The Fear of Loneliness (Fear Series Book 1)

Chapter 1: Unexpected

The snow swirls silently, billowing outside the stone framed window. Huddled in a thick wool and fur cloak, leaning his weight on the sill, Leonidas Windsor shivers. The winter has been relentless, dumping tons of snow on the thick forest every day for the last four weeks. The only relief the soldiers get comes when the wind relents, letting the snow fall straight.

The post, situated seven miles inland from the northern sea and 7500 feet up into the Alaric mountains, is miserable. It is where the newest recruits of the Fifth Army of Nayanamh are sent to introduce them to the life of a soldier. This post, named the Dismal Fort after its harsh conditions, was chosen not for its atmosphere but because of one very important factor: The attacks that come are very few and far between. When locked in a war with ferocious, fire breathing, armored dragons, one must break the recruits in easily, or risk losing the entirety of their newcomers in one blow.

The Dismal Fort only suffers one or two small attacks each month. They are easy to fend off, and the more experienced men who run the fort get the opportunity to teach the recruits while defending the fort. Although on the contested border, the Dismal Fort is not a key strategic position, so the dragons do not waste much energy attempting to take it. A small attack every now and again will keep the humans wasting their resources.

Quietly, Leonidas taps his fingers on the cold stone, feeling the ice attempt to creep through his thick leather gauntlets. Despite being in this outpost for nearly three months, the boy has yet to lay eyes on a dragon, much less kill one. It's always been his dream to follow in his brother's footsteps and become a ferocious defender of his people. He's never been able to, though. He has extraordinarily bad luck. Or, as some of the officers have pointed out, extraordinarily good luck.

"Leo!" The shout is a surprise, jolting the recruit from his gloomy thoughts. Twisting from his endless watch, Leonidas finds himself staring at his identical twin, Ruhban. Despite his horrible mood, Leo cannot help but smile. Ruhban has always been the more cheerful and outgoing of the two, yet somehow also the logical twin. Despite being younger, Ruhban took on the mantle of the responsible twin as well. Leo has always been too preoccupied with chasing dreams to bother with responsibility. "Leo, I'm glad I found you! Cecil is here!"

Immediately, Leo's spirits are lifted and his smile splits wider. Cecil, the oldest of the Windsor family, has made quite the name for himself in the military of Nayanamh. It is said that he killed a prince of the dragons in his first week. He has killed countless dragons in the name of his country, Nayanamh. Cecil is the one who inspired both Ruhban and Leo to join the military.

"Cecil?" Leo asks, turning more fully to his twin. He has to rise to see Ruhban very well over the top of the massive crossbow sitting in the middle of the room. The crossbow is designed to kill dragons and is one of the only weapons with enough force to punch through their protective scaly armor. Of course, a precision strike with a sword, say between the scales, could kill a dragon as well. However, the massive beasts are often swirling high in the sky above, so the only way to reach them is with a bow or projectile. "Cecil is here? Why is he here? I thought he would be at Stormbreak Palace. You know, with the High King?" Leo asks, his smile fading.

"I thought so too, but he just arrived with a small escort. He wants to see both of us, according to his courier boy," Ruhban replies excitedly. "Now come on! We haven't seen him in three years!"

Leo furrows his brow, dragging the two dark brown lines of hair close together. "Exactly. Why is he here now? He never bothered to visit the house..." Leo murmurs. Without a doubt, the recruit is ecstatic to see his brother, the one he has missed for three long years. The one who has been his idol since Leo was old enough to walk. He's confused, however, as to why their brother would pick now to show up. Perhaps it is their recent enlistment into the military.