Getting out of the bunker was basically leaving something horrible just to get to some place even worse. The cool, damp air underground was nothing in comparison to the hot, stuffy air above ground. Hundreds of people flood the streets in search of any house still standing, or any trinkets or belongings hiding underneath the rubble. The scorched earth is still hot, warming my bare feet as I have long since abandoned my heels. I step carefully, trying my best to avoid obtaining a splinter from the collapsed wood.
As I pick my way through the debris, I cringe as I notice a body being carried away, burned beyond recognition. I toss aside the wood that is in good enough shape to be used again but almost nothing is salvageable.
"What do we do now?" Somebody asks.
"There's nothing left." A woman to my right weeps. "We can't just rebuild this time."
Murmurs fill the street, a low grumble gradually turning into a cacophony of voices, each one's goal to be louder than the last. Small clumps of people form throughout the village, voicing their opinions on what to do next. I watch in horror as the groups disband, people shouting at one another, believing they know what's best for everyone. Before all hell breaks loose, the leader of the group, whose name I now know to be Susan, stands before everyone, cupping her hands around her mouth to be heard.
"This is a hard time for all of us. We've lost our possessions, our homes; some of us have lost friends and loved ones. But understand we are all suffering today. We are all looking to the future. We can only do that if we are united. Today we must set aside our differences, and band together. As one we will rebuild our village, as one we will restore our lives, as one will we will overthrow the monarchy." Cheers fill the wide expanse, and the Liberatum throw their fists into the air.
I push my way through the crowd, trying to reach Susan. I see Caleb offering his arm to her as she makes her way down the pile of rubble she was previously standing on. I wait patiently, hoping Caleb will leave, but he stays at her side. Ever since I went back for Sara, Caleb has been avoiding me, as if I was wrong to save a child. Whatever his reason for giving me the cold shoulder was, I decide to approach Susan anyways, not letting some tension get in my way.
As I walk over to her, Susan smiles and waves me over. I'm pretty sure I see Caleb scowl beside her.
"I've made my decision." I say straightening my back to appear a bit taller. Only days before Susan had asked me to help find my mother. At first I was skeptical. How would I know where to find her? But I still have a little piece of my mother inside of me, and now I'm sure my intuition can show us where to find my mother. "I'd like to help you; on one condition. I want to be out there, looking for her. I can't help you find my mother by staying here. I can't even tell you where to start looking, because I just don't know. If I'm outside of the city, in Alium, I think I'll be of more help to the Liberatum." I finish my request, making sure not to break eye contact with Susan.
She takes a few seconds to consider her options before responding, running a hand through her hair. "I'll agree to let you help find your mother, but I am sending 20 of our strongest members of the Liberatum with you. You know how important you are to us, right? We cannot afford to lose you."
"You can't let her go out there." My eyes snap to Caleb, who refuses to look at me. "As you said, she's important to us. We can't risk losing her. She can't defend herself, she has no training."
"The tranquilizers you had to use on her when you first brought her here would disagree with that." Susan says, her eyes twinkling as she laughs lightly. Caleb finds no humor in her joke and he only ducks his head, obviously embarrassed that a princess almost took him, a trained soldier, down. "Besides, if you're so worried about her training, you can teach Rose yourself." She pauses and claps her hands together when neither one of us objects. "So it's settled. Your first session can begin now!"
***
"For a cause who's point is literally to wage war against the monarchy, I'm not gonna lie, I'm kind of surprised you don't have some training complex with every weapon imaginable." I say honestly as I turn a silver sword in my hands. The hilt is painted gold, with one red jewel on the very bottom. I angle the blade towards the sun, letting the light bounce off into a different direction.
"Yeah well any materials that can be used to build, are reserved for homes." Caleb replies.
I nod my head in understanding. After all, these people don't exactly have the lavish life of royals. I still can't believe my father doesn't know about the conditions out here. If he knew, he'd surely fix it.
Caleb's voice scatters my thoughts. "The way you stand is important." He explains. "It determines your control, swiftness, and endurance. Here, I'll show you." Caleb positions himself so that his legs are about a shoulders width apart, his leading foot is on the same side as the hand grasping the sword. I try to copy his stance.
"Loosen up, you're stiff." Caleb says harshly. "Relax and bend your knees. If you can't figure out a simple stance how are you going to survive outside of the city?"
"If somebody is attacking me and I need to save myself, do you really think my focus is going to be on the way I'm standing?" I snap back at him. "Oh you want to kill me? Yes wait one second I need to bend my knees a bit and relax." I say, the last part in mock imitation of my teacher. "Why don't you try teaching me how to actually defend myself?"
Caleb nods and we spend the next portion of my lesson focusing on different attacks, defense, and ripostes. I learn the best places to hit my attacker, my footing, how to detect patterns in the other person, and most importantly, how to parry attacks against me.
"Before we head back, use everything you just learned to attempt to disarm me." Caleb says a little to over confidently. I stand across from him now, refusing to use what he taught me about my stance. Caleb makes the first move, jabbing at my shoulder, which I block easily. We take turns jabbing at each other and parrying attacks. I feel my arms beginning to tire; looking at Caleb, I notice he hasn't even broken a sweat and feel discouraged.
Caleb's arm flies out, attempting an unexpected jab to my right side and jump to the left. My sword swipes under his, the hilt stopping as it clangs against Caleb's blade. Using my remaining strength I thrust my sword into the air, and Caleb's sword, still locked against my hilt, is wrenched out of Caleb's grasp. I grab it out of the air and point both swords at Caleb's throat.
"I win."
The walk back to the village is silent and it's slowly driving me crazy.
"Why are you ignoring me? Are you still mad about me going back to save Sara? I get that I left myself exposed but I couldn't help myself. I couldn't just leave her there to die. I couldn't live with that." I say, finally finding my voice and breaking the silence.
"I know." Caleb says softly. I look over to him and he's looking at the ground; his normally straight shoulders are slumped in defeat. "I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at myself." He looks up at me, and my eyes urge him to continue. "I used to have a brother. His name was Jackson. Four years younger than me, he would've been 14 this year. I promised I'd teach him how to sword fight when he turned 14." Caleb's eyes are glassy, filling with tears. I don't want to watch him cry. I turn away, watching the sunset.
"You don't have to tell me." I say, feeling bad that I had brought up something so sensitive.
"He died when he was 12. We were both starving, begging on the streets. Our parents didn't have the money to support us so we were on our own. I wish I could've helped him" Caleb whispers, choking up. "You don't know how lucky you are to have had the chance to save her." Caleb says, finally looking right at me. I see the sadness in his eyes, their usually sparkle has disappeared. He walks faster, hoping to maintain some distance between us, and I don't try to catch up.
I know Caleb needs to be alone for a little while. As much as I want to help him, there's nothing I can do. The only thing to help heal his wounds is time.
And the deeper the cut, the longer it takes to heal.
Here's a nice long update for everyone out there. Thanks for your continuous support! Remember to follow, comment and vote! Happy Reading!!!
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Remembering Rose (#Wattys2016)
AdventureRoses are beautiful, delicate flowers that need to be pruned. True to her name, as Rose grows up, she is kept under control. Told only what people want her to know, Rose is as innocent as the flower first appears. When Rose is finally told the tru...
