Chapter 3 - The Beginning of the War

      Rosie went into her room and peeled off her ruined nightgown. She entered her tub full of hot water and washed herself, trying to wash away the memories of what she had seen with the grime from the battle she had just fought in.

      When she was done, she dried herself off and put on a red dress. Once she had pulled her hair back into a tight bun, she walked quickly to the General's office. She approached him and simply asked what the plan of attack was. He told her they would be sending troops to the south to attack their capitol. He would also send troops to the West against Private Doyle in hopes of removing the western threat. Troops would also be sent to the East to attack the Eastern capitol.

      Rosie was pleased with these answers and left to inform the court of these decisions. Her people were shocked at her choices, but they supported her. Many even joined the army to show their support. The General led the troops in the attack with the South, the princess led the attack against Doyle and the West, and Private Smith led the attack on the East.

      General Lee led his troops from the capitol to march to the Southern capitol. The troops marched during the day and camped at night. It took them eleven days to reach the Southern Kingdom's borders. Once reaching the borders, their progress slowed. As they went, they destroyed villages, towns, and a few cities. They set off bombs which, once detonated, released a rainbow of colors into the sky. As the colored fluid fell, it burned whatever it touched. The fluid was a very potent acid. As they shot innocent people, the bullets looked like stars leaving the gun barrels. The sight would have been beautiful if it wasn't so deadly.

      General Lee heard many screams of terror as they attacked. Finally they reached the capitol and bombarded the palace. Arrows that looked like roses flew through the air. Rainbow bombs exploded above the palace. The palace had been conquered in a matter of hours, but it seemed like it had taken days.

      Once the palace was destroyed, General Lee led his troops away from the capitol, their mission complete. They began their long march back to their homeland in the north with great pride that they had brought a victory to their people.

      Two weeks after General Lee left, Rosie began her march to the Western Kingdom. As they went, Rosie became more and more exited that she was going to fight. Unlike the other battles, she was ready for this one. After a month of marching, Rosie met Private Doyle's troops guarding the area surrounding the capitol. Rosie thought that this tactic was pointless. His troops were too far apart from each other to be able to come to another squad's aid in time. Rosie ordered her troops to attack. Private Doyle charged straight at Rosie, thinking that she would be an easy target as she was the only woman on the field. That was his first mistake. His second mistake was trying to pull her off her horse. His third and final mistake was calling her a whoreish b***h. That made her really mad. She let him get close. Once he was close enough to count the beads in her dress, she struck. She took her sword to his neck and decapitated him. His head rolled one way and his body fell the other. Rosie didn't even pause at the sight before her. She just kept going.

      The fight lasted a few hours. Rosie took down many troops and didn't give a thought to the lives she was taking. She rode Sunshine through the battle field. The few survivors of Doyle's troops retreated to the capitol. Rosie ordered that her injured troops be rounded up and treated. Once those who had been wounded were treated, they started toward home.

      At the same time Rosie left, Private Smith march his troops to the East. They attack anybody that stood in their way. As they went, there was a trail of blood behind them. When they finally arrived at the capitol, the troops were ready to fight, ready to kill. They destroyed the palace and killed everyone in sight. As the children died, they screamed for their already dead mothers who were laying just a few feet away. The men fought and tried to defend their families, but they failed. The attack was violent. It was as if the city had been attacked by barbarians. Once the palace had been burned to the ground, Smith began marching his remaining troops back home.

      Three weeks later, Rosie, General Lee, and Private Smith had returned home. Rosie invited/ordered General Lee and Private Smith to her bed chambers. When they arrived, she asked them how they had done in their missions. They both reported glorious victories. Hearing this, Rosie knew that all three kingdoms were going to try to take revenge. They needed to be ready for this attack.

     A week after, the princess arranged for troops to be moved to the borders to protect her people. The troops were deployed, with Rosie leading them. When she was asked why she suddenly felt the need to protect her borders, she simply replied that she had a feeling that the kingdoms would be attacking, and that she wanted to be ready for them when they came.

      No more then two hours after they finished setting up on the borders of the Northern Kingdom, the attack was launched. The enemy forces came out of their hiding places in the woods around them. Out of all her trained troops, Rosie was the first to be ready and start fighting. Her troops followed shortly after, and within minutes, the battle was underway. There was blood everywhere from the mutilated bodies lying all across the battlefield. Heads rolled away from their bodies, people lay on the ground, though no one could tell what side they were from. All in all, this battle was a blood bath.

      The battle raged through the night and well into early morning. Finally, hours after the sun had risen high in the sky, Rosie and the Northern Kingdom were victorious. Hundreds were dead, many were injured, and many more were taken as prisoners. Rosie had no need to keep any prisoners, so she personally executed them. One shot through the head was all that was needed. Only after the entire battle had ended and the soldiers had started to head back home, Rosie realized that it was her seventeenth birthday.