The Forgotten

The Old Horse (Chapter 1)

John woke up from his sleep. It had been two months since he was drafted. He picked up his stone and marked it on the wall. Another dash on the wall. He had been training for 50 days. For 50 days he had to endure the horrible food of the training camps, spend hours working for General Adam, and fight with other rookie soldiers.  He had not yet seen battle, but there have been some close calls. The enemy had attempted to siege the camp once, but they were driven out by the archers shooting from the walls. In those 50 days, the king had formed an alliance with a kingdom to the south named Northmercia by marrying off his beloved daughter. The enemy had made alliances also. The enemy king had made an alliance with the kingdom of Scotway.

John dressed quickly. He was in a hurry, for today was his last day of training. He went into the kitchen and pulled out a loaf of stale bread. After he was done, he picked up his sword and opened the door. Silence. There was no one outside.

"Hello?! Is anybody there?" Silence. John put his sword down and stepped outside. "Hello," He called "Is anyone there? Show yourselves!" He kept walking for what seemed to him like hours, though in reality only a few minutes had passed. Then, out in the distant, tied face down to a stump was General Adam. John ran as fast as he could to what looked like a makeshift podium. He climbed the creaky, wooden stairs and turned to face Adam... or at least what was left of him. A huge gash had been cut across his back, his ribs exposed and bent in the shape of wings, and his lungs covered in salt. It was the Blood Falcon, a painful method of execution used by the Scotweigan Pagans to the north. John ran up and quickly untied Adam. "Adam? Are you still with me?"

Adam quickly opened his eyes. "Yes,  but barely. Those Scotweigans really know how to fight." He let out a weak chuckle. "We were no match."

"But sir, I why didn't you sound the alarm?"

"There was no need. Everyone was either awake or dead. Except you. I need you to take my horse and ride to the capital. There, I want you to tell the king that the 2nd regiment has fallen. Go, now! Before... It's too... Late..." Then, he drew his last breath and expired.

Wasting no time, John ran to the stables, only to find the horse's head on a pike and his headless body cut into pieces. He looked around for w ahile, looking for any horses that were still alive. It seems the Scotweigans had thought of everything. Everything except the horse washing stable. John walked into the stable, only to find his horse. The horse that he had gotten as a boy as a gift from his father before he joined the army.

"It's good to see you, boy. I've missed you."