Chương 20: The Starboy And His Reflection

Lord Commander Duncan. A name which had been uttered in the Blackwood manor more times than Enel could remember—and he'd probably uttered more than half of them. One of the Heroes of Aldwyn—the Sword of the First Hour, named after he'd squashed an entire rebellion in a single hour. A man with several books written just for him. And now, Enel was standing in front of that very same legend.

He looked up at him for a moment and lowered himself to one knee—those who were still quietly cheering for him as the Hero of the West Camp all quieted down, replaced by soft murmurs as they too, lowered their heads by instinct. And also for a moment, Duncan only looked at Enel. At the torn cape, the old armor, the mud on his knees, the blood on his hands, and the golden hair falling over one shoulder. Duncan's entire body trembled at this. Finally —he thought.

Someone of true nobility among a sea of selfish bastards.

"Stand," he said.

"A lord's son kneels to his parents, his king, and the gods. Not to an old soldier covered in mud." Enel looked up, then slowly stood.

"I am honored to meet you, Sir Duncan. Lord Commander of the kingdom, Sword of the—""Stop. It is I who should be honored to meet the heir of Widow's Wall," Duncan quickly interrupted him. His eyes moved to the captives being tended around them... then to the bound barbarians he'd brought all the way from the enemy camp.

"Though I confess, I did not know Blackwood had a son—and a Hero, at that." Enel quickly shook his head.

"I am no hero, My Lord. My flesh is Blessed by the gods—the reason why my father and mother raised me quietly."

"A Blessed? No wonder. No mere man could ever keep a miracle quiet. Still, cities that stand against a Veil often produce hard people," Duncan nodded several times, then glanced at Gregor. But when his eyes reached Ansel, he quickly looked away.

"Often."

"Yes," Enel said.

"Widow's Wall is full of them."

"Hm." He once again nodded, then looked back at the bound barbarians.

"Are... these all those in the nearby enemy camp?"

"No, My Lord. These are the ones named by the captives—I left the others in their camp. It is up to you what must be done to them, Lord Commander... Ask them the Three Questions." For a moment, Duncan only stared at him, then laughed as he placed a hand on his shoulder.

"The Three Questions," Duncan said.

"Gods. You truly are Blackwood's son." Enel blinked.

"You... know of my father, My Lord?"

"A swan amongst vultures." Duncan sighed.

"A noble unlike anyone I have ever witnessed before—kind to a fault. But... perhaps too kind. He reminds me of you." Enel looked down.

"I have spilled blood, My Lord."

"Yes," Duncan said, slightly bowing his head.

"And because of that, you have the gratitude of the Crown and its people. You have saved these people." The soldiers nearby listened, and all slowly bowed their heads, looking at Enel with even more reverence than before. Duncan turned toward the north again.

"With you here, this war will end before the month does. Perhaps before the week." Duncan looked proudly ahead, but then sighed.

"No other Hero answered the call. His Majesty and the prince remain bound to the capital, the border lords guard their own, and I could not leave this camp." His smile returned slightly.

"But with you here, perhaps the Sovereign had seen fit to help me." Enel's eyes lowered.

"I..."

"What is it?"

"I am not here to fight the war, Lord Commander." The smile on Duncan's face did not vanish—no, not immediately. But it changed.

"What do you mean?"

"I came to bring my people home," Enel said.

"Gregor and Ansel. They are... the only ones left." And finally, the smile faded away from Duncan's face, and he slowly removed his hand from Enel's shoulder. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

"The war is not over."

"I know, My Lord."

"Then your people cannot leave."

"They are not leaving." Enel looked up at him.

"I am taking them, My Lord Commander." Tiny, who'd been quietly observing their exchange, swallowed as he looked up at Gregor. He pulled on his clothes, but Gregor was completely stiff. Ansel looked between Enel and Duncan—he wanted to step forward, but it felt like there was still a chain on his ankles even though they'd long been removed by Enel. Duncan's face became still as he stepped back.

"Choose your next words carefully, young lord."

"I have already chosen them," Enel said. Duncan's hand lowered to the hilt of his sword.

"You are a noble. Men conscripted into His Majesty's army are soldiers of the realm. To abandon the field is desertion. To take soldiers from the field by noble command is treason, and worse from one who represents their house." The soldiers around them went even quieter. Enel clasped his chest.

"I made an oath to my people and to the Sovereign. I swore to bring them home. I apologize, Lord Commander...... but that oath outweighs all else, even His Majesty's."

"No," Duncan said.

"I too made an oath. To the Crown, and to the realm. To the men standing behind me and the men buried beneath us. I cannot let you take soldiers from this war because your oath is dearer to you than mine is to me." Tiny looked between them. And for one strange moment, he couldn't help but think how similar these two were to each other. It was almost as if he was looking at Enel's older self—although he admits they do not look alike at all. Enel closed his eyes.

"Gregor is the only grown hand of his household," he said.

"His son is not yet of age. Under the Sovereign's law, he should not have been taken."

"What...?" Duncan's expression shifted.

"Your soldiers took him." Duncan looked at Gregor, who only lowered his head—and that was enough of an answer for him. Duncan's jaw tightened, and he shook his head.

"Then that fault is mine." Duncan did not look away from Gregor.

"You have my apology, Gregor of Widow's Wall. The men responsible will be found and punished according to law." Gregor swallowed.

"Lord Commander... Tha—""No," Duncan said, his eyes slowly moving toward Ansel.

"Do not thank me for correcting my own failure. And him?" Enel did not answer immediately, also glancing at Ansel.

"No," Enel said at last.

"Ansel does not fall beneath the same law." Duncan closed his eyes, and when he opened them, the softness that still lingered was gone.

"Then I must do what I must do." Tiny's shoulders rose when he heard those words, the look of panic in his eyes growing. Enel, however, did not move at all.

"I will take the punishment myself," Enel said. Gregor's head snapped up.

"M-M'lord." Ansel finally stepped forward.

"Wait. Enel! We—" Duncan's grip tightened around his sword hilt.

"Enel of House Blackwood," he raised his voice.

"The punishment for treason is death." The words spread through the crowd, their silence becoming louder. Some of them gasped, and the soldiers who'd been chanting Enel's name only moments ago all looked down. Duncan stared at Enel, but there was no cruelty in his eyes. If anything, he looked even more torn than the soldiers around him.

"You saved lives today," Duncan said.

"Do not throw yours away now. Gregor may go. I will write the order myself. As for Ansel and the others, the war is close to ending. Stay. Fight with us. If you stand with me, we can finish this together, and when it ends, you may take them home with your honor intact." Enel straightened when he heard that, but his shoulders lowered just as fast.

"I... am afraid I cannot join the war."

"Why?"

"Because to stand here as a soldier would disrespect the Sovereign." Enel's hands tightened.

"I am not of age, My Lord."

"What...?" For the first time, Duncan looked shaken. The heads of those who were looking down all snapped toward Enel, the look on their eyes filled with nothing but confusion as they reflected Enel's grown silhouette.

"I beg of you, young lord." Duncan took one step closer, lowering his voice.

"Do not do this." Enel looked up at him.

"There are witnesses," Duncan said.

"Too many. If you speak treason before them, I cannot unhear it. If you walk away now, I cannot pretend I did not see it."

"I know."

"No," Duncan said, and now there was something almost pleading beneath the command.

"You do not. You are young."

"I know."

"You will die." Enel's eyes lowered. And for a moment, the entire camp disappeared. What he saw instead, was fire—the very same fire he, Tiny, and Ulf were sitting around. He remembered Ulf's face, his tears... and the smile on his face. Oh... Enel thought. He understood now—why he was smiling. Enel looked back at Duncan and said," I know." Duncan's eyes narrowed.

"You... know?"

"I have known from the start, My Lord. That my journey would lead to my death."

"Enel!" Gregor stepped forward.

"M'lord, no. Please. Not... not for us. We—""I made an oath," Enel said.

"Enel..." Ansel's voice cracked.

"Then break it."

"Listen to your people, young lord." Enel looked at Duncan, then shook his head.

"I will die either way, My Lord—I will pay for my flesh if the oath is broken."

"You..." Duncan's hand trembled, drawing his sword by an inch.

"You are a fool."

"Please," he said.

"Let me take my people home. And I will gladly accept my death there."

"You are a fool." Duncan stepped forward, then his blade once again lifted from its sheath by an inch.

"I cannot let you leave to die. For the sake of the kingdom, you have to live." Enel's hands fell to his sides, one of them moving toward his sword.

"Then what will you do, Lord Commander?" Duncan did not answer, but instead let out a single Breath. A single breath that caused every soldier there to almost fall to their knees. And then, he finally answered.

"Something I would forever regret for the rest of my life." And with those words, he drew his sword. But as soon as it left his side, a horn sounded from the north. A messenger ran toward them, nearly slipping through the mud.

"Lord Commander!" Duncan did not take his eyes off Enel.

"Speak."

"The barbarians!" the messenger gasped.

"The main force is moving!" Duncan's jaw tightened.

"How many?"

"Hundreds of them, Lord Commander." The entire camp moved as soon as they heard that, completely dispersing away from Enel and Duncan. The two, however, continued to stare at each other, neither lowering their eyes. But at last, Enel bowed.

"May the Sovereign guide your hand, Lord Commander." Duncan said nothing. He turned toward the north, his cloak snapping behind him as officers rushed to his side. Enel turned toward Gregor, Ansel, and Tiny.

"Gather your things," he said quietly.

"We are leaving." And so, the young baron of Widow's Wall started his journey home, along with the people he had sworn to bring back. And his reward... death.