Secrets of the Crown

Chapter 9

I was surprised as to why I felt such a strong connection to Reed. I had only met him once, yet it felt like he had been with me for years.

Was it because he saved me?

I had so many unanswered questions that I chose to put them aside. It's been a week since Luke got back to the palace and he sent me a letter, but I haven't responded. I feel like I need to figure out what this feeling is before I can handle another one.

I can't face Reed right now. I showed him how vulnerable I was, and I'm ashamed of how I reacted.

General Wiltone noticed that I wasn't acting my best, so he asked me what I wanted to do to stop things in my head. I told him I wanted to be like him when he was in trouble. I was hoping he'd let me have a drink, but that wasn't an option.

He gave me permission to leave the mansion as long as he is with me. He brought me to the soldier training camp in the western side of the capital.

He said my father had taken me there a couple of times before, and I'd had fun, so he thought it would work this time too. I'm really grateful to General Wiltone for taking me in, giving me a home, treating me like his own, and for taking my mental health seriously.

I knew we wouldn't be just watching the soldiers with their training. General Wilton had to go to the camp because they needed him. And no one back in the mansion could look after me since almost everyone else was sick. He just wants to keep an eye on me.

All the men in training were wearing protective gear as they fought each other with swords and shields across the wide western plains. All the men are participating in the training as if it were real. I wonder why they were still recruiting so many men after the war was over.

I tried to get ahold of general Wiltone, but he was too preoccupied with chatting with the other soldiers. Now that I'm here, I think it's a good idea to take advantage of the time I have. I'm still trying to process all the emotions I'm feeling, and I really need to do something about it. No one seemed to mind me, so I went to where they store their swords. They're all pretty worn out, and it's pretty obvious they get used a lot.

I grabbed the lightest sword I could find and started to swing it around, trying to think of how my dad, General Alfred, does when he practises. As I did so, I was reminded of that time I had been here with my father, but I'd only had a wooden sword and I was only ten then. I saw a wooden dummy near me that was made for sword practice, and even though I wasn't dressed for the occasion, I went for it.

As I walked to the wooden dummy, I started to feel guilty and angry. I was mad at myself for being so stupid, and I was even mad that I was feeling what I was feeling. I swung the sword straight at the wood, and it made a loud sound as soon as it hit. It felt good, so I brought it back to my hand and tried to swing it again and again.

When I was gasping for air, I finally gave up. But it felt good. I didn't realise that the training session had ended and everyone was looking at me, including General Wiltone. He wasn't mad at me, he was just a bit surprised.

I was so confused and didn't know what to do next, so I just smiled and put the sword behind me. Everyone was really happy, like they had finally figured out that if a girl can do it, they can too.

I was holding the sword in my hand when I saw General Wiltone coming up to me. He reached out his hand and I knew what it meant, so I just gave it to him. I said, "Sorry, father, I just wanted to give it a try."

"You didn't even try, Maud! You totally showed them your flawless stunt!" He was laughing so hard to show his pride.

But it's not possible, isn't it? All I did was swing the sword around. I was so angry that all I could see was myself swinging the sword like a little kid hitting a stick.

"No surprise there - you're Alfred's daughter!"

I wasn't sure what he was getting at, but he was smiling, so I guess it all worked out.

I was asked by General Wiltone to accompany him as he completed what he had come here to do. I followed him as he spoke to various senior soldiers to get information on the trainees.

It looks like they're still recruiting in case there's another war, and they want these young men to grow up strong so they can inspire the next generation to do the same and then the cycle will continue. I think it's fair, as long as there's no war.

After taking a short break, General Wiltone led me to a domed area where a battle was going on between two teams of trainees. As he had said, these were men who had been training for months and were ready to show off their skills to one another. The battle was fierce and there was no mercy in it. The only bright spot was that they were still wearing protective gear, but some of them were still pretty hurt. We sat high up so we could see what was going on and it looked like they were getting the general's approval.

"I'm so sorry I had to drag you down here!" he said in a voice that was loud enough to be heard over the cheering.

"This is actually really interesting!" I said, "I remember this place!" He gave me a puzzled look. "I remember when my father used to bring me here!"

He smiled at me. "I hope you're having fun!" I nodded with a smile.

I didn't think I'd find much to say about the place, but it's actually pretty good.

When the battle was over, General Wiltone had one last meeting, so he had me wait in a different room. Inside, I saw old pictures of people from different generations who had fought for our country, and all of them, including my father, General Alfred.

I hadn't seen him in a while, and it was nice to see another side of him that I'd rarely seen before. He was a hard worker, and I'm sure everyone still remembers him.

Somehow, I felt closer to my father here than I had in years, and I missed him.