Return of the General's Daughter
Chapter 128: The Fall Of Carles 2

Chapter 128: The Fall Of Carles 2

At sunrise, the battlefield was eerily quiet. The once-chaotic town of Carles now stood still, bathed in soft golden light of the first rays of the sun. All the Estalis soldiers had surrendered, their weapons discarded and their hands bound with rough ropes. They knelt in long, weary lines around the ruins of the town hall, their faces hollow with defeat. The air was heavy with the scent of smoldering rubble and damp earth.

Realization hit them hard. They were now prisoners of war. They do not know which one was better, to be dead or to be a prisoner of war.

The seriously wounded Northem soldiers had been carried to the town’s infirmary, where the small building overflowed with patients. Lara worked tirelessly, her hands swift and steady as she tended to the injured. The infirmary buzzed with hushed voices and the occasional groan of pain. Jethru had tried to persuade her to leave, to return home where it was safe, but she refused. Her place was here — there was still work to be done.

The following day, Jethru had convinced her once more to go back with him to Calma, but Lara insisted on staying. She would not have peace of mind until all the injured were treated. Jethru sighed. What a stubborn disciple he has.

Her master eventually gave up and said his goodbye, reminding her to go back to Calma after she was done helping.

Over the next five days, Estalis relinquished their control of the remaining towns in exchange for the freedom of the prisoners, and with that, the war between Estalis and Northem officially ended. Peace, though fragile, settled over the land.

The mayor’s mansion, once a symbol of greed and corruption, was converted into a temporary command center. The prince and his generals took up residence within its stone walls, strategizing for the future.

At the back of the mansion, a large tent was pitched at the periphery of the orchard to serve as an overflow infirmary. The clinics and infirmary in the town were overflowing because of the sheer volume of the injured. Once the patient was deemed no longer critical, they would be transferred to the infirmary tent behind the mayor’s mansion.

One afternoon, Lara made her way to the tent, weaving between the rows of cots and pausing beside Asael’s bed. His color had returned, and when she carefully removed his sutures, she was relieved to see smooth, newly healed skin beneath.

"Looks like you’re recovering well, brother" she said softly, a smile tugging at her lips.

Asael stretched, wincing slightly but grinning nonetheless. "Thanks to you."

Asael smiled, and he looked even more handsome. The swelling and the bruises on his face were gone, and standing beside Lara, no one would dare say that they were not siblings.

"Want to take a walk?" he asked, his voice hopeful.

Lara agreed, and they strolled in the orchard. She did not notice the night they spied that the trees were brimming with fruit. Sunlight dappled the ground, casting shifting patterns on the soil. Her eyes landed on a star apple tree, its branches heavy with ripe fruit. A sudden craving struck her.

"Wait here, brother," she said, her eyes glimmering with mischief.

Asael watched in confusion as she darted toward the tree, agile as a cat. In a blink, she was scaling the trunk, her fingers finding holds with practiced ease. The leaves rustled softly as she climbed higher, plucking a few star apples and tucking them into her small rucksack.

"Lara, be careful!" Asael called, but she didn’t seem to hear him.

Lara moved from branch to branch while picking a few starapples and put them them inside her small ransack.

Then, to Asael’s horror, she leaped from a branch more than two meters high, landing gracefully in front of him. He stumbled back, eyes wide.

"You ... Can you not climb down instead of jumping down? That height is quite high. What happen if you injure your ankle or your knee? And why do you climb like a monkey?" a barrage of reprimands reached Lara’s ears.

Lara blinked, startled by the outburst, but then warmth bloomed in her chest. He cared.

"Don’t worry, Bro," she said, grinning. "I know how to land perfectly without getting hurt."

"Bro?"

"Yes, shortcut for Brother."

Asael shook his head, muttering under his breath, but a fond smile tugged at his lips. Together, they walked deeper into the orchard, the distant chirping of birds and the rustling of leaves their only companions.

Unbeknownst to them, a shadow drifted silently through the orchard, weaving between the trees with the grace of a predator. The soft crunch of leaves underfoot was nearly imperceptible, but Lara’s sharp senses prickled. She paused, her eyes narrowing as she subtly scanned the area.

"Come out," she commanded, her voice steady but low.

For a moment, silence hung in the air, heavy and expectant. Then, from behind the big trunk of a mango tree, a figure emerged. The dappled sunlight caught his sharp features, casting shadows across his cold, unreadable face.

Alaric stood tall. His face was expressionless.

"Prince Alaric?" Lara blinked, startled. "I thought it was Aramis."

Her heart gave a slight jolt — what was he doing here, slinking after them like a ghost? She glanced at Asael, whose brows furrowed deeply, his earlier contentment now replaced with irritation. His quiet moment with his sister had been disrupted, and he didn’t bother to hide his displeasure.

Alaric stepped closer, his gaze locked onto Asael with an icy intensity that made the air between them crackle. "I was just getting some fresh air," he said coolly, his voice devoid of warmth. "And picking fruit." He glanced at the star apples in Lara’s rucksack, and the ones in his hand.

His eyes flicked back to Asael, narrowing slightly, and then his eyes widened in surprise.

"You..." Alaric blinked. He took a step forward, another step, and then another until he came face to face with Asael.

His gaze shifted to Lara and then back to Asael, trying to make sense of what he was seeing.

"You two looked similar."

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