It was the morning after Baldwin had removed Sergeant Halrick from the Instructor position. Baldwin woke up early, it had become a habit. Every night, a dream haunted him for the last one month. It started with Claus's death, and had continued. The dream replayed each event that happened on the night when Claus died. Every single time he woke up as his hand had felt the pen push through clutches of muscle entering the brain.
He washed his face in the small fountain and put on his uniform. He looked in the mirror and saw a man in his thirties wearing a fake smile. Baldwin then looked for his weapon. Normally, he would always keep it beside him while sleeping, but for a few days now, he had kept it aside. He had been cut several times in his sleep by his own sword because of his constant nightmare.
'Ah, there it is.' Baldwin thought to himself, he walked over to a whiteboard he had, on which laid 'Urumi': his blade. Baldwin lifted the blade from the white board and laced it around his waist.
He then approached the door preparing to leave the safety of his home to begin a day filled with loyalty towards the kingdom.
As he approached the door; he could see it, a letter addressed to him. He picked up the letter, which had an unknown seal. It looked like a man wearing an armour standing on a severed dragon head. This was strange, a symbol like this was enough to convict someone for 'high treason.'
Baldwin quickly picked up the letter and closed the door from the inside.
"He has received it." A man wearing a military uniform said, he was hiding in the shadows in an alley cast by buildings. The alley was opposite to Baldwin's house allowing him to spy on Baldwin.
Baldwin inside the house tore open the letter. Then he carefully took out the contents. There were two pages inside. Baldwin unfolded the first letter. It read as follows. 'This might be a worst mistake from our side, one of our members firmly believed in you. Not as his captain but as his only friend and rival. The second page contains a message from Claus the invincible.' Baldwin's eye brows furrowed in disbelief. He had believed that everything Claus owned was disposed of by the military. 'Why now? Why today?' the question aroused behind Baldwin's mind. He opened the second page of the letter. It was blank. Nothing written on it. Baldwin flipped the page to see a small message displayed on it.
'Lies burnt in an open furnace.
_ Claus.'
A hint of desperation clung at Baldwin's heart. It was his friend's handwriting. The last glimpse he would ever see. He neatly folded the page and placed it in the nightstand drawer. Baldwin then left his apartment closing the door behind him; for his job for the day.
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Meanwhile in the military training ground, Gus had tightened his bandages on his heels. Today, an instructor had arrived at the Dorms. Earlier the ringing bell. He was accompanied by two soldiers both carrying trolleys full of uniforms. The instructor had instructed them to go directly to room 1 after wearing the uniform. Gus put on his new uniform. It was a black-red shirt with complete black trousers and a new set of black cotton boots.
As everyone arrived at Room1 they stood in ten rows facing a new instructor. The instructor carried a face familiar to Gus. It was Carter or Sergeant Carter to be precise. "Attention squad, today we will begin the day with three rounds of running." Carter instructed as groans roared from the students. "As everyone seems to love this exercise You all shall run four rounds. We don't need disapproval from you lot; only your willingness to serve."
Everyone was quiet not because they were satisfied but because of fear. A fear of receiving 'more running' as a punishment.
"Now before we start everyone choose your weapons." Carter said pointing to the bins containing wooden weapons. As everyone chose their weapons Carter announced, "Start running, if someone falls behind, they run another round."
The trainees started running, Gus as usual was starting to fall behind. Right then; Hal who was leading the group with Noel, slowed down as he approached the same speed as Gus. "Wow, you really are slowpoke. Or maybe just bad at running." Hal smirked. "Bad….. at….. running." Gus answered between gasps. It was the second round but he was already out of breath. "Ok Gus, I'll share a secret. Inhale through the nose and exhale through your mouth." Hal said. Then Hal picked up his speed again.
Gus was already last in the group; he decided to follow Hal's advice. As he inhaled and exhaled, he could feel his exhaustion reduce. He was able to catch up to the group.
Soon, the four rounds ended. Surprisingly, Gus was not as tried as he should have been. He was the second last trainee. The last trainee had to continue his last round.
"Today, 'You lot' are going to get familiar with your weapons. Relax until I approach you." Carter said. Then Carter went around the trainees showing them stances to take, offensive one and defensive one. Carter approached Gus the last since they had formed their rows according to how they arrived after completing the running exercise.
"Seems like your fitting in." Carter said.
"Yes instructor." Gus said aloud.
"Just take it a notch down, ok? I don't want to hear you injuring any other student of mine."
Gus nodded as guilt he had tried to let go resurfaced. Gus's eye darted as he looked away from Carter.
"Ok, weapon you are carrying is called a Bastard sword. It has a normal range so make some distance between your legs by keeping in front and back." Carter continued as he guided Gus to his correct posture. "Now straighten your hands and raise the sword with both hands."
"This would be your offensive posture. Now for the defensive posture."
"Now. Put pressure on you back leg and raise the sword to block incoming attack."
Carter finished with instructing Gus. Just then the last student carrying a flail arrived after running his punishment lap. Then, Carter showed the two stances.
"Now I want you to train these two stances until the bell rings for breakfast." Carter ordered.
After the students trained their new stances for next two- three hours, bell rang.
The trainee's stopped practicing and started to leave for the cafeteria. Each one of them was hungry.
"Wait!" Carter called out. The students immediately halted and gave an attention pose to their instructor.
"Every day you will be served breakfast at eleven. After breakfast you can take a break till lunch after which I want you here again at the training ground. "Carter continued, "This will remain your schedule till I am your instructor."
"Do all of you understand?"
"Sir, yes sir." The trainees roared.
A few moments later as everyone arrived at the cafeteria. Gus scoured for Hal in the crowd. He finally saw him. Hal was chatting with another kid. The kid carried a crossbow. He had a quiver filled with wooden arrows.
Gus approached Hal, who in turn tried introducing him to his new friend.
"Hi Gus, meet Calvin. Calvin this is Gus." Hal said.
"I know who he is, Hal" Calvin said with a reproachful glare. "My only advise to you, Hal is to stay away from this….. this abomination." Calvin then decided to walk away.
This angered Gus a bit. His eye's flared up. Why was someone who he had never met before suddenly spoke ill of him. Thus, Gus decided to confront Calvin. He caught Calvin by the arm, "Explain what you just said. You bastard." Gus asked.
"Oh, you don't know. Let go of my hand first, Twat." Calvin retorted as he flicked his hand out of Gus's hand. Then, Calvin hurried away. Gus was about to stop Calvin again when Hal spoke behind him.
"I am sorry, Gus. I should have told you." Hal said to a flabbergasted Gus.
"Noel has spread a rumour that you are an incompetent coward, who loves to be a Instructor's pet." Hal continued.
This puzzled Gus, he understood the coward part, from his conversation with Noel yesterday. But he could not understand the instructor's pet comment. Suddenly, a glimpse of his conversation with Sergeant Carter emerged. 'Was that it? Was that where the rumor emerged?' Gus thought.
Then, Hal revealed a shocking rumour he had heard, "additionally the rumour also states a bounty- a bounty to make your life hell, in exchange of connection in the future with the Braveheart family."
Gus didn't say anything. He stirred the porridge without thinking. It was already cold. Across the hall, people were laughing again. Some whispered. Some stared. But all of it circled back to one thing—his name.
It didn't matter that he stood up for what was right. For what he felt was right.
What mattered was that he spoke up.
He remembered Carter's words. Be Calm. Follow orders and grow stronger.
Thus, he decided on his actions.