Grand Moon / 20 / 1207
Graduation day at long last. It’s hard to believe I’m already here… It went by so fast. I can hardly stand still. My breathing’s all out of whack. I’m this close to being a real hunter and seeing the world. All I need to do is pass the final trial and I’m certified. It’s all been leading up to this. No backing down. No second chances. Now or never.
Ma and I have been in one of the prep rooms for the academy’s colosseum for the past hour. Looks like any other armory or gladiator prep room, but much cleaner. Also has far more weapons and armor for me to choose from. It’s not just the standard leather armor and helmets given out for free at your local colosseum. We got everything from chain to plate and any kind of armament I can think of. Swords, bows, crossbows, spears, hammers, maces… each one more beautiful than the last. For my last exam, I’d love to go with the steel halberd, some light chain mail, and a good ol’ crossbow… but ma just insists on me using grandma’s armor. She’s spent the last half hour just getting it on me.
I won’t lie. The armor is pretty grand. I feel like a glorious general about to tear a battlefield asunder and change the tide of an entire war. Steel plate mail painted a dark blue. Thick helmet with crooked horns protruding out of it. Sturdy, but light greaves and gauntlets. I feel safer than I ever have, but I don’t feel encumbered in the slightest. Almost feels like this armor was made for me.
Ma holds the cuirass up to me and begins strapping me into it. “Breathe in a little, this is going to get a little snug.”
I do just so and get settled into it. Every other piece of armor on me fits perfectly… why does the chest plate always have to be so snug? “Is it on yet?”
“Yes indeed.” Ma finishes adjusting my armor and gives me a hardy pat on the back. “How’s it fit, kiddo?”
I nearly stumble over from the impact, but catch myself before I embarrass myself. “Feels good… I feel strong.” I beat my chest and feel my spine tingle from the mere sound of my fist meeting the cuirass. “Any reason why you wanted me to wear this armor in particular?”
“My ma wore this to her graduation as did her ma and her ma. Wore it through every job and gladiator match she had and she never got a scratch on her.”
“I’m in good hands then.” I press my palm to my cuirass. “I’ll put it to good use.”
“You better.” Ma smiles and begins shuffling through her bag.
“Now let me see…” I wander over to the wall of weapons. “What weapons do you think I should use for the final trial?”
“You are using this.” Ma taps me on the shoulder.
I turn to face her and see her presenting a massive sword to me with one hand. No… calling it a sword isn’t right. It’s too big. It’s more like a heap of raw iron attached to a handle. The thing’s as wide as I am and almost as tall. Despite its size, it’s sleek… elegant even. Polished to a fine sheen and hasn’t a scratch or mark on it. “Wow… ma… where did you get that sword?”
“From my ma.” Ma rests the sword against the ground and nudges me with the handle. “I think it’s time for you to use it.”
“You never told me grandma could wield a blade like this…” I pick up the sword with both my arms and point it up at the ceiling. It’s heavy… but manageable. I turn around and take a horizontal practice swing… It’s slow, but I feel like I can cleave a carriage in two with just one swing. Also, I find it easier to stop the swing… and I don’t get as tired as easily after each swing either. I knew two years of constant training would pay off. I can finally do greatswords some justice.
“How does it feel?” Ma wipes a tear from her eye.
“Feels good… Even weight, good grip… where did grandma even get a sword like this?”
“She forged it herself after working in the colosseum. Never lost a battle with it… until your grandfather entered the ring that is.”
“Eh?” I rest the sword against the ground and look back at ma. “What happened then?”
“He beat her to a pulp within three minutes. Nearly tore her arm off too.”
“Ooh.” I wince. “What happened after that?”
“They got married two weeks later.” Ma lets out a hearty chuckle. “Ma wasn’t going to let her only rival leave her that easily.”
“What a woman…” I marvel at the blade for a while longer. “I think I would much rather prefer to use my usual lance and crossbow.”
“Do you think you’re not strong enough to wield it?” Ma flashes a crooked grin.
“Course I am.” I chuckle and heft the blade over my shoulder.
“Astrid of Class 32.” an announcer calls from deeper within the colosseum. “Please proceed to the main stage for the final trial. Arrive in five minutes or face expulsion.”
The gate leading out of the prep room flies open and I begin to hear the faint cries of a rabid audience.
“Well then.” I turn back to ma and give a little salute. “Be back soon.”
“Astrid.” Ma hugs me tight without warning. Really tight. I feel like she’s trying to choke me, but there’s no malice. “You’re going to do great. I believe in you.”
“Whoa there.” I pat ma on the back. “You worry too much. It’s just a graduation exam.”
“You’re right.” Ma kisses me on the forehead, pulls away, and flicks down the face guard on my helmet. “Just wanted to let you know I’ll always be rooting for you.”
“Thank you, ma.” I smile and pat her on the shoulder. “I’ll have this done before you know it. Think we can have pork noodles tonight?”
“You want that every night.” Ma giggles.
“Not my fault you make pork and noodles so good.” I give her another salute and head off into the colosseum interior.
“If you pass, I’ll make you all the pork and noodles you can eat.” Ma calls out.
“I love you!” I turn back to ma one more time and wave before jogging into the colosseum.
Big open area. Freshly raked dirt. Not a speck of blood anywhere on this hallowed fighting ground. I see a veritable sea of people cheering me on from the stands. They just keep on going forever. I can’t hear anything besides them. Makes me want to run. Makes me want to fight. Only complaint is that it’s pretty bright out. My eyes take a while to adjust to the light and when they do, I see a figure standing in the center of the colosseum. They’re equipped with a thick helmet that’s similar to mine, armor that looks bulkier and far heavier than mine, a mace that looks the size of my head, and a shield that’s as long and wide as my sword. The figure turns to face me and lifts their face guard up to reveal Seth’s face.
“Yooo! Astrid!” He smiles wide and waves his mace at me. “You ready to get this on!?” he starts pumping his fists.
“Yo! Seth!” I jog towards him and we meet with a good, firm high five. I can feel his palm through my gauntlet. His grip is as strong as ever. “My man, you are looking powerful. Where did you get that armor?”
“It’s my grandpa’s.” he chuckles and shrugs. “Folks kinda insisted I wear it. Same thing with the mace.”
“You gonna be okay with that loadout? I know you always hated maces.”
“I’ll be fine.” he knocks on the shield with the mace. “I can afford to make a few mistakes. This armor once stopped a military carriage chasing my grandpa in its tracks. Grandpa barely got a little nicked while the carriage careened off the side of a hill.”
I can’t help but whistle. “Damn. You look like a proper warlord in that thing. You could probably take on the emperor.”
“Whoa now lets not get ahead of ourselves.” Seth waves his arms before pointing to one of the colosseum’s closed gates. “Let’s focus on graduating before we think about any emperor fights.”
“Sounds like a plan.” I turn my back to Seth, face one of the gates, and hoist my blade off my shoulder. I carry it low to the ground and take a wide stance. “What do you think we’re gonna fight? An emperor boar? Some kind of high B?”
“I’m not sure… but I cannot wait.”
A moment later, another voice rings through the colosseum. A tall, older gentleman stands atop a pedestal amidst the crowd. Long white hair, well groomed mustache, withered, but hardened eyes. Definitely the academy headmaster. “Young Astrid. Young Seth. I could not be more proud of you two. You two have been exemplary students these past two years. I’ve watched you grow into fine Athesians worthy of the finest hunting licenses this continent can offer. Before you can graduate, you must pass one final trial to prove that you have what it takes to be a hunter. Are you ready?”
“Of course.” Seth faces the headmaster and gives a short bow. “I have never been more prepared.”
“LET ME AT IT!” I beat my chest and roar to the headmaster. “GIVE ME ALL YOU GOT! I’LL TEAR THIS COLOSSEUM UP!”
“Very well.” Headmaster gives a hearty chuckle and claps. “Very well, you two. Fight to the death. Here and now. We only have one license for the two of you. We will even throw in a performance bonus if you finish the fight within five minutes.” Headmaster opens an adjacent chest and shows off a huge collection of gold pieces and precious metals. “Begin!”
“You’re joking… right?” I ask.
“Not at all.” The headmaster smiles without a hint of malice in his voice. “Athesian hunters who cannot kill have no right to call themselves hunters. Now begin!”
The open gates out of the colosseum slam shut. The colosseum erupts in cheers and roars. I can’t hear anything else. I can’t focus on anything else. The whole world melts away under the crowd’s calls for blood. My eyes glaze over the crowd to see my parents cheering me on too. Ma has her face painted the imperial colors. Da brought a homemade banner and is waving it like crazy. Seth’s da is standing right next to my da banging on a war drum and yelling constantly. Seth’s ma is the only one sitting down. She looks even more ragged than the last time I saw her, but she’s still holding up a banner that says ‘Go Seth!’ She looks paler and colder and her eyes look almost hollow. I don’t know if she knows she’s here. Everyone’s yelling things like “Slice ‘em open! Spill their blood! Get on with it! C’mon, Astrid! I bet fifty gold on you! I wanna see some bleeding!”, but none of them are angry… There’s no malice in this colosseum. No hatred. No anger. How… how are they smiling? Is this some kind of sick joke!?”
“HGGGGGAAAAH!” I hear Seth roar out and something come swinging towards me out of the corner of my eye.
I back off and feel a spike of the mace scrape against my helmet. I readjust my stance, look at Seth, and sprint backwards to create some space between us. He’s still recovering from the mace swing. Doesn’t look like he’s fully adjusted to the weight of the armor yet. “Seth!” I cry out. “What the hell are you doing!?”
Seth raises his shield and begins approaching me. “I need that license and I need that bonus… Sorry, Astrid.”
“Hold up now. Why don’t we just surrender and get some money then? I’m sure we can find some merc work! The Caldesians will hire anyone these days!”
“That won’t get me the money I need in time.” Seth shakes his head, but keeps his eyes focused on me. I feel like his sight alone is impaling me. His jaw is shaking, he continues approaching me, and his stare never lets up.
“Then let's go scavenging in the Boundary!” I keep backing up. “We can get rich real quick there!”
“You don’t get it!” Seth barks before collecting himself. “Ma’s sick… real sick. I need money now or she’ll…” Seth closes his eyes. His mace trembles. I can see tears roll down his face.
“My family can get you a loan! I’ll dig into my savings! We can save your ma!”
“Then what?” Seth opens his eyes, steadies his grip, and resumes his advance on me. “Get trapped into debt for gods know how long? Get cheap treatment that might not work?”
“That-” I tighten my grip on my sword.
“Even if we could leave, do you really think we would be welcomed home?”
“What are you getting at?”
“You hear them too, don’t you?” Seth points to the crowd. “Our people demand blood. Our people demand strength. Either one of us dies and one of us becomes a hunter or we both live branded as cowards and banished from society until our deaths… is that what you want?”
“No!” I bark back. “Just give me a minute! I can think of a way! My family and I can save your ma!”
Seth continues to look into my soul. His face has softened, yet his eyes look like they’re about to explode. “Hey… Astrid. Why the long face? Didn’t you want to be a hunter? Didn’t you want to see the world? Just one more trial… and you get a free pass to travel and hunt all you want. Doesn’t that sound nice?”
“Seth…” I want to vomit. I want to cry. I want to run. I want to murder whoever devised this graduation ceremony. “You know you’re worth more than a hunter’s license.”
Seth closes his eyes and shakes his head. His face hardens once more. He opens his eyes and pierces my heart with his gaze. “If you truly feel that way…” Seth reaches up and flicks down his helmet’s face guard. “Prepare to die.” He begins running towards me far faster than anyone in that amount of armor should be able to. Seth lifts his mace and swings it right for my skull again.
I back off and continue keeping my distance. “Seth! Take it easy!” I readjust my grip on my sword. “We can work something out!”
No response. No voice. I can’t even see his face. He even moves differently. It’s hard to believe Seth is even in that armor. The armor continues rushing towards me with the shield in front of him. Looks like he’s going for a shield bash. No choice. Need to keep running back. I can figure something out…
A cacophony of boos and insults erupts from the crowd. My parents join in as well. “Astrid! What are you doing!? Bash his head in already! You got this!”
“Attaboy!” Seth’s da roars. “Get her on the ropes! There’ll be a big plate of meatloaf waiting for you when you get home!”
It’s no use. No matter how fast I run, Seth continues to gain on me. If I was using my lance, I’m sure I could outrun him… maybe even tire him out. That doesn’t look like it’s an option… I grit my teeth, steady my breath, and widen my stance. No way out… Fine. If he insists on fighting to the death, who am I to deny him that glory? I raise my blade, wind up a swing, and give everything I got into cutting that shield in two. “HAVE SOME OF THIS!” I roar through tears and slash at him.
GASHUNK
The sound of steel clashing against steel violates my ears. My sword bounces off Seth’s shield and we both recoil from the vicious impact. Seth blocked my hit with the shield, but there’s a sizable dent where my sword hit… my shoulder hurt like crazy though. Good to know my sword has that much crushing power. If I can just get his armor damaged enough, maybe I can get him to surrender.
“Nice hit…” Seth murmurs and winds up another swing of his mace.
Before I can even recover from the recoil, the mace is already well on its way to colliding with me. I can’t back up in time and there’s no way I’m letting that thing damage my armor. I have to try and parry it! I swing my sword and the mace strikes my blade’s right crossguard. It barely misses my thumb. My grip’s still weak and my posture is still awkward. The impact sends the sword flying out of my hands and launches it about thirty paces away from me to the right.
I take a moment to steady my stance before pivoting and heading straight for the blade.
Seth; however, did not stumble, flinch, or recoil in the slightest from the impact. By the time I pivoted, he already began swinging his mace again. The moment I take my eyes off of him, I feel something cold, heavy, and sharp pierce my armor and dig into my side. I fall forward, but roll around to keep moving. I’m not trying to do this. The animal part of my brain just suddenly lit up and is doing everything in its power to keep me alive at this point. I want to cry, but I’m not giving anyone the satisfaction. I just grit my teeth until I start to taste iron. Out of my blurred vision, I can see Seth just standing still.
Once I roll to the side of my weapon, I get up on one knee and feel the source of the pain. Big hole in my armor and my side. I can feel hot liquid spreading over my hand. I can fit half my thumb into the wound. I look down at my hand and see my blood staining my armor and the ground. I catch my breath, hold my side, and look up at Seth. “What are you doing!? Why are you just standing there!?”
“I’m not going to attack a downed opponent.” Seth flicks my blood off his mace. “Raise your weapon.”
“That’s not very befitting of a hunter, you know…”
“COME ON ASTRID!” Ma yells. “ARE YOU JUST GOING TO LET HIM SMACK YOU AROUND LIKE THAT!?”
“KICK HIS ASS, ASTRID!” Dad stomps his foot and roars to the heavens. “IT’S JUST A SCRATCH!”
I feel my brain start to cloud. My mind is slowly being consumed and assimilated by the crowd. The smell of blood and feeling of open flesh sends what’s left of my mind into a frenzy… I feel like I’m back in the Gulch again… The pain from my side begins to dull. I pick up my blade with both hands and point it at Seth. “You should’ve killed me there…”
Seth says nothing and rushes forward once more. He lifts his arm again to wind up a swing.
He’s serious. Blood’s flowing. All bets are off. Time to get serious. I swing my blade upward at his mace arm.
Seth raises his shield and parries my blade once again. We both go stumbling sideways. There’s a bigger dent in his shield now… No way is he going to let me land a hit while he still has that behemoth of a shield on him. No matter. I’ll just tear right through it. I use the sideway momentum to spin around and get out a second slash sooner.
“GGGNGH!” Seth grunts and throws out his shield once more. My arm feels like it’s going to shatter from the impact, but the dent grows bigger once again. “Cocky…” Seth groans and stands his ground. I can see his armor recoil, but he stands as still as a statue. Just as I’m about to pry my sword out of his shield, he swings his mace horizontally.
I duck under it, drop my sword, and leap onto his shoulders. I wrap myself around him and manage to send a quick elbow straight to his face guard.
GASHOONK
I can hear the sweet sound of metal clashing against bone. Jackpot. I continue elbowing and punching his stupid helmet as much as I can. My fingers feel like they’re damp mush, but its so worth it to bash that stupid helmet in.
“GET OFF ME!” Seth flails his mace around, but can’t hit me. Soon enough, he lifts his shield and digs the top of it into my side wound.
My entire body tenses for a half second before going limp. I fall off of Seth and he stumbles a little before pulling off his helmet to reveal a broken nose, cheeks stained dark with blood, and bright red eyes. He doesn’t look like Seth at all anymore. Good. That’ll make this easier.
I land flat on my back and hold my side for a second. Just as I start to stand up, Seth bashes his shield against my helmet and sends my head crashing back into the ground. That… oh… that doesn’t feel good. My vision goes blurry and the back of my head feels like its on fire… I can also feel hot blood flowing down my nose. I try to lift my head up again, but he just bashes my helmet again with his shield. And again. And again. And again. After the third time, I stopped trying to lift my head… He has to get tired of it eventually.
Seth bashes the bottom tip of his shield down into my helmet and I see it pierce it. Sharp metal is less than a fraction of a fraction of an inch away from my left eye. He’s not getting tired. I’m dead if I don’t move. I wait for him to dig out the shield, raise it, and send it crashing down to me once more. I roll sideways and hear the shield dig into the earth. Sounds like it got stuck too. Good. I take off my helmet, manage to stand up, and get some distance between me and Seth. Vision’s worse than I thought. Everything’s blurry, there’s a ringing in my ears, and I can taste blood dripping off my lip and into my mouth. I watch Seth try to pry his shield out of the ground. My sword’s lying right behind him.
“Heh…” Seth grunts and manages to pull his shield out of the ground. There’s a big chunk of earth still hanging off the bottom of it, but he doesn’t care. He just turns towards me and readies his mace once again. “Good to know you’re still raring to go.”
I feel like garbage. Head feels like mush. I really don’t want to stand right now… but I gotta. I cradle my helmet close to my chest. He’s standing between me and my sword. He’s not budging an inch. Damnit… really shouldn’t have let go of my weapon. “Raring’s a bit of an overstatement…” I lick blood off my lip.
“If you can stand, you’re good.” Seth points his mace at me. “Come at me already.”
“Not really leaving me with many options…” I start strafing around him to my left and slowly close the distance between me and him. He still won’t lower that stupid shield. Maybe if I run to my left fast enough, he won’t be able to bash me with the shield in time… though I’d then have to deal with a pretty fast mace swing. Gotta deal with it sooner or later… plus it’s not like I can take another hit from either of those… Screw it. Going for the secret technique. Just gotta close the distance a little more… Little more… I get about twenty paces away, then start sprinting fast to Seth towards his right. He can’t rotate his shield in time, so he settles on a low horizontal swing. Too low to duck under and his arm’s too long for me to dodge to the side… Only option left is to jump over it, so I do.
I leap over the mace, chuck my helmet as his head, hear a satisfying bonk, then latch onto his head. I’m not going to gouge out his eyes or try to bash his nose bone into his skull… I can’t. So I just grab onto his head and vomit in his face before jumping off him and towards my sword.
“AAAAAAAAGHAHAHAHHHHHAAAA!!!!!” Seth writhes and flails about like an abused puppet. He tries to wipe his face, but his armor won’t let him reach his head. “DAMNIT ASTRID!!! I’LL KILL YOU FOR THAT!!!” he keeps crying and shrieking like a madman.
I spit the remaining chunks of blood clots and lunch out of my mouth and pick up my sword. Feels good. I feel lighter. Hearing the crowd not boo me for once certainly helps. He’s still trying to get the puke out of his eyes. Now’s my chance. I rush towards him and prepare just about the heaviest downward swing I’ve ever prepared.
“DAMNIT ASTRID!” Seth props his shield up, hides behind it, and tries to rub his face clean with his arm.
GASHUUOOOOSH
My sword tears through the shield and cleaves it in two. The cut isn’t neat or fast. It’s not a cut. It’s an uneven, gross tear. What’s left of the shield looks like it was torn apart by a mirage. When the shield falls apart, I see Seth stumble backwards clenching his fist. Yet, just as he moves backward, he lunges his mace right at my stomach.
Squelch
Cold steel violates my stomach. A small crater tears my armor open. I can feel three wide spikes dig into my stomach for a moment before scraping themselves out. I nearly teeter over, but I lean on my sword to keep standing up. My head feels light. My stomach feels tight. It’s weird. I feel like I should be in more pain, but I’m not. I don’t feel like I’m fully inside my own body anymore. Everything feels dull, like a dream I can’t wake up from. That’s more concerning than the pain… Teach said when the body-wide numbness sets in, you have four minutes tops before crashing… better make the most of it.
Seth falls backwards, but manages to maintain his stance. I can see part of his finger on the ground and one of his fingers dangling off his hand by a thread… I almost drop my sword. If I had anything left in my stomach, I’d empty it right here and now.
“GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!” Seth cries to the sky cradling his hand.
The crowd goes wild. Ma and Da are cheering for me harder than ever. They look so happy.
“ASTRIIIIID!” Seth tears his dangling finger off and throws it at me. “I’M GOING TO KILL YOU!!!”
My chest feels empty. My legs feel like liquid. I… I can’t move. I can’t think.
Seth tosses aside his shield handle and sprints towards me like a raving boar. He begins wildly thrashing his mace in every direction. No rhyme. No reason. No rhythm. No way to predict his swings.
I swing diagonally at him and hope for the best. He ducks under it with speed and grace I didn’t think he was capable of. His movement seems mechanical at this point. I’m still recovering from my swing. I can’t block it. If I can just spin around fast enough… maybe I can use the momentum to get a lunge in just in time.
In the moment my back is turned, Seth lifts up his mace and sends it crashing down over my right shoulder.
crack
I feel cold steel penetrate my shoulder and feel it split into pieces. My arm is telling me to let go, but everything else in me is telling me to hold on. No matter how hard I try, I can’t let go. I can’t stop turning. I can’t stop my sword.
squeeeeesh
My eyes slam shut. My arms tense up. My legs are solid as stone. The crowd has erupted into cheers and jubilation. The voices of parents cheering and praising me flood my mind. I just want to sleep… Maybe… maybe now I can…
“Astrid…” Seth coughs. “Open your eyes…”
My neck tenses up and my head shakes on its own.
“Astrid…” I feel Seth’s arm clamp onto my left shoulder. “You have to look… even if it hurts others… even if it hurts you… you can’t look away.”
My eyes open and I’m greeted with Seth’s mace stuck in my right shoulder, Seth smiling at me with dirt, tears, vomit, and blood smattered all over his cheeks, and my sword impaled right through his gut. My right arm is dangling helplessly. My legs won’t move. My jaw won’t open. No matter how hard I try, my left hand won’t let go of the sword.
“Astrid…” Seth smiles. All rage has evaporated from his face. His eyes are once again the blue I recognize. “It’s okay… Don’t be upset…”
“S-seth… No… no no no.” My mouth can’t produce any other words. All I can taste, feel, and smell is iron.
“No… really…” he looks so serene; as if he had just woken up from a nap. “I’m glad it ended this way… one of us was going to die… I’m glad it was me…”
“No no no. Seth… Seth. Kill me. Kill me now. You still can win!” I try to pull the sword out, but Seth holds my hand. No matter how hard I pull, he won’t let go. The sword won’t move. Seth won’t budge.
“No… Astrid. It’s fine. Really. I didn’t really want to live anyway… I couldn’t bare to see you or ma die...”
“Don’t say that.” I lean my filthy forehead against his. “You… you don’t mean that!”
“No… I do.” Seth rubs his thumb over my hand. “Living’s hard… Too hard. The best I could’ve hoped for... was to give my life for someone else… I’m glad I could die for you.”
“Quiet. Just shut up. You’re not dying today. We’re going to pass out and we’ll get you to a good doctor and-”
Seth lets go of my hand and cups my cheek. His face is growing paler by the second. “You have the most gorgeous eyes…”
My mouth can’t make words anymore. All I can do is cry like the pathetic animal I am. Everything else in the world gets drowned out by Seth. I can only feel his hand. I can only hear his voice. I can only see his smile. I can only smell his blood.
“Don’t cry…” His blue eyes slowly dim and his fair skin starts to turn ghastly. “You’re now a true Athesian hunter… best of the best… I’m so proud of you...”
“Seth…” I look into his eyes.
“Give ‘em hell... Astrid…” Seth smiles, closes his eyes, his arms flop to his sides, and stands still. Unflinching.
I shriek and cry and try to shake him awake, but he doesn’t move. The colosseum erupts once more into trumpets, confetti, cheers, and jubilation.
“Well done, Astrid.” The headmaster claps and checks his pocket watch. “While you did not meet the time limit for the bonus, you passed with flying colors. You are now an official Athesian Hunter. Your license will arrive in the mail by the end of the week. Now! Let us bring in the paramedics and the next pair of graduates!”
The gates open and a small team of medics runs up to me and Seth with stretchers and a small assortment of medical equipment. I can’t hear what they’re saying, but I feel them trying to pull me off of Seth. They do so, but then my body moves on its own and starts pummeling anything that moves. Just as I’m about to dig my thumb into one of the nurse’s eyes, I feel a needle stick into my neck and my body collapse.
I’m now lying on the ground on my broken shoulder with my tongue hanging out of my mouth. I can feel blood still pouring out of my wounds. Everything is going dark. The medics tear the sword unceremoniously out of Seth and put him on a stretcher. The last thing I see before knocking out is another pair of students walking into the arena waving to the crowd.
Wander Moon / 15 / 1218 A.F.
Another dream about him… but I don’t scream and tear myself awake like normal. My eyes are still drenched and my chest feels hollow. I wake up with David still wrapped around me drooling on my stomach. The once mighty bonfire is reduced to mere cinders. Looks like it’s a little past dawn outside. Sunlight illuminates the cave and hits me right in the face. “Aagh… dammit…” I cover my eyes and curl up. “Damnit…” Body feels lighter. Headache’s gone. My body feels generally lighter, though that could just be because of altitude sickness. Drink some water, eat a bread roll and a stick of jerky, have a morning smoke, clean up the camp, and we’re on our way.
The weather’s far more generous today. The sky is clear and there is a pleasant, light breeze rolling through the mountains. The snow clad hills are so bright. If it weren’t for the goggles, I’d surely go snowblind. We’ve been travelling for about four good hours so far. After climbing another rope left by the Friendship Committee, we reach this plateau that just keeps going on. There’s a nice hill in the distance to the East that makes this place perfect for snowboarding and skiing. To the direct South, there’s nothing but a long, long fall and a massive wall of Mist waiting for us. This is where the Mediterranean meets the Range. Stretches as far East and West as I can see. It isn’t blowing in any direction at the moment… It's just staying there. Like a malignant tumor pulsating over the valley. All sunlight that hits it just gets sucked in. No matter how hard I look to the horizon, I can’t see any gondola lines… not even Lombard sky pirates are brazen enough to fly their ships over the Mediterranean… though who can blame them? I’ve seen a silver creature leap from the Mist and swallow an airship down whole. It was magnificent. I’ve spent my fair share of time in the Boundary, but seeing it from this high up just makes it look so… small. So different. It’s like staring into a small pond. A small pond full of horrors, but a pond nonetheless. I can’t take my eyes off of it.
“asdkjrewl fjels’soel floekwe…” whispers into my ears.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“Hey, Astrid.” David catches up to me. “Thank you for waiting. Let us continue.”
“ghfjl thqwu vejkyl trufkola…” my feet start dragging me towards the edge of the mountain.
“Uuuuh Astrid? Do you see something?” David pulls my arm back, but just gets dragged in the snow.
“oqqp trhdj skylfka scjrntl…” My foot walks over the precipice and into nothingness.
“Luminous!” David yells and yanks my right hand.
My hand burns and heat surges through my head. “Whoa!” It feels like a fog just got sucked out of my head and cotton cleared from my ears. I look down and immediately run backwards to a safe distance away and plop my butt onto the snow. I shake my head and blink.
“What were you doing!?” David stands in front of me and yells.
“I… I don’t know. I was just standing still, right?”
“No you were not! You were walking off the mountain!” David points to the Mediterranean. “How do you not know that!?”
“I don’t know.” I hold my forehead and shake my head again. Even have to dig my right hand into the snow… it burns so much… “I just… I don’t know.” I stare right past David and into the Mediterranean.
“Stupid poisoning…” David reaches into my pocket and presses a stick of blues against my lips. “Please take better care of yourself… please? It is okay to smoke if it keeps you from getting poisoned.”
“Heh…” I accept the stick and light it up. “Much appreciated.” Warmth fills my chest and I get back up. “Come on. Let’s keep going.” David and I continue East.”
“Was I right? Is it poisoning?” David latches onto my right hand. “Is there anything you need to talk about? Are you feeling okay?”
“I’m good.” I cackle. “I just saw something shiny.”
“If you say so…” David sighs. “Could you tell me a little about the Free Range? Why does this place have so many settlements?” he shivers and rubs his hands together. “I cannot imagine why anyone would want to live up here…”
“Is that a rhetorical question or do you want a history lesson?”
“Lesson please.”
“Goodie.” I grin and exhale a large indigo cloud. “About eighty years ago - I forget the exact date - the Lombard king passed away and left the kingdom to his sixteen-year-old son. Like all smart people do. At the time of his death, the kingdom was going through The Troubles. Do you know anything about The Troubles?”
“I remember the Abbot lecturing me about that…” David pulls on my arm. “Please wait… I need to catch my breath.”
“Sure thing.”
We catch our breath and David resumes talking. “That was when a lot of people in Lombard were unhappy. Correct?”
“You could say that.” I laugh. “Do you know why?”
“Money was not worth as much, famine struck, they went to war with the U.P.s, and people in the West were rebelling. Did I forget anything?”
“You’re a good student.” I rub his head. “I appreciate that.” I tug at David’s arm and continue guiding him east through the snow. “No, you pretty much got everything. So basically the people in the western part of the Kingdom really wanted to rebel and they were really crippling the Kingdom’s food supply and pillaging any trade that was going between Athos and Lombard. So; in the prince’s inexperience, he gave them an ultimatum: be crushed under the military, submit to his rule, or live in the mountains bordering Athos. He even offered them some land in the mountains bordering Athos.”
“Why would he do that? Why not just listen to their complaints?”
“Princes are dumb. Kids are dumb. Put the two together and you get a premium dumbass.”
“I am not dumb… you just said I was a good student.” David pouts.
“It doesn’t matter how smart a kid is, they’re still a kid, so they are dumb.”
“I do not feel dumb.” David kicks some snow.
“You will when you’re older.” I chuckle. “Anyway, rumor has it that the prince offered them horrible mountain land because he never thought they’d take it. Well they did. There was a mass exodus of people from the West into the mountains. Artisans, merchants, miners, all sorts of folk. They braved the cold and created a new nation for themselves. They renamed the mountains they inhabit The Free Range, they dubbed themselves Freemasons, and they created a wholly unique national identity. Not one based on religion, birthright, or language, but one based on ideology. It doesn’t matter where you come from, what you speak, or what your faith is, if you believe in absolute freedom of the individual above all else, you may become a Freemason.”
“Whoa… I do not understand half of that, but that sounds cool. Why do they call themselves Freemasons and do they just let anyone in then?”
“They call themselves Freemasons because many of the Lombards who fled were masons and that other part’s a little more complicated. Each settlement has their own rules. Heck, the Free Range isn’t really a unified country per se. They’re more like a federation of city-states who band together only for trade, infrastructure, and defense. That’s about it. Who gets in and who doesn’t mostly depends on what the settlement needs and who feels like working border patrol that day.” I begin trekking up a steep slope. “Need a piggy back?”
“Yes please…”
I kneel down, feel David climb onto my back, and begin climbing the slope.
“Thank you.” David sneezes. “Do you think they’ll let us in?”
“Oh yeah. They’ll always take Hunters. Unless they’re Lombard. They’re a little more cautious around them.”
“Darnit…” David whines. “Why does no one like us?”
“Because the prince tried to reconquer the mountains he gave them two years after they left.”
“How did the Lombard military fail to reconquer them? There couldn’t have been that many people who fled, right?”
“You’re right. The Lombard military outnumbered the Freemasons 20:1 and had far more access to resources, food, and airships. Still got their asses whooped.” I reach the top of the hill and kneel down. “Off.”
“Yeeap!” David leaps off and shakes the snow off him. “How?”
I stretch my back and get a good look at my surroundings. Surprise surprise more snow and trees and rocks. Yaaay. There’s still a fair amount of conifer trees around here. The ground is littered with hefty pinecones - and I mean hefty. Some of these things are the size of David’s head and probably twice as heavy. Our path is still quite wide and the wind’s mild. Good. Just gotta keep trekking East.
“Well for starters launching a military siege up a mountain is just a bad idea regardless of context. Snow’s hard to fight and move in and troop morale always takes a hit in cold weather. Second, the Freemasons knew the lay of the land, were warned via Athesian spies that the Lombards were coming well ahead of time, and had plenty of time to lay lots of delicious traps for them. Third, Athos funded, trained, and gave away plenty of arms, food, and any other supplies they needed. Heck, even some Athesian mercenaries offered to fight for free as long as they got to keep what they plundered.”
“Wait… what is a mercenary?”
“Someone you pay to fight in a war or battle. Makes pretty good money if you’re willing to stick your neck out. Used to be one a few years back.”
“But that is…” David shivers as loose snow from a tree falls on him. “Ack! Geez… war is awful… why would anyone volunteer to go to war?”
“Some people really need a paycheck.” I chuckle, wipe the snow off his head, and continue on. “People gotta eat, ya know. Athesians in particular find war almost like a rite of passage for adulthood. Some want to die. Some just wanted to kill Lombards. Some had no hatred for Lombards, but wholeheartedly believed in the Freemason’s idea of liberty and fought their hardest for that.”
“Which one are you?” David looks up at me through dry cheeks and wet eyes. “Why did you become a mercenary?”
“I told you. I’m a sword. A sword that needs to eat.”
“Promise?” David’s jaw shakes for a moment.
“Promise.” I pat him on the head and continue escorting him. “Anyway, there’s one more reason why the Lombards failed to retake the mountains.”
“What is that?” David skips over a pinecone.
“The Lombards didn’t want to fight their own people. Even though the Freemasons considered themselves a different people, they still spoke Lombard. They shared the same faith, the same clothes, and the same skin. It’s always harder to kill someone who looks like you, no matter how minute the similarities are.”
“Do you know that from a textbook or from experience?”
“Experience.”
Wander Moon / 19 / 1218 A.F.
Sun goes down, moon comes up, mountain becomes illuminated with moonlight and polluted with David’s farts. This kid’s ass won’t shut up and he refuses to stop snacking on the bag of nuts.
“David! Dammit! Stop!” I gag. How much gas can be stored in this little runt!? “Stop farting already!”
“My stomach…” David leans onto a tree and clutches his stomach. “Ow…” he reaches into the bag of nuts again.
“No.” I yank the bag from him, tie it up, and stuff it in my coat. “You’re not eating any more.”
“But they are so good… and I cannot eat any of the other rations.”
“That’s your fault.” I cough. It’s so bad. I want to cut my nose off. I breathe through my mouth to save myself, but that only invites the mountain wind to dry out the inside of my mouth. “Learn to diversify your diet.”
David lets out another huge one and laughs. “Hahaha… ooough…” he groans and whines. “Please? Can I have just one more almond?”
“No.” I lightly smack the back of his head. “Now get going. Come on. We’re almost there.” I look up and see smoke from a nearby settlement. I can smell something cooking and even see part of a steel wall at the other end of the mountain pass. The few trees on the pass are completely barren of any pinecones or branches and there are plenty of tree stumps and carved out rocks all over the place. I can even see a mineshaft and some small minecart rails leading into the mountainside on the right. As I pass the minecart, I see it’s rusted and has a layer of frost over it, but it still looks like it's been used lately. There’s a collection of well-kept pickaxes and helmets at the bottom of the cart. I kinda want to swing one around just to blow off some steam.
“Astrid…” David yawns and farts. Again. “Ow… can you give me a piggyback ride? I’m sleepy.”
I look down at him and glare. “Okay, but if you fart one more time, I’m dropping you.”
“That is fair… please…” he collapses onto me and hugs me. “Carry meeeeeee.”
“Yeah yeah.” I turn around, kneel down, feel David hop onto my backpack, and I get moving again. The pass begins to narrow between two thick walls of mountain. The rocks shield me from the wind, but snow just keeps piling on me. It’s getting worse with every second. I have to shake off the snow every few minutes or so just to keep my back from giving out from the weight. My legs feel like jelly. Can’t feel my feet. My back feels raw and my cheeks feel like they’ll crack apart if I poke them… but I’m almost there. I can smell something cooking in the settlement… it’s faint, but strong. Mountain goat? No. Mountain cat? Maybe imported Athesian Boar? No. No. I know the smell of boar. That ain’t boar. Boar stench has more of a kick to it. It feels like the boar is headbutting your face just by smelling its charred carcass. It’s great.
A few minutes of walking later and I manage to arrive at the settlement. It’s a grand steel wall about twenty feet high and ten feet wide. It’s stuck between two tall, jagged spires that even mountain goats would have trouble bounding over. The exterior is illuminated by a pair of torches affixed to the edges of the wall. I can feel the frost melting off of me and feeling return to my cheeks. I knock on the wall and hear it echo through the pass. Sounds thick. Think some skin peeled off my knuckle just by striking it. “Yo. Anyone in here? Lemme in.”
I can hear snoring on the other side of the wall. “Oi.” I kick the wall.
I hear someone fall over and some metal clang. “Whoawhoabewgh!” a small grate in the wall opens around my eye level. “Who dares approach Mathilda the Magnificent’s Magical Gate?” The voice sounds lighter than David’s. She has an eyepatch that’s decorated with crayon over her right eye and a head full of dirty blonde hair. Skin’s pale and full of freckles.
“Name’s Astrid.” I dig into my jacket and show off my Hunter’s License. “I’m a Hunter. We need food and shelter. You need Hunters. Let me in.”
Mathilda flips up her eyepatch and glares at my license. The eye under the eyepatch is perfectly healthy. “Hmmm… that looks pretty fancy.” She looks down and up. “And you do look pretty tough. Who’s that little munchkin on your back?”
“Oh, this?” I pivot to show off David. “This is just some cargo. Pay him no mind.”
“I am under no distress.” he waves to Mathilda. “She is taking very good care of me.”
“Uh huh…” Mathilda’s eyes flicker back between me and David. “Hmmm… I dunno… it is kinda late and you guys do look kinda spooky. How do I know you’re not trying to trick me?”
“Kid, just let us in. It’s cold.”
“Please, ma’am.” David sniffles. “Let us in.” toot
I flick David off my back and hear him land butt-first into snow.
“Oof!” David whines.
“You alright?”
“Yes…” David shakes snow off his butt and gets back up.
“Hmmm…” Mathilda rubs her chin and flicks her eyepatch back down. “If you want to enter my domain, go to Crater Lake and retrieve a Lunar Te-”
“Mathilda? Mathilda! Where are you?” an elderly voice beckons. “Don’t tell me you’re playing Gatekeeper again!”
“Aw nuts…” Mathilda looks to the side.
“There you are!” the voice laughs and I hear footsteps approach the wall. A pair of old eyes slides up next to Mathilda’s. They’re bright blue and surrounded by bushy eyebrows, a bulbous nose, and a cool tattoo over the right eye. “Eeey, Mathilda.” he chortles. “Who’re these fine-looking blokes you’re keeping out?”
“I don’t know.” Mathilda looks to the side. “Probably some weirdos.”
“They don’t look weird to me. A bit smelly maybe, but not weird.”
“The smell’s coming from him.” I point to David and show the old eyes my license. “He pooped his pants.”
“That is a lie!” David slaps some snow at me and stays on the ground. “It is merely gas!”
“Hmmm…” Old eyes looks at my license. “My my. You’re quite the accomplished gal ain’tcha… ye got the chest of a bear and the scowl of a tiger. You’re just who we need right now. Come right in.”
SCCREEEEEEEEEEECH
Part of the wall slowly slides to the right and I see the people behind the grate. It’s an old man barely over five feet and a young girl about half a head shorter than David. They’re both standing on a large wooden crate.
David and I enter the settlement and help the two close the door behind us.
“What do you need me for right now?” I rub my hands together. “Cutting wood? Moving scarlet? Training Mathilda?” I crack my knuckles and smirk at Mathilda.
Mathilda meeps and hides behind the old man.
“We suspect the Lombards are up to something again.” the old man steps down from the crate and shakes his head. “But let us get out of the cold first. This is no place to discuss job prospects. Follow us.” the old man and Mathilda begin walking us through the settlement.
It’s this small, but dense collection of one-story domes all fashioned from thick ice. Imagine an area just slightly larger than a town square filled with row after row of tightly-packed igloos all around the center. I can see some carts and trees as well as some old houses carved into the mountainside around the outer ring of igloos. Around the perimeter, I can see the mountainside littered with holes and some maps etched into the walls. There’s a modest steel statue in the middle of town depicting a stout, strong man with an impressive mustache wielding a battle axe twice his size. Next to it is a staircase leading down into the mountain.
The man pauses for a moment and holds his lower back. “Hoo… hoo…”
“Papa?” Mathilda holds his arm.
“I’m alright, little one. These old bones have seen worse.” he punches his spine, grunts, and straightens his back. ‘Ere we are.” the man beckons us and begins descending the staircase. “Try to keep up if you can.”
We begin our descent and gaze upon the settlement’s underground. The underground is half the size of Frigus’s underground and lacked the organization and production capabilities. While the Frigus underground was organized with the precision and forethought of a finely tuned machine, the settlement underground is a chaotic mess. Buildings of conflicting architecture and styles clashed with one another and were laid about without any foresight or reasoning. It looks like whoever got here first had first say in where to put property and everyone else just accepted whatever leftover land was available. There’s tiny huts placed atop tiny hunts placed atop tinier huts. Some establishments look ready to teeter over and collapse if a wayward pebble were to land on the wrong side. It was nigh impossible to tell what functions each establishment served. There are forges that look like homes, homes that look like taverns, and taverns that look like forges. More often than not, you’ll have swords being forged in kitchens and popcorn being made in furnaces. There’s kids younger than David jumping across rooftops playing tag. Other kids are helping adults forge weapons on rooftops or guide sheep and goats through the narrow streets. On the way down, I can see a sign in Lombard over a larger building that says ‘Stridia’s Super Slave Emporium. Open 24/7 except for when I’m out to lunch.’ The rest either says ‘free potatoes with every slave’ or ‘pay half if you trade in an old slave’. Given the context and just how chaotic this place is, it could be either. I can also see a small park near the staircase. Well, park is a little generous. There is no grass or trees. Just a slide, some really nice swings, and a bench. All the kids on the bench are either prying pinecones open, grinding up pinecone seeds, or carefully taking apart some bright red ore. This place reminds me of Dead End. It has the same chaotic aura, but less menacing. And drier. Much. Drier.
“Hey, Gramps. What’s this settlement called?” I hold David’s hand and keep him close to me.”
“You didn’t see the sign outside?” Gramps stops and looks at me with a misty eye.
“What sign?”
“Oooh… gosh darn it. I knew I forgot something.” he chuckles, turns back forward, and continues escorting us. “Yer looking at the Vladiov Settlement. Population 2,000 and growing.”
“Is that counting the slaves?” David grumbles.
“Of course it does, what are you, coo-coo?” Gramps chuckles louder. “Slaves are people too.”
David sighs and yawns.
“You tired?” I ask.
“Yes…” David rubs his eyes. “Hungry too…”
“Oooh then I got just the thing for yer.” we turn a corner through the compact street to an even more compact part of the settlement. Gramps shuffles through his beard and tosses a small bottle backwards to David.
I catch it and examine the contents. It’s bright, red, finely-ground powder. Looks like the kind of spice that’ll burn a hole through your stomach. The vial’s about as long and wide as my middle finger. “Really, Gramps? You’re giving a kid scarlet?”
“What? A little bit won’t hurt him. It’ll keep him awake and stave off his hunger.” Gramps sneezes. “Never hurts to have a little scarlet on yer.”
“What is scarlet?” David looks up at me.
“Something you don’t need to take.” I shove the vial in my satchel and zip it up tight.
I can barely fit through these damn corridors… if I have to squeeze through one more corner, I might just punch a hole through a wall.
Gramps pivots left towards another cramped alleyway and I wind up a good left-jab. “Oh, wait… that’s not where it is. Excuse me.” Gramps pivots back right and begins ascending a small staircase. There’s a small road at the top of the staircase. It’s by far the least crowded road in this place. Actually looks like it's meant for a group of people to walk down. At the end of the road is a building built into the wall. Three stories tall, quite wide, and curves up towards the top. Looks far older than everything else here, but also far sturdier. It’s pale blue, has a mural etched into it depicting a siege on a mountaintop. The walls surrounding the building have holes that look large enough for carriages to pass through. I peek into one and see it’s barely illuminated by torches. The interior of the holes looks polished to a fine sheen and smooth and shiny as cooking oil.
David starts to wander off towards the holes.
“No.” I grab his collar. “You’re not sliding down them.”
“But I want to…”
“Later. Come on. We’re almost at lodging.”
Gramps leads us inside the building in the mountainside. It looks… simple. Stone chairs, stone table, and a large blanket hanging on a hook. Nothing but a bunch of weapons on the walls, some frozen fish and vegetables in some crates, and a small box on a table that has bits of pinecone and stone around it. There’s a small room towards the back with some shelves and a stone staircase winding up right next to it. Looks more like a makeshift bunker some guerilla fighters would make than a home.
Gramps takes the blanket off the wall and wraps it around Mathilda. “Get ready for bed, dear. I’ll be with you in a moment. I just need to help our guests first.”
“Okay…” Mathilda looks up at him with puppy-dog eyes. “Can you finish the story tonight?”
“Sure thing.” Gramps smiles. “Get the book ready and I’ll bring up some sugarbread when I’m done.”
“Yay…” Mathilda hugs Gramps. “Thank you.” she yawns, lets go, and heads upstairs.
Gramps waits until Mathilda is upstairs to start speaking to us. “Come sit down.” his tone grows much more dour and he sits down by a short table in the center of the room.
I sit down fine enough, but Gramps leans on the table.
“Allow me to assist.” David holds Gramps’ arm and helps him down.
“Thank you, my boy.” Gramps sits down and takes a deep breath. “That’s a well behaved boy got there.” he points to David. “Smooth voice too. He’d fetch a fair price.”
“Not for sale. Stop wasting our time and get to the job.”
I see David’s eyes shine and his face soften.
“Just letting you know what’s on the table.” Gramps clears his throat. “My apologies. I suppose the Lombards are a much more pressing matter.” he taps his crinkly fingers against the stone table and rubs his temple. “Now where was I… Lombards Lombards… right.” he snaps his fingers. “We received word from a scout that the Lombard 20th and 21st infantry is heading West. By now, they should have passed the Yural River. We expect they’ll reach Pekev within the next five days. Seven if we’re lucky and they trip some of our avalanches.”
“Trip?” I yawn.
“Just one of the many traps we have waiting for them. We’ve essentially made some collapsable dams that can trigger avalanches on command… let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that. I spent ten years building all the damn things…” Gramps yawns.
“And what do you want me to do? Scout? Garrison? Assassinate?”
“Oh no no. It’s far too late for scouting. You’d never catch up to our parties in time. I just need you to head out to Pekev tomorrow.” Gramps reaches into his pocket and begins unfolding a small map about as long as my forearm. He places it on the table and slides it towards us. It’s a map of the Free Range dotted with a bunch of settlements connected with bright red lines. While there are many settlement names, the six with the big names are Vladiov, Magada, Chita, Ude, Omk, and finally Pekev, the eastern most one. “Just take the tunnels from Vladiov to Magada, Magada to Ude, then Ude to Pekev. If there’s no traffic and everything goes well, you should get there in about forty minutes. Ask around for The Commander and say Old Man Dimitri sent you. They’ll know where to garrison you.”
“Gotcha.” I nod. “What’s the pay rate?”
“A hot dinner and a warm bed.” Gramps smiles. “I know you’re busy… but that’s all I can offer you. Feel free to take anything off the pale bastards you find… The Commander will probably give you something extra if you impress her.”
My stomach makes a disgusting gurgle and David giggles. “What is in the meal?”
“Porridge.”
David’s face lights up.
“And beef stew.” Gramps continues.
“I can live with that.” I smile.
“Wonderful.” Gramps claps his hands together, gets up, and heads over to the eastern part of the floor. There’s a small black heating unit with a single cauldron atop it. “I will get cooking. Please just sit tight. I don’t want to trouble my guests.”
We wait in silence for the old man to get cooking.
David slides up next to me and whispers into my ear, “Are you really going to garrison?”
“No.” I whisper back. “I’m getting you to Lombard.”
David smiles and rests his cheek on my shoulder. “Thank you…”
“But some Lombard armies advancing towards the East makes going down that road too risky… We’ll go south from Pekev to Chita and climb down southeast.”
“Is there a path there?”
“No. Hope you like rappelling down mountains.”
“I don’t know what that means.”
“You know when heroes in plays hold a rope and jump down a wall?”
“Ooooh… that is what that is called.” David nods. “Okay. Let us do that… but why cannot we just walk past the army? We are not their enemy.”
“That’s…” I feel my stomach deflate. “a bad idea…”
“Why?”
Gramps comes back and lays two large cauldrons down in front of us. Each one looks as deep as my helmet and twice as wide. One’s full of thick, brown beef stew full of chunky potatoes and slices of beef. The other one is pale, light brown, and reeks of oats and milk with just a hint of honey. I can see steam rising off both cauldrons. I swear I’m going to down that whole stew. Smells like there’s a whole cow marinating inside of it. Gramps slides a bowl over to me, a bowl over to David, plunges ladles into each of the cauldrons, and begins helping himself to some beef stew. “Please dig in, you two.”
Dig in we do. David basically gets the whole porridge bowl to himself. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him eat that much or that fast. Good. Kid needs some meat on his bones. Meanwhile, I’m gulping down stew like it's my last meal. Given my luck, I’d be surprised if it wasn’t. I pick out a piece of potato and just let it simmer in my mouth. Salt’s just right. I’m going to sleep so well tonight… never underestimate the magic of a good stew.
As David and I pig out, Gramps sips on his bowl of stew in silence. He has a small smile under his moustache, but his cloudy eyes look distant. Not empty. Just distant. Like he’s always staring at something that isn’t there… “Pardon… what did you say yer name was again?”
“Astrid.” I lick some stew off my lips.
“Astrid… that’s right.” Gramps licks some stew off his thumb. “That’s a good name… I really cannot thank you enough for offering to garrison.” I see his frail hands shake and clamp onto the edge of his bowl. “Swear to the gods… I’m scared… Terrified even.”
“Then why don’t you evacuate?” I ask. “I’m sure there’s plenty of Hunters here who would be more than happy to escort you and Mathilda to Athos.”
“I’m much too old to survive the trip.” Gramps shakes his head. “I can barely last five minutes outside without feeling Death rub my shoulder… and my back isn’t the stud it used to be…”
“I’m sure there’s ways around that. What about Mathilda? Does she know?”
“No.” Gramps shakes his head. “Why should she? It would only frighten her… and even if she did, she would refuse to leave Vladiov without me.”
“Then what will you do if the armies manage to break through?”
“They won’t.” Gramps rubs his nose. “But in case they do… I’d just follow orders I suppose… not like resisting at this age would do me or anyone any good. I can barely lift a cauldron, let alone a sword.”
“What about Mathilda? What do you think she’d do?”
Gramps just looks down into his bowl and gulps down a mouthful of stew.
“I just ask because while the Lombards pride themselves on chivalry, justice, and virtue… we all make mistakes in the heat of passion.”
Gramps puts his bowl down, sighs, and nods.
“I’m sure some knights would love to take their anger out on a defenseless Athesian.”
“How did you know she was Athesian?”
“Athesian children talk a certain way.” I bite into the potato and swallow a chunk. “Are you not Athesian?”
“Caldesian.” Gramps licks some stray stew off his thumb.
“I hope the knights know that.” I swallow the rest of the potato.
“They won’t find her…” Gramps tightens his fist. “Even if it costs me my life…”
I see David stare down into his bowl with a porridge mustache. He looks pensive.
“I’ll be sure to bring home some nice Lombard skulls then.” I pat Gramps on the shoulder. “I won’t let a single one through.”
“I thank you… though if by some abandonment of the gods they manage to break through, please don’t hesitate to come back here…” Gramps stares right into me. His cloudy eyes strike right into my brain like an arrow.
“I understand.” I put my hand over his and rub my thumb over his fingers. “They won’t hurt you.”
“The Matriarch will not let that happen.” David shakes his head and looks at Gramps. “I will dedicate all the prayers I can tonight for your safety.”
“You two are too kind…” Gramps wipes his nose and gets up. “Hold on a moment.” he turns around, approaches a cabinet on the wall, retrieves three small glasses and a large bottle, and returns to the table. “Let us do a toast. Life’s too short to be dour.” he slams down the bottle of pale blue liquid and begins pouring three glasses.
“I cannot drink that…” David shakes his head.
“Oh come now, lad.” Gramps slides a glass to him. “No one’s judging. You won’t get in trouble.”
“He doesn’t drink.” I stare at Gramps and take David’s glass.
“If you insist.” Gramps pours porridge into an empty glass and slides it to David.
“Yay.” David smiles down at the glass.
Gramps pours himself a glass and raises his arm. “What shall we toast to?” he looks to me, then to David.
“To freedom. May it bless us till our last breaths.” I raise my glass.
Gramps’ eyes glimmer and he smiles ear to ear. “To freedom!”
“To freedom!” David joins in and we all clack our glasses together and gulp down. It burns, but it got all the snot out of my throat. Warms me up too. Woo that’s harsh stuff. You could clean paint off with that. My mouth is still tingling.
“Want some more?” Gramps is already pouring himself another glass.
“Another three sounds about right.” I slam the glass down.
Gramps leers at me. “You get two more. I don’t need my mercenaries showing up hungover.”
“That’s fair.”
Gramps pours him and I two more drinks, the three of us clean out the two remaining cauldrons, and we all lie on the cold stone ground with bellies full of stew and porridge. The cold no longer harms me. The stew’s warmth keeps me immune. Good stews always make me want to sleep for a thousand years after I eat them… my eyelids are already feeling heavy.
“Hey now, don’t fall asleep yet.” Gramps offers me his hand. “I can’t have my guests sleeping on the floor.”
I take his arm and help myself up. I feel woozy, but a good woozy. Body feels loose and warm. Real loose. It’s a welcome change from being frozen stiff the past week. “Thanks, Gramps.”
“Don’t mention it. Follow me. Allow me to show you two to your room.” he leads us up the stairs and into the second floor. It looks basic. Beyond basic. Just a large bed with a heavy blanket, an old rug in the center, a bookshelf full of books written in languages across the continent. Most look rather old, some look ancient. I fear they’d turn to dust if I were to touch the spin. There’s a small section of the room that’s plated with metal, has pipes going to and from it, and is curtained off by heavy looking pink curtains. “Bed’s here. Shower and water heater is on the other side of the curtains. Please help yourself to the towels. Do you want me to wake you up or will you wake up by yourself?”
“I can wake up on my own.” I stumble and struggle to keep my eyes open.
“Excellent.” Gramps bows to me. “Thank you again so, so much… now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a bedtime story to read.” Gramps ascends the staircase to the third floor and leaves David and I alone.
I chuck my armor beside the bed, shower and get all the gunk off of me. Aaaaah… haaaah… Hot spring water is just what I needed. It’s going to dry out my skin, but I don’t care. I can feel my fingers and face again and that’s all that matters. I dry myself off, rub the frost off my clothes, and press them against the heating unit for a minute and they’re hot and dry like new. Don my hot clothes and hop into bed. I’m already drifting off to sleep. I’m becoming one with the mattress. The blanket’s engulfing me in it’s warmth. Take me, blanket. I’m yours. The sound of the shower running also helps but me to sleep. I could never explain why, but the sound of showers running always soothed me as long as I can remember.
I hear David exit the shower, get dressed, and curl up under the covers. “Hey, Astrid. Hey. Hey Astrid?”
“Yes?” I yawn and rub my eye. “What’s wrong? Is there a monster under the bed?”
“Can you tell me a bedtime story?” David holds my hand. My left hand.
“I hope you’re not expecting me to read anything from that bookshelf. It’s going to take me an hour just to read the first five pages.”
“Oh no, nothing like that… just another one of your Athesian tales, but could you make it happier this time? Please?” David yawns.
“Sure sure.” I ruffle his hair. “Let me think…” I grin. “You ever hear of the Crimson Queen?”
“Hmm…” David hums. “I do not recall a name like that. Is that another Athesian hero?”
“You could say that.” I chuckle. “Want to hear it?”
“Is it happy?”
“It’s got a happy ending.” I run my metal thumb over David’s hands.
“Then please. Tell me.”
“This one’s a real old Athesian tale going back centuries.” I clear my throat. “10,000 years ago, there was a child. A small child. A weak child. The child spent all their time reading stories about courageous heroes and valiant knights battling wicked sorcerers and corrupt kings. The child wanted to be strong, wanted to be fearless, wanted to be a hero. The child trained relentlessly to turn their dream into a reality. Their body grew big and strong, their mind sharp and quick, but their smile remained as bright as silver and warm as the sun. On the child’s sixteenth birthday, a horrible wizard plagued their village and caused people to turn into pigs one by one. All the other brave warriors and hunters were turned into pigs, but the child was still human. Alone, the child charged into the wizard’s lair and slayed the wizard, undoing the spell and returning peace and happiness to the village.”
David stays silent and looks up at me with a soft grin the entire time. I got him hooked on every word. “The village celebrated the child’s strength and bravery and gifted them body armor and a large sword. Thanks to the armor and the sword, the child finally felt big and strong. Emboldened by their accomplishments and new armaments, the child set out and ventured through the land for more evil foes to fight and maidens to save. One by one, evil tasted the bite of their sword. The child grew stronger and stronger. Once the last bit of evil had been wiped from the land, the child had become one of the strongest warriors in the land”
“The end?” David smiles.
“Oh, no. We’re just getting started.” I collect my breath. “The child looked for new conflicts, but could not find any. The child desired to get stronger still, but could not find any evildoers to test their blade against. So… the child began testing their blade against any who could put up a fight. It did not matter who. Mercenaries, beasts, knights, kings, other legendary heroes, all fell to the child’s blade one by one. With each person slain, the child’s armor and sword grew more and more caked in blood. The amount of blood on the armor soon outweighed the armor itself, but that did not stop the child. In fact, the child welcomed it. The blood was an effective training weight. The people of the kingdom soon began to call the child The Crimson Queen: a bloodstained knight who roams the land for blood and battle. Once the kings and knights were slain, the kingdom fell into chaos. Peaceful people became bandits to survive and the army banded together to protect the last vestiges of order in a world gone mad.
David’s expression slowly turns more and more dour. “You said it would be happy…”
“I’m getting to that.” I yawn and close my eyes, but continue telling the story. “Several armies attacked the child, but they all fell… The Crimson Queen laughed and painted the entire land with the army’s blood. The soil and mountains were dyed red. All plant life stained with the blood withered away and died. The sky turned black and the moon turned red as the sun itself turned its back on The Crimson Queen. When all life had been extinguished in the land, The Crimson Queen still wandered the land searching for opponents in order to obtain more power. The helmet and armor had become fused with their skin and their sword and become one with their flesh and bone. The Crimson Queen would wander the land for the next thousand years in search of battle, but could find nothing but death, death, and more death. Nothing but death in a world long abandoned.”
I hear David yawn. His hand is still firmly holding onto mine.
Eventually, The Crimson Queen’s armor had grown too heavy and it fell to its knees. The Queen plunged the sword into the earth and bowed its head. Little by little, the blood on its sword and armor began to chip away and liquify. Oceans of blood dripped off the armor and flooded the earth. The blood seeped into the ground and spread across even the sky. Once the Queen was cleansed of all blood, its armor turned rusty and its blade broke into pieces. Parts of its armor fell off, revealing that the armor had been naught but a hollow husk for quite some time. Once the last bit of blood had seeped into the earth, life sprang anew. Trees and grass sprouted from the earth, the sky turned blue, rabbits, moose, deer, wolves, and humans all were reformed from clay. The oceans and sky turned clear and blue once more. The wind crafted new birds and fish sprouted from patches of kelp. All the new denizens of the world only know peace. Wherever the wind blows, people can hear a warm whisper. Wherever the sun shines, people feel embraced by a warm hug. A millennium of peace and prosperity passed and no one had any memory of The Crimson Queen. The armor still lies upon a hilltop and is overgrown with lush moss and soft grass. The end.” I open my eyes and poke David on the forehead. “What do you think?”
“That is… an odd story. I am not sure how to feel about it.”
“Did you enjoy it?”
“I did,” David keeps his eyes closed and his speech starts to slur a little. “Though I am a little confused as to what the moral is supposed to be.”
“The moral’s what you make of it. Not all stories have morals.” I yawn and feel my body relax deeper into the bed.
“As long as there is a good ending… that… that is all that matters…”
David and I fall asleep and I have a quiet night once again.