guard ━ nikolai lantsov

one

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐞
papa's goose farm

ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ

     𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐃 was loud tonight. Almost as if it was yelling at her, begging her to venture out into the world. Isella Vozenilek always had a craving for adventure. She wanted to witness and experience everything the world had to offer her. Maybe that's why she stayed in the army for so long. Maybe that's why she tried so hard to be the best and move up the ranks.    

Only the big boys got to do the fun things.

And she would find a way to be one of them.

But unfortunately, everything was on a pause right now. Her mother had just passed away and Isella did not like the idea of her father being heartbroken and all by himself. As big and buff as he was, Dimitri Vozenilek had a soft soul and heart. With the news, Isella had convinced her superiors to allow her to step out for a while— go home, help her father adjust and carry on his work for a month or two. She was well respected and well-liked by her commanders, so that wasn't much of an issue.

So here she was, in the living room of her childhood home, chatting with her father. 

They weren't necessarily the richest people in Ravka, but they also weren't poor. Her family owned a big farm and that kept them comfortable. To help maintain things, her father would also hire other people to work the land. And from there, they were able to make quite a living out of selling their produce and animals locally.

"How long has it been now Issy? 4 weeks?"

He took a sip from his cup before slowly rocking his chair.

Isella was seated on the ground near the fire place, sharpening one of her daggers. The other weapons were securely locked away in her room

"That sounds accurate papa."

"When do you need to go back? I don't want the others thinking you're slacking off because of me," he continued, "those jealous twats badmouth you any chance they get."

Isella could only smile up at him, "I won't leave until you forcibly kick me out. And as for those 'jealous twats', they can keep talking. You know it doesn't affect me."

"How is it that my little girl is still so sweet, hmm?"

This time he was the one smiling at her, "you have all the capabilities in the world to hurt them and put them in their place yet, here you are..... still the kind-hearted girl your mother used to show off to everyone."

"I think I inherited that soft nature from you." Isella laughed.

She missed her mother terribly. It was a sickness that took her. Her mother was no stranger to it as she had to fight it off twice. But no matter what her mother did, luck was never on her side as it just kept coming back into her body. This time around, she was too weak to drive it out again. Isella liked to believe she was fortunate to have a mother who didn't insist on marrying her off. Annikah Vozenilek supported Isella in everything. When Isella first expressed her dreams of becoming a fighter for the nation, her mother was the very first person to teach Isella how to shoot arrows at a target.