I have been working on a story, for a year now. It's not something I make sure I work on all the time, and it really doesn't need to have a future. I write it when I feel inspired too. I worked a bit on it tonight and thought it would be safe to put it on here.
So here, in its un-edited glory.
Her
Battalion
It
started like any other training day, the usual battle scenarios. As usual as it
all was, the danger was always real, but we got used to that. It made sense.
With real battle comes death, and real danger, so in order to prepare, we had
to face it, and live it. For my battalion, we lived for this, the chance to
prove ourselves to our commander, trainer and leader. Commander Octano was one
of the best- no is the best- and though he was only 15 years our senior, we
were honored to have been chosen to fight beside him.
That was
so typical of him, the handpicked of Octano. I never really understood why
Octano chose such a reckless warrior as his second in command, but I never
questioned his judgement. It was not my place.
SLASH
“Get your
head in the game, Kilana!” called my commander from above
.
There
again, the whole reason why I was not second in command. My thoughts get away
from me, I reflected as I swung my axe at the bear.
Curse
this exercise. Making us fight with different weapons. What I wouldn't give for
my claymore. However, again, this was normal, to push us out of our
comfort zones. I suppose it’s fair though, again, in our world. Nothing can be
counted on, except the unpredictability of the battles we would fight, and now
with the whispers of an unnamed evil coming from the mountain, we had to
prepare for possibly the biggest unknown we would ever face.
As the
last bear is slain, my companions and I head to the medical tent, to be checked
over and given the okay to leave for the mess hall. This exercise was intense,
but out of the four of us, only Jefferson is seriously injured. He was given a
sword and shield to fight in this battle instead of his staff, it’s a wonder he
is still alive.
He sits quietly to
himself as the medics take care of him. I watch him out of the corner of my eye
as Jalardir heals my minor wounds. Jefferson, he is the only one that refuses
to get close to us. I discussed it once with Deena, our other female companion;
none of us understood why he hadn’t gone to the University of Mages. It would
have been such a fit for him, as we knew he loved magic. Yet again, we never
dared to ask neither him nor Octano. These things were just not done.
Everyone’s business was their own. That was the way of our land.
Suddenly
the booming voice of our commander rang though the room.
“My dear soldiers, you
honor me! All of you! You fight bravely and you have shown yourselves adaptable
to the randomness that is in every battle, you see with not only your eyes, but
with every part of you, and you feel the battle!”
His face begins to show
a serious look. Slightly taken aback, we adjust to this change in mood.
“Normally,
you would have a graduation battle, and then you would all be promoted. Alas,
things have changed. The threat from the
mountain has proved a bigger concern to the council and they want it to be
dealt with, whatever it is. You have tonight to pack, prepare yourselves, and
don’t ask questions; we ride at the crack of dawn.”
With that
he turns and dismisses us. I exchange a look with Matthias, who shrugs at me,
as if to say “Do you really think he would share such details with me?”
I don’t
know what comes over me as I run to catch up with Octavo.
“Commander,
please forgive my questioning…”
He turns,
with such a look of shock and to my surprise maybe a hint of pride, but his
bright blue eyes silence me.
“Do not
worry Kilana, I would not let the council send you all if I did not believe you
to be ready, you are more than capable and I will be with you every step of the
way.”
With that he turns and walks
away. He leaves me to stand there in the shock of his trust in us, his
willingness to answer my unspoken question and the rarity of his kind words
That
night, the air was thick with tension among the trainees. Unspoken questions
were on everyone’s lips and the fear was on all most every face. My battalion
was the first in centuries to be sent out without the graduation battle. No one
was even sure if it was an honor or a death sentence. I for one was sure of the
latter.
“Yes,
indeed, just us four! They will sing songs about us, the great four under the
great Octano! Hear the deeds of Matthias, Jefferson, Kilana and Deena!” Matthias proclaims to the female healers and
anyone around them.
I shake my head, surely he knows that arrogance is not
confidence. However I hear the fear in his voice, perhaps he is trying to
convince no one but himself.
What are
these whispers in the mountain? What could have our council so worried? The
council has not made a change in tradition in years. The common phrase was
always never sharpen an already sharp sword. The Council of 12 was always ruled by six men
and six women, all from different walks of life. There are always warriors,
mages, healers and scholars on the council, but they all must agree on the same
ideals. Freedom and Equality.
However,
there are a few who consider the council to be nothing but a band of privileged people, indifferent to the changes
of the world and stuck in one way, that benefits no one.
I prefer
to stay out of politics. I only want to protect my people.
But their
haste and sudden disregard to tradition almost frightens me more than the
battle we are heading out to. To be so
fearful of something they do not know about. It’s as if they are not sharing
with us what they know. They would never do something like that though. Secrets
against the people we never tolerated. A person could have individual secrets,
but when the whole populace of the people are being kept in the dark was
completely unthinkable. No, they must have no idea what is out there.
“Jefferson
is planning on petitioning the council about this decision” Deena mutters under
her breath to me.
I look
over to see him walking fast to his bed chamber head down and it looks as he is
speaking but he is silent.
“He is
protesting? On what grounds?” I question
her
“No idea,
he was just mumbling as we left the healers room, something about unjust this,
and what about tradition, and the need to be debriefed. Load of rubbish if you
ask me. I don’t what these whispers
are about, as long as I can bash it with my hammer” she said. “But besides
that, what on earth were you thinking questioning Octo like that?”
“Don’t
harp on me, not when you use that disrespectful nickname!” I rebuke her.
“Talking
just makes more time to get hit by a weapon, short names are better!” She
proclaims.
“I just
wanted to be sure, that he –the council, thinks we are ready for this, I’m
nervous” I whisper to her as we walked to our shared bed chamber.
“Aw come
on Kina, You are the best I have ever seen with a sword, and you can cast a
good few magic spells here and there. We are going to kick the unknown baddies
and be home by the last night’s roast!” Deena whispers back.
As Deena crawls into her bedroll,
I pull mine closer the fire and warm myself up. The thought of the next few days
seems to have chilled me. I watch the flames dance around, without a care in
the world, as I slowly drift to sleep.
I awake
with a jolt. There is someone, or thing crawling towards me. I lie still. I
have been trained in this, hand on my sword, which is beside me at all times. I
wait for the intruder to betray himself, to make one wrong move and to give me
some hint as to where he is in the dark.
“Kilana,
please, it’s me Jefferson, I apologize to have woken you”
I feel
relief which begins to mix with anger.
“What could you possible want at this hour? We have to be battle ready in a few hours, and you are going
to make us tired and useless!”
“Again,
my apologies, but this is urgent, it’s the commander, I wonder if we can trust
him.”
Seriously,
I wonder, to wake me up, on the eve of battle, to ask such a question.
“I am NOT
having this discussion, and not at this hour-” I begin, but he cuts me off,
“Fine, ignore
me, but take my word and watch him tomorrow, He seemed shaken when he told us
of the council plans, I asked to speak with him and he denied me, he is keeping
a council secret, this I am sure of, and it will not stand!”
With
that, Jefferson huffs away, and I lie there, alone in the dark.
It really didn’t seem all that
complicated to me, there was an unknown enemy, which needed to be dealt with
quickly, so we were being sent right away. How could there be a secret? I
assumed that he was just being the paranoid mage we knew him to be and went
back to sleep slightly troubled.
I arise with the sun in my eyes
and the energy to battle in heart. Slightly tired, but I am ready. We have
trained long and hard with what felt like no end in sight. Now, now was the time for real battle, to
defend our home and to prove our worth. This was my dream since I was a small
girl. The dream arose when I was little, and too small to defend anything.
A little
farm away from the capital is where I lived, when the only thought of battle,
was playing in the fields with wooden sword and slaying dragons of legend. I
was the only child, I had a simple life. My father was a farmer, and his father
a farmer before him. It was tradition. My mother was a healer and one of the
best in her class. She met my father healing his broken leg; he had fallen off
his roof while he was patching a leak. She said that the man had looked so
beaten and so accident prone; it was her duty to spend the rest of her days
with him.
We had a
happy life, I was taught about both of their works, and I no idea that there
was anything such as danger. We lived so far out in the country that nothing
could harm us. I was very wrong.
Outside
of my little world, there was a battle going on the land. It was a year before
peace had been found with our neighboring land. They were odd people, with one ruler, and a
focus on every man for themselves. They began to realize this wasn't working,
and we melded countries, as long as they lived our way of live, and it took
some time, but it went over well. But before the peace, they would send out
what people began to call “The Burning Men”. They would go to villages, and
burn everything to the ground, every man, women and child.
My
parents had not told me about these men. Why frighten me, I was only eight.
However, I did learn, and I learnt fear along with it, because they came, and
they did not care about my age, or my lack of knowledge. They cut my father
down with one swoop, and set fire upon my house, with my mother and I inside. I
remember, begging my mother to help Papa. How clearly I could see her, tears in
her eyes, trying to fight to get us out. I can still hear her screams to run,
and run I did, out the back door.
I remember turning to look, to see her, and
there was nothing, but the sounds of the roof falling in and the heat of the
flames. I fell to the ground. Pleading with my heart to be still, to convince
the monsters that I was dead, and almost wishing it was true; so that I wasn't
alone.
Hours passed, the fires began to
go out, and it was quiet. I don’t remember much after that but gentle hands picking
me up, and carrying me for what felt like hours. Sleep took me.
TO BE
CONTINUED
