Side story:
Rosemary’s Birthday
March ninth, fourteen seventy-nine, six thirty-four AM
In the middle of a battle, a warzone filled with flames and dead soldiers is a pregnant woman and a soldier assisting her while she gives birth. She tries her best to hold back her screams, so the soldier helps her by moving her golden hair out of her face, tying it back, wiping the sweat from her brow, and giving her a nearby sword to bite the hilt of. She begins screaming as she gets closer and closer to the end of her pain, her eyes widen at the sight of an enemy soldier running towards them. The soldier is a dog Demi-human welding a large ax, which he’s about to slam down on the two, but in a flash, the Demi-human is turned into a bloody paste on the ground. The giant man stands tall and begins glaring at the pregnant woman, and then gives an angry look to the soldier helping her, scaring him off. The large muscly man stands over the woman like a statue, scratching at his metal jaw as she continues screaming out in pain.
“DAMMIT JUDGE! HELP ME!”
The imposing man quickly loses any sense of intimidation he once had and quickly gets down to help the woman. She begins grabbing and pulling at his short golden hair, letting the pain-filled tears stream down her face.
Judge: “Iris, could you calm down? We’re in the middle of a warzone!”
Iris: “DON’T YOU DARE TELL ME TO CALM DOWN! I DIDN’T WANT TO BE OUT HERE! YOUR DUMBASS GOT ME PREGNANT!...AUGH!”
Judge: “Sorry! But I asked you not to come! You shouldn’t even be here!”
Iris: “I’M THE LEADER OF THIS ARMY! I WON’T SIT OUT IN ANY BATTLE NO MATTER THE…AHW, IT’S COMING!”
Judge freezes up, but once he’s slapped by Iris, he’s placed back into his right mind. His stomach begins reeling as he sees the baby begin to crown, but he remains strong and aware of his surroundings. After a few minutes that feel as if they stretch on forever, the baby makes its way through, and Judge lifts it and hands it to Iris.
Judge: “It’s a girl…what do you want to name it?”
Iris: “I couldn't care less, I’m just really tired…”
Judge: “Well if you don’t care, then I’ll name her…Mary, Rosemary, my grandmother's name…is that okay?”
Judge begins to cry, and realizes that Iris is long fast asleep, so Judge picks up the crying Rosemary and sits there with her until the battle ends…
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Nineteen years later:
About a week before the raid on Walgonia, Gray and the others try their hardest to set up a surprise party before Rosemary wakes up. Gray tries his hardest to set up Rosemary’s birthday as close to birthdays as he’s used to but without the ability to go out and buy streamers, a banner, a well-made birthday cake, and even a one and nine-shaped candle. So, for the past seven days, they’ve been back in Greenvale, and he’s been preparing as best as he can, with the help of everyone else of course. Gray and Soku made birthday hats by cutting small slim strips of wood and sewing golden-colored cloth around them in the shape of the hat. They also went out and bought her gifts while they were still in Walgonia’s capital, and are currently trying to not burn Rosemary’s cake.
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Gray begins to panic as Edward and Peter struggle to set up the streamers, which are cut and painted pieces of paper, while Gray and Soku pull out an overcooked cake. They begin blowing on it and trying to scratch off the brunt pieces, but it’s no use, it’s almost inedible.
Gray: “Of course, we overcook the cake…dammit.”
Soku: “Whatever I’ve eaten worse. Now put that…what’d you call it?”
Gray: “Icing?”
Soku: “Yeah, Icing. Put the icing on it.”
Gray takes the icing out of their fridge, and they both begin to lair it over the cake. All the noise they’re making causes Rosemary to begin waking up, and luckily she does this fairly slowly. She slowly gets up out of bed, a bit confused by the lack of a sleeping Gray beside her. She walks through their room, picks up Gray’s dirty clothes, and places them into a hamper. She then opens her drawer and takes a pair of pants out, as well as a white tank top. She then shivers a bit, due to the cold air of Greenvale, and grabs Gray’s jacket, which was also lying on the floor. She shakes and pulls it, trying to get the wrinkles out, but it’s as if the wrinkles were made into the jacket, making it impossible to get them out. She continues to stare at his jacket, sitting on the bed while doing so. The gray color is faded, and there are multiple patches where it needed to be sewn back together due to the damages it’s received. She stands up and pulls out her underwear drawer, grabbing a journal from under her underwear. She then begins reading through it, feeling a bit nostalgic for her past writings. Each year for her birthday, she had written about her year in an old journal, but such a journal burnt in Soku’s house fire. Now, possessing a new journal, she begins writing about her year in it.
{ This is my first time writing in the new journal. Gordon said to find a way to get the stress out before our big fight, so here it goes. This past year has been rough, to say the least…the last birthday I had was in a tent filled with sleeping soldiers…and I ran away a few days later. Since then I lived on the street for a few weeks, struggling to eat and find a place to live. I took some money to get through the first few weeks but I had to pick up a few jobs to make sure I could live…I really rushed into all of this…and not three months after I left the Golden Knights they all perished…all but Calgary…but I had to kill him…ending everything connected to my past life. But, even if that’s sad, I’ve met so many important people since then. I helped a young girl named Soku defend herself from some anarchist trying to attack her and her now passed younger sister, and they let me live with them for a while. And while living with them…I met the most important person in my life. I may have rushed into things way too fast, came on way too strong, and have been pushing him into uncomfortable situations…you could say I’ve been a bit too pushed by lust…but it’s all worked out so far.}
{ Gray Kyojin, my partner, my best friend…but I’m not his best friend. He’s way better friends with Soku, but I’m okay with that, just a little jealous that’s all. At first, I didn’t know why I was so shy around him, but so confident at the same time. I was stuttering and sleeping beside him the day I met him…I even surprised myself with how close I got to him…and I think it’s because he reminds me of myself… I know that sounds like I have a massive ego…and hell, maybe I do. But I love him, he’s funny, super sweet, really pretty, and has a stronger will than anyone I know. I lived with Musashi Van Helsing, the world's once strongest swordsman, as well as his nephew Edward, and the Leviathan army's past strategist Alon. I trained with them, I even lived with them in a small mansion on the northern side of Walgonia’s capital…but it was short-lived. We were attacked…just like we were when I lived in Soku’s home, the same day I met Gray. And Gray saved us twice…and I’m still in his debt for it…I was even in the knight's exam…even though I failed in the first round of duels…}
{ But right after this, I experienced one of my most heart-wrenching moments when he got really hurt by Arthur, a once renowned Hero turned fallen Anarchist, for calling him out on his bullshit, defending my honor…but he was crushed by it…and he said he was leaving…and broke down. I had to listen to his hatred for himself, a hatred I couldn’t see until it was too late…I just wanted to make myself think he didn’t have any problems…and he left…but miraculously he came back, and I welcomed him back with open arms. But the same day, Musashi, Kioshi, and Ophelia died in front of me…and it’s still a haunting sight I see from time to time…but I can’t sit around and feel bad for what happened, and I think I’ve grown much farther than I started. For the past year, I’ve grown three stages in strength, joined the Leviathon army, got a boyfriend, and more importantly, a new family...and I don’t feel that shy anymore…because there’s no time for it.}
{ After fighting, training, fighting, even more fighting, training, running to another country to watch it burn down, and finally take down Arthur, we can finally rest for a bit. I think my friends are planning something downstairs for my birthday, something that would have never happened if I didn’t run away…and I’m just so happy I did. I have a younger sister now, as well as a younger brother and an older brother, a house, a teacher, and a warm bed. I feel loved here like I can finally grow to be myself, not a shy soldier, but a happy Knight of Walgonia. I love my life, and I never want to run away from it, never again.}
After a hefty amount of writing, she closes the journal, puts it back under her underwear, and begins walking downstairs, to find it pitch black. She’s a bit confused, but she’s surprised when they turn the lights on and begin to shout.
Everyone: “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”
Rosemary is speechless, running up to everyone to be met with a messy-looking cake with candles roughly cut into the shape of the number nineteen.
Gray: “Happy Birthday Rosemary…now blow out your candles and make a wish.”
Rosemary stares at blankly Gray and quickly blows out her candles.
Peter: “What did you wish for?”
Gray: “Hey! You can’t say it out loud or it won’t come true!”
Rosemary: “That’s okay…I didn’t wish for anything. I have all I need right in front of me.”
Fin