The Story of the Old Warrior

ArchivedUser

Part I

 

The Dream

 

My story is forgotten, long time ago, it is said by the whispers of the spirits from the ones that left this world. I am no one, I can not find a solid ground, where I can feel comfortable with myself.

I travel around the world, a world lost by the disgust and arrogance of the people. Years upon years, the world is not the same, what is left is the memories of the old world.

 

In a gust of cold winter’s wind, I walk in the top of the mountain, in the hopes to find someone, searching for answers to heal me from this curse, for so many centuries I live, cursed even in my soul. Alone and far away from me, I’m searching to find myself again, so too I can depart from this world as well.

 

It all begun with a dream, in the middle of the city, where the bells rang, the streets were empty, leafs from the trees were falling in a hot day of autumn, like life, where it is supposed to be born like a leaf on a branch of a tree, we live and then we die like the leafs fall. There I could feel a cold feeling, empty in the heart. I walked by the streets of the city, but still I couldn’t find anyone, I felt lost and lonely. I went to the temple, since the bells were ringing, perhaps I could find a living soul there.

 

When I came there, I saw a lot of people, I saw tears streaming from their eyes, sadness in one concentrated place, saw disgust and I could see a funeral taking place. I couldn’t interact with anyone, I talked, I yelled, but still no one could see me or hear me…

 

I entered the temple, I saw the coffin, I walked to there, to the altar, no one was there to deny me the access, when I saw the person that was there on that coffin, I was paralyzed, with so many feelings mixtured, pale and afraid, I saw… I saw myself in that same coffin.

 

To wake up right near of the one that I shouldn’t had left in any case, any situation…

 

The Call

 

Days went by, I thought so many times about that dream, I felt like it was the dream of my destiny, with a smile on my face, worried in my mind, because every time I see the person who was with me I always thought she was well, her name was Larya. I never wanted to tell her, much less to see her crying, living a life without me, when I knew that I was the reason for her to be happy, I hugged her and told her that everything was going to be fine. I knew back in my mind that it was my destiny to die for the people, for glory.

 

Years went by and in certain nights I had the same dream all over again, every time I dreamt with that dream, it worried me even more and as the time goes on I repeated that same experience over and over again, it became a nightmare. I would wake up sweaty, a lot of the times Larya felt that I had a nightmare, it was constant and she also became worried about myself.

 

The more time passed, a war was declared, besides the kingdom of Edfana, a kingdom of the Py’rai elves, there was a world of constant dispute, rumors and news were heard every day, of violent deaths of innocent people, religions declared wars against each other, kings and queens argued and took that discussions to another level, poverty, diseases and desperation was what filled the world back then, peace didn’t last long and again the more time it passed, the war grew to a global scale.

 

A lot of warriors, guardians, mages, who passed their lives training, taking a violent life, aswell others who passed their time studying the arts of magic, they answered the call of their kings, loyal and people with honor they were willing to give their lives for the leaders of their societies, most of them also went to defend not just only their pride, but also their families, we don’t know how much we have lost today, but people who lived back then, knew very well, how many children became orphans, how many parents that cried for their losses, how many marriages did not occur because their groom and bride lost their lives in a glorious way, to reach the end and their names are not recognized, to reach the end and many died in vain.

 

Fire was fanned by the mages to burn the corpses of the “Lost”, who lost their war, a long and painful war that they called life and lost their way to go back home, so the name was given to that people that died in that violent battles.

 

Edfana, was a kingdom that managed to be away from the war for a long time, but even for our kiingdom that war would come to us aswell, sooner or later. An invasion occurred and they destroyed a lot of homes, they killed a lot of citizens that maintained an honest life and men that died defending our lands and that same men that our king lost. A small battle that created a big war. I too answered the call of our king, Larya and her father did not wanted me to go. Larya’s father begged at my knees, for the happiness of his daughter, he knew very well, even than me, he was an honest man that lost so much, everything because of my arrogance.

 

I still remember like if it was today, a sunny day, of a spring that had the potential to be the best of our lives, I said my goodbye to my love, she had her eyes filled with tears, I hugged her, like if it was for the last time, because as much I didn’t wanted to, I knew that I wouldn’t not coming back, the gods were giving me warnings on that nightmares. Today I regret it, and if I could go back and change the past… If I could go back…

 

The March

 

We traveled to the meeting point of our army, we passed the night on the encampment, we prepared our weapons, with my skill on the bow and arrow, I took it and gave my life to my weapon, because tomorrow my life would depend on it.

 

A difficult night to fall asleep, without knowing if tomorrow I would live, or die, very early at the morning, we prepared and we packed up and marched to victory, alive or dead, only the gods knew about my destiny.

 

It already passed a whole week, we walked exhausted, to meet our enemy. Edfana’s flags rise up, as well as the enemy’s, we reach to the open fields, the last place for our destiny.

 

Screams and the sounds of the horns of war, they rise their arms in a protest for the battle to come and honor their nations, the warrior spirit rises on each one of us brothers and sisters, so for many it will be the final point of their travels of our lives, but never forget… The ones that survive, are the ones that fought to the end, are the ones that will tell the stories of your heroic acts, that will manifest for the generations to come brothers and sisters. It is an honor to fight with each one of you, side by side on this day, the last day of our lives. It is an honor and a pride to have known you and be at your side while I am alive, it is an honor to fight with brothers and sisters that battle to defend and recover what is ours, it is an honor… It is an honor that I will take with me when at last, I close my eyes. Never ever forget, perhaps I will never know the names of each one of you, perhaps it will be forgotten in the memories of the gods…

 

On this moment, there is no fear, look at the face of the enemy, we battle as brothers and fight to live. As much horrible it seems to take a life… It is us or them, we have no choice. For every moment, for each beat of my heart that squeezes my chest, I think about who I left at home, the people that saw me grow and become what I am today, in my people, in the land where I was born… many will die, but I hope that many will live to breath again and go home to their families and loved ones….

 

Brothers and Sisters, Charge!

 

In the field of glory, battling for what I thought it was important, my nation. I take off my bow and arrow and shoot my first shot. While I saw blood draining, brothers fight to survive. The day begun with sun rising up from the mountain side. Red sky that slowly turned blue, a signal to start our charge that begins this battle.

 

We hear the sound of the iron sword penetrating the steel armor, screams of pain and desperation, many fight when they just don’t have strength to battle anymore. And all of this for what? For what purpose? Kings laugh at this bloodshed festival, a concentration of massacres.

 

You don’t know how many lives it was lost to defend their ideals and their kings, to defend their lands, as well as me, in the end we fought against each other, with the same goal, the only thing that was different from us to them was the side that we fought… Everything that they see on their patriotism, you’re blind…

 

Screams of desperation could be heard far away where the fog hides the bloody death, we don’t know where it comes, we don’t know where the next strike will land, without courage to proceed, the fear has taken you.

 

Prepared to die? I asked myself, in my small universe, where I was the sun, because everything revolved around me, so that was what I always thought. But did I came prepared to lose? And there the questions would rise up, was that something that I really wanted? Really?

 

The day where the sun rises up for the last time for many, they don’t give up, they defend their simple existence, until the last breath. With true determination and courage, with a warrior’s soul.

 

When everything begun, I looked at the sky and closed my eyes. The gods did not wanted to take me on that day, my purposed was not accomplished. Not at that moment…

There was opportunities where I almost fall, but that didn’t happened, because I would rise up again and not give up at the face of the enemy. At the end of the day, I saw comrades taking our brothers and sisters of combat to our encampments, after of our victory, there were no enemies, not anymore, only people and corpses. Tell me again, why?

 

Why? Why do you serve a king that laughs at your face while you give your life for him, that plays around with your very own existence? Why do you fight when there is words and arguments that can be trade in a diplomatic tone? Is it possible that peace is something very hard to accomplish in our mortal minds? That is a very far away objective and difficult to reach for us that we don’t have the same knowledge as our gods and the same will? That we give up in the first chance and we create chaos with death and desperation to other people? Tell me why then, tell me why do we live? When death takes hold of various souls? Hard times with simple questions that requires complex answers.

 

It was only a battle, said the greedy and arrogant people, that brought instability to the face of Verra, but… As the time goes on, the souls of the ones that died in my hands haunt me to where I go, even today. They wait for me to do an assert with me after death, I see the faces of that poor souls in my dreams, I still feel their presence… If we could avoid these tragedies, Verra could be a better place? Perhaps my past would be different, neither the shamans know, even the gods themselves doesn't possesses that knowledge. Even though my flesh is not wounded, my soul is broken, forever…

 

The Ocean of the Destinies

 

After an hard day and difficult losses, we confront the ocean, the waves play against us, but the will is bigger, the will of wanting to reach our destiny, we never give up.

 

A difficult day, one after the other,  one step, one after the other… We fight against the wind and our difficulties, against storms and our intern enemies, of our minds… A challenge, they wait for us in the shore, our point of arrival to attack us. I hope that there won’t be any conflict, in the middle of the ocean…

 

With courage, we proceed and win, the engine that makes us victorious, now I just have these memories. Memories of ashes, ashes of the ones that had the fire to win. It didn’t took long, we approach of a treacherous destiny, it didn’t took long for many more loses the flames that maintained them alive, it didn’t took long for many more complete their wishes, it didn’t too long to close their eyes forever.

 

The Letter

 

"At this moment, I close my eyes, with the wind blowing against my face, I am waiting to reach the other side of the sea without any conflict in this ocean. When I close my eyes, it comes back so many lights of the past, memories that stay in my mind.

 

And so when I close my eyes I remember you, how I miss you my love, how I feel an emptiness in my heart, not knowing how you are... I wish I were with you now, Larya. And I do not know if I can get out of here alive, I would give everything now to return to your side..

 

I write letters in the hope that the wind will take it to you, far from my homeland, far from Edfana, the land I fight for so much and wish to return to. I do not know if I will breathe after this political storm that generated this war. In all the battles I take with me the feeling I have for you and all the memories, I remember your soft face with a look of who did not want me to leave, from your voice I heard the words you did not want to say, you grabbed me and for one last gesture of yours, I felt your essence, it was a beautiful day of sun, so that tears filled your beautiful eyes.

 

Did you remember when we were younger? When did your father ever see me shoot arrows at a tree? On that day I was training to be the best, and I thank your father, for he was also a father to me. That same day I saw you for the first time, I do not know what happened, because I never felt like this, in my thoughts I took you, as time passed, the longer I would have to be with your father, to train more chances I had to see you. I saw you growing, as I grew up, it seemed mutual, not even the magic can be so fantastic compared to the times I saw and was with you, in our teenage years I did not resist, I looked into your eyes and your lips, in that moment of silence, I felt your face next to mine. We kissed each other, closed our eyes and traveled together from this place.

 

I grabbed you, made you mine, because I knew you wanted me to be yours as well. We gave our hands. The sands of time passed, we grew up, I became a good hunter and went with your father to hunt various animals, he was a master. That day, when we were together, near the waterfall, I will never forget, so much affection and so much nervousness, I felt your heart beat very closer to mine, we joined and made our fire with our bodies.

 

Unforgettable times, all because you are extraordinary, all because of you. I bring a figure of yours with me, I want you to know that when I am between the sword and the wall, in certain difficult times, I think of you, because I will not die, I will fight, I will win, it must be, I have to do everything to see the day of tomorrow, the day that never comes, to see you again. If there are times that I fight with such courage, it is because of you, I have to live for you, to be with you once more.

 

The gods have bound us together, so I hope it will be like that until the end. For my dear Larya, I wish someday you will see this letter, even if it comes to be my end, I want you to know that I did not die in vain, until my last breath, I want you to know, that you were in my heart. I love you..."

 

The Battle of the Ships

 

From the distance, in a foggy afternoon, nothing we could see, just something at the distance. Brothers and sisters prepare for battle. A threat that appeared in a moment, that doesn't took too long for the storm to come, finally. In a middle of the sea, the two ships crossed each other and a rain of arrows started, the bells of war rang, archers prepare to shoot, from the blue of the water of the ocean it became red. From the sky we could hear the thunder, lightning caused by gods, from their protest while they were watching that grotesque battle. Fire was thrown by the flaming arrows from one ship to another, and from the fog, it transformed in flames. The enemy jumped to our ship and one more time, rain of blood and arrows filled both battle fields. In the end of the day, I woke up bellow from the corpses of brothers and sisters of battle and the enemy. I was the only survivor, ashes filled the ocean and my path. The day that never passed, happened and wounded I passed out, to wake up in the next day on a beach of the shore.

ArchivedUser

For the ones that saw my post here: https://forums.ashesofcreation.com/discussion/comment/150825

Thank you for giving me support to create this story, I've just wrote the first part, it has two eheh, I hope if you read everything at least you enjoy, it is kinda long I know. Btw I'm sorry about some grammar and vocabulary errors that I may have here, I tried my best.

I hope yo uguys really like it