Recollection of a painful moment

Pain stinging from my left side.

I'm clasping a half frozen hand, dragging someone behind me.

The weak moonbeams fighting to push through the autumn leaves, barely illuminating the steep path ahead.

 

Thud

 

I turn around, the young man pushing behind me is kneeling on the ground.

 A big root protruding out of the ground before him.

 

Light. Light and shouts. 

Behind us.

Hurriedly I help him up - we cannot lose any more time. 

I cannot allow us to be caught - to let him get executed.

We push on, he can barely keep up.

The nightfall is hard on him.

The lights are increasing. The path ahead is also getting illuminated. 

Wen can't keep this path. Nor turn back.

 

Are we out of time already?

 

Shit. 

Hotness rushes through my whole body.

The beat of my heart echoes inside my ears.

I push the young man behind a tree, we take cover.

I need to think.

Fast. 

 

His shallow breaths next to me are creating small clouds in the now darkened sky. 

"Y-you are bleeding…badly!" a hoarse voice is creaking next to me. Wide eyes are staring at the deep red stain on my left side. 

"It- it's nothing. Let's go!" 

It hurts. The hot pain is unbearable, I can barely think straight.

 

But he cannot know. 

I swore to protect him, he should not worry about me.

We change to a new path.

 

I chose it once, on a warm summers day, when I still was a child.

A far away memory now.

 

This time it's a dark track. 

The destination unknown to both of us.

We are lead fast uphill.

I look back, he is holding up - almost.

Behind his silhouette: Lights in the distance.

I clutch the hilt of my sword, my hands are tingling.

We are almost at the top - just 50 meters.

 

The pain pulses like lighting through my body

20 meters

 

Shouts from behind - they sound close, too close.

10 meters

 

My feet are feeling numb, I can barely feel where I'm running

5 meters

 

Mustering all my strength, I push the young master before me

Almost on the summit!

 

Stop

 

"…a dead end?" 

 

A cliff going several meters directly down right before us.

 

Silence

 

"We can't turn around. It's over…"

His voice is nothing more than a whisper

 

No

No no no!

 

I- I made a promise! I- I can't- 

Pulling my sword, I step towards the ever approaching lights inside the forest

We NEED to escape, there HAS to be a way!

"If we cannot run anymore, then I'll carve a way through them." 

 

"Stop!" 

 

A hand pulls at my wrist, putting me to an abrupt stop.

"I won't let you throw away your life!" 

My hand clutches the blade-handle harder, trying to contain my anger

"If we stay here, we are dead anyway! I have to try getting you out of here."

"You are already hurt, y- you might die…I- I don't want to see more of my friends brutally slaughtered…"

His voice fell silent again.

 

His eyes reflected all the horrors he had to endure this whole night.

Mentors, friends, even family - all cut down by the invaders.

The expressions of horror in their distorted faces at the moment death claimed them…

Only thinking about the smell of iron and smoke in the air made me nauseous again.

But now this savage enemy were chasing us: ready to finish their business

And we can't just stand by and hope, they won't cut our throats at any given chance

 

"I don't want to die, too" 

My voice is more like a whisper, than anything else.

The lanterns of the enemy approaching closer than ever.

Clearly distinguishable voices.

Instinctively we both step back, towards the cliff's edge.

 

"But",

I took a deep breath,

"there is too much at stake to be idle! Think about all the people, ready to give their own lives for you!"

My cheeks turned hot, my heart racing.

"They are behind your life. You are the last of your family, that's alive, if they get you, everything will be over!  - at least we have tor try…" 

Yes, he is right, that I'm wounded. My side is stinging and bleeding like it's driving me crazy.

But at the same time we can't expect mercy from those bastards, who burned down the whole castle and didn't stop at women and children either.

 

"You are right." 

Suddenly he is hugging me, not caring weather the bleeding, red stain might ruin his silken kimono.

"But please, promise me-" 

His voice forming to a desperate plea.

"promise me - no matter what might happen to me - you will keep on living"

"I- I swore, I can't let you-"

 

"I don't care!" 

The fire in his eyes, looking determined up at me surprises me.

"I'm asking you not as your lord, but as your friend."

He presses his face against my chest, his hands clenching the hem of my kimono, shaking, fighting to hold back tears. 

Seeing his small figure pressed against me makes him look pathetic.

He doesn't care.

Me neither.

He is afraid.

Me too. 

I embrace him, too.

 

"I promise. No matter what might happen next, I'll keep on living."

A small sight escaping my mouth.

He looked up with a half painful smile.

 

Shouts.

Lantern lights, almost blindingly close.

The noise of blades and the drawing of bows.

He flinches, lets go of me and turns towards the enemy.

The fear is clearly written on his face.

I ready myself to draw my sword once again.

Frantically he looks at me.

"I'm sorry… 

…Goodbye"

 

...

 

Thud

 

His face is suddenly moving farer and farer away.

A single tear is rolling down his face, then he turns around, drawing his sword.

That was the last time I saw his face. 

 

Thud

 

My whole body is filled with a crushing pain.

My head is buzzing.

I can't feel my right arm anymore.

Everything hurts.

 

Am I falling? 

Why?

I don't know.

My mind can't form a single straight thought anymore.

 

Thud

 

My body hits the ground once again.

But this time it's different…

I'm not stopping.

But - I'm not falling either.

I try to take a deep breath.

My lungs are burning;

This isn't air!

Desperately I fight for air.

But nothing but water fills my lungs.

 

Am I drowning?

 

Everything feels eerily peaceful in this moment.

 

My whole body is numb - I can't even feel the stabbing pain of my side anymore

 

Soon death will claim me…

I close my eyes.

 

.

.

.

 

"…promise me…"

 

 

I can't die just yet!

 

A warm glow radiating from my chest emerges within me.

My body is wide awake once again, clinging to the last spark of life still inside of me.

My senses are clear again, my mind is screaming

Survive! Survive!

 

I'm frantically lurching, trying to reach the surface.

I take a deep breath as I breach the surface.

A piece of driftwood is floating just some meters away from me. 

Clutching it with all my might I feel once again my consciousness slipping away…

 

---

 

The red leaves on the trees around the small hut have already disappeared. Inside, a small hearthfire is burning, next to it sits an elderly woman and is weaving straw into sandals.

The rattling sound of a sliding door disturbs the peaceful silence. A red-skinned, tall woman hobbles into the darks living space and sits down next to the fire, checking the contents of a small satchel again and again.

"Are you sure, you want to leave tonight? You are still hurt." Worried the old woman looks up from her work, the grooves on her forehead deepening.

 

"I have to", the tall warrior sighed, " I'm grateful for you and your husband's hospitality and help nursing me back to health for the last four weeks, but I can't stay here any longer." The Tiefling thought back to the night several weeks ago, and shuddered. Now it almost felt like a bad dream. Almost.  But there were still people searching for her. She's more than certain about it. 

 

Exiting, to get some fresh air, she stared towards the red glow behind the tall mountain cliffs. Her hands and whole body where still covered with bandages and every second step hurt, but staying any longer would unnecessarily endanger the poor fisherman and his wife. 

 

The giant woman pulled a small pouch from her inside her ragged sleeve and caressed it on her palm. It was a finely woven piece of silk and golden strings, made to house various spells of protection. On the frontside were the words "Life-Saver" embroidered with golden thread and on the backside the family crest of her master's family. This seemingly unimportant little thing had saved her life from drowning. Her master must have slipped it into her sleeve back then atop the cliff.

 

"I will come back for you, I promise…" clenching the charm, she whispered towards the darkening sky up ahead. He was alive, she could feel it. He didn't die up there on the cliffside. 

"…Nagashi"