«History repeats itself. It will never stop doing so.» Said Yigen.
He was a young boy with green eyes and bright white hair. He never appeared smiling or worried, nor did his emotions show; but it was not because of his thoughts. Few understood what he said, not because he did not speak correctly, but not many possessed the intellectual abilities that were proper to him. This was the reason why he often did not have company. There was only one man he thought to be on his own step: Hesle Lygarwen, the commander of Nustia's army.
«Repeat? What do you mean?» Asked the latter sipping on the little that remained of his beer mug.
Yigen did not answer, but he turned slowly to look out the window of the tavern, implicitly inviting Hesle to do the same. At that moment, in the square, there were more than 200 people protesting under the king's palace.
«Hesle, to become a commander of the army, you had to study the history of our country, right?» Asked Yigen, letting the other one understand what he meant.
«You're talking about the first king of Nustia, Goldora? Sure. I know the story of his revolution against Avaloria. But would you compare that great war to a simple revolt like this?» Hesle asked, ignoring his own concern. As commander, he would have been the one to line up against all those thousands of rebels. Nustia's army was large and compact, but the task of suppressing the revolt would be a danger even to the bravest of warriors.
A moment of hesitation struck Yigen's face.
«No, I do not mean to compare the two revolts. Probably, this will be internal to Nustia, therefore of lesser caliber. As you know, the nation where we live wants to take a stand against the continent again, but this time only by cutting off trade and legislative relations, without going on the offensive.» The white-haired young man answered.
The idea that Nustia had undertaken did not convince him at all. He was aware of the consequences it could entail. However, both being part of the army, they would have to stand up against the rebels, who in fact were both on the side.
«But you won't be here when I will have to fight...» Said Hesle, filling his mug again.
Yigen hesitated again to answer.
«Tomorrow I will leave for Shiitia, my native land. I will take care of the king's duties to cancel the peace treaty...
Hesle, you know I've never had any problem saying what I think. Try to spend as much time with your family as possible until you have a chance. This revolution will take many lives...»
Having said this, Yigen stood up paying for the food, which was still on the plate. Before leaving, he said these words:
«The world is just a principle of Chaos, it is coined by conflicts, cheating and injustice. A simple revolt will not be enough to match the resistance of our kind. Someone will perish, but it is not in our power not to support this future, it is not always possible to see the positive, but now, now there is hope...
If everyone had freed his being philosopher, the revolt would not even be spoken in the mind of a pure fool...»
He looked at Hesle, then went away to the door, disappearing in the sight of the commander.
In the frustration of his sad loneliness, Hesle closed his eyes, thinking about the future that probably did not wait for him.
He didn't come home long ago.
♦️
«Good morning Lenja. Where are Herega and Lytsu?» Hesle asked to his wife, curious to know where his children were. She stood up, kissed her husband, then sat down on the chair.
«Lytsu is helping me to prepare food, but I have no idea where Herega might be.» She answered, finishing cutting the carrots and potatoes, noticing a hint of concern on Hesle's face.
«Even in this situation I will not be present for Herega. I never treated him as a son, and he never treated me as a father. I tried to change for Lytsu, but I couldn't do anything for him.» He replied with a melancholy tone. Lenja stood up, warmly embracing her husband to reassure him. Hiding her tears behind her head.
«Don't worry, you'll have plenty of time to bond with Herega. The only thing you need to think about is coming back from the revolt alive.»
Those words moved something in Hesle's mind, but it was not good. The idea that he might die was in his mind. He remained silent throughout the dinner, as did his daughter and her mother. This time, silence was not so loud.
♦️
The next day he got up early to go to his headquarters. He went out and looked at his son Herega's face, but could not say anything. The boy did not even try. The first one went away in despair, the second in the calm of a new day.
The boy, if he could still be considered so, entered the house, changing his clothes, and tying the blue cloak characteristic of his clothing. He was a different boy from the others: He had a rebellious character and away from the rules, he did not spend much time in family or at home. He often got up early to walk for hours along the banks of lakes, rivers and streams, among forests, woods and hedges, gardens and meadows, in the deepest nature. At the first hint of fatigue he always went to his friend Eavelin's house, whom he considered like a sister. Even today, he did so. Eavelin was the same age as Herega, fifteen years old, but already working. Originally from Shiitia, she lost her parents in a scandal involving the monarch. On a troubled journey she arrived at Nustia, where she was adopted by a gentleman who still allows her to earn a living by making her work for him.
It is a humble job but, with his office, he also had a large garden where Herega and Eavelin used to spend whole afternoons lying on that immense meadow.
«So... Aren't you worried about your father?» The girl asked. Although she expected a shy response, she would still try to find an answer from her friend.
«Eve» He used to call her so, «I often told you about the relationship between me and my father. I never considered him as such, because he never considered me as a son. If he dies, I will be able to live without him.» The young man answered.
Eavelin was a little impressed by how Herega could speak so lightly of death. She had lost her father when she was little, and human compassion was not lacking, she knew what it meant to lose someone, but she also knew how upset Herega was with Hesle's attitude, so she tried to keep that feeling to herself.
«Wouldn't your life change?» She continued.
«No. It would not change. The only person I can't give up is you. We have had different experiences, and these are what shape people's minds. My experiences led me to these conclusions.» Herega answered by philosophizing more than what was necessary; but it was enough for Eavelin to understand what he meant. She blushed, passing her hand through the thick hair. They lay still a little, enjoying the last moments of peace before the revolt broke out.