by Lance Wilson
“Better the life of a father then a soldier don’t you think” Maeraer says and pulls Nagamasa closer by his arm.
“Yes, peace will be a wonderful change, now come I promised Higen a taste of Ronin treats” Byrdi says and the two continue to walk down the street.
The water ripples again and this time Attonnan looks up from it and has to close his eyes. Everyone is at peace; everyone has folded nicely into this new era, then why is he so restless, why can he not settle his soul. Is it so soaked in blood that now only battle and death content him? The priestess looks up from her chant seeing the look of pain in his face, but not a tear in his eyes, she wonders if he has forgotten how to cry. Men like him, they have to become as heard as the stone around them, as cold as the ice in the north, she hopes someone somewhere will be able to melt him and unleash that gentle soul she knows dwells inside him.
“You wonder what makes you restless, uneasy” She says and lays her hands on her knees as she smiles at him still.
“I believe I know what it is,” Attonnan says as his hand gently strokes the sheath of his sword.
“You would be wrong, I want you to think of what you saw, the answer is in there” She says stares deep into him, her smile now gone from her face.
For a long moment Attonnan thinks of what he saw, yes he thinks he understands, family, loved ones, everyone had a lover or wife, he has none of those. He has traveled his life alone for too long now to even know how to start to have a love. But there was Kenshi, and then with the thought of Kenshi it sparks in his mind like turning on a switch. Something Nagamasa said, the clans gathering, he said all the names of the clans, all but one. The Hojo, Fuma. The priestess smiles when she sees the realization on his face.
“The demon king Fuma.” Attonnan snarls with a sudden hate.
“Yes, he waits” She says smiling
“For me” He finishes, like her merely stating it, not asking
“I can take you to him” She says and smiles at him.
“Please, this peace is not set until he is dead” He says and solidifies himself readying himself for the battle with the demon king.
“Look into the basin, when the image appears close your eyes and touch it. You will be there and he will find you. I will bring you back when you are ready.” She says and with that closes her eyes once more and begins to chant.
Attonnan turns to the basin once more and watches it intently, for the longest time there is nothing, then it ripples and he waits to see the image that he is looking for. A scene begins to appear, but it is not the soft loving seen that he has seen in the basin before, it is the cold scene of a winter land, dead trees and gray skies, snow still falling. Attonnan slowly closes his eyes and then reaches out slowly, His fingertips just barely touch the water before he gets the weird sensation that he becomes less then solid.
It is only a fraction of a second before Attonnan feels the cold crunch of snow under his feet. Quickly he opens his eyes and looks around, everything is white and gray, a desolate land of winter and death. He can feel the cold all around him and see his breath come out in puffs of smoke. None of this changes his determination however. This is between him and Fuma; he shall avenge his lover Kenshi. Fuma seems to appear out of nowhere only eight feet away. The two lock in a hard and calculating stare. Like wild bests sizing each other up the two begin to circle each other. Then without warning Fuma leaps into the air and with lightening fast reflexes comes down with his clawed gauntlet. But Attonnan has become just as fast and quickly draws his blade throwing it up in block as the blades come down. As the two weapons hit each other sparks flash, a sign that this will be an intense fight. Without hesitation and without missing a beat Fuma drops to his knee and goes for a quick slash to the legs, but Attonnan sees the drop and quickly leaps into the air before the blades of the gauntlet can tough him, he then comes down with his own strike but like Attonnan Fuma brings the gauntlet up blocking the blow. He then pulls it away and as a show of his superiority he does a quick hand stand then turns it into a flip and lands gracefully behind Attonnan, But Attonnan is a cold blooded killer and no longer needs to see his opponent to kill him. As soon as Fuma lands from his flip Attonnan spins his blade, the point now behind him and slams it firmly into Fuma’s chest. Attonnan can feel the warm blood move down his blade and across his hands. He can hear a soft chuckle come from his master as his life’s blood flows out from him.
“What now, a world of peace is inevitable. There will be no more need for killers,” Fuma says with a gentle chuckle, his voice strained.
Attonnan pulls the blade from his master fiercely and feels the blood spray on his back it is warm and almost comforting. He turns quickly and watches his former master fall in the snow, the blood now painting the white snow bright red. The demon king smiles one more time at him before Attonnan watches that little flash of light in his eyes go out. The demon king is dead and now no one can threaten the peace he has helped build. But the words of his former master still haunt him; he has been a killer for so long, what shall he do now. Peace has no need for men like him.
“I shall continue along my path, surely a blade that has slain so many men can be used to protect them as well.” Attonnan says and closes his eyes, he waits for the tears to fall, though this man was his enemy, he was his former master and a former lover. But no tears come, he cannot cry, it was like this when he slaughtered Kenshi, so badly he wanted to weep then, but his body wouldn’t allow it.
As his eyes close he finds himself back on the mountain, standing before the priestess, his blade still drawn, blood still on his hands, a smile on her face.
“Sleep” The priestess says and waves her hand gently in front of herself.
And just like that Attonnan collapses before her his clanking on the stone floor. The Priestess then nods to the dwarf Gnar who nods to several others and then pick him up, being polite enough to sheath his blade and begin to carry him down the mountain.
It is early evening when Attonnan awakens again. His head is still spinning and slowly he closes his eyes, then opens them again, this time the room seems more stable and he stands. He can hear the sounds of his family having dinner together; he can hear the sounds of their laughter and chatter, the sounds of forks and knives hitting the plates. So eagerly he wants to join them, but now, now he seems so distant from them. This time apart seems to have drawn him away from them and he really can’t say why. Looking over he finds his blade sitting upright next to his bed, slowly he takes it and straps it to his side, he is wearing the same white uniform he was when he began that final battle, though he can tell it has been cleaned and stitched back together. Rin’s work he is sure. He gets up and makes his way to the balcony on his room. Opening the doors he looks at the clear blue sky and smells the freshness of the day, he can only see the courtyard of the castle but he can honestly see in his own mind the people working and going about their day on the streets past these stone walls. As he stands there he can hear a tap on the door.
“Enter” Attonnan says trying to hide the sorrow in his voice
Slowly Rin walks into the room. These past few days having been a blur of dreams realized and family reunited. She smiles and sits on his bed and lets her hands drift over a silver knife, the same silver knife that he tried to kill himself with those many years ago. Who would know that the simple child so full of emotion and fear would turn into the warrior now standing before her? All of her children have returned to her healthy and happy, some with children of their own.
“Your not sticking around are you” She asks smiling at the mirror as he walks up and sits next to her on the bed.
“I just don’t feel like I belong here, I hope you understand, and so do the others” He says lowering his head.
Looking at him she can see the deep loose in his life, still so young and looking at him she can see the weight of the world on his shoulders.
/> “I understand, you’re not like us. Our story ends here, Mellyruna, Nagamasa, all of us. We had our great moment and great victory, and now we are all more then happy to allow the other generation fight their fights and carve their names in stone. But your different, something tells me your story has only begun, Your name won’t be carved into the stone like ours, I have a hunch that when your done, it shall be written in the stars for all to see” She says and gently kisses his cheek.
“What of the kingdom?” He asks smiling at her.
“We have all talked it over already, the Unagi clan will be given to Mellyruna, Griffin has already taken over the Kainith elves and they are working on a treaty, Oda will fall under your sister and her husband Nagamasa, The Hitori clan is now ruled by Byrdi and this lover of his Neckity. But all of them want to live here, for now. I’m sure your sister and Byrdi will leave when they are ready. This may have been there home once but now they have other lives other families. It’s hard to let them go but that is the job of a mother. To raise her children so that one day they can leave and no longer need her.” She says and gently strokes his cheek.
The two just sit there in silence. There is so much that he wants to tell her. So much that he just wants to break down and sob over. So why can’t he, is he so lost to the forces that created him. Not really thinking about it he slowly looks down at his hands as he turns them palm up in his lap. They are callused and rough, swordsman hands. He thinks of all those that he has held in these hands at there last moments, Aang, the first soldier he really knew that died under his command, his hands were already soaked in the blood of those he killed by then, but that was the first one that truly pained him, he didn’t cry then either. Kenshi, his lover, his friend. The man that showed him that the lands could be united and Mecmed defeated. With that thought Attonnan slowly gets up and walks back to the balcony staring out.
“I hope that one day there will be no need for your blade son, then, and only then will you lay it down, and perhaps lay down the pain and burden you carry with you now” Rin says softly to herself then slowly gets up and leaves him to his thoughts.
“Look Kenshi, this is the land that I desire. One without war were all people can live in peace. It is only missing one piece, you, you my love” Attonnan says his voice soft and quivering with grief
Like a summer wind Attonnan suddenly feels a presence behind him. It is the feeling he always got when Kenshi was watching him silently. A lump forms in his throat as he slowly turns praying to see his friend but knowing he will not. He turns to find nothing, he is the only one standing there, and he knew he would be but seeing the empty room sends another stab of pain in his chest. He then turns back to the balcony and looks up at that endless blue sky the words of Kenshi’s note echoing in his mind
“Live on Attonnan”
Table of Contents
Second Born
Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Epilogue
