The Voyage in the Blizzard (BL)

Forget about everything

Whirling as if drawing patterns in the air, snowflakes were falling down, covering the old layers of snow.

Freshly fallen snow always seemed magical. And by looking at how untouched fields covered with new snowflakes, everyone felt the New Year’s comfort.

But even if no one celebrated any holidays, everyone still managed to celebrate some days when everything was calm like there was no war.

And despite the monotony of nature around them, the inhabitants of the Three mountains, sometimes, gave themselves the freedom to admire the landscape around. And some even managed to marvel at the beauty and originality of snowflakes.

Moments of complete calmness made soldiers forget about everything and see the beauty of the steppes that stretched somewhere and for a moment, they imagined the worlds that existed outside their frozen world.

Dreaming, living, thinking, so everyone carried secrets and cherished desires that made their hearts alive.

But hiding their souls under millions of shells, everyone tried to think only about war because of the fear that beasts had instilled.

Having combed his hair which had grown already below the shoulders, having gathered it in a perfect ponytail, fixing it with an iron hairpin, Draken put on a black sweater that gave elegance to his slender but muscular body. Putting a black leather vest on, he fastened the silver belt with an emblem in the form of the sword. Then, fastening the knives to straps on his trousers, he looked at himself. And who he saw in front of himself wasn’t old Draken. Now, in the mirror, he saw a completely different person.

After examining himself, how he had changed over these months, Draken looked into his big eyes, then at his shoulders, at the way his hair hung down, then he wanted to squeeze out a smile but all he got was the nervous expression of the lost person.

Quickly moving away from his reflection as if he didn’t want to see it anymore, Draken left the room. The room which once belonged to Leiandros.

When he became the teacher, Raghnall decided to give Leiandros’ house to him. Because according to rules, the teacher was supposed to have his own home. And now, living in the same house where Leiandros walked, slept, read, loved, Draken could feel his breath, hear his heartbeat.

Being within the walls of this house, he continued to wait, continued to think that Leiandros would return. And that all this is just a temporary joke. But the more he wandered through the corridors, Draken felt all his invisible wounds bleeding.

Walking with confident steps, Draken with a cold expression, approached the perfectly aligned soldiers who were waiting for him.

After a moment of silence, still feeling awkward about his new role, Draken said, “Today, we won’t fence. Instead, I will teach you one easy movement which my father taught me. This skill doesn’t require any particular effort. Everything which is need from you are a few knives.” Taking one knife, he continued, “Following the stories of warriors, beasts are vulnerable and they can be easily destroyed. The have flesh and blood just like us. This means that using our strength we can easily stop their impulses.” Walking back and forth like Leiandros did when he spoke, Draken copied all his gestures. “So today I will teach you the technique of flying knives.”

Having said this, he attached the knife back and caught a cheerful and very attentive look of one of the soldiers. “Do you have any questions?”

The soldier approaching him, replied, “Teacher, if we have to fight with these creatures with knives, does this mean that we will have to carry a lot of knives with us? Isn’t it a little inconvenient?”

Den’s laughter was heard somewhere.

Looking at the soldier who was playfully smiling at him, Draken said, “If the soldier is skillful enough, he can kill several beasts with one knife.”

“But teacher!”

Draken turned his back on everyone and quietly said, “If you are interested, then just follow me, Silver.”

After Draken became the teacher, the Head of the Third clan, Sirius, unable to endure his son’s weakness any longer, decided to send him to the First clan for training.

Being a good friend of Draken, Silver only delighted by this, left his father’s constant supervision with a happy smile. And now, when he became the part of the First clan, he gladly did everything Draken said.

And during these months, he managed to become physically stronger and more cunning in the fight.

Following the tall figure of Draken, Silver put his hand on his shoulder and whispered, “Draken, today, can I borrow some of your books?”

“Of course,” Draken answered.

“Good. Also I have to tell you something.”

“Conversations during training are prohibited,” someone said from behind.

And then, as expected, Den’s voice was heard, “This is Draken. We can freely talk to him. He is not cold – blooded Leiandros.”

“Don’t use your so - called friendship just to act as you want.”

“You! If you are envious about our friendship with Draken, then better show your envy in the battle. Or what? You can only attack with words?”

Draken stopped and loudly, almost angrily said, “Talking before the battle, will make you weaker.”

“Stop acting like you are Leiandros.”

“He is right. You are not him! You will never replace our teacher!”

“We need to be assertive to get Leiandros back.”

The soldiers whose name Draken didn’t remember, were about to start a fight but one of them shouted, “You’ve been planning all this! You wanted to get rid of Leiandros and take his place! We heard that your father deserved fame for no reason. He used all his cunning plans on the way to his title.”

Ignoring their words, Draken just walked ahead. Behind of him, soldiers were shouting and only Den’s voice was much louder. When the situation became more chaotic, Draken stopped and calmly said, “If you don’t like me then you can go back to village. I am not holding you. But when your neck will be in the clawed hands of the beast, don’t say that I didn’t teach you how to survive.”

After Leiandros left the clan, Draken stopped feeling anything. There was no anger, no sadness in him. But all he could feel was the pain that stuck in the depths of his soul.

Almost walking next to him, Silver asked, “They don’t annoy you? Don’t you want to punish them? It seems to me or they are getting bolder?”

“I hardly hear them. Let them feel discontent, it will give them some strength.”

“I didn’t know that you can be so indifferent. I always thought that you had a gentle soul. But now I see that you are very cold.” Silver looked at him with admiration, and a strange smile flashed across his face. But he immediately hide it behind of seriousness.

Standing on the training field, the soldiers, holding knives in their hands, watches Draken who was showing how to hold the knife and at what angle it should be directed at the enemy.

Standing in the very center, Draken called Storm.

Without hesitation, Draken stepped back and brandishing the knife, he threw it right towards Storm.

With a quick movement, he stopped the knife before it reached his face.

“This is how you should throw the knife. So that it flies with force. Despite the blizzard, wind, it should reach the enemy. Is it clear to anyone?”

“Yes.”

“In that case, now, each will throw knives right at my side. I will be standing here. And you, one by one will have to show me how you channel the force into the knife. Your knife must lightly touch my vest.”

“But Draken, isn’t it too dangerous? What if you get hurt?” Galen asked.

“Don’t worry. This leather vest won’t let the knife hurt me. The main thing is for me to see that your knife can travel a long distance and reach the target.” Draken said and stepped back. “Let’s start!”

The first in line was Silver.

Slightly worried, Silver recalling what Draken had taught a few minutes ago, lifted his knife and looked at the teacher who was standing at a great distance from him.

Silver, standing in the correct posture, took a deep breath and finally threw the knife.

The silver knife, cutting through the icy air, flew straight while retraining the power of Silver.

With surprised looks, everyone watched what all this would turn out to be.

Looking at the edge of the knife that was getting closer, Draken straightened his shoulders and put his hands into the pockets. And when the knife was very close, it lost its momentum and fell right in front of Draken.

“Again!”

Silver, gathering his strength, now becoming much more confident, took another knife and directed it at Draken. He lifted his hand and let the knife fly ahead.

This time, the knife, in a blink of an eye flew up to Draken and lightly touched his vest. Having reached the target, it fell down.

With a smile on his face, Draken exclaimed, “Well done!”

The next turn was at Storm. Possessing good skills in knife throwing and fencing, he didn’t waste his time so he simply threw the knife right at Draken.

One after another, he threw all his knives and they almost simultaneously reached the target.

Nodding his head, Draken shouted, “Brother, as always, very dexterous and fast!”

And so one by one, everyone tried to be better than the others. Taking it as a competition and a good opportunity to show their anger towards Draken, some soldiers broke the rule and were throwing their knives with all their might. Because of this, Draken had to catch them before they touched him.

“The goal of this exercise is to be able to throw the knife without any movement. I don’t mind if you want to scare me but now, we are trying to concentrate on the manual dexterity.”

“Teacher can we rest now?” Den asked sitting on the snow.

“No one will give you time to rest on the Battlefield,” Silver said.

“Brother Silver, you were on the Battlefield. You fought beasts. So how did you feel? Were you scared?” Enlai approached him. With attentiveness examining his silver strands of hair, he made a slightly surprised look.

“On the Battlefield, I almost died. But I didn’t feel any fear. All I saw in front of me, were two sharp fangs and two red eyes that looked at me from the depths of the skull. I didn’t feel anything. I just realized that this war is not so scary. Because when you see these creatures, you cease to be yourself. And therefore all fear disappears. But also, I didn’t feel fear because Draken saved me.” Casting a glance at him, Silver smiled.

After the training, Draken approached Storm who was standing by the tree. “Brother, do you think I am a good teacher?”

Storm looked at everyone and with displeased look replied, “You are too gentle. When Leiandros was here, no one dared to waste their time like this. But with you, they became different.”

“Perhaps this is what they needed. Time to be themselves. You know, on the Battlefield, the main thing is to be able to remember who is your friend. And when you remember this, you start to feel responsibility for others too. It gives you more strength. So let them be themselves. Let them talk and laugh.”

“Feelings are dangerous for a warrior,” Storm added drawing patterns on the snow with a branch.

Following Leiandros’ scheme, after another hour of throwing knives, Draken made everyone run for two hours and then, lifting heavy logs, climb up the slope that led into the forest.

Also, after that incident with the beast, Raghnall still forced Draken to strengthen the security and guard the village. But over time, panic and fear disappeared and everyone forgot about that strange incident.

Holding a large log on his shoulder, Draken said, “Silver hold it a little higher.”

Carrying the logs on their shoulders and going up the slope, everyone was dragging their legs with their last strength.

Breathing heavily and feeling exhausted, everyone was dreaming about going home and sinking into sleeping.

“Walk faster! Your muscles must be strong!” Draken shouted.

During these months, Draken improved his stamina significantly. Also, he became more muscular than he was before. And now his appearance was no different from Leiandros.

Finally, when they reached the forest, Draken and Silver threw off the log and continued walking back and forth so that there was no load to their hearts.

Trying to breath normally, Draken said, “You are getting stronger.”

Unable to say anything Silver just smiled and leaned against the tree.