They left their small camp before the sun had fully risen. Henry had enjoyed the rabbit stew so much, it itched at him to have more. He craved the delicious salty creamy soup with bits of tender rabbit meat. It went perfectly with bread, which Erik had offered them in exchange for letting him partake in the precious stew. They all had consumed the broth, asking for seconds and thirds and still wanting more but quickly ran out. And to top it off, the mouthwatering soup ended with several cups of ale. Whatever problems and issues anyone had, they slept soundly that night with bellies full of exquisite tasting food.

Breakfast had been a pale comparison to the night before. Hard-boiled eggs without salt. They had used the last of their salt with the rabbit but it had been worth it, though Henry was slightly grumpy from his stomach growling in hunger. He was grateful for something to eat nevertheless.

Their group consisted of a prominent lord and the king of Vulkira, which turned heads. They were an odd-looking bunch, to say the least, and Erik’s frostrium steel sword drew many scrutinous eyes.

After passing one village, Kyburn adjusted their path, going through more remote areas as to avoid unwanted attention and berated the king for his foolishness.

Erik had taken it well, realizing his mistake and acted accordingly. Instead of lashing out at being told off, Erik acknowledged his lack of awareness and did what lord Kyburn told him.

Learning more of Kyburn’s past only made Henry admire him even more for his bravery and sacrifice. Though Kyburn hadn’t said it, Henry knew those men that gave their lives to save Xerath on that hill had all been friends of Kyburn. He could only imagine the enormous amount of guilt and pain leading men to their deaths. Maybe that was why Kyburn took pride in settling down in Zulin and living a comfortable life. Perhaps for his fallen comrades and for himself, he lived for them all and honored their memories. Henry imagined Kyburn to be completely someone else in the war, battle had obviously changed him forever.

Doubts and worries gnawed at the back of Henry’s mind. A dark secret that Kyburn had been hiding for years had surfaced and he was grateful for his lord’s honesty. On one side, Henry couldn’t excuse his actions, even if it was for the greater good and to bring lasting peace. Killing a child, in many ways, was nothing more than wrong. On the opposite end, Kyburn killed the prince of Kligira to save lives and was obeying orders. He sacrificed his conscience in order to protect his country from further threats. Right or wrong, Kyburn did what he thought was right, and Henry admired his loyalty to Xerath and to his country.

Riding for days made Henry groan in pain as his backside grew more and more uncomfortable by the minute. His mind had quickly forgotten his troubles and focused on his backside. His ass and legs were so sore he thought they would fall off. Henry’s attention snapped up when Kyburn’s hand shot up in a fist, commanding them to stop and stay silent.

A rush of adrenalin shot through his body, waiting in anticipation for something to jump out at them, but nothing came. They stood there for several tense moments when rustling from behind them alerted them of approaching footsteps.

Everyone whipped their heads and horses around to ten men in ragged clothing charging at them. Kyburn and his men urged their horses forward to confront them, shouting orders.

“Bandits!” Erik shouted, pulling Frostmoon from his scabbard, the blue-tinted sword flickered in the light of the sun and the rest of the guards followed suit.

Henry pulled his dagger from his hip but wasn’t experienced enough to charge in after them so he hesitated behind Erik. The little training he had was almost nonexistent. Only a few sparring and close combat training sessions with Kyburn wasn’t nearly enough time to boost his confidence in himself.

They must have seen Erik’s sword when they passed through one of the towns. Stealing from a king and lord may be foolish, but the risk of reward was far greater than any more man could hope to ignore. Frostmoon was priceless and would sell for a heavy penny if they could sell it off. All of Isulia knew the rarity of frostrium steel and Henry had to admit, it was a grave mistake to have flaunted it about in the open.

Suddenly, two men from his right burst from the forest, heading straight for him with daggers drawn and murder in their eyes. In an instant they were upon him, giving him no time to react. They had snuck up on them from the side while their attention was elsewhere.

As they approached, Henry turned and swung at the first man, but swiped through air as he ducked under the knife. The bandit leapt up and grabbed his shirt and belt, heaving him off the horse. Henry crashed to the ground, which knocked the wind out of him. The bandit crouched on top of him, a glint of steel flickered in the rays of sun and Henry knew the man on top of him was about to kill him. He blocked the thrust with a knee to the man’s elbow and yelled as he shoved his own knife into the man’s throat.

Blood sprayed everywhere, in seconds, he was soaked. He pushed the body off but was met immediately by the second bandit who swung a dagger at his throat. Henry dodged the swing by dropping back to the ground, missing him by an inch. The bandit instantaneously lunged for another attack but Henry rolled, the knife sinking into the ground where he had been a moment earlier.

Henry had no time to think but merely reacted, keeping as much distance as he could from the dirty looking man. His clothes were torn and his body was filthy, possibly due to long periods of isolation from society. Bandits and thieves had become a rarity, so to see one was a shock of its own.

Inexperienced and scared to the bone, Henry scrambled to his feet, readying himself for another attack, to either defend or flee. Shouting and screaming came from his left but he ignored the sounds and kept his attention on the man before him, remembering Kyburns training.

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Swiftly rolling to his feet, the bandit charged him, screaming at the top of his lungs. The man looked completely unhinged and insane but Henry reacted by ducking to the right and sidestepping to the left. In the same awkward move, Henry swung the knife catching the bandit’s face, digging out a long gash across the eyebrow.

Enraged, the man swiped at Henry’s stomach, which he jumped backward, kicking his feet from the ground in the effort. He felt a twinge of pain near his rib but ignored it and dodged backward again, as another swipe of the cold steel threatened to open his guts.

Thrusting forward, the bandit left himself open, which Henry took the opportunity awkwardly but managed to pull it off. He sidestepped again, grabbing his hand and lifted his left elbow to his face, and slammed it into the bandit’s nose but the blow wasn’t hard enough. The bandit retaliated, one arm in Henry’s armpit, he brought up his left fist and landed a blow to Henry’s jaw, which knocked him backward. The force of the hit nearly caused him to tumble over but he caught himself and backed away, regrouping his thoughts.

The bandit's eye and upper nose was bleeding profusely but one eye was visible and on fire with a berserk gaze. Once again he charged forward, screaming and pummeled Henry over, knocking the breath out of him. As the bandit charged into him, Henry brought his own knife down into his back but seemed to do nothing to hinder the crazed man.

They hit the ground hard and Henry lost his grip on the knife, leaving it in the bandit's back. Kneeling over him, the bandit brought his entire body up for a final blow and Henry knew he couldn’t stop it. He brought his arms up in a feeble attempt to block the attack as terror struck him.

Suddenly a horse overhead flew past him and decapitated the bandit kneeling over him. Henry watched as the head flew through the air ten feet, flipped and spun, spraying more blood everywhere. The body of the bandit slumped and fell on top of him, drenching him in more blood.

Eyes wide in shock, Henry looked in horror at the sight. It seemed unreal but the warm body atop him still felt alive, which terrified him further. An instant later the dead bandit was shoved off him to reveal Kyburn, saying something but Henry couldn’t hear him, his ears seemed to ring.

A hand on his shoulder shook him but he barely noticed. His gaze was locked on the headless body. Veins spurted blood and the spine could be seen, the body still twitched and convulsed as if it were still trying to kill him.

“Henry!” Kyburn shook him. “Are you alright? Are you wounded?”

Henry shivered, realizing he had killed a man for the first time. Turning to the man he had stabbed in the neck, who still shook, grasping at his throat, fighting for air. Erik’s guard, Durlan, approached and finished him off, ending his suffering with a stab to the heart.

“Henry!” Kyburn shouted again. “Look at me son!”

“I-I’m alri-alright.” Henry stuttered in shock.

“Check his side.” Erik pulled up with his horse and pointed at Henry’s rib. Though he was covered in blood his shirt was torn which Erik obviously noticed.

“This was your fault!” Kyburn hissed. “You put all our lives in danger by bringing that sword with you.”

Erik opened his mouth to respond, his face angry but he turned and hung his head, obviously realizing the gravity of his simple mistake. He was so used to being in his castle where he was guarded and loved by his people, this was unfamiliar to him.

Kyburn placed his hand gently over the tear in Henry’s shirt and came away with his hand covered in red. Henry started to panic, thinking he was going to die but the blood wasn’t his. In a fit of fear and shock, Henry shivered and looked to Kyburn, as if pleading for help.

“Let me see.” Kyburn said with a strong and steady voice. “Calm down.” he said as Henry’s hands patted at his stomach trying to get a look.

Henry scrambled to lift his shirt to expose his chest, which revealed a small cut barely an inch wide across his ribs. “Am I going to die?” he asked, still in shock.

“No.” Kyburn chuckled in relief. “It’s just a scratch but let me clean it.”

Kyburn snapped his fingers and a soldier instantly handed him a first aid bag. The bag was full of gauze and other remedies for wounds.

“Take your shirt off, it’s soaked.” he ordered softly. Kyburn quickly pulled out bandages and cleaned the wound then left gauze over it, sticking it in place by wrapping it around Henry once.

“There. You’ll be fine.” Kyburn reassured him.

“I killed him.” Henry said blankly.

“You were defending yourself. Don’t forget that, Henry. That man gave you no choice.” Erik said sympathetically, knowing Henry would feel guilt for taking a life.

“Erik’s right.” Kyburn added, though his anger toward the king’s foolishness hadn’t abated. “He was an evil man.” he said convincingly.

“Right.” Henry whispered. “Defending myself.” he repeated after them, in a drunken like stupor.

Kyburn noticed their support wasn’t helping. He quickly turned to a different tactic. “Henry. I was going to wait to tell you but I have a surprise for you in Xerixes.”

“You do?” Henry’s voice sounded interested but still dull with shock.

“Indeed. We’ll have to get there for you to find out.” Kyburn said. “I know you’ll like it. Just a couple more days and you’ll see.”

“Okay.” Henry stood up, walking toward his horse, trying to calm himself. “I’ll just put another shirt on then.” he mumbled.

Everyone looked at him, still worried for the boy. It brought back their own memories of killing their first human… it would always stick with you and they knew exactly how he felt.

“Take it easy, Henry.” Erik said. “You’re in shock. Take a moment to relax.”

“Here.” Durlan offered. “Take this. It’s water and dried meat.”

“Sit down for a minute.” Kyburn walked up behind him. “You’re alright. You did good, Henry.”

“Really?” Henry looked up at him, looking pale. “I thought I was going to die. I was so scared.” he almost whimpered.

“You kept calm and fought well, son.” Kyburn encouraged. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there sooner. If I had known they had come from behind us, I would have protected you.”

“I did what you taught me.” Henry muttered. “You’re training saved me. I hope I made you proud.”

At the time, Henry didn’t notice the look of sadness coming over Kyburn’s face. He didn’t realize that Kyburn was frightened, he himself was shaking at the close call. His lord would’ve never admitted the terror he felt at the idea of almost losing Henry.

“You did, son. You made me proud.” Kyburn calmly said, pulling Henry into his chest and hugging him. “You did well.” he whispered.