Looks like I was too slow, Ras thought.
The plan had been to slay the dragon and beat a swift retreat immediately afterward, but an unexpected turn of events had thrown a wrench in the works.
The Vildhjärta had run out of aurons. Gradage Canyon was 450 kilometers from Barlama. It would take an ordinary Chasseur moving at top speed with no breaks over four hours to cross that distance, but in its Managarmr form, the Vildhjärta had reached its destination in less than sixty minutes. Factoring in that Ras had gone straight from traveling that distance to battling the dragon, it was easy to understand where all his reserves went. The cherry on top was the Black Art he had used to seal the dragon’s fate. Thanks to that, the Vildhjärta had entered shutdown.
The downside to the Vildhjärta’s auron-guzzling engine was that it required quite a bit of time to regain mobility. It was one weakness Ras had neglected to consider. Even so, it only accounted for three minutes or so of downtime, but nevertheless, the princess was able to use that time to order her mercenary Chasseurs to surround Ras and cut off his escape, almost as though she had known the whole course of events from start to finish.
Now Princess Tishna stood alone before the Vildhjärta, with no guards or even servants by her side. As Ras dismounted his Chasseur, she gazed at him as though looking at an old friend.
“Are you the rider of this Chasseur?” she asked.
Ras kneeled before the princess, silently taking stock of her. Princess Tishna was every bit as fetching as the stories claimed. If Fiarca’s features were carved meticulously out of silver, then Tishna’s were miraculously formed in crystal ice. She was wearing a simple, military-style dress and almost no jewelry at all. It was a style that required a lot of confidence to pull off, which, in the princess’s case, was clearly well founded, for her plain appearance did nothing to detract from her dignified air.
“I am Princess Tishna Lumedienne Charlgiana, fourth royal princess of the Charlgia Kingdom,” she said, pinching the hem of her skirt and curtsying. “I thank you for your much-needed assistance in handling this dragon threat.”
Her behavior would have looked strongly amiss amid the blood-soaked battlefield, were it not for the aura of purity she seemed to engender with her very being. Ras couldn’t help feeling he was dealing with a formidable woman indeed.
“You honor this unworthy servant with your kind and gracious words, Your Royal Highness,” replied Ras, keeping his head down. As far as he wanted to let on, he was Taras Kaylian, a humble foreign mercenary of no import. Not many mercenaries possessed custom Chasseurs, but a few of them did, and the Vildhjärta, with its understated paint job, didn’t look like the unit of a nobleman. Ras was confident it wouldn’t arouse suspicion.
This confidence was immediately undermined by the princess’s words.
“Your humility is greatly misplaced, Ras Talion Veredica, son of Count Veredica. Not many men in the Argyll Empire claim the title of Guardian of Silver.”
“…?!”
Ras froze, a knot forming in his throat. The princess had seen through every last one of his lies. Her accusation even disturbed the mercenaries standing around her.
“A Guardian of Silver?! That’s why he possesses such a terrifying Chasseur!”
“Wait, did you say Ras Talion? The Stallion himself, here in Charlgia?!”
“I heard he single-handedly broke up an entire smuggling ring just to sleep with the boss’s wife!”
“I heard women get pregnant just from coming within a sword’s length of him! Keep him far away from the princess!”
Almost forgetting they were in the presence of royalty, the mercenaries started spouting off whatever ridiculous rumors they’d heard. Ras appeared weary as he realized his notoriety had spread to the neighboring kingdoms. The princess appeared to be trying not to laugh, so a stern-faced man by her side spoke up in her place. He appeared to be the princess’s chaperone, and while he seemed a little old for active service, he nonetheless possessed the piercing eyes of a soldier.
“I am Count Girrith Tegnail of the Charlgia Kingdom,” he said. “What brings you to our fair nation, Sir Talion?”
“I’ve been sent by the crown prince,” Ras admitted. “My orders are to protect Princess Tishna.”
“Protect her from what, pray tell?”
“Assassins,” Ras answered truthfully. “We have reports that a group from within the empire is plotting against Her Royal Highness.”
In terms of Argyll’s national interests, it was best to keep this information secret, but it would be a lot easier to keep the princess safe if she knew of the danger she was in.
“I see,” said Girrith. “That explains why you came to the kingdom to investigate.”
Although it hadn’t been revealed to the public yet, officials of both countries had been planning the marriage between Auriol and Tishna for months. It therefore came as no surprise to Girrith that the empire would send a Guardian of Silver to ensure the princess’s safety.
“I hope you understand why I had to enter your country on false pretenses,” said Ras. “If my true mission came to light, it could spell trouble for both our nations.”
With that, he rose to his feet. Since his identity was out, Ras no longer had to act like a commoner. Plus, he was always planning on introducing himself to the princess sooner or later. His other mission was to win her heart, and Ras decided the best way to do that was to be open and honest.
“Quite right,” said Tishna. “I think in light of your deeds here today, we can overlook an indiscretion like that.”
The princess shot Ras a suggestive smile, then suddenly her expression grew grave.
“However,” she said, “that does not change the fact that you have broken the law. You are to leave this country at once, do you understand? Take that Chasseur of yours and be gone from our kingdom by tomorrow.”
“What?!” gasped Ras.
“Y-Your Highness, you can’t…” Girrith’s voice quivered with shock.
“Didn’t you hear me? You’re in danger!”
“I gave you an order, Talion. Or we can take your objections to the royal palace, if you prefer?”
Ras stared into the princess’s eyes, but they were cold and dispassionate. He held her gaze for a few seconds, then turned away.
“Very well,” he said. “I’ll do as you wish.”
“Of course you will,” said Princess Tishna, smiling. Ras couldn’t fathom what she was thinking, but if she was confident she could fend off the assassination attempt by herself, then there wasn’t much Ras could say to change her mind.
Ras sighed and began making his way back to the Vildhjärta. However, just then Princess Tishna suddenly called out to him once more.
“Oh, there’s one thing I forgot to ask,” she said. “Sir Talion, could you look right here for me?”
“Hmm?”
Tishna indicated her right eye and began walking toward Ras. Utterly bewildered, he did as she asked, and the very next second Princess Tishna grabbed his head with both hands, stood up on her tiptoes, and pulled him in for a kiss.
Girrith’s eyes almost bulged out of their sockets, and a curious murmur rippled through the mercenaries. While Ras stood there, frozen, the princess smiled.
“This is my thanks to you for protecting the people of this land,” she said. “I’m glad I got to meet you once more, right at the very end.”
“Are you sure it was wise, letting that man go?” asked a disgruntled Girrith on the way back to the mountaintop fortress. He had been wearing a permanent frown ever since the princess kissed Ras right before his eyes.
“Have I ever had an unwise idea?” the princess answered playfully, tracing her lips with a finger.
“Well, no, but…”
Girrith couldn’t think what to say. No matter how reckless and ill-advised the princess’s schemes seemed at first glance, they always worked out in the end. Nobody understood that more than Girrith.
Yet, he found himself doubting Princess Tishna’s latest decree. This was a matter of life and death for her. There were no doubts regarding Ras’s skill, and if he was brought into the fold, Charlgia would gain access to Argyll’s intelligence network as well. On top of that, Princess Tishna herself seemed exceedingly fond of the man, considering it was the first time the two had met. He couldn’t begin to understand why she had proceeded to turn him away.