The Rose That Blooms In North
Chapter 4: La Secheresse

That morning Anna and Leon had already packed up their belongings and were preparing to rent a horse carriage at the market. Anna carried the sword of Schiereiland behind her back and hung the dagger of Nordhalbinsel on her waist. They don't carry too much stuff. Only the thick food and clothing that Anna had bought yesterday. Leon has reminded her many times to buy extra thick clothes because Nordhalbinsel is known to have the coldest temperatures among other countries.

“It's really the Ice Negri. There is no other season than winter. The only flower that can grow there is a Crystal Tulip that looks like a tulip growing in Westeria, but each petal is covered in ice crystals. You will be really cold even though you wear layers of clothing though.” Leon said as they were on their way to the market to buy additional warm clothes and rent a horse carriage.

“You've been there?”

“I once went to Nordhalbinsel during the Northern War that occurred when you were just born."

"Are you not five years old?"

Leon nodded. "The late King Edward invited me to get to know the battlefield at the age of five.” Leon stops the story for a moment, realizing he shouldn't have been alluding to the late King in front of Anna. It can make him sad again.

“Why do you see me like that? Do I look so pathetic to you? Continue story. I need to get to know Nordhalbinsel further before I get there.” Said Anna trying as much as possible to look fine in front of Leon even though it was actually deep inside, her heart was still scarred by the death of her father.

Leon continued his story again during the time of the Northern War in Nordhalbinsel, as much as possible away from sensitive topics. Mostly he mentions about the main food in Nordhalbinsel which is meat and dairy products and is very difficult to find vegetables because they cannot grow vegetables and only import them from Westeria or grow them with the help of witches. But because of his intolerance to lactose, Leon only ate meat during his time in Nordhalbinsel.

“Sorry because I gave you milk bread that time.” Anna said as she recalled her actions.

“Thank God you didn't really poison me.” Sahut Leon's.

“Which way possible! You're the only one I have now. So don't let anyone poison you. It's a.” command Anna said in earnest.

Leon stopped stepping, then knelt before Anna. He looked at her seriously. “Alright." He said, one hand in front of the chest is like going to do a soldier's oath. "I promise I won't let myself be poisoned by anyone but by yourself, Your Majesty.”

"Stop. You're overreacting." Said Anna.

"I also promise I won't die if you don't let me."

"Leon..."

"I promise I won't leave you. And always be loyal to you."

"OKAY. Thats enough. Stop that."

"And I promise to—“

"Leon!" Anna knelt down in front of him. Put his index finger on Leon's lips. "That's enough. If I let you, you can take the wedding vows in the woods."

They laughed together for the rest of the journey.

***

There was something different that day at the market. People gathered at one point and formed long lines. Not only the buyers, but the sellers also closed the store and queued at the same place. Some of the new ones immediately ran towards that place and queued up. Anna who was curious about the crowd stopped one of the women running towards the line while carrying a large tray.

"What are people doing?" Ask Anna.

"We're waiting in line to get the last water we can find in this village." Answer the woman before finally going with the others to queue.

Anna was about to run into the crowd when Leon pulled his hand away from the place.

"Take me off." Speak sharply.

"Sorry, Your Honor. But it's too dangerous. There's something weird here. We better focus on our main goal." Said Leon.

Leon is right. Right now they need to focus on their goals. There was not much time left to contest the selection of Crown Prince Xavier's personal bodyguard. And Anna is far from ready.

Even so, Anna's conscience says that her people are currently in need of her. And he was the only member of the royal family left who could help them.

"The woman said they were waiting in line for the last water. That means the wells of the villagers are dry and the river is also dry. Just this morning I saw the Scheine river still filled with water as usual." Said Anna. His mind was busy thinking about the possible causes of the loss of water for the villagers.

"That's why I forbid you from getting involved. This is so weird. Because it looks like someone stopped the flow of the Scheine river to Kleinesdorf Village."

"Then we have to find out who that person is and restore the flow of the Scheine river to what it was."

"Your Majesty—“

"Leon." Cut it. The look in his eyes showed such earnestness, confidence and courage that even Leon was silent looking at him. "These people are citizens of Schiereiland. And right now they are all having a hard time in front of my own eyes. I am the Princess of this kingdom, Leon. So how can I just ignore my people?"

Anna's earnest gaze, her words, her way of saying all that, reminded Leon of the late King Edward so much that it shook him. Leon also agreed to help solve the water problem of Kleinesdorf villagers first before continuing their journey to Nordhalbinsel. He let go of Anna's hand, letting her walk towards the last water queue crowd.

As they approach the crowd, Anna and Leon cross paths with a boy who runs towards them. The boy seemed to be panting towards Anna. His body was thin but tall enough for his age. Her light bronze hair was in stark contrast to her dark brown eyes. There was a stain of horse-drawn carriage wheel lubricant on both of his tapered cheeks. Anna immediately recognized the boy as the son of the horse carriage hire owner she met yesterday because he was still wearing the same clothes as yesterday.

"Miss, I've finally found you. I'm Louis Blanc who you met yesterday to rent a horse-drawn carriage." greet the boy in front of Anna and Leon. He slightly glanced at Leon whom he hadn't met yesterday, his pupils widening at the sight of Leon, but he tried not to show his surprise. "I, on behalf of my father, apologize for it seems like your trip can't be done today."

"It's okay Blanc—“

"Louis, Miss."

"All right, it's okay, Louis. We also had to postpone our departure. Do you know what the cause of..." Anna moved her hand forward, "all this?"

Louis nodded. "Let's follow me, Miss."

***

Anna, Leon and Louis reached the end of Kleinesdorf Village. Not far from their current position, a group of people in Nordhalbinsel army clothes were holding a whip and people in shabby clothes were working together to make a dam that was almost finished. Every now and then the soldiers whipped those who stopped for a moment or those who walked slowly. Some of the dam workers are very old people and children who are still too small to work.

Seeing all that, Anna's blood boiled. He clenched his hands tightly together until his nails almost tore the skin of his own palms.

It was the dam that caused the water from the Scheine river to stop flowing into the wells of Kleinesdorf Village. And the men employed by the Nordhalbinsel soldiers were the people of Schiereiland working as slaves. Its waters, its country, its people. It was all his. Schiereiland. The northern people have no right to treat them at will.

"How dare they!" Anna cried with anger. His heart wanted to scream. Anna almost walked up to the soldiers, but Leon prevented her.

"That Mul—“ Leon glanced towards Louis who was standing not far from them. "Anna, you can't just go and stop them. Think before you act."

"You're right." Said Anna. "If we manage to stop them, we must find a way to destroy this dam without flooding Kleinesdorf Village."

"I'm sorry if I'm so presumptuous," Louis, who had been watching Anna and Leon, said, "I just want to make sure, is this Miss really Princess Schiereiland who is said to be dead? Princess Anastasia? And..." Louise looked at Leon doubtfully, hiding her nervousness as much as possible. His hands twisted the edges of his worn clothes. "S-I am sure the Master is General Leon, the Lion of the South. Don't you?"

Anna was surprised to hear that. It wouldn't be surprising if anyone knew Leon. But if any ordinary people recognized him, it was a very rare thing to happen. Only the nobles had ever come to Anna's birthday party, and the state officials who frequented the Palace recognized her face.

Leon pulled out his sword and directly pointed it at Louis' neck and pulled Anna away behind him. Protecting Anna from the danger that might come. "Say. Whoareyou? Did King Vlad send you to spy on us?"

Louis trembled to see the tip of Leon's sword just inches from his neck.

"What are you doing!” Anna breaks away from Leon's hand. "Let your sword down, Leon! He's just a commoner." Anna's orders while trying to get Leon to lower his sword which is still pointed at Louis' neck.

"Sa-I beg your pardon, Your Majesty." Louis bowed, still trembling before Leon and Anna. "Please forgive me."

Anna immediately removed Leon's sword from Louis's presence and helped the boy stand up. Touching him as gently as possible was because the boy was still frightened. "He's too young to be a spy, Leon."

Anna cleaned Louis's clothes from the ground that was stuck on his shirt while prostrating earlier. "You okay?" Ask Louis to make sure he's not hurt.

Louis simply nodded, still not stopping trembling in fear. Meanwhile, Leon's gaze is still attached to Louis, preparing if the boy is indeed planning something that could harm Anna.

"I was also twelve years old when I was sent to be a spy in Westeria. We shouldn't let our guard down just because he's a kid." Said Leon while sheathing back his sword. But his eyes were still watching Louis' movements as if the boy could have suddenly stabbed Anna.

"With all due respect, Your Majesty, I am not a child. I'm fourteen years old." Louis said, trying to eliminate his fear by returning Leon's gaze. Not with a threatening look, but with a serious look. He did it to make Leon believe him. That he's not the enemy.

Leon took a deep breath, massaging his temples. The tension began to disappear. "How do you know who we really are? Tell me the truth or this sword will—“

"Leon!" Anna rebuked him before Leon finished his sentence.

"The sword." Louis pointed to the sword of Schiereiland which had been hidden behind Anna's back. But now the cloth that hid the rose carvings on the handle of the sword had opened. A vivid display of the rose carvings that became the symbol of the Kingdom of Schiereiland. "My father once told me that all members of the royal family had rose symbols on their valuables including weapons. And that's also because I recognize the face of the Lion from the South." Louis ventured to look at Leon, "My father and brother once fought a war led by you, sir. During the victory celebration at the town hall, I came to meet them and see you there. You are my role model."

Leon looked at Louis who seemed earnest with his story, then looked back at Anna. "Do you believe him?" Ask Leon.

Anna nodded without the slightest hesitation.

"alright. But remember, you have to keep this a secret." Leon told Louis.

Louis nodded happily. A smile was painted on his face that was full of dust and dirt from the rest of the lubricating wheels.

After learning what was going on with the waters of the Scheine river, Anna, Leon and Louis return to the village of Kleinesdorf to inform the residents. They tell everything in great detail. About what really happened behind the loss of their water flow. Anna also explained that the Nordhalbinsel people hired slaves from Schiereiland to build a large dam that made the water from the Scheine river no longer flow through their village. All of that should have managed to ignite the flames of their anger since that was Anna's goal. Raising the anger of all, so that they will be able to do whatever they can to fight back and reclaim their river water.

Anna won't be able to do everything herself. He needs his people now. He needed the spirit of the entire village of Kleinesdorf.

But the villagers just kept quiet as if they already knew about it and gave up, letting what belonged to them be snatched away.

"Do you know anything about this?" Ask Anna.

"That's right. But we can't do anything." Replied a man who seemed to be the leader of Kleinesdorf village.

Anna frowned not understanding. "Why are you silent when your water is taken by someone else who is not entitled?"

"What can we do? We have heard that all the royal families are dead and the kingdom is taken over by Nordhalbinsel. Even Duke Francis has made the announcement that we must not fight Nordhalbinsel. We've all lost."

Hearing the name Duke Francis mentioned, Anna suddenly remembered a painful thing that could somehow be forgotten after the tragedy that changed her life. Ironically, heartbreaks and new disappointments can be forgotten after more terrible and painful tragedies occur in life.

"What has your fiancee done?" whispered Leon who was standing near Anna.

"You mean, my ex-fiancee?" Anna corrected in a sharp whisper, half annoyed.

Duke Nicholas Francis, who is the same age as Leon, is a close relative of King Edward and the only man in his twenties with the title Duke at Schiereiland. Therefore, the King decided to marry Anna to him. They were already engaged last year, even Duke Francis had set up a luxurious and magnificent Palace on the beach in the Eze region as an engagement gift for them to stay together after marriage. But Anna decided not to continue the engagement after learning that Duke Francis had another woman. Anna did not explain the affair to her father knowing it would complicate her former fiance's life and that it could be a serious political issue. The worst possibility is that the King will dethrone the title of Duke Francis and replace the Duchy leader with someone else who is not necessarily as smart and powerful as Duke Francis. Anna admits there is no man as smart as her former fiance when it comes to politics. He values Nicholas Francis as Duke, not as the man he was once engaged to.

Anna sighed. I don't really want to think back about her ex-fiance. The past is just the past. Now there's something much more important.

"We can take back our water." Said Anna excitedly in front of dozens of villagers Kleinesdorf who had gathered at that time. "The dam is not yet fully completed. If we can fight the soldiers and free the slaves, we can stop the construction of the dam. In fact, we could destroy that dam with explosives and—“

"Young lady, who are you?" Sela the village leader. "We are nobody. Only ordinary people can do nothing. You want the villagers, the majority of whom are farmers and traders and war veterans, to be massacred by the Nordhalbinsel army?"

The other residents also called in agreement. All of them, the villagers of Kleinesdorf looked hopeless and had given up on what had happened to him. It made Anna feel guilty. He felt guilty because in the past week, while his people were suffering from being colonized by another nation, he was unable to do anything and was just immersed in his own suffering. Anna was sad, disappointed with herself. It felt like he was scolding himself for being so weak and helpless.

He was the only hope of his kingdom. Only he is left, who can help his people. But he can't do anything. He's racking his brains. Trying to find a way, whatever it is, to revive the fighting spirit that has been lost from the souls of its people.

Meanwhile, around him the villagers continued to complain and wonder why they should listen to the words of this young girl who was a nobody.

"The royal family is not dead yet." Anna finally announced to the villagers. Anna glances at the wary Leon, hinting that Leon entrusts this to her. Leon nodded. The whispers around the villagers grew. Most still doubt Anna's words.

Anna looked at them all one by one. Not a single bit of desire to give up. He should be able to get his people to fight with him because he won't be able to do it all by himself. "It is true that the King was killed. But Queen Isabella and Crown Prince Alexis are still alive. That means the leader of this kingdom is still alive. And we have the right to take what is ours. The waters of the Scheine River belong to the people of Schiereiland. It's not Nordhalbinsel's. This country is ours, not theirs!”

There was a rumbling among the villagers. Some of them seemed to agree with Anna's words. But from their gazes they still looked fear of what could happen if they fought the Nordhalbinsel army.

Anna knew that this would be very difficult. Leading and convincing others is not easy. Not everyone can do it well. Even a King. Anna's teacher once explained that she had to put herself in the shoes of the people and see from their perspective in order to lead them. Anna knew the villagers were scared just like her. But Anna's fear of losing her country was far greater than her fear of the Nordhalbinsel army. Although Anna knew, if it was against them, then the lives of these villagers were in danger. There could be a massive massacre because the villagers would be considered rebellious.

"We need not be afraid!" Shouted someone from the village line. "If Nordhalbinsel has an army, we have the Lion of the South!"

There were too many villagers gathered before him at this moment so Anna did not know who was speaking. He stood on his tiptoes, trying to see who said that.

"Really! General Leon is on our side. We need not be afraid!" Another voice came among the villagers.

"I once witnessed firsthand with both of my eyes as General Leon crushed dozens of enemy soldiers single-handedly. We'll win as long as we fight with General Leon!" The other law.

"Who are you?" Ask Leon, who is also trying to find the source of the voice.

A man in his late thirtys and an old grandfather advanced to the front of the line. At first only two people, but soon after, seven others came forward, one of them was Louis' father, the owner of the chariot rental. They all knelt before Leon.

"Greetings to us, General Leon."

Anna didn't really recognize those faces. But from the scars on their faces and body parts, Anna knew that they were Leon's ex-soldiers in the wars she had led. They are war veterans.

There were whispers among the other villagers who had just learned that the Lion from the South had come to their village. Of course they did not or did not know that the Princess was also in front of them. But Anna decides to obey Leon, hiding her identity for everyone's safety.

In an instant, the entire village knelt before Leon. Leon was not born from a noble family nor from a royal family. But Leon was already living in the Palace even before King Edward ascended the throne. And everyone knew that Leon was treated like King Edward's son in the palace. They also showed that respect to Leon because he was a person who had been instrumental in saving their country from the wars that had passed.

All kneeled down and in unison said, "Greet us, General Leon."

***