Dawn was fast approaching and I had made it to the encampment. I could see row upon row of make-shift shelters and soldiers practicing and joking with each other, perhaps to ease the battle tension of the following day. With an easy feeling in my heart, I decided to sleep about 3 miles away from the site, so as to not draw attention to myself. But before I went, I wanted to see William, just to put my heart at ease. I figured he was stationed at the head of the camp, so I decided to slink the perimeter of the base, so as to go unnoticed. It took me all of thirty minutes to do this, and with part of the armor on, (I left the heavier parts back with my horse,) it made this task quite tiring. Ready to give up, I sat down in a muddy trench on the outskirts, and looking around to see if anyone could see me, I took my helmet off. The hot air that had been collecting from inside of it escaped rapidly and my dripping wet hair made my head icy with the breeze that picked up. Being so exhausted, I nearly, and unintentionally, fell asleep. Only the sound of approaching voices caught my senses and I instantly became awake. As I listened more closely, I caught the familiar voice of …….William!

I wanted to look but the sound of his voice was so close to me that I dared not risk it. I had to be content just listening to his words. He talked of latter battle plans and forms of defense; things I had little use of understanding, except that it would come in use tomorrow, so I listened with great intensity. After a few minutes, their conversation began to fade away in the distance, and I dared to look after them as they went. I poked my head over the trench and caught a glimpse of his blonde hair dancing in the bitter wind. Just seeing him again made me forget my troubles and the reality of the fate that could overtake us.

Watching him leave my sight from a safe distance, I crept down to my horse and rode the three miles I decided I would sleep away from the camp for safety. Throughout the day, I practiced with my sword. All those pretend sword fights with 'James' was nothing compared to this twenty-five pound steel rapier. By the end of the day, my muscles ached and my back was sore. I thought sleep would be easy to come by, but with an empty stomach, a grieving heart, and frosty temperatures dropping with the setting of the sun, sleep was anywhere but with me.

I must have dozed off sometime, because my next conscious moment was the warmth of morning creeping over the mountain range to the far west. I sat up, and heard the restlessness of the battle-hungry troops; all eager and impatient for a fight. To the far east, I saw an unfamiliar line of troops, some on horses, others scouting the terrain for advantage. All, that I could see, bearing the mark of our enemy. To my benefit, none could spot me because of my undisclosed location, so swiftly, I stole away to the camp grounds prepared to fight

……prepared to die.

I as I arrived, I slipped in the back so no one would notice me, and crept my way up to where William would be. As I spotted him, he was making the last minute preparations and handing down orders to the Generals of each post. His position would be in the back, along with all the other high ranking, military officers. That comforted me a little, knowing that he would be safe for a little while longer, but my heart ached as I thought of the other young, brave men at the front of the line. Without delay, I tried my best to blend in with the other foot soldiers stationed near the backside, and waited….

The sound of unison footsteps approaching fast over the hillside…..

…… the rising sun hitting and gleaming off the backs of their armor.

They had come…