Punishment

"Which one of you was the initiator?" asked Hans, looking down on kneeling boys in front of him.

Boys kept their heads low and didn't dare to look into Hans' eyes.

*Sigh*

"Don't want to reply?" inquired Hans searching for a single voice to speak up.

Taking a whip in his hands, Hans walked behind boys and started to reward them with 3 whips each on their necked backs.

Small yelps escaped boys' mouths, but nothing came out of them. Their mouths remained shut as their heads remained down.

"You understand that because of your actions one of you might have died. This time it was Gwelt, while the next one could be Lambert," said Hans

"Unless…." started Hans, showing a small smirk on his face. "It was Gwelt who started it?"

"No, it was me"

"No, it was me"

"No, it was me"

"No, it was me"

Spoke boys.

Hans released a silent chuckle, rewarding everyone once again.

"I value qualities you show right now, but I'm your teacher. This is what you deserve for your foolish acts," spoke Hans

"Who could have known that we would be assaulted?" spoke up Eskel.

Hans walked behind Eskel and whipped him. "What did I tell you about nearby forest?"

"It is dangerous?" replied Eskel

"And?" inquired Hans

"That we shouldn't go there," continued Eskel

"And?"

"…"

"Incorrect," said Hans, whipping Eskel.

Like that the rest of the day passed by, boys were punished for their foolishness and were all whipped and put on the hard training regimen that would avoid having any free time what so ever.

At the end of the day, when the boys had their entire body in pain, Hans invited August over to his room to speak with his student.

August arrived with his head lowered. He still could not forgive himself for the things that had happened.

Hans looked at his student sighing "Raise your head"

August raised his eyes up and looked directly into Hans' eyes.

"I called you here today for a reason," started Hans

August nodded his head and patiently waited

"Today you learned a lesson, but first let me tell you a story," spoke Hans.

August tilted his head to the side, asking, "What is it?"

[Story]

Once there was a boy.

He lived in a simple-looking family under the regiment of Kaedween King. He didn't represent something particular, but just a kid in a normal folk family.

He had a simple family of a father, mother, and 5 siblings. Their entire family was specializing in growing crops and earning their living. But life was not an easy one for them.

The lord of those lands was a wicked man, he established a tribute that all farmers had to pay. It was set in the weight of those crops and had to be fulfilled or the consequences will be lethal. It didn't matter if during a year there was a lack of sun or lack of rain during which the harvest could greatly decrease.

For sometime the boy's family lived with no problems, but there were years when they had to eat plant leaves and wood barks just to fill their stomach.

Once a father of the boy spoke to a man that passed by the village. After that boy was taken away from his family and home. He wasn't given a choice or anything to at least remember about his family.

At this time, his anger towards his family raised, and he started to hate them for giving him away to a stranger. But it was not all.

Boy was taken by a mage that took him along for his wicked experiments. There, boy found out what it really felt like to be in pain. He was fed various herbs that changed the boy, making someone else out of a simple farmer.

Boy learned how to handle a sword, how to be a good fighter, how to protect himself. During his training, he found friends that filled the hole in his heart that formed after his parents gave him away.

He trained hard and tried his best to survive, and he did.

Along the way, he was able to find people that supported him and that walked the same path he did. With time, memories of his family that abandoned him faded away, leaving only a bitter taste, since their destiny was unknown to him.

Later, when he was able to become independent and survive on his own, he ventured into the world. Destiny of his family still bothered him and he took a trip back to his home village.

There, when he arrived at the house he remembered as his family's one, he found nobody there. Empty and half destroyed, with fields long abandoned and no one presence.

He investigated this matter and later found out that his family was not alive anymore. During the year he left them, tribute went up, making it hard to survive and his family died from hunger. Only then did he understand that his family allowed him to avoid starving death.

This ignited the fire that was long gone, fire of love and care, he wanted to pay back to those guilty of his family death. He went after this lord and tried to kill him, tried to pay back for lives he took.

But such a feat was not a joke, it required a lot of time and patience. It took boy 10 years to complete his agenda and only then he decided to go back home, to the keep where all started.

When he was back, he found out that most of his friends were not among living any more. Most of them died during their travels and dangers they encountered.

Only then he understood, that he didn't even say goodbye one last time. Only then did he understand. You need to value those things that you have in your life right now and don't postpone them on the later date, since later might never come.

[End of the story]

August lowered his head, fidgeting his fingers.

"Do you understand what is the point I'm trying to deliver to you?" inquired Hans

Hans stood up and walked towards the wall where scratches on the stone were engraved.

Running his hand across all crossed lines, he whispered, "This is the cost you can pay for your stubbornness"

Squeezing his fists tightly, August looked up to his teacher, with small droplets of water that were forming on the sides of his eyes. "But I can't….. I can't forget about those horrors. I had to be a witness of…"

*Sigh*

Hans placed his hand on August shoulder, saying quietly, "You don't need to"

His head went up to his teacher. "But what should I do then? Tell me!"

"Move towards your goal. But don't sacrifice all you have for that sake," replied Hans.

Hans's face fell as he sat on his bed and looked towards the ceiling. "Go. Think about that on your own"

August walked towards the door, accurately opening it. Walking pass the line of the room, he whispered, "I will try to protect my friends" before closing the door.

Hans released a small smirk. "Huh" he placed his hand over his eyes and spoke "Would things be different?"

His eyes drifted into the distance.

"I hope I would be there for most of you brothers…"

He looked at the candle holder that was clearly polished and looking at the distorted reflection of his, he said aloud, "I hope those old hands will at least save another family"

...

Sorry for late one, I forgot that they were not uploaded onto auto release.