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CHAPTER FOURTEEN xiv. all men are born to die _______
"This is a gift from me,"the chilling voice of Gaea would've sent shivers down Sebastian's spine if he could've moved his body. But he found himself utterly frozen, trapped in the bog, unable to escape as an old memory flashed into his mind.
"You expect of me a speech, but I have only one to give, and it was the same one I would give if we were not standing on the brim of a battlefield, it is the same one I'd give if we were to meet in the street by chance."
The English army listened, enthralled by the words of their king, Henry V. Soldiers were clad in their battle armour, their weapons sheathed, just minutes before the battle against France commenced.
Sebastian Rais had found himself torn between sides. He had lived in England for years now and had loved the king more than any mere subject would. Their late night escapades were rumours, whispers of the night passed around by the gossiping common-people. But it was much more than just two boys enjoying one another's company. Henry loved Sebastian as the vampire loved the king.
But Sebastian also loved France. He had lived their long before he ever stepped foot in England and a part of his soul had always remained in the country. He felt like he was betraying a lost love by standing against that country with his new lover on that day. Yet, he did his best not to waste thoughts on the dearly departed. Carix LeBeau was long gone but Henry still stood before Sebastian and he knew he had to make the most of that.
"I have only ever hoped for one thing: to see this kingdom united under the English crown!" Henry jumped down from his horse, now walking among his people who he would fight beside very soon. "All men are born to die, we know it, we carry it with us always."
Henry's eyes met Sebastian's for a brief moment. Henry knew of Sebastian's... curse. Of course he did. Sebastian could never keep a secret from him, no matter how hard he tried. Henry had taken it surprisingly well, comforting Sebastian as he called himself a monster over and over. He told Sebastian words he hoped he would never forget: "your physical self changing doesn't change who you are inside... you are not a monster, not compared to the people I've seen". It had always given Sebastian a sense of comfort, knowing the person he loved didn't see him as an evil beast. In fact, for a small amount of time, Henry had seen great opportunity in Sebastian.
Sebastian remembered the night clearly. The two had met up like they usually did, but as Sebastian went to go and greet his lover with a kiss, Henry had pulled away. For a terrible moment, Sebastian thought Henry had come to a realisation that his words of the previous week were false, that he was, indeed, a monster. But that wasn't the case. Henry, in a state of worry about his father's reckless feud with the French, had asked Sebastian if he could turn the army into unkillable beings that would live forever to serve the king. But, of course, Sebastian couldn't do this, no matter how hard he tried. One person knowing about his vampirism was one thing, but an entire nation after realising their soldiers couldn't be harmed was another. Yes, it would save lives but in the grand scheme of things, it would do more bad than good.
