Forgery of A Pact

Osetrun Village was a small fishing and farming village. Boys who couldn't fight were sent to the fields instead, for a man to be on a farm was shameful, unless the man was old or had a disability. Sergeant Paul Rasrun was in charge of training new knights. He was once a mighty warrior, but since peace was the only thing the world knew, he retired and turned into a trainer. Paul was stationed here at Osetrun Village a few years back. His legion followed him out of respect and now patrols and protects us. Paul is a tall bald man with many scars on his face, arms, chest and legs. He has blue eyes and is extremely muscular. His captain, Steve Haizer, named him "the iron wall," because he's so strong.

Paul stood at six feet three inches, and weighed two hundred pounds, all muscle. He looked like a walking mountain. Every morning he would make sure every boy was up and working hard. After breakfast he would take us out to the woods and make sure we were learning our skills.

"You're late, Niron!" shouted Paul.

I jumped to my feet and saluted.

"I'm sorry sir!" I replied

"If you are late again, I will make you run laps around the village." Paul said

Did I mention he was very strict? He reminded me of my father. Steve was quite the opposite. He was kind, but still firm. He reminded me of my brother.

"Sir!" I said, joining my fellow comrades.

There were six of us in total. Kyle, Thomas, Joseph, Kevin, Hunter and myself. Kyle had blonde hair and blue eyes. He worked out more than most and was strong for his age. Kyle was the natural born leader, also naturally gifted. Thomas had dark brown hair and brown eyes. He was of smaller stature, but could hold his own. Thomas was the brains. During team fights he would come up with the strategies. Joseph had light brown hair and green eyes. He was tall but scrawny. Joseph was shy, but reliable. Kevin was short and weak. He stayed with Joseph most of the time. He crafted weapons for his father's blacksmith shop and was really friendly. He had black hair and brown eyes. Kevin was the nicest out of all of us, he treated everyone with respect. We were all good friends and would do anything for each other.

The others laughed as they finished their warm-up exercises. They were boys of, fourteen, fifteen and sixteen. They were bigger and faster and others were smaller and slower. I was in the middle of that range.

"Okay, you guys ready?" asked Paul.

We nodded.

"On your feet! Let's go!" Paul commanded

It was sunrise when we would do our laps of the barracks. The fastest kid was a kid from another legion named Peter Pretur. He was twelve, had bright blonde hair and green eyes. He could run circles around anyone. He had the most potential out of us. Once the race was on, Peter was already ten feet in front of us.

Each legion had six kids. At the village, and from nearby ones, the total number of legions were twenty, meaning 120 kids training to be a knight. All under the command of Paul Rasrun and Steve Haizer.

Training to be a knight meant becoming a warrior. You learn how to use your sword, shield, spear, bow and arrow, and axe. You also learn tactics, leadership, how to fight in groups, and how to defend yourself. It took two years of hard work, blood, sweat and tears to become a knight. There used to be a squire, but a previous king got rid of that title, said it was unnecessary.

"How is Peter so fast?" Kyle asked

"He is small, maybe that has something to do with it." Thomas answered

"You guys want to go to the open grass field after training?" I asked

"Sure." they agreed.

Next to the barracks there was an open grass field where we went to play and relax. Many of the boys would join us, except for the older ones. James Drowe, the oldest. Son of Connor Drowe. His father was well known and well respected. He fought against the rebellion in 1436. James took after his father, well known and well respected. This is his last year of training, and I admired him greatly.

He would always stay at the barracks after training and spar against Steve. I would occasionally watch before going out into the field. It was hard to follow their movements, both were such skilled fighters.

"Kevin?" I asked

"What?" Kevin responded

"Why are you spacing out?" I asked

"I'm tired," he said, turning away.

Kyle sat next to me and leaned against my shoulder.

"Today was difficult. Let Kevin rest." Kyle said

He always spoke in a calm manner. His voice was soothing, too. I never saw him be fearful, only eager and bold. We were all fourteen, but he seemed to have matured before us.

"Yeah it was." I said

"I'm hungry." Thomas complained

"Same." I said

"Let's go into the village and get lunch." Kyle suggested

Of course none of us argued. He led us to a small bakery near the edge of town, close to the barracks. The smell of the bread made me drool.

"Any of this still left?" asked Thomas

"All of it." the baker replied

We bought as much food as we could carry. As we walked back to the barracks, Thomas stopped suddenly. "Hey look!" he said

I looked up and saw what he was pointing at.

"Look! It's a bird!" Thomas exclaimed

"I don't believe it." said Kevin, sarcastically.

"I know it's a bird. I mean look at the size of it!" Thomas said, "It's huge."

"That is a Marshland Eagle. Rare to see so far from the Marsh." Kyle said

"It is beautiful." I said

"It is the symbol of Silver Marsh. A majestic creature." Kyle said

We walked over to a table and put the food down. We sat and began munching on the sandwiches and loafs.

"We have food if someone wants some!" Kyle shouted

Many other kids ran over and sat with us. Kyle broke apart loaves and handed them to the hungry kids. James stood and watched with a smile on his face. Kyle took a loaf of bread and ran over to James.

"Here you go!" Kyle said, holding out the bread

"Thank you." James said

The rest of the day was calm. The weather was nice and cool. The six of us loved walking around town. But this time it was only Kyle, Hunter, and myself. Thomas, Joseph, and Kevin were too tired to go on a walk. Kyle led us around.

"Where do you want to be stationed?" I asked

"I want to be stationed in Remus City." Hunter said

"I don't care where I am stationed, as long as I'm with at least one of you." Kyle said

"I was gonna say that." I said

"Sure you were." Hunter said, sarcastically.

"I was!" I said

Kyle and Hunter started laughing. Kyle turned around to face us. He held out his hand.

"Let's make a pact." Kyle suggested

"Of what?" Hunter asked

"Let's promise to help each other no matter where we end up. And if one of us falls behind we carry them with us. Until the end." Kyle said

"Until the end." We both repeated

Kyle smiled brightly and said, "Race ya to the tree!"

As soon as he was in motion, Kyle was already many feet away. Hunter and I ran as fast as we could, but couldn't get close. As soon as the two of us got under the tree, we collapsed into laughter and because of fatigue. Kyle laid in between us. The sun began to set and we sat up against the tree.

"I'm going home, I'll see you tomorrow morning." Hunter said

"Good night." Kyle and I said.

"Where do you want to be stationed?" Kyle asked me, looking into my eyes.

"It would be great if all six of us could be stationed together, but I would also love to be stationed with my brother." I said

"Heart Stone?" he asked

"Yeah." I said

He stood up and reached his hand out. I grabbed it and he pulled me up.

"We should go home as well. We have to get up early for training tomorrow." he said

"Yeah, you're right." I said

We started walking up the hill towards town when Kyle suddenly stopped walking. I stared at him from behind with confusion.

"Tomorrow I'll make the same pact I did with you and Hunter with the other three." Kyle said

He turned around and hugged me. I felt like crying as he held me tightly. I returned his hug. His body was so warm I didn't want to let go. He pulled away slowly and waved as he walked home.

"Until the end!" he shouted

"Until the end..." I whispered.