PART 5

The doctor looked at the old soldier with pity.

"Who was this fighter?" he asked while putting away his scissors and the bandaging cloth.

"Commander Mattias," Lia replied softly. "He fought in the Battle of Rock City."

The doctor stared at him with an expression of disbelief. "That is impossible. Eighty years have passed since the Battle of Rock City.

This man was... more than a century old... if this is true."

Confused, he shook his head and glanced around the battlefield."I'm calling people from the village who will help with the funeral."

He pointed to the Blueshirts and continued, "And then they'll help clean these up too," but Lia and Eszti were unable to speak. At last,

Lia managed to gather herself.

"Alright, thank you."

The doctor got into the carriage and went back to the village.

The two girls silently looked at the old soldier's face, which now seemed peaceful and young."Do you think he will meet his wife now

that he has ascended to the Savior and God?" Eszti asked softly.

Lia embraced her friend."I don't know. But I hope they meet." She replied.

"I hope so too," whispered Eszti, feeling the tears choking her again. They knelt beside the old man's motionless body for a long time.

The sun was already high in the sky by the time the villagers arrived, including several volunteer guards who were armed. Among the

guards were many young men and women who had never seen so many corpses in one place. The terrible, bloody sight visibly affected

them. An older guard approached Lia, who stood up from beside the old man at his arrival.

"The doctor told me what happened here. Did you fight too?" He asked. There was respect in his voice.

"I did, but Commander Mattias handled most of the Blueshirts," Lia softly answered. "He faced twelve men all by himself."

The guard raised an eyebrow. "Who knows what would have happened if the Lord's dozen Blueshirts men had made it to our village?"

He pondered the girl's words, briefly glancing at the elderly man. After a brief pause, he continued, "The leader has entrusted us with

taking the captain to our cemetery so that you can bid him a proper farewell there. The leader himself will attend the funeral tomorrow.

If you would like, you can also give a speech at the farewell."

"Thank you, sir," Lia sighed.

The guard continued, "We will take care of the other corpses as well, and we will throw the surviving soldiers into prison," before turning

to his companions. "Lift the old warrior and take him to the cemetery!"

The guards laid the old soldier in a coffin. Lia took the longsword, put it back in its scabbard, then placed it on the old man's chest and

set his lifeless hands on the hilt of the sword.

"That way it looks like he's still holding the sword," whispered Eszti.

The village volunteers lifted the coffin onto their shoulders and set off toward the nearby cemetery. On the way, Lia pondered how well

she really knew the old man and what kind of speech she could give about him after barely a few months of acquaintance. After the

guards placed the coffin in the small building in front of the cemetery, the girls stayed with the old man for a little while longer.

They went back to the inn where they started in the morning. There were more villagers than usual present, and when the two girls

entered, everyone fell silent.

The innkeeper's voice broke the silence. "Would you like to get the same room?" he asked them.

Lia nodded with a pained expression.

The innkeeper looked around. "I believe I speak on behalf of everyone: thank you for protecting the village," he said solemnly, and the

villagers murmured in agreement. "You just gave your names when you arrived; you made no mention of the powerful warrior you travel

with. Could you tell us the heroic soldier's name?"

"His name was Mattias. Commander Mattias, the King's loyal soldier." Lia replied sadly.

The innkeeper's eyes sparkled. "Commander Mattias, the King's soldier!" he shouted. "Let us give thanks to the King and the Court for

Mattias! May the blessings of heaven be upon them!"

The villagers all loudly gave thanks to the hero, and Lia and Eszti, with heavy hearts but joy, accepted the people's gratitude.

The next day, Lia went down to the tavern's drinking area early in the morning. As soon as she reached the bottom, she almost collided

with the innkeeper, who was holding two clean, simple white garments in his arms, each with a black stripe running down the side. Lia

had never seen such beautiful funeral clothes before, even though the fabric of the dress was merely cheap, painted canvas.

"I brought these for you, Lia!" said the innkeeper kindly. "Our leader sent these to you as a token of gratitude. The village tailor, I hope,

Stolen story; please report.

got the size right based on my description."

"This... is very beautiful!" the girl exclaimed in amazement as she took the clothes. "Mattias will have a worthy funeral if we accompany

him on his final journey in this outfit!"

With sadness in their hearts but heads held high, the two girls went to the afternoon funeral. The entire village came, and the village

leader welcomed them. The elderly, graying-haired man nodded at them.

"Greetings to you, Lia and Eszti! I am the village prefect, Art Doli." He spoke, then motioned for the girls to stand beside him. The man

then turned toward the villagers.

"Dear Lia and Eszti, my dear friends!" he began. "Today we bury a true hero, who defended the King's people even on the last day of

his life. Commander Mattias and these two brave girls saved our village from Kevin's Blueshirt henchmen, who would have brought

destruction and suffering upon us. We owe them our gratitude."

After that, he turned to Lia. "Would you like to say goodbye to him?"

Lia stepped forward, her voice trembling but clear:

"We stand here in deep sorrow by the catafalque of Commander Mattias," she began, then paused for a moment. "Although his death is

painful, it could not defeat him. Eighty years ago, at the Battle of Rock City, he and his five hundred men stopped five thousand Black

Tunics to save a whole city. Today, he stood alone before ten Blueshirts to save a family."

"Nothing had changed; the same loyalty and courage lived within him. He once told me that it's not strength that matters, but loyalty.

He remained faithful to his oath, the King, and the people until his death. And although the historical records may not yet have recorded

his name, we, who stand here, will never forget Commander Mattias, the King's most loyal soldier."

Lia's voice broke at the end of her speech. Eszti watched her friend with tearful eyes, who now seemed so strong and dignified in her

white dress. She had never seen her like this before—the kind, cheerful Lia spoke like a true warrior who had fought alongside her leader

and now had to say goodbye to him. Eszti tightened her grip on the short sword at her side, given to her by the old man, and thought that

Mattias would be proud of them. Lia, already as courageous as he was, and possibly even herself, who is gradually surmounting her fears,

deserves praise.

The villagers stood silently around them as the rising wind swept through the cemetery. Four gravediggers appeared, dressed in their best

clothes, took the coffin on their shoulders, and carried it to the nearby grave pit. The prefect and the girls led the villagers, who silently

waited for the gravediggers to lower the coffin into the pit. The workers worked quickly, filling the grave in minutes, and then placed the

funeral flowers from the girls and the villagers on the grave.

Finally, they placed a headstone with the following words on the grave:

Here lies COMMANDER MATTIAS.

Died a heroic death

defending Blackridge

The leader was the first to approach Lia and Eszti.

"Please accept my sincere condolences," he said, and then the villagers began to express their sympathies.

Confused shouting suddenly interrupted the quiet farewell. A guard appeared at the cemetery entrance, waving excitedly at them.The

volunteers accompanying the prefect led the guard straight to Art Doli.

"Sir!" the guard gasped. "There is a problem!"

"What happened?" asked the old man.

"As we were escorting the prisoners to the jail, a horseman in blue shirt charged at us. With his sword, he tried to free his companions!"

Lia was stunned. She remembered the rider she had first injured, who had galloped away on his wild horse.

The guard continued: "By the time we came to our senses, one of the prisoners was already hoisted behind him in the saddle, and they galloped off!"

Lia stepped forward. "Who did they take?" she asked with sparkling eyes.

"He had an unattractive face. When we found him, we initially believed he was dead due to a large burn on his shoulder, but as soon as we moved

him, he suddenly came back to life..."

Lia and Eszti exchanged glances. The Black girl squeezed her friend's hand, signaling to Lia that she wouldn't mention the magic weapon.

"We need to head to the village Bushy immediately," Lia said firmly. "The Blueshirts were also heading there when we ambushed them. And there is

our friend, whom we were looking for with Commander Mattias."

The prefect turned to Lia. "Wait! I'll give you a one-horse-drawn carriage. It's yours; it's the least we can do for you and Commander Mattias."

"Thank you," Lia nodded.

She cast one last glance at the old soldier's grave, and then she and Eszti followed the volunteer, who had given the officer instructions regarding the cart.

The girls quickly packed up at the inn and boarded the carriage that was standing in front of the building. Before start, they glanced at each other:

they knew they were about to embark on a dangerous voyage, but they knew they could do anything together!

END OF THESE TALES

STORY OF TIM, LIA AND ESZTI WILL FINISH IN MY NOVEL: IT COMING SOON IN 2025