by Edison G. S.
The bully’s friends took the unconscious man away. They looked down at her with scorn as she knelt in front of the young man. He was sitting on the floor trying to regain control of his senses. They both stared at the four men struggling to move the large man.
“Are you hurt?” she asked while helping Samuel stand up as he was trying to catch his breath.
Once they stood in front of each other, he fixed his brown eyes on her face. She touched her forehead and noticed that her blonde hair was coming out from under the rag. . “I know you,” he said, “I have seen you before, have I not?”
She hid the lock of hair back in place and walked away clumsily. She turned her eyes to the mess on the wooden floor and realized for the first time how cold the room was because the broth was frozen across the planks.
“You do not know me; I am new,” she replied while hitting the frozen soup with the pot to break it up.
“Just leave it,” he said, “when we land, you can use some stones to break it up.”
“Thank you,” she said softly.
“Do not fret about it. Be safe. He will eventually wake up and will not be happy with us,” he smirked and they soon began to laugh together.
Their destiny had been sealed. They were to protect each other and work together to defeat the same enemy from that point on.
“I will,” she said, blushing.
“I am Samuel. What is your name?”
“Ta….Tamara,” she used the fake identity she adopted.
“Land!” someone above deck screamed and everyone left in the room rushed toward a small porthole. They cheered and dissipated quickly, gathering their weapons in preparation to leave the ship.
“Take this coat, you will need it,” Samuel noticed Tara’s lack of preparation for the weather of the Frozen Land and gave her a spare coat. “I will see you around, Tamara,” Samuel left grabbing a few weapons for himself along the way.
When the portholes were unoccupied, she approached one and looked outside. She barely could see through the dirty glass and rushed to the deck of the boat. The wind pelted her skin like a thousand pins, but she stood there speechless. White lands laid ahead of the ship. The water was hard and broke as the ship progressed to the shore. The other ships were nearby and there were men in the decks shouting euphorically.
“Go back to the chambers and get ready,” a man commanded. She put Samuel’s warm coat on and did as she was told, but her eyes never left the majestic land ahead.
When she turned to leave, she saw a young woman about her age looking at the same horizon. Tara’s eyes filled with worry. I have seen her before, she thought. She is the Sub-Commander of the Desert, Yvette. Tara realized she was in extreme danger of being discovered. They had never talked to each other, but their eyes had met on several occasions.
“Move,” the man screamed, pushing her forward.
Yvette turned to look at them, but Tara walked away fleetingly.
Yvette
The hostility of the place had taken a toll on her. The ground was slippery in some places, and so soft and hollow in other s that she found herself trapped in it. The wind was unmerciful and the snowflakes blurred her vision. Plus, no matter how many layers of clothes she wore, the cold was so penetrating she could feel it in her bones.
Inevitably, she wondered how people could live in the Frozen Land. She could not see the path due to the snowflakes; she tripped multiple times on stones, making her walk awkwardly. “I feel like the sky is attacking us with those damn snowflakes,” she muttered to nobody in particular. A man behind her looked at her with incredulous eyes.
Damn the king and his missions, she thought. But she could not share that out loud. The men behind her thought she shared their loyalty to the king. She had to show that at all times or she might end up dead. Fools, she thought. The king would kill you all in a heartbeat if needed.
She kept her clumsy walk knowing life was unfair and she had no other option other than staying there with her blood slowly freezing.
Thousands of men walked behind her, following blindly to meet with the Sub-Commander of the Frozen Land; the poor man was clueless as to what was going to happen. But she had no choice other than to carry on with her shameful duty. If she disobeyed, she might never see Stefan again. A Sub-Commander that did not commit to his or her duty would be accused of treason.
The road seemed endless, but they kept struggling through the dense cloud of flurries. “We see the town,” a man in front of Yvette yelled back. “The city of Tenkla.”
“Prepare to take the lands,” she commanded.
A group of people on the outside of the town looked at them with distrustful expressions. Malnourished children waved at them, but nobody returned the gesture, not even a smile.
Guards from the Frozen Land looked at them questioning if they should greet them or attack them. The Kennicot sigil was visible to all—on their breastplates, flags, everywhere the three-pointed crown stood proudly. The guards of the Frozen Land had no other option than to greet the people that seemed hard to trust; attacking Yvette would be punishable by death.
Yvette looked at the men with pity in her eyes. Their weapons and armor were antiquated and rusty. This army was, without a doubt, the worse assembly of troops and practically assailable; however, they were large in number and could easily win a battle fought in groups. The king referred to them as a dangerous group and maybe he was right.
She understood why she was sent on this mission. The Frozen Land was very united and populous. They were indeed a risk and the king was acting upon what he thought was best. For the first time, she felt he made a smart decision, but a selfish one, much like the majority of his choices.
She found herself imagining what the old Kennicot leaders taught him. The king seemed to be a narcissist, always doing as he pleased. He even claimed the people existed to serve and honor him.
Some of the villagers ran to call their Sub-Commander. A few minutes later the Sub-Commander of the Frozen Land emerged from the largest house in town though in Lera it would be considered a small one. A heavily pregnant woman and a man resembling the pregnant woman followed behind the Sub-Commander.
“I come in the name of King Darien Kennicot, the first of his name, Lord of Lera and the Royal Waters and Heir of The Land of The Men,” she announced prominently, as she had said it a thousand times.
Andreas looked upon her with doubtful eyes. She extended the letter from the king to the disheveled man. He looked at her in disbelief and after few seconds grabbed the paper from her hand. His eyebrows furrowed and curved in a way that told her he was more worried than angry. He disliked her presence; she knew it the moment he started breathing faster.
His grip slightly crumpled the piece of paper, his eyes fixated on the writing. “Why?” he finally asked.
She extended a second piece of paper and replied, “Because we were informed you needed help.”
He grabbed the second paper and read it slower than the first one, as if assimilating its content. The woman next to him craned her neck higher to read the paper as well. He looked back at Yvette and nodded making his disheveled, long red hair turn with the movement. His face was strong and marked by the stress of a Sub-Commander, the skin around his eyes darker than the rest of his face. She wondered if that was the result of being a Sub-Commander or from the frigid weather. How must I look to them? What do people see in my eyes—stress? Pain?
Andreas’ long wavy hair was thrown back by a gust of icy wind. Yvette instinctively grabbed her hair from the breeze and noticed her blond hair was covered by white snow. “Please assemble a place for us to stay,” she said, realizing the snow was falling stronger than before.
The man glared at the pregnant woman as if asking for her opinion. She smiled and looked at Yvette, “Please come with me,” she said in a serene voice. She guided Yvette through the town and pointed to a few houses. “Some of the men can stay there,” she said, “and we will have residences for the others in a fe
w days. They will have to crowd inside some small rooms for a couple of days, I assume. As you might understand, we were not prepared to receive you and will have to build some improvised shelters. Meanwhile, your men can stay in our homes. I will get a room ready at my house for you.”
Yvette realized the pregnant woman was the man’s lover. She looked back as they walked away and saw the Sub-Commander talking to the second man that accompanied him. His face reddened, she presumed with anger, and his arms moved in a sharp and repetitive motion toward the sky. As she expected, this mission would prove to be arduous.
Andreas
“What were you thinking?” he screamed while grabbing Anthony by the shoulders and pushing him against a wall.
“I did what I had to do; you are losing control over The Frozen Land.”
“That is not for you to decide.” He spat. “How can you be so selfish that you can not even see what you have provoked? That woman will take control of the Frozen Land from now on because of your stupid letter and your jealousy!”
“Jealousy? Maybe she will be a better leader,” he dared to say. “At least she will not turn to obscure forces to protect us.” He pushed Andreas away and set himself free.
“Idiot!” Andreas bellowed in his face. “She and the king do not care about the Frozen Land. Your damn letter did not cause a change of heart in him. They are not here to help us, you twit!”
“Well, they seem to be helping us,” he pointed his finger toward big boxes of food that the men were carrying to town.
“And you think that is for us? I just do not believe how stubborn you can be. Just admit you always envied me and wanted my position. The fact is you will never be a leader. I just gave you a group to lead out of pity. The men do not respect you nor do they want to follow you.”
Anthony’s face turned red and his lips curled. “I will lead those men under the command of that woman,” he sputtered while pushing Andreas aside and walking away, “and you will never lead again,” he reinforced the end of their friendship.
“I thought we shared ideals,” Andreas said, his voice trembling with anger and sadness.. “I thought we wanted to rescue our friends and family together,” he said while trying to regain control over his breathing.
“I cannot rescue what is dead. Don’t you realize it? Once you are taken, you are gone forever. We have been living a lie that you have been feeding us. There is no hope! That woman is more capable, younger, and stronger than you. Admit it!” With that he left, staring at Andreas with scorn. His eyes were stark cold, the eyes of hate.
Andreas looked away. He was glad Marie had left; the last thing he would want would be for her to witness them fighting. His breathing relaxed and he felt less agitated, but the pain of the betrayal was too intense and he doubted he would ever recover from this.
* * *
The Sub-Commander of the Desert moved into their house and took Rolando’s room. Marie made the place as clean as possible, even discarding some of Rolando’s things, as if he was never to return.
Yvette seemed unhappy in the house, but Andreas and his family were equally uncomfortable with her presence. Andreas would arrange a small house for her the following morning.
The night started setting on the horizon early. The builders had worked all day assembling houses; they would rest the night and continue early in the morning. Everyone settled into bed hoping for a better day in the morning.
In the middle of the night, a horn sounded nearby and Andreas jumped out of bed. He looked outside his window and saw a herd of horses running away. What is happening? He stood up half asleep and at first feared demons had come. Once he was totally awake, he realized it was just a horn, no bells. It’s not an attack. Then what is it?. He ran to the front wall of his house and looked out the window facing the other houses. A lone soldier stood outside.
“Sir, Anthony Warren has left,” the guard announced.
What is the meaning of this? Andreas thought. Men were not supposed to be outside at night; it was forbidden. He opened the front door and saw Yvette watching eagerly. In Lera, she could walk around at any time without fear, but outside the King’s city, the world had different rules.
Andreas ran outside. “You should go inside,” he told her. But she looked at him with defiant eyes.
“We lead together now,” she said. “I consider it imperative to know what is going on.”
His blood was boiling, but disobeying her would alert the king.
A soldier came running toward him, worry visible upon his features. “Sub-Commander,” he called, looking only at Andreas.
“Where is Anthony?” Andreas asked.
“He left town,” the man looked at Yvette with suspicious eyes and ushered Andreas away. Yvette just stood there with hatred in her eyes as the man talked to Andreas in a low voice. “He said you are working with witches and he would not be under your leadership anymore. Other men followed him, scared to death of the idea of witches nearby. They will not listen to you anymore. Some of them took their families; others did not want to risk their families on the journey.”
“Where is that fool going? There is nothing around. Going to Marli this late would be risky; the white plains are hard to move through, especially in the dark. We must bring them back, before the demons find them.”
“Yes sir. I have called troops to go find them as fast as possible. I will order some other men to guard the town in case of an attack.”
“Did he inform you of his intentions?”
The soldier’s words darkened, “Some men say he is going to Marli and then to the Forest. There is some gossip he wants to start a new city of rebels against you; others say he is joining the demons, but that last one is unlikely. Truly nobody knows for sure of his intentions, but it sounds logical that he just wants to get away from your leadership.”
“Stubborn fool; he will get himself killed,” Andreas exclaimed. Anthony was just going over his authority to make Andreas appear incompetent. Andreas’ fear for Anthony’s life was greater than his anger. If something happens to him. He knew Marie would be devastated, but he also knew he would share the feeling.
He walked past Yvette; she stared at him with her chin held high and her breathing was rapid. But he gave her little regard as he took a horse and rode off to follow Anthony’s trail.
Searching in the night for his brother-in-law, who had been his best friend and suddenly his enemy, brought back childhood memories. Anthony was about ten-years old, and Andreas was almost fourteen. It was during training exercises when a thin, young boy stood in front of Andreas. The king’s order had been to start training soldiers before they reached their teenage years or they would be too stubborn to prepare. Back then it was mandatory to send children to training, but recently Commander Winterton convinced the king to make it optional. It was a waste to send children to die if they were not strong enough for training. Some of them could make good blacksmith and apothecaries, among other occupations.
Andreas and Anthony met on their formation because they were paired together to chase wolves. Since childhood, they learned survival depended on being sharp and fearless. Many boys had been killed by wolves in the area, but no one mourned them; the dead were considered unfit.
During their training together Andreas and Anthony found a family of wolves that would be easy to chase—a mother and three pups. “Let them be,” Anthony said and urged Andreas to walk away. Anthony was new in the training and innocently valued life while Andreas had been trained for few years and had learned not to care. Andreas hesitated at first but followed young Anthony, knowing in his heart it was the right thing to do. Andreas and Anthony knew as long as they were fighting together they would become in great leaders and hard to beat adversaries.
Later in life, their brotherhood was sealed forever when Andreas married his sister. Many times, Andreas tried to convince him to leave the Frozen Land for a better place like the Forest, where he could form a family. But Anthony would never give up on his missi
on to fight the demons. Moreover, inhabitants of the Frozen Land were too proud to leave behind the lands belonging to their ancestors, lands made rich by the sea.
How selfish was I? Andreas was always happy and loved by his family, while Anthony had nothing but his oath and the desire to win the fight. He wanted to be a Sub-Commander. He gave up on everything for this mission and he was not given the chance to lead.
For the first time, Andreas understood how frustrated Anthony was for not being heard. His opinion was not considered. I did not give him the place he wanted…that he deserved. If Anthony had been chosen as Sub-Commander, he probably would have destroyed the demons by now. He would have pursued the demons without ever fearing leaving behind a lonely wife or children.
Anthony had been raised between battles and wars until his parents were taken by the demons when he was younger. He quickly forgot the warmth of a family. Marie had been raised the same way, but she was different than her brother. She was eager and needy to have a family of her own and to feel the unique warmth that came with it while her brother did not seem to care about regaining the family he lost long ago.
Andreas was released from his thoughts by the whinnying of his horse. The gusty wind almost threw him off the stallion, but he grabbed the reins with all his strength. Behind him, his men followed, casting their heads around for signs of trouble.
“What is that?” one of the men questioned, fright lacing his tone.
The wind made it impossible for Andreas to hear anything; he looked around trying to decipher if there was something alarming. The men stopped their horses abruptly, turning their heads in revulsion.
We are too late. A sea of blood suffused the lay of the land. The corpses of the men, women, and children whom followed Anthony were strewn about on the ground, soaked in blood.