Song of Seven

Song 18: In the Wake of the Past

The air inside Axel's room was heavy with the sour stench of stale ale and the remnants of a night spent drowning sorrows. Axel lay sprawled on a rickety cot, his head throbbing with the aftermath of the previous evening's revelry. The morning light of the city outside his grimy window filtered in and offered little relief to his hangover.

His respite from reality was short-lived, shattered by the sharp, demanding voice of Lara. She stood beside his cot, her fiery red hair neatly tied up and fitted underneath a leather cap. Her eyes blazed with frustration as she chastised Axel for his reckless behavior. This was the third morning in a row that Lara had to rouse Axel from a drunken sleep, and her already thin patience was now threadbare. 

"You can't keep putting the Crown Hounds at risk like this, Axel," she scolded, her words laced with a mixture of anger and concern. "The Mayj's and the Empire have us under constant scrutiny. Sneaking out to the local taverns and getting drunk is a sure way to draw unwanted attention."

Axel groaned and struggled to sit up, a wave of nausea washing over him. He ran a hand through his slick and shaggy hair, greasy and wet from the previous night's drinking. "I can't stand the suffocating walls of this place, Lara," he mumbled, his voice hoarse from the night's indulgence. "I need something to numb the memories."

Lara's expression softened, her tough exterior giving way to a deeper vulnerability. "We all do, Axel," she said quietly, her voice a whisper of shared pain. "But we can't afford to lose focus, not now. Elena's daughter is being educated at the palace. You put her in danger with your reckless behavior."

The drunken Hound rolled off his sweat-stained mattress and rummaged through a rucksack at the foot of his bed, gathering his signature wide-brimmed hat and tucking a flask into his trouser pockets. "We all have something to lose, Lara. Don't lecture me. I'm in the same position as the rest of you. You know damn well that the Mayj's are keeping a close eye on those closest to me. Blackmail or not, I've gotta do something to forget where we are sometimes."

Again, Lara softened her voice. "I know. We have to be more careful though, Axel. We're expected to be ready for our duties at all times right? If Gavin gets orders from above and we need to mobilize, what are we to say to our superiors if we find you passed out in a gutter?"

"Then just leave me there. Make some excuse I don't care. I'm not sure I can do this anymore, Lara." Axel spoke quietly, a bit of grit in his voice. His eyes met his squadmate's stern gaze, expressing how resigned and hopeless he truly felt as of late.

She handed him a cold, iron mug of water, urging him to drink it and shake off the lingering effects of his hangover. "Get ready," she continued, trying to ignore her own hopelessness. "We've been assigned guard duty in the city today. The city watch is depleted, with most of them conscripted into the Vayan armies. The Emperor and his council are concerned about illegal trade and religious activity at the northern gate. We need to keep a close watch."

Axel nodded his regret at the wasted night heavy in his chest. As he drank the water, the reality of their responsibilities settled in. "Guard duty? That's a bit abnormal for us isn't it?" He asked as he pulled on a few pieces of his uniform. 

Lara shrugged, it wasn't their usual duty, but it was far better than being sent off to some far off fiefdom to quell rebellions. "I hear folks have been heading north. Cities and towns all across the Empire are full of people crossing the border to escape taxation and the law. The Emperor and his Mayj's have been talking about it at every meeting. They want to use us to inspect everyone coming and going from the city and report anything unusual."

Axel sighed and rubbed at his sleep-filled eyes, "So, we're to harass the common folk? I supposed that's better than murder."

His comrade flinched at the word, it was true that their regular duties included the slaughter of rebels, but Lara hated thinking about it, and the words that Axel chose stung her heart. "Stop it." She said firmly, jabbing a finger into his chest. "If one of our illustrious Mayj's heard that kind of talk, we'd all be put to the sword."