Ethan
I looked at the men seated with me in my court, all having eyes that blazed with anger as they surrounded me. I didn’t need to ask what made them angry. I knew it. It was the same reason I was angry.
I had been angry ever since I got the letter and it took Ava constantly whispering soothing words to me for me not to have fly over the handle.
How could another man try to ask for the hand of my wife in marriage, as a return for stopping an attack? It sounded ridiculous to my ears and I wondered how he had come up with that suggestion.
Even if Ava was my daughter and not my mate, I wouldn’t have yielded to such a request. How could I give out my daughter to someone who believed she was a commodity that could be transferred by the decision of another person other than hers? How could I trust a man like that to respect and treat her well?
I was angry and had to force myself to calm down for the sake of my people. They were angry already and they needed me to calm down so they could calm down.
I sat back on my throne and cleared my throat, announcing that the meeting had begun. It was time for report. After the trainings had started, we met once in two days to talk of how far the trainers had gone with the men, their assessment and how much they believed we are ready for the war.
“How is the training going on, Rudolph?” I asked.
He nodded. “It’s going on well, your highness.”
“Is that true?” I looked as Ashkoff. He was one of the court officials but had volunteered to join the soldiers for training to fight the war.
He nodded. “I think so, your highness. The trainings are going well and the men are more agile than I had ever seen them. I have never been drilled so hard and worked to the bones in my life. I believe we are ready for the war.”
I chuckled. “You are a soldier in this instance even if you are a palace official, Ashkoff. It’s not up to you to decide if we are ready for war or not.”
The men laughed. Ashkoff blushed. “I’m sorry, your highness. I guess I got carried away.”
“Oh no! I didn’t mean in that way, Ashkoff. I didn’t mean to rebuke you or make you think I was offended. I only meant that it’s up to the trainers to decide if we are ready for the war as they are the one who know the skills and strength expected of us.”
Ashkoff nodded. “I understand, your highness.”
“Thank you for your participation, Ashkoff.” I smiled at him, knowing that it wasn’t easy to fight.
“I’m honored, your highness.” He bowed.
It must not have been easy for him to decide to join the fight and be drilled hard as a soldier of war when he had been used to comfort and luxury all his life as a court official. I knew he couldn’t have found it easy to join and might still not despite his enthusiasm but I was grateful that he had joined. We needed to increase our numbers as we didn’t know how much we would be fighting against and the more we could get, the better for us.
I had heard that he was speaking with the others in my royal cabinet to consider joining the soldiers for the war even though I never asked him to and I was pleased. I didn’t think he knew that I knew and I wasn’t about to tell him that I did. There was no need to make him uncomfortable.
I hoped that we would overcome this trying phase. I had already told Ava to remind me if I ever forget to reward Ashkoff for his service. I knew that he didn’t ask for it but I would love to reward him for his selflessness for doing what wasn’t expected of him and doing it with passion. I had heard that he was one of the best soldiers in the training from John and might be part of those who would be at the front line during the battle.
That had gotten me scared when I had heard and I was afraid of losing him in the war. I knew that was why most of the other officials didn’t join the war and preferred to sit it out. They were afraid of taking the risk of death. It wasn’t that I was afraid of Ashkoff dying because he worked in the palace with me – the soldiers out there were no less than he was – but I didn’t think he was going to be as fit as those who had been training for years when he had been in the palace all along no matter how fast he learned.
I had almost asked John to not let him be at the forefront until he promised me that he was going to watch over the men. I didn’t think that I wanted any of the soldiers to be at the front line even though I knew it was inevitable. I didn’t think I could stand the thought of any my people dying which was why I had to be sure of how ready we were for the war.
I turned to Quinn. “Do you think we are ready for the war, general?”
He nodded. “I think we are more than ready, your highness. Those bastards could bring in all they had and we would gladly crush them.”
“Despite our low numbers, there are tactics that would give us the upper edge and I’m happy to announce to you, your highness, that the men have learnt it all.”
I smiled. That had to be one of the genuine smiles I’ve had in weeks. I felt relieved to hear that. I knew the werewolves wouldn’t lie to me to make me relieved. They would tell me exactly what the problem was and not butter me up to my downfall. Same as Rudolph. That was why I had trusted them with the trainings and I was glad that I had done so.