Heavy is the Head that Wears the Solemn Crown

Nineteen - Setting the River on Fire

Tommy

Tommy sits at the end of the wagon's left bench. He stares down at the rocky path that the wagon speedily rolls across. Streaks of sunlight filter through the large dark oak trees that stretch towards the pale blue sky above his head. His sword, Laevatein, was pressed against his leg, the heavy weight reminding of all the lives that had been taken with the blade. He clutched the hilt in his fist with a deathlike grip as he avoided looking at the people in the wagon with him. The beauty of the world and the composure on his companions' faces did not make the heavy weight in Tommy's stomach lighten. All he could think about was the faces of his best friends as their lives were stipped from them. How could he not think about them when this was his first battle since that cruel moment when he realized that war did not skip over those unwilling to fight? How could he not remember the second he lost everything in one fell swoop of fate's shadowy hand?

Well, he lost almost everything. Tommy reluctantly released one of his hand's grip on the hilt of his sword. The other one seemed to tighten even more as he blindly searched for the hand of the person right next to him. It didn't take long for freezing cold fingers to wrap around his sweaty palm. Kristin's grip was extremely light. It felt like she was holding glass instead of his flesh and bone hand. He would have been offended in any other situation. Tommy wasn't fragile, and he didn't like being treated as if he were. He had been through a lot, and he survived it all with as much strength and grace as possible. But, he figured, he was, just a little bit, fragile at this moment. Memories of his past circled in his head, and he felt like he was a couple seconds away from losing himself to panic and fear. What if, gods forbid, he lost Kristin in this fight? How was he supposed to live with her?

"We're almost there," Techno told them. Tommy finally looked away from the rolling forestry. When Tommy looked at Techno, familiar feelings washed through his body, faster than the wind and just as strong. It took his breath away, and it nearly knocked him off his feet the first time he saw the pink-haired warrior. Tommy couldn't really name any of the feelings. Techno was his hero, but Tommy had never been particularly interested in the Blade from the Antarctic Empire before the moment he saw Techno. He cared so deeply for his leader, but it was born from emotions that ran deeper than loyalty or respect. It was something much more complicated and messy. It reminded him of nature itself: powerful, beautiful, vast, and sometimes even deadly.

"Everyone listen. I'm going to review our mission one more time. Schlatt has enlisted in a group of mercenaries and pirates from Oceania to kill most of the fishing villages along the Mellohi river. His plan is to remove one of Pogtopia's main ways of getting food while getting rid of eligible men who could choose to join Pogtopia in the foreseeable future. We were tasked with the responsibility of eliminating the entire group," Techno explained to the people inside the wagon. Tommy looked around at the others to see their expressions. Kristin had gone pale beside him, probably remembering their last battle like he was. Niki held her dagger and a whetstone in her lap, sharpening the blade with an eerie calm painting her face. Shrub was jittering with nervousness. Like Tommy, she would constantly look outside the wagon, but her reason was because her companion, Mother Wolf, was running alongside the wagon with Shrub always in sight. Philza was flying above the wagon with his large wings that struck Tommy with some form of envy that he wasn't planning on processing.

"Our success here will ensure that no more deaths can occur, and we will have enough food for the coming winter. We will prove to King Wilbur and the rest of his army that we are a capable squad that will lead Pogtopia to victory," Techno finished. His speech-giving skills left a lot to be desired, but Tommy still felt something like eagerness rising in his chest. The knot that was clogging his throat unwound slowly. Tommy breathed in deeply, his chest heaving beneath the breastplate.