General Hallas slowly woke up, feeling a lot of pain as he came back to consciousness. He was lying on cold stone floor, on his back. He opened his eyes and took a quick look around him. He was in a wine cave, which was only illuminated by a single torch at the old wooden round door, which momentarily blinded him.

With a grunt he sat up, ignoring the pain. He tested his body, using different parts one after another, and noticed that he hadn’t any broken bones or wounds, although he was seriously bruised.

“I hope you’re not hurt?” A singing voice said. He quickly turned around towards the origin of voice. He first saw nothing, but as his eyes adapted to the dark again, he saw a figure, sitting down cross-legged on the other side of the cave.

“Who are you? Did you take me here?” He asked cautiously. If the man wanted him dead, he would have done it while he slept, but just knowing that he wasn’t after his life didn’t make him trust him.

“I’m the one who saved your life, by dragging you all the way down here. Do you realise what a pain it was to avoid that your enemies would discover what I was doing?” The stranger said with his singing voice. “And, you’re welcome by the way.”

Hallas didn’t let himself be fazed by his speech, and instead tried to gain more information. “I can’t even see you. Are you hiding from me?” He believed that the stranger was clothed in a black hooded cloak, but he could be wrong. It was still difficult for him to see much. He was quite sure though that he was sitting with crossed legs.

“I am not. It’s not my fault that you cannot see me.” A silence took hold between them, but was then interrupted by the stranger. “Seriously, I wasn’t trying to hide...”

He stood up in a single and slow motion and took a few silent steps towards the general. Under the hood, there was a beautiful face with a straight nose and a charming smile sat upon his thin lips. Two eyes were looking at him, in a clear and sky-blue colour. Long strands of hair fell on his high cheek bones, and the hair had a pure platinum blond shade, which was even whiter than his pale but healthy looking skin.

“How long was I out, sir...?” Someone with such a face couldn’t possibly be a commoner. The stranger even had white and perfectly aligned teeth.

“Call me Gil. I think you were unconscious for a few hours.”

Did they break through, or were they reinforced? Is my sister safe? She has to be. Else I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.

“I must admit that I am quite bored. Perhaps you would play a game with me, while they fight it out up there?” Gil asked with a charming smile, while slowly stroking the necklace he wore under the cloak. The smooth surface of the stone embedded in the silver was most pleasant to touch.

“What? No! I have to go, they are still fighting!” He shouted, standing up despite the increasing soreness and pain. His sword was missing but even so, weapons could be found everywhere on the battlefield that the city had become. It shouldn’t be any problem.

“That’s a stupid idea. Alone you wouldn’t make any difference in the chaos up there.” Gil left a silence to let the words sink in. “The city is doomed, friend. “

“My sister is there! I would never leave her.” The general said with determination. “I’m going up there, to get my sister out. “

“I can help you, but then you will owe me, which you will repay when we have escaped with your sister.” He had decided to help them anyway, but this way, they owed him.

“You want a blank check?“ He sighed. He didn’t have much of a choice. “Agreed. Wait, you can fight right?” Hallas asked.

“I have a lot of skills. That is but one of them.” Seeing Hallas’ irritated look over the evasive answer, he spoke again. “Listen, I promise that I will do everything in my power to get you sister out of this city.”

General Hallas nodded at those words, and explained to him that his sister was probably hidden in the refuge of the royal castle, as she was a servant to the royal family. Her name was Kayla and she was fifteen years old. They went over to the door of the wine cellar while he talked, and then went upstairs.

The stink of burned wood hit them while they heard screams coming from somewhere not far away. Gil put a hand on Hallas’ shoulder and told him to follow him closely. The general realised upon seeing Gil move that he couldn’t hear him at all. A very light-footed man, he thought.

Gil walked over to the tavern’s door, and opened it up slightly. He didn’t hear any soldiers nearby, so he opened the door totally and told his companion to close it after them, to leave no obvious trace of their presence.

The sun was setting, and the night falling over the city. They walked up the streets, sometimes jumping inside burned house upon hearing soldiers storming by, and several times they had to change their route to avoid melees in the streets.

They were longing a burned down house when they heard screams coming from the house besides them.

“Gil! We have to help them! There are people being attacked right in there!” He whispered loudly.

“We can’t help every single soul in this city. There are thousands out there being raped or killed.” Gil then got a grim face. “Or both. We are just in the calm part of the city, or what has already been plundered by the H’ros soldiers.”

Hallas clenched his fists, and nodded. Another scream could be heard, even closer now. They still ignored it and moved on. Suddenly, a door slammed open behind Hallas, who quickly turned around.

Two soldiers came out, grinning while holding a young woman by the elbows who was crying silently. They immediately saw Hallas, and his shining armour covered in dried blood. One of them drew his sword and quickly covered the distance between him and Hallas. The general’s hand automatically went towards his sheath, which was empty.

He tried to evade the slash of the soldier, but failed. The soldier sword hit him in the neck and cut half of his head off, the sword finally being stopped by the spinal cord. Hallas put both hands on his throat, like he was trying to cover the gaping wound, before collapsing. Behind him, Gil attacked in a flash, slitting the throat of the soldier.

The other soldier looked up, and threw the girl down to clumsily grab his axe, but Gil killed him before he managed to use it by piercing his heart, going in between two ribs. He then cleaned the blade on the dead soldier’s corpse before putting it back in its sheath. The blade was only twelve inches long, and the sheath was attached to his right leg so it was hidden when he had his cloak on.

His blade was named a seax. It was a long and balanced knife, fit for slicing things and strong enough to block swords and heavy weapons. It was an elven mithril blade, almost unbreakable.

“It took me too long to draw it. I will have to come up with a better solution.” He mumbled to himself. With a sigh he walked over to Hallas and kneeled besides him, carefully avoiding the blood pool. Gil closed his dead eyes. “Don’t worry, I will fulfil my promise. And I am truly sorry for this failure.” He touched his necklace again, stroking it gently, while giving a moment of silence to the dead man. He then left, without a single look back at the corpses.

A few streets from the castle, he heard a battering ram slamming against the door. Approaching a little, he saw that the wooden castle was probably completely surrounded, with barricades in the streets.

Gil wouldn’t be able to get in that wooden castle with stealth. But he had another idea. He scouted the area, and found a lone H’ros soldier roaming around searching for loot. He sneaked up behind him, and waited for the soldier to relax his neck completely. It didn’t take long, as the poor man sighed and looked up at the sky.

“Mother, please let....” Gil twisted his neck with a snapping sound, interrupting the man in his prayer. He dragged him into a nearby building. There he took off the man’s chainmail and colours, as well as his leather boots.

He took them on, and instead put his old clothes in the loot bag the soldier carried. He left his sword on his thigh, hidden by the chainmail, and put his long hair in a ponytail, setting it low on the head, to be able to hide it by stuffing it inside the chainmail. He put the helmet on, which covered his nose and pointed ears.

The clothes stank of sweat, but there were no blood on them at least. He put the bag on his back, and strolled down the road towards the sound of the battering ram.

The castle was more a mansion than a fortification, made of wood and quite modest and comfortable for the royal family, and it wouldn’t hold long. He joined the bunch of soldiers standing around the battering ram, waiting for the gate to give in.

The city-state of Mitgard had proved no match for the northern kingdom of H’ros, with the enemy now at its very heart. The gate soon gave in, and hundreds of soldier purred in, and amongst them Gil slipped in unnoticed. Instead of looting or fighting and slowing down, he followed Hallas’ instructions and ran straight to the wing where the passage to the refuge was.

He encountered a few guards on the way but he evaded them and ran straight past them.

Gil found the door. It was made of stone as to blend in with the wall, but would quickly be noticed with a closer look. He opened it, and with his guard up walked in. There were at least a hundred women and children, frightened and many were crying.

“Kayla? Kayla!” He already had their full attention, but no one responded. He shouted out again, asking them where she was.

“What do you want with Kayla?” A young woman said, she must have been fifteen or sixteen. In the light of the torch, he believed he saw a resemblance with Hallas. She had the same brown eyes and thick hair, and determined expression.

“Are you Kayla? Hallas sent me to get you out of the city.” Gil said, hoping he was right in his assumption.

“You are a soldier of H’ros. Why would you help my brother?” She asked with despise, ignoring his question. But she didn’t deny it either.

“I made him a promise, but we don’t have much time, we need to get out of here as soon as possible. And this disguise, it’s our way out.” He gave her his hand, which she didn’t to take.

“Hey guys! I found something!” A soldier shouted from the other side. They heard the soldiers’ boots resonating in the corridor, but even so she still didn’t give in.

“I go where they go. You’ll have to save us all.” She took a step back to blend in with the rest of the servants. “Or I won’t come.”

Gil heavily sighed. I cannot believe I’m doing this. Suddenly with a few quick steps he was in front of Kayla and grabbed her arm, while infusing his necklace with power. A bright light flashed in the cave, blinding the soldiers who just came in as well as the servants. Then it was gone, and with it, Gil and Kayla.