Of A King's Knight and Tears

A Hope for a Warrior's Fate

Listen here, Son,

I will tell you this for future reference.

Do not falter,

Do not cry,

Do not shed one single tear,

You must stay strong.

For your country and all your loved ones,

Keep your head held high with your blade in your hand.

The unpleasant sound of a kick to the side sounded within the room and with it came the clatter of a weapon and the armor of a soldier. The man who had fallen down looked up at his elder brother, who had his head held high and held his demonic spear, Gae Bolg, which was given to him by his own master in his left hand. He had both a distressed and determined look. "I won't lose you yet, so don't you dare die in that arena. Make both me and our old man proud. Prove to him that his faith in you was not wasted."

"You did not stand sturdy, Diarmuid. You let your guard down. Have some confidence, but don't have so much that it lowers your guard. Remember, I'll be watching you as well as a full coliseum of people from all over coming here to see this event take place. Don't make this trip become a waste of time", the blue-haired male told his younger sibling. The raven-haired male, Diarmuid, stood up and got back into his unique battle stance, breathing hard from exhaustion. This did not go unnoticed by his older brother. "Take a break, Dia. I don't want you being too tired for the fight."

Diarmuid basically fell onto the bench that leaned against the wall. He reached down for the water-filled canteen and nearly chugged the entire thing. Pulling it away from his mouth to make sure to save some for later, he looked at his brother, who he knew was nervous for the man was not sitting beside him on the bench but pacing back and forth. "Take a seat, and calm yourself, Brother. It is not as if you are the one going into that arena and putting on a good show for this land's king", the lancer said to sooth his brother's nerves. The ruby-eyed man stopped pacing and looked towards his kin.

"Diarmuid", he sighed, as he did as Diarmuid had said and sat down beside him. "At this moment in time, there will never be a time where I don't stop worrying about you. You are all that I have left. I have no wife, no children. The only things I possess that are truly dear to me are my lance, my comrades, and you - and with that, you are the most important out of all of those things. And here you are now, waiting to go into an arena where both fate and death await. And at this moment in time, your life will be decided. Your route of living will be unlocked, and all we can do is wait for the moment to arrive at a heart-shattering rate."

Diarmuid aimed his amber eyes towards the man. "And you think that I do not worry about you when I hear that you will enter a dangerous battle? Because, I do. You have no idea how tormenting it is to wait for you to come back from a battle. And not only that, but I have to prove myself that I am worthy of being your brother. I mean, you're the great Cu Chulainn Ua Duibhne, the renowned warrior who won in a fight with a dog who had the strength of one hundred men. I cannot allow myself to simply be your shadow. I have to create my own fate and give myself a name that will be remembered throughout history just as you did."

Cu looked towards Diarmuid, his face in his hands. He stood up, frustration and anger present in his action. "But, I didn't want you to follow my fate, Dia! The life of a true warrior is only for the ones who are ready! You will see things that you will never even want to see, not even think to see. You will see your comrades, your friends, have their lives sucked out of them right in front of you! Is that what you truly want?" he yelled at his brother.

"That's why I'll protect them!" Diarmuid retorted. He spoke lightly, "I mean, that's what you've always taught me - to protect everyone who is on your side, your comrades, your friends, your family. And please, Brother." The handsome male stood up and gave Cu a reassuring look that told him not to worry. "Don't worry about me dying. I'm ready. You have to trust me on this. I'm ready to become a real warrior."