"The only victories which leave no regret are those which are gained over ignorance."
~~Napoleon~~
Hundreds of screams awakened the unusually dark night. Muffled footsteps turned into loud thumps and the icy sound of steel was soon accompanied by the deadly rings of wet stabs into flesh. Though I could not reach the area of despair, I recognized every sound like no other. We were too late. A faint smell of fire already penetrated my nostrils and only a few seconds later the fire was starting to arise above the trees, as though it tried to emblazon itself on the dark frame of the night. Commanding my horse into a gallop, I sprinted towards the hill which I knew to be no further than a furlong away. The poor horse neighed in protest, not keen onto running towards dangerous fire, but it obeyed nonetheless. His feet thundering upon the grassy road offered a relieving alternative to the horrifying sounds not far away. Permitting myself to glance behind me for a split second, I found my comrades tailing us towards the top of the hill. Earning their malicious glares, I knew the devastation of my birth village would not be the only prize I had to pay for my reckless behaviour of late. Pulling the graceful animal to a halt, I could see at last what the true destruction will be. Tears ran down soundlessly from my cheek. What have I done? How had I become so incompetent that I was willing to risk my family, although not by blood, but by heart, and all the precious moments I could have shared with them? If I had not been so careless...
'Let me help them,' I stated resolutely, trying to sound firmer than I felt, but it was nothing more than a weak attempt.
'There's nothing you can do any more, I'm afraid,' he stated matter-of-factly, 'We are fiercely outnumbered.' By the sound of it, he had decided not to punish me, for he deemed the wreckage of the village punishment enough.
'Outnumbered perhaps, but I outrank them in skill,' I tried, eyeing my inscrutable leader carefully. His brown eyes met my green ones, and, although the anger was still evident in his eyes, there was definitely a hint of compassion as well.
'I do not question your skill, Sofia. I merely doubt your state of mind.' BR 'Haytham, I can assure you...'
'No, you can assure me nothing.' My heart cringed somewhat from his harsh words. My look flinched back towards the excruciating scene in front of us. The men were shot down, their lack of gunpowder allowing them no chance against the Patriotic army. Women were taken captive, and the ones who tried to resist were shot down as well. Some held baby's to their breasts, trying to shield them from the fire and the visions of their dead fathers. I heard Haytham sigh next to me, drawing my attention back to him.
'We shall rescue the women and children later on. But for the men, there's nothing we can do.' His voice sounded reassuring again, comforting even . I nodded, unable to speak any longer, due to the sudden lump in my throat.
´Good,´ he murmered softly, throwing one final glance at the village before returning to me. ´Come now, we must not linger. Let us return to the safety of the fortress.´ Haytham waited for me to turn my horse around, anticipating every foolish move I could make if he lost sight of me. Instead of arguing with him, which I normally did, I did what he asked of me and motioned the horse to the path again. Fearing the judgment and scorn of the rest of the Templars more than ever, I dared not to look at Charles nor William, the only two remaining leaders of the Order. Instead, I nudged the flanks of the stallion gently, guiding him into a fast gallop toward the fortress we came from. The line of sight was already broken when I heard the last, heart tearing scream of a woman very close to my heart, the Clan Mother and then the unforgivable ringing of rifle, silencing the cry and all that was audible to me.