The Choice

I woke up with a start. I felt the sweat dripping down my face. I sat up and looked around. Everyone else was asleep. I got out of bed and put on my uniform. I opened the door and stepped outside. The air was crisp. The sun was barely visible. I breathed deeply and listened. I heard nothing. I closed the door and walked around the fort. The night guards were still stationed and kept watch. When they noticed me they gave me a salute as I passed them by. I made my way across the yard and into the training grounds. I found a bench nearby and sat down. My mind was calm but I also felt so much anxiety. Then I heard a familiar voice.

"Hey, Rowan." Athena said, sitting down next to me

"Hi. You can't sleep either?" I asked

"No, sadly. You had another nightmare?" she said

"Yeah. Did you?" I asked

"No, but I have this feeling in my gut. Whatever is coming is coming soon." she said

"June." I said

"What?" she asked

"I forgot who said this but they expect the war to end by June." I said

"Commander Prakul said that. You think he is wrong?" she asked

"Yes. I think it's going to get worse or at least the peak of the war." I said

"That's only weeks away..." she said

I looked into her eyes and saw two things: excitement and fear.

"Have you been in an actual fight before?" I asked

"Yeah, a few times. Nate says training pales in comparison to a real battle. And he was so right. I fought in Kelmarsh when prisoners escaped and violence was the only option left." she said

"How... was it?" I asked

"Scary... fun... sad..." she said

"You didn't want to kill them." I asked

"No. No one, well most people don't want to kill another. I think violence should be the very last option. I wish we didn't have to fight wars, or kill anyone." she said

"I don't want to kill anyone. My mother once said "only kill when innocent lives are on the line."" I said

"That's smart. That was the situation I was in." she said

"Random question: How old is General Macobu?" I asked

"Not entirely sure. I know he is the youngest general ever. So he has to be twenty or younger. But he didn't grow up with Nate. Nate got stationed at the main palace and they met there. They just clicked and have been friends ever since." she said

She sat and smiled before talking again.

"You're new here, right?" she asked

"Yes." I said

"Want to come with me to Kelmarsh? The commander asked me to investigate something. I don't know what, but he said there was a disturbance of the peace. Probably some lowly pirates or bandits." she said

"If Kyle says I can, then I'd love to. I haven't gone on a 'mission' yet." I said

"We call them tasks here. If Kyle says no, then I'll ask him personally." she said

"Would it just be us two?" I asked

"Depends on how serious it turns out to be. But initially, yes. I'm the second best here. Nate being first." she said

The first thing I thought was that she's third. Kyle is first.

"When is it?" I asked

"In two days. I know Kelmarsh is only a few hours out on horseback, but we would have to stay there. Not in the same room, obviously." she said

"Yeah, of course. I'll ask Kyle tomorrow." I said

"Great, come find me after. You know where Nate's barrack is?" she asked

"Yeah." I said

"I'll probably be there. If not, then where we first met. That's my favorite spot to train." she said, standing up.

"It was nice talking with you." I said

"Yeah. Hopefully we will work together too." she said

"Yeah." I said

"Goodnight." she said, waving as she walked away.

"Goodnight." I said

I stared at the stars and began drifting. Before I fell asleep I hurried back to my bed. I laid down and tried to fall asleep. It took me about half an hour. I eventually succumbed and drifted off. I woke up to the sound of Toby snoring. The others were getting dressed and ready for training. Kyle didn't bother waking Toby, since it was Monday. I grabbed Kyle's arm and led him outside.

"Hey, can I ask you for your permission to go to Kelmarsh with Athena? The commander asked her to inspect things there. Supposedly there's bandits or something there." I said

"She asked you to go?" Kyle asked

"Yeah, we will leave tomorrow." I said

"Sure, if you want to. Might be dangerous, but you'll be fine if she is with you." Kyle said

"Thank you." I said hugging him.

"Yeah." he said, hugging me back, "Now you're leaving me with these guys."

"*Laughing* Sorry, I'll be back, but she didn't tell me when we would come back." I said

"Just come back safely." he said

"I have to go talk to her and tell her. I'll be right back." I said

"We will be at the usual training spot." he said

Before checking Colonel Pole's barrack, I checked the training grounds. There was a man standing still on one leg with both arms stretched out with swords balancing on them. He also had a pile of books stacked on top of his head. I looked around and saw Colonel Pole laying in the grass nearby. I slowly approached the man, trying not to startle him. His eyes were also closed.

"It's you," Colonel Pole said, standing up, "Tyler, this is one of the guys I was talking about."

"Oh?" General Macobu said in surprise, opening his eyes.

"You're facing the wrong way." Colonel Pole said

With such ease and carefulness, General Macobu turned to face me and nothing began to tip over.

"How are you doing that, sir?" I asked

"I'm in a state of total awareness." he said

"A what?" I asked

"State of total awareness. When you have refined your reflexes to perfection. Balance, state of mind, and soul. I could even beat Nate right now. I can't maintain it for long, or else I'll get a major headache, or worse." he explained

"Are there any bad drawbacks?" I asked

"Some go blind, others muscles burst. I heard a story where a man had a heart attack." he said

"How do you... get into it?" I asked

"Some people have to train, like me, where they have to push their limits so they can be in it longer. Some people enter it when their life is in danger, actually most people enter it this way. Few are born with it, they are the lucky ones because their body is used to it from birth so there are no drawbacks." he said

"Sorry for my lack of manners, I am-" I began to say.

"I know who you are, Rowan Niron. You may call me Tyler." he said

I looked over at Colonel Pole and again he was ready to draw his sword. I thought after our last encounter he would have calmed down. Tyler put his other foot down and grabbed the swords and holstered them then took the books off his head and placed them on the ground. He walked to me and held out his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Rowan." He said

"Likewise, Tyler." I said, shaking his hand.

His face changed for a second when we came into contact.

"Did you need something?" he asked

"No, I was just looking for Athena." I said

"Oh, are you going to join her in her task?" he asked

"Yes, my captain consented to it." I said

"Good, good. She could use the company of someone she knows. She asked us to go, but we have... other things to attend to. We can't spend our time on some lowly bandits." he said

"Understandable. You are probably extremely busy." I said

"I am. Spending time with Nate and Athena gives me a break from my duties, but also not really, because Nate and I work together a lot." he said

"Colonel Pole seems... nice." I said, trying not to look at him being ready to kill me.

"He is. By the way, Athena is... right behind you." he said

I quickly turned around and saw her beautiful smile.

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I also didn't want to interrupt." she said

"It's alright." Tyler said

"It's great that you are tagging along with me, Rowan!" she said

"Yeah it is. Just how long will we be there, so I know what to pack." I asked

"No more than three days. If we end up being there longer I apologize in advance." she said

"No no. It's alright. I'll bring extra stuff in case." I said

"That's smart. I'll do the same. We will leave tomorrow after breakfast." she said

"Sounds good." I said

I turned back to Tyler and saw him whispering something to Colonel Pole.

"I better be off now. I have lots to do. C'mon Nate." Tyler said, "I'll be seeing you."

"Goodbye." Athena and I said

"Tyler's seems nice." I said

"Yeah, he is very friendly and calm." Athena said

"The polar opposite of Colonel Pole." I said

She broke into laughter.

"So true. But I love both of them. I can't imagine my life without either of them," she said, "Probably the same way you see Kyle."

"Yeah, it is." I said

"Want to spar?" She asked

"Right now?" I asked

"Yeah, you have your sword with you and I have mine." she said

"Shouldn't you use a wooden sword?" I asked

"Why just me?" she asked

I just looked at her with a blank expression.

"Yeah... I guess I should. There's one nearby. Tyler used it earlier." she said

"I'll grab one too, just in case I do manage to hit you." I said

We walked around the training grounds looking for wooden swords to use. After a few minutes we found some. Neither of us had armor on, just our casual uniform.

"Short stop." she said

"Of course." I said

We both got into our stances, similar techniques but different. She raised her sword up into a guard position and I did the same. I knew she was faster than me, and probably generally better. She swung first, and I blocked it easily. I moved forward and thrust my sword in front of her. She jumped back and let it pass by her leg. I followed her, and she sliced at my chest, missing it. I tried another slash, which she blocked again. I decided to try a lunge at her, hoping that I could get in close enough to capitalize on her defense. I made it past her guard and I swung up at her neck. She dodged it and it was at this point I knew she was going easy on me. When I looked at her face, she had a giant smile and seemed to be enjoying toying with me. She swung at my legs and I stepped back, but she followed me and sliced my chest. I was able to parry and knock her sword to the side. Her grip was insane and so was her recovery. Before I could attack, she already was. She attacked, and missed. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to counter or not. I leapt out of the way and barely avoided getting hit in the gut. I took my chance to strike at her, but she was faster than me once again. She kicked me in the stomach and sent me flying backward. Then I noticed her technique: she switches her main hand every now and then. Although If I only focused on her sword then she could hit me with her off hand. I needed to focus on her hands as well. I went for a lunging slash and she hopped over it. I followed up with a stab and she blocked it. She went for a kick this time, which I managed to dodge. The two of us were circling each other when I dashed and sliced at her neck. She ducked and I charged at her. As we neared each other, she jumped on top of me and pushed me down onto the ground. At this point I knew I couldn't win. She held her sword across my neck and said, "Good fight. You're better than I expected."

"Thanks." I said

She pulled me back to my feet. I handed her my wooden sword and she put them on a nearby bench. Our stomachs growled and we awkwardly laughed.

"Let's go get some lunch." she said

"Yeah." I said