Chapter 9: Wolfe
I rode through the forest in pursuit of monsters, the Eisberk Cavalry Brigade following behind me.
I’d known Bern since she was a baby; we were childhood friends. I’d taught her how to ride, and the first dog I ever trained was her pup, Obli. Although I still addressed her somewhat formally, we were closer than that in reality.
I hadn’t thought highly of her when she was little, back when Elfenbein and I played together. Lil’ Bernstein was a spoiled, bratty, good-for-nothing crybaby as far as I was concerned. Then she learned to ride, joined us in our games. Her competitive nature made me see her in a new light. I found her persistent attitude endearing, even cute.
The lake incident was when I started feeling a special kind of way toward her. When Felzen flung his boomerang into the water and everyone had all but given up, she erected a bridge of ice to fetch it back. And get it back she did, in the end, although both she and Felzen ended up in the lake and were later admonished by their parents for their misuse of magic.
Bern’s powers blew me away. The ability to carve a path where there was none seemed nigh miraculous to me. The occasion may’ve led to our receiving a thorough scolding, but it also provided me with a clear sense of purpose: I swore to protect the paths she walked—and to walk the paths she chose—from that day forward.
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WE and the Knights Order were out on a monster hunt.
A forest and large river separated Eisberk and Neue Milchstrasse. The Eisberk Cavalry Brigade regularly patrolled the road leading into the royal capital. After noticing signs of increased monster activity over the past few days, we had employed the help of the Order.
Fevered calls to retreat echoed from deep within the forest. We rushed to the knights’ aid, picking off monsters along the way. The salamander let out an earthshaking roar as it breathed fire onto an ice barrier. Bern lay on the ground beside the barrier, a knight stretched over her. The sight filled me with rage.
A flurry of arrows rained down upon the salamander, resulting in a momentary distraction while I called for Bern’s support.
Soon her ice enveloped our arrows, reshaping them into something beautiful. Bern’s magic never failed to amaze me, no matter how many times I’d seen it in action. Her power was utterly beyond my reach, yet I couldn’t help but yearn for it and its wielder.
As wave after wave of glittering projectiles pierced its body, the salamander writhed in pain.
Gasping for air, the knight pulled himself off of Bern and nocked an arrow. I watched with bated breath as frost crept over its shiny, silver tip. This man holds great power. Great, beautiful power, much like Bern’s.
The arrow whizzed through the air, nailing the salamander right in the forehead and killing it instantly.
Bern drew the collapsed knight into her arms, desperately pleading for help. I hadn’t seen her so lose herself in years. The soldier had glistening golden hair, a face pretty even in its swollen state. Seeing Bern cradle the unfamiliar man sent a pang through my chest.
My breath caught when she told me he was Yuki’s owner. He was the man that had robbed Eisberk of its icy crown jewel, the man who’d dragged her off to military prep school thinking she was a boy. He was none other than Second Prince Sternchen von Milchstrasse.
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THE burns on his back required immediate medical attention. We transported him to the aid station, where, given the severity of his wounds and his royal status, a special tent had been prepared.
After observing Bern devotedly nurse him back to health, it didn’t take a wise man to realize he meant more to her than a random classmate. Bern, being Bern, might’ve done the same for just anyone, but her earlier freakout wasn’t normal. She had cried, cried for him.
I was jealous. Jealous of the man who preyed on Bern’s kindness, who feigned weakness to get in an extra touch or two, who lusted for her despite his belief that she was a man.
All that awaited her down that path was tragedy. She’d be free if she just returned to Eisberk. There she could don armor as a knight or dress as a lady, and nobody would say a word. But if Bern continued at Prince Sternchen’s side, she’d have to pretend to be a man for the rest of her life. In other words, she’d never be able to settle down with anyone. She would never find happiness, not as man, and not as a woman.
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I saw them off to the academy dormitory. I spotted a bunch of curious faces peeking out of the windows, waiting for Bern and the prince to return home to them. What a warm welcome. Bern’s one lucky lass, but she belongs in Eisberk nevertheless.
“With a horse like that, you oughta visit more often, Bern,” I said.
She replied with a wholesome smile, and I fist-bumped her, really rubbing it in that we had a special relationship they didn’t.
She was originally supposed to lead the Cavalry Brigade.
Glass-shatteringly loud cheers at our backs, as we set off for Eisberk, I vowed that I would bring her home one day.