Beyond the Winter Sea

Chapter I: unwelcomed guests

War's a tool for survival, peace is a childish ideal.

It's a cold winter day, the snow covers the ground so gentle like a white fur blanket. Face first on the snow holding a wooden sword on one hand, my hands had found warmth from my opponents sword as they were completely swollen. "get up" the voice of an old retired warrior, I call this man father.

Struggling to get up I drop my sword as a sign of surrender and sit up against a tree looking at my father's disgusted face. He says nothing turning away and goes back to the house of stone bricks and long dry grass as the roof. Though father said nothing his silence were words of a thousand men. My older sister Elsebeth comes to my aid and treats my swollen hand before wrapping them with bandages.

Father, Lord Gilmer a noble of the middle island our home, Island Calvourents. It's the largest island of the five islands of what is Theo Nation. Father's reputation covers all the five islands as his met them in battle and they were on the unfortunate side of the battlefield, there are stories about father's legendary reputation some call him the son of a demon, some say he was cursed by the devil to thirst blood and others claim his the bloodline of the god Odin. Living up to that kind of reputation sickens me as everyone expects me to exceed his achievements in battle and honestly at the moment I feel like could wear my mother's apron and exceed her talents in the kitchen because of the unbearable pressure of being my father's son.

"Elsebeth attend to your mother's aid...." father says, she quickly goes and attends to our sick mother as instructed. It's been a month and four days since mother's been sick and a month after the death of my baby sister Bonni, she wasn't strong enough to survive the winter. Mother mourns her death though she keeps a slight smile for us but I know her better.

Later after supper I'm left alone with father, an awkward silence haunts the space and suddenly I feel the edge to speak but before I could utter any words, "Alistair, that's a warrior's name..." I feel insulted but I say nothing knowing that there maybe great consequences if I back chat to him. "... Your name means defender of mankind and what do you do, you cower at sight of danger" he gets up to exit the room, ".... You dishonor me boy". Only if he knew that his footsteps were too big for me to fill and too faint for me to follow.

I cannot blame father for the harsh way his raised me, for it has been the same for him though his father, my grandfather Lord Gilleabart wasn't as famous as father is, but he raised him in the ways of a warrior.

The next day I spar with my best friend Finn up at the mountains, unlike battling father this is easy but he does quite pose a challenge. I strike his hand, he loses grip of his sword as I point mine against his throat, "... Do you yield?" I ask him. "I'd rather die" he responds. Then you're dead I tell him, I'm not surprised by his answer as it was the same everyday.

I always wonder how war would be like, would I run when things get tough as father says, or will it be that those who say "I'd rather die than to surrender" who would be running? As I run through my thoughts, I hear Finn uttering words that faze me for a moment, "you sure do live up to your father's Legend" He continues to say "with how good your fighting style is you should be able to defeat anyone in battle"

Only if father saw it that way, clearly I was a better fighter than anyone else but wasn't as good enough to even land a strike on him.

We sit at the edge of a cliff, Finn tells me how his sister was going to be a "Swordholder" a name given to women who are part of the Calvourents militant. This name is to not give women the satisfaction that they too are warriors as men are. As calling them "warriors" would mean they are equal to man, as I hear.

In the culture of Calvourents Island, women are allowed to hold a sword and are trained in swordsmanship and only if the husband allows it. Although that is the case women aren't allowed in the battlefield. Women play a special role in assassinations, women are taught to infiltrate the enemies lines and assassinate a General or to spy. That is the secret to most of the Island's victorious battles here in the Calvourents.

As I hear mother, Lady Fellena she too had held a sword before, but I know very little to nothing about her achievements she never talks about it.

As we looked at our small town Kingsville we see two large ships, the biggest we've ever seen. The two ships dock at the Town's harbour, we see the town's people gathering around the and mostly were warriors. We are far up at the mountain but we get excited to see what these ships are here for and what they came with, so we hurry down the snow mountain with caution.

Minutes later as we still headed down the mountain some of the houses started to burn, we suddenly knew those were war ships we proceeded down the mountain this time without caution. I looked at where my house is I sighed with relief that the enemy hadn't reached by my house yet.

When we got down, the most of the village had been burnt as the village was covered in a cloud of smoke, people were frightened some were hiding in their houses and some were running away from town. The sword clashes were as loud as thunderstorms that you'd feel vibrations through your body, the screams of warriors made the earth rumble beneath the snow, spatters of blood on the snow seemed like red paint on a painters white canvas. It all didn't seem real and fear would paralyze my body.

I hear Finn calling out to me but I couldn't do nothing I had been consumed by fear. Finn pulls me by my arm we first go by his house and his two little brothers Duncan and Edan join us and we hurry to my house. When we get there were two men holding iron shields were battling with my father, I along with Finn rush inside the house to help mother. But to my surprise mother had been cut down, I look around for Elsebeth and notice the house had already been raided, I'm too late.

We hear footsteps entering the house, we're defenceless with no real weapons or armour. We're backed to the wall, the steps get closer. I look up to see the person who would bring death to me, ".... Father?..." Never have I been excited to see him. He says nothing as he walks to an old treasure chest and pick a chest plate, two iron gloves and boots, as he dresses me in these pieces of armour he tells me, "today you forget, your childhood today you become something far greater and that is a warrior..." then he picks a sword and gives it to me. "... Fight with pride and honor, but your fight isn't today..." He tells me to find and rescue children in areas that haven't been affected yet and seek refuge to my older brother in West Knight town.

I ask him about Elsebeth he shakes his head and tells me they've enslaved her. I went out with Finn and we went on as instructed by father, whilst boiling with anger I recall what my father once said when I was a child "war's a tool for survival, peace is a childish ideal..." So this is war.

_______________To be Continued________________

THEO NATION DICTIONARY