The Queen’s soldiers arrived in front of Avon, led by their general. His face was serious, and his presence commanded attention. The soldiers stood tall, exuding confidence and courage. Their aura was intimidating, and the guards that stood outside the palace couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease.
The general stepped forward, his voice firm and clear. "We are the Queen’s soldiers and we have come in peace," he paused, his eyes scanning the area. "We seek to speak with your King and his Queen."
The palace guards looked at each other nervously, unsure of what to do. One of them stepped forward, "I will go and inform our king." He turned and ran towards the palace but stopped in his steps when he saw Adric stepping out.
"Your Majesty, there are men outside -" the guard started.
Adric waved his hand dismissively, "Back to your post," he said to the guard, now walking towards the entrance where the soldiers were still standing in a uniformed line. Adric was really impressed by the number of soldiers and with the look on their faces he knew the men were not ones to fear battle.
"You are now in the presence of The King of Avon. Show your respect," Rowan commanded.
Malcolm first stared at the King for some seconds, before he bowed. "Your Majesty," when he did this, his men followed him and bowed to Adric.
"We are the soldiers that protect the Queen, and we have come to fight alongside Avon based on the request of our Queen," General Malcolm announced, this time his eyes scanned the palace as if he was looking for someone.
Adric noticed this and smiled, "My Queen should be here any moment." At the same time, Oriana ran out of the palace with Louis and Madame Rosalie. "There she is,"
"Her Majesty, the one that leads the Queen’s army. We are here at your service." General Malcolm bowed, but this time the soldiers got down on one knee, each holding up their sword.
Oriana was startled by the reverence being shown to her. All her life, she had never imagined she would be the leader of an army. In fact, her only dream was to live a life of freedom, one that had nothing to do with palace life and royal politics. But it seems like fate had a different idea for her; she did not just fall in love with a Crown Prince, but she’s now his Queen and her grandmother had left behind an army for her to lead.
Not knowing how to act, Oriana bowed to the army. "Welcome to Avon. Um...have you had anything to eat?"
Adric turned to look at the girl, with his brows raised slightly. He couldn’t deny that she was very cute with her innocence and kind heart. "I think what my Queen meant to say was that you should feel at home here in Avon and don’t hesitate to let us know if you’ll need anything."
Oriana nodded in agreement to Adric’s words, her heart melting when he called her his Queen. It was a term she didn’t know if she could get used to. She pressed her lips together and smiled.
"Thank you for the warm welcome. My soldiers don’t need luxury as the only life we know is the harshness of the deserts, but we will always appreciate the kindness given to us," General Malcolm stated, smiling at the young Queen.
Oriana returned the man’s smile. She didn’t know why, but the leader of the soldiers kept looking at her like he knew who she was before now. She was very excited to play a crucial role in helping Adric with something so huge. Oriana turned to look at Adric, and he was also looking at her. She looked away immediately.
"I will have a camp set for your men, you can train with our own soldiers. We will have a briefing by tomorrow as I have some personal family matters to take care of first," Adric continued. "Feel free to let me know if you find something uncomfortable."
General Malcolm nodded. "Thank you, Your Majesty." He bowed.
"Rowan, make sure they are settled in okay," Adric turned and left the place. He knew that Oriana would have to catch up with her people. And also he had issues to handle in the palace, especially the case of Caspar’s death that was yet to be resolved. He needed to discuss it with his father.
Rowan stepped forward, pointing towards an area cleared for the soldiers to camp. "This way, please."
"Follow him and get our camp ready," Malcolm ordered his men, and they all marched forward, following Rowan.
Malcolm turned to look at Oriana. "Your Majesty," he bowed, then to Louis he smiled. "I’m finally achieving the Mother Queen’s long-time dream."
Oriana turned to look at both men. "You knew my grandmother too?" She clapped her hands softly. "Of course, you were her general."
"I also got to meet you once. It was during the Mother Queen’s funeral," Malcolm revealed. "You were the only person laughing, and you were this small." He said, illustrating Oriana’s height with his hand.
Oriana covered her face shyly. "Everyone must have seen me as a little girl and I don’t even remember. Was that how you recognized me?"
The General shook his head and pointed at Oriana’s neck. "Mother Queen made that pearl herself, she always had it on every time she came to visit us. I was able to recognize you with that."
Oriana touched the pearl necklace on her neck. The more she heard about her grandmother, the more she missed the woman. "Thank you for recognizing me," she muttered.
Madame Rosalie, who had been standing quietly beside Louis all along, had her eyes on the general. She knew she had seen the man from somewhere but she couldn’t remember where.
"You should get a room inside the palace, since you’re the general," Oriana suggested.
Malcolm shook his head gently. "I stay wherever my men are. You don’t have to treat me specially, I only live to serve the Queen and nothing more."
Louis added, "General Malcolm is one selfless general. You don’t need to worry about him."
Malcolm chuckled. "Louis, your praises are getting better. I should go and make sure my men are comfortable. We will see again during the briefing," he bowed and left.
Oriana inhaled. "They must be really hungry after their journey. Louis, we should make preparations for their meal. Let’s go."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Louis bowed, following Oriana behind when Madame Rosalie stopped him.
"The general, does he spend most of his time with women? Do you know his favorite inn?" Madame Rosalie asked with her brows furrowed. She knew the man looked really familiar.
Louis frowned. "Malcolm?" He chuckled. "Rumor has it that the Queen’s army wins their wars because their General has never touched a woman. General Malcolm is not that type of man, I have never seen him with a woman before."
"Louis, fast we have a lot to do." Oriana waved at the man.
Louis nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty," he left Madame Rosalie, following Oriana behind.
Rosalie bit her lower lip. She knew she had seen the general somewhere. And she was going to find out where, to prove to others that he had touched a woman before.
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