Princess of Victory - Guardians of Forewood [1]

Prologue

Day 20 of the Third Month, Year 1016

Naveland Public Cemetery, Nave Province, Forewood Kingdom

"Run, Victa, run!"

The young girl woke up with a gasp.

The graveyard in the afternoon was silent, with the sun shining from above. The young girl who looked no older than fifteen sat up from her place under the tree. She actually fell asleep in the middle of the graves.

She held her head and shook it lightly, if a bit sluggishly. She couldn't sleep well last night...

Slowly getting up, her gaze fell upon the graves beside her, on the red carnation flowers that she had put upon them. Small sky-blue butterfly flew from one flower to the other on the grave next to it.

"I'm sorry," she whispered to the butterfly, or the flowers, or maybe the graves.

There was no one else in the graveyard—the Winterfell, where most people had enough free time to visit the dead, was a few months ago. It wasn't like she didn't want to visit them during Winterfell holiday. But during those times, the graveyard would be crowded with hundreds of different families visiting their dead, and she couldn't go out as freely, with million diverse obligations waiting for her.

The afternoon sun stung her skin like a bee. She tidied her leather outfit that was dirtied by the ground—the tree bark she was leaning on left some mark on her back. Some of it even got into her brown hair, dirtying it. Sighing, she brushed them all off.

The winter was coming on its end, in the next few weeks—the only reason she didn't die freezing. She fastened her leather jacket and made sure it was now clean. There was no need to be scolded later.

What else? Ah, yes, her weapon... Ever since the Lirsk Uprising happened a decade ago, the monarch decided to reestablish the ancient martial law. Said law stated that everyone, no matter the status or gender, had to learn at least basic martial arts and weaponry. Therefore, it wasn't weird seeing a young girl with a sword on her waist. She preferred bow and arrows, but it wasn't convenient to fend off attacker at close combat, so a sword would do.

After making sure her sword was still by her waist, she started her trek out of the graveyard. Naveland Public Cemetery was located just outside the City, a place where commoners rested their loved ones. As a result, it was rather huge.

Thankfully, her white horse stood guard in a crossroads between graves. "Snowflakes," she greeted it with a rub on its mane. "Thank Goddess you're here to accompany me."

The horse replied with a whine.

Laughing, she mounted it with ease that came from years of practice. She had always mastered things easily when she put her mind into it. Perhaps it was because she was trained from a young age for a position in the military—one she finally succeeded last year, when she came of age.

Snowflakes trekked upon the snowy ground carefully, and after they were out of the cemetery, it finally sped up. The girl laughed and let it ran as it liked. They were still outside of the city, after all. There were barely any people here.

Although, once she entered the Capital City of Naveland, she pulled the horse's rein. Snowflakes understood and slowed down its pace, entering the gate of Naveland easily. In the afternoon, there weren't many people on the street, after all. Many of them were resting and eating in restaurants, or better yet, staying home.

The Capital Guards who were guarding the gate that time happened to recognize her, and let her in with surprise on his face. After she led her horse trotting in, she noticed he went into the guard tower—to report, most likely. Her lips twitched with the beginning of a smile.