Devotion

The soft sprinkle of rain littered the sky. The wind gusted across the valley, the night only illuminated by the occasional white thunderbolt streaking through the air. Lieutenant Daniel Corhauser wiped a gloved hand across his face, pulling up the hood of his purple cloak. The great bridge upon which he stood arced across the river for what seemed like a mile. On the other side of it, a fortress stood, illuminated by golden light, proof of the rebellions triumph here. He sat comfortably on his horse, a lightly colored mare, Bela, who had served him for many months. He gave her a gentle pat on the head, as he listened to the rain, the thunder, and the sound of the Black Tear River below. He had long since developed the habit of secluding himself in times of great stress, and he had felt no greater stress than today.

"This was close... Too close. Damn that woman, I should have never let her...", He trailed off, mumbling indignantly to himself. He knew he was being foolish; Claudias plan had worked, far better than he had expected. She had a silver tongue, and a natural inclination towards leadership. He wondered where she came from, and who she was, to lead men in such a way.

He hopped down from Bela, catching himself from slipping in the mud beneath him. Pulling out a pouch, he retrieved an apple from inside, a bit old, but more than adequate for his trusty steed. Bela crunched into the apple delicately, eating from the palm of his hand. Corhauser gave a small smile at her, praising her for her gentleness.

"A good horse", he thought to himself. He grabbed her reigns from the ground, and began walking her across the bridge, giving her a well-deserved break from carrying him. The rain had started to pick up, but even still, he noticed lights begin appearing on poles dotted across the surface of the bridge. The Eternal Flame stayed alight, even in the worst conditions, it seemed. As more and more lights began appearing ahead of him, he got close enough to see who had lit them; a beautiful woman of snow-white hair, dressed in black. Two orange eyes glowed softly in the night, barely visible, next to the golden light of the torch she carried.

"Claudia? What are you doing out in the rain like this?", said the Commander of the Golden Horns, knowing full well the irony in his words.

The white-haired woman crooked her head, confused, before shaking her head, realizing what he had said.

"I suppose I didn't notice it, Lieutenant. Yes, yes you're quite right. Half the bridge lit is enough, for the night. May I walk back with you?"

Corhauser nodded. He did not understand her, he knew that. And he had grown to learn not to question her eccentricities. Claudia took her place on the opposite side of Belas head, which blocked most of her from his sight. Lightning struck, just a few miles away, causing the horse to stammer a bit, but she quickly gained her composure. The two were silent as they walked, up to about three fourths of the way across the bridge. Daniel was about to break the silence, but as he opened his mouth to speak, Claudia did the same.

"Why do you fight, Lieutenant Corhauser?", she asked, still maintaining even pace with him and Bela. He recovered from being interrupted with dignity, quickly saying in a firm voice,

"Because it is my duty."

She did not respond to him for nearly a minute, before saying

"That is a common answer. And perhaps it is your duty indeed. But why?" Her tone was quick, and to the point, despite how long it took her to respond. The way she spoke, it was like it was obvious precisely what she was asking, despite how general the question was. In his head, he cursed at her silver tongue.

"I swore an oath when I signed on. And another when I was made an officer. And yet another when I joined the rebellion. I am honor-bound to uphold them."

"I see. It is good that you keep to your oaths. But you have still avoided the question. Why do you fight? Why did you swear these oaths?"

Corhauser had begun to grow tired of these questions, in truth, but he answered her nonetheless.

"Because I believe in the Archon. The True Archon. I believe in his ideas. I believe in his dream. I will not sit idly by and allow men to be subjugated, or worse. Not when I can do something about it. Men should be free to live as they choose, and gods-willing, I'll fight to my last day to make sure they can. Is that enough of an answer for you?"

Claudia nodded.

"Yes. Yes it is. A very good answer, indeed."

Silence filled the air once again, broken only by thunder, and rain. They reached the outer most gate of the fortress, stepping inside. Bela was quickly taken by a stable hand, as the two officers entered the warmth of the fortresses interior. Lieutenant Corhauser undid his cloak, placing it onto a hitch embedded into a nearby wall. Claudia removed her jacket, which had grown soaking wet, wearing only a white sleeveless shirt. He noted how thin her arms were, and how pale her skin was. He had barely seen her eat since he had met her, despite her insisting the officers eat alongside the soldiers. She nodded at him, turning in preparation to leave, but he stopped her.

"Wait. What about you? Why do you fight? And don't dodge the question." He watched as she spun on her heels, a smile on her face as she turned to him.

"I do not mince words, Lieutenant. I have fought, and now fight again, for the pursuit of freedom. For 'Vel' to control their own destiny, and to live as they choose. I fight to protect those I care for, and for those whom care for me. I am honor-bound to it, like you. And I fight to reclaim what is mine. That is my 'Ji'Ket', a word taught to me by an old friend. It is my prerogative as a warrior. My honor, as a warrior."

He watched as she turned and walked away, not another word coming from her. He shook his head.

"Damn that woman..." He muttered to himself, before picking up his spear, set aside a nearby wall. He held it above him, lower it in a fighting stance, the steel blade reflecting the golden light of the chamber. He gazed along the shaft of it, up to the point.

"Hm. A warriors honor..."