Prototype (2/2)

When Rafael returned to his room, he noticed that everything had been cleaned, and the bedsheets had been replaced. This feels better, he thought as he threw himself onto the bed.

Now I just have to wait until tomorrow to grab the first prototype and test it. He ran his hands over the fresh sheets, recalling the events of the previous night. Aahhhh, where is she now?

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Fritz was a commoner, having lunch with his wife and four children. His hands were rough and calloused from years of hard labor. He stared at his plate, filled with the usual porridge. He had never liked it, but he knew they couldn't afford anything better.

"Dear, how's the construction going?" his wife asked. Fritz looked at her and felt a deep sense of dread. The woman he loved, the mother of his children, had aged before his eyes. Her hair was streaked with white, and her face and hands were lined with wrinkles and brown spots.

A chill ran down his spine. What happened? What have I been doing with my life? He looked at his children—the oldest was already of age. How? How did I miss their growing up?

"...Fritz!" His wife's voice snapped him back to reality. "Sorry, I... I just remembered the commander summoned me to the inner circle."

"What do they want?" she asked, her voice laced with fear.

"They said it's to test something—a new weapon."

"No! They'll kill you just to test a weapon? Don't go! Let's run away!" She and his two daughters began to cry. "These demons! They take everything from us, and now they want to take my father? I'll kill them all!" His eldest son, tired of their life under the nobility's thumb, clenched his fists in anger.

"No, no, it's not like that. They want me to test the weapon, to use it. Don't worry, I'll be fine." Fritz kissed them all and left his simple home. The streets were quieter now compared to two days ago. The people were still anxious about the future, but all they could do was fight against it.

As he walked away from his home, he glanced at a particular house. I hope they made it. They probably made the right choice... Should we run away too? Maybe it's not too late...

When he reached the gate, he met the guards. "I was called here to test a new weapon."

"Go in and meet the commander at the barracks."

No one he knew had ever entered the inner circle or seen the mansion up close. As the door opened and he stepped inside, his jaw dropped. It looked like something from another world. The grass was well-trimmed and green, the buildings were sturdy, with even the simplest made entirely of wood.

But what really caught his attention was the Baron's mansion. "The Baron's mansion..." he whispered. It was massive, made entirely of stone, with large windows in some places.

After a minute of taking it all in, he made his way to the barracks where a large group of soldiers had gathered. As he got closer, he saw there were other commoners like him.

"Oh, finally, you're the last one. Stand there with the others," a soldier directed him.

"Good morning," Fritz greeted the others. "Does anyone know what this new weapon is?"

"No."

"I don't know, sorry."

"Me neither." There were nine other people like him, and none of them knew. Why were we called here? I've been helping build the city walls outside, and I did nothing wrong, so there's no way I'm being imprisoned, right?

"Okay! You're all here," a voice called out. "I'm Second Commander Wilfred, and we summoned you to test a new weapon to defend our city. This—" A soldier handed him the crossbow. "—is a crossbow, and it works similarly to a bow. You pull the string, and when you release it, the arrow flies. But as you can see, this is quite different from a common bow."

He loaded a bolt onto the crossbow, turned around, and shot at a target 10 meters away. "As you've just seen, I didn't need to use much force to pull it. We called you here, ordinary people, to see if you can use this new weapon. Who will be the first?"

The men hesitated, glancing around nervously. A small crowd of guards and soldiers had gathered to watch.

"What's happening?! Are you all cowards who don't want to fight? The enemy will arrive in just a few days, and they'll slaughter every single one of us! They'll rape your wives and children and burn our land—unless you fight back! Take this chance to defend your family and your home from the savages coming from the west!"

One man stepped forward, and then the others followed.

"Sir, the results are unbelievable! These commoners learned how to use the crossbow in just a few hours, and they're already hitting the target three out of five times. This might change the outcome of the war!" The Second Commander's voice was filled with hope.

Frederic was both surprised and pleased. "That's good. Here's the order: start mass production of these crossbows and train as many commoners as possible to help defend the city. The more, the better." He spoke to his adviser, who nodded and left to carry out the order.

Frederic closed the door and walked back to his bed, where his wife and another woman were waiting, both naked.

"What did he say?"

"Something great. He told me that this new weapon is incredible and will be a great help to us."

"See? I told you this was the right choice. Imagine what else he can bring to our house in the future."

"Fine, fine, you were right. Now, where were we?" He grinned and jumped onto the bed.

The ceremony was held at the small church near the mansion. The marriage was conducted by the only priest who still believed in Rafael. Few people attended, but the news that Baron Frederic's daughter had married someone spread like wildfire.

That night would be remembered forever, for both Rafael and his new bride.