I sighed yet again as I stared off into the distance for the thirteenth time that day.

Just yesterday, I’d been soundly defeated and captured by a junior knight. It pissed me off to say the least, but honestly, I’d rather be back on the battlefield getting my ass kicked rather than sit here in a camp. I wasn’t exactly restrained by any means, but they’d assigned a knight to guard me and she seemed to be taking her job a bit too seriously.

“Dame Cassandra, please stop moving around.”

“I’m not,” I crossed my arms, addressing the knight rather tersely. It wasn’t as if I hated her, but she was certainly an annoying one. Every time I so much as shifted from my position, she’d make a remark about telling me to stay still. “I’ve been sitting in the same damn position for ages. Can’t I stretch my legs out?”

“You should tell me before you do so, otherwise I might think you’re just trying to make a break for it.”

“You’re pretty cheeky for a junior knight, you know that? And you still won’t tell me your name.”

“Why would I tell you my name? You’re an enemy.” The knight tossed her cream-colored hair irritatingly as if she were proud of her stupid retort. 

Honestly, if I wasn’t a prisoner of war, I probably would’ve throttled her right then and there. I mean, seriously. I don’t know if it’s just me, but the junior knights of this generation are incredibly rude. First, there was the silver-haired knight who kicked my ass, Dame Medrauta. At least she had the decency to introduce herself and pretty damn good bladework to back up her shittalk, but whoever this bitch they sent to supervise me was, she sure didn’t look like someone who could put up a fight.

“For the record, I don’t even know where my lord went. That asshole up and abandoned me the moment we lost the battle. And besides, I wasn’t even fighting because I believed in his bullshit.”

“That’s even worse.”

“You’ll understand when you become a senior knight. Loyalty means everything to us, even if we may disagree with the motives of our lords.” I replied.

“Not to me.” The knight crossed her arms. “There’s a dream I want to fulfill, and I’m willing to sacrifice whatever’s necessary to achieve it.”

“Always a dangerous attitude to have,” I laughed. “I’d ask what your dream is, but seeing as you won’t even tell me your name, I doubt you’ll tell me your dream.”

The knight shrugged in response. “I don’t really mind. It’s not a realistic dream, but it’s one that I’d like to chase regardless. I... want to become a knight-hospitalier. That’s why I’m here in the supply unit guarding you instead of fighting on the front lines... and probably the reason why the baron even agreed to keep you as a prisoner in the first place.”

I nodded knowingly. “It would be far more expedient to simply execute me if there wasn’t someone convenient who could be assigned to guard me. You needn’t worry, though. I’m not planning on escaping anytime soon.”

“Really?” The knight raised an eyebrow, appraising me with a doubtful look. “I don’t believe you.”

“Where the hell would I even run to? My home is in this duchy along with all the people I care about. Besides, Dame Medrauta thoroughly defeated me and my lord disappeared. Even if I ran, I wouldn’t have anywhere to go.”

“...I suppose so,” the knight said after considering my statement for a few moments. “Fine then. I guess it’ll be safe for me to tell you my name. I am Pamela Vynecrest. Pleased to meet you, Dame Cassandra.”

“You certainly don’t look pleased, Dame Pamela.”

“A consequence of our meeting,” Pamela shrugged. “I’m sure I’d be a lot more pleased if we weren’t enemies.”

I released an exasperated sigh. “I told you, I’m not your enemy. I was only fighting on my lord’s orders before Dame Medrauta lit a fire in my heart and made me want to fight her for real. Now that my lord’s gone, I’ve no desire to fight any of you.”

“...Right.” Pamela still didn’t look entirely convinced, unfortunately. It was certainly going to be hard work getting into this girl’s good graces, but it was worth it. Of course, I could easily overpower her, but that would immediately make me an enemy of this very large force surrounding me, and that was the last thing I wanted. Without my lord ordering me around, I had no incentive to fight anyone here, especially when I didn’t exactly approve of the acting duke.

I had no idea what to do now that our conversation had slid to a stop, but I was still feeling mighty restless. For some reason, I just couldn’t get Dame Medrauta’s damn face from yesterday out of my mind. She looked so confident and composed as she dealt the final blow of our fight, almost as if she knew exactly how the conclusion of our duel would play out.

“Well... Can you tell me a bit more about your dream? I may be a senior knight, but I’m not exactly too well-versed in how knight-hospitaliers are selected. Never really looked into it.”

At the very least, I wasn’t lying. I knew knight-hospitaliers were in charge of medical duties during both times of peace and war, but I had no idea how knights were selected for the duty. I mean, their lord or lady certainly needed a Crest that was appropriate for the job, but outside of that, I knew next to nothing about them. Hell, I didn’t even have the opportunity to apply for the position before I graduated.

“It’s a rigorous process. First is the obvious pairing. You’ve gotta have a noble who has the right Crest for the job. The more powerful, the better of course. Next, you need to be a pretty good rider and physically strong, and lastly you need to have a wide range of medical knowledge.”

I grimaced. “Yeesh. That sounds like quite a bit of work, huh? How far along are you?”

“I was a first-year at Avalyne Academy, so not very. My lord dissolved our oath a couple days ago, so...” Pamela shrugged. “That’s that. Once the war’s over, I’m probably gonna need to find a new one, ahaha...”

“...Guess we’re two peas in a pod, huh?” I grinned.

“H-Hey! Don’t lump me in with the likes of you!”

“Why not? We’re both kinda shit outta luck, our nobles abandoned us, and our dreams are in tatters. I’d say we’re pretty alike, you and I.”

Pamela crossed her arms again, tossing her hair and looking away with an audible “hmph”. It seemed that was a habit of hers whenever she was attempting to seem tough. At first, I thought it was annoying, but now it was actually pretty cute. The fact that her shoulder-length curls bobbed as she performed the action made it all the more amusing to watch.

The two of us remained silent for a while as I stretched out my legs. It seemed that Pamela had ceased to comment on my movements now, so at least I’d managed to build some sort of rapport with my “prison guard”, if you could even call her that. Funnily enough, they’d decided to shove me into a tent full of crates which was hardly my idea of a jail cell.

I suppose I shouldn’t complain though. After all, I doubt any Kaslavnan prisoners of war up north were doing as well as I was right now. I sighed again, staring out the open tent flap once more as I gazed off into the distance. Seeing as Pamela didn’t have any conversation starters in her repertoire, I didn’t have much else to do other than contemplate how I even got myself into this situation.

Honestly, I should have been ashamed at losing to a junior knight, but after experiencing the strength and speed of Dame Medrauta’s blows, I couldn’t really muster up the motivation to be ashamed. I suppose I felt a little humiliated at the beginning, but I was really more annoyed than anything else. She might’ve been a junior knight, but she was incredibly strong, and I... I wanted to cross blades with her once more after everything was over.

I shook my head. Again and again, that silver-haired brat kept surfacing in my memories. Would I ever dispel her from my mind? I didn’t know.

“...Hey, Dame Pamela.”

“What is it, Dame Cassandra?” Pamela asked, turning to look at me at last.

“Are you familiar with Dame Medrauta?”

“As familiar as everyone else who attended Avalyne Academy. She’s the strongest knight there. Not the best match record, but not a single person has ever beaten her in a duel. Why? Itching to get your ass kicked again?”

I laughed. She wasn’t completely off the mark. “Something like that. Even amongst senior knights, she was the strongest knight I’ve ever fought. If possible, I’d like a chance to fight her again... On friendlier terms, of course.”

“Might be a while before that can happen,” Pamela admitted. “No one really knows how the siege will go, and there’s still the war against Kaslavna to worry about...”

I nodded, taking note of her glum tone. There certainly wasn’t anything worth looking forward to considering all the bullshit happening lately. Pamela seemed to have forgotten, but there was also the issue of the princess’ abduction and the sudden appearance of a witch.

“Y’know, I think mushrooms might start growing on me if I stay sitting here for any longer.” I said, attempting to lighten the mood. “How about you and I go for a few rounds? I’m sure there’s a couple training weapons lying around somewhere.”

“Hah. You wish.”

“No dice, huh?” I shook my head, grinning sheepishly. It was worth a shot. Leaning back against a crate, I returned my gaze to the still-blue sky outside the tent. Based on the lack of noise coming from my surroundings, I was fairly certain that the supply unit wasn’t planning on advancing anytime soon.

As I occupied myself with my thoughts, the only thing I could really think of was Dame Medrauta. It was like a poison that had seeped into my mind, and try as I might, I simply couldn’t think of anything else. Perhaps it was due to my wounds. Though they had been patched up by Pamela, they still ached from time and time, forcing me to remember the silver-haired knight’s ferocity and skill. I’d entered the battlefield expecting to win a hollow victory, but instead, I suffered a fulfilling defeat. 

What was better? Winning without gain, or losing but gaining something. I couldn’t truly answer back then, and I couldn’t truly answer now. The only thing I knew was that Dame Medrauta had ignited a long-lost fire within me, and one that I had sorely missed. I wanted to bolt out of the tent, ride to the baron’s main army where Dame Medrauta presumably was, and challenge her to another duel. That was how intense the desire she’d ignited within me had become.

But at the same time, I knew I couldn’t. As I was right now, I’d be nothing more than a hindrance to Dame Medrauta, and I doubt I’d be able to give her a proper duel with these still-healing wounds of mine. The only thing I could do was settle down and wait, but perhaps there was still one way I could expend this seemingly boundless energy within me.

I looked toward Pamela who seemed to have drifted off while I was engrossed in thinking. I probably could’ve escaped then and there, but I had a better idea. Pushing myself off the crate, I made my way to Pamela and shook her awake.

“W-Whuh!? Gah! Get away from me!” Pamela backed away rapidly, nearly tripping over her own feet as she did so. I managed to stifle a laugh, but not before she caught me smirking. “Y-You...!”

“Relax, Dame Pamela. You know I could’ve escaped, right? I don’t think there are any knights around other than you. By the time the soldiers managed to rouse you, it would’ve been far too late.”

“S-So what!? Am I supposed to trust you now!?”

I shrugged. “That’s up to you. But if I may... Perhaps I could ask you to teach me a bit about medicine? I’ve become intrigued after listening to you talk about knight-hospitaliers.”

“H-Huh? Why the hell would I?” Pamela squinted at me, attempting to discern my true intentions.

“Well, you declined my earlier request for a duel. I’m feeling restless, so I could’ve escaped, but I didn’t. Can’t you at least grant me something to do so I don’t die of boredom? I mean, you can’t tell me you’re enjoying guard duty either seeing as you fell asleep.”

“I... I guess so. What do you want to know?”

Despite my partner’s reluctance, Pamela slowly opened up to me as we whiled the hours away speaking of medicine and our shattered dreams. As it turns out, we actually had a lot more things in common than we expected and by the time the supply unit began moving again, my restlessness had been cured at last. Still, I never could forget about Dame Medrauta. 

First chance I get, I’m challenging that brat again.