aeloria was eating her child. She simply heard it, yet she believed it without question.
This was the first time she'd heard the commander speak in a low tone.
Orin now turned to look at the soldier.
"You called her a monster. What about you and me? When you go to war, tell me, do you care about the people you take down? Some had caring families and friends waiting at home." He turned his gaze up and continued.
"We may not have eaten any children, but we took away their breadwinner, that's the same as starving them to death. Even if the Kingdom compensated them, it wouldn't last their entire lifetime." Yoru had not moved from where she stood, however, her gaze was lowered to the ground.
"So don't talk like you and I are saints. Compared to Aeloria, we are the real monsters. I won't force the punishment on you. You could go help the monster, or you could just go home." Orin then walked away, leaving the young woman to make her decision.
"It's alright, you don't have to ride with me if you don't want to." Aeloria spoke when she noticed the young woman standing in a haze as the other soldiers rode away with the commander.
'To think I would be daydreaming when there's a war ahead of us.'
Snapping out of her haze, she mounted her horse. The horse galloped three paces towards Aeloria with Yoru's right hand stretched towards her.
"I wouldn't have suggested it if I didn't want to. Get on." Aeloria took her hand and leapt on to the back of the horse, sitting perfectly behind Yoru in a single leap.
'She just jumped onto the horse in one go? Honestly, she's terrifying.'
"Remember, hold on tightly, and no biting." Yoru added, holding the reins with both hands.
"Understood." Aeloria wrapped her hands gently around her waist as the soldier rode off at a terrifying pace.
It didn't take long for them to catch up to the main troop, riding together in perfect rows and columns.
Hooves thundered against the ground as they climbed a hill and descended. They crossed a shallow river and rode through the woods ahead without breaking pace.
After many heartbeats of rhythmic pounding of hooves on the ground, Orin gave the signal to slow down by raising one fist into the air.
"HALT. HALT." Soldiers nearby repeated the order until it reached everyone.
Every soldier now stood in the open field of endless dried grass.
"Aeloria, step forward." Orin yelled.
Soldiers immediately made way. They watched the cannibal sitting behind Yoru, riding comfortably forward in a black and jade gown.
"What is she, an idiot? How could she bring herself to follow us in a gown? Does she think we're going sightseeing?" One soldier scolded as they passed by.
"I honestly don't want to talk about anything related to her. The sight of her always sends shivers down my spine. I don't think I'll ever get used to it." His friend replied, glancing over.
"Commander, you called." When they reached, it was Aeloria who spoke.
"Head over there and tell the soldiers of Namesh to scram." Orin ordered, pointing to the far end of the field.
"After they are gone, plant this." He handed her the wolf crest banner of Runevale.
"But I thought we were just going to inform them of our intentions before taking any actions." Aeloria asked, surprised.
"What is there left to say to someone claiming ownership of something that belonged to both sides." Orin replied.
"Heavens, she's so naive." A soldier said in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear.
A few laughs followed, however, Aeloria paid them no heed.
"But why does it have to be me?" No matter how she looked at it, she couldn't think of a reason the commander would send her into enemy territory alone.
"Stop with the questions and just go."