The Queen's Guard

Hunger Strike

        I swung and he blocked. My sword clashed with his. Blocked again and again. "Fight back." I snarled. 

    "I am not your enemy." He stated. His voice was deep and calm. My anger was getting the better of me. I attacked and he blocked every strike. 

    "Soon we will face an enemy that will take everything from us." I yelled. "Help us prepare to fight."

    "I am not your enemy." He stated again. There was no anger in his voice. No exasperation as there was in mine. Just a calm resolution.

    In fact, for the past hour he had repeated these words in the same exact way. No change in tone. He wasn't winded, did not appear tired and had never once hinted at a counter attack. "You're useless." I yelled throwing my sword at his feet at which point he immediately knelt in from of me.

    I looked around the room as women were paired off with men trying to prepare for battle. Every interaction was a mirror of what I had encountered. The men would not fight back. 

    "Your men are not helping us prepare for battle." I said to him. 

    "My queen, they are not my men, they are yours." He responded. His tone once again even, his eyes lowered. 

    "Stop." I bellowed. Those closest to me ceased their training immediately, taking a knee as they did so. Their actions created a ripple effect as the other noted their stance and followed their lead. Once the arena had grown silent I spoke. "I order the men to fight." The response came in unison.

    "We are not your enemy." 

I looked to Armelia who shrugged. "We are facing an enemy who will disrupt everything we have ever known. The women who survive this battle will surely be treated like animals. The men will most likely be eliminated to reduce competition. You must understand that to defend ourselves we must fight. You have to help us train." The response came in unison again.

    "We are not your enemy."

    One of my women shrieked.The man in front of her was laying at her feet. "Medic!" I yelled and two women came to assess his condition. The room was silent as they worked.

    "He hasn't eaten in two days." The words came from the man kneeling in front of me. 

    "How is that possible?" I asked. "All of you should have been fed. Why hasn't he eaten?"

    "The men are refusing to eat, my queen." he replied.

    "Is there a reason?" This was the last thing I needed, men passing out as our enemy marched towards us.

    "We are not your enemy." he repeated.

    I knelt down. "Look at me." I hissed and he did.

    For a moment, I was at a loss for words. His warm brown eyes were all I could see through his helmet and they held zero apprehension. I stared into them and felt at peace. 

    "What do you want?" I asked. My tone surprisingly more even than I expected anger had been rising inside me since our training had begun.

    "We want to help you protect our kingdom. We want to fight alongside you." 

    "For what reason, what do you hope to gain?" I asked.

    His eyes held mine. His calm confidence drawing me in. "As you stated, we will be eliminated to reduce competition."

    His logic made sense. Including the men more than doubled my army. This was not a battle we could win on our own.