From the Pit

Hero of the Soldier

"My name is Adrienne Jasmina De Majoris." He takes a deep breath before meeting my eyes. "I know the name. I know the girl too. Or I thought I did. That must be why I felt the need to know you." He stands quickly and makes his way over to me, grabbing the collar of my shirt. He pulls it down my shoulder and freezes, his grip loosening as I pull away, fear filling my mind. Now that he knows I'm a girl, will he hurt me? "That's the mark... please forgive me, Your Majesty." He kneels in front of me and I hurriedly bring him back to standing beside me. "Please, you mustn't tell anyone else!" James nods and heads towards the door. "Thank you for trusting me with this, Majesty."

I stop him before he leaves. "My name is now Adrien, James. Thank you for allowing me to trust you, but I must ask: How do you know who the princess was?" He smiles sadly at me. "Some of the soldiers survived by betraying their beloved King and Queen. So did some of the servants, Adrienne. I was one of your stable hands." I nod, remembering my joyous times with Father again. "What happened to Indigo, James?" He shakes his head. "That is one question I cannot answer for you, Adrienne. I wish I could though. I saw how much you loved that stallion, as well as how much it loved you." I sigh. "And my parents?" He shakes his head, not uttering a word. I nod, tears filling my eyes, and he leaves. As soon as the door opens, the floodgates open. I knew it to be true, but I had so hoped for three years that they had somehow survived.

I grab a pillow from the head of the bed and scream into it, letting my tears soak it through. I scream out my pain for a long time, until someone knocks on my door. I wipe my face and go to the door, opening it slowly. "Is everything alright, Adrien?" The blonde soldier stands outside my door, now in normal clothes. "Yes, sir. Where is your armor?" He laughs. "Now that we are resting, Commander said it was unnecessary and that we could wear our common clothes." I nod. He gazes at my face. "Did you come from the razed city of Alpha Majoris, Adrien?" I nod stiffly. "Ah, you must have been a bastard child of the King then! His daughter had the same red curls you possess." I nod again, glad to have an out if I come across another former suitor. "Yes. Mother told me to stay quiet about it though sir, so please don't go spreading it about." He nods and laughs his way down the hall.

I close the door and let out a breath of belief. At least I didn't have to come up with my own story. But even insinuating that Father was disloyal to Mother? I hate it. I walk to the bathroom and finish cleaning my red shirt before hanging it to dry over a chair by the table with three candles. I pack the leather bag with the knife, sewing kit, scissors that had been left by the innkeeper,and fabrics that the boys had brought me. I sneak downstairs and notice that some of the men hadn't touched their bread, so I begin gathering it, wanting to be ready if the Commander changes his mind about us and sends us back. I grab a wooden cup and bowl and wrap them in a cloth napkin, doing the same with the bread chunks. I hear a wooden board creak behind me and whirl around, my body ready for a fight. A man looks at me, a candle in one hand, a shining sword in the other.

"Oh, it's you. I thought we were being attacked, Champion." I tilt my head. "Who are you?" He laughs and puts the candle down on one of the tables, grabbing a few more hunks of bread. "I'm Gulwrain. I'm the Commander's second guard." He hands me the bread. "Why are you running away? The Army is good to it's soldiers, no matter our reputation." I shake my head and add the bread to the napkin bundle. "I'm not running, Sir Gulwrain. I'm preparing for when the Commander sends us back to the Pit." He laughs. "If he does end up sending anyone back, it sure as he*l isn't going to be you, Champion." I glance at him as he sits down in a chair and bites into another piece of bread. "Why not? I'm worth no more than the rest of these men." He rolls his eyes. "The only reason Commander bought them was because of how civil they were before and after the fight. He was leaning more towards Jossen before your fight against him started. You were just a fluke, we thought. Turns out, you were the Champion we had heard of, not Jossen."

"We honestly thought that he was the Champion and that you were a new kid they wanted to pit against him for shits and laughs." I nod. "That's why you kept glancing at me?" He nods, his eyes hidden by his sandy hair. "I was more scared for you than the Commander. He said he'd seen kids like you beaten to pulps before and it wouldn't sicken him to see it again. Brayden and I... we couldn't believe him. We were so scared that we were going to watch a child get killed by those men. But the Commander brought something to our attention about you. You stood so confidently, watching the other men. And when the announcer called your names, we couldn't believe it, but the Commander just nodded. Then you bowed like a soldier and we just about fainted right there. Imagine it; this little kid who looks barely over twelve years suddenly giving a soldier's welcome to an audience that would never know what he was doing!" I laugh and he joins me. I sit down across the table from him, eager to hear if I truly impressed them.

"So what did you think of my fighting?" He looks up at me and his eyes are blazing with something I can't read. "You were amazing." He waves his hands frantically, his eyes wide and focused on me. "You just went into a completely different person! And your offensive style! It was so free and smooth and just... amazing! And you pack a mean punch by the way." I nod and he continues. "The fight with two people was cool, but your fight with all nine of those men? Oh my god it was so intense! You didn't even open your eyes! It was like you knew their moves before they did! I was just stunned! And your sudden switch from brutal fighting to helping your enemy? It was so intriguing! I mean, the Commander was expecting a performance, but nothing like what you showed! He was stunned too! He immediately old us that we would be taking you back with us, even if he had to forcibly free you!"

I laugh and he smiles at me. "I'd like for you to teach me when we get to the palace and start training. Commander plans to place those men under you as your troop, as long as the King agrees." My body stiffens. "What is the King like, Gulwrain?" He sighs and leans back in his chair. "I want to say he's a good man, but I've never been near him long enough to know. I was in a neighbouring city of one of the kingdoms he attacked when he gave the order to start the Realm War. I saw the complete destruction. Then it moved to my city. Brayden was a soldier in that city and barely survived the fight. He was bought around five years ago, I think, from the same place you were. The King is certainly far from kind or caring, but he is a good king. He knows what he's doing." I nod and stand, ready to go back to my room. "Sorry to have awakened you, Gulwrain. Thank you for the company." He smiles and picks up his candle before heading back to his room as well. I pick up the makeshift bread bag, a couple more clean cloth napkins, and go back to my room as well.

I close my door and quickly place the bread into my pack before climbing into the large bed. I lay there for a while, just listening to the sounds of the night. In the desert, there were no crickets. Only the sliding of a snake through the sand, looking for food, or the scurrying of a desert mouse escaping another predator. Here, the hooting of owls and crickets join the classic cacophony of a forest. It's amazing how quickly the landscape of the realm changes from city to city.

Alpha Majoris was a beautiful social center on the western edge of a forest of oak and maple trees, with farming to the south, steam centers to the north, and alchemy foundations to the west of the city. I loved playing with the kids on the western edge of the city. They always had such interesting language and writings. On occasion they would even bring a potion from their parents' laboratory and ask the rest of us to test it. Those were the most fun days. Or when we played with the children on the forest's edge, with their vast knowledge of plants and wild animals. The steam children always brought some kind of spring or gear set to play with. I had a collection in my room, but there's no telling what happened to it after the invasion.

I just hope Father and Mother didn't die horribly. I hope Father died fighting. He would've wanted it that way. I hope Mother was just killed off in her sleep, without too much pain. I hope they weren't taken by the King of Alpha Minorus and held prisoner. If I find out he did something horrible to them, I will kill him. No hesitating. Those were my parents. I loved them, despite their shortcomings. I drift off to sleep, hoping that my parents wait for me on the other side of the veil of death and that I get to see them after a long life well lived from now on.