Drabble – War & Peace – 500 Words
The fighting around him had been furious and deadly. Screams from the wounded and dying could be heard everywhere. Men weren't the only one in pain. The horses and elephants were in anguish also.
He hadn't seen the arrow come at his chest from the right, had hardly felt it as it had plunged into his body. He had only a few seconds to glance down and then fell back to the ground bleeding freely from his chest. He hadn't heard his heart stop beating in his chest.
He felt himself rise above the blood and gore of the battleground. The sounds in his ears were no longer clear, more like hearing a noise underwater, muffled and distant. He saw more men fall to their own deaths and then come and join him to watch the battle continue.
His King came charging through the lines on his magnificent horse riding straight for the front line. As if in slow motion, he saw an arrow hit him in almost the same place it had embedded in his own chest. He saw him fall, hearing shouts in the distance that the King was down.
He saw loyal General Hephaestion race towards the King and fall himself with a serious wound to his thigh. The battle had been close to being lost but when Alexander's army saw him charge; the course of the outcome was changed. The enemy was pulling back and victory was going to Alexander yet again.
They were carrying his King off the battlefield. He watched Alexander's face as he saw his beloved horse as he lie dying. He saw him look towards General Hephaestion, saw what past between them. Surrounding each of them was a bond he had never seen before and he knew instantly that he would never have seen it had he been alive. He doubted he would have been able to describe it if asked.
So all the rumors had been true about the King and his close friend and this is what true love really looks like.
After Alexander had been carried off, the soldier looked back at General Hephaestion and saw him look right at him for a few seconds, men came running to stop the blood flowing from the General's leg. His eyes glazed over and he passed out as he was carried from the battlefield to be with the wounded King.
He was now surrounded by hundreds of other soldiers like himself, all dead of wounds from the battle, no longer in pain or bleeding slowly from their wounds and missing limbs. Soldiers from both sides of the battle… all quietly waiting.
On a silent cue, they all turned as one, putting arms around shoulders that moments ago held swords and knives. All thoughts of killing and maiming gone from their heads, they moved as one away from the moans and crying of the wounded and dying.
They left the red bloody field of war and went to the light and peace.