Waking up in the morning, knowing that this was his last time in this room and bed, Kane looked at the faces of a sleeping Daren, Auren and Collin. Sighing with nostalgia for the early days of Byrock where everyone was still in their first stance, the boy looked out the window, where he saw the training ground all covered in snow after a full night of snowstorms.
He slowly picked up his belongings, reluctantly leaving his first friends, strapped his sword to his belt, and left the room with the closing of the door, closing a certain stage of his life.
As tutor Lorenz had ordered the previous day, Kane and the rest of the Lower Knight showed up at the training ground first thing in the morning at 7 to leave. Once outside, feeling the freezing wind and snow hitting his face, Kane put on a warm jacket, which gave him significant relief, but his childish cheeks were still freezing.
Walking on, all Kane could hear was the crunch of snow under his boots.
"Good morning!"
He spoke up, looking at the tutors loading chests of supplies into the cart.
"Oh there you are, everyone is already inside, get in the cart, we'll be leaving soon."
"Everyone?"
He thought, staring at the leather-covered cart.
Slowly approaching, more and more faces emerged from the dark.
Getting in, he took his seat and looked at a total of five boys looking at him, though of all of them he knew only Jin.
"That's everyone!"
The tutor shouted, loading the last chest under the boys' feet.
Kane took one last look at Byrock and saw the recruits staring at them in the windows.
As soon as the two tutors harnessed the horses, the cart started off , breaking through the snowdrifts, and the Lower Knight set off for the western border of the kingdom of Forsteck.
Riding the cart for the second time in his life, Kane began to reminisce about the day he was taken from the orphanage, but his reminiscence was quickly interrupted by one of the boys.
Muscular and with scars on his face, the boy, out of excitement, didn't even wait until the cart left the Byrock gate and immediately offered with a smile on his face.
"As we are already, you could say in one group, why don't we get to know each other better? I only know Jin here, and I've heard the names Kane and Lores. I'll start, my name is Renard, and this is Jin, and you?"
He introduced himself by grabbing Jin's arm.
"Lores"
Said the boy sitting across from Kane, looking like he was about to fall asleep.
Everyone looked at him with incomprehension, how could anyone sleep in such a situation and at such a time of day.
"Raff"
"Blake"
"Kane"
One by one they all said, trying not to prolong the conversation with Renard.
"You guys aren't very talkative, are you?"
He sighed, looking at them.
They stared in silence for hours at the passing landscape, hearing only the crunching of snow under the cartwheels. But the journey had been long, and as a result, eventually even Kane gained the desire to talk.
"Actually, what should we do on the spot? Are there any orders yet?"
He shouted toward the tutors driving the cart.
"Honestly, this is the first time such a situation has come up, so it's hard to tell, but most likely we'll just check empty villages to see if anyone has survived and take them from the front. Normally it would be to retake areas, but they won't allow Lower Knight still at your age to fight, and if we meet enemies, we will retreat or we will take care of them" Understood? You guys don't fight if it's not necessary, that's an order."
"Yes, yes..."
They all sighed, not counting the sleeping Lores.
"Have you all managed to get used to steel swords?"
Asked the tutor, knowing where he stood.
"Yes, we did in time."
Renard replied dismissively.
"We're not going there for fun."
Parsed awakened by the boys' conversations, Lores.
"Do you have a problem?"
Shouted Renard in his direction.
"Do you want another scar for your collection?"
He began to threaten him, grabbing the hilt of his sword.
"Oi, calm down there!"
Shouted the tutor, hearing the arguing.
"If you can't get along, then shut up and go to sleep. We have three days of riding ahead of us, and you guys are going to snooze on me here."
Both boys let go of their swords and insultingly parried with each other.
Kane, seeing the behavior of the Lower Knights, realized that he had come across the individualists themselves, and was unlikely to get any cooperation from the others.
All the way, he stared as the cart drove through muddy streets from the melted snow, passing towns, villages, forests, and fields covered in snow from the snowstorm that had been going on since they left Byrock.
Knowing that he would spend the entire three days in immobility, with no opportunity for training or sparring, Kane returned to contemplating, admiring the passing sights.
Despite such conditions, the tutors didn't even stop for the night, and took turns driving the cart to get there as quickly as possible.
On the third day, when the sun was barely visible in the morning, the cart with its exhausted horses finally stopped at a camp on the western front.
"Get up, we're there!"
Shouted the tutor to the sleeping Lower Knights.
Kane, still with closed, sleepy eyes, jumped off the cart. Only standing on the ground did he feel that something was wrong.
Upon opening his eyes, instead of beautifully snow-covered forests and glades, his eyes revealed a sight of the earth burned to the ground, along with the smell of smoke and death hanging in the air.
Chills went through all of Lower Knight, seeing the remains of the former lands of the kingdom.
Although the night was barely over, there was already a lot of activity in the camp, from the knights returning from the front to the howls of pain from the wounded who had lost an arm or a leg as a result of the fighting.
"Get moving, we're going to the commander."
The tutors reminded everyone, pointing to a large tent in the center of the charred field.
Going for orders, the boys looked around, seeing only wounded, death and destruction.
Seeing all this, Kane felt more and more uncertainty, hoping that the tutors' words about the lack of fighting would be true.
Entering the Lower Knights' tent, they saw a group of nervous knights standing over a table with a map showing the entire region they were in charge of.
"The Knights were supposed to retreat, there's snow up to their knees in some places, and they still haven't left their positions, at this rate, we won't regain these lands until the end of winter."
"How do they even still have supplies? We haven't left anything behind, and there has been no wheat in the fields for a good four months."
"They are probably bringing in supplies from another country, there is no other option."
"Is it known how many of their forces are left in position?"
"No, the reconnoiters haven't returned for a week, they're probably already dead or deserted."
"We have more wounded than able-bodied, and they want us to retake the territories."
Devastated by the situation at the front, the commanders talked at the table until the tutor interrupted their conversation.
"The Lower Knights, along with their guards, have arrived from Byrock as ordered!"
Looking at the frozen 12-year-old boys with their swords at their sides, one of the commanders couldn't stand it and, sitting down in a chair, muttered.
" Fucking hell, I have to smoke, because I can't stand it..."
He said resignedly, pulling a soaked cigar from his pocket.
"And these shitheads, what are they doing here?"
Asked one of the commanders
"Every military academy in the Kingdom of Forsteck has received orders from Royal General Nikolas Ronest to send all Lower Knights to the western front to make up for the lack of forces."
"Fuck what are they thinking? After all, this will be more of a problem than a help".
He sighed, rubbing his eyes.
Kane and the rest of the boys didn't even try to speak, seeing that the situation was grave and incomprehensible.
"Okay, how many of you are guarding them? Two?"
"Yes, two tutors and six lower knights."
"That's until the evening you have time to rest, before sunset you have to come here, and then I will give you orders. Now march away!"
"Yes sir!"
Saluted the tutor, followed immediately by all the boys.
Leaving the tent and seeing the sights of fire and death anew, the boys' attitudes got worse and worse. The omnipresent shrieks of the wounded knights sent shivers through everyone except Kane and Lores.
"As they said, you have time to rest. No quarrels, no sparring, no training. You must be at full strength while receiving orders. Disperse."
Kane looked around the encampment, not knowing what to do with himself when Jin with Renard and Raff managed to leave.
Blake, looking at Kane and Lores suggested.
"Then maybe let's go to the bonfire."
"Could be."
Kane replied, heading toward a campfire made of leftovers from the forest.
"Even though winter has begun, it's warmer here than when we left Byrock."
Replied Lores looking around.
"The torched fields and forests raise the temperature, in a few days or weeks when the snow puts everything out, it will be colder."
Kane explained to him, seeing the charred trees standing despite their condition.
The boys sat over the campfire on the boulders left in front of the knights, trying to understand the situation.
"I guess we're not welcome here."
Blake finally said, staring into the fire.
"There is nothing to expect from them, look at us, 11 and 12-year olds who just got a sword in their hands are sent to the front. How are we supposed to be useful to them?"
"Maybe they will send us away?"
"No, as he said they will give us orders in the evening, we will probably do something, literally anything."
"How about you with the fighting?"
Kane broke the silence, looking at both boys.
"What do you mean?"
Lores asked.
"Do you really think you will be able to fight? We are children put up against adult and experienced knights."
"The tutors told us to avoid fighting."
"You're at war, Blake, you won't always be able to escape, you won't always have comrades at your side to help you, the sword at your belt is the only thing you can count on."
He looked darkly at Blake, trying to explain to him the situation they were in.
Lores stared at Kane trying to get to Blake's senses.
"So far there's no point in thinking about it, we don't even know what we're going to do here."
Blake sighed eventually, trying to interrupt Kane's argument, which was slowly starting to annoy him.
"Okay I'm going for now, I'll get back to you later."
Said Kane walking away from the rest.
"As I already have half the day free, it would be useful to get an idea of the area and the situation we are in."
He thought, looking around the camp.
"It's better not to climb the trees, so the view from above is out, I'll have to make a circle around the camp and look at the area, maybe I'll find something useful."
No matter where he looked, there was an endless view of scorched earth and trees in front of his eyes. Walking around the camp, he saw dozens of wounded and whimpering knights, from whose eyes the remnants of life were gargling.
"How many knights here are capable of fighting? As I left the perimeter of the camp, I was able to hear the quiet screams deep in the forest. Are the knights of the empire not far away? If so, who was shouting? Is there a village nearby?"
Kane wondered, trying to remember as many details as possible of the location of the camp and the entire area, memorizing distinctive spots from which he could learn his location in case of an unexpected escape, until he was interrupted by Lores.
"What are you doing?"
Asked Kane.
"I'm memorizing the area, I recommend you do it too."
"Hmm... Now that Blake is no longer with us, why don't we talk, as we should."
Lores quickly and without warning drew his sword and attacked Kane, who blocked the attack at the last moment, barely pulling the sword from its scabbard until sparks flew from the clash of steel in front of both boys' faces.
"What is the meaning of this?"
Asked Kane looking at the still advancing Lores.
"That's what I thought it was you!"
He laughed out of adrenaline, withdrawing his sword from Kane.
"What do you mean?"
"You're the one Kane wanted in his group with that dumbass Renard."
"And how do you know it wasn't Blake or Raff?"
"Raff is already with the three of them, and Blake is too weak for Jin to want him, fact, his techniques are effective, but he lacks the will to fight."
"And what about this? Is that the only reason you attacked me?"
"Would you like a quick sparring match, perhaps?"
He smiled in Kane's direction.
"No, thanks, I prefer to save my strength for the evening."
"Well, don't be like that!"
He shouted again, charging toward Kane.
"Show me what you can do, maybe you'll be useful for something!"
He continued to shout, pushing continuously using the fourth technique, to which Kane responded with effective parrying thanks to the second technique, as if he didn't put any effort into deflecting Lores' attacks.
"I told you I don't want to fight!"
He repeated it again and again, jumping back in an effort to avoid the fight.
"Now you have to, we should know each other's capabilities before the first orders, don't we?"
"Since you insist."
Kane unexpectedly stopped and attacked from below, performing the fifth stance.
Lores, confused by the sudden change in stance, did not have time to react, and Kane knocked the sword out of his hands, leaving only sparks in its wake and stopping his blade right in front of Lores' throat.
"That's what I'm capable of, satisfied?"
Lores laughed, raising his hands in the air.
"You even have a faster reaction speed than Jin."
He smiled in Kane's direction as he slowly withdrew the blade, from under his throat.
"Don't bother me and go back to camp."
He said in a departing tone, leaving Lores behind.
Just as one of the commanders had ordered, all the lower knights filed into the tent at sunset.
Entering the warm, candlelit tent, everyone, along with both tutors, was already gathered inside.
"Is that everyone?"
Asked the commander of one of the tutors for assurance.
"Yes, all six of them."
"Good, I'll now explain to you what your task will be for the next two weeks, we'll use your height and agility, at least that's what you can do, since you're not yet fit for combat.
From this point on you are divided into two groups of three Lower Knight and one tutor per group, how you get into groups is your choice.
Each night both groups will leave the camp and go on a reconnaissance, you are to gather as much information as possible. Whether you have seen anything suspicious, how many enemies there are and where, where they are moving, what is the situation in the villages, and whether any civilians are still alive in them. Anything worth noting, you are to relay here. I will hear reports from you every morning.
As for the place where you will go to reconnaissance, you will get every day before dark with us.
That is, before it gets dark here, pick up the information where you are going to reconnaissance, gather in groups the information, return and report back.
Group one will go north of the camp near the village of Norley where our last patrol disappeared, see what happened and if anyone survived.
Group two will go to the west of the camp, check where the nearest enemy camp is at the moment, so that we know where the front line is.
Remember, these are just the main objectives of your reconnaissance, you are to check and report on anything relevant.
Wait until it gets dark and you can leave the camp.
March away."
"Yes, sir!"
They all saluted, leaving the tent after receiving their first orders.
Stepping outside, Jin decided in advance for all the Lower Knight.
"Me and Raff and Renard will be together as a group, I think that's obvious."
"Yes, that will make the most sense."
Kane agreed with him.
"Well that's settled, only now which group goes where?"
"I take the north."
Kane spoke up immediately.
Jin, staring at the boy after a thoughtful moment of silence, replied.
"Okay, then we take the west."
"Then it's decided."
Summed up the boys' quick decision by one of the tutors.
"Go get provisions for the night and let's go."
Everyone set off to pick up the rations, but to everyone's surprise, the food at the front was significantly worse than they had expected.
"What is it?"
Raff asked the knight distributing the food.
"Your provisions for the night."
"Water, two slices of bread and.... wheat?"
He asked surprised to see the contents of the pouch.
"We have problems with the supply of provisions, by the way, this is an army, not a family dinner, if you don't like it, you can always eat nothing."
"But what does wheat have to do with it?"
"You hold it in your mouth and take a bite, the seeds will swell up and stave off hunger for a bit."
" Ooh..."
Surprised, he slowly took some seeds out of the pouch and put them in his mouth, slowly trying to chew them.
"Like a stone"
Seeing the grimace on his friend's face, Jin couldn't help but laugh.
"Okay, there's no point in complaining, it won't change anything."
Sighs Kane taking his ration of food.
"Everyone ready? Then let's go"
Said the tutor of Kane's group heading north.
Kane, Blake and Lores proudly set off on their first mission in the army in their lives.