Piper

Trinopolis.

The city of wonder, the city that floated on water, the epitome of human marvels, every traveller's foremost desire, birth place of the Domins of the first Lord.

Of course she wanted to see it. If even an eighth of the tales proved to be true, it would all be worth it. Had Dragrin, the God of travellers, been humble enough, Piper would have decided to choose an altogether more forgiving set of conditions to travel there. Although she did not have any lavish dreams like travelling in palanquins or some such luxury; she had simply wished for travelling on her own terms, at her own pace, rather than as a squire cum prisoner.

Their travel was at a moderate pace, neither too fast nor too slow. Glinrin, the great General, maintained that pace well. But there was one thing about him that Piper did not appreciate.

Why the fuck is he always in his armour? Does he loves it so much or does he think I will murder him? Seems that the latter sounds more logical.

And that was a disturbing thought. She did not want to be seen as a murderer, when she wasn't one. She hadn't seen him without armour at all. He went in his tent at night and come out in the morning still fully armoured.

Don't tell me he has his armour on, when he fucks his wife.

His men didn't seem to mind any of it. But the better part was they didn't mind her either. No one as much as batted an eye at her. The sweaty shorty (whose name Piper had cared not to remember) had tried to kept sufficient distance too. She didn't imagine the General's small reprimand to have such an impact, at the same time she wasn't astonished either, looking at how disciplined his warriors were. With Glinrin around a heavy atmosphere surrounded them, almost as if he gave out an aura.

Maybe that is because they actually respect him, unlike most leaders who rule using power alone.

Her theory was further proven correct by the fact that she rarely saw Glinrin punish anyone. Simple verbal reprimands were enough to put the offender in place; not that there were many offenders. And ever since they had left the Capital, (it had already been a week by then) not a single soldier had as much as disobeyed him. What was more surprising was the fact that five of the men were high ranking alchemists. This had been a rare sight for her, as she had only seen alchemists filled to the brim with pride. That and wealth. Stealing the latter gave Piper great satisfaction as it crushed the former. She smirked at the thought.

So either these five Ogreheads lack pride, which goes against my experience, or they actually respect or look up to Glinrin.

All this seemed to have but little impact on the General. She would have said he was lost in a world of his own in usual cases, but her intuition led her otherwise. Glinrin was too much into the world, more than she or any of the warriors were, if such a thing existed. Piper always thought she could read people well, but even her gift led to no answers when she tried to read what Glinrin was thinking.

The best part of the journey remained when they entered any town or city. They received some kingly reception, free food and lodging anywhere they pleased. Even a mere squire was received with hospitality. Piper failed to understand why some of the men were discussing about lack of comfort and reduction in service than they had travelled thence.

But unfortunately then they did not pass many towns, most of the journey was through forests and valleys. Piper knew had a vague idea about this path. It was a part of her skill set, to study geography of a land well, and she had a knack for maps. By the age of eight, she knew all the names of major towns and cities and could locate them on a map while while most kids her age could barely spell the names of their own town. She would never forget the place she had once been to. And this path they had chosen wasn't any travellers' favorite. No mention of it would be made in most guides, for it was lacking in comfort of inns and roadside towns, and home to vagabonds. The only reason she wasn't worried was that she was travelling among a very strong platoon, possibly strongest.

Talk about moderate secrecy or some such?

The current forest of Grumville (which was the name if she correctly recalled), was the one she would have taken special care to avoid; even though it was a short pass to Trinopolis. These woods were infested with hill tribes, notorious for robbing anyone who conjured up the courage to show their face in here. There were reported cases of murders as well. And as the soldiers knew not the topography well, the King found the expedition to drive the hill tribes out, an expensive proposition. Moreover, they spoke a different tongue, no reasoning or truce could be settled for.

Apparently, they dare not mess with Glinrin, his fame must be widespread. And who the fuck named the forest 'Grumville'? What sort of name is that? What to tell people if I get out of here alive? 'I just passed the forest of Grumville safely'. A name like Grimville would suit it more and give an intense feel.

But all mockery met dust, when a single arrow came flying at Glinrin.