Chapter 30 – Strip
14 min leff 14
MARCIA’S PERSPECTIVE
The elite guard was finally starting to listen.
Not just obey, but actually listen.
Commands weren’t met with scoffs or sluggish movements anymore. They moved when I spoke. Trained with focus. Adjusted their stances when I corrected them. And when I demonstrated a technique, they watched in silence.
Respect was a slow thing. Earned in pieces. A nod here. A cleaner sword form there. But I could feel it shifting now. They didn’t look at me like I didn’t belong anymore.
They looked at me like I was one of them.
Tonight, I let drills run late. The sky had already gone dark by the time I dismissed the last set of guards. I was sore from the waist up and my shoulders burned, but I didn’t mind. The ache was good—it reminded me I was still standing.
I adjusted the strap of my blade and started towards my tent, cutting through the narrow trail between the training grounds and the command tents.
10:35
Chapter 30 – Strip
That’s when she stepped forward me.
Eunice.
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She stood with her arms folded across her chest, half in shadow, like a wild animal waiting to pounce.
I didn’t stop walking.
“Late night for a general,” she said.
“Not as late as yours,” I replied without looking at her.
She stepped into my path. “You’ve really gotten good at pretending, Marcia Xendale.”
I finally met her eyes. “Pretending what, exactly?”
“That you earned this. That they follow you because of merit.” Her voice was bitter. “Everyone saw the duel. You barely lifted your blade and they just handed you the guard like it’s a gift.”
“The guard was already mine when I fought Jareth. And it wasn’t a gift,” I said sharply.
“No? Then what was it? Dravic’s reward for being loyal? Or for being convenient?”
I took a breath and stepped around her. “You can think whatever you want, Eunice. I couldn’t care less.”
10:35
Chapter 30 – Strip
“You think this is about what I think?”
I stopped walking, turning to her.
(4) 14 min left
“You and Kael think you’re owed the world because you bled in a war no one wanted. I never said I was better than either of you. But I didn’t ask for this rank, I earned it. Just because it came faster than you liked doesn’t mean it was handed to me.”
Eunice laughed, bitter and humourless. “Oh please. You think commanding a few drills and sparring Jareth for thirty seconds earns you respect? You’re a showpiece, Marcia. Dravic needed someone to parade around and make the King’s decision look wise. You’re not a real general. You’re a distraction.”
I didn’t answer.
There was no point. A waste of time.
I turned to leave, only for her to step in my way again.
My jaw ticked as I met her eyes.
“Get out of my way,” I said quietly.
She didn’t move, her eyes challenging.
She wanted me to fight. To start something, she could later paint as my jealousy towards her and Kael.
Chapter 30 – Strip
I wasn’t going to give her that chance.
So I walked past her, shoulder brushing hers.
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“You’re going to fall, you know,” she said to my back. “And when you do, I’ll be there to remind everyone who you really are. A
wolf–less witch. I bet you’re using magic to win.”
I didn’t give her the satisfaction of a response.
I just kept walking.
EUNICE’S PERSPECTIVE
She didn’t even flinch.
Didn’t shout. Didn’t defend herself. Just walked away like I wasn’t worth arguing with.
My blood boiled, anger coursing through me like hot lava.
She acted like she was above me, that she didn’t even owe me a
response.
I wasn’t just some random soldier throwing tantrums in the dark—I was her ex’s lover. I was General Eunice Hale. I had led armies while she played house. I bled beside him when she still
Chapter 30 – Strip
wore silk.
(4) 14
14 min leff
And now I was being told to stand aside?
Not a chance. I had had enough.
I headed straight for the command tent.
The guards posted outside hesitated when they saw me approach, but didn’t dare to stop me. They knew who I was. And they’d heard the stories too. All of them had.
“Is Dravic inside?” I asked.
One of the guards nodded. “Yes. He’s just finished reviewing the siege rotations.”
“Good,” I said. “Tell him I want a word.”
I didn’t wait for permission. I stepped inside.
Dravic was behind the war
table, maps
rolled up
and a
half–finished mug of something strong on the edge.
He looked up.
“You’re early,” he said.
“I’m not here for strategy, Your Highness.” My tone dripped
with sarcasm.
Chapter 30 – Strip
Dravic raised an eyebrow.
“I want her stripped of rank,” I said. “Immediately.”
He blinked once, slowly.
Then he set the mug down.
“Come again?”
&
14 min left
“You heard me,” I said confidently. “Marcia Xendale has no business commanding the Prime King’s elite guard. She is unfit, undeserving, and worse, divisive. The soldiers don’t trust her. The officers question her victories. And I have no doubt that the next time she leads, there will be casualties we cannot afford. This isn’t a child’s play, Your Highness. This is real.”
Dravic didn’t speak, staring at me, his expression unreadable. The other generals present were listening too, now. The tent was silent.
So I went on.
“You know it too. You saw that duel. You saw what Jareth did. He yielded before she even broke a sweat. Whether you ordered him to or not doesn’t matter. The damage is done. This entire camp is talking. And if you let her keep that title, they’ll keep talking until someone does something they can’t take back.”
Chapter 30 – Strip
Still, Dravic said nothing.
He just stared.
So I said it again, slower this time.
“Strip her of rank. Or it won’t end well for anybody.”
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