IV. The Impact of Her

~ Thirty-Eight ~

The eyes of each soldier widened in horror, especially the captain.

I shouldn't have to suggest this in the first place. As the heir to a kingdom, I was to be protected and surrounded by soldiers at all costs. However, if we remained here and argued endlessly, we wouldn't be able to leave this place.

As much as I was supposed to be protected, I should assure them that all would be well. If I stayed at the back, they wouldn't proceed. The sight of the tunnel's mouth already scared them.

What more if we ventured further into the dark, shadow-covered path?

Without another word, I headed towards the entrance.

"Your Highness," the captain called as he ran up to me. Blocking the tunnel, he protested, "You shouldn't be at the front. It is too dangerous for you."

"A king stands at the front line, leading his soldiers to battle. As future king, shouldn't I do the same?" I asked.

The captain replied, "You're only a prince at the moment, Your Highness. Your position is too fragile." He continued, "At the same time, we don't know what lurks inside the tunnel. It is best that you remain at the back, where you can be surrounded."

I moved closer to him and lowered my voice, "Look at your men, Captain." We briefly looked over to the shaken soldiers. "Their eyes say it all: they are too terrified to proceed. Are we going to disregard their emotions for the sake of the rules?" I continued.

The captain took a moment and observed his men. He turned back to me, unsure of what to do.

With a reassuring smile, I held onto the captain's shoulder. "Just stay close to me, Captain. If you do that, everything will be fine," said I.

In my opinion, as long as the captain was within my reach, I didn't have anything to fear. James trusted him for years. And I trusted him ever since the incident at the Sea of Gliss. He hasn't failed James and he hasn't failed me.

The captain nodded and returned to his men. "Everybody, listen," he started, which caught the soldiers' attention, "His Highness has decided to walk at the front. According to His Majesty, that is against the rules and his instructions. However, His Highness cares more for your morale. Therefore, we will have a new formation."

To the younger soldiers, the captain instructed, "The five of you, walk with His Highness at the front. I will stay right behind you with the others." To the older ones, he said, "You are all responsible for our tail's fortification. You are to fend off any surprise attacks from behind. Therefore, always be on your guard."

All the soldiers nodded in agreement. The five younger soldiers walked up to me. Three of them positioned themselves in front of me whilst the remaining two stayed by my two sides.

Once everyone was in position, we trekked the path with caution.

~*~*~*~

The temperature dropped the very moment we entered the dark tunnel.

And it only got colder as we went further.

Our hands never left our swords. Our eyes were set on one thing and one thing alone: the not-so distant exit of this dreadful place. The faint light on the other end of this darkness reassured us enough to proceed.

Faint groaning and moaning slowly echoed all around us. We all came to a halt as we tried to figure out what made those noises. And it only got louder by the second, which caused the horses to panic.

But, thankfully, Wonder remained emotionless.

With keen eyes, I searched my surroundings. But there was nothing but darkness that stretched from one side to another. And the mist didn't help. It grew thicker by the minute.