On a gloomy night under the biting cold, several battalions of northern soldiers attacked a small castle during a bloody civil war that had lasted for years and continued to this day.
The castle was small and contained only a few soldiers to defend it, with most of its inhabitants being elderly civilians, young children, and infants. Nevertheless, the battalion commander rode his proud white horse, leading his massive army to assault a weak and unprotected fortress.
The people of the castle had no choice but to fight, knowing that surrendering to a tyrant like him meant certain death. A few dozen soldiers took their positions on the walls, launching arrows dipped in weak flames that were extinguished by the heavy snow piled up like small mountains. Behind the wooden door were only a few inexperienced fighters who had recently begun their training, trying to defend their stronghold after hearing of the impending attack.
Below, a determined woman in light armor that only protected her knees moved nimbly, leading men, women, and some children not yet of age. Above, archers and fighters prevented any scaling of the walls with their sharp swords or burning black oil, while the remaining civilians hid in a deep cellar beneath the castle's soil.
In the end, numbers overcame bravery. After fierce clashes, the enemy soldiers managed to infiltrate from above due to the few defenders. This was accompanied by the breaking down of the door with a pointed wooden log being struck by dozens of men. They fought from below, and despite the numerical disadvantage, the bodies of the enemy fell in multiples compared to the defenders, prolonging the battle.
Ultimately, the outcome was inevitable as the commander entered, ordering his men from a distance, laughing with a strange grin revealing his dirty teeth and beard.
What was shocking was the sight of that woman fighting desperately, her voice mingling with the cold as she defended herself, having taken down many soldiers. This made the commander smile a sinister smile. After a moment, as she was on the verge of collapsing, he ordered his soldiers to withdraw and cease fighting, causing the woman to lean back, gasping for breath under the stench of corpses.
Upon the command of the commander, he instructed his soldiers to bring wooden stairs so he could dismount from his horse, even though he was nearly double the height of the girl, with a body that caused some of his belly to sag from his red uniform and the cloak trailing behind him.
Once dismounted, his fingers brushed against his sword as he approached the girl trapped against the walls. He walked with indifference, crushing the fallen bodies under his iron boots, showing no concern as he desecrated the corpses of both his soldiers and others, smiling with disdain.
As he reached near the weakened girl, he shouted, "Is this the girl you couldn't defeat?!" He guffawed, his foul breath escaping as he looked at the soldiers whose eyes were fixed downward, staring at the ground.
He then turned his gaze to the girl and ordered her to attack. She approached cautiously, gritting her teeth at the sight of what he had done to the corpses of her acquaintances. She struck at him with her sword repeatedly, but her blows were weak and extinguished, merely deflected by his arm. One blow after another, the situation continued, with him mocking her fight. As he laughed, her sword grazed near his eyes, causing a slight cut, but he knew he had to stop mocking her; otherwise, he would be defeated.
Despite her weakness and exhaustion, she gathered herself and, with all her strength, swung her sword wildly while she struggled to evade him. Eventually, he cornered her and lifted her with his hands as she tried to resist, but it was futile. In front of everyone, he drew his dagger after sheathing his long sword, then smiled as he opened a deep wound that extended from her right cheek to near her eyes. She stifled her scream, turning her pain into burning gazes formed in her dark eyes.
After that, the girl fainted, and he threw her into that corner, weakened after defeating her in her moment of greatest vulnerability. He turned away, reveling in his victory, chuckling, then touched his wound, wiping away the blood droplets while cursing silently in anger. He continued to celebrate while everyone remained in complete silence, until they heard applause coming from above. It was a person with thin hair and an injured eye, possessing a half-smile that distinguished him from others. That was the commander's aide, celebrating what his commander had accomplished after finishing off all the soldiers above and capturing the castle's ruler.
Upon seeing the loud applause, the soldiers had no choice but to join in, clapping warmly for what their leader had done.
Now، the boy lay still next to his little sister while the woman continued, "This is how I got the scar you see on my face." The boy gazed at her sorrowfully, feeling sorry for the woman, then asked her, "How did you survive that?" The woman paused, exchanging glances with Hana, before replying with a sigh, "That's a long story, but I'll tell you what happened briefly."
- "After that, someone discovered those in the cellar, and we were all taken to a forest where soldiers were placed on our heads to be hanged later."
- "Meanwhile, he took the governor and went to his castle."
- "I woke up to the sound of Hana and her mother when she was little; they were the ones who tried to heal and comfort me, as we banded together in our ordeal."
- "With what happened, we had no choice but to escape, and I managed to free myself with the help of others and took a sword from one of the soldiers, then bought some time for them to prepare and saddle some horses, but…"
The boy waited, staring in surprise as the woman continued, "But they eventually followed us, and we couldn't escape, except for me and Hana." The boy looked on with sorrow, then said in a steady tone, "What you and the castle's inhabitants did is the true definition of bravery." He continued, his eyes shining, "If I could choose my death, I would choose to die with honor as they did."
Those words brought some joy back to Hana and the woman's faces after they had to share a story buried deep in their hearts. The woman looked at the boy, continuing to stare at the necklace he wore, which held a shiny black gem unlike any she had seen before. She asked him, "What about you? When we found you and Hana lying under a blanket of snow, you didn't seem to come from any nearby area or country."
- "Also, I've only seen this gem in old books; I've never witnessed one before."
- "Is it from your homeland?"