Avalyne Empire Stories

9th Story - Coachman

Honestly, I never thought I'd still be alive.

I sighed as I laid on my back, the chilly but gentle autumn breeze tousling my too-long hair. The blades of grass around me rustled quietly as if asleep, and for one tranquil moment, the world seemed to stay still. It was surreal to think that I was still here, but even more incredible was the fact that I'd gone unharmed during the entirety of our journey.

I suppose I wasn't really much of a priority for our enemies though, seeing as I was nothing more than a driver. Even if I perished, the knights could probably take over easily. In fact, that was exactly what the foreign knight, Sir Riku, had done during our daring escape from Helfried's returning garrison of cavalry.

A single arrow from any one of their archers would've immediately spelled my doom, but all their shots had miraculously missed me or had been intercepted by Lady Castellia's own. Honestly, when I first saw her as we prepared to depart from the academy, I'd been skeptical of her abilities. I mean, she was dressed in simple clothes that made it easy for her to move around, had broader shoulders than the usual dainty nobles I'd come across, and had a bow slung across her back, but in the end she was still a noblewoman.

Never did I expect her to shoot with such skill and speed that even knights would struggle to compete. Well, not that I would know, of course. I was nothing more than a simple man-at-arms trying to do my best for my family back home. Despite the action-packed journey I'd experienced, my greatest regret remains the same as it was before we departed. My only wish was to be dispatched as Lady Rosaline and Dame Leticia's coachman, not because I favored them over Lady Castellia and Dame Medrauta, but solely because of their destination.

Although we were by no means impoverished, I was still a commoner, and the same went for my family. We were a family of three. Me, my wife, and my daughter. We all led peaceful and fulfilling lives, and just next year, my daughter would be entering the duchy's premier scholar academy. She'd even earned a scholarship! Unfortunately, history decided to throw us onto a different path. The first thing I wanted to do after hearing of the civil war's breakout in Avimorne duchy was to immediately rush home and confirm my family's safety, but I couldn't do that. Not when I had a responsibility to serve in Avalyne Academy's regular garrison.

Still, I couldn't believe my ears when I was first briefed of the empire's precarious situation. Three of four duchies were refusing to send reinforcements to the north for some reason, directly disregarding the emperor's command. Not only that, but civil war had broken out in Avimorne duchy. That alone was the most unbelievable part of it all. I was born in Rosenhall duchy, but chose to move south with my family after hearing about all the opportunities that Lady Scarlet had created for commoners in her duchy.

I'd thought they were exaggerated at first, but when I arrived, the difference between the Rosenhall dukedom and the Avimorne duchy was like night and day. As a commoner, the only thing I knew about Lady Scarlet was that high society regarded her as the "quintessential noblewoman" but never did I think that the education program and job prospects for commoners in her territory would be so refined compared to other places.

It was a dream come true, and I'd thought we'd finally found a place where we could flourish. For a while, that was what we did. Harvests were bountiful every year, the cost of living was low, and the duchy's army provided strong and steadfast protection against the beasts of the Mana Wastes that sometimes wandered close to the empire's southern borders. In fact, the duchy was so peaceful and well-maintained that a civil war never should have occurred.

That's why I'd gone to Dame Eirlys first thing in the morning that day, requesting to be assigned to the carriage heading southward. No matter what, I just had to confirm the situation for myself, and more importantly, I had to ascertain my family's safety. Perhaps the knight already knew this, but she'd assigned me to a different carriage instead, possibly out of concern for my personal feelings potentially jeopardizing the mission.