Cori Brynor
*15 years earlier*
“Name?” The officer sitting at the desk asked.
“Cori,” I responded.
The large man raised an eyebrow at me, “And your family name?”
“No family name.”
The soldier looked up at me curiously, then gave a nod and wrote something down on the paper in front of him. He was very old, perhaps a veteran from the previous war. That’s probably why he was a recruiter rather than on the battlefield.
“Age?” He asked.
“Fifteen.”
Again, he took a glance up at me, “Are you sure about this, girl? You’re young. You’ve got your whole life ahead of you. Why are you—“
“I have nowhere else to go, and I want to serve the King and God in any way I can.”
The soldier stared at me for a short time, then shook his head and continued writing, “Ok then. I’m assigning you to the twelfth medical company. They are currently stationed just outside Rorfork on the river bank. Your commanding officer will be General Rediff. The other’s assigned there will be leaving tomorrow at dawn. When you arrive, hand this,” the man held out the paper he was just writing on, “To a superior officer, preferably Rediff.”
“Thank you,” I said, taking the paper.
The man gave me one more sympathetic look before waving me off and yelling, “Next!”
The short line behind me began to move, and I made my way back home. Or, what I had called home for the past few days. A little inn at the edge of the small village, which only competed with one other location. It was far more affordable then the ones in the City of Marble, and because of the money I had taken before I left. I missed the loud, uncaring sounds of the night in the big city. They calmed me, despite them being anything but abrasive and rude. I hated the quiet that permeated the village, not a single sound louder than the chirping birds as I walked. It was unsettling, and felt unusual compared to what I thought had been normal.
The ride was long, even with multiple lisyfe’s pulling our caravan along the Bloodied Plains, a name I didn’t particularly care for. It felt wrong, like a desecration of all the people that had lost their lives fighting here. The land should have been named after the soldiers' victories, not of their wounds and deaths. It could’ve been a way to commemorate what they had done in service to God, not a reminder of how much was lost.
Rorfork was far. The small town was near the center of the continent, and farther north than I had ever been before. The village was very different to the one I had spent a few days in after fleeing the city. It was far smaller, which I thought impossible given how tiny the town I had spent a few nights in was. The houses in Rorfork were all stone, most of them circular, looking more like huts than actual homes. That’s when I realized there wasn’t a single tree for as far as I could see. Small bushes and tall grass lined the rolling hills around the village, but trees were a faint memory around here. I had heard of this before when reading about the plains. Forests were rare in the center of the continent, so most places had to rely on earth mages for any sort of basic infrastructure. That was why so many who were rejected by the magic tower moved out here. Each building was around the same size, except for a much larger one near the center, which I assumed to be some kind of important meeting place for the townsfolk. Overall, it wasn’t much to behold. We slowly passed it as our coachman took us closer to the river, where I would spend the foreseeable future.
Tents, some made of stone, but most made of cloth, dotted the land as we made our way closer to the river. All along the dirt path were soldiers, some equipped with swords, others with shields and spears, and some with a bow and quiver strapped to their backs. Many of them watched us as we went by, looking up from their breakfast and morning coffee, while a few followed behind us. It made me a little excited to be around so many people again, my homesickness quelled a bit by the crowd.
I waved to a man who had stood to get a better look at us as we passed by. He was extremely tall, but his body was lean, unlike most of the other soldiers who were much larger in size. The man’s hair was cropped short and brown, as were his eyes and the short, unkempt beard that sat on his chin. He seemed a bit caught off guard by my gesture, and kept still for a few seconds before rushing to catch up with our caravan.
“So, new soldiers or is this simply a supply run?” He asked.
“Both,” I responded, trying to match his sing-songy way of speaking.
“Oh? Then will I have the pleasure of seeing you around here often?”
I smiled, and the soldier did as well, “Only if you get injured often. I signed up to be a nurse. I’m not much for fighting.”
“Really? I suppose that may be true, but you seem far fiercer than your appearance lets on.”
I chuckled, “I guess you’ll have find out. What’s your name?”
“Arthur. And yours?”
“Cori.”
“Cori. I do hope I get to learn more about you. Though, I’d prefer it if we didn’t meet simply because I’m wounded.”
“I think I’d like that too.”
Arthur’s smile turned into a full, jovial grin, so wide I thought it would stretch off of his face, “Awesome! I’ll see you soon then.”
The soldier turned back and headed to the tent that I assumed was his. There, he threw his fists up in celebration. The action made me chuckle, and I turned to see another one of the passengers, a young girl like me, throw her eyebrows up. I waved her off, but that only caused the girl’s smile to widen.
It didn’t take us much longer to reach the center of the camp, where a large stone fortress sat. It was like a tiny castle, with four towers on each corner and guards patrolling the walls. It was actually quite impressive for something that had been made in a rush. As our caravan approached the wall, a young female soldier put both her hands against the wall, and the earth below us began shaking. She pulled downwards against the stone, causing a part of the wall to sink into the ground like a rock would in water. She motioned towards us to enter, and we did so.
“General Rediff! Fresh soldiers and supplies!” the woman yelled from behind us before quickly rebuilding the wall she had just opened.
I hopped off the back of the wagon, readying the paper I had received a few weeks ago. The others followed behind me as I headed towards the front of our caravan. There, a man with armor that looked freshly polished, stood, speaking to someone from another wagon. He had short blonde hair that looked almost like wax, and a bit of stubble growing on his rather strong chin. He was fairly handsome, but he was much too old for my tastes, perhaps around his forties. The only unsightly feature he had were his eyes, which looked so heavy that I figured he hadn’t had any sleep in days.
“Who’s next!” The general yelled, waving away the person he was just speaking to.
I walked up to him and handed him my registration.
He studied it quickly, “A nurse. Good. We always have a need for more of you. Our medical wing is inside this central fortress, in the northern tower. Head that way and the people there will give you orders. Next!”
It didn’t take long to acclimate myself into the medical wing of the fortress. The other men and women were excited that I was there to help them out, but they had very little for me to actually do. Most of my duties were menial, and had very little to do with treating wounds, like laundry or cleaning. It seemed attacks were rare directly on the military encampment, and the Aishyan army usually crossed the river in small groups far away from strongly defended areas. So, instead of trying to predict exactly where they would attack, the King had set up a few large fortresses along the river, and they were responsible for a small section of the river. General Rediff was in charge of the center, and he had small groups of soldiers lining the entire bank, and a smoke signal system was in place so that whenever there was a crossing, reinforcements could be sent to prevent the Aishyans from gaining a foothold in our territory. This meant there were very few major injuries for us to treat, and a lot of free time to waste. With nothing else to do, I decided to spend a lot of this time with Arthur.
“So, are you feeling a bit more comfortable here now?” Arthur asked as I walked up and laid down next to him on the grassy bank.
“I think so. It’s all a bit different than I’m used to. It’s quieter than I thought it would be.”
“Well, it might not be that way for much longer,”
I gave him a confused stare, “Oh? And why’s that?”
“Well, the monthly shift for the soldiers stationed on the river is coming, which means my father and little brother are coming back to Rorfork. They’re both a bit more, how do I say this, eccentric than me. What I’m trying to say is I think you’ll like them, and I want you to meet them.”
“Arthur,” I said, a bit harsher than I meant to.
“I know, I know. Relax, this isn’t some sort of ‘bringing the girlfriend home’ gesture. Besides, you already know I’m not interested,” Arthur waved to one of the many women staring at the two of us, who all blushed and quickly scrambled out of sight, “I wouldn’t enjoy talking to you if you acted like them after all.”
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
“Oh shut up. We both know how much you enjoy your entourage of beautiful women. That was the only reason you first spoke to me.”
“You might be complimenting yourself too much there,” He said with a playful sneer.
I elbowed his side, causing him to let out a sharp breath, “The only reason you keep talking to me is because you're still trying to win me over.”
“Well, that’s true,” I rolled my eyes, “But I do enjoy your company, and really think of you as a friend. Come on, I’m sure you’ll love my family.”
“If they’re anything like you, I doubt it, but fine.”
My expectations for what Arthur’s family was like only grew as the day of the shift grew closer, and I found Arthur marching into the medical wing with two other men the day the soldiers arrived. One had his arm around Arthur, clearly struggling to walk with a bandage wrapped around his left leg. The man was a few centimeters taller than Arthur, something I thought impossible given how tall he was, and looked like a wild beast. Unlike Arthur, who was rather lean, this man was huge, looking as if he could fight a Fyrbera with just his bare hands. I could see him dodging the giant flame pawed beast, then tackling it with all of his strength. Just looking at the man’s size terrified me, and his face didn’t help. He wore a deep frown that extended to his dull brown eyes, and his long hair that he had pulled back into a bun only accentuated his terrifying features.
I steeled myself as best I could, pushing the fear of the man back since it was clear he was injured, and it was my job to heal him. However, when the large man noticed me, his frown turned into a wide grin, and all the features he had that once scared me grew soft. Rather than a ferocious beast, he had turned into a friendly, cuddly giant.
“Holy shit! You're beautiful!” The giant exclaimed as Arthur helped him onto the cot next to me with a sigh.
His unexpected directness made me blush a little, being so different from the subtle romantic gestures Arthur would try on me to woo me over, “Umm… Thank you.”
“Sorry to bring them here. I wanted to introduce you first, but this idiot clearly hasn’t taken care of himself,” Arthur said, smacking the giant.
I peered behind them for a second to get a look at the other man. He was far shorter than the others, only slightly taller than me. He was bald, but a long brown beard flowed from his chin down to his midsection. He gave a large smile and waved. I returned his gesture, then moved my focus back to Arthur and the giant.
“This is my little brother, Aaron,” Arthur said, patting the giant on the shoulder.
“Little?” I thought.
“Little!” Aaron bellowed out, followed by a hearty laugh.
I chuckled along with him, as he took the word literally out of my mind.
“Okay, okay. Shut up you two. Cori, can you check his like out for us? It took me forever to convince myself to come here,” Arthur said.
Aaron’s grin widened even further, “If I knew she was going to be my doctor I would have come in an instant.”
“Sure,” I said, my smile growing alongside the giant’s.
I carefully took off the wrappings that covered Aaron’s leg, getting a good look at the wound. Even with the small amount of training I had received from the other doctors and nurses, I knew immediately what was wrong.
“The wound is infected. Your very lucky Arthur convinced you to come here. If not, you might have lost the leg.”
Aaron’s face seemed shocked for a second, but then it went back to a smile, “Here that Arthur? I could’ve been like one of those pirates from Jua! Grrr, give me yer gold before I lop yer head off!” he yelled, swiping his arm towards his brother as if he had a sword in his hand.
I smiled, a bit taken with his overwhelming optimism, but I began to wonder about how much trouble this giant has gotten into in the past. I let him continue his pirate fantasy while I started to clean the wound. I connected myself to the pail of water at the cot’s side, feeling a warmth spread through my body as the energy filled me. I was never very good at magic, and paid very little attention in the classes my parents had sent me to, but I could never hate this feeling. I was terrible at it compared to even the worst novice, but I still appreciated the gift God had given me. I lifted some of the water out of the pail and spread it across the wound, cleansing it of the infection the best I could.
“Woah! You’re a mage!” the giant yelled, pulled out of his fantasy.
“Oh! Does it sting? Sorry, but I need to clean the wound or it’s only going to get worse.”
“Oh no, it’s perfectly fine. I’m tough,” he said, then, as if to exaggerate his point, he flexed his giant bicep.
“Excuse my baby brother, Cori. He’s not all there in the head,” Arthur said, twirling his finger next to his ear.
I laughed while Aaron’s ears grew red. He seemed upset for a second, but once again his grin returned, and he was laughing alongside us. His ability to just smile and let everything go was admirable, a gift I wish I had. It didn’t take me long to rebandage Aaron’s wound, though it would have been considerably faster without the two brothers interrupting my work with their jokes and bickering. It was entertaining though, so I let it slide.
“Hey, thanks a lot Cori,” Aaron said as he and his family walked out of the medical wing of the fortress, “I’ll have to take you on a date sometime as thanks!”
“Maybe in your dreams!” I yelled back, but he simply laughed off my rejection as they walked out.
Two years went by faster than I would have expected. I had ingrained myself into the encampment, considered a ‘savior’ to some for my magical abilities that helped me treat wounds. It was all a bit overwhelming sometimes, but I was able to deal with it thanks to the Brynor family. Arthur and Aaron always made me feel comfortable, as if I was a part of their family. Over the many months, one or the other would be gone from the encampment, overlooking the river bank on their shifts. Sometimes, both of them would be gone at the same time. On those days, I typically drank tea with their father. Alain Brynor was a quiet man, rarely speaking during our time together, only ever talking about his sons. I had asked him about the boy's mother once, but I was simply met with a sigh and silence. I never pushed him to talk about her again. Most of my time with the brothers was met with them still trying to win me over, Arthur with his subtle flirtatious attitude and Aaron with his outspoken honesty. It was a bit exhausting sometimes, but they never took it far. They understood that I didn’t feel that way about either of them, at least I hadn’t when I first met them.
It was a day that Arthur was out on his shift, and I found Aaron lying in the grass on the river bank. “You’re a lot more like your brother than I thought,” I said, sitting down next to him.
His eyes were fixed on the river, but his smile widened after he heard me, “Oh? Why is that?”
“You both love to lay down here. Seriously, do both of you hate doing work that much that you have to walk all the way out here just to lay down?”
“I really like the sound of rushing water. It’s calming. I sort of envy you and your magic. You’re able to connect with the water in a way I never can.”
As if reacting to his words, I instinctively connected myself to the rushing water. I could only feel a small bit of it, about a puddle's worth of the water that was flowing so quickly down the stream. I doubted anyone would be powerful enough to connect themselves to the entire river.
“Is that the only reason you come here?” I asked.
Aaron’s eyes began to squint, “Well, there’s a much smaller river that runs by our hometown. All of us used to hang out there as kids, skipping rocks and catching fish. It was like our own little world, away from everyone else. I think that’s why we come here so much. Also, getting out of latrine duty is a huge plus,” he finally turned to me and flashed a big toothy grin.
I scoffed, “Figures. So you and Arthur are just a couple of slackers?”
“Yeah. Alain too.”
“No, I think your father is pretty responsible. I don’t ever find him on the outskirts shirking on his work.”
“No, I’m talking about our older brother.”
“Wait, you never told me you had another–” I cut myself off when I looked down at him.
The toothy grin I had grown so used to seeing, the one that brightened up my day the instant I saw it, was gone. In its place was a deep frown. Not like the one he wore when I’d first met him. Instead, this frown was sad, enough to make me tear up just looking at him.
“Do you remember when the war first started seven years ago? Back then, there was a giant push across the river in the south, near Durhove. We made a successful invasion into Aishyan territory, but it came at a great loss of life. That’s where Alain died.”
I tried to keep silent, but the questions started to flow out of me, “Why–”
“I was only thirteen then, but even if I was of age, I wouldn’t have joined up to be a soldier. My father and Arthur wouldn’t have either. We’re from up north, in the plains, as far from the King as you could get. We didn’t care about the war he started. But Alain, he was ready to join in an instant. He said it was God’s will for the King to rule over the continent. He had always enjoyed going to the cathedral with our mother, but the rest of us never really understood it. Regardless, Alain joined up. It was a year later that we got the news of his death.”
Aaron paused again, but I was able to keep my mouth shut this time, letting him collect his thoughts. I felt my breathing grow unsteady as time went on. I wanted to hear more, but at the same time, I didn’t.
“Mother didn’t last much longer after that. Losing her first born, I think it was too much for her. I started to hate the king, hate God, after that. I kept on believing that it was their fault he had died, but that wasn’t true. Alain had chosen to fight. No one forced him to. It took me a while to realize that, and when I finally did, I knew who really killed him. It was the Aishyans. They took my brother away from me. So, when I was finally of age, the three of us joined the fight. We’ve been in Rorfork ever since, I guess.”
A long silence followed after that. I waited for him to continue speaking, but nothing else came from his mouth. Finally, I let out a long sigh, trying to steady my breathing, “Why are you telling me this?”
He turned to me, a smile on his face, but not one big enough to conceal his sadness, “You’re family, Cori. I know you're an orphan. Arthur told me. I don’t think that’s right. Everyone should have a family, including you. So you can be a Brynor, or at least join us for family meals and events I guess. And since you’re family, you should know all about us. It’s only natural that I would tell you these things. Who else would I tell them too?”
My eyes grew wet at his words. They made me so happy, but also so guilty. He had told me so much. Things that he wouldn’t share with anyone else. It was only fair that I did the same. I wanted to do the same.
“About me being an orphan, that's not entirely true.”
I told him everything. About my parents, my past, even how I had run away from home to join up in the war. It was like a weight came off of my chest as I told him, and he just listened, not interjecting with some crude joke like I thought he would. We talked for hours, even after the sun had gone down. Part of me wished we could have just stayed there, talking until we fell asleep on the bank, but we had things to do in the morning. We were both soldiers, but we were also family. The Brynors were my true family now. I chose them, and they chose me.
“C’mon, we can’t stay here all night,” Aaron said, getting up and holding his hand out for me.
My face grew warm as I grabbed hold of it, and he lifted me up as if I weighed nothing. His hand was huge, taking mine in what seemed like a giant hug just for my hand. A hug. I wasn’t quite sure when I thought to do it, but I just did. I wrapped my arms around his giant figure, or at least tried to, and squeezed. My whole body grew hot as we stood there for a few seconds, his arms coming around me in return. Finally, I let Aaron go. I looked up and saw an expression I’d never seen him wear before. His face was bright red, and instead of the wide grin he normally had, his mouth was agape, a shocked look clearly written all over him.
“Um… I’ll see you tomorrow then,” I said, quickly running back to the encampment.
Before I was out of reach, I heard Aaron say under his breath, “Yeah. Can’t wait for tomorrow.”