Unforeseen Misfortune

Colonel Nathan Pole was skinny and average height for his age. He had brown eyes and black hair. He was wearing loose clothes and no protection. He had an expressionless look as he gestured to Athena for a duel. Athena was beautiful. She had long blonde hair and emerald eyes. She was a little shorter than me, but she had a nicely defined muscular build. I could tell she was weaker than me though, just by looking at her. Athena was wearing silver armor but no helmet. She softly smiled at Colonel Pole. She then pointed her sword at him.

"Nate, it is really late for us to be doing this." Athena said.

Her voice was like music to my ears.

"And?" Colonel Pole asked

He also had a soft voice.

"If you want to, sure." she said

Colonel Pole's movements were dangerously fast. He looked majestic while fighting. Their steel swords clashed and clashed. Kyle and I stood on the side and watched. Athena had great control over her sword, I was impressed to see a woman fight so well. Her movements were fluid and graceful. She seemed to be enjoying herself, which made the experience more enjoyable. Colonel Pole was right behind her. His blows were powerful and precise. He was a better swordsman. I wondered if this was their full power or if they were holding back. Athena's attacks were faster but Colonel Pole was stronger. They swung at each other and didn't worry about getting cut or cutting. It was like watching a dance.

The two fought for a few minutes. Colonel Pole was quick to swing at Athena, but she blocked every attack. She deflected and parried his strikes and returned them. Neither of them landed a successful blow. They locked swords and just stood there for a minute.

"You're not in the right mind set." Colonel Pole said

"Sorry, Nate. I'm a little tired." Athena said

Athena pushed Colonel Pole back and followed with a horizontal slash at his chest. Colonel Pole took a step back and dodged it.

"Why aren't you wearing any protection or armor?" Athena asked

"Why would I wear it if I'm not going to get hit." Colonel Pole said with a smirk.

"You little..." Athena stopped herself

Colonel Pole swiftly ran at her and caught her by surprise. He stopped short before making contact with her neck. He sheathed his sword. Athena did the same. She hugged him and he just stood there waiting for her to let go.

"Did you eat?" she asked

"Yeah. Tyler made me something." he said

"Good." she said

"Who are those two?" he asked

"Oh sorry for watching, sir. I'm Kyle Landon. I'm a third captain. This here is-" Kyle was cut off.

"Can't he speak for himself?" Colonel Pole asked, taking a few steps forward.

"Yes sir. My name is Rowan Niron. I'm a first lieutenant." I said

"Niron? Is your father Derrick Niron?" he asked

"Yes sir." I answered

"Interesting. I met him when I visited Remus City." he said

"Hi, I'm Athena." she said, inviting herself into the conversation.

"Nice to meet you both." Kyle and I said

"Likewise." Athena said

"You're a captain?" he asked

"Yes, sir." Kyle said

I couldn't stop looking at Colonel Pole. He seemed to put on a tough act, but he also seemed kind. Athena, on the other hand, was very kind to us. She always had a smile on her face, especially when fighting. When comparing Kyle, Athena and Colonel Pole, I feel like Kyle could beat them. Maybe they were holding back or maybe they were tired.

"We should go Nate." Athena said

"Yeah, we don't want to keep Tyler waiting." he said

"It was nice talking to you two." Athena said, as they walked off into the distance.

"Yeah, bye." Kyle said

We continued to walk around for a while. The scenery was beautiful. All the trees were tall and green. There were flowers everywhere. They were so vibrant and colorful. I felt like I was in another world. The fort was well kept and very easy to walk. The moon and stars shone brightly above us. Somehow we managed to walk back to our barracks. We looked at each other and sighed.

"They were interesting." Kyle said

"Yeah. I'm really curious about them. I wonder who Tyler is." I said

"He probably hangs out with Colonel Pole and Athena." Kyle said

"Athena and him seemed close." I said

"Yeah they did." Kyle said, sitting down on the steps in front of the barracks

I sat next to him and looked up at the sky. Clouds began to form above us rapidly. Thunder could be heard faintly.

"A storm. That sucks." I said

"We should go to bed." Kyle said

"Yeah we should." I said

When we entered we saw everyone asleep except for Kent. He was reading by a candle light. The storm rolled in quickly. rain poured and thunder roared. I fell asleep rather fast that night.

I heard shouting in the distance when I woke up. Bells were ringing and men were running around in full gear. I jumped out of bed and saw my group doing the same. Kyle was nowhere to be found. I put on my armor and ran out to see what was happening. Smoke filled the air and fire spread rapidly. My heart rate increased and I spun around in place and I was breathing heavily. I heard some men shouting: 'It's a siege!'. My heart sank. My body began shaking and I heard Kyle shouting my name.

"Rowan! Run! Rowan!" Kyle shouted

There he was and he grabbed my hand and we ran. Then he shouted again.

"Rowan! Rowan!" Kyle shouted

I opened my eyes and was covered in sweat.

"Are you okay?" he asked

"Yeah... I'm alright. Just a nightmare." I said

"You've never slept in this late." he said

"Sorry." I said

"Don't be. Training was called off because Commander Eren III Prakul is coming to speak. I let you sleep in but then you started sweating a lot and you were tossing and turning a lot. What was your dream about?" Kyle said

"It's nothing." I said

"Sure." Kyle said

"When is he coming?" I asked

"In an hour." Kyle said, sitting next to me.

I hugged him the second he sat down.

"It was scary." I said

"You're safe now." Kyle said, hugging me back.

"Here, you got a letter." Kyle said

"Oh, it's from mom. Thank you." I said

"Yeah." he said, getting up.

I opened the letter and it read:

Dear Rowan,

I hope everything is going well there. Eve is now speaking! Your father has come down and spent a lot of time with her. I have started a new garden for tomatoes. It's not going well sadly. It is only spring but we haven't been getting a lot of rain. Eve also has been playing with your old toys. I miss you and your brother greatly, but I know that I will see you soon. John has written a few letters. He's found a lovely woman, they aren't married but I have high hopes for them. I hear Heart Stone is a lovely place. I've heard great things about Fort Zeke as well. I know you are further out than John, but please come home soon.

Love,

Mom

"Good news I hope." Kyle said

"Yeah. Thank you." I said

"Of course." he said

"Where is everyone?" I asked

"Toby is still sleeping actually." Kyle said

"What?" I said sarcastically, looking at his bunk.

"He can sleep through anything." Kyle said

"Yeah he could." I said

We got dressed and went to the main common area where Commander Prakul would be delivering his speech. Everyone was gathered there. Then there he was. A tall, moderately built man. He had a shield on his back and a sword sheathed on his left side. He had shorter brown hair and, from what I could tell, brown eyes. I couldn't see his face very well. (I never got too close to him) He spoke loudly and with confidence.

"Hello, protectors of Fort Zeke. My name is Commander Eren III Prakul. I am Commander of the Southeast legion. Fort Zeke is special because of how close it is to the border. There has been a Colonel stationed here for a time of crisis he will guide you, but only Fort Zeke will be under his command. This was issued by General Tyler Macobu. It works out for me, because Fort Zeke is North of Kelmarsh so it saves me the trouble of heading further north. Colonel Nathan Pole is a brilliant and strong young man. Embarrassingly enough, he has beaten all six of the Knights of the Rose without armor and without getting hit even once. Put your faith in him. And in yourselves. And in your fellow brothers who live and eat with you at this mighty Fort. The war rages on, but we all hope by the end of June it will all be over. Long live Remus!" Commander Prakul shouted

"Long live Remus!" we all shouted in return

He walked off the stage and mounted his horse and waved as he rode south. Commander Xavier Krieger took the stage before dismissing us.

"Thank you for your services." he said, bowing his head.

As people were leaving I noticed Athena walking with Colonel Pole towards the park. I grabbed Kyle's wrist and led him to them. They sat down on a bench and we awkwardly approached them. Athena greeted us with a smile. Colonel Pole greeted us with a blank face.

"Hello again." she said, "Care to join us?"

"Thanks." we said

We sat down across from them. The cool spring breeze whooshed through the open park.

"Do you need something?" Colonel Pole asked

"I'm curious about you." I openly said

"Curiosity killed the cat." Colonel Pole said

"Nate." Athena said

"What?" he asked

"Don't mind him. He gets defensive when strangers are around people he cares about." she said

He did have his hand on the pommel of his sword every time we were with them.

"Where are you guys from?" Kyle asked

"We are from Heart Stone. Not too far from here but far enough it's not worth traveling to for a day." she said

"Both of you are?" I asked

"Yeah. We were neighbors. Since General Tyler Macobu is Nate's best friend, he had some strings pulled." she said

"Wow." I said

"What about you guys?" she asked

"We are from Osetrun Village. We were neighbors, too." Kyle said

"That's a hike." she said jokingly

"Yeah." we laughed

"May I ask you a personal question?" I asked

"Sure." She said

"How did you become a knight?" I asked

"My skills are way above average. I'm the only person who is relatively close to Nate in skill. But he is still a mastermind, I don't even come close to that part." she said

"But why do you want to fight? You don't look like the type that wants to fight a war." I said

"It's because of my mom. She died during a robbery." she said

"Oh." I said quietly

"I've always wanted to protect her. That's why I became a knight. I can't just sit by and watch men murder each other while they search for more land to conquer. It makes no sense. War makes no sense to me." she said

"War is just old men who want the land that the other old men have." Kyle said

Athena burst into laughter.

"Exactly!" she said, "Words can solve so many problems before a sword can even solve one."

Kyle and I nodded in agreement.

"You two seem pretty nice." she said

"Thank you." we said

"Have you met Tyler?" she asked

"No." we said

"He's a lot like us. Young, brave, strong, smart, and even funny. But he has a serious side to him. Which he needs." she said

"He's here, right?" Kyle asked

"Was. He left this morning. He doesn't like Eren." she said

"Really? Why?" I asked

"You saw him. He's overly confident in himself. I've had a few conversations with him, and I wish I didn't." she said

"He's prideful?" Kyle asked

"Very much so. He's not even good at combat, but he'll talk like he can conquer the world." she said

"Kyle is really good at combat. The best I've seen." I said

"Oh? And you saw us two which means-" she was cut off.

"Let's duel sometime, Captain." Colonel Pole said

"Sure." Kyle said

"I want in too. Not on the same day though. I want you at your best." she said

"Of course." Kyle said

We said goodbye and walked back. The end of April is always one of my favorite times of the year. The air is cool and the wind is nice. At night it only gets better. The trees and flowers are almost all in full bloom. They are beautiful. Many people were training on their own. As we were walking back we bumped into Kent. He was in uniform with a book and he was reading while sitting on the grass. As we walked by I noticed he wasn't reading. His eyes were following us. He was following us. And his book was upside down.