Pylades: I'll take care of you Orestes: It's rotten work Pylades: Not to me. Not if it's you -Aeschylus, The Oresteia
"Attention!!"
The first guard unit saluted in unison, forming two lines in front of the tower. Soon after, another company of sentinels exited the building and marched between the parallel sets of guards. As their metal boots clicked the frosty ground, each soldier the second garrison passed moved out of attention and held a reserved position. After a around three minutes, the new company halted with a soft clank. At its head stood Callus Zoe, the recently-promoted and current Captain of the Ward.
The captain loomed over his subordinates, checking each of their dress. After a thorough inspection, he took his lance and, with a sharp push, clamored the butt of the weapon into the stone twice. Immediately after the two strikes rang out, the two collateral groups of soldiers turned and, once again in unison, marched towards the barracks to end their shift.
As they walked off, the new watch made their way to the watchtowers and individually went into their posts. Callus took to the main tower and began his shift.
At midnight.
The same way as always.
For the past three years.
The captain muttered to himself as he shifted his weight from one foot to another. One might wonder why he joined the Ward in the first place, it's not like the other men weren't competent for their position. Hell, some of them could take his position if they wanted to. Thus, if there's not much to gain, what reason would there be to hold such a dull and repetitive position?
Surprisingly, he could give a few.
For one thing, it's a much better fitness alternative then farming the frost-fields. Plus, it's well known that soldiers are seen as attractive, so he was hoping to at least catch the eye of some of the female villagers.
Anyone with eyes could see that plan obviously failed.
Most importantly, however, the sense of honor intrigued Callus from a young age. The prospect of doing something important, of protecting those he cares about, never ceased to brighten up his conscience. Even if it was nothing more than watching the outskirts of town arresting the everyday drunk, he felt important.
With a cleared mind, the captain set his focus back to his duty and continued to stare out beyond the walls. The night may be silent, but there would always be danger to Orfiem, albeit far away. And even if the night brought nothing exciting, the following morning was the Township Festival. Surely such a large scale event like that would yield some drama.
...right?
YOU ARE READING
The Everfrost
FantasyThere is no spring. There is no green grass. The only thing known of the world of Gelida is snow, ice, frigid waters, and struggle. If there was a reason things changed, nobody can recall, nor are they certain things were ever any different. Life is...
