Month of Dragons
Day 15
The Southern Kingdom is home to golden-brown and black-skinned citizens. Goddess Astra made sure the sun favored her southern children, the legend says.
A young woman peers out of the back of an old wagon as it exits the Southern Gates. She always sticks out in this land, she thinks, with her emerald-colored pigtails and fair skin.
With her favored crossbow in hand, she watches for any monsters that may be tailing their caravan. They are on a critical mission for the Eastern Kingdom, and it is imperative that they make it out of the Southern Kingdom.
As they go along the dirt route, the woman makes sure to never take her eye off the trail.
Most people she has come across so far on her journey called her Pint Size, since she is barely five feet tall. It never bothers her, though. She might be small, but they know better. To get on Lea's wrong side means a hard kick in the shins or worse, where their unborn children swim.
She usually works alone on her trips, choosing to protect those in power who negotiate on behalf of the kingdom. The pay isn't that good, but the goddess could have let her die a long time ago in the orphanage in Dalton, Lea notes as the sun streams in through the wagon, making her squint.
As long as I have a bow and arrow, I can make a living.
The caravan she's riding on today is four deep, with three decoy wagons and one holding the precious client. They have two fire elemental knights in front and two water mages in the back of the caravan.
Matthew, Duke of Glashmere, always rides in style and is prepared for anything. Lea does think his title is impressive, especially for a man of his stature, but she also knows he's a womanizing pig. She would love to put an arrow into his pretty little face if given a chance, but that isn't what she is being paid for. This time.
I can hit him while he is taking a leak at our next stop. Lea eyes his decked-out wagon in front of hers. It even has matching footmen. What a prick.
Shut up, Lea, or you're going to lose your job. She snaps herself out of it. Though, dreaming on road trips isn't such a bad thing. A little slip of the hand on the bow here and a little disappearing for the duke over there.
Lea smiles at the thought and begins to dust off her green overshirt and brown trousers. Her typical uniform.
As she puts her hood over her head, Lea sits back and sighs. This journey took ten days, but it seemed like a whole lot more than that.
Matthew, or The Duke as he calls himself, even if there is clearly more than one duke in Esteria, had to secure a trade route to increase the amount of steel needed to build swords. He gave the Southern Kingdom ten percent of his homeland's crops for the next year, and they gave twenty percent of their steel production in return. The southerners have to eat, so it isn't a bad trade off.
At least Lea knows Matthew is skilled at something other than searching for the next woman to have relations with.
Her pigtails lift underneath the evening breeze that kisses the countryside at sunset. The sun, giving a silent goodbye, sinks as night dusk starts to creep slowly over the edge of the horizon. She loves watching the sunset ever since she was a girl. Though the places she travels to vary, the sun always rises in the morning and sets in the evening. It is a constant reminder of life.
With her honest heart, Lea believes this kingdom is headed in the wrong direction. The peace-loving king has no backbone, nor does he train long enough to hold his own in battle.
The evening sky starts to show its brilliance as the stars line the sky above her. In due time, guard duty will be upon her. Lea took the extra shift because a swordsman fell sick with a stomach virus. She can be nice if she wants to be.
"Halt the carriage!" calls out Captain Hubert, one of the knights on horseback, disturbing Lea's train of thought. "We will be staying the night here by this lake. We will depart in the morning. The night shift starts now, ladies."
Lea rolls her eyes and takes her hood off her head. Among this group of foolish guardsmen, she is undoubtedly the only woman.
"Prepare your weapons and protect the duke!" he yells to the motley crew.
"Sir, yes, sir!" Replies to the captain echo throughout the caravan, and Lea hears feet shuffling in the grass below them.
"What am I defending the duke from exactly, Captain? No one is interrupting him during his alone time with his lady guards?" A newer knight chuckles.
Hubert hits the backside of his head. "Get to work, and no faffing about the duke," he spits, and the knight hurries away.
Lea respects the hold Hubert has on his men, although sometimes his harshness is off-putting. As her caravan comes to a full stop, she stands and stretches her limbs. The breeze from the lake is cool and smells of pine. Hopefully, nothing is in the lake to disturb her rest.
Far east on the continent of Esteria lies the city of Glashmere. Glashmere is an important city in the trade route of the Eastern Kingdom. It has been under massive attack by demons or solem, as the locals call them and other beasts because it is right by the Great Forest.
Lea knows that the Great Forest used to house the people of fairy descent, but lately, there have been great disturbances. Fairy people have closed themselves off from the modern world, so no one truly knows what is happening in the woods. It intrigues her.
Many believe a lot of the fairies perished because of the increase in solem in the forest. Glashmere sent out many expeditions of knights to venture into the forest. Unfortunately, knights came back through the bronze Glashmere gates with no head or half a body, still on horseback. It was as if the demons were organized, or making fun of the city's efforts to unveil the truth that lies beyond.