The Rose Of The South
Chapter 12: Larme de Deesse

They reached Cleteland, one of the areas in Schiereiland that borders Nordhalbinsel last night. Although they had a bit of difficulty when crossing the border, but they can handle it well thanks to Mr. Schmidt and thanks to the ingenuity of Queen Isabella.

Once at Cleteland, they were greeted with a sweet scent in the air and the flowers of the Goddess Tear that began to bloom the sign of spring had arrived at Schiereiland. They continued to travel at night and rest during the day.

While Mr. Schmidt slept in his chariot, that afternoon they stopped in one of the woods in Cleteland that was not touched by the settlement. They let the horses graze while straightening their legs for a moment and enjoy the clear skies and cool but not the freezing cold air they can only get at Cleteland in the spring.

Not far from Mr. Schmidt's horse-drawn carriage, they could see the river flowing. His soothing voice chirped with the birds chirping on the branches of the tree some of which were still covered in a bit of snow. The water is very clear. No doubt, it's one end of the Scheine river. The sign that they had left the Ice Country and reached Schiereiland. Anna was amused by this fact. He has returned to his home country.

From a distance Anna could hear the rumbling sounds of water falling simultaneously. Waterfall, thought Anna. Anna tried to recall the books she had read in the palace library. But Anna doesn't remember any waterfalls in the Cleteland area.

"Mom heard it too?" Ask Anna. The Queen beside him nodded.

"There are some wound healing plants that can only grow near waterfalls. If it really is a waterfall, maybe we can find that plant. Wait here, my daughter." The Queen then went to look for the waterfall. Louis and Xavier went with him.

Anna was upset about being told to wait, but if she came along, she might just slow them down. So Anna sat leaning under one of the lush Goddess Tear trees, letting the spring breeze gently caress her face, calming her heart and soul. Even the wind at Schiereiland seemed more friendly. Anna could have let herself fall asleep under the tree, but she refused to close her eyes. The surrounding scenery is too beautiful to miss. Several snow-white petals of the Goddess Tear fell in the wind. Some of it fell in her hair. Anna took one of the petals.

There is a famous story about this flower. It is said that one day a beautiful girl came down from the sky, people believed the beautiful girl was a Goddess. The Goddess wept when she saw the fate of the suffering people on earth. The wars are endless, the children starve after the fathers die in the wars and the mothers grieve. But from the tears of the Goddess who fell on the land of Cleteland, came trees that no one had seen before. In the spring, the tree brings out small white flowers that are so beautiful and fragrant that they can comfort the hearts of those who are sad, while the leaves are bright green can be a cure for fever. In the summer, the flowers turn into fresh, pink edible fruits that satiate the stomachs of starving children. In autumn, when all the fruit has been picked and the leaves have fallen, the tree trunk can be cut down to make firewood or the main material to make a strong house. And in winter, the roots of the tree become tubers that can be boiled and enjoyed with the family. The Goddess Tear tree will grow back by itself every spring as long as the tip of the root is still embedded in the ground. The tree became an icon of the power of God and Goddess.

But when she saw the falling flowers of the Goddess Tear, it was not the only story Anna remembered.

"It's not a goddess..." Anna muttered to herself as she watched the white flowers of the Goddess Tear at one end of the tree.

"What?" Leon comes and picks up some petals that fell on Anna's hair and thrusts them at Anna.

Anna's surprised. Usually he was always aware of Leon's presence around him. He was too lost in his thoughts earlier. Anna immediately took the petals of the Goddess Tear from Leon's hand. The myth in Schiereiland says that if you blow on the petals of the Goddess Tear while making a wish, then the request will be granted. Anna did not believe in such a myth, but Anna still blew the petals out of her hands.

Hopefully we will all be fine, hopefully Schiereiland will be fine. Hopefully we can find Alexis as soon as possible or at least meet another dragon.

"So you said something?" Leon asked while sitting next to him.

Anna turned to her, "Leon, do you remember the story of the Goddess who came down from the sky and blessed the humans by growing the Goddess Tear tree?"

"Yes... It's just a fairytale, Your Majesty."

Anna rolled her eyeballs. "Dragon was also just a mere fairy tale before."

"So?"

"That's real, Leon." The objection. "But the beautiful girl who came down from the sky was not a Goddess. He is one of the dragons." Anna said with confidence. "That's the Earth Dragon, Earithear. Cleteland is where Earithear came down from the sky! I remember it, Leon!"

All of a sudden, right after Anna recalled her place of finding Earithear in the past, there was a rumbling sound of thunder from the sky.

The sky did not darken, it remained as bright as before, but from the spots on the ground that were hit by water droplets and the surface of the river that started rippling, Leon knew the rain was starting to fall slowly. Leon's eyes were immediately drawn to Anna. Be prepared for the bad possibilities that occur. The rain always made Anna think back to that event. But this time the girl looked fine.

Anna looked stunned at the rain as if it was the first rain she had seen after all this time. Anna missed the rain. The soothing aroma of wet soil, water spots on the branches, as well as the splashing sound in the river water when it rains. People in Schiereiland generally love rain and consider it a blessing from the sky. At that time, the rain no longer reminded Anna of the events of that night at Schiereiland Palace when her father was killed. Anna still remembers the incident, but she is no longer afraid. Now the rain reminds Anna of the time she was disguised as Eleanor. When Xavier kissed her. His face heated up, his cheeks blushing as those memories flashed again in his mind.

It's insanity. Why do I remember it again?

Anna allowed herself to recall even further. There is a reason why I love the rain. Anna remembers when she was thirteen. When Leon returns home from a border assignment given by his late father. Just then, when Leon returned, it rained heavily. She recalled that time wearing a bright blue dress and the servants had just finished styling her hair when she heard the news of Leon's return. Anna ran quickly through the hallways, through the corridors, through the rain-soaked gardens. Anna paid no heed to the screams from the servants behind her who were chasing after her while begging to slow her down so they could paddle her. Anna also did not care about the royal manners she had mastered so much that a princess should not run. He only stopped running when he finally saw Leon had just come out of the hall after the welcome from King Edward.

Anna recalled how wet her entire dress was, her well-groomed hair looked messy, she felt it was very inappropriate to welcome Leon home, but as Leon said "I came back safely, Your Majesty." bowing to her, Anna immediately rushed to hug Leon tightly. The rain wiped away her longing at that moment.

Anna forgot how much she loved the rain.

"Your Majesty, are you okay?" Ask Leon carefully.

"Yes?" Anna was awakened from her daydream. He looked at Leon who was watching him with a worried look. Anna knows why Leon behaves like that. Earlier the rain always made him remember the terrible events of that night. The night that felt like it had happened so long ago that Anna was no longer afraid. Surprisingly, he was fine now. "Yes, Leon. I'm fine." Anna replied with a bright smile.

For a moment, Leon forgot how to blink when he saw his smile. "Thank God.." he said.

While waiting for the rain to subside, Anna and Leon take shelter under a tree while remembering their childhood together. Being at Schiereiland again makes the atmosphere between the two improve. Anna instead of stopping to remember about the rejection from Leon, she just wanted to behave as usual. At the very least, that way, Leon would remain by his side.

They recalled how the head chef of the Palace sometimes forgot to lock the grocery storeroom so Anna and Leon worked together to infiltrate to pick up some fresh fish.

"Leon, you have to help me! It's orders. The cat has tiny babies that would starve if we didn't feed them." Indict Anna. He was five years old at the time.

"If we are found out, we will be punished, Your Majesty."

"We will not be punished."

"You who will not be punished. I might be whipped to death. Or worse, get fired and dumped."

"Cannot be. Mom and Dad love you."

"Baginda Raja and Her Majesty have been very kind to me. I don't want to disappoint them."

"Then don't get caught."

Leon still seems to disagree. But he couldn't bear to see Anna moody. They would then tour the Palace in search of the wild cats that would often come in and out of the Palace and feed the feral cats with fish from the grocery storeroom. One day, the head chef caught them. Anna was not punished. No one dared to punish the King's Princess. But Leon must accept punishment from the head chef in the form of some ferocious sabetage of apple twigs at his feet. Anna then told Queen Isabella in tears as Leon was hurt. After that, Queen Isabella called the Palace doctor to Leon and changed the details of the palace kitchen budget, making sure 'fresh fish for stray cats' were always purchased and available in the budget. The Queen also rebukes the palace chef so as not to hurt Leon again.

"Treat him as you treat the son of your King and Queen."

Anna tells Leon of the years when she had to wait for Leon to return from the war. Anna says that at that time, Queen Isabella will try to find a friend for Anna. The Queen then invited Constanza, her cousin from the Grand Duke Smirnoff family, to the Palace to be Anna's friend. But instead of being friends, they are hostile.

After that, Constanza would no longer be invited to the Palace. And Anna prefers to spend time alone in the Palace library reading literary works as well as practicing stringing beautiful words to write to Leon.

They recalled about the spring festival commonly held in Schiereiland. The palace will hold a ball every year in the spring. And each year Anna would come with Leon. Except in the spring of last year when she was fiancee to Duke Francis.

Last year, Anna came to the dance with Duke Nicholas Francis. Anna begins to try to love the man she is about to marry, so she ignores Leon who is coming to the party with Constanza Smirnoff. Although Anna knew Leon was accompanying Constanza Smirnoff as her duty, the girl's fiance was unable to attend the party. Still Anna felt the dance that year was one of her worst memories. Anna told me how sorry she was that she should have come with Leon.

"But Lady Smirnoff is not that bad. He didn't like dancing so we talked more. He's smart to adjust. We're pretty connected." Leon said, responding.

"He once expected you to die being harvested by the Orient. And you can still say he's not that bad?"

"He was a kid then. And although rude, his words were indeed true. The Orient arrow never misses. Unfortunately none of them managed to aim at me. They were hunted to death by my sword before they could shoot arrows. So Lady Smirnoff wasn't entirely wrong."

"Ha! The men and their interest in the high-class mating star, the beautiful Lady Constanza Smirnoff. You're all the same. Maybe if Constanza says Nordhalbinsel has the hottest temperature in the world, you'd still say that he's not entirely wrong."

Leon held back a laugh hearing the envious tone in Anna's words. "Every man who has met or heard of her has at least once in his lifetime fallen in love with Lady Smirnoff..." Leon said, which instantly made Anna throw a sharp glare at him, so he hurriedly continued, "But I didn't. I'm immune to her beauty."

"really?" Anna asked half in disbelief, but was at once happy to hear it. "I'm surprised, you can defend Constanza—“

"Your Majesty, if you weren't with Duke Francis then, I'd rather be with you." Hazel Leon's eyes glittered brightly in the sunlight.

Anna shifted her eyes even though it was difficult. He hoped that the sound of his heartbeat would not be heard by Leon. "Can't you stop making me flutter." Anna's cheeks blush.

"Saaf—“

Before the atmosphere between the two became awkward, Anna hurriedly added, "I know you said that because compared to me, Constanza is not at all good at dancing. How many times did your foot get stepped on that night?"

Leon laughed, "I stopped counting at twenty. I'm so sorry for her fiance."

His fiancee is Prince Ludwig. But Anna didn't say it.

"I suspect that her fiance did not come at that time on purpose."

They kept talking about various things. Anna felt a return to their time at Schiereiland Palace. The good times he and Leon could spend all day talking about things without worrying about Schiereiland's future.

The sky was getting brighter, and the rain was slowly beginning to subside. Only a small drizzle remains. Yet they were still sitting under the shade of the Goddess Tear tree. I wish time would stop and things just get better.

"Leon..." Call Anna when she remembers something she always wanted to discuss with Leon but the timing was always not right. Either because there was Queen Isabella around them or because there was Xavier. But this time it was just the two of them. Anna could discuss it freely with Leon. Things he was always afraid of but might happen in the near future. "If we—if Schiereiland is at war with Nordhalbinsel, is—“

"We're gonna win." Leon replied straight away as he saw the worry on Anna's face. "We'll be fine."

"You're so sure."

"I'm not just being optimistic, Your Majesty. I have a reason why I can be sure we're gonna win."

Lately Anna wants to learn war strategies just in case their plans don't go smoothly and if King Vlad or Queen Eleanor or maybe even Xavier himself refuses to release Schiereiland by the way be well. Anna does not want war, but if it is inevitable, Anna wants to fight for her country's freedom from the clutches of Nordhalbinsel.

"Why?" Ask Anna. "Give me a logical reason why you can be that sure?

"First, it was because Crown Prince Xavier would not participate in the war. Obviously we will be defeated in a landslide if the Great Fire Dragon comes into the war. Ordinary humans could not defeat the king of the dragons. He told me, if war is really inevitable, he promised not to fight against Schiereiland."

Xavier never told Anna, but he told Leon. Anna doesn't know Xavier and Leon can get that close. But Anna is grateful to learn that Xavier refuses to take part in the war. Somehow Anna doesn't like to imagine herself having to fight Xavier. Xavier has saved her many times. Anna felt indebted to him, but if one day they met on the battlefield, Anna would not be able to fight him. Even if it wasn't for their past relationship, it was because Xavier was his helper. Their traveling companions. A man who has saved his life many times.

"Who then led Nordhalbinsel in the war?" Ask Anna.

"There's a possibility, General Orthion Richterswill. But I suspect that Mad Wolf Winterthur himself will lead."

"Elias?"

Now Anna shuddered in horror at the thought of facing Elias on the battlefield. Anna did not know exactly the sword skills of General Elias, but Anna often heard it from the rumors of the Nordhalbinsel soldiers. Elias will not be an easy opponent. Leon doesn't seem to think so.

"Because now his father will not interfere in military affairs and leave that responsibility entirely to his son, then General Elias Winterthur will confront me."

"With me too." Said Anna. Anna knew Leon would ban her, but Anna was determined.

"Your Majesty can't—“

"You're underestimating me now General Leon? Don't tell me because I'm a woman, because as far as I am concerned, the only person who's ever led hundreds or maybe even thousands of troops against Orient is a woman. General Irene is a woman."

When he heard Anna mention General Irene, Leon inevitably remembered Xavier's words a few nights ago. General Irene was Queen Irene of Nordhalbinsel, Xavier's mother. That means General Irene is Irene Winterthur, daughter of the previous Grand Duke of Winterthur. It was no wonder that General Irene had such amazing sword skills because she was from the Winterthur Clan. Just like Wolfgang Winterthur.

"I know, Your Majesty." Said Leon. "That's not what I meant. That Mad Wolf will be battered and lose its pride if you intervene as well. Forgive him and let me face him."

Anna could not help her smile. Leon always knew how to resist it very well as if it had become a habit. But Anna's gonna go to war no matter what Leon says.

"You're so sure you can beat him."

"If Wolfgang Winterthur were to advance into battle, I might not be this confident. I myself wonder why the Wolf King was in such a hurry to hand over his military power to his son. Though he should still be able to become a General at least for the next five years. It was strange, but his age was not that old. From what I've heard, her sword skills are still as great as they were ten years ago, she's still strong and healthy."

"Stop that... There may be another reason." Said Anna. But while saying that, he suddenly caught something in his mind. Possibilities that he had never thought of before. But it was soon pushed away. He is not suspicious of those who have done good to him. "Maybe Xavier knows something" he said.

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