The Retaking of Eria
“Emmeline!” I shouted, “Get back!” The soldiers we were fighting turned to look at the
beautiful blond girl in the back of our company. Dang it, I mentally slapped myself. Now they
know who the queen is. We happened to be fighting new recruits today, new corrupt recruits of
course. They were apparently very fresh if they hadn’t recognized Emmie’s face on sight. We
had had the advantage over them and… I had ruined that. “Retreat! Retreat!” I cried. As we left
the royal guard behind, I turned to face Emmie. “Emmie are you alrigh- ah I mean Queen
Emmeline?”
“I’m fine, seriously. More importantly, are you okay Aria?”
“I’m fine, no need to worry.”
“No you’re not! You’re bleeding!”
“I’m fine!”
“No you’re not!”
“Captain Aria!” We had just entered the underground camp. “You are needed with the new
recruits.” “Wait, Aria! Get your arm checked out first!” I kept walking toward the training
grounds. “Uh, isn’t the infirmary this way?” asked Lieutenant Peter, pointing to a side tunnel we
were walking past. “I’m fine. I don’t need to go.”
“But the-“
“No arguing! Watch where your feet are going, not your mouth.”
I immediately felt bad. I was in a crappy mood, and here I was taking it out on the poor
lieutenant. “Sorry lieutenant. You didn’t do anything wrong; it was my bad. Sorry.”
, Lieutenant Peter looked at me with less fear on his face, but there was still some in his eyes. I
rarely lost my composure, let alone my temper and snap. Emmie once said I looked terrifying
when I lost my temper.
We got to the training hall, where the new recruits were standing around laughing as though they
didn’t have a care in the world. Well, if they were going to survive this business, that would have
to change. The recruits stopped talking as soon as I strode into the room. Judging by their
reaction, I still had an angry look on my face. A young man in the front stared at my arm.
“Ma’am, shouldn’t you go to the infirmary?” I actually started to laugh. Where on earth was my
composure today? “If a scratch like this will stop you from training, let alone fighting, you will
not survive this job.” The new recruit shut his mouth but looked at me with concern. I pulled up
short. When was the last time anyone but Emmie had looked at me like that? For some reason it
worsened my mood. “One more thing newbies. Do not call me ma’am but Captain.”
I started showing them basic exercises and drills to practice every day. As soon as I released
them for independent work, the muttering started. It was most prominent in a group of five
young men.
“Look at her ears, they are so stupid.”
“ She is probably an awful fighter, after all she is a girl.”
“ Yeah, I mean she must be bad if she got that gash on her arm”
Just then, the man who had looked concerned for me walked over to the group muttering and
said, “Stop talking like that. She must be amazing if she is the head of the Queen’s army.” “Yeah
right,” said the tallest man in the group. “She probably just got there because she is friends with
“Emmeline!” I shouted, “Get back!” The soldiers we were fighting turned to look at the
beautiful blond girl in the back of our company. Dang it, I mentally slapped myself. Now they
know who the queen is. We happened to be fighting new recruits today, new corrupt recruits of
course. They were apparently very fresh if they hadn’t recognized Emmie’s face on sight. We
had had the advantage over them and… I had ruined that. “Retreat! Retreat!” I cried. As we left
the royal guard behind, I turned to face Emmie. “Emmie are you alrigh- ah I mean Queen
Emmeline?”
“I’m fine, seriously. More importantly, are you okay Aria?”
“I’m fine, no need to worry.”
“No you’re not! You’re bleeding!”
“I’m fine!”
“No you’re not!”
“Captain Aria!” We had just entered the underground camp. “You are needed with the new
recruits.” “Wait, Aria! Get your arm checked out first!” I kept walking toward the training
grounds. “Uh, isn’t the infirmary this way?” asked Lieutenant Peter, pointing to a side tunnel we
were walking past. “I’m fine. I don’t need to go.”
“But the-“
“No arguing! Watch where your feet are going, not your mouth.”
I immediately felt bad. I was in a crappy mood, and here I was taking it out on the poor
lieutenant. “Sorry lieutenant. You didn’t do anything wrong; it was my bad. Sorry.”
, Lieutenant Peter looked at me with less fear on his face, but there was still some in his eyes. I
rarely lost my composure, let alone my temper and snap. Emmie once said I looked terrifying
when I lost my temper.
We got to the training hall, where the new recruits were standing around laughing as though they
didn’t have a care in the world. Well, if they were going to survive this business, that would have
to change. The recruits stopped talking as soon as I strode into the room. Judging by their
reaction, I still had an angry look on my face. A young man in the front stared at my arm.
“Ma’am, shouldn’t you go to the infirmary?” I actually started to laugh. Where on earth was my
composure today? “If a scratch like this will stop you from training, let alone fighting, you will
not survive this job.” The new recruit shut his mouth but looked at me with concern. I pulled up
short. When was the last time anyone but Emmie had looked at me like that? For some reason it
worsened my mood. “One more thing newbies. Do not call me ma’am but Captain.”
I started showing them basic exercises and drills to practice every day. As soon as I released
them for independent work, the muttering started. It was most prominent in a group of five
young men.
“Look at her ears, they are so stupid.”
“ She is probably an awful fighter, after all she is a girl.”
“ Yeah, I mean she must be bad if she got that gash on her arm”
Just then, the man who had looked concerned for me walked over to the group muttering and
said, “Stop talking like that. She must be amazing if she is the head of the Queen’s army.” “Yeah
right,” said the tallest man in the group. “She probably just got there because she is friends with
