The fallen's lament

The conversation continued on for a few more hours, with Katie asking more and more questions and Rose telling them about the village’s daily attacks and how futile and desperate they were getting after the last attack. David, not so confident, asked, “When do they normally attack?” but before Rose could answer, Katie said, “I can already hear the drums of the damned.” With tremendous fear Rose and Howard pushed Sophia and David into a room, told them to hide and ran out, shouting and ordering the villagers to arms. Katie hugged Sophia then followed her parents as the couple turned to look out the window to the mountains where drums could be heard…

Sophia pointed as David turned. He saw every villager, now dressed in the same emerald green armour, their weapons in hand. His breath caught in his throat, but Rose, who stood next to the Everseer, leant on her blade casually, her armour a darker shade of sapphire and her warrior crown bouncing the sunlight off like a ray of sunshine itself. Katie stood with the other children, all of them armed and ready, hugging each other and apparently wishing each other luck. Katie appeared to be the most experienced one there, going among the others and reassuring them while Howard simply stood and stared, arms sagging, his duel blades resting against his hands.

The Everseer looked at Rose, and Rose looked back; they both nodded and separated, the Everseer moving to the left, and Rose to the right. Rose turned to speak with the villagers on the right as she yelled, “You will strike, and if you fall, you shall not be forgotten!”

Rose turned back towards the mountains as a mass of hooded shapes faded in from the horizon, some holding a blade and a torch, some using both hands to drum. As the Everseer readied his weapon, signalling the others to do the same, Rose twirled her blade in both hands, as though taunting the figures…

As the drums stopped, the figures charged, but the villagers were already prepared as they charged back, engaging the hooded ones in furious and bloody combat. Katie and the children were diving, ducking, stabbing and protecting with amazing grace. Katie herself was taking the time to watch over her friends as they made their kills; Rose was in the thick of it, twirling and dicing with her Katana flawlessly, most of the hooded giving her a wide birth as she decapitated them limb by limb. Howard was with his friends, protecting and killing together, with no sign of the Everseer.

David scanned the battlefield – at last he saw him, at the end of the field, with the hooded captain impaled on his war staff, being raised high in the air as the blood oozed down the venom green pole. The Everseer, with such aggression, span and launched the captain into his men’s ranks, jumping down into the field to join the villager’s push against the hooded traitors.

The hours went by, and the battle waged on, eventually coming to an end as Rose twirled, sliced, span and diced her opponents’ heads off. Finishing the fight, as the villagers left, Rose picked up a torch and looked over the corpse-covered field, blood red suffocating what was once a beautiful green. Throwing the torch into the field, the villagers cheered as it burned, but Rose and the Everseer stood back, watching, not cheering, but talking.

David overheard the last words they said:

“Are we done yet?”

The Everseer appeared to chuckle. “No, we’re not done.”

Rose frowned but sighed, “Well then, let’s get started.”

The two parted ways as Sophia sobbed into David’s arms. Rose returned to them, leaning in and patting Sophia’s head.

“They’ll be back, and we’ll be ready.”

Sophia could do nothing but stare at Rose as she smiled down at her. “How can you be so confident? I saw you win but…maybe they’ll learn from this time?”

Sighing, Rose replied with a stern look on her face. “We didn’t win, those figures were old friends of ours, and they can’t learn from the fights if none of them survive.”

David, holding Sophia close, smiled as Katie ran up to Rose and hugged her. Katie turned to smile at David as Howard joined them, laughing loudly. “We did well today! Not a single loss on our side, you witnessed a good fight, David!”

Rose stood up quickly, spinning with lightning grace as she delivered her gauntlet into Howard’s stomach. “Enough of that, you arrogant swine! Those figures were still human – who were we to release their life!”

Howard buckled under both the initial blow and the shock of his own wife shouting him down. Sophia cowered into David for safety as Rose still had her hand on her blade; a fiery fury which they had never known was showing in Rose’s violet eyes.

David’s attention turned slowly away from the now arguing couple to Katie, who just sighed and walked out of the room, returning a few minutes later holding a strange necklace. Holding it up high to her parents she spoke up: “Rejoice, parents, although many of our friends have died, we can take solice in knowing that they have been sent to their chosen God, where they may be judged by beings higher than us.”

At Katie’s words, both Rose and Howard fell silent. Rose turned and bowed to Katie; Howard did the same after Rose. David and Sophia looked blankly at Rose and Katie as the family began removing their armaments. Howard was doing the same, slightly slower due to his recent fight.

Rose was now looking slightly happier as she picked up Katie. “So, what should we have for lunch?”

Katie began to clap excitedly as she answered over and over again. “Roast roast roast roast!”

Howard chuckled and beckoned for David to follow him as Sophia stood up and shyly walked up to Rose. “Could I... come with you? I’ve never seen anyone cook anything before, and I would like to see how it’s done.”

Katie looked confused as Rose chuckled, “Of course you can, Sophia, Katie loves to watch too, come, and we need to get the ingredients.”

Sophia noticed that Rose had put Katie down to pick up two baskets, beautifully woven out of a light wood. Rose then held Katie’s hand in hers as she signalled for Sophia to come along outside. Sophia followed quickly, keeping very close to Rose as they approached the centre of town. The great tower loomed in the middle; Sophia could just see the Everseer sitting atop the base of the spire.

“Why does he sit there, Rose?” Sophia was now holding Rose’s arm tightly as they entered the town market. Katie being a bit eager was pulling them towards the meat stall, while Rose kept a firm hold on her as she quickly replied, “He is the town protector after all, he is our only warning of an attack, just stay out of that tower. Oh, that reminds me, we need to get you and David some clothes, can’t have you two wearing the same things all day every day.”

Sophia, who thought Rose had changed the subject rather abruptly, had turned a very crimson colour. But Rose chuckled. “Not to worry, I was going to pick up Howard and Katie some more clothes today as well.”

Katie had now managed to get them to the meat stall. The fellow behind the stall waved and smiled as they approached. “Good afternoon, Rose, my dear! Will it be the usual?”

Rose smiled her sweet smile as Katie jumped up and down trying to see the meat. “Yes, Jeremy, the usual. How is Jessica?”

Jeremy laughed as he packaged the raw meat carefully, covering it in see-through paper and handing it to Rose. He replied, “Never better, she’s thinking ‘bout having a little one.” As the two engaged in conversation Sophia looked at the wrapped up chicken, wondering if she was going to eat that later.

Katie eventually had managed to climb up the stall, waving at Jeremy as he waved back, Rose handed him some coins and they parted ways, although as she could tell what Sophia was thinking.

Rose patted Sophia on the back and with her comforting voice said, “Don’t worry, this is the unfinished meat. When we get home I’ll cook and prepare it, but first, we need to get you some clothes, as pretty as your current outfit is.”

Rose pointed to a tall woman behind a stall of the finest silken clothes of all beautiful colours, patterns and sizes. To Rose’s surprise it was now Sophia who was in front, desperate to see the clothes, chuckling as she strolled after Sophia, who was already at the stall, admiring the silken wonders. “Hello, Autumn, I see your hands have been busy today.”