Return of the General's Daughter
Chapter 117: Past And Present

Chapter 117: Past And Present

Lara felt like she had just drifted into a dream when a deafening, indescribable sound jolted her awake. Or was she still dreaming? The noise was relentless, pounding against her senses — a chaotic barrage of sound.

Her foggy mind raced back to another time, another place. High school. The protest. The noise barrage. Or was she still in a dream?

She was standing shoulder-to-shoulder with her high school classmates, freshmen, in front of the Justice Department, their voices rising in defiance against the unjust dismissal of two well-respected professors.

The student government organized the demonstration, a peaceful outcry in which the clamor of pots, pans, and drums, the honking of horns, the ringing of bells, and the voices of students singing patriotic songs became their weapon against injustice.

Lara had joined, not just to support her teachers, but to understand the passion that drove her fellow students. Those two teachers were well-loved by the students. But because they offended a big shot, they were framed and subsequently fired. The student government president was also very good with his words, that even she, who was indifferent to things around her, was convinced to come out and show support.

But the noise... it had been unbearable. Each bang and clash rattled her bones, making her want to run. Just as she’d decided to slip away, a canister arced through the air, landing with a hollow clink before spewing thick, white smoke.

Tear gas.

Panic erupted. The once-organized crowd dissolved into chaos. Students shoved and stumbled, their screams muffled by the choking haze. Most who came to show support were freshmen, and it was their first experience of a peaceful demonstration that turned into a riot.

They could not understand what happened. Why were they being hurt and pushed away when they were just showing support to teachers who suffered injustice?

Someone had stumbled and fallen directly in front of her.

"Mommy," the young girl cried as she instinctively called for her mother.

Lara stilled for a moment. The word ’Mommy’ sounded so foreign to her, but hearing it from the little girl, she felt a warmth in her heart.

Her instincts kicked in, and she quickly crouched down to assist the young girl, who was now sitting on the pavement. The girl’s pigtails bobbed slightly as she shook off the shock, a charming reminder of her youth and innocence. She couldn’t have been more than twelve or thirteen. She helped the young girl up and pushed her out of the crowd.

Because she helped the girl, Lara left herself unprotected and was exposed to the smoke. Lara coughed violently, her throat on fire. Her eyes burned, vision blurring as tears streamed down her face. She pressed a handkerchief over her nose and mouth, but the gas had already seeped into her lungs. She stumbled forward, blind and gasping.

Through the confusion, instincts took over. She pushed toward what she knew was the safest direction — but before she could escape, a strong hand yanked her back. Roughly pulled from the fray, she was thrown into the back of a jeep.

Cold water poured over her head, shocking her senses. Then came the sting of a slap across her cheek.

"Dad..." she whispered as she cowered in fear, while holding her burning face.

Her father’s face hovered above her, dark with fury. "I sent you to school to study — and this is what you do?" His voice was cold, biting. "If I hadn’t been assigned to monitor this protest, I wouldn’t have known you were out there, disobeying me. When did you become so reckless, Lara? When did you start to be disobedient?"

She fumbled for words. "Dad, it is not like that. I just wanted to gain experience and learn from it." She quickly thought of an explanation that would appease her father.

And though her gaze was still blurry, she saw his expression soften — just for a moment — and relief flooded her. But then his next words sliced through her like ice.

"You are becoming smarter, Lara. But you see, because of you, those students suffered." Her father said coldly.

Her stomach dropped. The tear gas... Had her father ordered it?

"And you made a serious mistake. You could have escaped earlier, but you helped someone." Another slap landed on her face.

There was ringing in her ears.

Then, she heard shouting. Was her eardrum damaged?

More sounds reached her ears.

Pots and pans clanged. Drums pounded. The distant roar of a crowd surged through her mind, blurring the lines between past and present.

Lara blinked. The dream faded, giving way to the dim light of dawn. She was awake now. The noises weren’t from the dream of the past. They were real.

She scrambled off her mat, heart racing, and hurried out of the infirmary tent. That night, she slept in the infirmary to continue watching over Asael.

Angus and Aramis stood guard outside, their faces indistinct in the pale light of the dawn. The eastern sky had only begun to brighten, but the air was alive with sound.

"What’s happening?" she demanded.

Angus shifted uneasily. "Those are people from the villages. They’re camped half a kilometer from here. They’ve been at it since an hour ago— banging pots, beating drums, shouting."

Lara frowned. "Why?"

"Protesting the presence of the Nords. The soldiers are already on alert, watching to see if they try anything."

She sighed. "So early in the morning. Damn. They woke me up."

Without another word, she turned, grabbed cotton balls, shoved them into her ears, curled into a ball on her mat, and went back to sleep.

Angus was speechless. He stared after her, mouth open. "That’s it?"

Aramis was dumbfounded, but then he shrugged. "Let him rest. He’ll need his strength."

They thought Kane would do something heroic, judging from his expression when he exited the tent. But he went back to sleep.

"You go back to sleep too, Angus. I’ll keep watch."

Angus ignored him and continued to stand like a sentinel.

"How could you protect the prince if you are not fully recovered? While you still have the chance, take a rest. When the war starts, you’ll need all the energy you can get." Aramis spoke with conviction.

Angus had a strange expression on his face. His brother, who was a man of few words, has spoken to him in three sentences. His heart warmed, so he rested on his mat on the ground.

Inside the tent, Lara was in dreamless sleep.