Chapter 20: Ch 19

Cedric made haste in arriving at the castle courtyard, his daily meeting place with Ralin and Galgi. His fears had nearly gotten the best of him on the way there, but he was relieved to find Galgi’ls modest grin waiting for him, along with nearly the rest of the men.

                However, what stopped him in his tracks, was the lack of the loud, burly face of the group. 

                “H-hey guys...uh…. w-where’s Ra-”

                “Ah, Ral,” Galgi answered gently, “he’s…. recovering down at the barracks sickbay. Last night was a rough fight, and Ral took the worst of it out of all of us.”

                “Is he-will he…be okay?” Cedric sputtered out, gripping his food carrier tightly.

                “Ah yes, not to worry Cedric, it’s mostly just a load of rather severe flesh wounds. Nothing too serious, and it would take a lot to put ol’ Ralin out of commission. I’d bet he’ll back out there with us tonight!” Galgi’s tone sounded hesitantly cheerful, but it got a chuckle from most of the men.

                “Well..that’s good to hear. But, yeah…I heard about last night. Did the wall…?”

                “Yes, it did get broken through, unfortunately.”
                Cedric sat quietly on the fountain’s edge, listening with fearful intrigue.

                “It wasn’t much of a break through, at least not like the one six years ago. We had it re-sealed by the morning, but it’s a weak fix if we’re to be targeted again tonight.”
                “Did…. any enemies…?”

                “Get in? Well, Commander Giro was quite confident his sentries eliminated the group that made to intrude, but…there’s no way to be sure. They were fast, and efficient.”

                Galgi’s words cemented Cedric’s fears. He stared down, his hands shaking as he wondered whether he should bring it up.

                “I heard the battle from the ruins…it must have been really tough.”

                “Mm. That was the most intense battle any of us had ever seen. To tell you the truth, we’re extremely lucky to be alive. We have Ralin to thank for that, mostly. What’s certain is that the Wolverines have decided to go all out. Not only were there some fifty warships, and one gold-studded flagship likely controlled by a general, but…the potential intruders…it seems they were from the rumored special unit…the Red Wolves.”

                Cedric’s eyes darted upward.

                That name…

                Where have I…

                And then, as if in slow motion, Galgi pulled from his matte coat a piece of red sash.

                “Th-That sash…”

                “I pulled it from one that I couldn’t kill...seems they all-”

                Galgi paused at Cedric’s terror.

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                “Cedric…what is it?”

                “I…”

                He had to tell them. He knew that, but he couldn’t get the words out. He wanted to believe that the intruder didn’t make it through the night, and that he could go on without burdening anyone with his incident. However, he couldn’t stop feeling as though it was his duty to speak up.

                As he battled within his own mind, a new face had wandered into the scene.

                “Ah, Al! What’re you doing around here?” Ralin’s genuine surprise sparked Cedric’s interest, causing him to look up at the man who seemed to have stumbled into their party by accident.

                “Ohh, Galgi, good to see ya looking better than last night, mate. I was supposed to meet a friend around here, but I don’t know the area around the castle too well,” the man chuckled in a gruff yet energetic voice.

                The moment Cedric heard his voice and looked upon the modest size and build of the man whose high grade green military garb was dressed heavily in wound wrappings around his torso, head, and long arms, he was stricken still, a flood of memories coming over him.

                “Taking prisoners like this man is EXACTLY what you’re supposed to do!”

                “I don’t want to kill a kid, so I guess I’ll say that he has qualities of an Heir as well.”            

                “….So don’t you dare give up on yourself.”

                Everything about that dreaded day in the pouring rain came back to him all at once, simply upon seeing the man’s face.

                “You’re…”

                “Huh? Ah yes, Cedric, this is 3,000-man Commander Al, otherwise known as Al the Bleeder.”

                Cedric was speechless. Whoever he was now, while bright and daunting, didn’t matter. It was who he was in the past that was searing through his heart and stomach like a hot knife.

                “That time…”

                “That time? Have we met before, kid?”

                It was undoubtedly him. He hadn’t gotten a good look at his face before, but the fire in his eyes was the same.

                So, he became…a commander.

                Even though…he almost died a meaningless death.

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