Chapter seven

Chapter 7

 

                “Wake up. We have work to do.”

                I jolted out of bed, reaching for my knife as I felt the frail hand of Cleric Borese shake my arm to wake me from my restfulness. It was early and dark. I could not tell the time but I could tell that I had not slept enough.

                “What is going on? Has something happened?” I turned to look at Cleric Borese as I sat up in bed.

                “Your training begins today. You have ten minutes to be dressed in full gear and in the courtyard. The longer you take, the longer the day will be.”

                With that, Borese stepped out of the barracks room where the three Elite Archers were kept. It was a sparse room, obviously slapped together in the minimal time that the Winfard slaves had to set up. There were three beds pushed against each wall with a storage closet at the foot of each bed so that each archer was able to store his gear separately.

                I got up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes and slowly adjusted to the early wake up call. I looked around and saw Perry and James still sound asleep in their beds. I was envious of them. Why weren’t they starting their training along with me? I didn’t understand Cleric Borese’s tactics but one thing was for sure, I did not want to be late.

                Very carefully, I started to piece my gear together. I made sure that my chest armor plates were tight but not restrictive. My skirt and tights were aligned and fit and my wrist guards were in place and tightened down. Everything seemed to be in order as I laced my shin protectors and strapped my sandals. I grabbed my Gold helmet off my shelf and slapped my bow across my back and cinched my sword strap around my waist as I went down to meet Cleric Borese.

                “You are late. I gave you a deadline of ten minutes and you stand before me at eleven. Today will not be an easy day for you.” Cleric Borese stood before me in a different attire then his normal robes. It was a blue, form fitting outfit that covered him from neck to toe. His shirt trailed off in the back and had two thick strips of fabric that extended down to his knees while his pants looked as if they were painted on him. It was a very weird thing for him to be wearing.

                “I apology for my tardiness sir and I promise it will not happen again.” I replied in my best military formalities.

                “It will not happen ever again!” He screamed. The muscles on his neck poked out and the solitary vein on his forehead bulged as he made his point clear. I stood there awestruck as I could not believe that this old man had just yelled at me.

                “You are a smart-a*s, insubordinate, waste of military property. How you were processed through the warrior’s school and even slimed your way as an Elite Archer surprises me. I will not take a smart mouthed scumbag under my tutelage, especially one that cannot understand the concept of time management. But, considering that this is your first day, you will be let off with a warning. In the event that you become tardy again, you will find yourself in a more difficult situation. Have I made myself clear?”

                “Yes sir!” I shouted. My body was rigid and arms were locked out on the sides of my body. This was not a game like I thought it would be. This would be training and training was the only thing that I was good at.

                “Now, you will make sure that every bed pan in this castle is disposed of personally. Once that has been accomplished, you will tend to the soldiers gear. Anything that is broken, worn, or rusted will be taken care of. I believe you know a thing or two about tending to gear. Depending on the time you have finished that, I will see to it that another task is added to your list. If I see that you are dawdling or taking breaks, you will be adding even more work to your day. If all of that is finished before a decent hour, we may begin our training. Since you like to waste my time and keep me waiting, I will waste your time until you have learned to be present at the time I give you. Consider this your warning, boy.”

                Dread filled my body, slowly followed by a hot feeling of hatred. He was the one that ordered me out of bed! Then demanded I be fully dressed (which, by the way, should take at least fifteen minutes) and downstairs in ten minutes. This is preposterous.

                I was so deep in my thoughts that I had not moved at all since the Cleric had given my instructions.

                “Soldier Hawthorne, I would advise you to start moving quickly before you waste any more of my time.” Cleric Borese quietly mentioned to me.  

                “Yes sir! Right away sir!” I didn’t waste any time as I knew that he could think of far more punishments then just emptying bed pans and tending to weapons.

                I had a plan of attack, as any soldier would. I would start on the uppermost floor and make sure I go to every room. From there I will work my way floor by floor until I get to the servants quarters which are the lowest level placed underground. If I do it vigilantly, I should be done by noon and started on the gear by one in the afternoon. Of course, my plan could fail miserably at any moment, but that was the best I could come up with. 

 

 

 

 

                Perry woke up at sunrise as he did every day in order to keep his fitness routine together. He walked to the basin where the cleaning water was kept and splashed some on his face in order to get the suppressing feeling of sleep. The pull out of the dream world was slow and left him groggy. Perry finished up washing his face as he ran his hands over the four day stubble that remained on his face. He felt good after his conversation with the king. There were so many plans that were to be set forth and so many things he wanted to do. Those monsters were going to pay for what they did to his beloved princess.

                Walking back to his closet, he glanced at Hawthorne’s empty cot. Where was this guy? He never got up before Perry did. He didn’t think too much of it considering he probably went to go do some reconnaissance on the new fort.

                He got dressed in his training outfit, loose pants and a tight shirt that was light but didn’t restrict his movement. He walked down the long hallway that kept all of the Evalenan people housed while they stayed under the protection of Fort Winfard. Someone scuffled out of a room down the hallway carrying something heavy. It was strange, though, they looked as if they were wearing the red and gold of Evalena. They turned to face Perry with a look of astonishment, dread, and embarrassment. The person had not been expecting to be seen while performing maid duties.

                “Hawthorne, what in the Gods names are you doing?” Perry asked with the whisper of a smirk playing on his lips.

                “I would rather not talk about it, thank you. You will find out soon enough and it is not pleasant.” Hawthorne replied, the look of disgust vivid on his face.

                “Well I would suggest not dawdling. Whatever caused this punishment, I would imagine you would not want to upset them.”

                Perry took his leave and walked to the end of the hallway to the door that led to the courtyard inside the castle walls. With the cold air tight in his lungs, he took off across the yard at an alarming rate, keeping his arms moving and a steady breathing routine. It felt good to get his muscles moving without his gear. He felt so light and free, as if he could run off the face of the earth and just never look back. The soldiers on patrol paid him no heed as he ran past them.

As early as it was, there were still quite a bit of people out and about. Merchants setting up their stands before the morning rush started, farmers with their hoes and plows loaded on wagons heading to their farms, and soldiers bustling to relieve the previous post. Perry was a ghost to them as he kept his speedy pace through the market, working his way back to the castle in order to climb the stairs onto the ramparts. It was from here that he saw the sight that would be engrained in his memory for as long as he lived

 

 

                A majestic horse pranced about the field. The soft whinny and pounding of its feet created a symphony of pure nature. In the distance, the sun was beginning to set behind the rolling hills that the farm sat under. To the right sat the most beautiful girl in the world. Dark red hair that poured down her shoulders in cascading waves of crimson fire. Freckles dotted her cheeks that took years off her face. She sat with her back straight on the wooden fence that lined the horse pen, purple-hued dress hugging her body but flowing enough to keep her modest. The end extended over her ankles and just barely revealed her cute toes. Her hand came up to brush her hair behind her ear, her eyes flicker to the building where he is standing watching her with the look of pure amazement. She turns toward him, lips spreading open like she is going to say something of importance to him.   

                The sound that emanates from her larynx sounds vaguely like a bull-horn. The man gives a questioning look and the woman, looking puzzled, tries to repeat what she just said. The same bull-horn sound is resonated across the farm. What is this? How is she sounding like an alarm? An alarm? Wait, this isn’t real.

                The scene fades away and James finds himself covered in sweat, sitting upright in his bed. His hair is disheveled and there is a look of shock on his face. One heartbeat, two heartbeats, there! The bull-horn sound goes off once more. In a swift motion, the blankets are off and he is gathering up his clothes. Trousers, blouse, armor chest plate, sandals, and helmet are fashioned onto his body in quick succession. James grabs his bow and slings his quiver across his shoulders before tightening his sword onto his belt.

Before he is out the door he realizes that Perry and Hawthorne left the room already. Did they just leave him in the room without waking him? That didn’t seem likely, but what would cause them to have woken up this early? He wasn’t sure but he knew he had to find the answer.

James tore through the castle, up the stairs to the station that he was assigned to in case of an emergency. His gaze fell upon the land before him, past the castle walls and into the town that all but touched those walls. He stopped dead in his tracks as his mind caught up to what his eyes were taking in. No amount of preparation was able to help him understand the enormity of the situation.

Where were Hawthorne and Perry? James was standing in the position that they were told to be in but they were nowhere to be found. What was he supposed to do? He was the youngest in the group and was still adjusting to being at war. He did not consider himself ready to be able to make decisions on his own, that was what Hawthorne was for.

As he looked around, James came across a sight that paled in comparison to the one he witnessed when he reached the top of the castle walls. All he wanted to do was run away and never look back but months of training kept him standing, rooted to the spot.