(2016)

Everyone has a reason to live, to fight against the bonds of time and age, to continue the endless cycle of taking or being taken from, of giving and receiving. They are all unique, to help others, to gain riches, to tell of a salvation, to give hope, to bring balance, and so on. Some find their reason to fight as children or in their adolescent years, but some like me only find that drive much later on.

After the enemy had infiltrated the city, they had come for me the most prized warrior. Probably because of the rumors that claimed I could take down a whole army. They were in no way true, though, I could take out a pretty good chunk before I went down, so who ever decided to send only five men after me must not have been thinking. And anyway fate had a different plan.

My breathing was heavy and pain flared up my arm from where the knife had cut me. I stood in a ready stance, waiting for them to make the next move. I know that the youngest, though most, fit was least experience, from the way he held his weapon, a long sword. I'd have to be wary of the older one, as his agility and lack of scars said he was a good fighter. One was big and burly but light on his feet. He was the one who had managed to nick me with one of the two daggers he held. There were two others, but I wasn't worried about them. I could tell they were cowards from the way they hung back. They were happy to let the others do the heavy work, though they welded the largest weapons. I knew that you had to go for the best in the group first. That usually made the others uneasy and nervous, therefor careless. In this case it was the older man and the brute.

I'd been in situations like this more times then I cared to count. Thankfully the majority of those times were in training. That was what you got when you have a general as a father. I can't remember ever having a conversation with him that did not include military tactics or how I needed to train harder. My mother died when I was a born. I was then handed off to nurses and nannies till I was six, when my father decided it was a good time to start early training. From then on my time was primarily taken up with lessons and punishments for when I didn't accomplish the goals set by my father. The first time I exchanged more than a few words with him was when he began teaching me how to take his place as the general of the kings army. It was at times like this that I was thankful for all the intense training.

I managed to dodge several attacks and land a few of my own before the tense mood was ruined as a girl ran around the corner. She still wore a night dress and her bright blue eyes were a sharp contrast to her raven dark hair which had been pulled in to pigtails. She looked to be about five or six and her large eyes were filled with fear. As she rushed blindly toward us, she ran right in to one of the cowardly men's arms. She let out a frightened cry as he griped her tightly by the shoulder and lowered his blade to her neck.

"Drop your weapon or the girl gets it."

I stopped as the others drew back. I had to thank quick; they would likely take us both as hostages, and I was on the torture list. The girl would be put in a prison camp if not sold as a slave, ether way she wouldn't last long.

I slowly raised both my hands to show I wasn't going to attack and dropped my sword. I'd be sad if I ended up losing it, I was one of my best ones. As I hoped, they began to relax. The man holding the girl lowered the knife. Then I began to lower down on to my knees. Half way through the motion I stopped. Then faster than they could register it, I whipped a dagger from my boot out, aiming it carefully at the man. It was spot on, landing in the shoulder that held his sword. He dropped it and the girl, crying out in pain. Before the others could react I kicked at his mid-section. As he toppled over I snatched up the girl and my sword, and then ran. Granted it wasn't the most dignified of things to do, but I knew I wouldn't last long without me or the girl dying, and that would defeat the whole purpose. Regardless of what my father said, I'd rather live then keep my dignity.

We made it out of the city without too many more encounters even though it was crawling with the enemy army. I managed to steal a horse and we rode through the night. At dawn I stopped to see what was in the packs and for a short rest. The girl was oddly quiet and I had to check once or twice to make sure she was still alive. I figured she was in shock and everything would catch up with her at any moment. From what I remembered there was a town two day's riding south, but there was no confirmation that the enemy had not taken over it too. We could head west but it would take twice as long to get to any civilization and we didn't have the supplies for that. We went south. We stopped again at midday to eat. As I prepared the food, the girl stared at me like she was seeing ghost. She flinched when I offered her food but ate it nonetheless.

"What is your name?" I asked her, not sure that she would answer.

"They call me Lil'."

"Why are you so scared? They won't start chasing us until they know we're missing."

"You're the Black Soldier, They say that when you fight you go in to a wild rage and kill anyone you see. I thought you were going to kill me, but you didn't."

I nodded at that. The fact that I was the thing parents told their children about to keep them in line, was a fact I had come to terms with long ago. Still it stung to be reminded that as much as anyone was thankful of how I kept them safe or won many battles for them, they would always fear me. It was somewhat a surprise when the girl spoke again. When I looked up at her, she was smiling. It was small and shy, but still a smile.

"Thank you for saving me"

I'd been thanked many times before but never quite like this. A feeling of warmth began to spread through me, till my mouth began to tug upwards at the corners. When I frowned at the strange, new feeling, she giggle in that way that only a child can.

"What is so amusing?"

"When you smile you don't do it quite right, but it looks nice anyway." I wasn't sure what to think about that. I'd never genuinely had a reason to be happy and wondered what could have caused me to smile

It was then that we heard the horses. Acting quickly I put out the fire and stashed the bags in a bush. Swinging the girl on to my back I run to a fallen log, and then back tracked carefully staying in the already made foot prints and sent the horse in the same direction. With a hurried warning to hold on tight, I began to climb a steady looking tree. We settled on a brunch with more foliage then the others. She was frightened again, I could tell by the way she was holding on so tight she was choked me. I could hear the rambling of voices now. I maneuvered the girl in so she could set in my lap rather than cling to my back, she was trembling now. Leaning in I whispered to her.

"Keep quiet and don't worry, I'll protect you if anything happens"

A whole squad came marching through. They stopped when they came to the area of trampled grass. After a time they left, following the hoof prints in the wrong direction. I waited a while before carefully climbing down. We had to move quickly to avoid another encounter.

To our good fortune city of Mimswor was not run over with the enemy and once inside the city it was easy to see why. The outer layer of the wall was mainly built from old bricks and clay or mud giving it a fragile appearance. Inlayed just inside that wall was a much thicker and stronger wall. It was smartly built with stone slabs that had an interlocking shape. They had left about two yards of space between them to make the outer wall a type of shock absorber. It also gave the enemy the impression of an insubstantial challenge. Once confirming we weren't enemy spies we were directed to an inn, ware we received food and rooms. The inn keeper's daughter took the girl and was left to myself for the time being.

I'd never encountered any one my own age until father let me stand in at diplomatic meetings. The prince was about my age, maybe a year younger. That or all his "royal" treatment made him seem that way. After that I spent most my time in the barracks, with solders much older than me. In any case I was in no way equipped to take care of a girl who weighed less than a sack of potatoes. After speaking with the innkeeper it was decided that I would leave the girl with her and her family. She would be safe and no longer my responsibility.

I was saddling the horse the next day when she came running over to me and wrapped her arms around my waist. "You said you would protect me, if you leave who would do it for you?" she sobbed. I could feel her shaking and wasn't sure what I was supposed to say or do. They didn't train solders' how to deal with crying little girls and this one was definitely crying. I gently pushed her away so I could get a good look at her.

Her normally bright eyes were now sad and red rimmed. At that moment she seemed to me like a china doll, one that had been broken and glued back together but was now slowly falling apart again. I decided then that I didn't like what I saw and that I never wanted to see it again. Turning around I rested my hands on her shoulders

'"You'll be safe here, the city is well protected and I cannot take you where I am going."

I wanted to stay, but life has never been kind to me. I still had a war to fight, or more accurately I still had I father to please. It wasn't an option for her to stay with me or for me to stay here. She clung to my side as I finished readying my things. Once I was done I turned to her one last time and knelt down. She wrapped her arms around my neck almost strangling me as she whispered in to my ear.

"Good-bye brawd mawr."

Thou puzzled by her words I mounted my horse in fear that I would not have the strength to leave. For a reason that was unexplainable it was the hardest thing I had ever done. It felt like there was a band stretching to a breaking point, me at one end, her at the other. I made it to the gate before it became too much.

"What does brawd mawr mean?" I asked as the guard checked my things.

"It means 'brother' or 'big brother' depending on the pronunciation,it's in the native language of some neighboring countries that we've been getting refugees from." He replied as he finished up. Big Brother, I knew then that I was making the wrong decision. Turning the horse around, I hurried back the way I had come.

I had barley slid down before she crashed in to me, strangling me with her small arms. It was like the final piece of a puzzle being set in place. The feeling of completeness so perfect I never want to let go. This little girl that was scared and alone, but called me big brother and laughed when I tried to smile.

This was my reason.

So I gave her a promise, to keep her safe no matter what and to watch after her. And I did. Long after I had closed my eyes for the last time, long after she had grown old, long after she told her grandchildren of a certain dark soldier and long after she had followed him in to the afterlife.

Even now, I still stand Guard at her side.