Forces of Equals

Chapter 2: Birth of a Warrior

Its been 9 long days since the Elder had given his startling announcement.

In 15 days the Suli-Ufdalla were going to expect a tribute that they would not receive.

We are anticipating war.

And all I've done is farm.

Our village has 472 people, of that 22 are blacksmiths and miners, 200 are farmhands, and 120 are soldiers.

Not nearly enough to stand up to the near 350 men in the army of Suli-Ufdalla. The Elder started to draft and train many men whose profession did not fit into the three needs. Women could only be farmhands and housemaids and some did both. Children helped in the farms as well

Woman and child...

I burst into tears, for both my wife and daughter died of starvation. I could not provide enough for them. I was not strong enough. If it were not for the tributes they would still be alive... This world did not need farmhands, it needed hero's. No one should die like that. Were your body eats at itself slowly until there is nothing left. My family must be avenged, My village must be avenged. Justice must be found...

I suddenly knew what I had to do.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once again the Elders eyes bored into my own, there was something strange about them... like a boiling pool of energy and power.

"Tell me again," he said, interrupting me from my thoughts. "Tell me again what you want to do."

"I don't want to be a farmer," I said with sudden courage. "I want to fight."

"My son why are you doing this?" He inquired.

"Because I am tired of being weak! I am tired of being unable to stop people from dying! Over and over and over again all I see is DEATH!" I exclaimed, my eyes wild. "For once in my life I want to save lives... I will be strong. For everyone that I love," I finished, tears falling from my eyes.

The Elder looked towards the sky and said "Uniendis Cogitatio, Uniendis Populus."

"My Son, your heart is in the right place, you are the soldier that I have been looking for."

"What do you mean, Father?"

He stood up and walked to the back of the hut and motioned for me to follow. I stood up and followed him to a curtain. He brushed it aside to reveal a brilliant double edged sword, made of a metal which I could not identify. It was made with with excellent craftsmanship and had an inscription on its hilt. Uniendis Cogitatio, Uniendis Populus.

"Before I was an Elder I was a Scholar. This sword was given to me when I was your age by a mysterious woman; whose name is not known by me. I used it to save this tribe from the Belgorod Invasion before your time. Now I pass it to you." He took the sword into his frail wrinkled hands. And I took it into mine.

"My son, you are a warrior now. A sword does nothing without knowledge. I will teach you the way of the warrior and send you into battle."

My mind was spinning from the events that have unfolded.

"Training begins, Now!"