My dearest, Francesca,
I can recall the first time that I saw him. A figure far too burly for his age, and a brain that was equally developed. Friends of mine would recount how they were told to trade the physical prowess for its mental alternative, and talk about how they must've been lied to, for how could he exist if such a trade was necessary?
Sixteen years, it had been told, for merely sixteen years had he been alive, and yet he rushed into the battlefield delivering orders of the same complexity as an experienced tactician, battling as though he had spent ages in the colosseum of Penilago, it was as though the world was merely a field for him to roam, a place for him to practice for whatever otherworldly feat he was created to obtain.
Should I curse the world for creating such a monster? Should I preach some sense of justice? The soldiers in my unit blamed the divine septet, and my faith in them has not found itself unchallenged every time I lay eyes on the duke's son. Dorian Maeldt is not of this world, I hold my suspicions that he is some divine messenger, some symbol of their great power sent here to correct the nonbelievers, to suss out the damned.
The fifth day of our battle at Redloch, and he has yet to make an appearance. Untimely deaths have led to a change in membership and I have found myself at the head of my unit, a commander of a group no more than thirty. I have received summons, as have my co-commanders to the noble's tent to convene in regards to strategy.
I will write to you upon the completion of this battle, however, if you do not receive my letter, as I have asked you, take the time given to grieve yet accept that demise has met my present. Do not shed tears undeservedly, for these feelings of despair brought on by a mere child have left me inquisitive of my own existence.
My dearest Francesca,
These doubts could never withhold my love for you.
Remain serene, undisturbed,
Your other half, Madrin Tierno
I rolled the piece of parchment as tightly as I could and walked outside to the messenger who had been tapping his feet in a display of impatience.
"Deliver this with haste to my residence."
"Your change in position does not entail a change in your treatment of me."
"Have I not told you to make haste before?"
He cast a quick glare before making his way out of the camp. Hopefully, the letter would reach her within one day's time.
I myself walked over to the noble's tent while glancing at the conditions of the encampment. The cleric and bishop's tents were filled equally with those who took the opportunity to repent before their self-perceived certain death and those who were critically injured from battles past. Some had gone mad and clung to the bishops, screaming at them while begging for forgiveness, the guards tasked with protecting all holy officials would eventually step in and throw them to the ground.
The sky had been tainted with the color of blood by a spell cast from the opposing side at dawn, the shadows darker than that, obscuring the ground everywhere they went. The scenes surrounding me were nothing but disturbing, only the worst of omens for the battle to come and so I must elect ignorance as my savior in these times of need.
I walked into the tent to find my commanders in arms all there waiting on my arrival. Their glances unquestionably exhibited their disappointment in my tardiness, and at the head of the table lay the very noble I had written about. I tried to avoid his glance, but when I did catch his eye he did not emulate the behavior of my peers, I could not find a hint of disappointment or some other derivative of anger in his eyes or any other facet of his expression.
He delivered to me a neutral stare, as he would to any other commander in the room. He did not even cast his eyes in my direction for an extended period, shortly glancing at me as though to simply acknowledge my existence, and nothing more. He slammed his hand on the table to grab the attention of all those present, and I was freed from the unbreakable tension brought forth by my own actions.
I watched as he took a small piece of wood painted with the colors of his crest and threw it across the table right to where I was. He spoke before I had the chance to pick up the piece of wood which was now right in front of me on the table holding the map of Redloch.
"Don't worry about being late, you came just in time for your part of the plan. Before I give you that, let me briefly summarize what I've told the rest of the units to do."
He took turns gesturing at each of the other commanders as he described their roles.
"The four units on my right will act as a flank on the left of the battlefield. There lie the main ranged units, who will likely be expecting attacks on foot. Despite whatever preparations they may have, I trust in these units' ability in a forward assault. The two closest to me on my left as our ranged units will either be responsible for covering the first four from any unexpected defense or covering the next two units closest to you who will be rushing straight forward toward the enemy lines. This is the place where you will come in."
He pointed to a spot on the map while looking at the piece of wood he had passed to me. I quickly picked it up and tossed it over to where his hand was, he positioned it right in the middle of their encampment far across the battlefield.
"The wizard who cast the spell that has ruined this sunny day is in their encampment, I want you to get rid of him while the rest of the troops are distracted."
"What?"
Another commander's voice interrupted the both of us.
"Such insolence! How dare you-"
Before he could finish his sentence, the son of the duke already had placed a spear at his neck, a hair's length away from killing one of his own best men.
"Do not speak on my behalf, commander."
"I understand, your grace."
The commander had shrunk back and sat down while the rest of us chose to remain standing. The son of the duke threw the spear away from the table and brought his glance back to me.
"I know that this seems foolish, but if all of the commanders present follow their orders then there should be no force sizable enough to prevent entry into their encampment. The rest of their forces will be distracted. Navigating the battlefield is your primary obstacle, but I trust that any soldier promoted so quickly to commander has the ability to navigate any battlefield without issue."
He surely referenced my ability in an attempt to nullify any response I could offer. I remained silent and accepted that my death may come as a result of my previous commander's incompetence and the whim that resulted in my ownership of his position.
"You are all excused."
I ran as quickly as I could back to the tent with my troops, I would need to spend however much time we had before this planned assault occurred to find some miracle under which I could survive, in the best case all of the soldiers in my unit survive as well.
I stumbled into the tent and found all of them indulging in various separate conversations while repairing what gear they could and replacing what they could not. My unpresentable entrance inadvertently resulted in the attention I had planned to grab quickly, and I immediately returned my posture to that of the commanders in the noble's tent as I delivered their directions.
"Soldiers, we have unfortunately been assigned a role at the climax of this entire conflict. The same wizard that has cast this improper image over our sky is the one we are tasked with removing from this life. I understand that the death of our previous commander has left this unit in disarray, but I intend to deliver on the promise of victory to the son of the duke who has, in a great display of bravery, offered to participate in the battle alongside us."
"Wait," The soldier most directly in front of me interrupted my speech. "You're not saying that the asshole who made us all fight each other whenever we didn't throw our lives away in every single battle no matter how significant is someone who we're sad to lose, right?"
"A member of our unit has passed away, regardless of personal grievances they are a casualty of this war and one that we should treat with the proper formalities."
"I'll stay silent if I live to see his funeral but I hope you don't expect me to fake any tears." Another soldier to my left had aided in this interruption.
"We need not waste any time discussing past members of this unit. I bring to you a plan I devised immediately after I was told we would be given such a vital role. According to the duke's son, the rest of the units will create the opportunity for us to enter the enemy encampment without worry of ambush or other unknown militias interfering with said entry."
None of them had cast any glances of judgment nor continued with their streak of interruptions, I paused nonetheless in anticipation of this. After a few moments had passed I continued my explanation.
"I do not have any specific tactics to share as to how we will navigate the battlefield, I am certain that our expertise in wars of this kind will entail self-sufficiency for each member of the unit should we get separated, and if we should remain together I do not doubt in our collective ability to avoid all unforeseen harm during our sprint."
The soldier I had known the longest, now standing at my right continued the pattern of interruptions. "Sprint?"
"Yes. We will wait for a few moments after the order has been given to charge so that the other units may act as a proper distraction before the execution of our role. We will then sprint across the battlefield, and if all goes to plan the various mechanisms in place to prevent an invasion of their encampment will be disabled. As for the defeat of the wizard, I will take upon myself that responsibility as this unit's commander."
After my explanation I heard no objections from any of them, they continued preparing their equipment as I left the tent and found my own once more. I retired to the couch the now-departed commander had brought with him as a comfort. He once brought us all in the tent so he could sit on it and tell us about how perfect it was, but now it does not even serve the slightest distraction from my own impending doom.
A large amount of time had passed before I heard the horns of battle blare across our encampment. I made haste toward my unit's tent, and they were all properly equipped and uniformly organized waiting for my command. I made the gesture for them to follow my lead as we marched toward the gates and out onto the battlefield.
The sky was still unmistakably red, and the morale of every unit was far from its peak. The duke's son stood in the center, right in front of where out unit was positioned.
With nothing but his own voice, he gave the call to charge forward, and so began our journey through damnation delivered to us.