Lady Dhampir
Chapter 186

Dear Millie,

I caught sight of the giants for the first time today! The rumors about them have been spreading fast in the ranks since our sentinels saw them, so I couldn't wait. During our hunt today, I left the group and found a high spot to try and spot them. I had to wait just a little while before I saw the first one. You wouldn't believe how tall they are! It's hard to say from a distance, but I think they are about the size of three men, perhaps four or five for the tallest. Although we call them giants, I still think they don't look much like humans, Millie. More like gigantic puppets with a lot of fat all over, some moss, and a sort of rock-like skin. They move rather slowly too, but each movement they make is like a mountain falling over. A lot of our men can barely sleep at night now that we have gotten closer, it's like constantly waiting for the thunder to break above our heads. Some have resorted to sleeping while we ride our horses, but even the horses are getting more and more restless. My good girl Mooneye looks tired, too, I guess even our horses are scared. A couple of them ran away from the camp last night, the Commander was furious...

I hate to say this as his brother-in-law, Millie, but our Commander-in-Chief is getting more and more restless. I think they all fear that a lot of men are going to run away before the actual battle. Although we have yet to draw our swords for real, the mental pressure of the Giants' proximity is riling up some. More fights are breaking out for foolish reasons, everyone is just getting more and more restless as time passes. Val too is struggling to keep his men in check, some of the noblemen are just good at whining all day long. I think a lot underestimated how deep we would have to go inside the Emerald Forest and how close we would get to the Mountains. It's cold as hell up North here, Millie. I'm glad we have our hunts to bring back more fur to make blankets from. Would you believe me if I said even the vampires are struggling now? I hate to complain, but for the first time in my life today, I wondered if my toes were not actually going to fall off...

Do not worry, I will leave the complaining to Valentin. I know he's trying hard not to show it in front of his men, but he's having it hard too. I don't think our brother is much of a Leader; he's respected, appreciated, and a very good knight, but at times, he's definitely too soft on his men. Just like most Commanders, he's unsure about how to keep his men in order and avoid in-fighting while also avoiding them all turning on him. They are all big babies, those noblemen. We haven't seen a drop of blood, yet they are already replaceing ways to make themselves pitiful, argue about who's got the bigger tent and their slow horses. The blacksmiths are probably dying to knock some sense into the bunch...

At least, I am happy we can still send some mail! I heard some birds were stuck in the snowfall, and I can't believe we're already far enough that this snow took two days to get where we are.

I am trying to put all your advice into practice in my letters to Lady De Pristin! I think I'm definitely getting better at it, or at least, I don't feel like some uneducated prick anymore. I admit I'm jealous of some of our men's talent when writing letters, and our tent sometimes looks like a poetry class when night falls, everyone exchanging advice and comparing their talents. I admit this is a good thing to bond over as men, but I regret not paying better attention to our tutors when we were younger! If I had thought I would one day regret skipping literature lessons...

I'm glad to hear you're doing well, my dear Millie. I'm sorry you're left to deal with all those wretched bureaucrats. At least if I had been here, I could have kidnapped you away for some fun in between, or we could have caught breakfast once a week like we used to! Don't worry about us though, I'm certain Val and I will be fine. At this rhythm, I'd say we might finally get to the Giants' position in a matter of days, but, from the little I have seen so far, it is really hard to predict whether this will be an easy win or not. I won't joke about it anymore, as I know our mail will get more scarce when the fight gets here, and you'll be left to worry. Although Valentin will get busier, I promise I'll do my best to write to you as much as I can. I'm getting better at it, aren't I?

Stay safe and well Millie,

All our love.

Lucian S. De Crescent.