Chapter 3: Snow Night

Another day, another stack of paperwork to deal with. My ass is hurting since I've been reading and writing for practically half the day. I went to the second-floor archives to hunt for some documents. My entire body hurts. I took the files I wanted and sat quietly in the corner to study them. The old shelving in the archive room's furthest corner. I went there and looked over some of the documents. A piece of paper slipped and landed on the floor. I lazily picked it up. It was an incident report from the police department.

Why would a police record be here?

I had a look at it and decided to reattach it to the folder. I exited the archive room and made my way to the pantry. To wake me up, I need a cup of coffee.

"Hey" he said then poked my shoulder from behind.

I turned around. I wasn't surprised of who it was.

"Good morning, Sir Dannet." I greeted.

" I haven't seen you yesterday. I was going to invite you on a blind date. Too bad. "

" Blind date is not really my thing. "

" So what's your thing? " he asked. Curious.

" Well ..."

But I haven't said anything since I'm at a loss for words. He stared at me, perplexed, then exclaimed, as if he had found something out.

" I see. I'm sorry Lord Knight Commander. I know what your thing is. Don't worry, I let Rollo and Sten talk to you for advice. "

He misunderstood, did he?

" I think y-- "

" Ssshh. " he interrupted. He puts his finger on my lips gently.

" You don't really have to explain. I understand. " he took off his finger on my lips and put his arms on my shoulder. Dang! He touched my wound. I flinched a bit. He looked at me. I looked at him. He scanned through me. I'm sweating all over.

Let it pass. Let it pass.

" There you are. You're having a conversation without me? I'm jealous. " Randal muttered.

I inhaled deeply. I'm relieved. I will definitely thank your mother for giving birth to you Randal. I smiled at him.

" Oh. Before I forgot, do you guys wanna hit the pub later? " Dannet asked.

" No" Randal straight up refused Dannet.

" Okay." Dannet replied flatly.

" Hey, I have a gossip. " Dannet started another conversation.

I sighed. This man just won't stop talking. When he has the chance to speak, he will take advantage of it. Randal, on the other hand, paid attention. He's a true believer in it. Boys who like to gossip. Dannet wrapped his arm over my shoulders once again. They're still talking about it, but why do they feel the need to drag me along? We're in the corridor, on our way to the stairwell. From distance, I noticed Sten. I noticed her strolling not far ahead of him. Our gazes collided. I'm confident of it.

" Grand General is here, guys. " I said.

We take a step back as she walks by us. We lowered our heads slightly to avoid eye contact.

" Strange. " Dannet said.

" Why? " Randal asked.

" She's got sour mood today. " he replied.

....

" What? " he asked. Annoyed.

" She always look like that ." Randal reasoned.

" Nop, not really. "

" Okay. Well, you know her very well. " Randal said as he slightly raised his shoulders.

Dannet proceeded to his office on the second level, while Randal and I went to our third-floor offices. After some time had passed, we were ready to leave our workplaces. On my journey to the 1st district boundary, I strolled across deserted, chilly streets. I'm moving into the second district. I hadn't brought my dagger back from her place that night, come to think of it. This time, I suppose I'll have to pay her a visit.

In her courtyard, I leapt softly. I strolled carefully, looking at the neighboring buildings and the windows from the second to the top floors. I cautiously and silently opened her rear door. If she finds out I broke into her house again, she'll be furious. Just as I was ready to shut the door. The lights in the bathroom are turned on, which I observed. Because the curtains on the window door are so thick, I can't see anything inside. You know, I don't have any reason to look at her. When I heard a cry, I was ready to open the door to her kitchen and living room. It came from the ladies' room. She's crying. She remained silent, and all I could hear was her weeping. Instead of entering the kitchen door, I found myself closing the courtyard door and walked away.

The morning has arrived, and I'm on my way to work. I entered the building. I noticed an envelope on the floor near the entrance as I opened the door to my office. I picked it up. It does not have a sender. After reading the letter, I burnt it. I let out a sigh. I'm going to have a lot on my plate in the next days, huh?

Days have gone, and I'm still doing the same thing over and over. What's more shocking is that each day, more and more paperwork arrives. When will this paperwork be completed? I'd rather be out in the field than in this office all day. It's strange how I keep recalling events from that night. I can't seem to get it out of my mind. Lunchtime has arrived. Dannet and Wyliame barged into my office, dragging me to the pantry. Except for Cleraine, we're all having our lunch. She ate her lunch at her office. She's avoiding me like the plague. She has made it plain that she does not want to see me. Even when our eyes met in the corridors, she always ignored me or feigned not to notice me. She's a sucker for harboring grudges. I wouldn't want to hang around with my assassin if I were her. So this is very overdue, but why am I sad that I didn't attract her attention? The sight of her averting my eyes on the night we first met made me want to see her even more.

" Oi, see that guys. Sir. Aspen is thinking of a girl. " Lynette teased.

Everyone looked at me.

" Why's the long face? So, who was it, Sir? Care to share? " Rollo asked playfully.

" I'm sorry, I was thinking of something else but that. " I lied.

" Really? Doesn't really look like it to me. " Randal countered while sipping his tea.

" Guys, I think you misunderstood. He's not, you know. " Dannet interrupted.

" He's not what? " Lynette asked.

" Straight " Dannet replied without hesitation.

He said what? Goddammit Dannet.

Now they're looking at me as if they've offended me.

" Guys, it's not ----"

" Oh my god, Aspen. You didn't tell me." Rollo said. Worried.

" Welcome Aspen. You can tell us about your troubles. Don't worry. " Lynette encouraged.

" I'm also here. " Sten volunteered.

We fixed our gaze on him. That was not anything I expected him to say. With them there, it was a boisterous lunch. I had no idea I'd be spending so much time with them. It's difficult not to associate with them, especially when Randal and Dannet are around. They'd be devoted to you and track you down wherever you are.

Lunch is almost done, and we're making our way back to our offices down the hall. Cleraine approached us. Dannet rushed up to her and slammed onto her.

" I miss you darling. You're not so sociable these past few days. You busy? Where'd you off to? " Dannet annoyingly asked her.

" I'm going to Holst estates. I need to talk to the Holst's head. " she replied.

" Why? Is this regarding to the knights being deployed to their district?" Wyliame asked.

" Kind of. " she hesitated opening the topic.

" I'll take you there, Dame Cleraine. " Sten volunteered.

" No. You need to take care of the documents I left in the office. "

" Come to think of it, Zane's not here. " Lynette stated.

" He needed to take care of the matters personally so he went yesterday to their estate. "

" That's sad. Well, we'll have a party when he comes back." Rollo eased the atmosphere.

" Yeah. We'll do that. But first, I need to go now. See you later. " Raine left.

We didn't discuss it at all. We proceeded to our desks in silence. After the office was closed, we went our own ways. For a few days, we didn't actually hang around. We could only eat lunch together, following which we would work and go home. Raine was completely uninterested in me at all times. She continued to ignore and avoid me. It's funny since she was always the center of my attention. She would always catch me gazing at her, which annoyed me since I wouldn't look away even if she caught me.

Waiting for them, I'm drinking in a pub. It's the weekend. I look like I'm desperate which I am not. We have no justification for refusing a call from Dannet now that Zane has returned from his family's estate two days ago. Dannet invited us here, but I arrived much too early. Seems like I am way too much excited for beer huh. We should all gather two hours after the scheduled time. I was approached by a woman.

" Hey, you're that guy who keeps staring at her. " she said.

" Yeah? " Who's her?

" I didn't expect seeing you here alone. What's the matter ? "

" Nothing. Just got the wrong memo, I guess. "

" I don't think so. " she sips the rum on her glass.

" Think whatever you want"

" Don't get too annoyed easily. You'll spoil the atmosphere. "

I looked at her. " I don't mind. "

She scoffs. " I know you're waiting for her. She's here. " she left.

Raine was entering the pub as I looked at the front door. She had not noticed me. She walked right over to the couch in the far corner. She didn't eat anything and didn't do anything. She was just sitting there, minding her own business. She's arrived far too early for the gathering. Could she be on the lookout for someone? Zane came in less than a minute. I looked away from them so they wouldn't notice me. I looked over my shoulder. I noticed Zane approaching her. He took a seat next to her. They were discussing something. They were both laughing. They appeared to be close. Dannet then entered. He wrapped his arms around Raine and embraced her so tightly. Raine was gasping for oxygen while Zane was laughing. I got up and walked up to them. Dannet greeted me like he always does. Raine's grin faded with time. Zane gave me a gentle smile.

What did I expect though?

I took a seat next to Dannet. Zane went to grab us beers from the counter. Dannet drew nearer to me. He took a whiff of me.

" Oh crap Aspen. I didn't know you're hard on liqour. " he jest.

Raine didn't seem to mind me. She's purposefully giving me the impression that she doesn't care.

" Ah. I had a couple of drinks before I got here ." I explained, I forcefully smiled.

" Is that so? You've had drink with someone, eh?" he's kind of nosy.

" Nop. Not really."

Zane returned with the ales and placed them on our table. I was going to take the cupon the far left but Raine took it first, so I took the other. It's really inconvenient for me. My face feels like it's on fire. I'm hoping it doesn't show, really. I'm attempting to maintain my composure, but Dannet keeps chatting and attempting to engage me in a conversation with Raine. Raine is plainly uninterested and just responds with a few words. Man. Dannet can't sense it and keep blabbering. Raine rose and proceeded to the restroom.

" Sir. Aspen, can I call you casually? " Zane asked. He was hesitant to speak with me.

" Yeah sure. When we're not in the office you can just call me by my name."

" Thanks. By the way, you sure not a talker, are you?"

" Maybe. "

" It's showing the way you just listen and don't really engage in a conversation with Dannet and Raine. "

Of course, he noticed.

" Yeah. You don't really talk that much." Dannet agreed. He's pouting. " Don't worry. We needed listeners in our group so you, Sten and Zane are the listeners. "

" Ah. That's good to hear. "

" Or are you intimidated by Raine? " Zane asked.

Dannet looked at me. He's waiting for my response.

" Kinda. Raine doesn't really look friendly to me. But I guess it's just normal. " I explained.

" Yeah. I agreed. " Dannet admitted.

" You don't look like someone approachable too, Lord Knight Commander. " Raine said from behind.

We shut our mouths. Thinking she actually heard that.

" Zane, wanna share this cake with me?" she offered him the food.

Dannet and I looked at both of them.

" Go get your own" she said with her brow slightly raised.

We didn't say anything after that. She's ignoring us two on purpose. Dannet is trying to catch her attention but she pays no attention. Lynette, Wyliame and Randal arrived. Dannet kept pestering Raine to accept his apology. Sten and Rollo arrived together later.

"Ah. Always the couple of the group." Zane announced.

" Go get your own girlfriend Z so you won't get jelly. " Rollo teased.

Everyone is having a good time. There have been tales and stories recounted. Dannet is always the group's talker, followed by Randal, the blackmailer. Every time a gathering like this occurs, he brought his photograph. Raine is becoming tipsy as Lynette continues to pour her drink. Wyl is waving his hands in the air, while Zane is cheering. The majority of them are unquestionably inebriated. Rollo is becoming irritable with Sten, who is attempting to dissuade him from being so attached. It's already two o'clock in the morning. Sten and Rollo called it a night early. Raine had fallen asleep in her seat. Zane and Wyliame are singing together. Lynette was picked up by her girlfriend a few minutes ago, so she went ahead. Dannet hasn't stopped drinking his ale. I switched seats and sat next to Raine. She's soundly dozing off. Randal is engrossed in flirting with the ladies at the next table. They make such a racket. Raine was startled by the noise. I feigned to sip the ale that was there in front of me. Raine rose and proceeded to the restroom. Her trousers had an unusual hue to them, which I noted. On her way to the restroom, I followed her. I waited outside because she had already gone into the ladies room. I tried to stop her and grab her hand as she walked away. I took another look at it. It was on her right knee's top, but it had vanished.

" Let go " she commanded.

I let her hand go.

" I thought I told you to stay away from me. " she looked at me with a cold stare. " Stay away"

She then abandoned me. To get some fresh air, I stepped outside the tavern. She left after a few moments. We had both noticed each other. I followed her despite her attempts to avoid me. I attempted to reach out to her, but her hand kept slipping away. I attempted to call her again, but she stopped.

" What do you want? " she barked.

" I-- I do not know. "

" You do not know? You think this is amusing for you? "

" I'm sorry. I ju--- " before I finished, she slapped me on my face.

" You're not sorry and stop showing your face in front of me. "

She turned his back on me. I can see she's walking away from me.

" I ----- I'm sorry." I stuttered.

She stopped as soon as she heard it. She stared at me. She didn't say anything. She just stood there. I ran to her and hugged her.

" I'm sorry. "

She pushed me away. Her gaze is as cold as ice with a hint of resent.

" You're one of 'em rebels, aren't you? "

I was taken aback by what she said.

" Was it on purpose that you wind up in my house just to give yourself a reason to kill me? "

" You're quiet. What? Am I right?"

She sighed and scoffs. She got closer to me.

" This is my last warning. Get near me again and I won't hesitate to kill you." she whispered.

I watched her leave. I was left alone in the empty streets.

I sighed.

It's cold.

I went to grab my coat from the tavern. That night, I didn't speak to anyone and just walked where my feet led me.

The following morning. I'm suffering from a severe hangover and am unable to think clearly. That night, I never told anybody about what occurred to me. It's not that I can't talk to anyone about it; it's just that I don't want to. I heard a flurry of activity in the corridors. I got to my feet and looked around to see what was going on. Outside the building, I noticed knights. People are making their way to the park from the street. The police are attempting to quiet the crowd. Outside, there are units and patrol cars. I visited the park. At the middle, people are squeezing in. When I could see what was happening on clearly. The park's tower was covered in blood. A guy is hanged without arms, legs, or a head with a crown around his neck at the top. There are letters written beneath it:

This is your future.

Underneath it has an initial saying:

Rebels

One of the residents let out a cry. Fearful screams and cries may be heard. Everything is in disarray.

It's a sign for revolution.

A man shouted from behind.

" Make way for the Grand General!"

People whispered and sneered. It's strange how quickly their focus shifts from one victim to the next. Raine is walking towards the monument where the guy was hanged, where knights have gathered. With her hair wrapped up in a bun, her pale skin shines out. Her gaze was unwavering. Her looks are more fitting of that of a royalty. There isn't a trace of dread or revulsion in it. She stared at me, which surprised me, and I couldn't take my gaze away. I really wanted to, but I'm afraid I won't be able to. I suddenly remembered what had happened the night before, and I tried to avoid looking at her.

" I came here to check what was the commotion. It seems that we have a serious problem coming our way." I quickly said as she looked at the man.

" Yes. Definitely. This is a major problem. The messengers are on their way to inform the royal family." She said.

She's acting as if nothing occurred the night before.

" Morning, Grand General. " a police officer greeted her.

" Morning, " She replied.

The police officer looked at me.

" Morning, Lord Knight Commander."

" Morning, Sergeant Dash. "

" What time does the body discovered? Where there any suspicious man walking out of the perimeter?" She asked.

" Unfortunately we could not identify yet what time the man has died but it was discovered by a newspaper delivery boy around 5:30 in the morning. We are still searching the perimeter for any weapons used or anything suspicious."

" Hand me directly the copy of the report for this. "

" Yes, Dame."

The knights assisted the police in securing the area and preventing the public from entering the crime site. Everyone is occupied. The number of knights stationed at Bellton has risen. Some knights congregated at the training area for patrol, particularly in the nighttime. The curfew hours are being enforced more strictly by the police. I guess no more pub time after work, too bad for Dannet. I quickly looked through all of the documents on my desk. The majority of them are crimes that have occurred outside of the city in recent months. All of the crimes were robberies and murders. When I went to pick up the other papers, an envelope dropped from the stack. The House Gruffyd ducal crest appears on the envelope. The crest of the Red Lion. I hastily rushed to Raine's office, thinking I had a cause to visit her. Sten was the only one present, much to my dismay. She traveled halfway back to Aflaria to the Roln city in Kroni to see the Crown Prince. Because she'll be a long way from Kroni, I'll be awaiting her return for days. The monarch personally issued an order for the crown prince to return.

I haven't heard anything about the crown prince or the grand general's homecoming in two days. I'm becoming irritated and concerned. I've been constantly monitoring the 6th and 9th districts. Even while the inhabitants go about their daily routines, they can't help but feel nervous and suspicious because there are more knights in the street than usual. The disctricts' every nook and cranny have been examined. The city boundary and the 14th district were to be checked by Knight Captain Dannet Boid and Knight Commander Randal Navarro. I returned to the Crest Knights Headquarters to report to the Grand Cordon immediately. I heard them conversing inside his office as I was going to knock on the door. I didn't hesitate to knock on the door when their conversation became heated.

" This is Lord Knight Commander Aspen Grenville. " I announced.

" Come in, Sir. Aspen." the grand cordon commanded.

When I opened the door, they were gazing at me, as if I had interrupted their intense argument.

" I have come to report about the 6th district to 9th district patrol, Sir. "

" What of it? " he asked.

" We found a sewer passage ways that lead out of the city, Sir. " I reported.

" And? "

" No signs of rebels in that sewer, Sir. But it is a potential passage ways to get in and out of the city undetected. "

" Thank you for your report Lord Knight Commander Grenville. "

A knight burst in the door just as I was about to say something.

" My apologies sir but the convoy of the crown prince is on its way to the border. They request for back-up at the border. " he said as he's catching he's breath.

" Back-up, you say ? What's happening?" He asked.

" The convoy are being hunted by the bandits outside the border, Sir. The grand general and her knights are making way for the prince to get inside the city first. " he explained.

" Deploy the knights to the border. Kill every bandits that goes near the border." he commanded.

I walked up to the stables and snatched up a horse.

Please be safe Raine.

When I arrived, the walkway was clogged with people. I overheard their scared gasps and some relieved breaths. Raine's armour was covered with blood. The commander grand cross is tending to the crown prince beside her. I jumped from my horse as quickly as I could. Only a few knights survived the journey. The majority of them were hurt. Randal was standing behind me when I noticed him.

" Grand General, I have your horse. " he handed the lead to Raine.

" Grand General, you must retire for the day. Thank you for making it back alive. " the crown prince said as he left the border and headed to the Bellton with the rest of the high knights.

Raine mounts her steed. Randal had noticed me. As I walked by them, he bowed. At the crest of the border, Sten and Wyliame were waiting. When I asked them what really happened, they stated they were a little late and only witnessed a little portion of it. They said, as they approach the gate, the crown prince was almost slain, and that Raine used her body to deflect an arrow from a bandit. She was fortunate that the arrow was deflected by the armour. Raine was knocked to the ground and abandoned, but the prince returned to find her. She and the prince arrived safely at the entrance.

All of the knights were summoned to the Crest Knight Headquarters the next day. Dannet was nervous in the corner, which I saw. The assembly process has yet to begin. The royal family had summoned all of the knights to this location to make an important news. I approached Randal and inquired about Raine's whereabouts from the previous day. Raine had no injuries, he claimed, and she insisted she was well. Dannet grabbed Randal's shoulder.

" Are you sure ? She got blood all over her yesterday. " he asked. Troubled.

" You know her Dan. She would always say she's fine even if she isn't. " he replied.

After that, we didn't say anything. We're already anticipating what will occur both within and outside the city. Then a knight appeared and spoke with his group of knights who were standing nearby.

" Have you heard what happened yesterday? " the knight said in a low voice. His fellow knights shrugged.

" I have heard from one of the knights that were injured yesterday, Grand General did it again. She came back bloody yesterday, right? They say she rarely go to battlefield but once she does, it'll be a sure loss for the opposing side. They say that's the reason why the king and queen favored her so much. Her skills in the battlefield is undeniably good that's why the rest of the high knights hate her because they are threatened by her existence. "

" Given by how she protected the Crown Prince with just ten knights. She's remarkably lusting for blood at such a young age." said by the skinny knight.

" They say she was discovered by merely at ten years old when she killed assasins with a sword at the palace who tried assasinating the princes." they were shocked by what they heard.

" I thought it was just a mere legend. I didn't know she was that girl back then. She's fearless. "

" That's actually her ticket to get into knighthood. The king was so fond of her and she became one of the promising candidate bride for the crown prince. " the blonde one said.

" The crown prince is so lucky to have her. She's smart, skillful, come from a ducal house and beautiful. What more you're looking for a woman? "

" Yeah but I heard one of them fell out of love of each other that's why they broke off the engagement. " the chubby one said.

" That's too bad." the other one agreed.

" Yeah, that's too bad for gossiping about the grand general's personal life." Wyliame interrupted.

They were taken aback by the abrupt interruption. They saluted swiftly and clumsily stood. Dannet averted his gaze from the knights.