The Minecraft Story: The Beginning: Chapter 17
Before the village of Zamafar was completely destroyed. Marcus came out of hiding to make it appear he participated in the slaughter.
He stood in the center of town. Everywhere he looked there was a new body. Most were cut up or burnt. For many, he could still see the fear frozen on their faces. He saw bodies that were trying to shield children, some appeared to have been begging for their lives.
What have I done? He thought, a lump formed in his throat. I helped them in.
Marcus saw other knights looting what was left of the homes and corpses. However, to Marcus's surprise, some appeared to be as disturbed as he was. He could see their faces, mostly the younger ones. They had looks of anguish. Eventually, he saw his brother, Franz.
He walked over to his brother, his body was trembling. It didn't take long for Franz to notice Marcus. As the two brothers approached, they analyzed each other's faces. Franz could see Marcus's distress all over him. He was about to cry.
When Marcus reached him, he embraced his little brother and whispered in his ear, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Don't let them see it." His voice was calm and soothing.
"What have we done?" Marcus's voice trembled as he began to sob.
"I know brother, I know," Franz tried to hide Marcus's face from the surrounding knights. "Don't let them see it." Franz took Marcus to a more secluded spot, still hiding his face.
"Why?" Marcus sobbed. "Why?"
"Listen to me," Franz pulled Marcus to his face. "I can't let you do this, you have to quit."
"What," Marcus was confused.
"I never should've let you do this," Franz began to tear up. "I should've known you couldn't do this. I'm sorry."
"Why do they do this, why do you do this?" Marcus questioned his brother.
"This is the reality of this war," Franz answered. "This is what we do to the heretics. It's not pretty, I know. But it has-" Franz trailed off.
"This has to happen?" Marcus probed his brother.
"No…it…I mean," Franz couldn't formulate a response. He sighed and looked Marcus in the eyes. "You shouldn't have to do this. I never should've encouraged you to join. When we get back to Fort Deepslate, we'll figure out a way for you to quit."
Marcus began to collect himself. "But once you're a knight, you can't leave. It's against the code. It's an act of treason."
"I know, but maybe we can fake an injury." Franz suggested. "I don't know yet, but I can't let you continue like this."
"Thank you Franz," Marcus said, finally composing himself.
"Attention!" General Ausmin yelled. All the knights converged near the gate and stood at attention. "Well done holy knights!" The General spoke with pride. "We have fought back against the heretics. These Notch hating animals will now rot in the Nether with Herobrine."
Resentment for the General was building in Marcus. He'd once revered General Ausmin as a noble and valiant warrior. However, in the second battle Marcus had ever fought, he was starting to learn who the General really was. In Morzen and in Zamafar, he stayed at the back of the legion, away from the fighting. He wondered how long it had been since the General's sword was unsheathed.
"The southern heretics will feel our wrath again soon," The General continued. "For now, we will return to Fort Deepslate and will celebrate our grand victory over lunch. Holy knights, line up in formation outside the gates."
The Miter Knights funneled back out the bottleneck and began to resume formation. Marcus was one of the last one's out. Before he left, he took one more look at Zamafar.
Dead and scorched. He thought. Thank Notch I'll be leaving soon. Marcus exited through the burnt down gate.
The knights lined up for the march back to the fort. Marcus felt a little bit of hope that he wouldn't have to fight in this barbaric war again. However, his mind wandered. If I leave now, that makes me a traitor to my people and my faith. He thought, second guessing himself. What would Notch think about me abandoning my comrades and the safety of the holy lands? While the southern heretics may not be as big a threat as I once believed, those monsters are still roaming the night. Why aren't we fighting them?
"Knights, advance!" General Ausmin ordered. The legion began to march.
If I leave now, I'll be turning my back on the people who truly need our help. Marcus thought. Maybe instead, I can do something about this war. If I can get enough knights together, maybe we could convince the General to focus his efforts on the monsters.
Suddenly, the knights in the front stopped marching.
I need to start speaking to the other knights. Surely not everyone approves of what we just did. We can make a change if we just band together.
Marcus was so lost in thought, he at first didn't notice the General riding towards the back on his horse and yelling, "We're under attack!"