The Emperor And The Knightess

The first person Poliana killed was a man on death row. To prevent young new soldiers from going into shock in the middle of a battle after their first kill, they were taught to kill beforehand.

Poliana killed three people even before she began her official military service. The old knight brought her three men for her to practice on. He didn"t tell her the men"s crimes, he even covered their faces.

The old knight told her that death was the end. Whether if one were to die or to kill someone, it would always cause a life to end.

"Don"t think. Just move and kill before you get killed."

To be a Guinea pig and be killed by a n.o.ble lady with only basic training rather than by a skilled executioner… These men had met a gruesome fate, but they volunteered because they were compensated. The money went to either the man"s family or the man"s victim.

The old knight told Poliana, "A good swordsman can cut a man"s head off with one clean swing. A good executioner can kill someone painlessly. You, Poliana, don"t have the strength of a man. You may be able to slice through the flesh, but not through the bone. This means that what you need to learn isn"t how to kill, but how to cause maximum pain. Stab between the ribs and aim for the lung, be quick when you are swinging your weapon, and the eyes are the easiest and the most vulnerable spot for anyone, don"t forget that. A man could kill with bare fists, but not a woman. So when you attack, make sure to do it with everything you have and with all the strength you can muster. Become as evil as possible, act like you have lost your mind or like you have been possessed by the devil. When your enemies see you act this way, they will not come after you."

But removing the sword that was stuck between the ribs was difficult. When Poliana first tried it and was unable to remove it, the old knight kicked her and removed it for her with only one hand. He was old, but he was still much stronger than the young Poliana. The old knight told her to remember this fact.

a.s.sume that everyone is stronger than you.

***

The battle then began.

Sir Ainno, on his horse, ran towards the head knight of Bebero army. He quickly swung his sword and severed his head away from his body, and the Acreian soldiers, who were fighting, saw this and screamed excitedly. Sir Ainno placed the head of the knight on his spear and lifted it up high. He then yelled, "The head knight is dead!"

"WAAAAA!"

The Bebero men, now without their leader, dropped their weapons and surrendered without a fight. Poliana took out her sword from a Bebero soldier as he collapsed to the ground. If Sir Ainno announced the death a second sooner, this man could"ve lived.

But she didn"t feel guilty. If she didn"t kill this man, it could have been her that was on the ground bleeding to death.

Poliana relaxed a little and looked around. She saw Sir Bentier and Sir Rabi organizing the men and making sure that the Bebero soldiers were being bound. Some Bebero men successfully ran away while the others were caught. It was going to be a while till the medics and the archers arrive.

The injured were gathered, and the emergency treatments were done with whatever medical supplies they could find from the enemy camp. Those Acreian soldiers who were ok went to the river to clean themselves of mud and blood. As expected, one of the knights yelled, "You idiots! Get over here quickly and dry yourselves before you freeze!"

The men quickly gathered some firewood and lit it up. Poliana was getting warm standing near the fire when suddenly, she noticed Donau at the river vomiting.

"Maybe I should have asked him if he killed a man before."

She regretted not making sure, but she quickly shook her head. It wasn"t her job or responsibility; it was his father, Sir Baufallo"s or his brother, Sir Howe"s.

Besides, she wasn"t even sure if Donau was vomiting from the shock of killing a man. It was possible that he was vomiting from his nerves or perhaps even from the smell of blood. a.s.suming he was throwing up from the shock of killing a man was in fact very inconsiderate of her. If Donau knew she suspected this, he would"ve felt angry and embarra.s.sed.

After all, he was a knight.

The Bebero flag was taken down and was replaced with the Acreian flag. Poliana felt proud as she watched it.

"We won!"

It was a complete victory. Lucius the First"s army successfully crossed the Koemong River.

Donau, now Sir Donau, approached the fire where Poliana was sitting. When she saw him, she moved a little so he could take a seat. Sir Donau took a sip of water and wiped his mouth. His wristband was soaked in blood and some of it got onto his face.

He murmured, "I have killed deer before, but…"

"That sounds yummy."

"Are you serious? Are you really feeling hungry right now? After all this?"

"But aren"t you starving, Sir Donau?"

Just then, Poliana noticed Sir Baufallo making sure that the supplies from the Bebero army were taken out and organized. She didn"t even realize that he had arrived.

She was Sir Baufallo"s aide, which meant that no matter how tired she was, she should go over there and help her superior.

Poliana groaned as she tried to stand up. Sir Donau, who was already standing, offered her his hand to help. Looking at the boy knight"s blood-soaked hand, Poliana grinned. Donau could be annoying as heck but sometimes, she found him cute. He reminded her of her stepsister Liana, who could also be very annoying while still being adorable sometimes.

Were all little brothers and sisters like this?

Impulsively, Poliana said to Donau, "You can think of me as an older sister. I would be ok with that."

"Sister? What the h.e.l.l are you talking about?! I don"t need a lazy bald sister!"

Sir Donau spat on the ground, but he still helped Poliana stand up. The other knights who were watching their interaction laughed and yelled at Donau, "Do it! Treat her like she was your older sister!"

"That"s right! She is your sister now!"

"Sir Poliana, this is your lucky day! You just got yourself a brand new younger brother!"

The way the other knights treated her was different now. They no longer acted suspicious and doubtful towards her. After the battle, in which they all fought together as one, the men now saw her as one of them.

It finally dawned on her that she did it. She crossed the Koemong River.

And on top of that, she also crossed the gap that separated her from all the other men.

Donau, the other knights, the entire Acreian army.

She was finally one of them. She was no longer someone on the other side.

She was finally an Acreian knight.