ã€ŠA Time of terrorã€‹


 Chapter 1: Brothers In Arms

    Brothers in arms 1

    ¡°Jim! My friend, how the hell are ya¡± I yell out to my Childhood friend who I haven''t seen since the king''s coronation. I was surprised to see him here in this castle.

    As I spoke, I saw his face lit up with surprise and happiness

    ¡°Alexander!¡± he runs up and hugs me tightly, ¡°who would''ve thought we would be stationed here in the same castle ay old friend, by the way have you heard any news from Peter?¡±

    Letting go of our brotherly embrace I let a second go by before I answer about Peter''s whereabouts.

    ¡°He sent me a letter some weeks ago, they have been attacked from rebels down south¡±

    I pause for a second so he can take in what I said

    ¡°I''ve been told by our captain we are to head down there tomorrow at dawn so we can help out, which must also explain why you guys came here from the capital.¡±

    I say to Jim, but also wait a bit and ask him something else that''s been on my mind lately

    ¡°Speaking of the capital, how''s my family doing Jim? I hope they are well.¡±

    My mother and siblings live in the capital as farm workers, my father died from an illness not long ago so I had to take up the reins, which is also why I decided to join the army, the pay is a lot better than any other work in the capital. Anything for my mother and siblings.

    ¡°They are good Alex, your mother is doing well and working hard. As for your brothers, George is reckless and seems to be eager to join in on this war, and Ramsey he''s such a calm kid, helping out your mother and an eager learner.¡±

    I was relieved to hear they are well. My mother Mary has been very tired mentally ever since my father died, she''s never seemed to recover from his death. My brother George is only 13, 3 years younger than me but has always been an ambitious boy, he''s been training with a wooden sword for as long as I can remember, I should keep an eye out for him. As for Ramsey, he''s always been a calm boy, only being 12 he''s never been a hothead nor seems to be ambitious like George. He always has his head down on books, I have a good feeling for him.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°Well Jim, thank you for keeping out for them. It must have been a long march here. Why not go get some rest, captain Tristan doesn''t have anything to say tonight let''s go.¡±

    Leading Jim throughout castle Len, we passed by soldiers eating and soldiers hugging it out as well, seems other reunions were going on. The castle was not large, but it did its job. Enough rooms to fit those who have been here and those who have just arrived.

    ¡°Alexander, your division hasn''t been in any battles yet, have you?¡± said Jim walking next to me

    ¡°Nope, it''s been mostly quiet here, it seems they had us stationed here as backup in case something big went down.¡±

    As we arrived at the barracks, I signaled Jim to take the top bunk and he does, climbing up top and going right into a slumber.

    Taking this moment to lay in the bottom bunk and have a second to wonder, when was the last time me, Jim, and peter have been together? I met them young and since then we have been inseparable, Jims always been the one to get into fights, even started one with a highborn when we were kids. Peter has always been logical and more knowing of things, I trust them with my life no matter what happens.

    looking around the barracks it was fairly clean but the smell of sweat was in the air so that was a downside. All these men are of lowborn, peasants I guess you can say, there''s not many highborn men here, but those who are here speak about glory in combat and trying to make a name for themselves, yet with their power and influence they manage to station themselves out here where combat hasn''t been seen since the war started. For sure on purpose, what a bunch of craven lords.

    Their barracks are in another room, of course, why would highborn want to be sleeping with low ones as us. In the end that will not matter, in battle they''ll be seeking our aid that''s for sure.

    This war is one that''s been causing mayhem all over, since the old king died one year ago and his first-born son, king Adam took the throne, his brother Prince Charles spent the last year gathering up houses to join his cause to usurp the throne. In truth he may have been gathering up houses long before his father''s death.

    Anyways, that''s why down south is where most of the fighting is at, the houses who have joined his cause are located there. The noble houses themselves are not that high in the table, the prince has maybe two or three houses that are the main benefactors and the others not so much. From what I''ve heard they are pretty ruthless on the battlefield. Listening to my comrades here speak about them and the rumors that have spread sometimes makes my skin crawl.

    I''ve been here for a year now; the rebels have been sending small men in arms to raid and pillage down south so they have us stationed as backup. Which now after a year they need us, perhaps they have stopped with the small groups and have been attacking head on.

    I can only hope we end this war fast so I can head back to my family.

    Feeling the weight of my eyes, I couldn''t get up from this comfy bed anymore. drifting off from my tiredness, I let myself go to sleep.

    Early in the morning I saw wagons being prepared, people filling them with resources for our march down south.

    I gathered my stuff which was practically nothing. I only carried a small baggie with rations in case I got hungry. I wore a plain tunic shirt that was tucked in my pants. A chest plate and leather arm sheaths and a pair of old worn black boots, nothing crazy.

    My long black hair was past my shoulders now and made it hard to see around my surroundings. So, grabbing all my hair in one, I tied it up behind my head, only loosely as I didn''t like it when it was tied¡­. well tight.

    ¡°Planning on cutting your hair soon Alex? You look like a female from the back, if it wasn''t for your broad shoulders that is."Jim says with a playful tone as he himself is getting ready.

    I threw a jab at his arm but soon after the loud voice of captain Tristan was booming, yelling for us to get into formation.

 Chapter 2: Just Some Soldiers

    We have been marching for over a week now and have finally reached castle Val

    This castle looked amazing; it seems to be protecting a small city here just a mile behind it. 3 big towers and a large open field with walls protecting it, now this is a castle made for warfare. Looking just ahead of the castle were what seemed like bodies¡­.dead bodies. Swords stabbed down the grass and bodies both intact and mained

    I felt my stomach swirling.

    I''ve never killed someone but I feel and hope when the time comes I won''t hesitate after all it would be for the greater good right?

    Pushing these thoughts aside we enter the castle walls and stand in the open field. I took a couple of glances at Jim and he seemed to understand what I was gonna say.

    Where was Peter at?

    As the captains went and entered an open tent to what I assume was to speak on the problems currently going on and how they were gonna resolve them. I started walking around with Jim to look for peter.

    We would ask a couple of soldiers already stationed here and none knew where he was; others didn''t even know who he was. That was until a soldier named David said he should be down at the tent with the medics

    so off we went.

    Entering the tent, we were very surprised at the scene in front of us.

    Peter was in here

    His medium length hair just barely passed his shoulders and with a blood soak eye socket that was¡­ missing an eye.

    He had a stern look and seemed pissed, I''m going to assume that was due to the fact he had a whole damn eye gone.

    ¡°Peter!¡± cried out Jim and immediately we saw his face soften, we walked towards him hugged it out and chatted a bit.

    ¡°I gotta ask how did you lose your eye¡± I asked Peter as he handed us some beer.

    ¡°Battle friend, these monsters seem to enjoy torturing more than killing. Don''t fret, I will get justice for my eye¡± he said laughing at the last bit he said.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    Course peter rarely took anything seriously. I was nevertheless glad he was alive.

    The three of us spent the next few hours chatting and ended up getting kicked out of medic setup for being a bit drunk, so we moved the party over to a little fire that''s been lit in the open field.

    Getting a good look at the two of them, Jim always had his muscular look with his nicely trimmed military cut, he looks like he was truly made for these fields. As for Peter, he was kinda built like me, we both had a lean figure one that didn''t look weak nor strong somewhere in the middle.

    ¡°Hey you three boys better stop drinking, you''re wasting all of our drinks! yelled out some fat merchant who spotted us taking his drinks.

    ¡° piss off you big belly pig!¡± yells out Jim to him and soon we were being scolded by our captain Tristian.

    Captain Tristan wore battle scars all over his face and was very bulky of muscle, which made him a bit scary to hang around, he was a stern leader who if you did not obey, you should be prepared to face his wrath.

    ¡°You got it boys, We are gonna go into battle soon so you three shits better sober up fast understood¡±

    ¡°Yes sir¡± said all three of us as we saluted him, holding back a couple of laughs which thankfully the captain turned away just in time.

    We walked back to the fire but this time with nothing in our hands and just sat on the dirt

    Captain said we are to enter battle soon, I wonder where the general is at. There was for sure one here but i''ve yet to see them, the generals were top powerful warriors who have made names for themselves both in politics and commanding.

    ¡°Alexander¡± I turned up to look at Peter, assuming he saw me thinking as I stared into the fire.

    ¡° What''s your goal Alex, what are you gonna do once this war is over?¡± he asked

    I looked back into the fire and took a second to answer

    ¡° I just wanna help my mother and brothers out, and joining the army seemed the most plausible.¡± I answer him while looking into the fire.

    ¡° Very noble of you, your family were always nice to us, I wonder who my parents were. Like did I ever have any siblings? Some mysteries tend to remain unsolved ay.¡± said Peter with a hint of sadness.

    Petter and Jim have been orphans for as long as I can remember, my father and mother would always help them out when they asked so they both held a loving spot for my people.

    Jim and Peter kept speaking but I was now more attracted towards the fire in front of me.

    It seemed to dance across the air and make some crackling sounds a couple of times. It got big enough where it covered up Peter''s face when I looked over to him. It seemed to distort space itself even before the flames went to the spot. It was hypnotizing, and interesting.

    Long ago it was said mages were able to wield such things. But it''s been centuries since that sort of power has been lost. I wonder if anyone out there knows how to control such things. Would it ever be possible to use magic ever again? I was now wishing I would be able to see such power be used in my lifetime.

    ¡°Thwip¡±

    In an instant I heard arrows swooshing above, Immediately we all laid on the ground covering our bodies with what we could.

    Screams and cries can be heard all over and I looked over to see a man walking around with eyes wide open with an arrow sticking out of his neck, recognizing the man. It was the fat merchant from earlier.

    Once the wave of arrows were over we all immediately ran to our weapons and geared up.

    I picked up a sword with a round shield. As for my armor I looked at my body, I didn''t have much money on me to be able to afford high end gear, I was wearing a simple chest plate, with a tight black long sleeve under it, wearing a set of leather arm sheaths as well as padded leggings with a pair of boots. I never liked thick pads as it honed me down a lot.

    Looking around, our own archers have gone up the wall and begun firing outside of the walls, only they know what''s out there waiting for us. Now we all have begun getting into formation and waiting on command

    It was time.

 Chapter 3: Clash Of Swords

    Peter POV

    Nerves can be felt all throughout the field, sweat can be seen screams and cries. Medics patching up those who have been hit by the arrows and looking back upfront was our general whose name was Arthur.

    He looked to be in his late 20s and had slick back golden hair with a goatee, from where I stood, he had a lean built with luxurious armor. I knew he was of noble birth, but I had no clue which house. It seems he was about done talking to captain Tristan and turned toward us.

    But his soon to be speech was halted when arrows came flying in once more, and once again we went down for cover.

    Looking over to Jim and Alexander they both looked alright

    Since they arrived, I''ve been grateful to see them well, Alexander has always had curiosity in his eyes no matter what and today was no different. Jim was always wild and he had a burning ambition from where he was laid down.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    Arrows have stopped and screams didn''t, our own archers seemed to struggle from upon the wall, from what''s going on I suspect the rebels have a wall of shields to protect their own archers and they fire upon us all simultaneously.

    Halted by my thinking the gates suddenly open and outran our commander and captain first, I supposed they wanted to take advantage of the small opening we had,

    And so, I locked eyes with Jim and Alexander, the three of us giving each other a stern nod as our group was off running out.

    Once out of the gates it was just chaos, battles all around us arrows flying and horses running by. Metals cling and scream.

    I had my eye out for the man who slashed my eye, from the armor he wore I assumed he was noble, but we low born could care less.

    A soldier ran up to me as if thinking he could end me with just a swing of a sword, swiftly I dodge and immediately struck him in his organs, blood came out of his mouth and soon he was down on his knees.

    I turned and found my two friends in their own battles, Jim looking like a sort of berserk and Alexander dueling with calm and coolness.

    And in that moment, I saw the same armor of the man who slashed me swoosh by on a horse just behind Alexander and ran straight into a group of my fellow soldiers.

    And so off I was chasing him

 Chapter 4: Clash Of Swords II

    Alexander POV

    Coolness was the name and aim of what I was trying to do, this man is very good on his blocks and parries, yet he also fights honorably, a shame as that will be what kills him.

    Immediately I kicked dirt and what a bullseye as it landed straight into his eyes and gave me an opportunity to strike him down.

    I had to do this; this man was giving me a hard time and I could not afford to die here today.

    ¡°You bastard! I hope you live with shame your dishonorable scum!¡± he yells to me as he''s on his knees

    ¡°Honor or no Sir, unlike you I will live to see another day.¡± I say as I struck his head clean off.

    Taking a quick glance, I did like his sword and so I''ll be taking it as mine, a bit of looting to start early.

    I look around the battlefield and I see Jim going up against groups of soldiers and yet he looked like a beast let loose from a cage, I had not need to worry for him

    Although I couldn''t find Peter, I hoped wherever he was he was winning.

    Being careless and not paying attending to my surroundings, A horse came running up and the man mounted on struck me

    Just in time I managed to block the attack with my shield, I was sent flying to the ground from the impact and lost my shield.

    ¡°what''s your name Boy¡± the man calls out to me as I stood back up and he turned to me, still mounted on his horse

    ¡°Alexander, and I am no Boy¡± I respond sharply,

    This man appeared to be in his Middle Ages, seemed to be 40 and balding with a full lumberjack beard. He pointed his long sword towards meUnauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    ¡°you boy have slain a high born dishonorably¡±

    Geez these nobles and their honor

    ¡°His name was Alonso of house Wilde, second son of Lord Jarrod boy, you will die for what you have done.¡±

    I did recognize the name, they were one of the major contributors to prince Charles cause, and a powerful house at that.

    In an instant, the unknown knight came charging at me, thinking fast I threw my sword right at the head of his horse and down they both went.

    Nerves kicked in as I reached and grabbed the sword of the man known as Alonso and was getting into a stance, the balding knight was pissed, I could even see veins popping out of his forehead.

    Slowly walking around, one another, feeling a small sweat drip down to my nose then down the floor, I went in

    Swords clashed on one another, and I did not manage to land anything, I must try something else.

    Grabbing a small dagger that was stored in a hidden sleeve, I slowly waited till he struck.

    And so, he did, swinging from the bottom and aiming at my side, I parried with my sword and with my dagger quickly I sliced his fingers from his dominant hand.

    I managed to slice his middle, ring and pinky fingers.

    He was truly pissed now as he no longer had strength nor fingers to hold his sword, he came at me with full force and tackled me to the ground.

    I felt in rapid speed a set of fists punch my face repeatedly, trying my best to block but he was too strong for me

    I felt his hands go around my neck and start choking me.

    Feeling myself going dark, I tried reaching out to everything around on the floor hoping something was there to be used, only grabbing handful of dirt but other than that nothing was there absolutely nothing, I''m about to blank out

    I reach over and stick my one freed hand onto his eye and push down, blood came gushing out and I kept pushing down

    His screams came soon after and he fell down next to me covering his eyes with pain.

    Opening my one good eye after my other started bruising up from the punches I looked around for anything sharp.

    I picked up my dagger that was a few feet away and I got on top of the man

    ¡°Say hello to Alonso for me, Sir.¡± I say to him mockingly, he only stared daggers at me.

    Stabbing him repeatedly in the chest and stomach, I just did not stop, and I must have stabbed him over 20 times, the finishing touch was slicing his neck just to be sure.

    Tossing the dagger, I laid down on the floor next to the man, I have just killed 2 men and did not hesitate at all, was I in the wrong? No, no its war and its life or death surely. But still, I felt a bit sad, these men were of noble birth sure, but I still killed living men, they may have had children and wives.

    As my thoughts took over my adrenaline rush died down, I felt myself slipping into darkness.

    Let''s hope no one kills me as I take some time to recover.

 Chapter 5: A Price for Living

    Peter POV

    Wiping the blood off my face and looking around me, the battle ended after what seemed like hours

    maimed soldiers stood around me and dead ones.

    General Arthur I recognize off in the distant, it seemed he was speaking to prisoners that have been captured, maybe I should take this fellow to him

    Turning my gaze down below on the man who took my eye out

    ¡°what''s your name Sir¡± I ask my sword pushed down on his neck as a ting of blood comes out

    ¡°Kriger¡± he cleared his throat ¡°Kriger of house Kipling¡± he said with fatigue

    House Kipling has been a top noble house and one that births warriors.

    Looking at this man he looked to be about my age, around 17, he was clean shaven and had sharp features, his hair was black, pitch black and curly.

    As much as I wanted to murder this man for slashing my eye out, I fought the urge to and decided to just take him to the general so he can deal with him instead

    lifting him up to his feet, I tied his hands behind his back and walk towards the general

    ¡°Thank you sir for sparing the benefit of mercy to me¡± he said as we walked

    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.I couldn''t hold in my smirk

    ¡°Mercy would have been giving you death back there, instead I''m turning you into general Arthur¡­. who has quite a bit of a reputation with prisoners wouldn¡¯t you say.¡±

    I felt him tighten up and no more words were spoken

    ¡°General Arthur, where should I leave the prisoner?¡± I asked as the general studied the man carefully.

    ¡°I recognize this boy, to think they would send such youngster into battle or was it just you out for glory Kriger Kipling¡± said the general

    ¡°Well, I had the opti¨C¡± General Arthur hand struck his face

    ¡°In truth I don''t care what you got to say¡± he looked over to me ¡°toss him over there with the rest of them, good work Peter¡±

    My eyes opened up a little bit ¡°yes sir¡± how the heck did he know my name? walking the noble to the rest of the prisoners I simply tossed him to the floor and walked away.

    I walked around a bit, helping those to the castle and aiding the healers.

    I began to wonder where Alexander was. I''ve seen Jim already

    looking like he showered in blood that man was an animal in his past life for sure.

    Retracing my steps back from when we last got separated, it was at an area where the forest sort of started and had rocky boulders. Boom, found it now where could he have gone?

    Surveying the area, I saw crows flying over me, good or bad omen I had no clue.

    there were loads of dead soldiers but what did stick out was a horse that seemed to have been struck in its head with a sword

    Walking up to the horse I grabbed the sword and pulled it out, ahh yes! This for sure belonged to Alexander as it had a chip in its side, a chip that Alexander''s sword had before we exited the castle.

    Walking around a bit longer I found a deceased fellow who seemed to be stabbed in his stomach, the number of times I couldn''t even know but shit, whoever did this must be a maniac.

    I heard crows wailing in the forest nearby, at this point I have no clue where he is so I decided to enter the forest

    The crows wailing got louder and louder by each step and passing a tree I saw him.

    Alexander was laid against a boulder and seemed to be unconscious, the crows were simply flying around him from above

    did they think he was dead?

    But one crow in particular was pulling on his arm and it extended above his head and soon another was pulling his skin to the left side of his chest and in under a second the skin tore. The crow seemed to peck something in, but I didn''t care no more

    These crows were hurting my friend. Running up I scared them off and they flew away.

    Letting a sigh out, I checked whether he was still alive and breathing, he was.

    Picking him up and tossing him on my shoulder

    I walked back toward the castle.

 Chapter 6: Traveling Days

    Alexander POV

    Waking up, I was startled to see my body lying in a wagon travelling who knows where,

    ¡°Finally, you''re awake¡± I hear and turning, I see Jim walking alongside the wagon.

    Noticing, I see a bunch of soldiers walking along the trailway.

    ¡°How long have I been out and where are we heading?¡± I asked my friend as I began standing to walk alongside him after being out for some time.

    ¡°You''ve been out for a day and a half, as for where we are heading, I have no clue, but It seems we are heading towards a coastal city from the looks of the path.¡±

    he smirks and looks over at me

    ¡°You''ve been getting a lot of praise, Alexander. Stories of how you managed to take down a giant of a man have been going around. When Peter found you he said you looked just about dead then alive.¡±

    ¡°Speaking of which, where''s peter?¡±

    ¡°I actually don''t know, he was here for a while but walked up ahead to speak to someone I think¡± replied Jim.

    ¡°The giant came after me only after he saw me kill a noble, the noble''s name was Alonso of house Wilde if I remember correctly, the giant I have no clue who he was.¡± I say to Jim as I stare at a dozen wagons all of which are carrying injured soldiers.

    ¡°Ha! House Wilde, Alexander they will for sure want vengeance, you probably killed the noble''s bodyguard if anything, keep your eyes out you will for sure have a target on your back¡± he says to me with his eyes widened playfully but soon a serious demeanor appeared.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    I nod to him and walk a little up ahead to speak to one of the people who''s on the wagon upfront moving it.

    ¡°Sir, do you have any clue where we are headed now?¡± I ask

    ¡°yea we''re heading a bit east to a city called hazel town. We received a message from a raven informing us that they have spotted a bunch of ships far out in the horizon, we should arrive in the next few days friend.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, sir¡± I reply, great we are headed into battle once again surely.

    Will they ever stop, will this be a major battle? I wonder exactly what they are planning because Prince Charles has only been sending small squads of soldiers to attack and sure they do a bit of damage in the short term, but long term I don''t see how this will benefit them at all.

    And this city hazel town, is on the side of a cliff that slowly eases to grown level, so if they were to get sieged, they would have a hard time.

    ¡°Alexander!¡±

    I hear my name get called and I see it''s peter who''s walking to me from upfront from where the wagons and soldiers are marching past,

    Falling next to me he walks along with me.

    ¡°You gave me a scare back their man. I thought you were dead for sure¡± he says giving me a jab to my arm

    ¡°It won''t be so easy to kill the great Alexander now would it ay peter¡± I say flexing my muscles

    we let out a chuckle.

    ¡°No, but seriously, I found you laid against a boulder, and you had crows poking at your body, it seemed as if they were eating you. One even ripped a piece of your skin off from your che- oh!¡± he waves at another person who was walking toward us, as if knowing what he was going to say

    ¡°I''ll talk later Alex, the general wants to see me, rest up got it¡± he places a hand on my shoulder then runs up ahead of where everyone is marching.

    How did he find me against a boulder? Did I not just lay next to the giant and pass out there?

    And these crows were looking like they were about to eat me!

    Lifting my shirt, I checked and to my surprise I found on my chest above where my heart, skin was missing and a piece of dark black stone.

    It seemed like the skin was ripped off to perfectly fit the stone. I tried to remove it, but it felt like it was my skin, like a part of me.

    I definitely need to see a doc soon and I don''t want to interrupt the medics here helping the soldiers, so I''ll just wait till we get to hazel town.

    Seeing Jim speaking to a group of other soldiers I decided to sit back down in the wagon I originally woke up in.

    Laying my head against the wooden wall

    I drifted back to sleep

 Chapter 7: Recognition

    ¡°Wake up soldier¡±

    Startled, I woke up and saw the general Arthur in front of me with captain Tristan next to him.

    Quickly I stood and saluted both of the renowned leaders.

    ¡°Relax, we came to praise you for taking down Jesper Wilde, the big man you killed in single combat¡± said general Arthur

    ¡°Yea not only that you also killed his nephew, Alonso Wilde. they were well renowned soldiers, so taking them out was a big help for us,¡± said the captain

    ¡°Which leads to another question, how did you, a young boy, manage to kill these proven men?¡± said the general

    ¡°Alonso was the first to go and well, he fought honorably which led to his death. As for Jesper, he was quite wild and reckless, he was very angry at me for killing his nephew. I had no clue he was from house Wilde as well.¡±

    ¡°Oh yea, he was from house Wilde as well. Usually, they are quite cunning and deceitful when getting things done but now and then one is not evil like the usuals of their house. And that one person was Alonso. But Alexander, word has spread that you killed them both, no doubt Lord Jarrod will want vengeance for the death of his son and brother, mostly vengeance for his son. Just stay cautious boy, you have potential, and I would very much like to see it grow.¡±

    said the general with a smile that didn''t reach his eyes.

    Both the general and captain gave me a handshake and left

    Now getting a good view where we were, it seemed we arrived outside hazel city, but it was dark. I could actually see the sun rising over from the distance so that''s good.

    We were outside the gates, so it seemed this is where we are to be stationed for now. I just wonder what we are going to be doing but I''m no commander, so I have no clue.

    Walking up to the city gates I informed those guarding the entrance that I''m a part of the army that recently arrived and would like to explore the city.

    With a nod the guards let me in and after taking a step in I was amazed.

    The city was lined with market stalls each selling its own exotic goods, which made sense. This city was one in a line of trade routes, you can see ships being docked and ones getting ready to leave.  The architecture was a sort of blend of old and new, old stones that have been built ages ago mixed with new more modern stones. In the middle of the city was a giant statue of a knight who held his sword high above his head as if he was commanding an army

    Making my way toward the statue, I was being bombarded with sellers and merchants to come along to their stalls and buy, if only I had enough money to splurge a bit here. Making it to the statute, all it read under it was

    ¡°An unknown soldier, A hero of our people¡±.

    Leaving me a bit confused from the meaning, I went along and made my way to a bathhouse. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    After spending weeks on the road with no bath it''s time to have one. Entering the bathhouse, I was greeted by a lady in the front counter

    ¡°Hello sir, would you like to rent a room or a bath, or maybe both!¡± she said to me with excitement.

    ¡°I''ll like a bath only madam.¡±

    ¡°Very well!¡± she hands me a key and points in a certain direction ¡°down the hall over and room 3 will be your bathroom, have a good time!¡± she says smiling at me

    I thanked her and made my way down to room 3. Entering, I locked the door behind me and the room was pretty basic. A small little bathtub sat in the middle of the room with its essentials on a table next to it. And a couple of candles spread around the arm, a body size mirror was also laid in a corner of a room.

    Taking my clothes off I hopped in the bath and my lord did it feel amazing. Immediately dirt was falling off me.

    Taking another look at the stone on my heart it seemed to be the size of a small mole. It had what looked like to be one long claw mark against it, which I''m assuming is from when the crow was holding it, but again why would a crow put this in my chest? Was the crow being controlled by some other person? So many questions yet none will ever be answered I think.

    I spent about thirty minutes enjoying my bath until

    BANG BANG!

    Being startled by the bangs against the door I grabbed my sword, the sword of the former Alonso Wilde and stood up in the bathtub waiting.

    More bangs came and the door swung off its pings.

    ¡°HA there you are Alexander!¡± Screamed out the drunk Jim who came in stumbling with Peter right behind him and with 2 other gentlemen right behind him.

    ¡°A locked door in a bathhouse usually means one thing, no gentlemen!? ¡°I say with frustration, covering my genitals and going down into the water so I''m not fully exposed.

    ¡° Ahhh screw that Alex, come on get dressed fast so we can go out and enjoy this beautiful morning¡± said Jim with a grin while leading the rest of them out of the room and shutting the door behind him.

    Letting out a sigh, I quickly got dressed and walked out the bathhouse to find them all waiting outside for me.

    Jim was drunk out of his mind speaking to the folks walking by while Peter was laying against the stone wall watching Jim. The two mysterious men were looking right at me as I stepped out and I had an uneasy feeling about them both.

    The one on the left was a few inches shorter than me and was lean, with a scar but a burn scar that made his face pinkish from the neck up to the mouth. He had soft eyes nonetheless.

    The one on the right was taller than me and had glasses on with a mustache, he had the same facial features as the other one but with a bit more age to him.

    ¡°Nice to finally meet you, Alexander!¡± the burnt one said, shaking my hand fiercely. ¡°My name is William of house Dixon and this here next to me is my older brother, Freddie Dixon.¡±

    The older brother comes up to me and shakes my hand as well ¡°A pleasure to meet you¡± he says.

    William continues, his eyes beaming with pride ¡°We would like to thank you on behalf of House Dixon. You killed the barbarian known as Jesper Wilde and from the bottom of our hearts we would like to thank you.¡±

    ¡°I um yes you''re welcome I guess, but why exactly are you two thanking me?¡± I reply utterly confused on what''s going on right now.

    William takes a seat on one of the steps that lead inside the bathhouse while his brother Freddie stood next to him¡± you see that son of a bitch killed our other older brother when the war was first brewing up. When we heard that the man who brought our brother''s demise was dead, we just had to thank the man who did such a noble act.¡±

    Once he finished talking peter found it best to speak up from where he was stood at

    ¡°They asked me if I knew you when I was talking to the general outside the gates. So, we spent the last hour searching and asking around for you until now.¡±

    Looking back at the brothers

    ¡°Yes, well I''m glad I could help you two to be at ease, I''m just merely doing my duty as a soldier and if that involves avenging fallen warriors then I''m glad, I could be at service.¡±

    I say bowing slightly at the noble pairs in front of me. I had to be careful, dealing with nobles can never be easy, one wrong word and they can take it up the ass and want to kill me. In this case these two are thankful.

    William stood up and wrapped his arm around my shoulders

    ¡°Come now Alexander, this calls for celebration, let''s go hit a tavern and celebrate your massive victory, drinks will be on us right Freddie.¡± he looks over to his brother who seemed bored but once he heard tavern his eyes lit up. ¡°Yes of course, all of it will be on us!¡±

    ¡°Let''s get going then!¡± yelled out Jim who was leading the pack down to the tavern.

    Being led by William, we all started heading toward the tavern. A tavern early in the morning how sinful I say to myself with a smirk.

    Nonetheless, seems it was time to get plastered once more.

 Chapter 8: Siege Of Winds

    ¡°Let''s go, Alexander! I knew you could outdrink him!¡± cheered William as I won a drinking contest against his brother who was throwing up in a bucket given to him by one of the watchers of our little show.

    We had a whole damn crowd watching us drink till we passed!

    In the corner of my eye, I saw Jim speaking to a young lady and they were both heading to the back. Unable to hold in my grin I threw him a thumbs up. Which in return he winked back at me.

    We have been in here for some hours now, it seemed as if more people were starting to show up and a pianist came along as well.

    ¡°Go on, play a song, friend!¡± yelled William as he tossed him a coin.

    The man went along with the act and took a seat on the piano.

    Another hour passed and everyone present was up from their seat jamming from the music, harmonicas also came out and it all turned into a live concert. I saw Peter sleeping on one of the stools and the two brothers were jamming along with the rest of the city folks. The patrol officers came by a couple times to tell us to keep the noise down, at some point they gave up and joined us with the partying.

    Feeling extremely drunk I took a seat next to peter. And just watched the party continue on.

    ¡°How are you feeling, friend?¡± asked the bartender who I had no clue was standing there.

    ¡°Feeling fine sir, just thinking about how all this will end soon, and me and my friends will return back to the army.¡±

    He took a look at my sword which was sheathed at my waist. ¡°So, you''re in the army, young man, well I thank you for your service lad, thanks to people like you we all are safe.¡± he said while cleaning a glass cup

    ¡°I too was in the service of the king once¡± he said with sadness in his eyes ¡°I saw a lot of my friends and peers die young lad. Take good care of each other and live exactly as you are right now with them, because you will not know when it will be the last.¡±

    He says with sadness in his smile and walks to the direction of a person calling for more drinks.

    Leaving me with my thoughts for a second. What exactly do my friends want? I know Peter has been alongside the general and captain for some time now, does he want to be in a position like them someday? Jim is currently with some girl, and I have no clue what he wants once this war is over. I should ask them some day, I hope they achieve whatever it is they want. I love them with all my heart, and I hope we all make it out of this alive.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    I do have a family to get back to Afterall. I wonder how mother is doing and my brothers also. I haven''t been able to send a message to them in such a long time, I hope they''re doing well.

    Screams and cries overtook my moment of thinking, I looked around and saw people running out from the back and front doors. I shake Peter to wake up and inform him to go get Jim. I''ll see them at the front gate.

    Stepping out I see chaos, People are running in the opposite direction of the gate and I feel a hand on my shoulder, turning around its the two Dixon brothers.

    ¡°Alexander! come on we have to get out here!¡± says the older one, Freddie.

    Taking his hand off my shoulder ¡°sorry friends but I''m a soldier, I have to head back to the gate and speak to my officials on what''s going on here. We will see each other soon got it¡±

    Giving them both a firm handshake, I ran toward the gate, drunkenly of course.

    Arriving I got an earful from both the captain and general, which I expected of course. One of their soldiers went for some time only to show back up drunk stumbling out of his mind.

    Immediately, I looked for the wagon that I first woke up in to get my gear out of it.

    Once I had my gear I made my way up the walls.

    The city had its own set of gates to enter but the outside of those same gates was surrounded by walls and a well-fortified gate of its own. The wall overlooked the entire ocean, and scouts could easily spot incoming ships. Since the city was built on a hill and the bottom part was the harbor, we had to be careful and make sure everyone was evacuated out of the harbor.

    Once I made it on top of the wall, I was amazed. A vast blue ocean is all that came into my view and off into the distance you can see the sun setting.

    which to my horror, it was not the only thing you can see far out in the distance.

    The reason everyone was told to evacuate the harbor and enter the city gates was because of those ships. I could not count how many ships were out there since they were a blur in my vision but it seemed more and more were coming.

    I could feel my body heading up against the winds.

    Will we survive this?

    ¡°Holy shit¡± said Jim, who appeared next to me from what appeared out of thin air.

    Not looking at him I only continued staring at the coming ships.¡± any clue where Peter is Jim?¡±

    ¡°He''s with the general and captain.¡±

    He will be of help to them. I''m sure of it Peter has always had a mind for warfare.

    Suddenly a voice boomed over us from behind

    ¡°Soldier! Arm yourselves with bows and arrows! And make sure you have a torch to light the arrows on fire!¡±  Screamed out captain Tristian, his voice raw of emotion, he too was feeling the tension.

    Obeying his command, I and Jim picked up the nearest bows and arrows and strapped them on us. Also grabbing a nearby torch and placing it near us to light our arrows up.

    Looking back out at the horizon, it seemed the ships were a couple of hours away from us, which is good as it gives us much more time to set up.

    Looking around me, there seemed to be about 200 soldiers out on top of the walls ready to fire upon the ships.

    But also, builders, who were building up dozens of catapults in certain areas of the walls.

    feeling the high winds clash against my body it was cold up here.

    I Pray they finish fast; it''s all in the hands of time now.

 Chapter 9: Eternity

    Peters POV

    I was standing in a meeting room tent filled with nobles and my commanders.

    I was told to attend by the general so now they all sat around the table inside this spacious tent. I stood right behind General Arthur''s chair looking like a glorified bodyguard.

    There were about 10 chairs each with nobles from different houses, no worse time to visit the city than now. Most of them were shaking and nervous after being told of the soon to come siege. The other half looked calm from the news which I assume is because they themselves were not completely ignorant of warfare.

    A fist slammed against the table and a voice soon spoke up

    ¡°We have gotten reports from days ago saying ships were spotted long ago heading here. Yet now that they have been seen over the horizon you mean to tell me not one officer here has had the idea to start evacuation long ago!¡± Harland of house Gwayne said with his deep baritone of a voice laced with anger. He was speaking to my commanders.

    ¡°The presence of a whole army showing up out of the blue caused enough scare, to evacuate everyone into the city gates for an attack that was just mere rumors based on reports of ships that had no sorts of banners traveling would have not done us wonders Sir Harland.¡±

    spoke up captain Tristian who himself was angry.

    To have a bunch of noblemen question your actions especially when you yourself is high in commanding seemed like an insult. And from what I''ve heard Harland Gwayne has never commanded an army nor has ever fought any battles, so it must have been insulting for captain Tristian to be questioned by this man.

    But then again, Sir Harland also seemed to care for the people as well which surprised me to be honest, Nobles seem to give little care for the people.

    ¡°Relax Harland, these are well renowned commanders of this kingdom, whatever they have planned they have my full support.¡± spoke another, David of house Lexend. His voice was calm and looked at both the general and Harland as he spoke.

    ¡°What is it that you have stirred up, General? For this soon-to-be besieged city?¡±

    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    General Arthur immediately stood and placed a sketched-out map of the wall and with a pencil he drew Xs on certain areas on the wall.

    ¡°We have been building catapults ever since we were told to travel up here. We have a couple done already but we aim to have at least a dozen done by the time the ships arrive. Since we don''t have boulders, I say we use bottles of oil and aim them at the ships. Once the oils land we rain fire on our arrows that have been lit with fire causing the ships to catch on fire.¡±

    Many of the nobles started talking to each other in small whispers and it sounded like they believed in this idea of his.

    An Idea I myself suggested to him.

    General Arthur continued ¡°That''s where you all come in, we don''t have as much oil as needed for this so go and bring oil from your merchants and shops.¡± he said not asking but commanding.

    All nobles, already frightened by the idea of being stuck in a besieged town, immediately obeyed as they all left the tent to go out and get their oils. Sir Harland informed the general he would be helping the folks of the city to make sure not many died.

    ¡°Well said General, I look forward to living another day.¡± said Sir David as he left, he was oddly calm which kind of made me nervous to be around him.

    ¡°Captain Tristan, head out and inform all those on the wall to pick up bows and arrows, also inform them of the plan involving the catapults.¡± Ordered the General and off was the captain.

    Now, it was just me and the general in the tent. Which is something that''s been recurring lately.

    ¡°How are you feeling Peter? You''re not nervous?¡± He asked, grabbing a cup of wine and drinking.

    ¡°Less worried about myself but more for my friends who are actually up there on the wall as we speak. Well mostly Alexander, Jim is a berserk.¡± I say with amusement at the last bit.

    ¡°Your friend Alexander, he''s a year younger than you correct, 16. ¡°Waving a hand to keep me from answering

    he continues

    ¡°That boy is one with potential Peter, you do best to look out for each other, I can envision you two leading battles in the future.¡±

    Before leaving the tent fully he adds one more thing

    ¡°Oh, and don''t think I didn''t notice you''re drunk as well, be sure when all this is over the three of you will have some answering to do¡± he says wearing no smirk or playfulness on his face as he walks out¡­. Shit, he''s serious about that.

    ¡­.

    hours have passed since the meeting with the nobles, and they did as commanded. We had oil thanks to the same nobles who brought them from their shops, but enough only for a one swing from each catapult, let''s hope we don''t miss.

    I found myself on top of the wall alongside my two childhood friends, and at perfect time as the rebel ships were now a few minutes out from us.

    Our Captain was near us manning one of the catapults, while our general was down at the harbor with a set of soldiers with him in case any ships did manage to land, they would be met with swords.

    Now, seeing the ships up close there were about 20 of them, all of which carried the personal sigil of prince Charles. what? the scouts said there were no sorts of banners flying but yet these dam ships are carrying the princes own personal sigil. this is a matter we will sort out later.

    ¡°Soldiers! HOLD AIM!¡± Screamed out our captain, obeying his command we waited. sweat rolling down my face as we once again faced the chance of death in a few minutes.

    The wait felt like an eternity until one of the catapults was released.

 Chapter 10: Burning Tides

    Alexander POV

    Watching the oils break on impact against the ships brought a smile to my face, all 11 catapults soon followed and all broke on impact against the ships.

    ¡°FIRE!¡¯

    Immediately almost on command I let my hold on the arrow go and was traveling toward the ships.

    Screams soon followed. Screams and cries as I watched the ships burn, I could see the outlines of those on the ships and they were being burned alive. Some managed to jump into the water, some dropped down to the floor trying to put out the fire that was dancing on their skin. It was just stunning. We seemed to get almost all the ships. The fire just seemed to dance on the ships, it was big, almost as tall as the mountains and it was oozing with aura.

    ¡°Alexander! What the fuck are you doing get in cover!¡± as the voice finished speaking. I felt the hands of Jim pull me into cover from the view of the remaining ships and just as soon as I went down arrows came flying.

    Comrades started to scream from arrows hitting them, seeing many with arrows lodged into their bodies, arms, legs, and heads, and many were dead already.

    Those of us still standing did not lay against the stonewall crouched. Standing, we fought back with our arrows.

    I was letting them loose, just free aiming all along the ships'' deck, but it seemed to be no use, as they had shields covering them up and were also firing at rapid speeds themselves. The remaining ships were about to make it down below, where the harbor resides, and where our General was waiting with a few hundred men.

    But what surprised me the most was that three ships had split off and were heading towards ... well us. It was heading toward the walls, and I had no clue what they were planning, were they fools? Out for a quick death? Or were they trying to keep us busy by only firing at them and letting the others pass on by?

    It seemed to work because we all started to fire upon the three ships that were only a couple of feet away from the wall.

    ¡°CLICK¡±

    This is all that was heard as all three ships simultaneously dropped a set of ladders from their ships to the walls so they could climb up.

    ¡°SWORDS OUT¡± Screamed out Captain Tristian, as he unsheathed his sword standing right in front of the ladder ready for anyone who came up.

    As his command rang out to us all, and those around me all drew their swords in unison, preparing for the clash soon to come. Pulling out my own sword, I stood a foot behind my captain ready for whatever came up. While my comrades stood in front of the other two ladders.

    A few seconds later footsteps could be heard running up, then swords clashed. A tall muscular man tackled my captain and ran past me. I must trust that he could handle that man.

    Leaving the ladder my captain stood empty, soldiers came running up and I was faced with many swords around me.

    Swinging and parrying then striking the man down and more more and more came. I had Jim and Peter by my side which was a blessing.

    I felt a sword hit my shoulder, but my armor took most of the hit, turning I swung down the man who hit me.

    Soon after swinging him down, I felt a pair of powerful hands grab me and knee me in the stomach. Stumbling down on the ground and once more being picked up and being pushed up against the wall itself. Looking down I can see the ocean down below me which seemed to be a 20-foot drop.

    ¡°You have a bounty on your head boy, that tends to happen when you kill men of nobility.¡± If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Said the man who was pushing me against the wall with his hands around my neck.

    ¡° tis sis war sier, men die, and men live¡±

    I say to him stuttering most of my words and kneeing him in the groin. Immediately he let me go and I stuck my thumbs down both his eyes, feeling a pop and soon blood came gushing out from his eyes.

    Letting go I let the man fall to the floor and took in around me.

    There seemed to be no more soldiers running from the ladders anymore but there was quite a lot of fighting. We were also winning most of those battles, but I had no clue where my captain and the muscular man went crashing to. If anything, I wanted to go and look for them to make sure he was okay, but I couldn''t just yet.

    Peering down the wall once against all three ships seemed to have no one in them, maybe a small crew of sailors would be waiting for them.

    Also, my general and the army he took with him down the harbor would be facing masses of soldiers from the remaining ships. What if I took one of the ships down here and rammed them? Could that work?

    Without batting another thought I went running down the ladder to the far-left ship that didn''t have anything blocking its path. Landing on its deck I went searching around. Entering below I found 3 soldiers all of which had injuries from what seemed like arrows which I assume they got from when we were shooting at them.

    ¡°Out of the three of you who has the most experience in navigating a ship,¡± I say my tone as sharp as the blade I had out.

    One of them raised their hand.

    ¡°I-i do sir, ¡°said one of the soldiers who had a bloody circle spot on his leg.

    ¡°Good seems you will be the only one of use to me then,¡± I say walking up to the other two, grabbing them by their hair, and slicing their necks.

    Seeing the eyes of the one soldier I left alive brought me back down a bit. He stared at me as if I was a monster no, as if I was death itself here to claim them.

    Would my family look at it the exact same way? Would they see a monster who''s killed a handful of people and just now sliced the necks of two unarmed and injured soldiers of war? But I must act if I want to live right. I must do this.

    Pushing these downer thoughts of mine aside, I grabbed the injured soldier by the collar and dragged him up the stairs til we reached the cockpit of the ship. Spotting two daggers lying on the floor I picked them up, placing the soldier''s hands on the wooden steering wheel I stabbed his hands into the wheel. A loud raw scream followed.

    ¡°You have only one usage for me, ram this ship into the other ships that are at the harbor, and only then will I offer you a quick death understood,¡± I say while I grab him by the hair and pull him into eye level. He only nodded and that''s all I needed.

    ¡­..

    Seeing the ships at the harbor and I see lots of soldiers pouring out of them, we are moving pretty fast, and I feel there will be a lot of destruction from this.

    ¡°Sir please I don''t want to die, let me live,¡± says the soldier behind me interrupting my moment of thinking.

    I turned around and the boy was holding back tears as he was steering the ship which in a few moments was about to crash into the others.

    Should I let the boy live? He''s been through a lot already, but if I let him live he may come for me for murdering his comrades who were down below with him. Also, I had no clue who those two were to this boy, they could have been friends or maybe even family. No, I can''t let him live, I can''t take the chance of him coming for me in the future.

    ¡°I''m sorry Sir, I can''t let you live. Who knows maybe one day you would set out on a quest for vengeance and that is not something I can risk.¡± tears started streaming down his face as I finished talking.

    Seeing me with my knife in my hand he seemed to have accepted his fate.

    ¡°Any last words boy.¡± my knife hovering above his chest and heart.

    ¡°My name is Irvin of House Lionel. And vengeance will soon arrive for me and my brother in arms,¡± he said with his eyes closed, it seems he has accepted his fate.

    Thrusting the knife into his chest and hearing him mumble which I''m assuming to be a soft prayer under his voice, I let his body fall to the floor. House Lionel, I have no clue who they are. I''ll have to ask Peter when I get the chance too.

    Turning my back to the now lifeless body, I see I''m about to crash into the other 9 ships that have been all lined up together which makes this task much easier.

    And just before the connection between me and the other ships. I jumped out into the water to save myself from disaster.

 Chapter 11: Flames of Remembrance

    Rising up from the ocean water it was freezing and to top it off the cold winds hit me hard. Wiping the water from my eyes I saw all the ships had been destroyed. My ears were covered in water so it made it hard to listen but through the muffled sounds, I heard screams going on which seemed to be from my fellow soldiers finishing up the enemies that had survived the clash of the ships.

    Swimming toward the harbor I saw many dead and maybe unconscious bodies that had been floating in the water. Many of these seemed to be coming out of the ships that had now been slowly going more and more back into the ocean.

    Much debris was on land and ocean, I was most afraid of the debris on land because that could have taken out many of my comrades, and how right I was.

    Making it to the harbor, it was smokey and covered with debris. I walked by many enemy soldiers that were hit by the debris and seemed to have died from it, others were punctured by it.

    And not just enemy soldiers but also my brothers in arms.

    Even if I didn''t know their names, just the sight of seeing them dead here hurt me. I killed them. I killed them all, some had children to return to, and others had mothers and fathers to return to, But I have killed them and kept them from returning to their loved ones. I hope they can forgive me for what I have done here. But it had to be done, this saved many of us and citizens.

    Looking at one particular man he had a large wooden piece lodged in his chest. I recognized him from when we would sleep and eat in the same barracks back in Castle Len, the castle where Jim showed up after having not seen him for a while.

    Looking down at his body and placing a hand on the man''s cheek, he was cold and soulless. His eyes open but nothing behind them. He would speak about his wife to me and the beautiful daughter she birthed. And now I have taken him away from them. Wiping the tears building up in my eyes and closing his lifeless eyes.

    I pulled the large wood piece out of his chest and laid the man back down on a patch of dirt.

    Going around the harbor the fog mixed with smoke was building up and I tried my best to make out my fellow brother-in-arms that I had killed in this attack and take them to the body of the man I pulled the wood piece out. The smoke was killing me, but I owed it to them to do this last final act.

    While finding bodies that I was confident were from my fellow comrades, I also found fingers, eyes, legs, arms, and other maimed body parts. I felt only right to pick these maimed parts up as well and place them with the others. Whether they were enemies, some were bound to be from my comrades.

    Returning to the pile, I did the best I could to find my comrades. Now, standing on the side of this dirt patch pile of soulless men. Placing my bloody-soaked hand on my chest not even once thinking of cleaning them and looking at the collection of bodies and parts I have gathered here on this floor.

    I whispered gently

    ¡°In memory of you all and those who have fallen long before this, I speak this ode to you, I give you all this small offering¡±

    I slice my hand open, letting blood spill onto the batch of bodies. Then lighting the bodies on fire.

    Taking a knee next to the slowly building funeral pyre.

    My voice came out rawer once I spoke again.

    ¡°Whatever I do will not bring any of you back. I''m sorry for what I have done truly I am. May I never rest easy for as long as I live, and may I let you all rest here peacefully.¡±

    I stood up from the knee I took. Moving my sliced hand to hover just above the fire, feeling the hot sensation against it. I continued moving my hand more and more into the flames and now it was fully engulfed, and the pain unbearable.

    ¡°May I never forget any of you,¡± I whisper as my final words to the resting comrades of mine.

    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.My hand burned up in the flames and I thought by doing this it would be a token of apology to them all.

    A hand for retribution.

    The funeral pyre was burning bright, all bodies were now black charcoal none had any facial features at all, and they seemed to curl up as if you were baking something. I saw eyeballs melt off and hair burn off, Toasted limbs were next as they just easily fell off. And the smell, Lord the smell of burning flesh that has been overcooked to the brim. I fear I will never forget this smell.

    All the while my hand was still burning in it all.

    Staring into the flames above that have grown. It was just dancing around, not caring about what was going on below it. It was free and allowed to go wherever it pleased. But were my eyes playing tricks with me? Am I okay? Am I seeing right¡­right now?

    A face was dancing along the flames as well.

    No, now it was a couple of faces dancing along the flames, what the fuck is going on. They seemed to mix into each other and then pop out of one another. But I recognize one of the faces.

    That man, that''s the man I first found, with the wood lodged into his chest.

    Then it hit me, all these faces are the people I picked up and brought here to lay to rest in the funeral pyre.

    As if hearing my thoughts the face of the man looked down toward me and soon the rest of the faces all in union turned down to look down at me.

    Is this a god? What the fuck is going on right now. I have to be drugged out right? But yet, it''s all there. I see these beings'' faces in the flames in front of me. They are the fire; the faces are fire with no eyes-only fire to replace.

    I''ve almost forgotten something else, my hand.

    It no longer burned. I can''t feel my hand in the flames and even worse I cannot pull it out. Trying my hardest to yank it out but I couldn''t, and it''s no longer in view. The flames have gotten so strong I can''t see anything in it.

    Yanking and yanking pulling even falling to one knee again to try and pull it out, but it just won''t. Am I going to die here? I feel sweat piling in my face, and I''m really scared here.

    ¡°Don''t be¡±

    I hear dozens of voices all at the same time. The voices were soft and calming and immediately I knew where it came from. I look back up and see all the faces still staring at me but all holding a soft smile.

    This calmed me down for some reason and I stopped pulling my hand from the flames and sat there looking at the faces waiting for them to continue.

    ¡°We thank you, Alexander, for giving us such a sending-off and even offering your hand as an apology, truly noble of you. All of us here have no clue as to why we are flames but nonetheless, we believe you should be given something from us all.¡±

    My hand in the flames suddenly gained life again as I felt it grab something.

    ¡°Consider it a gift Alexander, you have been deemed worthy of something greater. And do not eat yourself out from what you have done here, this sending-off you gave us has truly given us a smile and for that we thank you. Until your day comes Alexander, we shall meet again.¡±

    As they all stopped talking the faces all faded away, not once any of them looked away from me as they disintegrated.

    Tears ran down my face from the moment they started talking and I couldn''t control them at all.

    Wiping my face clean with my one free hand, I noticed my other hand was now free from the flames. Slowly I pulled my hand out and I had to be careful as I was holding something. Slowly it came out and I made out the shape of the thing I was holding.

    It was a sword, and it was beautiful.

    I was holding the hilt of the sword. The hilt had been a dark crimson color, there was also a pattern that seemed to be flames, and it was moving very slowly one wouldn''t notice it unless they looked closely. The flames ate each other out as they clashed. In the guard of the sword was¡­well a stone eye. It was a perfect polish gem with it too being crimson but a bit lighter. The eye stone is set in a silver bezel that holds it. The red eye seemed dead and was as still as the stone itself. With the funeral pyre still burning bright the stone seemed to have a faint red glow.

    The blade itself was dark, almost obsidian-like metal that absorbs light rather than reflecting it. It was long and had a slight curve with razor-sharp edges. Along the blade in a dark red blood-like color which stood out due to the blade''s black color, was runes. The runes were written in a language I had no idea what it was or if it even still existed.

    Swinging the sword felt amazing and was not heavy. Noticing something below the handle of the sword caught me by surprise for the reason I didn¡¯t notice it sooner. The sword had a pommel, it was a Raven¡¯s head with a long beak. It was a silver color and the eyes of the Raven¡­ were bright red. The eyes seemed to follow me as I moved it around, it left a weird feeling in me as if it were watching my every move.

    But why do I deserve this sword? Is this all magic? Everything that has happened here had to be magic, how was this possible? If not magic, could it have been some sort of God? Whether it was Magic, gods, or maybe fate itself, I have been blessed by my brethren. They truly honor me with this gift.

    It will need a name in the end.

    Pointing the sword into the flames of the pyre, crack-like lines formed in the dark black obsidian-like metal blade, under the lines it glowed.

    I have the perfect name.

    Rebirth.

 Chapter 12: A Time of Celebration

    A month has passed since our victory. Immediately after I got my sword from the flames, General Arthur found me and questioned me. He determined that what I did was not in vain, as it did help tremendously in our victory.

    Captain Tristan was found dead, from the reports he was killed in single combat. I believe it was that man who came sprinting out of the ship and tackled the captain, taking him somewhere to end him. I never got a good view of him as he came and went fast, he seemed to be targeting the captain. When he was found it was described as gruesome.

    There were piles of blood all over the floor he had his fingers sliced off, his leg was broken, and missing an arm. I couldn''t read the rest of the report because of how detailed it was but the most horrifying of all, he had his eyes and tongue cut out.

    ¡°Alexander!¡±

    Whoever did this vile act seemed to leave a clue for us, there was a logo scribbled onto the wall with the blood of Captain Tristian.

    ¡°Alexander!¡±

    The logo was drawn on the report so I know what it looks like.

    ¡®Alexander¡± Peter called to me standing in front of me as I ate in my bed without giving a thought to my surroundings. His face was filled with joy.

    ¡° we''re going home man, the general has received a message saying the war is over and we are to head to the capital.¡±

    My heart skipped a beat, We can finally go home. How long I''ve been waiting to hear those words come out of anyone''s voice

    All around us in the barracks were soldiers being told of the same thing, cheers erupted.

    People hugging and high-fiving. There will for sure be a celebration, I just want to get home so I hope it won''t last long.

    ¡°All thanks to you Alexander!¡± said a middle-aged soldier who grabbed me, lifted me off my bed, and brought me into a hug.

    Ever since ¡°The Siege of Hazel¡± I''ve been seen as a hero by some, others hate me for killing our comrades. Some want to kill me for killing their friends.

    After this gluttony fellow finished with his hug, more came by and did the same. I looked around and many eyes were on me. A lot were filled with hatred.

    I don''t feel like a hero either. I know those who I killed that day forgave me after speaking to me with the flames. But consciously I still don''t feel good about it and don''t believe I ever will.

    The sword I was given was so beautiful that I had to put leather cloth on the handle and cover it up to not raise suspicions. Everything else was good and so far not many people have asked me about it.

    The last few hugs came and once everyone was done praising me, Peter and I headed out to the city.

    Informing the guard at the gates of who we are he let us walk on by.

    I''ve been back here in the city only a handful of times in the past month. The people here love me and view me as a hero, I''m the man who saved the city for them.

    So like all the other times I''ve explored the city, I keep getting stopped and praised by the people. Some hand me valuables and others hand me food to taste.

    I must say the food is quite good here. The ones I''d been handed this time were doughy circle bread with glaze on them. I must visit the baker here in this city one day.

    But I was here for a whole different reason.

    Peter and I made our way toward a back alley. There, we found a clinic that seemed to not be upkeeped from the outside.

    ¡°You sure this is the place,¡± I ask Peter, he was the one who told me about this doctor who could check out the stone in my chest.

    ¡°Yup, I asked around the city and everyone said this place is good, though I assume they meant as in treating. Not keeping this place clean.¡±

    We laughed as we entered the clinic.

    Entering, there were a couple of people sitting waiting to see the doctor, there was a front desk with a lady sitting there. Compared to the outside, the inside was a tad bit cleaner.

    ¡° hi Sabrina, here to see the doc, brought along my friend this time.¡± Peter pointed toward me with his thumb.

    The lady whose name was Sabrina''s face lit up.

    ¡° ahh yes yes! You must be Alexander! Your friend here spoke of you and the ¡°thing¡± on your chest when he came to get his eye checked out.¡± she said with ecstasy.

    So Peter came and got his eye checked out here huh. I haven''t really been thinking of his eye lately, he always covers it up with an eyepatch and it''s just something I''ve grown used to seeing every day. To him, he must adjust to only having one eye and it makes things much more difficult like fighting for him.

    ¡° Give me a second gentleman, I''ll inform Doctor Ray of your arrival,¡± she says leaving to a room that connects to the waiting room.

    For a second it was quiet then a pair of two powerful voices began arguing loud, me and peter looked at each but his face seemed used to this.

    Sabrina stepped out and waved us in.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Entering the room it was filled with all sorts of equipment. Scrolls, papers, and much more lay all over the desk that was at a corner of the room, bookshelves with hundreds of books, some of which seemed centuries old. In the middle of the room a chair that had a table next to it filled with medical equipment, and on the other side of the chair was another wooden table but this time it was filled with potions both sealed and opened, some of which were bubbling like acid.

    ¡°Keep this place clean, got it doctor Ray!¡± screamed out Sabrina before slamming the door shut to the man cleaning a potion that had been spilled on the floor.

    ¡°Ahh, what do you boys need huh make it quick I''m getting scolded by the lady I employ!¡±

    Spoke the old doctor, the man was old somewhere in his 50s with deep lines etched across his face. His hair was a frizzy mess, he was hunchbacked which made him appear shorter than he actually was, and he wore a big long full white beard the same color as his hair, making him look like a wizard from a children''s book. Yet when you think of the word wisdom, this man seems to be the embodiment of it.

    ¡°Relax old man, here to get my friend checked out on that weird stone on his chest. You know the one I spoke of last we met.¡± Spoke up, Peter.

    ¡°Ahh yes yes the boy who saved my city, Alexander. Sit in the chair boy! Come on, I don''t have all day!¡± spoke the old doctor with an impatient voice

    I feel if I hang around this man for a long time I''ll start speaking to him the way his assistant does.

    ¡°I see why your assistant speaks to you the way she does sir¡± I mumbled under my breath as I went to sit in the chair in the middle of the room.

    Ray the old doctor merely frowned at me as he himself took a seat at a nearby rolling chair and got close to me.

    ¡° Now, off with the shirt boy, come on!¡± he says, staring at me intensely.

    Taking my black tunic off I let the old doctor come up with a diagnosis.

    ¡° hmm boy this is what you came in for a mole!¡± said the old man but soon after I felt his hand touch the stone in my chest, and soon he was caressing my chest feeling me up

    I looked at him with disgust.

    ¡° What boy, you want me to come up with a diagnosis here don''t you¡± he said snickering, amused at my discomfort.

    ¡° Enough with your jests, Old man, on with it, what is it that I have?.¡±

    ¡° seems someone doesn''t enjoy a good joke¡± the doctor pouted.

    He examined the stone carefully, even trying to scratch it off with his nails as if that would work.

    ¡° how did this get here boy¡±

    ¡° Well I passed out after a fight laying on the floor but Peter tells me he found me lying against a boulder with crow''s pecking at me and flying over me. But he says one specific crow pecked at me and pulled the skin that was once located where the stone is now, and well yeah. It doesn''t feel unnatural, I don''t even feel or sense it. It''s just there.¡± I reply, looking at Peter, a look for him to jump in at any moment in case he wants to voice something.

    ¡° Hmm, this is not normal at all, boy. It''s not any sort of disease nor an infection, Are you pulling a fast one on me? A crow did this, boy?¡±

    I frowned

    ¡° No one is pulling your legs, Doctor. It''s the truth, I have no clue either why a dam crow would do this and Peter wouldn''t lie either.¡± I say looking over at Peter who was going through the books on the old man''s shelves.

    The old man sighed and continued ¡°Fine boy, the good part of it all is that nothing bad has happened to you. As long as the stone doesn''t cause something you''ll be fine¡­I think. Anyway, this has piqued my interest, boy, I''ll be digging around, if I find anything I''ll let you know.¡± the old doctor says, signaling me to put my shirt back on.

    Putting my tunic back on, I looked down at my sword, I then remembered it had a Raven on the pommel.

    My eyes widened

    There must be a connection between the crow and this sword, right? First I get a stone put in me by a crow then I get a sword by flames which has a pommel of a raven with bright red eyes. What is the correlation here? Raven and crow?

    ¡° Doctor Ray¡±

    The man looked over at me.

    ¡° Look into magic as well, I have a feeling magic may be the root of this.¡± I stood up and walked toward the door, Peter right next to me.

    The old man walked toward me and reached his hand out for me to take

    ¡° will do boy, take care, understand there''s no telling if this thing will end up being a curse.¡±

    Taking his hand I shook it firmly. ¡°We have been told the rebellion is over and we are no longer needed here, doctor, if you find anything send it with a messenger. Till then I''ll be waiting¡±

    Me and Peter waved at Sabrina as we left.

    ¡°That doctor is interesting; he owns a lot of ancient books and occult books. I have a feeling he''ll find something very soon Alex.¡±

    We walked down to a bar near the clinic, a short 10-minute walk. Jim has been at this bar almost every other day drinking his ass off so he''ll be there that''s for sure. We took the alleys to the bar to not have people praising me if we walked down the streets.

    Mid-walk, I spotted a young lady holding a baby sitting down on the floor. She was dirty and so was the infant in her hand''s.

    Pulling out a handful of silver coins, I handed it to her.

    ¡°Th-thank you s-sir.¡± the young girl said.

    Getting a look on her face she was too young to have a child, she seemed to be a teenager. She was probably a prostitute, I feel bad for this woman and her child. I have no power to change the rules, nor will I ever come into that sort of power in my life. The type of power to make people like her lives better.

    I nodded to her with a smile and continued walking.

    Entering the bar with Peter at my side, cheers erupted the moment we entered.

    ¡° the young savior! Drinks on the house in honor of the young warrior!¡± yelled out the bartender. Soon after another set of cheers erupted.

    Honor, I am far from honor.

    ¡°Boys you''re here! Ready to get fucked up or what!¡± Jim said, wrapping his arms around our necks. Coming out from who knows where.

    He led us to the counter and handed us some ale. Different from what I normally drink which is beer, but Jim has been here almost every day so it''s natural he tries something new.

    ¡°We leave soon by the way Jim, and there will for sure be a celebration in the barracks before we do,¡± I say to Jim, taking a sip of my drink.

    ¡°Oh, I know Alexander, precisely why we must have fun right now! And more fun at the celebration that will be held soon at the barracks! Drinking and whoring at its finest! That''s the life of a soldier who is risking his life!¡± Jim said with raw emotion.

    Me and Peter laughed at our friend who''s long been drunk before we arrived. Celebration, celebrate our victory here.

    And celebrate the ones lost.

    The ones I killed.

    Giving myself a mental shake, I held out my drink to my childhood friends and simultaneously we clung our drinks together and drank.

    The bar was getting noisy, and music was playing. People were dancing with each other.

    The night is young, and we will celebrate it.

 Chapter 13: Back Home

    George POV

    Standing in an open field with a handful of other kids the same age as me. We all wanted to learn more in the art of combat so here we were with a farmer who was a veteran. Out of respect, we call the man instructor Trillian.

    The air was filled with dirt as we had just finished a set of training, and the sun was also setting giving a dimly lit light that was slowly going down. Sweat drenched my face and my shirt which felt like it was tossed into the ocean.

    ¡°Okay, everyone! That will be the end of today''s training, get home safely!¡± Announced instructor Trillian, as he himself started to head home to one of the many farms out here.

    His training has been doing wonders for me! I can feel myself growing by the day!

    ¡°George!¡± I turned and saw my spirited friend Mara heading toward me, she was just as sweaty and exhausted as I was. Her auburn hair bounced as she ran toward me and her green eyes seemed to be bright, so bright.

    ¡°Mara! What''s going on?¡± I asked, wiping sweat from my brow.

    ¡°Did you hear! The rebellion is over! Our brothers will be coming back from the war George!¡± Mara said, jumping in the air for joy.

    My whole body lit up from the news.

    My brother Alexander has been gone for over a year now to fight in the rebellion. Every day that passed by my mother and younger brother were always filled with worry, I always told them he was a warrior! We had no need to worry for him and even more when I went out there with him! But it seems that won''t happen now.

    He would send us letters when he had a chance and would talk about what he''s been up to and how they had him stationed as backup.

    So, it was so damn surprising when I heard rumors being spread of a man named Alexander who defeated two or maybe it was three nobles in single combat! And how he crashed a whole ship into other ships to end the siege!

    I knew it was my brother.

    Mara''s brother was to return as well, I don''t believe Alexander knew him but they both left around the same time. So of course she would be weeping for joy right now.

    I hug Mara and start jumping in the air with her. ¡° our brothers are returning home Mara!¡± I say ecstatic

    After settling down, Mara and I started walking back toward our farms.

    My and Mara¡¯s families'' farms were next to each other, we were neighbors. My family fields became smaller because of Alexander''s absence and it became hard to manage a larger field. That hardly matters as Alexander informed the military, he wants his payment sent to us.

    ¡°You''re going to show your brother your moves once he returns George?¡± said Mara on my left, her green eyes looking at me curiously.

    ¡°Of course! I''m going to challenge him and see if he lives up to his stories.¡± This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Mara simply giggled.

    Ever since I began hanging out with Mara life''s been better. When my brother left everyone was sad and gloomy and to top it off my mothers had been out of it for a long time, ever since my father died. I felt alone and isolated, just simply doing my work out in the field with my brother and then going to training.

    When Marra showed up wanting to learn the sword, I was surprised, and it made me want to work more harder in hopes of joining my brother. Over time she became better than everyone, even me. She helps me in training and it''s all just way better when she''s around.

    I hope one day we can become something more than just friends, I like her truly do.

    ¡°I''m going to show my brother my moves as well, I''ll show him the power of this young lady and I''ll be the first to become a knight,¡± she said, her gaze sharp on the dirt floor.

    Girls being warriors was not uncommon, But the title of knight was not one a lady could obtain.

    ¡°We will both become knights and slay anything that comes our way! Together Marra.¡± I say trying to lighten up the mood that has surrounded us.

    ¡°In time your skills will be seen by them¡± I point toward the capital and its giant walls that surround it. ¡°And I know you will become a knight¡±

    She laughs hard and wraps an arm around my neck pulling me into a hug ¡°Yeah! You''re right! And with your brother becoming a big name, he could probably get our names thrown around in there huh.¡±

    Before I can answer she lets her arm fall from around my neck

    ¡°oh! This is me right here George, I''ll see you later take care till then!¡±  she pulls me into a hug before running off to a different dirt road that leads to her home.

    I immediately began running toward my own house which was a few minutes off.

    Arriving, I slammed the wooden door open, seeing my mother and brother eating at the small kitchen table, startling them both.

    ¡°George honey, you got to stop slamming the door op-¡±

    ¡°Alexanders heading back home Mom! The rebellion is over, and they are heading home!¡± I say to my mother cutting her off.

    She took a second to take in what I said, and then, a smile came up to her face.

    She was only in her late 30s yet had looked like she''s aged so much since father died. She no longer had a joyful attitude. She was frail and had lost weight, her black hair tied up loosely in a bun. Bags under her eyes.

    But in that moment when she smiled

    I saw my old mother return for a second.

    She sped walked toward me and hugged me tightly, hearing her whisper lightly only I couldn''t make out what she said.

    ¡°This is the best news in a long time,¡± she said softly.

    Once she let go of me, she asked me if I wanted to eat, simply telling her I was alright.

    I turned to my younger brother sitting in one of the wooden chairs eating what my mom cooked up, and of course, a book in his hand as he ate.

    ¡°Hey, our brother is coming home, Ramsey, aren''t you excited?¡± I questioned him as it seemed he had no care for the news I brought.

    ¡°Of course I am!¡± he says with a pout then going back to his book.

    I only laughed as I informed my mom that I''d be heading to bed now.

    ¡°Goodnight George, oh and tomorrow we''re heading to the capital to pick up some groceries.¡±

    Entering my room, it was basic, we had bunk beds for me and Ramsey but since Alexander has been gone, he''s been sleeping in his room, it seems I''ll be having my roommate back soon. I tossed the clothes I''d been wearing into a corner of the room and put on a new pair of pants.

    Laying in my bed I tried to calculate when Alexander would be back. Now since Hazel City is a bit far from here, I''ll recon he should be back in under four weeks or under a month. Then again, I''ve never left my current Town so I would have no clue of how long traveling takes.

    I look over to my chipped, dirty, beaten-up sword which was just for training as it was not even sharp enough to cut anything down.

    I smiled as I closed my eyes.

    Today was a wonderful day.