Chapter 3
The miner twisted and turned in his bed. Reliving the nightmare that had cost more than just a life. He screamed and sat bolt upright, huffing and sweating. He looked around, the sun was just above the horizon and he relaxed after a few moments of breathing.
'It was only a dream.' He told himself. He seemed to tell himself this too often, as the nightmare appeared every night. It tormented him like nothing else could. He didn't want to relive the past, yet he was unable to forget it nor forgive himself. He was unable to let it go. He wouldn't let it go. He looked outside again, wondering what he could do again for the day.
He climbed out of bed and grabbed some bread off the table, deep in thought for the day's events. Maybe he could visit a settlement of villagers, do some work and trade with them. Maybe after that he could go down into the underground ravine and get some more ores to complete his unfinished set of diamond tools. Maybe even find some emeralds to favor the villagers and they would accept him... He stopped himself mid-thought.
'What am I thinking?!' He scolded himself fiercely, grabbing both sides of his head with his hands, letting his chin drop down and touch his chest. 'I've already tried that and they rejected me without hesitation! How can I possibly think of trying again?! After they rejected me like they did? After they heard what happened to Casroth what did they do? Did they try and make you feel better?' He sat on his chair, removing the iron sword that was previously seated there from last night, and put his hands on his knees and let his hands support his head.
'NO!? They plain rejected me. They didn't ask, they didn't worry, they didn't care! They rejected me, the man that protected their village better than anyone else ever could! The man that ensured their sleep was never disturbed. They threw me out like a broken toy. They discarded me. All except one shed tears for me, even if he was long gone. Even if he wasn't physically there, for the rain was pouring for days afterwards...' Steve sighed loudly. He shook his head, wanting to get his mind off the past. The miner then got up from his chair, recalling a song is brother had composed to lift his mind of the dark thoughts and make him feel better. He smiled sadly, remembering the words and the melody as he went about his daily business.
'I can see every tear you've cried,
Like an ocean on your eyes.
All the pain and the scars have left you cold.
I can see all the fears you've face
Through a storm that never goes away
Don't believe all the lies that you've been told.'
He remembered the words his brother had taught him. They were clear in his mind. He sang them as he worked on his farms in the morning, lighting up the rest of his day. His brother had shown him many of his famous songs that always made people happy. Most of those songs now were passed down to Steve, and Steve held them as precious as diamonds. It was one of the only good memories he had left to remember his brother. The jewel being another.
'I'll be right here now,
To hold you when the sky falls down.
I will always be the one that took your place
When the rain falls,
I won't let go.
I'll be right here.'
The song reminded him so much of his brother, as he always sang it to Steve every time he saw the miner was feeling down. The song had always made Steve better, and so did seeing his friend. He didn't really care for many people, but Casroth had drawn Steve like zombies to fresh blood. Most of the time, Steve was trying to help Casroth, but it always ended up being the other way around. Casroth would always be taking care of Steve. It made the man smile to remember and have such a nice memory to forever hold close to his heart.
'I will show you the way back home,
Never leave you all alone.
I will stay until the morning comes.
I'll show you how to live again,
and heal the brokenness within.
Let me love you when you come undone.'
That was when Casroth had made Steve his brother, the man had practically adopted him. They took care of each other, looked out for each other. They did everything together. This was Steve's favourite part of the song, as it described Casroth's actions pretty well. He was always there, when one had a nightmare, the other was there to comfort him. They showed each other their living styles, comparing them and naming the differences. They mended what was previously broken in each other. They never hid secrets from each other, they weren't afraid of being judged from the other, as they would only got more advice. The song always, and would forever afterwards, warm Steve's heart as it did now.
'I'll be right here now,
To hold you when the sky falls down,
I will always be the one that took your place
When the rain falls,
I won't let go
I'll be right here.'
When he was finished tending to the farm, Steve went to collect wood. The house was well kept but Steve wanted to make some additions and renovate the basement. It would burn some time before he wanted to set out to the nearest village. He thought of the last moments with Casroth and how his last words were part of this song. The memory almost made Steve cry, as the pain he had endured then was worse than any he had ever felt. Losing someone to such a fate that Casroth had the misfortune of having was certainly painful. It was worse than any physical pain. There was nothing Steve could compare it to.
'When daybreak seems so far away,
Reach for my hand.
When hope and peace begin to fray,
Still I will stay...
Right here now
To hold you when the sky falls down,
I will always be the one that took your place
When the rain falls I won't let go
When the rain falls I won't let go
I'll be right here.'
Steve almost lost his concentration, as he was lost in thought. Casroth would've patted him on the back and asked what was wrong. Nothing could convince Casroth that nothing was wrong, if something seemed different he would push to know an answer, but he didn't have to, as Steve never kept a secret from his brother. Neither did Casroth.
After he collected a fair amount of wood, he went inside to make quick changes to his basement, which didn't take long, as it was missing a few wooden planks to complete the flooring. After he made a few simple and quick changes to his basement, he went to his closet on the main floor and took his cloak, setting it on the chair as he prepared his bag.
He only placed a few ingredients, a few blank books, extra pages, leftover ores and mostly emeralds. He nodded in satisfaction, grabbing his cloak from the chair and clipping it on. He swung his bag over his shoulder, but hesitated before opening the door. He looked around and found his sword where he had left it on the floor. He swiftly took the hilt and sheathed it skillfully, making his way outside and walking along the path he had created some time ago. He walked down the path for at least half an hour, humming the song that represented his brother in so many ways, until the path ended and he stood staring down onto a small village.
He went down the hill carefully, pulling his hood low over his head, and went into the village. He spoke to a few of the villagers seeking someone willing to trade. He spoke to a priest, a butcher, a blacksmith, and a librarian. Few were willing to trade, but some noticed the bag of goodies on the man's shoulder and accepted the trade, receiving the emeralds as a token of appreciation for their kindness to accept the trade. Steve noticed another man besides him trading with the villagers. He looked different, for he was heavily armed, and he looked too well dressed to be from anywhere around this village.
The man looked around while talking to the villagers and spotted Steve. The man was disturbing. As his face was also hooded and he wore thick clothing, possibly to conceal weapons or precious goods. Steve was suspicious of the man, not wanting to have to fight, as he noticed he was from royalty. Either as a guard, a son, or a worker. As much as Steve wanted the kings to pay for what they did, he didn't want to risk having a kingdom searching for him with the intention to either capture or kill. He started walking back to the forest, thinking of taking a small detour to get to the path that led to his house, when he accidently bumped into the man's shoulder.
"Hey! Watch where you're going, man." The man scolded. Steve turned and faced the man, who's hand went to move the long clothing from his side to reveal two swords hanging on his hip, trying to intimidate Steve into apologizing. Steve stared hard at the man, showing his own iron sword, trying to indicate he can fight as well if that's what the man really wanted.
The man snarled at him. "Get going before I call the Guard and haul your ass to prison for disrespecting a member of the Third Order Royalty." Steve hastily turned around again and continued on his way back to the path that led to his house. He suspected the man, as he claimed himself to be a member of the Third Order Royalty. That was the kingdom to have taken Casroth from him. The kingdom responsible for all that had happened. For all that has happened.
He walked away, feeling anger starting to itch it's way to the surface. He wanted to vent it off, to get rid of it. Honestly, he only wanted to kill the man where he stood, but that would only put him into a more dire situation, as there are witnesses around and could very well report him to the kingdoms. He would be hunted and charged with murder. But that realization only made his anger worse, as he wasn't to blame for the source of his anger. If the kings hadn't done what they had done, well, he wouldn't be here now. And Casroth would probably still be with him.
He picked up his pace, wanting to put distance between him and the kingdoms as fast as possible. He took a little detour, wanting to make sure no one was following. It paid off to be cautious sometimes. He went down the mountain, coming onto the path again. Feeling satisfied he followed it back home, dropping all the things he had earned, mainly beef he traded from the butchers, among other things. He set his cloak and bag aside, grapping his pickaxe before heading out again.
He stared down the second path, it leading to the cave where he mined. He glanced at the third path, which led to the Standing Stone that belonged to his friend. He paused for a second, debating whether or not to visit it before heading out to the caves. He'd visit it tonight anyways. The miner started walking down the second path, walking rather slowly. He was drawn back into the past for a while, trying to sort out what happened that night. The sun was slowly setting, it being a little past noon.
Snap! A twig snapped and by instinct the miner pulled out his sword, ready to defend against anything. A rustle of movement got his attention somewhere to the left. He cautiously looked over, thinking it might be a mob, maybe a zombie, but it was plain daylight still. Even under the cover of trees, it was unlikely to have a zombie in the forest in full daylight. What happened next, surprised him greatly, as he did not expect this.
"Hey, didn't think you would live out here all by your lonesome." Someone came out from under the dark trees, revealing himself to be the man who claimed to be a member of the Third Order Royalty. He smiled under his hood. "Must be tough to live alone, Steve." The man hissed his name, sending a slight shiver down the miner's spine. How did this man know him? It confused Steve, as he was trying to intimidate Steve back at the village, but now the man was more relaxed and composed.
"How have you been? How's your friend? I hope he's okay." The man was mocking Steve and Steve knew it. Hi tone told him as much. With his brother's permanent condition, it was impossible for his brother to heal after such a wound and so his fate was sealed. Now this man is making fun of that and Steve didn't appreciate it. Not one bit.
"Well, you've been a pretty big issue in the kingdom. You put a lot of stress on the king, as he fears you will tell someone and rise up against us." The man flicked his wrist and a sharp, thin, clean blade came from inside his clothes. 'A hidden blade?' Steve thought without comfort. The blade alone meant it was an assassin. So he was to be assassinated now? That was interesting. He couldn't fight an assassin, they were well trained, talented with all kinds of weapons, and this one had armor.
Steve started to slowly back away, wanting so bad now to get to the cave, as he figured he would not lose him otherwise. The miner swiftly turned around and made a wild dash; it was a bad move, as the assassin could take the opportunity to kill him, but for some reason didn't. He just laughed and dashed after him.
"So you're going to run now, are you?" He taunted, laughing again and pulled out another blade.
"Why?" He tried to shout, slightly coughing in the process, not used to shouting so loud. He weaved through the trees, trying to delay the assassin a little. He saw the opening of the cave and he saw hope. It was slim, but it was there. He sped up to his maximum, reaching the cave. He jumped over the rocks and stone in his way as the miner came across the intersection. He chose the non-lit cave, as it would give him the chance of getting rid of the damned assassin.
"That's because you are Target 02." The man said, a slight hiss to his voice as he started to get tired of running. Steve was almost out of breath, and he stumbled a few times. This meant others were also targeted for assassination. People were classified in either Target 01 to Target 10, ranking 01 for most important to least important. 'Target 02? Who are the others?' Many people could there for be named Target 02. He ran for a while, taking twists and turns until he heard water and felt faint air currents. This opened up to another section of the ravine, which was probably unexplored. The lack of light told the miner as much.
He suddenly turned, bringing out his sword and stepped aside, the assassin barely stopped himself from tripping to a halt. Steve rammed his sword on the assassin's own blade. The face-off Steve had almost dreamed of since he met the man at the village began, the assassin was struggling at the sudden and unexpected attack from his prey. He smirked despite the circumstances.
"Who are the other targets?" Steve said, eyeing the man with such a dangerous glint and if looks could kill, this man would've been dead and buried six feet under. The man brought out his other sword, trying to catch Steve off guard, but he expected it. They clashed weapons for a time, before the assassin drew back and smiled devilishly.
"Target 03 has been dead for a while. You should well know by now. You visit his grave every night." Steve stared forward again, angry at the assassin for making fun of his friend. The assassin stepped back again, and sheathed one of his swords. Steve grew suspicious. A hand then grasped his angle pulling it from underneath him and he tumbled, nearly falling off the edge. The hand jerked again, and the miner grabbed the ledge to prevent himself from falling.
"Target 01 is someone that would be terribly disastrous if he ever caught wind of our plan. It is safer to dispose, or rather contain, him than it would be to destroy him. He is powerful and could demolish the world with a snap of his fingers if he wanted to. So far, we can't find him, so there's no need to worry, for now." The assassin chuckled as he stepped forward. The hand that held his ankle removed itself as that someone scaled the wall easily and stood next to the assassin. They looked similar, but they wore different colours. 'Another assassin?'
"It's too bad you're going to die here, Steve, by our hands." The second assassin mocked, putting his foot on Steve's hands and pushed down on them. Steve stifled a scream, not wanting to give them the satisfaction. He was, however, growing tired and his fingers were slipping. He tried to hold on tighter, but the assassins decided otherwise. They both put a foot on Steve's hands, and pushed forward. His hands slipped and he felt wind race in his ears. The miner tried to scream but the sensation around him prevented him from even drawing breath. The assassins grew smaller and smaller, smirking at their cheated victory. He heard a faint laugh and a few familiar words.
"Good - bye... Steve."