The Rose That Blooms In North
Chapter 8: Brussels

A week later, Anna and Leon arrive at Noord, the capital of Nordhalbinsel.

Anna has just experienced the freezing air of Nordhalbinsel, which is known to have a perpetual winter. The entire land in Noord City was covered in thick white snow, but people were still on the move as usual. If this thick snow was seen in Schiereiland, usually the King would announce 'Day of Rest' to the whole people. Because extreme cold weather will not be good for the health of the residents and can interfere with their activities and work, so the King allows all activities to be done inside the house and wait for the snow to subside to return to activities outside. But here in Nordhalbinsel, precisely at Noord, this kind of heavy snow seems like nothing.

After farewell to the villagers in Kleinesdorf, the villagers gave a great deal of provisions for their journey. Food, water, warm clothes, even a chariot from Mr. Blanc, Louis' father. Louis decided to join them as a chariot driver. The boy seemed very happy and excited when he found out that his father allowed him to go with a Princess and an honorable General from his country. He felt that he was an important person who contributed to his kingdom.

During the trip, Anna is preoccupied with her training with Leon. During the day, they would continue their journey by horse-drawn carriage, and Leon would dictate everything he knew about Nordhalbinsel while Anna recorded it in her brain.

Leon taught him everything about that Eternal Winter Country. Starting from their accent of speech, history, geographical area, to small things such as the habits of the inhabitants. Every time they stopped at a market, they would buy books containing information about Nordhalbinsel. Then at night, they would stay away from the settlement and enter the forest area to set up tents and practice swords. Anna continued to do all that—study by day and practice sword at night—so that it was not felt, they had reached Nordhalbinsel.

Actually, a trip to Nordhalbinsel shouldn't take that long. But they kept stopping in various places to rest or practice the sword. So that the time used to travel it becomes twice as long as it should be.

Anna was chewing her lunch at a tavern in the capital Noord when Leon suddenly asked a question with a perfect Nordhalbinsel accent. Anna had to look up to him to make sure that the one who spoke was really Leon and not Noord.

"Note the names of the four Generals and each of their regions."

Anna choked on her lunch. "Can't I eat quietly? My brain almost exploded, I was so tired and sleep deprived. My body hurts all because of practicing the sword day and night. Do I still have to be asked questions while I'm eating?"

"If you can only complain and can't answer such a simple question, how can you be sure that you will be chosen as the Crown Prince's personal bodyguard? You think the test is that easy?"

Anna sighed. He put his spoon on the table. "General Orthion Richterswill guards the South. General Wolfgang or Grand Duke Winterthur guards the North. General Arianne Montreux guards the West. And Young General Tyros Engelberg is guarding the East."

Leon smiled proudly at her. "good. Please continue eating."

Anna again ate a warm soup made from meat broth, bone cut and no vegetables eaten along with a piece of hard bread. With the rest of the money they had, they could only buy a bowl of soup and a loaf of bread for each person. Not a filling food, but at least enough to prop up their stomachs so as not to starve to death especially in the cold weather Noord.

"Honestly Leon, you didn't pass any tests to become my personal bodyguard, did you?" Anna asked as she tried to cut her hard bread. As he managed to cut it in half, the crumb fell on his lap and soiled the floor. In the past, in the Palace, he would never make the floor dirty with his food crumbs. He would also never eat such hard bread if he were still in the Palace.

"Of course not. Once I can walk, I'm set to be your personal bodyguard. No. gabe. I'm the one who set out to be your bodyguard because I can't trust you to anyone."

"I'd guess. So you don't really know what the Crown Prince's personal bodyguard selection is, do you?"

"No. But from what I know, your rivals will be very heavy."

Anna frowned, "Why?"

"The announcement said men or women, of different ages and from all over the world. That means that the swordsmen of Westeria, the skilled archers of the Orient Empire, even the knights of Nordhalbinsel will participate in this election." Leon answered seriously. "You have almost no hope of defeating them all."

"But I learned directly from General Leon, the Lion of the South. And you are the best student of the best swordsman teacher in Westeria. Do you think I have anything to look out for?" Challenge Anna.

Leon was just about to answer his argument, but his words immediately came to a halt when he saw Louis coming at them in a hurry.

"Miss, someone leave something for you." Said Louis who suddenly came carrying his tray containing soup and bread. He took something out of his pocket and took out a piece of paper that was folded into a small one.

"What's it say?" Anna asked Louis before receiving the paper.

"I didn't read it. The guy says it should be you yourself who reads it."

"What kind of person gives this? Did you see his face?" Leon asked, in a tone full of suspicion like he was interrogating a criminal.

"I can't see it. He was wearing a robe and a headscarf so his face was hard to see."

Anna received the paper from Louis and unfolded it. He put it on the table to look at.

But there's no writing there. It was just a blank piece of paper with one end of the paper slightly burned.

"It's definitely just a prankster." Said Leon.

Anna is about to throw the paper in the trash when Louis suddenly prevents her. "Miss, wait a minute." Louis took the paper out of Anna's hand, then re-examined it as if it would suddenly appear.

A few seconds passed and the paper was empty. But Louis' gaze was fixed on the burning edge of the paper.

"What's wrong?" Anna asked, curious about the meaning of Louis' gaze.

The boy looked at Leon. Leon took the blank paper out of Louis's hand. Leon did the same. He scrutinized the burning tip of the paper as if it held an answer. His forehead wrinkled seriously making him appear older than his age.

"That guy says you should read it yourself." Repeat Leon, still staring at the end of the paper.

"Then?"

Louis nodded, looking at Leon expectantly. He began to understand the meaning of those words.

"Anna, Nordhalbinsel are known for their magic." Leon said, "The country is filled with magic."

"Yes, I know. Some people with magic talent were funded by the kingdom to study magic in the Magic Tower. Even Empress Selena was the greatest witch in Nordhalbinsel, or perhaps the greatest among the four Nations. Wh why? You want to test me again?"

"I guess what Louis meant was that you had to actually read the paper yourself. You're alone." Leon handed the paper back to Anna. "You can't let us or anyone else see it."

***

They returned to their lodging in Noord. The hotel is the cheapest there. One room can accommodate up to 5 people. They only need to book one room. Inside there is a bed in the form of an old and weathered carpet, without pillows and without blankets. The only thing keeping the room warm in the deadly cold was a small fireplace not far from their bed. Instead of an inn room, for Anna, it looked more like a kitchen garbage storage warehouse in her palace. But Anna was unable to protest because only the room could afford to pay for the rest of their money.

Anna asks Leon and Louis to wait outside the room while she unfolds the paper. For a while, nothing happened. It was still a blank piece of paper with no ink stains.

Anna saw one of the ends of the paper burning slightly. He recalled how the burn marks had caught the attention of Leon and Louis. Anna thought whoever had written this paper before would have done it near the fire. So Anna tried to look back at the paper by the fireplace in the room.

Slowly, the fire from the fireplace spread out on the paper. But the fire was not hot at all. Anna was so shocked that she almost threw the paper but it didn't happen because of the risk that she would set the room on fire. After all, after he noticed the part of the paper that was hit by the fire did not burn out. The part of the paper that was hit by the fire actually began to form a writing. The longer, the more words that sprung up on the paper as if fire were writing those words. Whoever wrote it, Anna should praise her handwriting. So neat and beautiful as the writer took hours to make the letter. Anna hurriedly read the writings, worried that they would disappear again. He also remembered the writing in his head.

“Anna? Are you done?” Leon knocked on their bedroom door after a while.

“Yes. Log in.” Answer Anna.

Leon and Louis entered the room. They noticed Anna who looked confused. His gaze was as blank as the letter paper in his hand. His forehead was wrinkled by the sign of thinking something.

“Tadi no.” Said Anna. Still with a puzzled face and a wrinkled forehead, he turned to face Leon, “You know what the Survival Test means?”

***

“So you mean, I have to survive during the allotted time, locked up in a labyrinth along with other candidates who are most likely swordsmen from Westeria, the reliable Archers of the Orient Empire, the, and the knights of Nordhalbinsel?" Anna's tone of voice grew higher in every word. Leon nodded in confirmation, making Anna laugh nervously. "And one more thing, I can only use this knife because I can't carry my sword?"

Leon nodded back.

Anna simply repeated what Leon had already explained about the Survival Test which was the Second Stage of the Crown Prince's Personal Guards selection process. But it felt like he was pronouncing his death sentence. The Survival Test sounded like the worst way to die in a time when he had to stay alive for the sake of his kingdom.

"It's like that, Your Majesty." Leon Said. "They'll know your identity as soon as you carry the sword with the rose symbol. You can't carry my sword either because they'll recognize it better. Nor do we have enough money to buy a new sword. And there's nothing more we can sell.” Leon breathed a heavy sigh. Massaging temples. "We'd better deal with all of this. Let's think of another way to get into the Palace without needing to be the Crown Prince's personal bodyguard."

"Why are you so pessimistic, General? Her Highness the Princess can definitely handle this." Louis's comments, full of optimism. He turned to Anna, "I've seen you practice a lot, Your Majesty. You're pretty good in my opinion."

Anna smiled at him, "Thank you, Lou."

"Even you didn't necessarily make it past the First Stage exam of that election, Anna." Said Leon. The wrinkles on his forehead deepened. She really disliked imagining Anna entering the danger lair alone without her supervision.

Anna had already informed Leon and Louis of the contents of the paper. The paper contains leaks about the stages in the selection of the Crown Prince's personal guard. The first stage is a writing test. The Second Stage is a Survival Test. While the Third Stage is a live interview test by the Crown Prince.

"Oh, come. Writing tests can't be too difficult. I'm just worried about the Second Stage."

"Second stage is the hardest in my opinion." Leon was silent for a moment, seemingly thinking hard. Then he said, "What if I put on a mask and pretend to be you and go into the labyrinth?" His proposal.

"I don't think it's gonna work. You're much taller than me. Anyway, what if it gets caught? I might be eliminated immediately." Anna sighed. "You can't follow either, Leon. Your face is known by everyone in Nordhalbinsel Palace."

Leon sat on the floor and ruffled his hair, a sign that he didn't know what to do either. His mind was dead and he couldn't find another way out.

"Then we have no other choice, right?" Louis said. "Your Majesty must successfully face all of those tests."

"Lou's right. I have to face this." Anna smiles to reassure Leon that she will be able to pass all the exams. Deep within him, he was afraid. "You go to sleep, it's night. Tomorrow morning I have to go to the palace to register. I don't think I'm gonna be able to sleep tonight. I'd better learn."

***

The next morning, Anna set out on her own to the front yard of Nordhalbinsel Palace to enlist as a candidate for the Crown Prince's personal guard. There was a long queue in front of the Palace that seemed to consist of hundreds of men and women who would contest the election. Anna could not pay attention to them one by one to make sure neither the face she recognized nor the person recognized her. But Anna managed to steal some chatter from the candidates.

"I heard that one of the great Westeria Sword Master's disciples was in this election." Someone said in a Nordhalbinsel accent.

Anna can clearly tell which one comes from Schiereiland and which one comes from Nordhalbinsel just by hearing their accent. The Nordhalbinsel spoke as if they all had a higher caste than anyone, their pronunciation sounding haughty. The northerners used the pronunciation of the letter a like o, and the letter o is rounder to resemble the sound of the letter u. They also often omit the sound of consonant letters at the end. So the word 'Noord' itself if spoken by the Nordhalbinsel people will sound like 'Nou'. While the Schiereiland people pronounce all the letters clearly and as they are.

"Is it possible that General Leon will contest this election?" Anna heard the others speak with the same accent.

Anna's guess is right. Leon is too famous. He won't be able to contest the selection of this personal bodyguard without attracting everyone's attention.

"No way! If indeed he was participating in this election, does not it mean that all this is just a mere formality for him? He was certainly accepted directly by the royal family just by writing his name or showing his face." Another said, a woman in a female knight outfit complete with a weapon on her waist.

"You're right. After all, I didn't really expect to be elected. I came here only to see the Crown Prince's very mysterious face." Another said, a female knight too.

"Girls, wake up. The Crown Prince already has a fiancee. And her fiance is no ordinary woman. She is the Crown Princess Eleanor Liliana Winterthur, the Princess of Grand Duke Winterthur, the most talented magic student in the entire kingdom, as well as the most beautiful woman in the entire world. You have no chance at all" said the male knight who had just joined the small group of cultivators.

"We don't expect any chance. We just want to see his face, so we can sleep well and not be curious anymore." The first female knight spoke.

"really. I heard the Crown Prince is very handsome. You'll see it even from a distance. How's his face look?"

"I only caught a glimpse of it, so I don't remember it too much. But one thing I remember most is that both of her eyes are emerald. I mean, not just any green. It was like there was a jewel in his eyes. Really rare. The only emerald eye left from Queen Irene's bloodline. You know for yourself that Queen Irene's entire family is dead because of the King's punishment after the Queen's death."

"You're right. Only Grand Duke Winterthur's family survived the death penalty. What a terrible punishment."

Anna wanted to hear more of their chat, but the time had come for Anna to hand over her registration papers before being preceded by someone else.

After giving her registration papers, Anna did not linger in that place because she did not want to waste the slightest bit of time. He had to immediately return to their inn to study in order to pass the written examination and practice the sword in order to pass the Survival Test.

On the way home, the line was still long and more and more people joined. Anna listens to other languages she does not know, but Anna also hears some familiar languages. Some of them speak Westernia, the official language of the Kingdom of Westeria. Anna had been learning the language ever since she started reading. Anna looked at the faces of the Westerians. Each of them proudly carried their own sword. One of them, or perhaps all of them, is his toughest rival as they learn directly from the same teacher as Leon. Anna had not even been able to beat Leon in a one-on-one match fairly. The longer he paid attention to his rivals, his guts grew shrill. So he rushed back to his inn before he changed his mind and took back his registration papers earlier.

***

The next day, at the same place, at the same time, Anna again gets a paper letter from the mysterious sender through Louis while eating soup at the food stall they used to go to. Anna wondered who sent her the paper. Who is the person living in Nordhalbinsel who probably knew him and kindly gave a leak about the selection of the Crown Prince's personal bodyguard. And how did that man know that Anna was going to contest that election. As well as how could information as important as this could be leaked out just like that. But out of all that curiosity, his curiosity towards what was written on the paper this time overcame his curiosity towards something else. So Anna hurriedly went from the food stall to her room at the inn to read the paper. This time Anna had prepared with another pen and paper to copy what the letter contained in order to show it to Leon and Louis.

As soon as the fire started running through the white paper, Anna immediately copied the words that slowly appeared on the paper. Anna had to write very quickly because the magic writing would again disappear permanently within a minute of her writing appearing.

Anna invites Leon and Louis to go into the room after he finishes copying the writing on the paper.

"I don't understand what this is, but I write so much and some of these words are so complicated that I have trouble writing them." Anna handed the writing to Leon who reached two pieces of paper.

"These are the names of people." Leon said after looking through the writing. "Why is your writing so bad, Your Majesty?" taunted Leon.

"I wrote it in a hurry. If I don't write it right away, it will be permanently lost. I can read it if it's too hard for you to read." Anna snatched the paper from Leon's hand while scowling in annoyance. But it made Leon laugh.

"Could it be the names of the people who will participate in the selection of bodyguards?" ask Louis to Leon.

"If that's true, I think I know some of those names" Leon said as he read back Anna's writing.

"Is your relationship good enough with them?" Ask Anna.

"Well, you could say we were like childhood friends. Not too close, but good enough." Leon shifted his gaze from the paper to Anna's pensive-looking face. "Why are you asking?"

"I seem to have a noble duty to you, General Leon."

***