STARFIRE: origins

4: The First Battle

Trogaar was the ruler of Karna, and the reason of the ongoing war on their planet was simple. Most of the slaves they had captured had broken free and were fighting in rebellion. Both sides had weakened each other significantly, but the most loss suffered was by the common folk: people who merely wanted to survive and feed themselves and their children the grain they produced on their land.

When the news that a princess of Tamaran would be presented to them as a gift was given, Trogaar immediately accepted. He was an egoistic man and these days, he was losing most battles. He desperately needed to win this one.

When Kori was presented in his court, she was a young kid who was seven years old. But now she was painfully aware of her situation and her lack of power. She didn't dare speak to anyone unless commanded. Trogaar, immediately on the arrival of princess Koriand'r upon seeing her ragged clothes, had decided to give her three options.

"You have been sent here as a slave Koriand'r. I hope you're aware of that. This gives me the right to do whatever I please with you. I desperately want to kill you. You are Tamaranean scum, after all. But, you see, I want to change my image. I wish to be known as kind and just. So I'll let the universe or you decide your fate. You have three options Koriand'r."

The assembly watched attentively. If anything, they were sure he would kill her in an instant and yet, he didn't. This grabbed everyone's attention.
The ruler contined -

"You can become a slave: this means 20 hrs a day of manual labour, constructing castles and walls and murals in my name."
"Your second option is to become a concubine. I know I need not explain this further"
"Or you can become a foot soldier in the infantry in the ongoing war. It will be hard, but if you can actually survive and work brilliantly; you would at least be able to climb the ranks. Maybe you could even become one of my twelve pillars."
Kori picked up his sarcasm in her last sentence. He expected her to die within minutes in battle.
"If you choose the first two, you die a slave. Mind that."

Kori had had some training. It was in no way enough, but she has had some at least. She was sure of what she was about to choose ....but something just suddenly snapped.
Maybe it was the fact that she was oppressed. Maybe she had lost her mind. But even THE IDEA of returning to Tamaran in her full glory excited her. She just knew her right choice.

Kori spoke, she was weak and her voice was shriek but somehow firm and unafraid.
"The third, your majesty."

He softly gasped. He did not expect that reply at all. And from the crowd's reaction, neither was anyone else. He pretended to be unfazed.
"Very well. So be it."

Kori was sent to live with the rest of the footsoldiers in an enormous hall out of many. They all looked so...broken. You just knew they were waiting for their death rather than whatever they were doing. It was actually hell. A battle was about to happen in 15 hrs and Kori was thinking hard on how she could survive the day. No plan came in her mind and it was ironic really, she was a slave here and yet she was going to be a soldier in an army who were going to kill an army made of slaves fighting for their freedom, something they should have always had in the first place. But the situation for here forced her to not think about anyone else other than herself. It was incredibly selfish and cruel. She hated it.
If Kori had to think about her past again, she most probably wouldn't. But if she was asked about her first battle, she wouldn't even try to think about it. It was one of the most horrible parts. Most of the other foot soldiers were men, some were women. And all of them were grown people. Kori had some training, she was a royal after all. But even then, all she did during that battle was-

The trumpets blew. There were cavalries and infantries of their side running to meet their enemies in the middle. Battles actually last less than someone would expect them to. It usually goes from 2-3 hours to 8-9 hours. This one lasted for five. For the first hour, Kori just stood in between. Waiting to be killed, maybe. But she looked like a lost puppy that everyone just seemed to ignore. But one man did see her. As he came to attack, something snapped in Kori. She just....did not want to die anymore on that battlefield anymore. She wanted to live, to survive. It was a struggle. She was stabbed in her upper left arm. But she somehow managed to rip it out of her body and stab it in him one time, then another, then another, and then another. She stabbed him four times. Even with the training she has had, her stabs did not have any technique. It all just happened out of her fear of death. He died on the spot. It was the first time she had ever killed someone. For a moment, she thought she could actually go through with all this. That she would be able to survive on her own , fighting these grown people if they attacked her. But then reality hit.
The next three hours she hid herself under the body of the man she killed and pretended to be dead herself.

The trumpets blew again calling it a day. In a way, the man she killed saved him many times that day. His face did haunt her for a few weeks.