Third Person's POV
"Carriages are approaching the campsite." A guard reported to Elira as she sat at the large fire. "Which Kingdom?" She asked as she looked up at him. "Ojun." Elira immediately stood up. "Quick, come with me to invite them to join us." Elira grabbed her niece's hand and pulled her up quickly. Gena followed her aunt to through the guards, tents and carriages.
"Wow. Was it this large the last time?" Gena whispered to her aunt in confusion as she looked at the road that was densely packed with carriages and guards on horses. "No. This time, it's at least three times the amount. I don't blame them." She said then motioned for Gena to take a step back as they got closer.
The brothers were riding in front, talking and laughing casually. They were behaving as though they didn't notice the campsite they were approaching. Rain noticed Elira in the corner of his eye and stopped talking. Kain followed his line of site and raised an eyebrow.
They motioned for the group to stop and watched Elira and her group. "Is something wrong?" A voice came from four carriages down. "A group." Rain answered. There was silence for a moment before there was movement from around that carriage.
Minutes later, a woman in black cloak appeared. The hood covered most of her face and the veil covered the rest. The umbrella was blood red with purple designs. The woman stood out among the falling snow.
Behind her were four others, dressed in almost identical grey cloaks with light brown umbrellas. The brothers got off their horses and bowed to the woman. Noticing this, Elira walked forward a few steps and bowed in the woman's direction.
"Madam. Would you like to join us on our journey to Regila? If you are, would you like to join us at the fire?" Elira's voice didn't hold the authority it should've as the Crown Princess, instead, it was soft and almost pleading.
Those behind Elira bowed when she did. Only one head decided to glance up, and it was Gena. She locked eyes with a pair of light grey eyes for a second before looking away. "Okay." The woman said.
Elira swallowed hard and her body trembled slightly. This woman came towards her without any sound, instantly. She is no longer the weak woman she was five years ago. Elira felt a hand on her arm, gently pushing her up. Elira straightened up and looked at the woman in front of her.
"This way, Madam." Elira turned to the side, ready to escort. "Hm." The woman stepped forward and Elira looked down. There were no footprints in the snow. She turned and walked forward, stabilizing the fear in her heart.
"This girl is?" Opal asked, she didn't need to look back or point because Elira knew who she meant. "My niece. She's my older brother's only child; she's our treasure." Elira explained. "Hm."
They reached the inner circle of the campsite. "I can have our people clear space for you." Opal reached out as Elira spoke. No more snowflakes dropped into her hands, so she closed the umbrella. She turned to Elira. "No need. My people are already making room."
The fire pit was bigger than it was when Elira left the inner circle. Snow was being compacted to the right, and some unfamiliar people were dropping down from the trees. Elira and her people looked up to see a large black cloth hanging over the top of the camp.
"Since you invited us, we'll provide lunch as thanks." A voice came from behind Opal. Elira nodded numbly. Her camp was being taken over and there was nothing she could do about it. In fact, they made the camp better.
Chairs were brought near the fire and placed to face the direction of the snow that was compacted. "Master." Dasa approached Opal and took the umbrella from her hand. She handed the umbrella to another servant before taking off Opal's cloak.
A gasp was stuck in Elira's throat. This woman was more beautiful than before. Elira couldn't remember the color of her eyes but now, they resembled her hair, white as snow. The black dress she wore didn't hide her voluptuous figure at all. Even with half of her face hidden, she looked different than before.
Opal sat down in the chair. "Will they start now?" She asked Dasa. "They are getting ready." She answered simply and Opal nodded. She looked at Elira, who stood watching her and then at Gena. "Do you train on your own?" Gena nodded.
"My grandchildren are about to start afternoon training. You can join them if you wish." Gena's eyes widened. "Are you sure?" Opal nod. "No. I mean. Are you sure you have grandchildren? You're way to young!" Opal chuckled. "The flattery is nice, child. But I am old enough to have grandchildren." Gena nodded.
"Then I'll go join them." She said before walking over to Sena and the others, who were grouped together to the side.
"My apologies, Madam. My niece-." Opal raised her hand. "She's outspoken. It's fine. Besides, a little flattery is nice to hear now and then." It was at this time that Melire and Lyria walked out of their tent.
Elira had just sat down next to Opal and the two were silently watching the children discuss who was going against who. Rain and Kain hovered between the children and their wives, who were discussing with the servants about lunch.
The two approached Elira and Opal. "Elira." Melire called out to his sister, and she turned to look at him. "I thought you were sleeping?" Lyria placed a hand on her stomach. "This ruckus woke me up." She looked at Opal and her eyes widened.
"Don't be rude and greet Madam Jade." Elira stated, signaling her brother with her eyes. Lyria looked around the camp again, her eyes zeroing in on the brothers before looking back at Opal.
"Madam Jade. It's been a few years. Hopefully you are in good health." Melire bowed his head to her in greeting. "Hm." She answered without looking around. Two of Heln's servants brought over stools for the two to sit on and left the area quickly.
"You're grandchildren train like this as well?" Melire was trying to keep the conversation and the atmosphere light. "It helps to train their bodies against the cold and fighting in different terrains with different weather, increases fighting ability." Melire nodded.
"My wife said the same thing when she started training our children." Opal didn't say anything else and the conversation stopped there. They watched the children in silence.