The Southwestern Provinces

Gianni with the rest of the medical team ventures off to the southwestern fortresses. Their trip happens just hours after the royal wedding. They all leave the palace with hardened hearts and devoted souls. Gianni looks back to see the Capital one last time as they finally leave for their important mission. A mission that can mean their death. A mission that can determine the future of the kingdom.

They eventually stop as the night deepens. The starry skies are partly visible. Most of the night sky are clouds, not thunderstorm clouds nor rain clouds, but plain clouds that spell a depressing night. They all have medical principles and case studies as the topics of their conversations, until all the attention turns to Gianni's love life. As he is the youngest physician in the group, his seniors are making sure that he has a life outside of work. Medicine is a noble pursuit, but it is love and romance that satisfy the thirst and hungers of the soul.

"I know I'm in love, but I don't know if we will be together," Gianni replies. "I wish things are different." The other physicians marks quiescence as they see Gianni's face turning serious. They begin telling tall tales of their failed romantic pursuits. One doctor says that he gave his romantic interest two hundred roses since her last name means two hundred in an ancient language, but she ends up hating it. Others recall their rejections and mischiefs as newborns to love.

All this talk of love makes Gianni feel tired and hopeless. He retires first and tucks into the sheets, before his emotions deteriorate further.

The next morning, they travel early eating breakfast on the road. They make a quick stop at a village where they mend the sick and helps the local doctors. They all see how the village is suffering, businesses are bankrupt, healthcare is stagnant and broken, famine and malnutrition are everywhere, poverty is prevalent.

"This village, it's so sad and poor. It's humbling," Gianni soliloquizes. "Does the Capital know of the situation here?"

"They know, but these are the southwestern provinces, after all." The head physician hears his self talks and answers patting his shoulder. "They have the highest infant mortality rate, and their poverty numbers are the highest in the kingdom."

"Is life here always that hard?" Gianni asks. "I can't believe that no one from the royal family moved to help the people here."

"It wasn't always like this, until the recent war," the head physician answers. "The southwestern provinces were once as wealthy as its sister domain the Grandiflora domain, but after the war, this place was the most affected. Even small skirmishes that went through years ravage what's left of this suffering province. Furthermore, their benevolent and kind lord perished in the war. He was replaced by his brother who does not care for his people. The taxes are perpetually high, all the resources are owned by his house, and there's just too much."

"And now that they are going to be dragged into war again," Gianni continues and turns to him, "their chance for survival just greatly diminished."

"Sadly, we can't do much. We are physicians. What we can do is heal the sick. We cannot order their ruling noble to become benevolent, nor make the Capital act to aid the people here."

"Can't we help them, at least? If we use the resources of our office…"

"Then, we would have nothing left. The southwestern provinces are vast. Even if we do exhaust our resources, it will still not be enough. There are also people in the Capital who need us, Gianni. Reality is cruel and sad. But it is what make it real."

The group continues on their journey and finds their way to the first fort. Two physicians stay behind. After further march, they find another unstable village. Right next to that village is another fortress, where two other physicians stay.

Darkness is soon going to cover the entire sky. The remaining physicians camp inside the dense forests. They are getting closer to the border and the fortresses of their destination. They must split up into two groups and find the two fortresses on their own.

Gianni pairs with the head physician, who accompanies him in the journey. Together, they head to the fortress closest to the border.

The first morning birds begin to tweet and the warm sunlight eventually shines from their east glaring on their backs. Breakfast is of no enjoyment and savor as they must travel as fast as they can to their respective forts. Gianni and the Chief Physician gallops to the southwesternmost fortress.

"By the way, I haven't asked your name," Gianni says as he whips the reins. "I've always called you sir or doctor."

"I'm Sol," the man replies.

"Sol? I can see why your daughter's name is Claire."

"Right?"

Both are hunger-stricken, but their arrival at the fort could mean life and death for the soldiers there. Thus, they brace themselves and suck it all in. The scent of the forest almost ends as they eventually reach a prairie, where the winter cold got harsher.

From a distance, a rundown village lay on the prairies scene. It appears deserted and empty from their position. They look at their map again and indicates their position. After the village is the fort, it is the last village until the border.

They ride as fast as the wind and arrives before the sun can go up any higher. It is a total ghost village. There isn't any soul to be seen and a sound to be heard. Suddenly, a light cough utterly breaks the silence. It comes from a distance. They ride to where it comes from. They find a child laying on the cold harsh ground completely vulnerable to the pains of winter.

Gianni rushes to help the child, but Manfred stops him. They slowly come close. But when the boy sees them, paranoia strikes him as he runs away from the two. As the boy runs away, he suddenly trembles and dies.

"It's an epidemic," Manfred says to Gianni as he gets back on his horse. "This must be one of those occult villages."

"What do you mean?" Gianni asks. "Occult? What did the boy have?"

"It's kuru," Manfred answers. "This village must be the infamous occult village at the edge of the kingdom."

"Kuru? But I thought that disease is really rare," Gianni gets back on his horse.

"Not here in the southwest. The far southwest part of Gallia has a completely different culture from the rest of it. Especially in this occult village, they feast on the remains of their dead relatives, sometimes they share it with the entire village. Though they are quite cultured in some aspects, this tradition has been passed to generations and because of this tradition, many of the people here in this village especially in this part close to the border have kuru."

Gianni stays quiet. He slowly covers his mouth and nose protecting them from the harsh cold. He breathes slowly, as he looks at the dead boy from a distance.

The two continues on their way feeling the continuously plummeting temperature banging against their horses and their clothes. As they go further on their tracks, they finally notice the first drops of snow on the ground. They stop for a bit investigating their surroundings as another thicket waits for them at their front.

"We are almost there," Manfred says looking at the map. He switches his gaze from the thicket to the map, then back again. "Beyond this thicket, the fortress awaits us."

The two rides on and passes through the thicket finally revealing the fortress nearest the border. Snow surrounds and covers its roofs and ramparts. It is closed. Not a single soul is visible from the outside, but there are numerous torches burning and blazing on top of the walls. The gate is huge and is somewhat in a perfect condition, a sign that the drums of war have still not rolled.

The southwestern provinces is basically a wasteland. Contrasting the lux and extravagance of the Capital, poverty engulfs the entire region. It does not even hold a candle to the poorest Tracians, who can still afford decent clothing and eat three times a day. In the southwest, life is miserable and hard.

This region is the weakest point of Gallia, because of foreign and domestic reasons. Now war threatens to rid what little life its inhabitants have. The white snow flutters beautifully on the air, slowly piling up on the ground. The black and grey aggregate becomes white and pale. Gianni's and Manfred's breathing condenses. They shrink under their coats as they proceed closer to the fortress.

The southwestern trees all meet their demise. The last orange leaf is long gone from the highest branches. Only a handful of evergreens survive, as they make the snow slide down their slippery leaves. The land creatures hibernate. The squirrels are inside their homes inside the tree trunks. All manner of reptiles flee from the desolate snow. Their cold blood cannot handle the chills of winter.

The horses leave their tracks on the deep snow, as they get closer to their destination. Every subtle whip of the reins, remind Gianni of the time he was lashed. A memory that scarred him for all eternity.

The white color covers as far as the eye can see. Although other hues are present, in the winter, white dominates all. The greens of spring are yet to come. The flowers of summer have all but left. The orange leaves of winter are gone. The moments bring back all the memories that Gianni has, as the heir to House Saint-Amour. One time his father took him on a trip to see his grandparents. His grandparents lived in a manse outside the Capital city of their domain. Gianni can remember the warmth of his grandmother's scarf that she gave to him on his visit.

It is a special gift that he returned to his grandmother when she passed away. Winter's beauty is its purity and resolute. But its pain and bitterness complement its blessings.