On a cold desolate day sitting beneath a small tree, sat a knight, his armor was glistening against the moonlit tree.
Surrounded by moonlights grip, the hills had shone, the fire around had blown, yells and yelps engulfed in flame and ash, as the light was undeniable for both the solace moon, and the everlasting flames of the siege.
The man had been laying on the bare, open hill, against the tree, he held his sword in his offhand, his grip slowly slipping from the hilt.
His eyes flickered against the sight of the stars and ashes mixing, his breathing slowed as his chest began to fall further into the trees embrace.
His groans mixing with his pain, suddenly another boy crawled, and then eventually fell against the same tree, both of them where on opposites side of the tree.
The boy’s eyes shot against the slight noise, hearing another person so close, thoughts rushed his mind thinking;『 Is he an enemy?
Does he know about me?
』 Every sense in his body tingled as strands of his hair danced across his skin bringing a cold shiver in there wake.
Letting out an intrusive gasp, the grip against his sword tightened holding the hilt with a new found power, then the man opposite him spoke his raspy voice sounded like he had seen the deaths of many;
“I am vice captain-” He helplessly coughed against his shoulder, wheezing out blood into his shoulder, with a sigh he spat the bloody distaste out of his mouth, continuing, “Sorry, like I was saying, I am vice captain of the imperial Lempira knights, Feray of Lempira.”
Despite such a feminine name his voice was one of an knightly man, and this name came to calm the boy sitting on the opposite side, his heart slowly clammed down upon hearing the name of ‘Feray’.
The vice captain continued, “Who ever you may be, enemy or friend.. My leg is rather injured, so I ask of you to cast your gaze forwards and forget about me sitting here. I will not hurt you, I am incapable to do so, so please forget about me…”
Feray’s gaze hung low, his shadows under his eyes highlighting just how tired he was, his left leg was wrapped under his clothing, a tight woven fabric laced around his leg painted in blood.
A shiver of a ‘–tsk’ came out of Feray as the boy said nothing sitting in silence, however,
Feray’s eyes winded at the sound of the boy speaking;
“Captain… I was a coward, a fool, the others.. They ran in with pride, but.. but..” Tears streamed out of the boy’s eyes, his heart revving his chest into a panic of his confession, saliva, tears and mucus all came together.
It was quite blatantly obvious to Feray that from cracking in his voice the boy was in tears and possibly pain, the boy continued,
“I.. I, I ran away, here to this tree, I sat here and watches them all die, I watches as the flames drew new on both sides. I did nothing. I ran away for the siege like a cowered, like a fool, like a traitor to Lempira…”
“Your mistaken boy,” Feray scoffed with a laugh, “It’s only natural you would want to run.. I mean look at me? Sitting here like a coward, slowly bleeding out from my leg as I talk to you, and yet… Something feels right, maybe I am just scared of death, but if I can pass my image down to you then I don’t mind dying here… What’s your name, knight?”
Feray tired to act cool and wise, yet his voice was bouncy and terrified, something about this exchange made him feel a little better about his aching leg, though that could also be explained as him losing his nerves to his leg.
The boy’s lips quivered, hearing a vice captain degrade himself to the same level as his pitiful self made him feel slightly better, with the boy speaking from a new simmer of confidence;
“I am Cael, from the imperial knights of Lempira.. Captain I doubt you will remember me, but I didn’t fulfill my duty you entrusted before the siege… How much longer do you have left?”
Cael shuttered into a ball, wrapping his hands around is knees feeling a bit of comfort from how confined he made himself be, his tear now drying as screams of people below still echoed across the night.
Feray opposite him scoffed with a laugh;
“Heh, your really asking a dying man how much longer he has left? … … … Well, my leg is bleeding out, quite a lot, it must be a miracle I am even alive.. But strangely I can’t feel it anymore, my entire bottom legs have lost feeling, so I am guessing it’s not to long, Cael.”
Cael’s eyes blitzed with shock at his words, Cael clenched his fists saying,
“Don’t talk about miracles here… We are furthest from a miracle…” his entire skin crawled eating away at his soul, his heart pounding away at him, Feray spoke with confidence this time his voice was no longer shaky;
“For a knight, your quite stupid at picking up on ques… Let me spell it out for you..
You are a miracle, even here, right now, yes there could be better miracles but your presence is enough.
When I first came here I was scared an enemy would be there ready to end me, but rather it’s you, Cael of Lempira, hearing my final words as I slowly pass, feel not ashamed my friend, I want you to hear this out loud… My last regret in this life was this siege, if I could go back I would stop it, but that can’t happen… So, Cael of the imperial knights of Lempira, I quietly award you with the title of vice captain in my stead..
If you make it out I want you to tell this to everyone, ‘sir Cael of Lempira is the new vice captain of the knights’… Sorry that was a lot, but I don’t know..
How much longer i have..
heh…”
Cael shifted his gaze inward at himself, he didn’t know what to say, like before thoughts rushed through is head, 『 Why me?
Why does a cowered and fool like me get such a title?
』His head spun, pulling himself closer he whispered, “Why is such a coward and fool like me leading the charge? Why do you entrust me with so much even though I have betrayed the duty of the siege?”
“Heh, shut up alright?” Feray said in a laughing manner, holding his leg trying to hold the blood back, he continued; “I don’t want to hear the whimpers of a vice captain in my last moments… You will find a way to do things, I believe in you, now Vice Captain what is your first plan?”
Feray gave up on his leg, his hands were covered in blood feeling his face he painted his cheeks in red crimson, his heart fluttered for a moment.
Seeing a mirage of memory’s fly by his face, his mother, his wife, his daughter, every happy moment of his life, Feray grabbed onto the small locket around his neck… Then his grip slowly loosened as he slipped into the void, Cael however didn’t realize the moment of passing, well, has passed, so he spoke as if he was Feray was still there to hear him;
“My first plan is to get out of here, but what is more important is your words Feray.. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.. You made me realize why I should look up at the stars in hope again, if I make it out alive I will give you a proper grave… Right… Feray?”
yolo, this is my book, which is running both here and royalroad, so if you enjoy the story, thank you, there will be more, I won’t add my other AuT Notes here, as this is a mirror relase, so yeah, this will probably be the last time I talk on wn, so if you want my thoughts and notes check out rr, bye-bye