It was a cold morning in 𝙼𝚢𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚊𝚎, the air was chill, the atmosphere was windy and heavy, it was the day of the army match for 𝙷𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚋𝚛, the whole of 𝚢𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚊𝚎 was silent, and the sky darkened, the voices, chants and steps of the soldiers were vastly audible. 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 , 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 , 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 , 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 , 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 , 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 and 𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 were all part of the crowd watching the march. After hearing 𝙴𝚛𝚊𝚐𝚊's "Silver of Greece " speech ,𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 felt self reproach and couldn't bare to watch any longer, she then walked of the crowd, 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 surprised and not looking too happy about it,followed her, 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 became worried
"Do you think she's okay?" 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 asked
"I wish I knew " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 replied.
It was a happy day for the whole of 𝙶𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚌𝚎, the only ones who weren't happy were the ones who were aware of it's fate , they were glummy and distressed , the atmosphere to them was melancholic.
"Look at them, riding to their dome, jubilant" 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 indicated
"Gotta feel bad for them man " 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 said
"We don't, they'd do the same in our shoes, this is for 𝚁𝚘𝚖𝚎's future " 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 responded
"Is it though?, it just seems-"
"Shut up 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 " 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 interrupted
"You're pathetic , a feeble like you do not deserve to be called a 𝚁𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗" 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 added
𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 looked at 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 ,he looked back at her, sighed and said
"Everything the Emperor asks of us is for the kingdom , we have no right to think otherwise, it shouldn't even enter our consciousness,do you understand 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗?"
"Yes sir, I'm sorry " 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 apologized
"And 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 , don't be too harsh on him, he's going through a normal phase every soldier goes through before battle. 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗,don't beat yourself up, we all feel that way , just don't let it best you, we'll need you that day " 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 weighed
" Yes, thank you my Lord" 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 answered
"𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 !, do not mention where we are from , we are in 𝙶𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚌𝚎 , if anybody hears that, it might ruin everything and 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 , don't say 'lord' outside, don't bring unnecessary attention to us, understood ?"
"Yes" 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 replied , 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 bowed
"Lighten up a bit you guys, I hate how dull everything is now" 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 suggested
𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 exhaled and said
"You guys continue here, I'll go check on 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 "
"Alright then, and make sure she's okay" 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 said
"There's only so much I can do " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 replied
"True....by the way , go easy on her, these past weeks has been somehow heavy on her " 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 added
"Is that what you really think of me?" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 enquired , sucked his teeth
"I don't know, thought I'd just add " 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 claimed , 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 raised his eyebrows , then he walked away.
𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 was walking around the quiet streets of 𝙼𝚢𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚊𝚎 looking for 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 until he heard someone yelling, he then followed the voice , it was easy to follow because of how quiet it was. After tracing the voice, he saw 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 yelling at 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 in the side of a building, he was surprised.
"What do you think you're doing?" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 pressed
"Can you believe it ?" 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 asked
"Believe what ?" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 threw back
"She's crying, because of that...trash prince " Or𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 interjected , 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 sensed anger and envy in his breath.
"Can you take a step away from her " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 asked
"What?"
"You heard me" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 replied , meanwhile 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 was still crying.
"She's in love with him , unbelievable, she has failed us, we should lock her up before she double crosses us, that's if she hasn't already " 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 suggested , 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 scowled
"I don't think you heard me the first time, so I'll repeat myself. Step away from her, now! " hewarned
"Have you not been listening to what I've been saying, she fell in love with an enemy, that is a crime "𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 stated
obviously Deros has been stressed these last few days, he just couldn't argue any further, he exhaled and said
"Fine, I heard you , let me ask her myself "
"Ask what ?, I just told you what she did" 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 flung back
"Are you tryna get on my nerves, because if you are, you're doing a really good job " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 said calmly but dangerously
"I'm not , I'm just-"
"Get out!" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 snapped , interrupting 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜
"What?"
"Leave!!" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 added, this time he was getting furious
"And if i don't!?" 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 pressed
𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 was shocked ,he looked at him, and showed his sword
"What?, you're gonna fight me over that whore?" 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 asked
"KILL, this will only be a good excuse " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 replied
"Huh , I see" 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 said, hesitated for a little while then walked away , 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 calmed himself, dragged his hand through his hair and stood beside 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊
"It is true, isn't it ?" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 asked
"Yes , I'm so sorry " 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 replied, crying
𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 sighed and spoke
"No, I'm sorry "
"What, why ?" 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 asked, curiously
"Must be hard, knowing what comes next for him, he's a great guy ,I can see why you'd like him " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 said
"Really ?"
"Yeah ,although falling in love with him at all was a mistake,...it's cruel , you see ,one cannot control their feelings , but nevertheless, look where that has gotten you, choosing between a lover and a brother. I'm strong but it takes way more than strength to choose , any decision you make from now will determine the future of both kingdoms, your brother and your lover , so , think carefully and make your decision, here and now " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 relayed ,
𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 was speechless and continued sobbing
"You know, I never liked you, because I suspected you, I couldn't understand why a 𝙶𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚔 would help a 𝚁𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗 with such things then I realized it was all for your brother and my views about you changed. Your love for your brother amazes me, going through this length for a brother who hasn't seen you in more than a decade shows your loyalty, however love is a strong enemy. Sometimes the enemy of love is itself, so no matter what decision you make, my heart wouldn't judge you but my blade drives for 𝚁𝚘𝚖𝚎, so it'd have to answer to it , I hope you understand " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 poured out
"I do" 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 replied, tears still dripping from her eyes
"So rise up ,soldier of 𝚁𝚘𝚖𝚎 and make your decision " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 urged as he reaches for his sword. she stood up abruptly, wiped her tears and declared
"I am 𝚁𝚘𝚖𝚎's, I live for 𝚁𝚘𝚖𝚎 , bleed for 𝚁𝚘𝚖𝚎 , I shall never go back on my oath , I shall serve 𝚁𝚘𝚖𝚎 and help my brother get his revenge "
"Good , now you've made your decision, was it the right one?, we'll never know ,but it matters not , you must not go back on that decision 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 "
" I won't !" 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 assured
"Alright, that's better , how do you feel now ?" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 asked, feeling a little bit of relief
" I feel better now, thank you 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 " she replied and reached for a hug, 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 act as if he didn't notice and 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍
" Don't mention, I think that's all for today, you should go home and relax , we'll join you shortly "
" I can't go home alone, I'm scared " 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 implied, 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 was puzzled and quickly asked
"Scared?, why would you be?"
" It's 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜, he's scaring me " 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 responded
" 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜?, what do you think he'd do to you? , attack you on your way home?, he wouldn't dare " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 mentioned
"You heard all the things he was saying earlier, he wasn't joking " she said
"𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊, you're a soldier and shouldn't be this scared, you should be able to protect yourself " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 said
" There's no doubt 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 is stronger than I am, soldier or not , it doesn't change logic, not every woman is as strong as 𝙻𝚒𝚞, I heard she might even be stronger than yourself " 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 stated
"That got to 𝙶𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚌𝚎 already ?" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 questioned, disappointed
"It did, quicker than you think " 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 responded
"Wow, ok, first of all, she's not stronger than I am, I just got carried away, second , I wasn't saying you are stronger than 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜, I'm just saying, you shouldn't be scared of him. If there's one thing he's good at, it's following the rules, he knows if he kills you or hurt you even , it might disrupt our plan to get into the citadel, so he wouldn't dare, he simply is just angered or envious, or both, I don't know" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 pointed out
"Yes, you're right, but I'm not taking any chances to not seeing my brother " 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 said
"You really love him so much huh?, I'll be honest, I don't really see why you adore him so much, other than being your blood, that might be enough but I'm not sure " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 followed.
"You didn't get to know the real him " 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 responded ,𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 sneered and pressed
"Really ?"
"yes"
" So there's more to him than being-"
"Are you going to laugh at him again " 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 intercepted 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 , 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 chuckled and then said
"Sorry....yeah of course not "
"Thank you"
"yeah"
" I still won't go home alone though " She said ,looking at 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 with a pleading stare, 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 sighed and said
"Alright fine, lead the way "
"Yess, thank you so much " 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 appreciated .
On their way out of the corner, 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 stood in front of them , blocking their way
"So....what did you decide we do to her " 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 asked furiously
"It's none of your business, you're not in charge of this operation, you do as you're told, nothing less, nothing more " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 returned , 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 was fuming, trying to hold himself together , 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 noticed and spoke
"Do not start what wouldn't end well for you, do not do what will prevent you from getting a promotion when this is all over. If you keep at this, you will miss tomorrow's sun rise , and trust me, this operation will go on without you, this isn't a threat "
"And who will this operation not go on without ?, you?, because they call you the strongest ?" 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 pressed
"No, not me , 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊, this whole thing is useless without her, unless you want your head on the Emperor's platter" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 stated , 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 gave it a thought and saw sense, he still hesitated.
"Do I have to say it?" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 probed
" If she was someone else, you wouldn't waste anytime cutting her down, but here you are, defending her, why? " 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 implied and continued
" Do you have feelings for her, or you simply want her body, you seniors think you can do whatever you want and get away with it "
"I'm gonna assume you didn't say any of that, because I know you're angry and jealous of the prince, but I'll tell you this 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜, you've used up all your disrespect towards me, any further disrespect, in your entire lifetime, I will end it " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 warned clenched his fist, pushed him out of their way and they left, 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 didn't know how to react, and he got a bit frightened there too.
𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 and 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 was walking their way home when he asked
" What is up with him, does you like you that much?"
" Yes " she answered
" How long has that being happening and how did we never really notice ?" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 enquired
" Unlike most of you, this is not his first time in 𝙶𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚌𝚎, he has been here more than twice " 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 answered
"Twice?, what for? " he raised
" The first time was a message from my brother , he delivered it to me, I was excited to hear from my brother after so many years of silence, and out of excitement I told him to stay the night-"
"Woahhh, I hope that's not what I'm thinking ?" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 interrupted
" Just allow me finish, so..I let him stay, i made food, and offered to show him the view of the citadel, it was fun, very fun and we were both very much in the moment....so when we got back, we-"
"Here we go " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 interrupted her again, she was a little ticked off , then 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 gestured a light apology , so she continued
".....When we got back , we played Ephedrismos with some strangers, and it was fun, really fun, was that what you were thinking? "
𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 exhaled and said
"It's better if you don't know. So what you're saying is he got attached after that night?"
"Yes, the next time he came to 𝙶𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚌𝚎, he brought flowers and asked me out on a date, I was surprised " 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 said, 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 laughed and further mentioned
"I can't wait for the guys to hear this "
"Oh please, don't tell them "
" Ohhh, sure, but that is surprising though, 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 of all people, he's always acting like he doesn't care about these things" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 said
"I was surprised too, because everything we did that night was normal, just another night in 𝙼𝚢𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚊𝚎" 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 stated
"Yeah well, you can't blame the poor guy, you both have different definitions of normal. 𝚁𝚘𝚖𝚎 doesn't let loose and he's a soldier, so he definitely never had that experience before, it was probably too special to him, mistook your being nice for being in love. Why did you never dismiss him?" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 asked
"Because, even though I didn't like him, I liked the attention, I was lonely and was going through a lot of things , so...."
"That's....so messed up " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 said disappointed
" Yeah and I'm very sorry " 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 apologized
"Wrong guy, I don't care what happens to him, I just find it surprising and kind of funny " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 responded
"What about you 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 ?"
" What about me?"
"Ever been in love before ?"
" pfffts, not a chance "
"What about 𝙻𝚒𝚞"
"What about her"
" You don't have feelings for her ?" 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 prest
"Nope"
"Sure?" she pressed
" Have i ever given you that impression?" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 returned
"Not really....no"
"Exactly ,so do me a favor, can we not talk anymore till we get home, please ?" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 demanded, as kindly as possible
"Ohhh, that's....., yeah , yeah, if you wish so" 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 replied
Few hours later , 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 and the others got home, the air around them was still gloomy, they all still looked moody. They all sat in the living room, 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 came out of one of the rooms and saw them, he looked towards 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 and said
"I know how you all are feeling, normally I'd call it weak but I can understand why you feel that way, some of you grew up here and have been here for years, attempting to take the place over won't completely sit right with you, you will always have doubts, that's what makes us human. So I have decided to give you three an option, as the leader of this operation, I'm offering you a choice...."
"What are you doing " 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 probed
" 𝙻𝚒𝚞, 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊, 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 and i have no choice in this war, but as your superior I have given you a choice, 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊, 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎, 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗, you are now free to walk away if you wish, and if you are worried how we're gonna make it without you guys, don't ! , 'cause we will " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 articulated , they all looked at each other , murmuring, 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 was confused.
" Lord 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 , please pay no mind to our weakness , we knew it'd be like this when we agreed to it, we are too deep into it, we can't go back" 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 expressed
"He is right my Lord, we want this, we chose it , we weren't forced" 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 added
"That isn't enough reason , until I hear a good reason, you three are dismissed " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 declared
"What?" 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 exclaimed
"You can't do that !" 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 snapped
"I just did " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 responded
"Why do you want to deprive us my Lord?" 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 joined
"Deprive you of what?, death ?" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 asked
"What are doing 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜?, they are soldiers" 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 said
"Are they?, well they are not acting like one " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 replied
"My Father , I have to make my Father proud, I have to do as he asked , you won't prevent me from that" 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 claimed
"I don't care what your Father thinks, i don't work for him, I've made my decision, if you cannot give me a reason to let you stay then you're out " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 concluded , they all became speechless, 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 clenched his jaw, 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 robbed her face , 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 lowered his gaze.
"We have worked so hard for this, why remove us now, after all this time?" 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 asked
"Two reasons , one ,because you aren't ready, this is war , that distress on your face has been welcomed for way too long. Second...." 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 said, dragged his hand through his hair , exhaled and continued
".....You guys might die, and for what ?, I know you guys say you asked for this, but did you really ?, it was pressure. I don't want you guys to die, and I don't know if you're strong enough to survive, I don't see that drive in you, so therefore, I cannot allow you to continue, you guys could be so much more "
"He's right, I just thought about it. I care for you guys so much, these past months together with you has been the best months of my life, this is the closest I've ever had to a family and I don't want to lose it so soon" 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 expressed.
"It's the same for me. I'm the only child and my father doesn't have time for me, he's always promising and asking me to do something. This time he said , after this invasion, he'll finally be accomplished and have enough time for me, that's why I must make sure it's a success, but being with you guys has been the best , I never had siblings " 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 added, holding back tears, 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 who has been eavesdropping, walked inside and joined
"I miss my brother so much , I've always been so sad but since you guys came by, it has changed, and I know I was rude sometimes but you never hated me for it. I really don't want anything to happen to you all" she said, barely holding tears
"Lord 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 is right, I only became a soldier because my parents thought i was a failure, my brother was a soldier and he made them proud, they loved him and ignored me, showered him with praise and showered me with reproach. so when my brother died, it broke them, and they despised me even more, so I became a soldier to make them acknowledge me like my brother but they never did" 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 divulged, they were all shocked.
"Wow , since you didn't want to be a soldier, what were you aiming for?" 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 asked
" Uhhhh, an architect " he replied, they all laughed a little.
"Who would've guessed ?" 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 said
"I really can't see that happening " 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 claimed.
" My parents sold me " 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 said, with an awkward smirk, suddenly crumbling the laughter, replaced with silence.
"Crap , that's...." 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 couldn't find words
" If I don't stay here and fight with you guys, I have nowhere else to go, so Lord 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 , I don't have that choice you were talking about, this has become my life and after so long , I have finally found happiness in it, because of you all, and I really don't mind dying with that" 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 completed
"Woahh, that was.....a lot" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 said
"Dumping that on us outta nowhere " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 continued .
"Who would've thought you went through such a thing " 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 expressed, sad.
"We had no idea 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 , how did you manage to be....oh I see , being dumb was an act right?" 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 asked
"I'm dumb?" 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 questioned , Deros chuckled, 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 held his mouth, trying to hold his laugh, 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 looked at him raising her eyebrows, he continued trying to hold the laugh.
"Did you really have to ask that ?" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 enquired, while smiling hard
"I don't know, it's probably because i wanted people to like me or talk to me, I was so lonely , solitary, but that was until you all came" 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 claimed
" I learned more trauma makes one funnier " 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 stated
"Funnier, not dumber " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 said, barely holding his laugh.
"Guys come on " 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 said
"You have to be dumb in other to be funny, no?" 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 asked
"Where the hell do you hear these things from " 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 intercepted
"Yeah , that might be true " 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 supported
"You're not funny 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗, there's a big difference between being funny and being dumb " 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 pointed out
"You have to be dumb to be funny ,I believe that " 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 said
"Right...." 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 agreed
" I've meet a lot of smart minstrels , matter of fact , you have to be smart to come up with actual funny jokes " 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 explained
"Ohh she has a point there " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 noted
"Why do you have to be smart to make dumb jokes? " 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 enquired
"Doesn't make any sense" 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 added
"What about circus clowns , are they smart ?" 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 asked
"They might be " 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 replied
"Wait, is this argument about if 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 is funny or not?, because he's not, he just does dumb things that makes us laugh" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 stated
"Isn't that what being funny is?" 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 probed
"Is it?" 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 returned.
They all simultaneously sighed, then 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 started laughing quietly
"What's that?" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 asked
"Sorry , I just thought about something " she replied
"Ohh....anyways, back to the original discussion-"
"We're not going anywhere, if that's what you wanna say " 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 interrupted 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜
"She's right my Lord, I'm sorry but we can't leave" 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 added
"Everything we want is here, we started this together, let's see it through together, I don't want it any other way " 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 concluded , both 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 and 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 was starring at 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜, 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 was giving him the watery eye look , 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 was frowning, waiting for his response, 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 sighed and said
"Alright then, let's do this together "
"Thank you " 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 appreciated
"Yesss" 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 expressed
"Thank you so much " 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 said as she rushed to hug 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜
"Woahh woahh, calm down " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 instructed
"Just let it happen for once " 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 said to 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 with a huge smile on her face
"Thank you 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜" she added
"Don't do that , Alright !, listen up , we can save the happiness for later when we've won " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 stated
"We might not all make it, so let's be-"
"We will , I'll make sure of it, I swear " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 interrupted 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 and made a promise, this made them all happy and finally, there was relief and fresh air could flow through their face .
"By the way, where is 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜" 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 asked
"I think somebody really pissed him off, he left " 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 answered
"He is only going to investigate how strong the defense is now that the march is over " 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 mentioned
"Ohh, great, he still has himself. why did you ask for him anyways ?" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 asked
"I just wanted to apologize " 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 responded
"Alright, that's not a bad idea, we still have time" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 implied
"Apologize for what?" 𝚃𝚞𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚊 asked
"Long story , so....I need someone to join 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜
"I'll go" 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 volunteered
"me too" 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 said
"Okay that'll be enough, the rest of you should get as much rest as you can " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 stated.
"Alright, off we go " 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 said
"Calm down, it's already too late, you can leave at dawn" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 replied
"Since when do you care ?" 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 asked
"Huh?"
She chuckled and said
"I'm just pulling your legs, I'll head out tomorrow as you said, thank you "
They all made their way out of the living room, smiling then 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 exhaled and left himself on the couch.
The next morning , an astonishing aroma from the kitchen woke 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 up from his slumber, although he barely got any sleep at night. He got up and was loving the scent, walked his way to the kitchen to see what it was. 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 and 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 were both in apron, cooking. The kitchen was livelier than ever , the smell of olives, grapes , figs , lentils and beans filled the kitchen room and even drifted outside. They were having fun making the food , discussing, 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 was bringing in woods from outside. There was a wooden table and chairs in the middle of the kitchen. The kitchen was modest and warm, sunlight burst through the doorway, fire crackled beneath a blackened pot, while baskets of figs and onions rested beneath the wooden table. The air was filled with embellishments and joy lingered around like a happy family's kitchen. 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 walked in, amazed and mesmerized, 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 noticed him and further said
"Ohh, good morning 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜, I didn't think you'd wake up this early "
"I wouldn't have, if my nose wasn't getting crushed, what on earth is going on in here?" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 enquired
"Uhh so....we decided to make something really good today, for everyone to enjoy " 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 responded
"If I'm not wrong, you've never helped in the kitchen before..." 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 pointed out .
"Well...that has changed. since you're here , would you mind helping us chop those onions, right there " 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 asked and she pointed to the onions
"Suree, why not...this really smells good, I gotta say , can't wait till it's done " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 stated
" Ohh no no, we gotta wait till Lord 𝙻𝚒𝚞 and the rest get back" 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 countered
"We have to all eat it together , that's the whole point of this " 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 added
"Well , alright, if you say so, but what if they don't come early? " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 pressed
"What if they get captured or something " 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 who just brought in the last piece of wood quickly joined , 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 and 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 simultaneously stared hard at him, causing him to raise his hand like he surrendered.
" I mean....the young man has a point" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 mentioned
"Really?, are you two serious ?" 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 probed
"Come on , you just never know " 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 alleged
"Right, we have to think about every possible outcome " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 furthered
"Can't believe you two are saying this " 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 stated
"Because of food " 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 added
" I mean, it does smell good though " 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 mentioned , they all laughed a bit.
"Speaking of....., they should be back by now, no?" 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 asked
"They'll be back soon, 𝙻𝚒𝚞 is there , so they'll be fine " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 responded
"Anyhoo , I'm done with the chopping ,I hope the next chopping I'll do will be with my teeth" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 said , they chuckled and he continued
"So, I'll go clean up. thank you all for this by the way , feels great "
" That's strange coming from you , what -"
"Don't mind her 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜, we should be thanking you " 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 interrupted 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 and said, 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 hissed ,turned her face and continued the cooking.
"Somethings never change " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 said to himself as he stepped away from the kitchen.
An hour later , one of their lesser ranked soldiers, came to deliver a message from 𝙻𝚒𝚞 to 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜. 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 and the others walked out of the kitchen, curious, then 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 asked
"What's going on, are they okay?"
"They are fine , but we have news, a good and bad one" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 replied
"Please say" 𝚃𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊 prest
"Good news; they caught sight of 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 while -"
"Really ?, oh my goodness , where? , I have to-"
"Can you just relax and let me say the bad news first" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 interrupted 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 who interrupted him
"Yes, yes, alright " 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 replied
"How's that even a good news? " 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 said, quietly
"Thank you, so the bad news is, he snuck into the 𝙲𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚕 already, and knowing 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗, he's always up to no good, I'm sorry 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 , but it's true , he might mess something up if we don't stop him" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 finished
"I know, so....what do we do?" 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 asked
"So...since you're probably the only one he'll listen to ,you should go, after all, you have a bigger chance in getting into the 𝙲𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚕 then any of us " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 offered
"That's true " 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 said, sighed and continued
"Ok fine , I'll go , but you-", she was interrupted by a heavy knock at the door , 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 rushed to open it and it was 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 breathing heavy
"What is going on, are you ok?" 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 asked
"Lord 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 , we have a problem " 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 said
"What is it ?" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 questioned
"It's 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 , few hours after we sighted in the 𝚌𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚕, a fire erupted from of the large rooms , we are guessing it's him, so he's either causing trouble or he's in trouble " 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 highlighted , 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 sighed and bowed his head, robbed his face with both hands.
"So you all just left him there, to burn?" 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 pressed
"Initially, we don't know if he's burning , and we needed orders, the situation was too risky to make the call ourselves " 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 defended
"What about 𝙻𝚒𝚞?, you can't just leave him there, he'll get caught " 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 stated, newly crying
"What do we do now?" 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎 asked
"I don't know, that's why I ran home" 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 said
"Great, I gotta do everything myself " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 said and exhaled so hard that he blew his lips.
"Please 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 , save my brother, I beg you, bring him home" 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 pleaded, tears falling at this point .
"I hate when someone tells me exactly what I was about to do. Alright, alright, I'll save him of course, don't waste your tears " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 responded
"Thank you, thank you " 𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 appreciated
"Sure, take her inside " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 ordered and then continued
"What a nice way to start a day " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 said sarcastically
"With fighting right?, sucks" 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 said
"Fighting?, hmmph, not that"
"What is it then?"
"Breakfast. immediately you walk through that door , you'll perceive a very soothing and nourishing aroma, just to end up not eating it " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 expressed
"Ohhh, that would suck....more " 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 replied
"Just.....get me a horse please "
"Sure" , 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 immediately fetched him a horse and 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 got on his way.
𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 and 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 were a few hundred meters from the 𝚌𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚕 gate, they were impatiently waiting for orders , while scanning the environment.
"Urghhhh, what is taking him this long ?" 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 probed
"We just have to be a little patient, he'll be back soon" 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 replied
"Do you think he's gonna come with 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚊𝚗 or just send him back with the orders ?" 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 asked
"𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 will come himself, he has a strong sense of responsibility , it'd even be better if he comes, wouldn't it?" 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 questioned
"We don't need him, we just have to go inside and get Aslron" Orustus insisted
"That might very well jeopardize everything, I can't give any order concerning that, especially when I have a senior " 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 expressed
"So we'll just.....leave him there ?" Asked, 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜
"We'll just wait....for orders, he's reckless, nobody asked him to do this. for god's sake, he's supposed to be in prison like he was asked " 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 said, holding her forehead and exhaled
"Well...he has a history of not doing what he was asked to, it's the Emperor fault for telling him to 'lock himself " , a new voice appeared, 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 and 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 looked back and it was 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 .
"Ohh thank goodness, finally , so we have no much time left, what do you say? " 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 quickly asked
"You both go home, they have a meal prepared for you, before it gets cold, make sure you keep mine, and maybe another one for 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 , incase he isn't dead and I don't kill him myself " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 said with an awkward smile, they were both confused, looking at each other, then 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 said
"Stop trying to act nice, doesn't suit you , anyways, are you sure about this?"
"Yup and I am nice " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 replied, 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 and 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 were surprised how slightly he was taking the issue, but they trusted him, I mean he's 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 after all, so they left. 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 then wiped the smirk off his face and started walking towards the gate, furiously, like he had no plan of sneaking in. As he got closer to the gate, he sighed hard and switched his looks to normal , random man, smiling his way towards the soldiers. He was dressed normal and had no weapons on him so the soldiers weren't suspicious
"Heyy, good morrow to you" he said. Soldiers in 𝙶𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚌𝚎 were calm to citizens, they don't get all rude and rusty with them , so one of the soldiers replied
"Yes, good morrow to you too, please state your business with royalty this beautiful morning ", 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 was a bit surprised, then he said
"Ohh, thank you my good sir, well there's a fire in one of the buildings in the 𝙲𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚕-"
"Wait...how did you know that?" one of the soldiers interrupted.
"We just got that information, barely an hour ago, who the hell are you " the other soldier pressed
"Yes , so.....uhmmm " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 became speechless, obviously because he had no idea what he was doing, he started contemplating if he should fight them.
"Ohh, are you here to fix some of the burnt stuff ?"
"Uhhhh, yeah i am , exactly, yes " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 replied , they weren't sure because 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 hasn't been giving a good performance, he is very bad at lying. 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 noticed that wasn't working so he sighed hard and said
"Crap, you know what?, I didn't come here to fix anything, I'm a criminal and you should arrest me right now before I steal something ", the soldiers were shocked ,baffled , starring at each other, obviously they have had enough of his noise and so they agreed to arrest him
"Sure....., put your hands up then" , they apprehended him and took him inside the 𝙲𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚕
It was two soldiers taking him in
"Look, strange man, we'll just keep you in one of these small cells and then we'll figure out what to do with you later, okay?"
"You got it" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 replied. He waited till they were in a more isolated area, then he suddenly stopped.
"Move!, what the hell do you think you're doing ?" one of the soldiers pressed, then 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 said
"Oh please good sir, my shoes are falling from my feet , I have to put them back in place "
"What the-..., fine, I'll help you with that, don't worry , just keep moving when I'm done, alright ?"
"I will, thanks "
As the soldier bent down to help, 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 kicked him on this head, knocking him out cold, the other one was surprised then pushed Deros away, for enough space to draw his sword, while he was drawing his sword, Deros stopped it with his leg and knocked him out with his head, then he untied himself looked at them and said
"I wish I didn't do that,you two were really nice" he then turned back and headed for the smoke, when he got closer , it got rowdier, 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 overheard ,they were multiple people in the fire, including the King's brother who went in not too long ago to rescue. Soldiers , maidens, Esquires and everybody was swarming the place , figuring out how to get inside and how to stop the fire , 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 too was thinking of how to get through the fire , still wondering whether it was 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 or not. On spur of moments a women immediately burst through the door of the burning room, screaming and crying , she was quickly attempted to.
"My Queen "
"Your majesty "
"My Queen , are you okay?" They were all concerned, that's when 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 knew it was the Queen, 𝙻𝚢𝚜𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚛𝚊, he's been hearing about , he couldn't stop starring as she was being carried away , she was yelling
"Save him, save Kleon , somebody get in there and save him!" but nobody could get in the fire . Multiple sounds was getting audible from the inside, 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 knew he had to do something before the room collapses, he looked around , trying to figure something out, then he looked up and realized the room had another room on top so he ran his way through the stairs, trying to locate the other room, when some soldiers, saw him.
"Hey, where you going?, you're not allowed in here"
"Who the hell are you ?" , 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 ignored them, trying to find the room
"Are you deaf, come back here you jackass " , still, he said nothing.
"For god's sake, who is this guy?"
"Don't ask, just detain him " , He was still walking towards them like nothing is happening
"You're gonna get it" one of the soldiers charged towards him with his fist, 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 nonchalantly moved to the side, avoiding the punch, raised his leg and kicked the soldier to the wall with forced, the others were surprised, then another one attacked, threw a punch ,𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 dodged it, threw another one aiming for his head , 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 ducked slightly then clenched his fist, and buried it In the soldier's stomach, hard, water came out his mouth, he bent down and held his stomach. The next soldier jumped over the other one, attempting a landing punch on 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 , he stretched his leg up to the soldier's head, moved it to opposite side to gather force, then left it on the head , completely removing the soldier from the scene, broke his tooth and blood rushed from his mouth. The next soldier threw a punch out of the blue , got so close to 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜's face but he caught it out of nowhere, the soldier was stunned, he twisted his fist and the soldier was bending of pain, then he drew him closer and knocked his out with his knee, the last soldier understood now that his opponent was strong, so he drew his sword, shivering in his feet, waiting for 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜, as 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 got close, he yelled and swung his sword with both hands but he was too slow as 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 quickly buried his elbow on his shoulder , messing up the swing , then he stomped his chest to the wall , his whole upper body made hard contact with the wall, leaving the soldier unconscious. All these, without even wielding a single weapon
"So these are 𝙶𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚔 soldiers" Deros said, spat and continued
"Pathetic, these are soldiers 𝚁𝚘𝚖𝚎 are incapable of defeating ,in a fair combat", he continued his way to find the room. He finally reached a door, where a vast amount of smoke was pumping through the little spaces, he slammed into the room and saw a big hole, the fire had burnt through the floor, beside the hole was a bed about to collapse into the hole, on the bed was an unconscious man and child crying, telling him to wake up. He could hear some yelling coming from the hole, but he focused on saving the child first , he walked around the hole gently, because the whole floor had gotten fragile, he held the little girl and asked
"What is your name little one" the child was stuttering but managed to get out
"𝙷𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚎" while crying
"𝙷𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚎?, wow, so people actually answer that name"
"What?" the little girl asked, confused and panting
"No, no, don't worry about that, is that your dad?" , he asked and she nodded
"Alright , look 𝙷𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚎 , you gonna have to do something fast for me..., can you do it?" , she nodded
"Great, Helene, close your eyes ,ok?, here we go, one, two, three" he threw her outside the door, but before she landed, he threw a pillow with her, she landed on the pillow, barely feeling any pain, but she cried because it was frightening .
"Alright big guy , it's your turn", he grabbed the man , and flung him outside, only threw a pillow to save his head, the rest of the body hit the floor, the crying increased.
"Oops, my bad 𝙷𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚎, relax , relax, hey , do me a favor and shut that door, okay?, thank you " he said with an awkward smiley face, she immediately shut the door the face scared her. Now it was time to save 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗, he had no much time left , the room underneath was starting to collapse, 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 was yelling he will get his revenge, that's when 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 was sure it was him, so he quickly grabbed the bedsheets, grabbed the curtains and tied them together. Meanwhile 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 had lost hope, he was on his knees, when he heard someone swiftly call him from above
"𝚉𝚊𝚗𝚑?" 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 asked
"You're in hell?, serves you right" he continued, 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 was mesmerized and yelled
"Who the fuck is 𝚉𝚊𝚗𝚑, just grabbed that clothe and let's get outta here before we burn to crisp"
"𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜?, what are you doing here?"
"Saving your dumbass, what do you think ?"
" You're crazy, I don't need you to save me, you numbskull "
"Ohh, really, awesome, see you then "
"Wait, wait, wait....fuck, alright, we-"
"You should beg "
"What?"
"Okay, then goodluck meeting this 𝚉𝚊𝚑𝚗 guy"
"You know I can't do that, we don't have time for this "
"You don't !, me? I can just walk out this door"
"There's a hole in there "
" I can just jump out this door "
𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 sighed and said
"Alright please, there's no time, half of this hall already collapsed, this other part is holding up thanks to these extreme strong pillars "
"Wait , it's a whole hall?, I thought it was just a room.Okay little buddy, grab on"
" I-i can't"
"What do you mean, you can't ?"
"I'm tied to this dead man who is tied to another dead woman" 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 said, it all became silent before 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 yelled
"Why the fuck didn't you say that!!?"
"I was trying to, when you interrupted me you son of a bitch "
"Ohh crap, cut the damn rope then"
" It's metal, genius, you didn't think I tried that already "
"Damn, ok...uhmm, you'll have to wait, I'll find something "
"Don't leave you moron..."
"I'll be right back"
"Don't .....hmmph, shit for brains ", 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 was already feeling heavy heat, the smoke has filled his lungs, it was a surprise he had not already passed out , his visions too was getting blurry, something immediately clicked in his brain, he finally figured out a way to free himself, but first he was disappointed he didn't realize it earlier because it was very easy , he exhaled, squeezed his eye brow and shook his head then realized another thing, even if he frees himself, 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 isn't here to help him up , he sighed and spoke
"I'm so dead" , his eyes were slowly closing and his body was shutting down , he was giving up until memories of his sister flashed his mind
"𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 " he said as he quicky gathered himself back, walked up to 𝙺𝚕𝚎𝚘𝚗's dead body, hesitated for a while, he felt pity but said himself
"I have to do this, I've come this far, I can't die now " , he grabbed his axe, inhaled sharply and started hitting 𝙺𝚕𝚎𝚘𝚗's waist, to split him so the rope can be free ,it was surprisingly hard for him, who was normally brutal, almost like something clicked in him at the point of his death, he kept going though, till he could remove the rope and then it was light, no weight for the rope to hold him down, he was full of blood, all he had to do left was to hope 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 would come back , he kept looking out of the hole , then 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 came and said
"Uhmm....so, this might be it for you 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗, I couldn't find anything "
"you halfwit, just throw the fucking clothe"
"What?, how you gonna re-"
"Just fucking do it "
" Alright, work your magic then" , he threw the long clothe, the second part of the room started collapsing , 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 grabbed the clothe and started climbing, 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 was still dragging him in , while on it, the room collapsed !
"𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗!!!" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 yelled , everything became still, only thing heard was the fire crackling , 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 sat down, panting , hand on his head, when 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗's barely got
"𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 " out, 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 quickly got up, walked to the hole , saw his hand out and quickly pulled it. He got 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 out 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 was injured but none was fatal , he got lucky because, before the hall collapsed he already grabbed the floor on the upper room. But it wasn't over , the part of the hall underneath that was holding the upper room was about to collapse, the room started swaying, 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 quickly ran out of the room, bursting through the door , leaving 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 behind, it was hard for 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 to run out, because he was at a disadvantage point , the room started to break , 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 then threw the rope tied to his waste inside, 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 instinctivelycaught it, then 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 pulled him out , and the room completely fell , they both got up and made a run for it, behind them was the floor collapsing , they quickly jumped through the stairs and there, the collapsing stopped, they were panting hard, 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 was completely beat up , they both couldn't really do much at this point, 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 too, turns out he was hit while being drown out of the falling room, it wasn't fatal but at that moment it was hard to move. That still didn't stop them, they kept moving, till Aslron passed out.
There was a great chill in the air, filled with bliss , little chuckles was a bit audible. He found himself in a tall fresh grass that covered his feet to his waist, he gazed Upon the field, looked around him, he glided his hands through the grass as the wind was blowing it to his director, immediately he rose his head up, he saw a woman, her hair was dark as polish, the wind was caressing her hair, blowing it backwards, although she backed him, so her face wasn't visible, all of a sudden, she was holding his right hand, laughing gently and walking around the field with him.
The atmosphere was subtle, calm and soothing. While walking through the field with the lady, he heard another chuckle from his left, and also felt someone hold his hands, when he looked, it was a little girl, holding his hands and jumping of excitement, he was overwhelmed by these, he was in fact happy and felt refreshed, then something suddenly clicked and he asked himself
"Why am I here? "
Then it abruptly started raining heavily, storms and heavy thunder, the little girl started crying and was hitting him, yelling
"You're not done yet " while crying, this made him confused. In an instant, another figure appeared in from of him
"𝚉𝚊𝚗𝚑? " he asked
The figure quickly removed his hand from the lady's and started running away with her
" No, no, no, not again, stopppp, curse you 𝚉𝚊𝚗𝚑" he exclaimed. The little girl still didn't stop, she was still crying and hitting him, he was perplexed, had no idea what was going on. Instantaneously, he started hearing a voice from a distance, it started getting closer and he started hearing
"𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗!! "
"Who's that? " he asked himself
The voice continued to yell his name, then the voice slowly began to sound familiar and further said
"𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜? "
" 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗, 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 , 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 " the voice kept yelling , and at the same time the kid was crying out loud, the same time thunder was rumbling, it got too much for him then he bent down and held both of his ears but that didn't stop anything, it only got worse.
"𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗! " the voice continued
"Leave me alone " he replied
"𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗, WAKE UP!! " the voice screamed ,then he looked at the person screaming and it was 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 , running towards him, he was startled, he slowly removed his hands from his ears, 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 got to him, held him, shook him and said
"WAKE UPP!! "
Then 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 closed his eyes and when he opened, he saw himself on the floor and 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 fighting of some soldiers while yelling his name, he quickly got up furiously .
"Finally! you numb skull" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 interjected while holding off two armed soldiers
"What just happened? " 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 asked
"You passed out and was unconscious for a while" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 answered
𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 who just woke up with anger, instantly attacked one of the soldiers 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 was holding back. The soldiers notice and charged towards him. The soldier quickly swung at 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗, 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 leaped over the sword and rotated mid air, landing with a kick that completely left the soldier unconscious, 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 and the other soldier was stunned, then 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 quickly stomped his knee , broke it and pushed him out of his way.
"We have to continue moving, we don't know how long we can still fight " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 indicated
"If you're scared just say that " 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 said
"I'm not scared you halfwit, unlike you I've been busy taking down soldiers , while you just lie there, having a blast " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 returned, in that instant, 5 more soldiers spotted them. 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 charged furiously, picking the sword from the soldier he left unconscious, 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 had to charge too. 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 ducked a swing from of the soldiers, then he pierced the sword into the soldier's ribcage then dragged the sword out, the soldier screamed in pain, 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 looked at him furiously, but before he could speak, another soldier attacked him, threw a knife, aiming for his eyes, 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 abruptly shifted to the side, escaping the knife, the soldier swung his sword towards 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 immediately, he quickly jumped back. It was obvious 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 wasn't in the form he was in the morning, because he now suffers an injury and was somewhat exhausted. After avoiding the swing, he jumped towards the soldier,swiftly, grabbed the soldier and slammed him to the wall with force. 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 on the other side just stabbed another soldier, ran towards another one, curved himself , avoiding a strike and then dragged the soldier's leg, causing the soldier to fall as he got up, immediately the soldier fell to the floor, he stabbed the soldier, twisted the sword and dragged it out with force.
Meanwhile the last soldier was with 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜, fighting for his life, just swinging the sword carelessly to every direction, he looked traumatized, while he was swinging carelessly, 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 jumped and maneuvered
over his head and landed quickly , before the soldier could turn back, 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 grabbed his neck and snapped it, he immediately fell to the ground.
𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 , started inhaling and exhaling to calm himself a little
" You know you don't have to kill right!? , for now " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 asked
"So what?, why should I care " 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 replied
"It's too much risk, if you want to kill, save it all for that day, but for now, killing will bring too much attention, make them a hundred times more cautious , it's easy to just fix the injured but if it involves killing every one becomes scared and very careful which reduces our chances of getting inside that day, you gotta start using that small brain of yours" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 explained
"Hmmm, right, right, just woke up furiously" 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 claimed, 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 was a little surprised he admitted
" We just have to leave before it gets even harder to " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 mention
" I know a way out, the way I followed in" 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 said
" You know you could've just said this a while ago right? " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 pointed out
" I passed out!, anyways, this way " 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 said
"How did you even know a way in "
" Philemon "
"Ohh, and one more thing, these soldiers are awfully week, we could've just taken them hands on and we'll win" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 signified
"It's not all about strength, they have the greatest minds in this kingdom, that's how they win, with wisdom and numbers. But indeed they are weak, but not as week as these ones living in the 𝙲𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚕, These are spoilt, no discipline, they only got here because their parents could bribe their way up there or use connections" 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 denoted
" Ohh, i see " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 expressed
" You won't even believe me if i say their ranks are as high as that of the commander's son? " 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 added
"No way, the son must be weak too"
" I'm not sure, his father is the strongest in the whole of 𝙶𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚌𝚎 , 𝙰𝚍𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚜 the scarred , so I guess it should run in the family "
"Wait, how come you....., ohhh my days, I'm so so so so dumb for not figuring this out earlier" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 said, disappointed
"Figure out what "
"𝙽𝚢𝚡𝚊𝚛𝚊 is 𝙶𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚔 so since you're both siblings, you must be 𝙶𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚔 too, damn, how did it not click till now " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 concluded, 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 refused to answer
" Why do 𝙶𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚔𝚜 hate themselves this much, cat got your tongue? " 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 added and laughed.
After a a while of sneaking, they finally got out, panting so hard, suddenly they heard voice from behind saying
"Finally, took you guys long enough"
"𝙻𝚒𝚞?, thought i told you to go home? "𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 pressed
" Well we've been waiting and it didn't seem like you were coming back, so we had to come back " 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊 said
"We have no time for this, let's move before we get caught" 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 interjected
"Yeah, right" 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 agreed
"It's good to have you back Lord 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗" 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 said
" Yes, thank you, shall we go now? "
" Of course my Lord " 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 replied, then 𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚛𝚘𝚗 joined 𝙾𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚜 on his horse, while 𝙳𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜 joined 𝙻𝚒𝚞𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊. They left and got on their way.