Chapter 4
The north wind whipped up snowflakes, slashing across our faces like knives.
The Aurethlanders were starting to stir, growing more unruly by the day.
Small acts of harassment and probing were becoming more frequent.
I knew a major battle was inevitable.
The mood in the camp was getting more tense every day.
That day, I got a family letter from Halville.
It was sent by my half-sister, Julia Serrano.
My father married my stepmother when I was a child. She gave birth to Julia.
Julia had been frail and sickly since she was little, always kept sheltered at home. She was gentle and soft-spoken, nothing like me, who had grown up rough and tough in the military camps.
Our relationship as sisters was distant.
Her sudden letter caught me off guard.
In her letter, she checked in on me, saying the weather was getting colder and I should take care of myself.
She also mentioned she'd heard I was sheltering a young Aurethlander boy, and told me to stay alert.
Julia wrote: [You've spent so long in the army, you might be a bit too straightforward. I'm worried someone might take advantage of you.
[Aurethlanders are tricky. You never really know what's going on in their heads. Please, be extra careful.]
At the end, she added another note.
[Three years ago, while I was recovering near the border, I ran into a young Aurethlander boy who was in trouble. I couldn't just walk away, so I helped him out. Is there any chance Chris you have with you now is connected to him?]
I gripped the letter so tightly my knuckles turned white.
Three years ago... a young Aurethlander boy?
Those words pricked at my heart.
How did Julia know about what happened three years ago?
And how could she possibly know about Chris?
My head was spinning.
All those little moments with Chris came flooding back.
The tune he used to hum, how he relied on me, the way he watched me, so intent...
I forced myself to stop thinking about it.
I held the letter close to the candle flame, watching as it slowly burned away to ash.
No, that was impossible.
Chris lost his memory. He didn't know anything.
He was just an innocent boy. I was the one who dragged him out from a heap of bodies. He wouldn't lie to me.
He wouldn't lie to me.
I told myself that, but it never really eased the weight pressing down on my chest.
That night, Chris came in carrying a bowl of herbal drink.
"Here, Ms. Serrano, have some herbal drink to warm you up," he said.
He handed me the bowl, his eyes sparkling.
I took the bowl and looked at him.
"Chris, have you remembered anything yet?" I asked.
He paused for a second, then shook his head. "No, nothing's come back to me."
His eyes were clear. There wasn't a trace of a lie in them.
I let out a sigh of relief, realizing I was probably just overthinking things.
Maybe Julia was just repeating hearsay, or maybe it really was just a coincidence after all.
"It's fine," I said, taking a sip of the herbal drink. It tasted sweet, and the warmth spread right through me, from my stomach to every limb.
"Go on, get some rest," I told him gently.
"Alright," he answered softly, giving a gentle nod before turning to leave.
I watched his back, but the weight in my heart still hadn't fully lifted.
After that, I started testing Chris, sometimes on purpose, sometimes without even realizing it.
I asked him about the customs and traditions in Aurethland, but he just looked at me blankly.
I tried speaking to him in Aurethland's language, but he didn't understand a single word.
He really seemed to have forgotten everything.
Slowly, I began to let go of my worries.
Maybe I was just overthinking things.
Julia was all the way in Halville. How could I believe anything she said?
Chris was one of my own. I personally trained him, watched him grow from a frail boy into the person he was today.
I should trust him.
The day of the final battle arrived.
Aurethland had gathered an army of three hundred thousand, and now they were at our gates.
At the head of their army was Christopher Warner, Aurethland's third prince, its most formidable and battle-hardened leader.
Word was, he was both ruthless and brilliant, the sharpest blade in the Aurethland royal family.
Up on the city wall, the north wind howled.
I stood in my silver armor, gripping the battlements as I looked down at the dense mass of enemy soldiers below.
With the battle about to begin, my heart was calmer than it had ever been.
I looked back at Chris standing behind me.
He was suited up in armor too, standing tall and steady. The last hint of youth had faded from his face. He was a real soldier now.
He caught my gaze and smiled at me.
That smile was just as clean and genuine as the day we first met.
"Don't be afraid, Ms. Serrano. I'll protect you," he said.
My heart warmed, and I smiled back at him.
With him here, I wasn't so afraid anymore.
The horns blared, deafeningly loud.
"Ms. Serrano, Aurethland has sent someone to challenge us," one of my men reported.
I nodded, signaling for the gates to be opened.
A rider burst out from the Aurethland ranks, galloping straight toward us. Instead of issuing a challenge, he began recounting an old story.
He said that three years ago, Christopher was gravely wounded and found himself stranded at the Dravonland border, where he was rescued by a kind-hearted girl.
And that girl was none other than my little sister, Julia.