The Duty Of The Sword

After the man uttered those words father attacked him with blinding speed, as far as i could tell none of the strikes he launched actually hit him. The man was only evading fathers strikes, I could see his huge ugly smile on his ragged face. I haven't felt this kind of fear, ever, i have never feared for my life and my fathers life like i have right now. I just watched them fight, my father attacking furiously. Seconds later I heard a loud crack, my fathers first had struck the man in the rib cage. Blood erupted from the mans mouth, splattering over the ground. The man sprung back, clutching his ribs.

"You bastard, you just broke my ribs." The man smirked as he spoke, blood dripping from his mouth.

"Leave." Father stated. A sternness in his voice that I had never heard before, I knew he was fighting full force just by that.

Before father could say anything else, the man stuck his hand in the air. I knew what he was going to say, I could feel tears dripping down my face, his next word was going to change everything.

After a moment of hesitation the man screamed, "Attack!"

On that cue his army of men began marching forward, the village people met them in toe. Father grabbed me and ran away,

"Put me down! I can fight!" I barked.

"Shut UP!" My father screamed.

I was silent after that, father never liked to yell at me. I knew the situation was dire if he did. He had only ever yelled at me when my life was in danger or the lives of everyone in the village were at risk. He had yelled at me once and only once, that was when I had fallen down the village well and broken my leg, he never did it again. I began to feel a heavy weight on my shoulders as father carried me to the house, I could see the fabric of my small world unraveling with every second that passed. I began to feel the weight getting heavier and heavier, I could see the villagers fighting as father got further and further away. They were losing, all of them. As they all fell down in defeat they were mercilessly beaten to death, I could see every last fist that hit my dear friends faces, every adult man and woman were getting beaten to death before my eyes. I could feel tears falling from my eyes, I could hear their bones breaking, their gargled voices as they spat dying remarks at their murderers. I could hear all of it, the people I had grown up around were dying before my eyes.

"Take a good look, son. This is the faction's war." Father said coldly.