Episode 2 — The Village and The General

The next morning Aadhira stood at the palace gates, fully dressed and ready to leave.

Rayan crossed his arms watching her. "Do you want me to send some soldiers with you?"

She turned and raised a brow. "We only have three thousand soldiers left. What exactly are they going to do?"

Tsk.

"Leave this mess to me, brother. And don't forget." She stepped closer. "I am a princess. I can protect myself."

Pause.

"I am also much stronger than you."

Rayan put his hand on his forehead and sighed.

(Why is she like this.)

exasperated

"Go then. Just be careful and do not create more trouble out there."

She grinned. "Sure. And tell sister in law I will bring her the fruits she loves."

He did not reply.

He just watched her leave.

The carriage rolled through the roads toward the villages.

From a distance everything looked peaceful. Nobles laughing among themselves. Market stalls full of goods. Children running between the roads.

But the closer she looked the uglier it became.

Commoners stood with their heads down as soldiers collected money from them. Hand after hand. Coin after coin. No argument allowed.

Aadhira's eyes narrowed.

(The contract said no taxes. So what exactly is this?)

cold

Her grip tightened on the edge of the carriage window.

This is nothing but a scam.

Then a voice broke through everything else.

"Please! Please, let my daughter go! I will pay next time, I promise! Please, I have nothing right now!"

The carriage stopped.

Aadhira stepped down.

In front of her an old woman was clutching the sleeve of a soldier with both hands, crying, while he pushed her away like she was nothing. Two other soldiers stood watching with bored expressions.

"What are you doing."

Her voice came out sharp and clear.

The soldiers paused and turned. One of them squinted.

"Is that... the princess?"

Immediately all three straightened and saluted.

"What are you doing," Aadhira repeated, her tone colder this time. "Why are you taking money from these people."

"It is just tax, Your Highness," one replied carefully. "We provide them work. It is only fair that they give something back."

She looked down at the old woman. "Is that true?"

The woman collapsed to her knees.

(Crying)

"My princess. My dear princess. I do not know anything about tax." Her voice shook badly. "A few days ago my daughter went to work for them. They promised her money. But instead of giving her money they tried to touch her without permission."

Her shoulders trembled.

"My daughter ran away. She even hit one of them. And now they are demanding money from me because of that. I have nothing left, princess. Nothing."

The camp went completely silent.

Aadhira opened her bag and placed three gold coins into the old woman's hands.

The soldiers' eyes moved immediately to the coins.

(Greed)

One of them smiled slowly. "Well. Your Highness must be quite rich to give away money so easily like that."

A few of them laughed.

Aadhira looked at them. Her expression did not change even slightly.

"Take me to your commander."

The soldiers looked at each other.

(Uncertain)

She outranked them and they knew it. They could not say no.

"Yes, Your Highness."

The camp was organized. Neat rows of tents, soldiers moving with purpose, weapons stacked in clean lines. She followed the soldiers through the center of it until they stopped in front of a man standing with his back to her, speaking to two officers beside him.

Then he turned.

Aadhira stopped walking for exactly one second.

Tall. Composed. Light eyed and sharp jawed, with the kind of face that looked like it had never once been uncertain about anything. Not handsome in a soft way. Handsome in an irritating way. The way a thing is beautiful and dangerous at the same time.

(Wait.)

stunned

(No. Focus.)

pulling herself together

She walked toward him directly.

"Where are you from?" she asked in the kingdom's language.

He looked at her. He did not understand a word of it.

"Hello, miss," he said instead, studying her dress carefully.

(She must be a noble.)

observing

"I am General Edmund Calloway. Commander of this unit." He said it evenly, with the practiced calm of someone used to being in charge.

A soldier beside him leaned in quickly and whispered something in his ear.

His expression shifted.

He inclined his head. "Your Highness. Forgive me. What brings you here?"

"Your soldiers," Aadhira said simply, "are mistreating my people. They are taking money from commoners who have nothing to give."

Edmund's expression darkened immediately.

He turned to the three soldiers behind her. His voice dropped to something very quiet and very serious.

"Were you taking money from them." It was not a question. "Did I not give a clear order. We do not take from those who cannot afford it. Did I not say that."

The soldiers stiffened.

(Fear)

"We are sorry, sir."

They said it in English.

Aadhira stood to the side and watched quietly.

And smiled just slightly where no one could see it.

(So he is not completely rotten then.)

thinking

(Interesting.)

Then she turned back to him and stepped forward.

Bold. Completely direct.

"Do you have a lover?"

The entire camp froze.

Dead silence.

Then all at once the murmuring started.

"Is the princess serious right now?"

"Did she just..."

"It should have been me, not the general."

"The general will never accept something like this."

Edmund blinked once. His composure held but just barely.

"Excuse me, Your Highness?"

confused

"Could you say that again?"

Aadhira met his eyes without even blinking. "I asked if you have a lover. Or a wife."

A pause.

"No," he said. "I do not."

careful

She smiled.

Then clapped her hands together twice lightly.

"Good."

pleased

"Then how about becoming my lover? I will give you everything you want."

Silence again. A different kind this time.

Edmund looked at her for a long moment. Steady. Unreadable. Like he was trying to figure out if she was serious or testing him or both.

Then he spoke. Calm. Quiet.

"Your Highness."

Pause.

"You may not understand this. But money cannot buy love."

He held her gaze.

"And it certainly cannot create it."

The smile on Aadhira's face did not disappear.

But something behind her eyes shifted.

(So that is the kind of man you are.)

quietly surprised

The wind moved through the camp.

Neither of them looked away first.

.

.

End of Episode 2

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