Mend The Situation

On the western border of Avaria, Princess Yara Amiel was inside a tent. General Zaria Movan was also standing a few steps away from her.

It hasn't been long since the two reached the border and now, they were waiting for General Korin who was on his way. Soon enough, the General in question walked inside the tent and when he saw the Princess, he gets down on one knee to greet her.

"Greetings, Your Highness. Do you have a safe journey?"

"Yes. Please rise, General Korin," Princess Yara quickly said and the General complied right away.

"What happened? How did we suddenly have a conflict with the Welahans?" Yara Amiel asked.

"Some of our soldiers patrolled near the border but one of our horses was suddenly out of control and it crossed the border. When a soldier from our side ran to catch the horse, he was shot down by the Welahans. His friends immediately fought back and it leads to a bigger conflict," General Korin explained to the Princess.

Concentrating on what the General said, the Princess repeatedly tapped her fingers on the table.

Their border with the Welahans was always full of conflicts due to the rivalry between their two kingdoms which started almost a century ago. For the Avarians, the Welahans were always their arch-enemy, a thorn in their flesh. It was the same for the Welahans.

However, the two kingdoms didn't fight a single war during the past five years and it was history. Before this, they never spent that long without fighting each other!

"Will a mediating talk be enough, Your Highness?" General Zaria asked the Princess.

"Maybe," Yara Amiel said as she rose from her seat. "It hasn't been long since the Welahans fought the Thigons and take over their kingdom. If I were King Edric Maselli, I won't want to fight another war too soon. Besides, if we were to fight right now, we are at an advantage."

Yara Amiel paused and glanced at the map. Her gaze was fixated on the lands of the Welahans. "We can even use this as a reason to fight them, but... now is not the right time."

"Why, Your Highness?" General Korin quickly asked as he was curious.

"The God of War."

Hearing the nickname was like an eye-opener for the two Generals!

If they were to fight the Welahans, they will have to face the God of War! How can they overlook this fact?!

"Karium Maselli will be quite a force to reckon with and things happen too sudden. We can't fight him without so little preparation," Yara Amiel said to the two Generals.

"You're right, Your Highness," General Zaria stated. "We shouldn't underestimate Prince Karium."

"I don't say that we will avoid him forever, General Zaria," Princess Yara said. Her lips curved into a playful smile when she looked at the confused General.

"What is your plan, Your Highness?" General Korin asked.

Yara Amiel returned to her seat and said, "Let's work on strengthening our forces first." She shifted her gaze to General Korin and commanded, "Send a messenger to the Welahans. Inform them that we want to have a talk and mediate the situation."

"Will you do it yourself?"

The Princess nodded. "There's no wrong with a Princess stepping in to mediate the situation. No one will get suspicious of me just because of this."

"I understand," General Korin responded and walked out of the tent to comply with the Princess's order.

"Are you sure of this, Your Highness? Right now, the soldiers are more active than ever. They can't wait to avenge their comrades," General Zaria Movan said to the Princess once General Korin left.

Yara Amiel shifted her gaze to the General whom she knew since she was a child. Then she said, "Are you saying that I should let my heart control me rather than my mind, as the soldiers did?"

The General quickly lowered his gaze when he heard the Princess. "That's not what I mean, Your Highness. Please forgive me."

"Do you think I'm okay with losing those eighteen soldiers? I'm not. I just refused to be blinded by revenge," Princess Yara firmly said. "I once do that and you know the result, Zaria. I will never make the same mistake again."

"Yara -"

"Leave," the Princess uttered in a cold voice. She turned away from the General whose gaze was fixated on her.

General Zaria quietly looked at the Princess for a while. However, he had no choice as he already heard the order. Then he bowed and left the tent with reluctance.

The moment she was alone, Princess Yara shut her eyes and clenched her fist. However, she soon regretted closing her eyes as that one mistake was repeatedly played in her mind the moment she did that.

* * *

"Your Highness, the Avarians sent a messenger and he seeks an audience with you."

Prince Karium Maselli was in his tent with General Cassius when a soldier came to him and informed him about the messenger.

"Let him in," he commanded.

Then the soldier left and soon, one young man wearing the uniform of Avaria Army walked inside the tent. He halted a few steps away from the Welahan Prince and bowed. "Greetings, Your Highness. I'm Captain Jonan Morey of the Avaria Army. I came here to relay the message from General Korin."

Karium Maselli observed the Captain before he responded, "Go ahead."

"We are deeply sorry for what happened. As we are the ones who crossed the border first, we decided to be the first to step up to amend the situation. So, we want to have a meeting to amend the situation," the Captain informed the Prince.

"A meeting?" General Cassius asked. "Are you saying that a mere General is requesting a meeting with His Highness to amend the situation? Who do you think we are?!"

When General Cassius noticed the Prince lightly tapping the table once, he understood his message and stopped talking. He tried his best to keep himself in check but it wasn't easy!

Karium Maselli thought that it wasn't right to give a cold shoulder to a messenger, let alone treating him like how General Cassius did. However, he won't say anything. He was never that kind with his enemies.

After all, he was the infamous God of War.

"I'm indeed relaying the message from our General but... the one who requested the meeting is the Princess of our Kingdom. She is here to mend the situation on behalf of the King," Captain Jonan explained.....