*the next day*
{HIKARI'S POV}
I've been a bit wheezy lately, so I stop by the pharmacy to check in on the pharmacists and also refill my medicine.

"Here." Lady Satoko Kirigawa says kindly, handing me the medicine I take to help me breathe.

The lady of Tai just ground up three dried wuviry leaves for me, after refusing my offer to help. I accept the small stone plate of powder from Lord Zetsu's wife, current head of the Taj pharmacy. She has the same passion for medicinal plants as my aunt.

"Thank you." I cough.

I hold the stone plate up to my mouth and inhale sharply. This is the best way to get the medicine directly to my lungs. Ground wuviry helps to open my lungs and makes it easier to breathe.

My lungs are especially sensitive today. I've been working myself too hard for the past few hours. First, there was the attack on the West Wall. I cough again.

Luckily, it went catastrophically bad for the Cojacan army. It was a stealth attack so they wore leather armor, lest the sound clinking metal give them away. Once their cover was blown by Jun, they were easy pickings for our archers.

The remaining Cojacan army withdrew, only to attack again in the morning light.

This time, they wore metal armor and even managed to prop a ladder against the wall. It would be bad if the enemy managed to breach the wall, so the ladder was doused with oil and lit aflame.

The ones who were climbing the ladder also burned. I wasn't there, but many people have reported to the pharmacy with intense nausea and even a fear of open flames. They use candles to sterilize needles in the medicine tent; the smell apparently caused multiple panic attacks. I cough.

It's been decided that we will no longer use this method to deal with ladders. The face-saving reason is that it was a waste of oil. It took more time to push the enemy back a second time, leaving several Clarines soldiers wounded by return fire.

One man was struck by an arrow and fell off the wall. He landed on his head and died before he made it to the pharmacy. I cough twice.

The army finally withdrew from the West Wall, but the East Gate was almost immediately assaulted by a small contingent of Cojacan soldiers.

They were lying in wait on the Menadian side of the border and attacked during shift change, so the watchers didn't even notice until we could see the whites of their eyes. I cough.

The Taj knight circle managed to take care of the intruders using the high ground advantage. They rained arrows down upon the attacking army.

Thankfully, only a couple of our knights sustained moderate injuries. There were no deaths on Clarines' side. Notably, none of the enemies fled. They kept attacking until every last man was wiped out.

General Isamu was on the East Gate, and he noted how they used actual seize warfare tactics, such as a battering ram to try and open the gate. They seem to have a higher level of combat training.

I've been running around, giving orders and helping the gophers run supplies back and forth between the West Wall and the East Gate. I cough.

Now we have a serious issue.

"Half the fortress's supply of arrows, used in two days and one night's worth of attacks. We won't last a week at this rate." General Isamu reports.

I can only respond with a cough.

These first attacks were qualifiers to the main event. Small contingents of soldiers sent to test the strength of the wall. When the main attack comes, surely they'll continue to throw soldiers at us until one side is wiped out, using catapults to break down the wall and ladders to climb it. Anything to get up and over our main defense and remove our advantage.

This fortress mainly has swordsmen. Which is fine for breaking up occasional border skirmishes and hunting down small bandit groups threatening the peace, but inadequate for defending a wall from above. Swords will only help in short-range combat.

When it comes to that point, we must be prepared to lose, as outnumbered and outmatched as we are. My throat is dry. I cough twice.

Everyone who isn't actively fighting to protect the borders will be making weapons. Most make stone-tipped arrows and build catapults of our own.

I hate to draft ordinary people into a war when they're already confused and anxious, but we need help from the citizens of Tai to stand a chance.

Others make stone spears with wooden shafts that can be launched at the enemy, while some gather stones for the slingshots. Any weapon is useful.

Lady Satoko and Jun Kirigawa are essential. Medicine is needed to help the soldiers we do have stay healthy. The lady of Tai has already taken several apprentices to ensure that the injured don't die from their injuries. I cough.

They've even begun to grow a herb garden, so we don't run out of medicine in the long run.

Meanwhile, Jun's flash arrow was brilliant, creating chaos in the ranks of the attacking army. He has several more ideas for weapons that may be the difference between victory and death.

I cough. It seems Jun plots with many of the children of Tai. They follow the future lord, along with General Isamu's son Ren, and help him with his experiments. A natural-born young leader.

My lungs seize inside my chest. They burn. The pain and lack of air makes my vision blur. I collapse to my knees. I cough and hack and wheeze.

"Princess!"

"Hikari-sama!"

Several knights run up to me, but I hold up a hand to make them halt.

Nothing can stop these acute exacerbations except rest and medicine. I hold a handkerchief up to my mouth and continue to cough. At least coughing means there's still airflow from my lungs. This means that my airways haven't closed entirely yet.

I wheeze, fumbling for the small pouch of wuviry powder I keep on me at all times. I should've stopped myself earlier. I knew I was overworking my body.

I thought I could handle it. I'm too weak.

The medicine makes breathing a little easier. I pull myself to my feet, refusing assistance, and stumble to my room. I lock the door behind me. A princess—a leader—shouldn't appear so pathetic.

I fall onto my bed and curl into a ball. I shiver, but my forehead feels hot. I've worked myself sick. I cough weakly, my lungs too exhausted from the fit earlier that I can barely heave. Brilliant.

A knock on the door. "Hikari-sama? It's Satoko. The guards called me here."

"I'm alright." I lie, my voice hoarse from my hacking fit. "When this happens, my lungs are more susceptible to the illnesses that others breathe out. It's better if I stay alone. Tell Lord Zetsu that I leave the defense of Taj to him until I've healed."

This is why I hate getting sick. Not only am I useless now, I always have to isolate myself like this.

"Being alone while you're sick is never better, but I digress." Lady Satoko says softly. I hear footsteps fade as she leaves me on my own.

I pull my blankets around my shoulders and sit in darkness. It usually takes me a week to feel well again. It's going to be a long seven days.