Retreat

RION POV

I lay in my bed, restless and contemplative as the early hours of the morn pressed heavily upon me.

Upon departing the training ground, I attempted to attain rest, but sleep remained elusive, seemingly beyond my grasp.

My thoughts turned to Seraphina, the night’s training having stirred emotions within me, and to the soldiers who had ventured forth to battle while I remained confined by the constraints of my station.

The thought of being left behind while my people engaged in battle filled me with an abhorrence that permeated my very essence.

However, I possessed no agency in this matter.

My father, the King, would never countenance my participation in the conflict.

Despite my repeated pleas and entreaties since the war's commencement, my efforts proved futile, akin to attempting to reason with an unyielding force.

He remained unmoved.

His justifications centered around the notion that he could not risk sending his sole heir into the crucible of war, along with a pl