In the village of Eswield, the sun had reached its peak, and a light rain was falling. Beams of sunlight collided with the tiny raindrops, creating a mesmerizing rainbow in the sky. However, Ezriel paid no attention to any of this. Instead, he was peering through a small crack in the window, watching the blacksmith's shop. The small village smithy didn't have much on its shelves. There were axes and sickles used by the villagers in farming, some metal fittings, lock mechanisms, chests, and a few metal household items. But also again none of this caught Ezriel's attention. He was focused on only one thing: the long sword, elegant and masterfully crafted, standing out on display. It shimmered in the light that slipped through the window crack, reflecting a glow reminiscent of the moon.
Indeed Ezriel wasn’t much of a fighter, and in fact, there wasn’t even a guard in the village yet. But now, people were afraid to leave the village. The kingdom’s army had been defeated, and the soldiers who used to protect them had been replaced by enemy raiders.
As Ezriel watched the sword, entranced, the sound of footsteps broke his focus, signaling that the blacksmith was returning from the back room. The blacksmith didn’t let those who wouldn’t buy anything look at his wares, so it was time for Ezriel to leave. As he focused more on his surroundings, he began to hear voices coming from the village square. Silently, he made his way there.
When he approached the crowd, he saw more people gathered than he had expected. In the center, a loud voice was heard, and Ezriel moved through the people to better understand what was being said. Now, he was in a position where he could see what was going on. “Lord Arna Ashtone wants to enlist the young men of this village into his army. Volunteers, step forward,” the loud-voiced man shouted. The man’s leather armor and the sword sheathed at his waist showed that he was a fully armed soldier, and two similar-looking men stood behind him, though this man was much bigger and taller than them.
Lord Arna Ashtone... Ezriel knew the name. Ashtone was the lord of the town to which this village belonged and was a figure of great influence. He ruled over the kingdom’s smallest remaining province, one of the last four. His father had died in the Great War, so he took over the family at a young age, but quickly proved himself in the defense of winter war.
After the man’s words, the villagers looked at each other. After a few seconds of silence, the loud-voiced man repeated, “Volunteers, step forward!” When no one came forward again, the man scowled and reached into the bag on his back. He pulled out a parchment and, clearing his throat, silenced the crowd. “AHEM... According to the decree personally issued by King Alecis IV, if at least one volunteer does not come forward from every 20 households in a village, the highest-ranking soldier present has the authority to forcibly recruit any child into the army. I, Sergeant Braun, am the highest-ranking soldier here, and if no one steps forward, I will personally choose two people from this village.” The sergeant’s words struck fear into the villagers. None of them made a sound now, nervously waiting for someone to step up. As Ezriel tried to get closer for a better view, a hand pushed him from behind, and he found himself in the middle of the square.
When he regained his balance and looked ahead, he was face-to-face with the sergeant. Next to him stood another boy who seemed just as bewildered as he was. Before he could understand what was happening, Ezriel opened his mouth to say, “Wait a minute—” but before he could finish, the sergeant spoke. “Congratulations, young men, you’ll make fine soldiers.” Before Ezriel could explain himself, Sergeant Braun continued speaking. “Which of you are the families of these boys?” he called out to the crowd. No one stepped forward, and someone from the crowd replied, “They are the orphans of the village, Sergeant.” A vague expression remained on Sergeant Braun’s face throughout. He took the pouch at his waist, pulled out four silver coins, and handed them to Ezriel and the boy beside him, two each. Ezriel remembered that the boy’s name was Aleek. Although he had never spoken to him before, he hadn’t known that Aleek was an orphan too. After taking the money, Ezriel didn’t try to speak anymore; what difference would it make? There was nothing left in this village to bind him. He tought maybe this was for the best.
Just as the sergeant and his men were about to leave the square with the boys in tow, a man and a woman emerged from the crowd. The man touched the sergeant’s shoulder and spoke. “Sergeant Braun, I believe there’s been a misunderstanding. Aleek is an orphan, but as his uncle, I’ve raised him for years. So, I should receive the enlistment fee.” The sergeant looked at Aleek, and Aleek nodded, but Aleek’s clothes were torn, and his body was covered in soot. There was no need to think much—it was clear this man just wanted to benefit for himself. The sergeant couldn’t hold back and slapped the man hard across the face. As the man collapsed to the ground, his wife rushed to his side, screaming and cursing at Aleek. “Aleeek! You ungrateful wretch, is this how you repay what your uncle has done for you?”
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Sergeant Braun and his soldiers ignored the man on the ground as they put their arms around Ezriel and Aleek and continued on their way. The man, now back on his feet, began shouting insults as the sergeant moved farther away. The man tried to follow, but froze in place when one of the soldiers behind the sergeant slightly drew his sword from its sheath, revealing its gleaming blade.
By the time Ezriel looked back, the village was no longer in sight. They had been walking for hours. The sergeant wasn’t stopping for a break, determined to reach the army camp before nightfall. Ezriel and Aleek walked side by side, about ten meters behind the sergeant’s horse.
Aleek was a 14 years old boy, a year younger than Ezriel. He had come to this village three years ago with his uncle. His uncle was an alcoholic who spent his days wandering aimlessly, doing no work. Aleek, on the other hand, worked as an apprentice to the woodcutter, hauling oversized logs and coal from the forest to the village every day. Although he looked scrawny because he didn’t eat much, he wasn’t weak. Still, Ezriel had never spoken to Aleek before, so he didn’t know what to say. Ezriel had many questions on his mind, but he didn’t feel like talking. Right now, he was thinking about what lay ahead.
After crossing a few more hills and as the sunset approached, the sergeant finally halted his horse. As they ascended a hill, the sounds of people became audible from the other side. When Ezriel reached the top of the hill, he could now see the main army camp below. Dozens of tents stood side by side, with smoke rising from some of them. Soldiers walking around the tents were now visible. From what Ezriel had overheard from the sergeant’s men on the way, Lord Ashtone’s army had grown to over 500 men, forming a formidable force. Patriotic officers who had once served in the kingdom’s disbanded army and some warlords had brought their own units to support this army, giving them a seasoned fighting force.
When they reached the army camp, Ezriel and Aleek parted ways with the sergeant and his men and were gathered in an area with many boys aged 13 to 15 of various sizes and builds. The young recruits were first welcomed with hot rice porridge to fill their stomachs, followed by refreshing water from the river where the camp was set up. During this time, Ezriel overheard from the boys’ conversations that recruits had been gathered from villages all around the town. Some had walked for more than two days to get here, so Ezriel felt lucky. After walking all day, the hot meal they ate tasted incredibly good to him, though he was unaware that it would be days before he would taste another hot meal. When night finally fell, the boys slept under the open sky on the warm plain. For some reason, they felt strangely at ease after all the chaos.
When they reached the army camp, Ezriel and Aleek parted ways with the sergeant and his men and were gathered in an area with many boys aged 13 to 15 of various sizes and builds. The young recruits were first welcomed with hot rice porridge to fill their stomachs, followed by refreshing water from the river where the camp was set up. During this time, Ezriel overheard from the boys’ conversations that recruits had been gathered from villages all around the town. Some had walked for more than two days to get here, so Ezriel felt lucky. After walking all day, the hot meal they ate tasted incredibly good to him, though he was unaware that it would be days before he would taste another hot meal. When night finally fell, the boys slept under the open sky on the warm plain. For some reason, they felt strangely at ease after all the chaos.
When they reached the army camp, Ezriel and Aleek parted ways with the sergeant and his men and were gathered in an area with many boys aged 13 to 15 of various sizes and builds. The young recruits were first welcomed with hot rice porridge to fill their stomachs, followed by refreshing water from the river where the camp was set up. During this time, Ezriel overheard from the boys’ conversations that recruits had been gathered from villages all around the town. Some had walked for more than two days to get here, so Ezriel felt lucky. After walking all day, the hot meal they ate tasted incredibly good to him, though he was unaware that it would be days before he would taste another hot meal. When night finally fell, the boys slept under the open sky on the warm plain. For some reason, they felt strangely at ease after all the chaos.