Simple day
1993 Words
Protruding roots of tall trees covered with a thick layer of snow, were like sleeping snakes under the white blanket of the winter.
These trees were showing their strength in spite of being in the middle of the snowstorm.
Having the same fluffy green coat like pine trees, these trees still had several distinctive features.
Large, pale leaves had the ability to withstand any cold. Their strong branches were always used for fire. Engulfed in flames, these branches were slowly burning and thus they were keeping the flames for several days.
These frost resistant trees grew everywhere, along with ordinary pine trees, their arrangement was chaotic and could stretch along the mountains and to the very steppes.
And now these leaves hid two tall figures who continued to sit for several hours.
The tiredness was slowly taking Draken away into the realm of sleep.
A light blizzard, as always, enveloped them from all sides. The night seemed endless. And with each passing minute, sleep slowly won over, immersing Draken in the warmth of his thoughts.
Several hours had passed since they approached the Main House. Looking at its stone walls and columns, Draken tried to stay awake no matter what.
Feeling hunger, he took out a few potatoes and a bun.
“Do you want to eat?” he asked, handing the potato to Leiandros.
“No. I am not hungry.”
“You can relax a little. Everyone is asleep. I don’t think that these soldiers would notice us even if we walked right in front of them. They are lazy. Just look at how they guard the gates. So, you can relax and eat. No one knows how long we will be here.”
“When I am on a mission, I can’t eat,” Leiandros answered without taking his eyes off the house.
Draken said with a smirk on his face, “And what about what we were doing right here? You are on a mission, so why did you lose your guard then?”
Looking at him through the blizzard, Leiandros coldly replied, “This is different.”
“Different!” Draken laughed and handed to him the potatoes. “Here, eat this.”
Taking the potatoes, Leiandros carefully peeling it off said, “I wonder about those two solders. What they were talking about?”
Taking out two stones with dragon fire from the backpack, Draken put one in his pocket and the other on Leiandros’ lap.
“Don’t you think that they were talking about beasts?”
“Master was right. This Sun has too many secrets.”
“You’ve been here for a long time. You should know Sun as well as you know Raghnall.”
“I know almost everyone who lives on these mountains. But I know nothing about Sun. Before, he invited me to his clan. To join his clan and become one of his warriors. So basically, there was only a business conversation between us. We talked about war, beasts. And I tried to keep my distance. In my heart, I knew that such person couldn’t be trusted. Because we didn’t have much time to talk, I couldn’t find out what kind of person he is. But I knew he had all the qualities of the malevolent hero.”
When they finished eating, Draken put his head on Leiandros’ shoulder and said, “When I was a child rarely heard his name. My father and Raghnall rarely mentioned his name. I didn’t know the head of the Third clan either. And who was before them, didn’t interest me. I always lived somehow away from this world, I always strived to create my own world. Although I knew that it was selfish. Especially after the death of my father, I blamed myself for my selfishness.” Feeling Leiandros’ hand on his hand, he continued, “Every time when my father went to the Battlefield, I didn’t know if he would return. And while he was not around, I tried to read as much as possible. I tried to escape from this coldness. I read and that is how I wanted to create my own reality. Where my father would be happy. While my father was fighting beasts, I opened my heart to the whole worlds. And now looking back, I realize how selfish I was. I wanted to see things that were only in my head. I was dreaming, while my father was doing everything for me to live. And after his death, I stopped thinking. I locked my mind and I ran away. Away from everyone. I thought that in if I am alone, then I have defeated everyone. But now I realize how wrong I was.”
He paused and the tears froze below his eyes.
Embracing him, Leiandros looking somewhere said, “Perhaps your dreams, someday, will change this world.” Kissing his forehead, he tenderly whispered, “Now you should sleep.”
“I am fine. You should sleep.”
“No. I don’t want. At night, I rarely sleep. So, don’t worry about me. If something strange happens, I’ll wake you up,” Leiandros said and sitting comfortably, made Draken lie down right on himself.
“Did you hear strange sounds last night?”
“Yes. I think I heard.”
“What are you talking about? I think you talked too much about beasts last night. That is why your fantasies took control over your minds.”
With the arrival of the morning, having gathered outside their houses, all the soldiers were waiting for their teacher.
Draken woke up and his eyes fell on Leiandros. He was sitting with the same tensed look. Smiling at him, Draken whispered, “Good morning.”
“Good morning.”
Hearing the conversation, Draken sat up straight and looked down.
The soldiers in fur mantles were still talking about the strange sounds.
“These sounds were terrifying. I was scared to close my eyes. Because when I closed my eyes I felt like someone was breathing right above me.”
“Tell me, when will your fantasies stop? You have so many fears and delusional fantasies, you should stop.”
A soldier with a short hair loudly sighed and said, “Stop talking nonsense.”
“Teacher is here! Silence!”
Everyone lifted their heads and stood in anticipation of their teacher.
Peering through the foliage, Draken tried to see who was the teacher of Second clan. He shifted the weight of his legs to the branch that was below, thereby creating a creaking sound.
Hearing this sound, one of the soldiers said, “Why do I have such feeling like someone’s watching us.”
Draken stopped moving. The distance between them and the soldiers was small and thanks to the large leaves, they were invisible.
“Stop talking!” suddenly someone’s loud and angry voice was heard.
Draken finally saw who it was. A man in a long leather coat with bow and arrows behind was walking in their direction.
He stopped in front of everyone and with a displeased tone said, “Looking at you, I am sure that you won’t be able to stand on the Battlefield even for a second.”
Then he lifted his head and now Draken could see his face.
He was almost the same age as Leiandros. He had a small eyes, slightly upturned nose, and thin colorless lips which expressed constant displeasure. And only his hairstyle gave him an elusive charm. Long black hair that was perfectly tied into a braid gave him an unusual look.
Turning around, the man said, “By looking at you, I always start to doubt my strengths and skills. I spend on you all my time and why do I always feel like I am wasting it? Just at the other two clans. The First clan already has an outstanding warrior. And in addition, their soldiers are always disciplined and smart. Well, and you are just cowards. You have nothing. No strength, no brain, nothing.”
“But teacher, we do everything as you say. What don’t you like?” someone dared to ask.
The man broke into laughter. “What I don’t like? I don’t like everything about you! Teaching you, is a waste of time.” Then he pulled the bowstring and suddenly fired an arrow directly at one of the soldiers. He cried out of pain. Pulling the arrow out of his leg, the soldier silently continued to endure ache.
“Maybe you need to be taught under threat? Maybe only then you will become worthy of my time.” Pulling another arrow, he said, “Everyone quickly go to the training field.”
Unable to stand any longer, the soldier with wounded leg fell down. With a look of fear on his face, he said, “I am sorry teacher. I will get up now.”
The man approaching him, pulled an arrow and aimed at him again. “I’ll give you three seconds.”
The soldier through the pain got up. The wound was slowly bleeding.
“Now, run to the field,” the teacher of the Second clan said.
Draken observing all this, looked at Leiandros who, without changing his expression continued to sit. When the man left, Draken whispered, “What kind of person is he? Did you see how he treats everyone? No wonder this whole clan is strange.”
Adjusting his backpack, Leiandros said, “It’s time for us to go.”
When they jumped down from the tree, Draken felt numbness in his legs. But this didn’t stop him from running towards the Main House.
From the distance, voices and screams of the soldiers could be heard. Not paying attention to all this, they ran through the strong blizzard and finally found themselves near the Main House.
Carefully looking around, Draken asked, “Where are all guards?”
Without answering, Leiandros moved forward. The door of the house was, strangely enough, open.
“There is another entrance. Let’s go,” Leiandros whispered.
“There is no need to hide. There is no one anyway.” Draken said straightening his shoulders and moving towards the stone fence.
Having reached the back of the house, as expected, there was a small door.
Surprisingly enough, the door opened with just one blow.
“This Sun, he doesn’t care about the safety of his house at all,” Draken said.
“The Main house of this clan is located in the courtyard, that is why he thinks that it is well secured.” Leiandros replied looking at Draken. Noticing something strange in his behavior and face, Draken grabbed his hand and pulled him inside the small room.
Once they were inside of an incomprehensible part of the house, they realized that this place served like a warehouse.
There were many wooden boxes, swords, and other broken things. Looking around Draken said, “Look! There seems to be a dungeon entrance!” Pointing to the small well in the corner he said, “It is a well. We should open it. Maybe it will lead us to Sun’s room.” Before he could bend over to the iron door of the well, he immediately found himself in complete darkness.
Leiandros closed the door from inside and grabbing Draken’s hands, he pressed him against the wooden boxes.
“Leiandros, I don’t think that it is the right time for this,” Draken whispered, feeling Leiandros’ breath on his neck.
Leiandros embraced him and said, “I miss you.”
Grabbing each other as if grasping in a fight, they dropped several boxes to the ground and didn’t pay any attention to the noise they made.
In complete darkness, hearing their heartbeats and breath, they stopped the time.
After some time, moving away from Draken, Leiandros lied down on the cold floor.
Draken reached out and took Leiandros’ hand and broke into laughter.
- Writer
