There never was, there never will be,
nor is there now, a man whom men always blame, or a man
man whom they always praise.
The Dhammapada 17:228
"How long ago was it when I saw her for the first time?"
I often think of this question at times of peace when there are no battles to occupy my mind with. It seems like she came into my life so gradually, that I have never even noticed that she has come to be. Her entry was as subtle as the Toran mist in the darkness of the new moon.
She was always there for as far as I remember, or perhaps it was just my imagination. I recall seeing her at every street corner, in every class at Gregminster Military Academy. She at every ball I attended, but yet I never quite knew who she was, and I never quite cared who she was. She was just one of those people who you know by sight but never quite "knew," and whether I knew her or not was inconsequential. However, destiny weaves threads in the most curious of manners as I discovered during my short tenure as Army Strategist under the Emperor.
I sat in my office given to me by the Emperor. Back then his forces were pushed all the way to Pannu Yakuta, and I was given a makeshift office from which I issued commands to all branches of the Emperor's forces. On that particular day I was conducting interviews for officer candidates for a new division to be created in the army. I recall looking at records on each candidate and screaming in dismay as I viewed at the inadequacy. I rejected all of the condidates until I came to a candidate by the name of Kilawher.
"Next candidate enter!" I yelled at the door as I shuffled through some papers.
The door opened as I looked at Kilawher's records, "Expert on ice magic, defended a village single-handedly against raiding minotaurs, quenched numerous fires in Gregminster and Lenankamp, various medals from dueling tourneys, etc etc." As I looked up expecting a burly man in armor like Kwanda Rossman, what I saw was a lightly armored woman, blonde and green-eyed, but with the presence of a trained killer.
"Sir Leon Silverberg, Kilawher at your service, sir." She said with a sharp, crisp voice.
I recognized her immediately as that girl who I always saw, but took little note of. Ofcourse, I never would have thought she would show herself in such a manner. And ofcourse I never anticipated what happened next.
Suddenly the door burst open behind Kilawher and a man clad in black entered with his sword unsheathed. "Leon Silverberg, die!" The man shouted as he knocked Kilawher aside and strode towards me. I quickly ducked as the man's sword pierced the wall above my head. I dashed to the side as I drew my sword (which I only knew how to use only from what I read from my books). The man removed his sword from the wooden walls, and struck his sword at me, which I blocked with my sword. He struck again quickly with greater strength and I heard my sword break. As I saw the broken end of my sword in amazement, the man raised his sword one more time in a final attempt to stab me. However, as he started to lash his sword at me he collapsed to the floor. I gasped as I pushed myself away from the man.
"He is dead, Sir Leon," Kilawher said as her eyes glimmered coldly in the bluest green I ever saw.
I said, "But, how?"
Kilawher revealed an Ice Rune on her right hand and said, "No man can live with a frozen heart." She then stood up and extended her hand to me, as I was still on the floor. I took her hand--it felt as touching the finest gossamer. I was suprised as she righted me with little effort. It didn't take me much more convincing to accept her as the new commander for the new division, which later came to be known as the "Frozen Rose."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Leon stopped his pen and went back to the first page of the manuscript. He then crossed out his name and Kilawher's and violently stood up, rattling the empty bottles of liquor on his table. He let out an angered yell as he brushed all the bottles on his tables aside. The bottles smashed against the wall next to the table in a violent orchestra crescendo of destruction.
Leon then took his manuscript and crumpled it up, casting it into the fireplace. He threw a log into the fire as the manuscript wrinkled into ashes. Leon stared at the burned remnant as it deteriorated into powder, "Just like how I scattered you into Toran huh?" Leon laughed.
As Leon madly stared into the fire, he heard a pounding noise from the door. It sounded like someone with a huge metalic object--like a scythe--was pounding on the door. Leon rushed behind his desk in fear, kicking fraqgments of broken bottles on his way. "I'm busy!" Leon yelled.
A familiar voice yelled back, "Blackman here, you have a young lady lookin' for you so I brought her here! Come out here!"
Leon's worry was lessened upon hearing that the visitor was Blackman. However, he was weary of having visitors. "Come back tomorrow, whomever you are!" Leon yelled back.
"Leon, this is Irena, I brought you some Aqua Vita," As if disarmed by Irena's voice, Leon walked towards the door. "Did you say 'Aqua Vita'?" Leon asked desperately.
"Yes, just for you Leon, now open the door!" Irena's voice turned into mock anger, and Leon hurried to the door with a smile, muttering to himself, "Aqua Vita, heh heh." Leon opened the door.
Upon opening the door, Leon saw Irena holding a small crate holding eight bottles of Aqua Vita. Leon took the crate without a word with a wide grin on his face. "Thank you," he said quickly, and returned to his room. He did not realize that Blackman was standing behind Irena, as if it didn't matter. As Leon trid to close the door, Irena stepped in.
"Not so fast Leon," she said as she propped the door open.
Leon looked back, "Oh yes, how much do I owe you? 100 potch?"
Irena looked back at Blackman and said something, Blackman waved and left. Irena then entered the cabin and locked the door. Leon fumbled through a pile of papers searching for some potch, not realizing that Irena has drawn out a curved dagger.
"Here it is! 100 potch!" Leon screamed out in joy, turning back, he felt something cold on his neck.
"Don't move Silverberg, or I would have to waste your prescious life," Irena said in a cold voice. Leon raised his arms in the air in fear and emitted a loud cry, "Bu, bu, but, I am not Leon Silverberg! I told you I am just a commercial writer!"
"Hush, I know everything--of how you are living a fake life to hide from those who would exploit your skill, and how you visit the grave of your dead wife every moon cycle. You can not lie to me, Silverberg..." Irena said in a mocking tone.
-------
I don't know how my cover was blown, but this girl knows who I am. Perhaps it was a mistake to visit the grave of Kilawher. Regardless, this is not a good situation, her dagger smells of zodiac tower poison--a sting of that and I would die immediately.
"What do you want?" Leon said in a loud, clear voice.
nor is there now, a man whom men always blame, or a man
man whom they always praise.
The Dhammapada 17:228
"How long ago was it when I saw her for the first time?"
I often think of this question at times of peace when there are no battles to occupy my mind with. It seems like she came into my life so gradually, that I have never even noticed that she has come to be. Her entry was as subtle as the Toran mist in the darkness of the new moon.
She was always there for as far as I remember, or perhaps it was just my imagination. I recall seeing her at every street corner, in every class at Gregminster Military Academy. She at every ball I attended, but yet I never quite knew who she was, and I never quite cared who she was. She was just one of those people who you know by sight but never quite "knew," and whether I knew her or not was inconsequential. However, destiny weaves threads in the most curious of manners as I discovered during my short tenure as Army Strategist under the Emperor.
I sat in my office given to me by the Emperor. Back then his forces were pushed all the way to Pannu Yakuta, and I was given a makeshift office from which I issued commands to all branches of the Emperor's forces. On that particular day I was conducting interviews for officer candidates for a new division to be created in the army. I recall looking at records on each candidate and screaming in dismay as I viewed at the inadequacy. I rejected all of the condidates until I came to a candidate by the name of Kilawher.
"Next candidate enter!" I yelled at the door as I shuffled through some papers.
The door opened as I looked at Kilawher's records, "Expert on ice magic, defended a village single-handedly against raiding minotaurs, quenched numerous fires in Gregminster and Lenankamp, various medals from dueling tourneys, etc etc." As I looked up expecting a burly man in armor like Kwanda Rossman, what I saw was a lightly armored woman, blonde and green-eyed, but with the presence of a trained killer.
"Sir Leon Silverberg, Kilawher at your service, sir." She said with a sharp, crisp voice.
I recognized her immediately as that girl who I always saw, but took little note of. Ofcourse, I never would have thought she would show herself in such a manner. And ofcourse I never anticipated what happened next.
Suddenly the door burst open behind Kilawher and a man clad in black entered with his sword unsheathed. "Leon Silverberg, die!" The man shouted as he knocked Kilawher aside and strode towards me. I quickly ducked as the man's sword pierced the wall above my head. I dashed to the side as I drew my sword (which I only knew how to use only from what I read from my books). The man removed his sword from the wooden walls, and struck his sword at me, which I blocked with my sword. He struck again quickly with greater strength and I heard my sword break. As I saw the broken end of my sword in amazement, the man raised his sword one more time in a final attempt to stab me. However, as he started to lash his sword at me he collapsed to the floor. I gasped as I pushed myself away from the man.
"He is dead, Sir Leon," Kilawher said as her eyes glimmered coldly in the bluest green I ever saw.
I said, "But, how?"
Kilawher revealed an Ice Rune on her right hand and said, "No man can live with a frozen heart." She then stood up and extended her hand to me, as I was still on the floor. I took her hand--it felt as touching the finest gossamer. I was suprised as she righted me with little effort. It didn't take me much more convincing to accept her as the new commander for the new division, which later came to be known as the "Frozen Rose."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Leon stopped his pen and went back to the first page of the manuscript. He then crossed out his name and Kilawher's and violently stood up, rattling the empty bottles of liquor on his table. He let out an angered yell as he brushed all the bottles on his tables aside. The bottles smashed against the wall next to the table in a violent orchestra crescendo of destruction.
Leon then took his manuscript and crumpled it up, casting it into the fireplace. He threw a log into the fire as the manuscript wrinkled into ashes. Leon stared at the burned remnant as it deteriorated into powder, "Just like how I scattered you into Toran huh?" Leon laughed.
As Leon madly stared into the fire, he heard a pounding noise from the door. It sounded like someone with a huge metalic object--like a scythe--was pounding on the door. Leon rushed behind his desk in fear, kicking fraqgments of broken bottles on his way. "I'm busy!" Leon yelled.
A familiar voice yelled back, "Blackman here, you have a young lady lookin' for you so I brought her here! Come out here!"
Leon's worry was lessened upon hearing that the visitor was Blackman. However, he was weary of having visitors. "Come back tomorrow, whomever you are!" Leon yelled back.
"Leon, this is Irena, I brought you some Aqua Vita," As if disarmed by Irena's voice, Leon walked towards the door. "Did you say 'Aqua Vita'?" Leon asked desperately.
"Yes, just for you Leon, now open the door!" Irena's voice turned into mock anger, and Leon hurried to the door with a smile, muttering to himself, "Aqua Vita, heh heh." Leon opened the door.
Upon opening the door, Leon saw Irena holding a small crate holding eight bottles of Aqua Vita. Leon took the crate without a word with a wide grin on his face. "Thank you," he said quickly, and returned to his room. He did not realize that Blackman was standing behind Irena, as if it didn't matter. As Leon trid to close the door, Irena stepped in.
"Not so fast Leon," she said as she propped the door open.
Leon looked back, "Oh yes, how much do I owe you? 100 potch?"
Irena looked back at Blackman and said something, Blackman waved and left. Irena then entered the cabin and locked the door. Leon fumbled through a pile of papers searching for some potch, not realizing that Irena has drawn out a curved dagger.
"Here it is! 100 potch!" Leon screamed out in joy, turning back, he felt something cold on his neck.
"Don't move Silverberg, or I would have to waste your prescious life," Irena said in a cold voice. Leon raised his arms in the air in fear and emitted a loud cry, "Bu, bu, but, I am not Leon Silverberg! I told you I am just a commercial writer!"
"Hush, I know everything--of how you are living a fake life to hide from those who would exploit your skill, and how you visit the grave of your dead wife every moon cycle. You can not lie to me, Silverberg..." Irena said in a mocking tone.
-------
I don't know how my cover was blown, but this girl knows who I am. Perhaps it was a mistake to visit the grave of Kilawher. Regardless, this is not a good situation, her dagger smells of zodiac tower poison--a sting of that and I would die immediately.
"What do you want?" Leon said in a loud, clear voice.