Into the Fray

A projectile soared through the air, scaling over the top of Kaladia's wall. It began its downward descent and slammed into multiple buildings, rolling nearly a furlong before slowing to a stop. Behind it, only a path of destruction and death remained. 

Hawke walked past the massive stone with a limp, not paying it any mind. If anything wanted to hit him, it could. 

Just get it over with already. 

The burning rain had finally stopped, and the attack on Kaladia had resumed less than an hour later. 

He needed to get to her before the walls finally gave in to the enemy. He reached his house, which was miraculously undamaged. 

My house. Our house.

Hawke had dreamed of living out his final days there with Stiela. Now it seemed that dream would become reality, but not in the way he'd wished. 

She waited for him there, sitting on a dark oak chair with her legs crossed. Her hair over the past few years had begun to gray, just like Hawke's. Yet somehow, unlike him, she became more beautiful with time.

Stiela's eyes, gray like rainclouds, connected with his. She knew immediately. By the absence of Elond. By the shape Hawke was in.

Standing, she rushed forward in tears and hugged Hawke.

"I'm sorry. I'm so…," Hawke muttered, tears coming to his eyes. "I failed him. I failed you. I've failed this city. I've failed myself."

She kept hugging him.

Hawke pushed her arms away, breaking a hug he wished would last forever. "Stiela…you should hate me for this."

"Why?"

"I told you I would protect him. Our boy. Instead…he's the one who protected me. And he died for it! He died because of me!"

She placed a hand on his face, wiping away his tears. "You will not blame yourself for this. Promise that you won't."

Another stone plummeted from the sky, crashing nearby. 

"You need to leave," Hawke said suddenly. "Go to the Capitol. Now."

"What?" Stiela asked. "I'm not leaving you."

"Balian will be here any moment. They'll provide enough strength to hold off the army while you escape. Get everyone who doesn't want to die out. We can't survive this."

"If I leave, you die. I can't lose my son and you all at once."

"And I can't lose my wife and son at once," he said, turning to the wall. "Out there, with Balian, there's a chance. But Styte will break into these walls sooner rather than later. And they'll kill you! Stiela…you can't fight them like I can."

A look of hurt crossed over her face. "I'll go then."

Hawke felt an immediate relief. 

"But, if you die…I'll never forgive you, Del. Do you hear me? Never."

Hawke nodded. "I suppose I can't die then. Besides, I need to kill the man who did it. Kallos Styte." The name was bitter in his mouth.

Stiela kissed him. 

When she pulled away, more tears were in her eyes. "This will not be the last time I look upon your face, Sir Delnor Hawke. I'll be awaiting your return in the Capitol."

*******

I don't want to go.

I don't want to leave her.

Hawke looked back at the house with longing. He was hurt from the previous clash with Kallos. Pain radiated throughout his back, jaw, and legs. The golden knight had given him wounds that would likely never heal.

I could turn back now. Take Stiela and run away with her. Never worry about fighting again.

But he couldn't do that. The guilt of not fighting by his men's side would haunt him for the rest of his life. 

After another minute of walking, he reached the wall. Massive chunks of it were missing or lay strewn about. Lengthy cracks ran from top to bottom and the structure looked like it would fall at any moment.

Despite that, Hawke climbed the ladder and joined the fight.

Hundreds of Styte soldiers had flooded the top of the wall, and the red of House Leandis was becoming few and far between. They were being overrun.

The pain disappeared from his body as he jumped into the fray, immediately bisecting a soldier. 

Many of them wore only leather jerkins, which wouldn't do much protecting against a sword. These were likely sellswords Styte had hired. 

So many of them. To have tens of thousands of sellswords...he had to of paid a considerable amount of money. 

Hawke's boots squelched in the scarlet blood that poured from the wall like a waterfall. His men were dying. All of them. There were simply to many enemies.

And I shall die with them. But not until I kill as many as possible. 

Hawke let himself go through the motions he had performed most of his life. The slashes, parries, feints, and hundreds of other techniques he'd learned to kill. 

Before long, he'd taken down over thirty enemy soldiers without facing any true opposition. He'd cleared out nearly a half furlong of length along the wall. 

But it hadn't done much. The other twenty miles were still being overrun. 

A flash of gold in the morning sunlight caught his eye, and Hawke found Kallos pushing through the swarm of soldiers below.

The golden knight looked up, immediately finding Hawke on top of the wall. He stared for a moment, and Hawke could see a smile growing on his face. 

My only son. My only true victory in this life. 

"And you took him from me," Hawke said aloud. He would regret this, but it didn't matter. Nothing mattered anymore. 

Only the distance between himself and Kallos.

Hawke jumped.

He plummeted downward nearly forty feet, landing feet first on Kallos's face. 

The golden knight tumbled backward and Hawke crashed into the ground, rolling until he hit another soldier.

"Kallos…," he croaked as he tried to stand. "Bastard...."

Pain shot through his leg, and Hawke fell back down. It was covered in armor, so there was nothing visibly wrong with it. Based on the feeling alone, he assumed it was broken.

"Surround him."

He looked up. Kallos stood in front of him, holding a broken nose, which was leaking blood down his face. 

Hawke got to his knees, still holding on to his sword. 

This is it for you, Hawke told himself. My final stand.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Kallos asked with amusement. "That hurt."

"That's not all I have for you. You're fucking dead!"

"I'm dead?" He asked, stepping forward. "Look around! This is the end. Your walls fall as we speak. Your men are in disarray. And I'm about to end their leader."

Kallos brought forward his golden sword, which had been cleaned since the previous battle. 

Hawke laughed maniacally, standing on both his feet. He ignored the pain of his broken leg, instead replacing it with rage. "You killed my son. A boy who knew nothing about this world. He wasn't even given a chance to live. Because of you."

Kallos took another step forward. "You're in no condition to fight, old man."

"It doesn't matter. I remember requesting a duel. Our fight doesn't end until one of us dies. So, let's finish what we started."

*******

Caelus licked his lips with excitement. 

It's been three days since your last kill. Stupid child, that was hardly worth going to jail. 

Styte's army had surrounded the walls. They approached the eastern side, ready to attack at any moment.

Balian rode at the front, and Caelus couldn't seem to take his eyes off the General. 

He will lead us to victory. After all, General Balian enjoys killing just as much as I. Together, we'll massacre every one of those soldiers.

His muscles shook with excitement. Almost there! Almost there!

The battlefield called out to him. A place where anything went. He could kill anyone, in any way that he wanted. 

His mouth began to water at the thought. 

Here we go. 

Into the fray.