Great Men

"The great don't fall, they die standing!"

The captain shouted at the top of his lungs.

"The enemy is in front of us. They want to see us bend. They want to see us break!"

Blood dripped down his eyebrows. The fire raged all around them.

"But we will DIE STANDING!"

The captain grabbed the reins of a horse running around, turned insane by the flames and shouts, stopping it in its tracks and almost turning it upside down. With a swift movement, he jumped on its back and pointed his sword at the sky.

"CHAAA-AAAAAAAAAARGE"

"CHAAA-AAAAAAAAARGE," a thousand voices were heard behind him, in tune with the captain. Men and women, some in armour, some with barely any clothes on, armed and ready for battle. With a roar of courage that shook the mountains, the captain and his forces charged towards the enemy. No one would die kneeling, not this time.

Grandpa closed the book, stopping abruptly while telling the story, and stared at us

"And then they all died. The end"

He picked up a wooden sword from the ground, signalling them to get ready to start training again.

"I'm sorry for interrupting, Grandpa," his granddaughter apologized as she picked up her own wooden sword, "but did their sacrifice amount to nothing? They all fought so bravely, only for them to lose? There must have been more to the story than that!"

"Great men don't die standing, my dear. They die stupidly. That's why you must learn. Greatness, bravery, fame, honour, they are just etiquette the world gives you. What matters is your own strength. Your own character."

Grandpa's stance was immaculate, showing no opening. Long Ju tried a swift attack, relying on her younger body, only to eat dirt a moment later.

"Much more to learn..."

The granddaughter stood up and brushed the dirt off of her clothes. Her face was determined, and she wasn't about to let this opportunity slip through her fingers. She tightened the grip on her wooden sword, holding it tightly. She looked up at her grandfather, ready.

The other kids laughed. They were not yet at the level of sparring with Grandfather, but that didn't stop them from finding her countless defeats amusing.

The granddaughter didn't care about their laughter. She was here to learn, not to entertain. She stood up, anticipating her next attack, determined to prove that she was worthy of her title as the oldest. Her hands gripped the sword tightly, and with a swift movement, she charged towards her grandfather. With all her might, she swung her sword towards him, hoping to make contact.

"Do you believe yourself to be great? Or brave? Is that why you're so disappointed in the Captain's death in the story?"

Grandfather smiled as he moved slowly, avoiding her strike and slightly pushing with the handle of his wooden sword against her sides. Unbalanced, she fell to the ground.

Long Ju scrambled to her feet, feeling embarrassed. She couldn't let her grandfather see her as weak, as someone incapable of taking a hit. She gripped her sword tightly, then charged, aiming for a diagonal strike, but her opponent was faster. He easily parried her, kicking her to the side and knocking her down once again.

Two arrows suddenly hit the ground near them

"Dead... and dead. See? It doesn't matter if your sword is mighty, an arrow is all it takes..." said a man in his thirties with a smile from up the roof.

"Uncle Kai!"

The kids laughed and shouted as the uncle jumped down

The grandfather smiled warmly at the young man.

"Kai, my boy," he said as they hugged each other, "it's been too long."

Long Ju watched them, feeling a little jealous. She wished she could hug her grandfather like that.

"Uncle Kai is an amazing archer! We didn't even notice you were on the roof, let alone the arrows," she shouted, feeling a bit of pride.

She knew that she still had a lot to learn, but she also knew she was on the right path. With each defeat, she grew stronger and wiser.

"Uncle Kai thinks his bow and arrows are all-powerful. Yet, I could still do this," harrumphed Grandpa.

With a calm movement of the wooden sword, a placid gust of wind travelled in a straight line, cutting everything in its path until it stopped after felling a tree branch thirty metres away from them. Uncle Kai grimaced.

"C'mon, that was just a joke, father, no need to unleash the Aura..."

"Humph, let me brag a little in front of the young'uns." A chuckle escaped his lips.

The kids watched in awe as the wind sliced through the air, cutting through anything that stood in its path. She had never seen such a powerful yet controlled display of strength before. She felt small and insignificant compared to the two men and the skills they possessed. But deep inside her, a fire burned bright, fueling her desire to train even harder, to become just as skilled as they were, perhaps even more. Long Ju decided that she would ask her grandfather to teach her how to use Aura properly. She knew that the one he used was a powerful technique that took years to master, but if she could learn it and develop her own style, she could be just as strong as her Uncle Kai. She wasn't going to give up until she learned everything her grandfather could teach her.

  "And look at our young Ju. She looks very grown up. I feel sad, knowing that soon she's going to leave the nest and get married to some guy."

Uncle Kai patted her shoulders.

"It will always be too early for my little bird. You hear me? You are our shiny gem," Uncle Kai said, tearing up a little bit. He never missed a chance to dote on his niece. He desired a daughter so much, but fate granted him only sons. Six at that. He would have suggested trying again, but the fire in his wife's eyes was getting quite scary each time they touched the subject.

Long Ju blushed, feeling happy that Uncle Kai was so supportive of her. She appreciated his encouragement and the way he treated her like she was his own daughter. She knew that she was still young and had a lot to learn, but she also knew that she was lucky to have people like her grandfather and Uncle Kai in her life. They made her feel safe and protected, like a warm, loving family, and she was grateful for that. She laughed, feeling happy and relaxed. Days like these were rare in the Long clan, especially after the war. The air was always heavy, and the adults were often busy. She was only 16 and had trained her entire life for war. She remembered when, three years ago, they made her hold her coming-of-age ceremony one year earlier because her father had gone missing for a whole month. Even though she was a girl, she was the oldest child of the Patriarch, and as such, everyone had taken her education in political and military affairs very seriously since her early childhood. After all, clan heads were dying like flies all the time during the war. It wasn't rare for successions to happen without warning or logic. She was denied even her tears, the preparations for her to become interim head had been so chaotic. She was lucky her father wasn't dead; he was returning victorious after taking an enemy general's head beyond the border. He was furious at the news of what her daughter had been made to endure during those months. But many thought he was more scared of how coldly and efficiently she ruled the clan in his absence. Many called her a ruthless demon child behind her back. It would be a sight to behold if those people could see her laughing so cheerfully now. She looked no different than any other teen her age. Despite being caught off guard by the sudden peace, she was glad her younger siblings and cousins were partly spared the madness of growing up in that dark era. They were so young back then. Long Ju smiled at these thoughts. Her little brother, Hao, was right. She really behaved like an old grandma at times. Imagining her brother's antics, her smile became even brighter. She had to think of a good gift for him. His 14th birthday was approaching, meaning this was his coming-of-age ceremony. She wondered what a normal one would look like; it was the first one since the war.

"Is it a nice daydream?"

Long Ju gasped, surprised. Her grandfather was behind her, grinning mischievously. He flipped her over, making her taste the dirt again. The kids cheered again, joined by Uncle Kai, who was holding his stomach.

"The training is not over!" Grandpa shouted, hiding his snicker under his beard.

She grabbed her wooden sword and spit some mud out. Of course, some things always stay the same.