The count of Armas seemed impressed. He raised his eyebrows.

“Through the swamps? You led the Lady through the swamps? Surely you jest?”

“With all due respect, milord,” I bowed down a bit, slightly annoyed by the old man’s ignorance. “The La Rose house has ruled the Roseland for centuries, and countless people have traveled in and out of the land. We do have a very well maintained plank-walk network in the swamp area.”

“Hmm. That does make sense. Pardon me, young lad. For a moment, I imagined Her Ladyship wading through the swamps waist-deep in mud.”

Anna made a flurry of hand gestures. ‘I wouldn’t have minded,’ she was saying. For a second, the memory of her childhood flashed by in my head.

We were squatting on sacks filled with whatever, around a fire that was boiling some stew in a large pot. I had plenty of peppered jerky in my travel bag, and the men cheered when I tossed few strips into the pot. Anna sat next to me with a thick wool blanket draped on her. She stretched her hands out to warm them as the evening came closer; it was still quite chilly even after the rain had stopped.

The Comte shifted his gaze onto the noble girl. I had just answered his question, ‘How in the name of God did you get here all the way from the Roseland?’ I quite understood why our travel route was a topic of interest. You see, to the rest of the kingdom, the Roseland was a remote island that people often forgot it even existed. The eastern border of the kingdom was already far away from the royal capital as the capital city itself was somewhat to the north-west of the territory. The Roseland, however, upped its remoteness by jutting out of the eastern border like a sore lump and was effectively the easternmost frontier land.

To its east was the inhospitable desert, which had its own monsters and beasts and hostile nomads.

To the north was the inaccessible stiff mountain range infested with harpies and stone giants. During the springs, the snow and glacier from the peaks would melt and scream down the slope carrying rocks the sizes of big houses.

To the south of the Roseland was the wild forest that practically fenced the southeastern border of the kingdom. People did live off of the forest but rarely dared to venture in too deep as the residents of the woods weren’t very welcoming to uninvited guests.

And finally, to the west, towards the rest of the kingdom, was the swampland, a vast pit of mud and murky water with unfathomable depth. The La Rose family, for centuries, put in great efforts to expand and maintain the plank-walk network, for it kept the Roseland from being truly cut off from the rest of the kingdom. The lands neighboring the swamps appreciated and often helped Roseland’s effort because they, too, benefited from the network. Thus the plank-walk was deemed sacred to the people of the region. Anyone caught vandalizing even a small segment of it was executed in public. On such occasions, the angry crowd cursed and spat on the unforgivable.

Comte d’Armas, evidently, had not been aware such a travel path between the Roseland and the kingdom existed. I excused him, for his territory was on the other side of the vast kingdom.

“So the Lady crossed the swamps to offer her support to Montclam’s Seigneur?” The Comte noted.

‘We heard Montclam was under growing pressure to submit himself to Prince Charles’ faction,’ said Anna through me.

“He was, indeed. That is why I came, too.”

‘But where is he?’ Anna and I asked. We heard he was being threatened with violence and came to offer our help, but found Comte d’Armas and his men instead of the Seigneur in question.

“The Seigneur of Montclam is,” the Comte smiled, “not a man of arms.” He gestured for us to look around the Fort. “You would have noticed there are only men at arms in this Fort. My men and affiliates.”

We looked around. It was true. Montclam’s banner was missing in a Fort located in Montclam. We turned to face the Comte with puzzled expressions on our faces.

“I have advised the gentle lord to take his subjects and evacuate the land.” Comte d’Armas explained. “He and the people of Montclam are on their way to somewhere safe.”

“Milord, are you and your men then buying time for the Seigneur and his people?” I asked in awe of his noble cause. The old man nodded humbly.

‘But why does the Comte do such for Montclam’s lord?’ Anna asked.

“Ah, My Lady does not know. He is a distant cousin of the Comtesse d’Armas.”

According to him, it was his wife who had written a letter to her cousin, the Seigneur of Montclam, and urged him to pledge his allegiance to the Royal Prince Louis. Montclam did so and went even further by actively recruiting his affiliates and acquaintances to Prince Louis’ cause. So when the Comte and the Comtesse of Armas heard Montclam was being threatened, they felt immensely guilty.

“So it is indeed our fault that the good Seigneur is in trouble.” The Comte said in a sad tone. “I have come as fast as I could, but alas,” he looked around the Fort counting his men. “I’ve come with too few men.”

Anna lunged herself and knelt in front of the sad-faced old man. She motioned for me to join her.

‘My Lord, Marco the Comte of Armas, is the Comte’s endeavor here in Montclam in support of the Royal Prince Louis, THE rightful heir to the throne?’

Quickly translating, I threw myself and knelt beside Anna. It was apparent what she was doing. The old man seemed to be taken aback.

“Pardon me, Lady Anna. This is so sudden.” He took a few deep breaths to assess the situation. He, too, seemed to understand what Anna is about to offer.

“I would not be dishonest in saying that my fight here at this Fort is to stand against the senseless violence Baron Hugo would unleash unto the people of Montclam. The battle here is not for the rightful heir to the throne.” He paused for a moment and added. “But in general, in the grander scheme of matters, through my actions, I do intend to see the day Prince Louis sits in the royal throne.”

Kneeling, Anna lowered her head, which made it very difficult for me to see her hands. I strained my neck to see what she was saying.

‘Then My Lord, you have the support of La Rose and the Roseland.’

Anna stood up with her eyes, glistening like a bead of colorful oil, locked onto Comte’s. She perked her ears as if she heard something that we could not hear.

‘I shall prove my usefulness right away.’

A sudden loud sound of a bugle from the field shattered the otherwise quiet late afternoon. The men on the high platform were shouting something, and Victor the Vicomte rushed to us.

“It’s Baron Hugo. He is back with his men.”

There was the bugle again, followed by an enraged voice.

“La Rose!”

###

"Come out, La Rose!"

We climbed up the platform to have a better view and saw a knight pacing around on his horse about twenty yards from the Fort's gate. It was the knight in the shiny black armor, Baron Hugo, the leader of the army besieging Fort Montclam. His horse shook its head and flared the large nostrils as it sensed its master's rage. His subordinates were close by, ready with tower shields. I recognized Sieurs Henry and Guido among the men. The rest of the army was standing by some fifty yards back.

The Baron stopped and snarled at the sight of Anna's little head popping up above the wooden spike fence. His eyes were of pure hatred.

"You!"

"My good Baron," Comte d'Armas greeted his adversary.

The Baron shifted his eyes to his enemy.

"My Lord, my battle with Your Lordship for today has already passed, for we are mourning. I intend to leave Fort Montclam in peace. For now."

"Then what urgent business brings the Baron back at my gate?"

"Her, My Lord! I demand the head of that foul defect of a wench!"

The Baron resumed pacing around, steaming in anger.

"Manners, Baron Hugo! The Lady in question is the heiress to the Roseland!"

"The Lady," The Baron snapped, "killed my cousin, my lord Comte d'Armas!" The man was so mad he was trembling. "Not only did she defile the sacred battleground with her unclean presence, but she also barged into noble men's battle and launched the foulest sneak attack on my cousin!"

The Comte sighed and turned to face us.

"Well, my Lady, you did indeed do all that. Guilty as charged."

Anna shrugged and readied her bow. The Comte and I immediately sprang into action, and, after a brief struggle, I managed to snatch the bow out of her hands. Anna pouted, but there was no way we would let her add more fuel to the fire that we were already in.

Breathing heavily from the sudden action, the Comte cleared his throat and got back to the Baron.

"I am offended by you mentioning the honor and foul play, Baron Hugo! I have seen what you did to the people of Montclam!"

The Baron scoffed.

"They were just lowly peasants getting in my way!"

The old nobleman gritted his teeth. His hands were balled into fists.

"Those peasants are the people of the land!"

"Who have committed the highest of the highest treason!" The Baron raised his voice. "Standing against His Royal Highness Prince Charles shall be punished!"

"The treacherous Baron errs. Montclam has not committed such treason, for His Royal Highness Prince Louis is the rightful heir to the kingdom."

The men inside the Fort cheered loudly at Comte's remark.

"My Lord, you jest." I could see the smirk on the Baron's face. "God has chosen Prince Charles as the next king. Have you not heard the Archbishop's declaration?"

I gasped and quickly glanced at Anna. Her face remained neutral, but her eyes were mad. Like Comte's, her hands, too, had balled up into tiny fists. Anna had many flip switches, and one of them was people putting their mortal words in divine mouths. I, too, knew God well. Dude would never interfere with royal successions of the mortals. The Archbishop was lying.

"But my good Lord," The Baron continued. "That matter is why Your Lordship and I battle, which, for today, has ended while we mourn the loss of my cousin. For now, however, I demand the mute head! Surely The Comte of Armas is well versed in the Codes of Hommes? By the most barbaric manner she killed my late cousin, I am rightfully granted a chance to restore his honor!"

The Comte grimaced and rubbed his forehead. The Vicomte came by his side.

"My Lord, the Codes apply to noble hommes only." Victor turned to face us. "The Lady has no obligation to comply-"

"My good lords, what exactly is being demanded of my Lady?" I asked the two noblemen. They exchanged glances, and Victor answered with a wry face.

"The Baron is challenging Her Ladyship for a duel."

To everyone's surprise, Anna giggled.