Ria and Kael leaned against a wooden post, clutching their stomachs as they laughed.
“Oh, please!” Ria shouted mockingly.
” Aira, have some mercy!
These are the ‘great warriors’ who were going to break your pretty face!
If you keep this up, there won’t be anyone left to guard the gate!”
The atmosphere at the training grounds shifted from mockery to stunned silence as Aira moved like a whirlwind.
One by one, the palace’s “greatest” warriors were sent into the dirt, their weapons clattering against the stone.
The sound of the defeat drew a massive crowd.
Palace maids, cooks, and stable hands gathered around the arena, whispering and laughing as they saw their arrogant soldiers losing to a single woman.
Aira stood in the center, not even breathing hard.
She wiped a small bead of sweat from her forehead.
“So?
Is that it for today, or is there anyone left with enough courage to step forward?”
“Wait for me!” A deep, commanding voice cut through the noise.
The crowd parted as a well-built, powerfully structured man stepped into the sunlight.
It was Theo, (The second prince).
Unlike his brother Leon, his eyes were sharp and focused.
He didn’t look at Aira with lust, but with the respect one warrior gives another.
“I will be the one to teach you,” Theo said, drawing a heavy training blade.
“Fight with me.” Aira smirked.
“Oh, wow.
Finally, a real challenge.”
The fight that followed was unlike anything the capital had seen in years.
For a full hour, the sound of steel echoed through the palace.
Ria and Kael stopped laughing; their expressions turned to genuine interest.
“He’s actually good,” Kael admitted, nodding.
“He has the discipline of a true soldier.”
Meanwhile, King Rowan noticed the palace was strangely quiet.
When he asked a servant where everyone had gone, he was told the entire court was at the training grounds.
Curious, the King reached the balcony just in time to see the finale.
With a lightning-fast sweep and a clever feint, she forced Theo off-balance.
A second later, the Prince hit the sand.
“I lose,” Theo gasped, looking up at the sky.
The crowd went silent.
The palace soldiers looked like they had seen a ghost.
Their champion, the strongest Prince, had been defeated.
Aira didn’t gloat.
She reached down, offering her hand to pull him up, and gave a respectful bow.
“It was a good match.
You have a strong heart.”
Theo laughed breathlessly as he took her hand.
“Who are you?
Truly?” “I am Aira, the General of the North,” she replied firmly.
Theo’s eyes widened.
“The North General?
So…
you are the famous trio raised by Great General Arin?” He looked at Ria and Kael, then back to Aira.
“It is an honor.
I see now why the North is so peaceful under your command.”
He turned to the King, who was watching from above, and then back to the trio.
“Can you help us?
Our men have grown soft.
We need you to train us—all three of you.”
Aira, Ria, and Kael shared a look and nodded in unison.
The secret mission for the King had officially begun, and they now had the perfect “cover” to watch the palace from the inside.
That is the question of the hour!
As the dust settles in the training grounds, the shock of the defeat is quickly replaced by a wave of whispers.
In a city as full of gossip and politics as Cloud Land, the arrival of the legendary Trio is like a lightning strike.
As Aira, Ria, and Kael walk off the field with Theo, the soldiers and palace staff watch them with narrowed eyes.
The same question is being whispered in the kitchens, the barracks, and the high balconies of the Queens:
The people of the capital aren’t foolish.
They know the North is the strongest military post in the kingdom.
For the General to leave her post and travel all the way to the capital—and then immediately humiliate the Royal Guard—it sends a message.
The Rumor in City:
• The Soldiers: They are terrified.
If the North General is here to train them, their “easy life” in the capital is over.
They wonder if the King is preparing for a massive war.
• The Common People: Among the refugees from the Plain Grounds, hope is stirring.
They whisper that the “Daughter of General Arin” has returned to bring justice to the kingdom and stop the cruel General who ruined their homes.
Back at training ground
The trio leave the training ground to go back.
But Theo walks beside the trio, his expression thoughtful.
“You know,” he says quietly, so the soldiers can’t hear, “The whole palace is going to be buzzing by dinner.
My brothers, the Queens…
everyone will be trying to get close to you to find out your true purpose.”
Aira touches the Red Jade on her hilt and looks toward the Royal Wing.
“Let them wonder,” she replies coolly.
Theo leave the trio at the palace gate.
The trio left the training grounds and began walking back toward General Arin’s old residence.
Even as they walked away, the three of them kept thinking about how to deal with the growing rumors.
Aira get the idea to stop the rumors, the Trio begins spreading a very specific story.
They decided what to say next day when Theo or any curious officials ask why the great General has left the North, they decided the same calm answer:
“We didn’t come here for politics or war.
It has been many years since we left.
We simply wanted to return to our roots, see our fathers’ old house, and settle our family properties before the memories faded.
We are here for our family, not the crown.”
But the trio practice this line hole night so it feels natural.
And next day they remember the lines but with sleep eyes.