In the afternoon, a well-known person visited the humble camp. They stayed in the strategic planning quarters for a long time before coming outside. Then, the visitor was led to the raised platform in the middle of the tents.
Sanjiv was one of the generals who escorted the visitor.
Selene saw them line up behind the visitor, which upon closer inspection, turned out to be someone she knew.
The smirk on his face was too hard to ignore, especially when his eyes met with hers.
'Prince Damian?'
She momentarily panicked, but she never showed it on her face. It remained aloof and devoid of any flickers of emotion, which only made Prince Damian slightly irritated at her lack of reaction.
He opened his curvy lips and Selene braced for the incoming piece of bullshit that he might spat out to the wide-eyed knights standing in rows of lines before him.
"Greetings, valiant heroes. I am the Second Prince, Prince Damian Cole del Fuego, heir to the throne... And I come to you today to encourage you..."
He opened his arms in a welcoming manner, his face full of confidence.
"... To fight and annihilate the evildoers of the north!"
His hands turned into fists as he punched the air, stirring patriotic feelings among the soldiers. Someone in the crowd screamed his name and a few others followed.
The prince gestured for them to keep it down as he resumed his speech.
"We fight for the rights of those who have been abused! We fight for the safety of our families back home and we fight for the empire!"
His tune lowered for a bit as he took a deep breath.
"These evildoers are transforming innocent common folk into monsters, awakening them through unnatural means. Thus, disrespecting the authority of the known elements! That is not magic! Do you know what it is?"
A woman from the crowd answered. "Witchcraft!"
The prince gently shook his head.
"Not quite..."
Then Felice, who stood silently beside her, opened her mouth.
"Dark Arts."
The prince smiled. "Yes, Dark Arts. Practiced by the Zeldians who once invaded our empire and killed countless! Millions of innocent lives! But... we prevailed! We prevailed in the past and we will prevail now!"
The soldiers were once again chanting his name, the calm and collected Felice joined the fray. Everyone was fired up with the Prince's words except for a certain woman.
Selene must admit, he was quite good with boosting the morale of the soldiers. But, she knew better.
The second prince was a power-hungry man living in the shadows of the first prince. He wanted the throne for himself.
Who knows what kind of abusive acts he committed that these soldiers didn't know about?
Selene Rosseficent's journal mentioned him several times and the weird things he made her do.
She will never feel any kind of reverence towards that person.
---
After the prince's speech, the soldiers became busy, running around and putting on their battle suits. Wagons hovered all over the camp as they prepared for war. Projectiles and all sorts of weapons were distributed among the soldiers.
YOU ARE READING
Grapevine (Zetheria Series #1)
FantasySelene Rosseficent was ridiculed for being a mage who can't cast a single spell. When the college student Selene wakes up in her body, her magic awakened.
