Battlefield by Odessa McNiel (red white royal blue TXT) 📕

Rival verses rival. Family verses family. Brother verses brother. Nobody cared. Loss was not optional for either side. I saw the fury in our warriors’ eyes. It was the burn to fight.
The King, his royal subjects, and I lead our army to the battlefield knowing that a lot of the citizens wouldn't make it out alive. We were draped in chainmail, metal armor, and the royal colors to the point where I could barely breathe. That and the fact that I was sick to my stomach scared me to death.
I didn't like the thought of the followers of my friend dying. I'd always tried to imagine going to heaven sometimes just to see what it felt like. In my dreams, I would sometimes get pushed off of cliffs and feel my heart sink in on itself as I died. I'd always wake up sweating when I hit the bottom of the cliff. The point was that these people were innocent, but they were willing to risk their lives for their royalty. They held my respect for that.
We held solemn faces as we drew closer to the enemies. Their eyes screamed rage. The faces and frowns shined off their swords that blinded some of us with their reflected light.
We stopped on a hill to await the beginning. The army was assembled in massive rows of thousands. It was by far the biggest army that I'd ever lead, and the quietest.
An advisor rode over to us in the front row.
“Good afternoon, your highness,” he said. I recognized him. It was Ash. He was one of the king's advisors and a ruthless military leader. Ash had given the King many victories and masses of land despite the fact that he'd only been with him three years.
My friend nodded in response.
“I have been advised by the elders to omit you from the battle your highness.” This was usual protocol for us; the King had never fought a battle since he had inherited the throne.
“We would be obliged.” I answered. This was my usual line.
So, we rode around our army and back to the base. As we rode away in silence, I could hear the roar of the thunderous cries of the battle and the clattering of metal against metal.
When, we got back to the camp, we were greeted by escorts and were lead away to the tent that the King and I shared. We got to our tent and got off our horses. The escorts took their reigns and lead them away. I followed him inside and sat down on my cot.
He didn't usually stand, but today he seemed a little under pressure. I could read his various expressions and knew that he was dreading something, but I dared not ask. It was about a half hour before he finally faced me and asked with a sigh, “You know you are my right-hand man, yes, Gabriel?”
“I always will be, sir.”
“Can I trust you with a family secret that not even the closest of my advisors know?”
“Yes,” I answered. I saw his face shift through three different expressions before answering.
“I'm not supposed to be the king.” that was all he said. He seemed nervous and sat down on his cot. I looked at him puzzled I didn't understand.
“My brother was supposed to be next in line for the throne.” he continued, looking around as if contemplating something, “He didn't take it. He had fallen in love with a peasant woman and gave up his chance. He ended up marrying her. Three years ago I invited them to my coronation. That's when you met him. Do you remember his daughter?”
“Yes, sir, I do. She was beautiful.”
“She is my niece and was expected a few months after my brother gave up the chance to be king.”
“Why would Jonathon give that up?”
“He knew that royalty couldn’t marry peasants. So, he saw her secretly. He didn’t trust anyone but me with the secret of the affair. Jonathon made me keep my mouth shut.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. If you knew the King and served for him in the castle, you weren’t supposed to have many secrets, especially that of an affair.
“I haven’t seen him since the coronation, but I’ve heard from the other officers that he was made a coronel and that he must lead the army into battle today.”
“I didn’t see him on the front line this morning.”
“You probably just didn’t recognize him. I saw him; he was right behind you.” I let out a sigh. My friend cared deeply for his family. He himself had three daughters and a wife. However, they were in hiding because of the war. I could tell in his expressions that he missed them deeply.
We sat there for what seemed like hours when another officer came in in a fuss. “Sir the battle has ended!” he nearly shouted.
The King rose from his cot. Unlike the man before us who wore a face of excitement, the King’s screamed anxiousness. I could tell that he wanted to know only of the dead. “The other army gave up. We slaughtered too many of them for them to continue, sir.” He was grinning from ear to ear.
“What is the death toll, officer?”
“97, sir.” The smile he held faded slowly off his face, and a silence fell over the room.
Slowly the King said, “Follow me Gabriel.” He brushed past the man at the door, and I met him outside. The two guards guarding our tent brought us our horses, and as we mounted ours, they mounted theirs. The King led the way to the battlefield.
When we approached the edge of it, my friend and I surrendered our horses to the guards. We glided through the now foggy field. He paced farther ahead of me looking anxiously around at the soldiers who gave up their lives for him. I hoped we could find whoever he was looking for before their body was taken and buried.
We continued like this for a half an hour before he finally stopped in front a body on the ground. The face of the man was bloody and scarred as well as the rest of his body. However, it didn’t change the way my friend looked at him. He looked sorry for the man on the ground as if he could’ve done something to prevent him from dying.
My friend faced me for the first time in the hour we’d spent here and said, “Tis, my brother that lies there, Gabriel.” I looked from the man on the ground to my friend and back again and wondered how the two of them had ever looked alike. I thought that if his brother had only accepted the throne, he could’ve avoided this death.
“Tis a good death, though, your highness. This battle was a victory.”
“How can it be a good death when my niece no longer has a father, or when my sister-in-law no longer has a lover, or when I’ve lost the only other sibling I’ve ever had and loved?” His eyes filled with tears as he dropped to his knees. When he grabbed my legs for support, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him as I stared at him in disbelief.
I tried to find something to distract me so that I wouldn’t cry, too. So when my eye caught a figure in the distance, I studied it. It was a man, a survivor. I knew he had been to hell and back all in a matter of a couple hours. He was climbing a very large hill, and when he reached the top, he raised his hands in victory.

Publication Date: 07-01-2012

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