The Warden | A For Honor Fanfiction

An Abdication

An Abdication
There were no words spoken as we approached the gates of Blackstone. For hours now, our march had been long, silent, and gruesome. Injured souls used their weapons or shattered tree branches as makeshift canes, with the worst having to be held by other lesser injured or the few hardy among us. Only the sounds of pained grunts, scraping steel, and labored breaths filled the air. But that was not why no words were spoken. We knew we had suffered a defeat, a horrific and devastating one that had sapped our morale like a parasite. I suspect none of us wished to dwell on or acknowledge what had happened, and so none of us did.

Even as the horn blasted, and the gates began to open, none of us spoke a word. By my side, Elaina stumbled forward, her leg trembling with every step as she held the side of her head, a makeshift eye patch formed of cloth blocking her left eye only just visible underneath her hand. The poor woman had been burdened by the thing for our entire march, but limited supplies and less than eager volunteers to surrender their own materials had forced her to simply endure much of the pain. It was a fate many of my soldiers were forced to face, and to my shame, not all of them had survived.

The guards were quick to corral us inside, and I could hear the sounds of surprise and alarm in their voices as they barked orders and tried to aid my men. To my right, I witnessed one of my soldiers simply collapse, falling face first into the dirt before one of the guards pulled him up. His body was limp as the guard dragged him inside, watching behind him to avoid colliding with the others. All around me I could hear calls for doctors and orders for soldiers to be admitted to sick bays as I pressed on. I only hoped it was not too late for some of these men.

"Lord Cross, Lord Cross!" Said a voice, only just loud enough to be heard over the cacophony of voices. Looking up, I could see what looked to be an older man, his armor a mix of chain and gambeson as he waved me over, his spare hand holding what looked like a lieutenant's helmet at his side. I did not recognize the man, nor did his voice sound familiar. Of course, with a legion as large as Blackstone, this was hardly anything surprising. Still, I could not shake the feeling that something was off as I gently led Elaina forward, steadying her as she walked.

"I am here, lieutenant." I replied. The lieutenant quickly moved to greet me as I kept moving, Elaina stepping in stride with me as I walked.

"Our forces have suffered heavy casualties, we will need a dedicated-" I tried to say, only to have the lieutenant raise a hand in a silent order. I do not consider myself a prideful or egotistical man, but something about the lieutenant trying to silence me brewed a deep anger in me. Was I not trying to explain that my soldiers needed aid? Why was that being silenced?

"Master Apollyon wants to see you, she's waiting for you at the upper levels." He said without a trace of concern. Apollyon? She wanted to see me now?

"Can't the master wait? We have only just arrived, we are tired and my men need aid!" I tried to say, subconsciously gesturing towards Elaina. This felt wrong, my duty was to Apollyon, yes, but my soldiers were always my priority as their commander. Their lives fell to me, I could not just discard them and walk away. Surely Apollyon had to understand that, what was so important that she deemed it necessary to pull me away so quickly? The lieutenant simply shook his head in response to me, not even so much as glancing at my companion.

"She has ordered you to report as soon as possible. The state of your battalion is of no importance, only that you see her." He affirmed. I could feel my frustration building as I lowered my hand and fought the urge to clench it. This was absurd, Apollyon had never called me away so quickly, not even when Daubeny had stolen away one of our fortresses. I understood that the implications of another Legion rising to challenge us were dire, but did that mean our soldiers' lives meant nothing? Relax, I told myself, I needed to relax. My men were home, they would be taken care of even if I was not there to oversee it. It still seemed uncaring to me, but at the least I knew they would be cared for.