Chapter Eleven:

The First Mission

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Sixteen days later

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Over the next few days Harriet's arm healed slowly and surely, until finally more than two weeks after the fight, it was but a faint scar but, that was not to say that the repercussions of the fight had gone away as well, because they definitely hadn't.

Leopold's punishment for Garreth had been a number of different things, the first and foremost being an awkward apology to Harriet. Neither of them had been too keen to go through with that. The other punishments weren't nearly as tame.

Harriet grimaced remembering the last practice. She had almost felt pity for the man. They had once again practiced archery and Garreth had been the unlucky person to have to run while holding a target. Leopold said it was to practice shooting at a moving target, but as she had seen his steely blue eyes as he watched them shoot at Garreth, she doubted very much that it had anything to do with practice. It seemed that it had more to do with Garreth being the target.

Harriet shook her head. Even she thought that Leopold had gone a little far with his punishment of Garreth, but she hadn't the guts to bring it up to the King. As time had passed, it was like Leopold was a wire and he was being pulled tight with every passing day. It seemed like any moment he would snap, and she did not want to be the one he snapped at.

Harriet fastened the drawstring of her trousers tightly, getting ready for the day's work. Leopold had told them to be as prepared as possible, warning that they would be going into a real-life war situation. That made Harriet frown as she tugged on her boots and tried to disentangle Clark from her hair.

Until now they hadn't done anything of much importance for the war effort, but everyone had noticed how more and more soldiers had filtered into the camp over the past few days. Along with soldiers coming, some men had also left the company to go to another, and Harriet and the other soldiers had been informed of how they were now officially the highest tier of the King's army. Harriet wasn't sure how she felt about that.

"Harry, you ready or what?" Oliver said coming into the tent to get her, his hand holding a bowl of mush while his other held a piece of bread and an apple. "Got breakfast for us, also something special for Mr. Clark."

Harriet watched as he held out a small piece of cheese to Clark, causing the mouse to grab it from his hands instantly. Over the past few days Oliver had finally gotten Clark to warm up to him, though he still was skittish around the other soldiers. Harriet had a feeling that it had more to do with the free food factor than actual trust.

"I'm just about ready, hold on." Harriet scooped Clark up into her hands, earning herself a startled squeak from the little mouse. "C'mon Clark," she said, ushering him onto her shoulder.

"You're bringing him?" Oliver asked, eyeing Harriet skeptically.

"Of course I'm bringing him. It's our first real mission. Maybe he'll be a good luck charm." Oliver looked at her doubtfully, watching as Clark clutched onto a strand of her ever growing hair. It now touched the top of her shoulders, and Harriet had a heart attack every time she saw a glimpse of her reflection in a reflective surface, but at least Clark liked it.

"Right, if you say so, Harry." With that Oliver turned on his heel and walked out of the tent, leaving Harriet to catch up to him.

The other men in the camp were already heading towards the practice grounds, no one wanting to be late for whatever it was Leopold had planned. Harriet was thankful for Oliver grabbing her an apple beforehand. Now that there were so many people in the camp, everyone was hard pressed to get a good sized ration of any meal.

As they reached the crowded practice field, Harriet silently cursed her short height, glaring at Oliver when he let out an amused snort at her predicament.

"Would you like me to get you a stool to stand on?"

"No," Harriet said with a growl. "I want you to shut up while we elbow our way to the front." With that she did her best to live up to her words, earning many grunts and yelps as she hit the men in the company wherever she could reach to force her way through. Eventually she reached the front, albeit alone. It seemed Oliver had a harder time getting closer. She smirked. That's what he got for being tall.

She did her best to ignore both the chatter behind her and the pesky mouse doing his best to play with her hair, but she was hard-pressed to do the latter.

"Cut it out, Clark," she murmured, swiping a gentle hand across the mouse's head to try and get him to stop. "If you distract me, I have no problem with putting you in the mouse holder." Strangely enough, Clark actually stopped, instead nestling close to her neck.

Harriet let out a sigh through her nose. Sometimes she wondered if something was off with that mouse. However, she didn't have much time to ponder that as someone gave a cough beside her. Turning to her left, she did her best to make sure her face remained passive as she looked up at Garreth.

"Little soldier."

"Garreth." Both of them were quiet, avoiding looking at each other before Harriet spoke up. "I suppose I don't have to warn you that I have a mouse hiding in my hair." She met Garreth's eyes with a steely gaze. "I won't be afraid to set him on you." She watched as Garreth's mouth quirked up.

"Oddly enough, I'm more afraid of his owner nowadays." Harriet tried not to let her chest puff out with pride. She hid it behind a barely held back smirk. She was about to respond, but she was cut off by the clearing of a throat. Facing forwards she tipped her head back even more to meet the eyes of Leopold.

"I hope I don't have to tell you both that I want no trouble from either of you," Leopold said, his eyes flickering pointedly to Garreth's before meeting Harriet's.

"No sir."

"Good. You two will be partners." Harriet's eyes widened, but surprisingly it was Garreth that protested.

"Are you sure that's wise, sire?" He dared to ask. Leopold leveled a calculating look at both of them.

"Are you telling me that two grown men cannot work together?" Harriet shook her head and Garreth did the same. "Then I hope for you both to prove it. However, if there are any problems, do not hesitate to tell me and I will remedy them." Here he stared at Harriet meaningfully before turning on his heel and progressing to the rest of the men.

"Why do you think he put us together?"

"We are the top soldiers of the company, it only makes sense that he would put us together," Garreth replied. "You know, the whole stabbing in the back business-"

"Was a warning. Yes, I got that, thanks. Anymore helpful hints that you wish to share in front of everyone?" Harriet said motioning to all of the men directly behind them. Garreth eyed them as well, before shaking his head. Harriet rolled her eyes. So now he decided to try and be subtle.

She didn't get to say anymore, because at that moment, Leopold shouted for their attention and every man snapped at his command. Every man watched Leopold as he swept his gaze over all of them before beginning to speak.

"As I'm sure you are aware, today is the day of your first mission. However, it is a mission in subtlety." Here Harriet did her best not to snort. If Garreth's best try at subtlety was his little warning, he might be in a bit of trouble. She sobered at the realization that she was partnered with him so therefore her fate rested on him as well.

"You will be scouting everywhere within a mile radius of here and farther for signs of the enemy. Each of you will have a section of land to peruse. The farthest piece of land is five miles away. Our fastest runners will take those pieces of land." Leopold pointed to a pair to Harriet and Garreth's left. "You two will be heading Northwest four miles." He pointed to Harrriet and Garreth. "You both will be heading North five miles."

He continued to assign areas for men to search, until finally everyone had been assigned with some doubling, or even tripling, up. "If I have assigned you, get going. I expect you to be back before noon." Harriet nodded at Garreth, signaling the direction they should go, having already checked it on the compass hanging by her belt.

As they got further away and closer to the trees, Harriet tried to ignore the slight feeling of anxiety coursing through her veins. Between her partner, the fact they were one of the furthest away groups, and their closest companions were Oliver and his partner five miles from the camp but Northeast, Harriet had a whole host of things to worry about, but the most pressing at the moment was oddly rather small.

"Alright Clark," she muttered, grabbing a hold of the mouse and putting him in the small leather holder that crossed over her chest on a tight leather sash that she had painstakingly made while she had been put off training with her hurt arm. It wasn't the best sewing job, certainly not up to Clara's standards, but it did the trick. It allowed Clark a place where he could see but also not be afraid of falling if she had to run.

"You have a mouse holster?" Garreth said, his eyebrows almost to his hairline.

"Yes, for easy access to set him on people," Harriet quipped, even though the holster was for Clark's own safety. "Do you want to set the pace, or do you want me to? We only have about five and a half hours to search, so we better get going."

"You can set the pace." Harriet nodded and began to jog before speeding up to a brisk run, but not too fast as to wear them out. They had at least a forty minute run ahead of them, and she'd rather not be burned out by the time they reached their destination.

Garreth and Harriet ran in silence, the only sound the cracking of twigs or the crushing of leaves as they trampled through the forest. She did her best to get lost in her thoughts, but between constantly checking the compass to make sure they were going in the right direction and changing their path when obstacles like giant fallen trees or ravines came up, by the time they reached the five mile distance the time had already passed.

"Are you sure this is five miles?"Garreth asked, panting as he put his hands on his knees to catch his breath.

"Taking into consideration the obstacles and the uphill climb awhile back, I'd say so," Harriet said.

"And you know how to get back?" Harriet rolled her eyes.

"Think about it, what's the opposite of North five miles?" Garreth didn't answer. "Alright. Let's get down to business. You take the right, I'll take the left." Garreth inclined his head, before heading in the direction of his area.

Harriet allowed herself to take a deep breath, running a hand through her sweat-matted hair before moving in the direction that she had allotted to herself.

She scanned the ground and the low-lying brush, calling to mind both the teaching of Leopold in tracking as well as her brother-in-law's lectures on hunting. She was always surprised to remember how much tracking an enemy was like hunting, it never failed to make her stomach settle oddly.

Harriet furrowed her brow at the sign of broken branches close to the ground, but when she came across deer droppings minutes later, she relaxed a little. Maybe if she was lucky they wouldn't find anything on this mission. However, she had to remind herself that just because they might not find the enemy, didn't mean the other groups wouldn't.

She pursed her lips into a frown. It was strange how once she got to be in the army she realized that maybe being a knight wasn't all it cracked up to be, but she had a duty now, and despite the odds, she still was determined to do her job.

Hearing the crack of a stick, she was brought out of her thoughts instantly, jumping to attention but relaxing slightly when she saw who it was. But the appearance of Garreth quickly caused her to become worried. He was pale and when she went to speak, he put his finger to his lips and shook his head, motioning for her to get closer.

"Keep quiet, and follow me. I found them, but it looks lime I'm not the only one. I heard noises to the right a few minutes ago," Garreth said, his voice lower than a whisper.

"What do you mean?" Harriet hissed, but he just shook his head and motioned for her to follow him. They crept through the brush, keeping their eyes on the ground so as not to step on a stick and alert anyone of their presence.

Harriet was finding it increasingly harder to keep quiet when Garreth grabbed a hold of her and pushed her to her knees. For a second the warning from days ago echoed in her ears about being stabbed in the back before he joined her, easing her fears, if only somewhat. He pointed forward and started to shuffle towards where he had pointed.

As they got closer to wherever they were going, Harriet could hear the distinctive sound of metal on metal and shouting, and before she knew it, she was lying on her stomach in the tall grass by the ledge of a cliff, staring down at the enemy camp. Her eyes widened as she took in their numbers, and she had to contain a gasp.

"They are at least twenty times our size," she whispered.

"I know." Harriet snapped her eyes to Garreth, seeing his ashen face.

"What do you mean you know?" Garreth met her eyes.

"I was one of the traitors, but I'm not anymore." Harriet felt her heart-stop before she registered his words.

"Was? You were one of them? What the heck made you change your mind? Why are you telling me? I mean, don't get me wrong I appreciate the warning, but the timing is also a bit rubbish," Harriet added hastily, watching as he let out a breath.

"Yes. I joined their side years ago when it was just about getting fair pay for my family, but now." Garreth turned his eyes to the large army below. "They haven't followed the same ideals for a while now."

"And you don't like that?"

"No. I joined their side for the good of my family, and if I was still on their side I'd be fighting only for the good of Carigan's false king now." He met her eyes through the tall grass. "I'm telling you because I know you won't say anything."

"I won't say anything?"

"No, I don't think you will, Harriet." Harriet felt like she was going to suffocate, worrying about the enchantment.

"How? But I- Do I still look like a boy?" Garreth nodded. "But-"

"The letters you brought. Though I'm surprised you brought them in the first place. I have a feeling that if I had intended to tell the whole army of your true identity, you'd be unable to deny it."

"I brought them for safe-keeping. Clara's my sister." Harriet turned her eyes to the enemy army. "Not that I don't appreciate the enlightening conversation, but shouldn't we be doing something? We are literally staring down at our enemy."

"I say watch them for as long as we can, though-" Here Garreth grabbed a handful of mud and smeared it on Harriet's head. At her indignant look he merely shrugged. "Your hair gives us away."

Harriet was about to give a retort but it was cut off by a scream, causing her to jump.

"No, let me go! Please! I have a family!" Someone shouted, and it wasn't long before Harriet could see two men being dragged by four enemy soldiers down a hilly path towards the camp.

"Then maybe you should've thought of that before you decided to spy on your enemy," one of the soldier's growled loud enough for them to hear high up on the ledge.

"You know we didn't have a choice. No one did," the other man being held by the soldiers bit out and Harriet almost threw up when she recognized both the voice and the man it belonged to. It was Oliver.

Instantly, Harriet tried to get up, but Garreth grabbed her and pushed her down.

"Are you insane? You can't save them. You'll get yourself killed," Garreth said through his teeth, keeping a hand on her back to make sure she didn't try and get up again.

"He's my friend! I need to help him," she protested, but Garreth just gave her a pitying look.

"If he is truly your friend he will understand if you don't save him."

"I need to at least try."

"Then wait until we get back to our own camp and talk it out with the King. You won't come out alive if you go in by yourself, or with my help," Garreth added when he had implied she'd be going in alone and she glared at him.

"But-"

"Hush. Stay still," he said, freezing in place, his eyes darting to those below the cliff face.

"Take them to the king, I know he'll be very happy to see them," one of the enemy soldiers said, motioning for the other soldiers to drag off Oliver and his partner. Harriet realized with a pang that she didn't even know Oliver's partner's name. "Well, get to it. Don't just stand around," the man snapped, but Harriet now saw why Garreth had froze where he lay.

One of the enemy soldiers were peering up at the ledge from underneath his helmet, the whites of his eyes just barely visible. Harriet felt her blood to turn to ice as every one of the men, including Oliver and his partner, turned to look at the ledge.

She did her best to meet Oliver's eyes and once she did, she was surprised by how calm he appeared until his own eyes widened as he recognized her through the brush. However, if he could see them, that meant the others could too.

A moment later, one of the men had drawn back an arrow on his bow and Garreth was pulling her up and pushing her into a run. An arrow whizzed past her ear as she turned to look back at Oliver once last time.

"I'm sorry," she yelled behind her, causing Garreth to grab hold of her arm and force her to run even though she was still looking backwards. She saw Oliver's face turn stormy as he glared at her.

"Don't apologize, just run!" He shouted back before he was tackled by one of the soldiers and Garreth succeeded in shoving Harriet away from her friend.

They both came tearing out of the forest as fast as they could, heading across the clearing and back towards their own camp. However, as they heard the sounds of soldiers running after them, Harriet and Garreth didn't even bother to look at the compass, instead trying to pull off evasive maneuvers.

Branches whipped at her face as they darted past and she almost tripped several times, earning terrified squeaks from the baby mouse strapped to her chest. They stopped a number of times to listen for the sounds of their pursuers, at one point even darting beneath a large hollowed out tree as the enemy soldiers ran past, but eventually they had lost all signs of them.

The sun had long since reached its highest point and was beginning to sink below the trees by the time Harriet and Garreth finally tried to find the camp, and it took even longer for them to actually find the camp.

A number of times they had to turn around or change their path as they heard sounds far off that sounded like something crashing through the forest. Neither of them wanted to take the risk of being caught or leading the enemy right to their camp.

The sun had set hours ago and they were relying only on moonlight to guide them, until finally they stumbled into the clearing that housed the training grounds. Harriet was just about ready to collapse from emotional and physical fatigue but she pulled herself together, and both she and Garreth trudged towards the camp.

Said camp was on high alert, and a number of men drew arms at the sight of them, as they both had become fairly unrecognizable from their dash through the trees, but as soon as Leopold pushed through he recognized them.

"I told you to be back by noon. It's nearly midnight," he snapped, his flinty stare aimed at them both but mostly at Harriet. He had clearly been counting on her to be in charge. However, before she could defend herself Garreth spoke up.

"With all due respect, sir, we were a little busy running for our lives to even contemplate coming here at noon. If we had, we would all be dead by now."

Everyone was silent and Leopold stared at them wordlessly. It was now that Harriet spoke up, having regained her voice and her confidence enough to tell the King, her brother-in-law's best friend, their fate.

"We found them, all ten-thousand of them, but they also found us."

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So how many of you still believe that Oliver is the traitor? Do you all think that Garreth will end up being a traitor regardless of what he says? Why do you think no one has noticed that Harriet is a girl yet? Let me know your thoughts and theories in the comments and tell me what you thought of the chapter!

The next update should be in a week, if not earlier!