The War I Chose To Live

Chapter 1 (Nicolás)

My life changed the minute I got the offer.

Before the visit of the messenger, my life had been ordinary. Just a trusted soldier in the army.

The envelope arrived in the mail, bearing a message.

'General Cortés has selected your unit of soldiers to accompany him with this mission. You will accompany him across the ocean, and potentially discover new lands to conquer.

The General says you have one month to pack your things and say your goodbyes before we depart. Should you survive this perilous trip into the unknown, you and your family will be compensated greatly, so I highly recommend taking Cortés up on the offer.'

I considered this offer carefully. After a moment, I said, "Yes, I will be happy to serve Cortés."

The messenger bowed and walked out briskly.

Sigh. You just HAD to say yes, didn't you? Always a people-pleaser.

This arguing of my mind went on for the rest of the month. I wasn't sure how I felt. Happy, scared, surprised, confused, confused, confused...

Why?! Why me, and why now? What purpose does this serve?

Sea. I now know that I hate the ocean. It makes me sick, constantly swaying on the waves.

I really need to get off of this boat. Now.

But no, we got to stay on that wonderful boat. For months. On end.

Ugh. Another case of sea-sickness. Well, I can't help that.

A few months later, we reached dry land.

The hike there was steep, with way too many hills, bumps, and rocks. Man, I thought as a tree branch smacked me in the face for, Oh I don't know, the fifteenth time, what are we even looking for?! If the goal was to tire us out, then mission accomplished. Still envious of the higher-ups that had horses, my fellow soldiers walked on, carrying extremely heavy flags of Spain. The armour wasn't helping, either.

We strode into the strange city, making a grand and completely unnecessary entrance.

Horses, with coloured saddles, and glinting armour with plumage matching our flag of Spain.

Man, this is so unneeded. Why are we even doing this?

All around us, people were bowing, their heads touching low to the ground. They knew we were coming. Huh. Odd. One, however, did not bow, but instead, walked up to us, and greeted us formally. Or, at least, we thought he was greeting us, as we couldn't understand a word of it. We were taken in at the palace, and as we walked its fine halls, something caught my eye. No, not a piece of gold, not some sparkly treasure, but a girl.

Yes, a girl, around the age of fourteen. She had long, dark hair, and wore very fancy clothes.

She must be the emperor's daughter, or wife, or.. something. At the very least, she must be staying at the palace.

She looked over at me, and although the other soldiers in my group ignored her, more focused on the gold, I made eye contact with the girl.

And she smiled.

A few days later, we were still in the palace. After spending time around these people, I found that I could speak most of their language, and could even carry on a conversation. We were treated with respect, but the people of the city eyed us warily. Clearly, they did not trust us.

I decided to go for a walk, to ease my mind, and hopefully meet someone who didn't look at me like I either gave them a free lunch or I was going to set them on fire.

Ha. Like that will ever happen.

I strolled through the halls, marvelling in their beauty; chiselled granite murals inlaid with jewels, golden statues of what I assumed to be gods, tiled floors of marble, and ornate stone ceilings when I bumped into someone. Stumbling back, I saw that it was the girl from when we first entered the temple. She looked at me and asked me what sounded like a question. Not sure what she asked exactly, I replied: "Hello, my name is Nicolás, and I'm very sorry to have bumped into you." She looked at me, as if unsure whether to answer, then, very hesitantly replied,

"... Hello. My name is... Anacaona. I am sorry to have disturbed you."

It's her. The girl from the hallway.