| [Elatboe's note: Prologue Chapter 6 is also up, so check that out too] Prologue Chapter 5: Partings and Reunions A week has passed since Battalion Jack left Montfort. They had covered a lot of distance in that period and were scheduled to reach the Capital in the afternoon or evening. The terrain of the Blake Empire and Bridweltot were poles apart. Unlike the sandy ground and plateau terrain of Bridweltot, The Blake Empire had a grassland terrain with green grass and scarce trees spread throughout the land. Unlike Bridweltot, extensive cropping took place in the Empire and famine was extremely rare. “I think I can see River Kromes. We should reach the Capital by 14:00.” “The hell! We still have another five hours to get to the Capital. I can’t wait anymore.” “Then why don’t you rest here. We will wait for you up ahead.” “Ha! Do ya think I will fall for that shitty trick again? No chance, asshole.” “Can the two of you shut up. Adam, stop swearing, there are kids here. And Steve, stop provoking Adam. I swear…You two are such a pain to handle. I won’t miss you all in the slightest when I am lieutenant.” “It isn’t good to lie. We know you will miss us.” “Shut up.” All military operations begin from Military Headquarters in the Capital and once they are completed, the Battalion Captain reports back to headquarters. Soldiers of the Battalion would disperse from the Capital and head to their home towns till they are called for their next expedition. James lived in a town named Middlewick, which was the neighboring town to the Capital in the North and was the Trading Hub of the Blake Empire. After every expedition the squadron would all have drinks at Martin’s pub in the Capital and then would head their own ways. Martin, the bar owner and bartender was a good friend of James’. “James, didja ask that kid what’s in his sack?” “No I didn’t, and I said I wouldn’t. It’s none of my or your business.” “But I wanna know what tha pointy thing is.” “Then ask him yourself.” “I did. An he said it ain’t none of ma concern.” “If my memory serves right it went something like this, he said: it’s nothing for you to be concerned over, kind sir. And then you replied with an ok and left.” “Shut it, Steve. No one asked ya. So, ya see James, he won’t say nothin to me. But you saved im, I am sure he will tell ya.” “Is that so? Whatever, I am not asking him? It’s just some of his belongings that the traders nabbed from him.” “But I never saw that pointy thing before. Maybe it’s some rare thin’. Ya know ow curious I am.” “Ugh…This is a waste of time for both of us, go ask Adam or Donius or someone else to help you.” “Sigh….ok, but ya owe me one drink now.” “No, I don’t. Buy your own drinks, you cheapskate.” Battalion Jack crossed River Kromes at 11:00 and the reached the Capital at 12:30, ahead of the assumed time. “James, les go to Martin’s. Drinks are on ya today.” “It’s the afternoon, you addict. Anyway, I am not going with you guys to the pub this time. I am heading home, see you guys next time.” Adam interjected, “Oye oye oye, the hell did you just say. Why aren’t you coming with us?” “Cause I wanna go home, it’s been ages. And I have to take these kids to the orphanage too.” “That isn’t a bloody excuse. This is your last time as our Squadron Leader, you have to have a drink with us this time.” “Ahhhhhh, fine then. How about this, you guys come over to my promotion ceremony, whenever it is and we can have a drink that day” “I don’t see a problem with that.” “No problem, my ass. You stay out of this, Steve. This is between me and James.” “Why are you getting so riled up?” “…Cause this is the last time you will be our leader and you are saying it’s fine and we can have a drink later.” “Uhhhhhhhhh, I am not leaving the army, you know. I am just being promoted, I will still see you guys and be your leader or should I say Lieutenant.” “You will?” “Obviously, did your emotions eat your brains away? You really are a softie.” “Shut up, who you calling a softie?” “He’s calling you a softie. Acting like a baby doesn’t suit a member of Squadron James.” “I neva knew Adam was so babyish. It’s kinda cute, ain't it?” “You pieces of shit don’t shut up, do you…..I am going to Martin’s. See ya, James.” “I will keep him company. See you soon, James.” “Ya, see you guys soon.” Turning around, James walks away from the group and gets on the horse pulling the wagon with the kids in it. Without looking back, James rides the horse in the direction of his hometown. “Mr. Adam seems like a nice person.” “...Ya…guess so.” James reached his hometown within an hour. While on his path to the orphanage, James was greeted and welcomed by a lot of his friends and elders. Unlike the Battalion, James was extremely welcome in his town and good acquaintances with almost everyone. “Hey James, who are those kids there?” “Hey Tom, how you doing? Uhhhh, found these kids in a forest and there weren’t any orphanages in Bridweltot, so I thought I would bring them here.” “Bridweltot? You sure bout this? You could get into trouble if someone goes and tells the police or the royals.” “Naaaaa, it's fine. I trust everyone here, they wouldn’t snitch on me.” “If you say so.” On reaching the orphanage, James enters by himself, leaving the kids in the wagon. “Barbara, how are you doing? You are looking as gorgeous as ever.” “James? You are back? And you haven’t stopped with your flattering? If you don’t stop, Darcy will have your neck.” “Ahaha…I came upon a really horrible sight you know, something I won’t forget it for the rest of my life. I found these kids abandoned in the forest with no food or shelter, in a dying condition. So, I fed them and brought them here to you.” “Oh, ok. And where are these kids?” “They are waiting outside. Lemme go get them.” James brings the six kids inside the orphanage and introduces them to Barbara. “These are the kids.” “Hello there, how are you?” “...” “You don’t need to be shy. What’s your name?” “…” “Why isn’t she talking?” “Uhhhh…That’s cause she and the rest of them are all mute. They can’t talk. Only this boy can talk, isn’t that right, Mark?” “Mr. James, I don’t think this is the right course of action. It could cause a lot of problems in the future.” “...What is he talking about, James?” “…Sigh, you’re right. I should just tell her the truth, it will probably work out. The thing is the kids can talk, it’s just that they can’t talk Angrish.” “What does that mean?” “…I found these kids in a forest….in Bridweltot.” “I don’t understand what you are saying. You found these kids in Bridweltot? And you are bringing them here?” “Uhh, yes.” “Oh no no no, James, this could get extremely problematic. What if someone comes in to check and they get caught. I will be in a lot of trouble.” “But what do you want me to do? Leave them out on the streets? Hand them over to the police. They will most likely just die from being unfed. Do you want these kids to die?” “…no……fine, I will take them into the orphanage. But you better make sure that no one finds out about this. You haven’t told anyone in town, have you?” “Nope, not a single soul. You and I are the only people who know.” “Sigh…ok. I will register these kids under fake identifications. Did you say your name was Mark?” “Yes, madam. Can I help you in any way?” “Well, aren’t you polite. Could you teach these kids some basic Angrish, so they don’t have any problems fitting in or if they get questioned?” “Please leave it to me.” Ten minutes passed and all the paperwork was done. “Ok, I have gotten all these kids registered. You all keep your forms. They are very important. They are your only legal proof that you are from the Blake Empire. I will take you inside to meet the other children. You can leave now, James.” “Wow, that’s cold. And here I thought we were partners in…saving.” “Today’s been a hectic day. We will talk again another time.” “Ok, take care. See ya kids, have fun here.” “Thank you very much, Mr. James for taking care of us and bringing us here. We can never repay this favor.” All the kids bowed to James to display their gratitude. James waved to them and then left on the horse. James was extremely excited to finally get back to his home, and with no worries about the kids weighing down on his mind, he was looking forward to returning to his home after one and a half months. His family consisted of his wife whose name was Darcy and his 13-year-old son, Kelvin. The horse came to a stop in front of an ordinary-looking house. James tied the horse to a wooden post next to his house and opened the door. He was greeted by the beautiful aroma of his favorite dish, Shepard’s Pie. “Darling, I am home. Where are you?” “Oh, you are home. Remove your boots and come in. I am going to serve lunch soon.” James removed his boots and went to the kitchen, where his wife was setting the dining table. “Ahhhh, It’s nice to be back home.” “I am sure it is, do you know how long it has been since you left?” “Ummmmm, 45 days?” “48 days, but close enough. Did you get hurt anywhere?” “No, I am absolutely fine. How did you know that I was coming today?” “Everyone outside was talking about you and Tom told me that you came back.” “Tom did….Did he say anything else?” “Nothing important, no. Why do you ask?” “Oh, for no particular reason. How have you been doing while I was gone?” “It was tough, as usual. Kel barely went out all these days. He even stopped with his sword practice and was cooped up in his room all the time. Hah, why can’t that boy get along with the other kids?” “Well, you know how he is, can’t have a proper conversation with those kids without throwing fists. And I can’t really blame his line of thinking either, since a lot of things he says makes a lot of sense.” “Now don’t you go and encourage him. You are back after so many days, you should go talk some sense into him.” “Ok, I promise to talk to him as soon as possible. And now that I am back you don’t need to worry about the shopping.” “I am more worried about you than the shopping.” “Uhhh…nothing to worry about there. See, nothing happened to happen to me. Are we gonna eat now?” “Yes. You should go and bring Kel down.” James climbed up the spiraling stairs and entered the room in which Kelvin spends most of his day. Inside, Kelvin was lying on the bed staring at the ceiling. When James entered the room, he raised his head to see who it was and returned to looking at the ceiling. “Hey Kel. How you been doing?” “Fine.” “That’s good to hear. What you been doing while I was gone?” “Nothing much…Eating, sleeping and reading my book.” “Hmmmm, haven’t you read that book 10 times already, why don’t I buy you a new one.” “No, that’s fine. Books are expensive, you don’t need to waste your money on them.” “You think your dad doesn’t know you, you don’t need to put on an act in front of me. You know, I am being promoted to a Lieutenant.” “Really? You got Captain Jack to promote you?” “Ya, so I will be going to the Capital soon for the promotion ceremony. We can buy any book that you want then.” “…Ok.” “Great. Come down now, lunch is ready. We are having Shepard’s Pie.” “You should be excited, then.” “I am. Aren’t you?” Kelvin shrugged his shoulders and walked out of the room. The three of them had lunch at the table together. James enthusiastically told them of the various missions he had during the expedition, leaving out the parts involving the six Bridweltot kids. As he retold his adventures, the primary emotion that James experienced was not joy, but rather relief. Relief of making it back alive despite all the hurdles he faced. Relieved that his wife and child wouldn’t have to go through what he did. James didn’t like recalling his past, as it only brought back painful memories. The only person he told it to was his wife. To him, his past was a story of a foolish man ruining his and his family’s lives. James’ father was a soldier in the military. His family consisted of his wife and two sons. They weren’t wealthy but managed to live a comfortable life. That all changed when James’ father died in battle when James was only nine years old. This was during the ‘Partition Period’ when the Blake Empire was losing multiple territories under its control one after the other. James’ father had been stationed in Central Bridweltot, the epicenter of the rebellion. James’ father died fighting a losing war and his family was left to fend for itself. James’ mother was barely able to get by with daily expenses, and they lived in poverty for multiple years. James had blamed his father for his death. He believed that his father died because he wasn’t strong enough. But, his father was a loving man and James missed him dearly. So, he and his brother had vowed to avenge their father’s death and despite his mother’s continual discouragement, they both joined the military. James trained hard and was the best in his batch, but his brother wasn’t as good. But, they were both determined and continued to move towards their goal. When James and his brother finished their military training, the royal government had declared the Land Reclamation Project under which the Blake Empire launched an extensive mission to reclaim all territories that it had lost in the past 150 years. To James, it was a golden opportunity to achieve their goal. But James and his brother had been assigned to different Battalions. James had been assigned to Battalion Trevor, which was the primary Battalion in the battle to regain Mirbuti. James had fought valiantly in Eastern Mirbuti where it’s the capital city was located and had earned lots of praise at the Capital for his work. But, the news that he received a few days later replaced all happiness and pride in his heart with sadness and guilt. His brother had died fighting in the southern region of Mirbuti. He felt sadness at the loss, guilt for having made his brother go to the military with him despite knowing that he wasn’t as strong as him, anger at his brother for being too weak, and anger at his own incompetence at not being able to do anything. His mother was inconsolable on hearing the news of the loss of her younger son. She blamed James for his death and swore to never talk to him or meet him ever again. That was the last time James met his mother. Since then, James had gotten more aggressive and impulsive, leading to multiple cases of misconduct, leading to his expulsion from Battalion Trevor. He was to be marked and expelled from the military, but had been stopped by Jack, a new Captain in the military. He proposed that they make James a part of his Battalion and he wouldn’t cause a problem for them. Since then, James had been a Squadron Captain in Battalion James. Fifteen years had passed since then, a lot of changes occurred in James’ life. He got married, had a son, made a family, and made close friends. James decided to forget his past and put his effort into protecting his family and friends. He didn’t want his son to suffer how he did, and for that, he had to get strong, strong enough that no one could defeat him. _____________________________________________ Four days have passed since James returned to his home. The change in scenery and the people around him made each day fresh and relaxing. Even the simplest of activities such as going to the market and eating food made him extremely happy. James resumed his sword training with his son from the second day the second day of him getting back. They would practice using wooden swords which James had made himself and it weighed around the same as his sword. “Keep your ground……don’t forget to twist your hips…hit harder……faster…faster…don’t leave openings in your defense.” James was having a mock battle with Kelvin and giving him advice as they went along. This was a part of their daily practice session. It would end with James’ victory, but it was an integral part of their routine. James swung his wooden sword down from over his head and Kelvin moved out of the way. He knew better than to block it. Kelvin parried by aiming a strike at James’ head, but James blocked it. Kelvin moved back to get out of James striking range, but James leaped forward aiming the wooden sword at Kelvin’s chest. Kelvin deflected the sword and it passed from his left. From the position that Kelvin deflected the sword, he launched forward targeting James’ forehead. James with his fast reflexes jerked his head back, just in time to miss the strike. These series of attacks continued one after the other, with James winning most of the rounds. Gasp…Gasp…Gasp…Gasp “I am done. I can’t go on anymore. I will probably die.” “Come on, Kel. We only went 13 round-” “And you won 10 of them, you should be satisfied…I am going now.” “Wait a min, I have something to tell you. Sit here.” Kelvin sluggishly walked and sat beside James on the green grass of their small lawn. The view in front of them was of numerous identical looking houses. “You know Kel, you should really get out more. It’s not good to be cooped up in that house all day.” “…” “If you don’t wanna make friends your age, that’s up to you. But you can always go out for a walk or to buy some groceries.” “I could, but seeing the neighborhood kids is nauseating.” “You always say that, but never explain properly why.” “Sigh…it’s cause all they do is show off how strong they are and beat up the younger kids to assert their dominance.” “…Oh, ok. Ummm, but you are stronger than them, you should just teach them a lesson and help those smaller kids.” “Ha, you don’t think I did that? I did. One day, I saw four of them ganging up on two kids, so I went over to them and beat the shit out of them and they ran away. You know what those kids said in thanks? Please don’t help us next time since they will beat us even more tomorrow.” “……well, I am sure not everyone is like that. You can find that one true friend if you search hard enough.” “If there is such a thing as a true friend, then it will find me. I will let fate take its course.” “Haaaaa…I guess that’s up to you. Look at me, I was supposed to talk to you about going out more, but you completely changed the topic.” “Ok, can I go now?” “Fine, but let me tell you one thing, despite how a person uses it, strength is the greatest power in our world. If you have it, you can be happy and if you don’t, you will suffer greatly. That’s one truth that none of us can ever deny, especially me…” “Is that so? Then, I am going to get enough strength to change it all. I will change this messed up world for the better.” “Hah…what you may consider to be better, may be worse for someone else. But, that doesn’t mean you should stop. Having strength is having freedom. Use that freedom to get what you want. I got scared and never could, but I am sure you can.” “…” James and Kelvin sat on the grass, looking at the identical houses in front of them and silently listened to the ambiance of their surroundings as the sun slowly set into the horizon. “What are you two still doing outside? It’s dark and cold out. Come inside, supper is ready.” They both said in unison, “Coming.”   |
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