Linus The Coward

"Serve your country! Do your duty as soldiers of the empire! Today we show them our wrath! CHARGE!" The battle cry echoed in Linus's head. Honour was naught to be found on that battlefield. The empire was making a push for more land. So many lives lost and families destroyed, all for the great Emperor. Linus had fled amidst the chaos of battle. If anyone had noticed him, they would have thought him simply a coward. Maybe Linus was a coward; maybe he had fled danger under the guise of higher morality. So be it. Better a coward than dead, Linus thought as he escaped the battle.

He discarded his armour in some nearby woods along with anything with the empire's insignia on it. He kept a dagger hidden at his belt and walked his way to the nearest empire village where he wouldn't be recognized. He remembered from battle maps to follow the river south for about a day's walk and he would end up at a farming village called Crop Haven.

A sleep in the woods and two very sore feet later, Linus had arrived by midday at the saddest village he had seen in his life. The houses looked as though a strong breeze could have blown them over, and of the twenty or so people he saw milling about, every one of them wore a scowl. Would he be welcome here? Could he find work?

"Who are you? We need no more mouths to feed." A man with graying hair produced a spear and eyed Linus's torn clothing, probably a guard for the tiny village.

"I can work to feed myself and maybe provide for others. I have strength and health; I just need a job to do. I could gather wood to rebuild some of your houses for food, perhaps." Linus said.

The man's gaze lingered on Linus and fixed to a fairly fresh scar across his left cheek. "You a soldier, then? Abandoned your post?"

"No! I... I'm a drunk looking for a new beginning." Linus lowered his hand towards his belt.

The man squinted and thrust his spear towards Linus's leg. Linus drew his dagger and redirected the spear so it harmlessly stabbed the ground. Linus closed the distance to the man with a fast and practiced step as he pointed the dagger to the man's throat.

The man chuckled. "No drunk I know could do that." When Linus did not lower his dagger, the man continued. "Relax, I was a soldier too." Linus focused his gaze on the man, but relented and sheathed his dagger.

"Is there a place for me in this village?" Linus said.

"Wait here," The man said. He left and returned a moment later with a well-worn axe. "You can start today. Bring us wood until sundown, then we can discuss accommodations and further employment."

___

Linus's already callused hands and large sturdy frame were perfect for felling trees, but the stupid goddamn axe made the task unbearable. By nightfall he had an empty stomach, sweat drenched clothes, an aching body, and four nice logs that he had dragged back to Crop Haven.

The guard nodded at Linus's work and ushered him into what he called "the community building," though one couldn't have distinguished it from any other building. He entered and sat on a wobbly chair around a wobbly table with 2 others: a wiry elderly woman, and a younger, beefy woman. The guard sat down beside the younger woman.

"We are the village council. I'm Corey, beside me is my wife Yelena, and lastly Peony." The two women gave a nod to Linus. "You have done decent work today, and we hope you continue to work for us. We have agreed to grant you a house, we've had a family leave the village recently so you are free to stay in their old house. There is a bed and we have left some food in there for you."

"Thank you all," Linus said.

"Now, on a more personal note, Crop Haven has many honest and hard-working people, and the empire has noticed. They send a crew of soldiers every two weeks to collect taxes, but really, they take all but most of our essentials. We have tried to reason with them, but they do not listen. We have tried to hide our resources, but they search every house. We have tried telling them no, but they killed one of our people. We have no other option, I'm afraid. We either starve or fight back. You are a soldier, and you have no obligation to us, but we would provide whatever we can in exchange for training."