LOST

Chapter 17- Sparring

Celestine

I woke to the scent of mildew and fresh air; something I didn't have in a long time. I breathed the scent again and again until I was certain that it wasn't a dream. I opened my eyes and bright light pierced through my vision. My eyes adjusted. The opening of my tent was flapping randomly along with the wind. I could see green beyond it. I rolled off my mattress and folded my quilts.

The tent I had been allotted was airy and had a lot of space, although, it wasn't adequately distributed with the furnishing. There was a small wooden stall along the very end for bathing and just beside it was another small cubicle for the toilet. There was a rack on the other side of the tent and I was sure that it had been used to keep weaponry. Although, that was none of my concern because I had no idea how to lift a blade; let alone wield one.

 I still stood in my gown from the Erini so I didn't have to change before heading out of the tent. That, and the fact that I had no idea where my clothes were or that I even had any. As soon as I walked out of my tent, my vision was gifted with a beautiful lush, green view of the plains that we were camping on. The grass shone with tiny water droplets, and it looked as though a sea of glitter had been poured over it. I was certain, based on the musky scent of the air and the wetness of the grass that it had rained. I sighed.

"Good morning, Princess," a deep voice said. A smile lit up my face.

"Good morning, Hudson," I said, turning around to face the young commander.

His eyes showed his tiredness but he looked as fresh as ever. His blue eyes shone brighter because of the contrasting green of the land and the morning light softened the hard lines of his face.

"You look tired," I commented before I could stop myself.

Hudson smiled.

"Yeah," he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I had been talking with the Princes."

"So you didn't get any sleep?" I squeaked.

"No," he said, his voice gruff.

"Can I ask you something?" I said, my eyes darting across the other tents near me. Not many people were in sight. However, I could spot some commotion in the dune region. I dragged my gaze back to Hudson.

"How did you manage to turn the Kythians against their kind?" I asked. "How did you build an army?"

"That, my love, is a story for another day," he said with a wink.

I frowned. The idea that a man single-handedly turned an entire army against its nation was beyond me.

"All the others agreed to train for the initial trials," Hudson said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Are you in?"

I thought to myself. Seeing how tightly woven the people of the Yure camp were, my first instinct was to say yes. But I had to consider everything. It was dangerous and reckless and I was never meant for this kind of lifestyle. I was meant to sit in court, bat my eyelashes at suitors and try to administer the country. But now that I thought about it, I couldn't sit back. I couldn't just wait and watch while others protected me and my country.

"I'll do it," I said confidently. Hudson smiled and it was a smile too big for his face.

"I had a feeling that you would say that," he said and tossed a beige-coloured garb at me. I was unfolding it when he turned and started walking away.

"Meet me at the dunes in five minutes, love," he said. "And wear the uniform."

I fingered the garb which he'd called 'uniform' and sighed. It was greasy and I did not doubt that I wasn't the first person to wear it.