Azripa Kom Azgeda

Six Years is a Long Time

Six Years Later
One Year Before the 100 Land

"Come, Axel, your first assignment is ready." Joy spread through my body when I heard that. 

"You will go to Trikru and collect intel. My son is busy preparing our army for war. That dumb commander can't keep us at bay for long. She banished my oldest son. Do you understand your mission?"

"Sha ai haiplana. (Yes my queen.)"

"Good. Now go, you're horse awaits." She said as I left swiftly.

I grabbed my sword, some blades and my bow and a few arrows. I was nervous but ready. I spent the last 11 years training for this. I was finally 15 and able to fulfill my duties as a royal spy. My older siblings started when they were younger than 15, but the extra years of training surely paid off. I rode off into the distance getting closer to the Trikru-Azgeda border. I've only crossed this border once and that was when we were still at war with Trikru, until our new Commander forced us to join a coalition and stopped the war.

I found a hollow tree stump and cleared out what was in it. I placed my bow and arrows and sword inside. They all had an Azgeda sigil on them and would be giant targets if any Trikru scouts spotted me. I had to burn my jacket as it had our clan sigil painted on it. I covered up my weapons with leaves and dirt and spread the ashes of my jacket around the ground.

It was night by the time I made it to a village. I scouted the village until only a few guards and farmers remained by the fire.

"Beja! Beja! Sis ai op! Azgeda! Azgeda!" (Please! Please! Help me! Ice nation! Ice nation!) I screamed as I ran towards them. I cut my arm and stabbed my leg beforehand and screamed for help.

"Em don jomp ai kru op en frag emo au!" (They attacked my people and killed them all!) I told them.

"Azgeda? They attacked you? What clan are you from. If they are here, they broke the coalition." A man said.

"Ai laik Trikru." (I am Trikru)

I showed them the side of my arm. I had previously drawn tribal Trikru tattoo on it.

Their healer came and closed my wounds with a hot knife. The village chief took me to his home and asked me questions.

"Gonasleng o Trigedasleng?" (English or Trigedasleng?) He asked. "Gonasleng." (English) I said.

"What were you doing so close to the border?" He asked.

"My father sent people from my village to go and trade with other villages near by." I lied.

"Then right before sundown, we heard shouting and men in white war paint ran out of nowhere. They slaughtered us all. I was able to kill one before they killed my brother. We escaped but broke up so they couldn't track us both."

"Your Commander will give you justice. Tomorrow we ride for Polis."

"Thank you."

"In the mean time you can stay with me." Then someone walked in, he looked about my age. Blonde hair, blue eyes, and a tribal tattoo on his arm and face. He looked at me and whispered to the chief. Then after he replied, the boy looked at me and introduced himself. "Hei, ai laik Timba kom Trikru." (Hi, I am Timber of the Woods Clan.) He said. "Aksel." I told him as we shook hands.

"This will be your home now, stay with us as long as you want. You can stay in my son's room, his brother's bed is currently empty." The chief said.

"Mochof." (Thank you) I told him. We went to the fire pit and ate some roasted boar. I got to learn more about Timber and his family. His brother made it into the Polis Guard and his mother trades in Polis as well. Their village is nice, the one down side was that it was so close to Azgeda. When my people march against the Heda, we'll slaughter these people and burn their village. My clan is ruthless and powerful, we bring fear to our enemy's mind and a spear into their heart. That's how it's always been and always will be. Trikru vs. Azgeda. The war that never ends. I felt bad but I had a job to do, I had to remain loyal to my clan.

"Here, have some more." Timber offered more boar.

"No thanks. I'm full." I told him.

We sat by the fire until we were the last two people there. I stared at him while he finished his food. He had the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen. When he caught me staring, he laughed.

"Like what you see?" He joked.

I kept quiet. It was forbidden for me to love anyone other than my Queen or my clan. It was just the way things were in Azgeda. Love was weakness.

"It's ok to have feelings Aksel. We are humans." It's like he could read my mind.

"It's complicated." I told him.

"I like complicated. I think it's cute." He flirted.

I scoffed at his pick up line and went to bed. I was soon followed by him. The room was a good size. Two beds on opposite sides. I took off my shirt and went to bed. Before I crawled into the furs, Timber noticed the faint scars on me. I felt his finger softly trace them. It made my skin tingle.

"Only one tattoo? Your scars are faint. No kill marks either?" He asked. "You've never been to war?"

"My back's not big enough." I told him, keeping my cover. "I did what it took to survive the war."

His hand made its way to my lower back and stayed there. His eyes scanned over my back. You could tell by the amount of faint scars I had that something happened to it.

"I don't want to be with anyone." I told him. As much as I wanted to invite him into my bed, it wasn't big enough, nor could I give into the temptation.

"You don't have to. I'm just curious about you. What's your story?" He kept pushing. He didn't give up.

"A story for another day. Let's sleep." I told him. I fake yawned to sell my story.