Post by Moshel-Generał on Feb 23, 2021 21:01:57 GMT -5
Bastien Crozier walked through the streets of his hometown. He greeted his neighbors with a smile and a wave. They returned the gestures in turn and the local baker even offered him a loaf of bread. He smiled as he felt the warmth of the people. That warmth disappeared as he came to the memorial. Every town in the Union had one. He walked up to it and pressed his hand to it, searching. He stopped upon one name: Rose. He held back the tears as he thought of the brave girl he had grown up with, and of the life that had once seemed so peaceful.
WARNING: THIS FLASHBACK HAS DEPICTIONS OF VIOLENT ACTS SUCH AS MURDER AND EXECUTION, DO NOT READ IF YOU WANT TO AVOID
19 Esrellia 1940, Sarmiers, Shahdom of Eonia
The Fifth Staol War was in full swing. Millions of lives had been lost in the brutal fighting on the front lines, however all that was so far away from the simple town of Sarmiers. A small town in Eonia far from the front lines the war had not reached there beyond the demands for food increasing each week. The young men had already been called away to serve at the front a few years prior, so there was no one left to worry. The children played and the women and elderly worked. Bastien was only 11, and spent most of his time with a young Eoni girl named Rose. The two were considered inseparable. The elderly of the village liked to joke about young love whenever they saw the pair. It had been a fairly quiet life in the village until that fateful day.
That day Shahist military forces occupied the village. The adults looked nervous, but for the kids they thought nothing had changed. They continued to play and act as if nothing was wrong. One night Bastien snuck out of his house, aiming on meeting up with Rose. They had planned on looking at some of the stars. They meet up in the middle of town and walked down the street, after all who would be looking at the road at this hour? As they walked they heard a sharp crack travel through the air. At first they thought they had imagined it, but then they heard it again. It seemed to have a rhythm. Curiosity overwhelming them they headed in the direction of the sounds. The sight they saw turned their stomachs inside out. The soldiers were standing there, surrounded by the dead. As they stared, Bastien stepped backward from shock, snapping a branch. A soldier's head looked towards them and they darted, terrified.
After a few minutes of desperate running, Bastien slowed down to catch his breath. His heart then stopped, for Rose was missing. He looked around, hoping to see her following him. She was gone. He stood there for a few moments before running home, hoping she had done the same.
That morning he went to look for her again. After she wasn't in their usual spots he wandered through town wondering where she was. As he thought about heading back to the scene he saw last night he heard shouting in the square. He trudged over and saw a crowd of angry people surrounding the platform at the center. There was a line of soldiers preventing the crowd from getting to the platform. On it he saw a few soldiers, a fancily dressed man, a few people who looked beaten... and Rose.
She looked a little rough, but she looked ok. Bastien didn't pay attention to the words that were being shouted as he tried to squeeze his way to the front of the crowd. As he finally made it to the front he finally made out a word. "Death." There was a chorus of cracks and Bastien stood still in horror. The last things he remembered was grabbing a rock, throwing it, and the thud that followed.
END OF WARNING
Present Day
Bastien felt the tears flow down his face as his hand rested on the name. He could no longer hold them back. It had sunk in that he would never be able to see her again. He stood up straight and felt the rifle bang against his back. He was determined now. He had lied on his papers and gone to training. This was likely the last time he would ever be here again. He bowed his head to the memorial before turning back to rejoin his unit. The officer looked at him and nodded approvingly before giving the order to move on. It was at this moment that the oath he had given made sense. He smiled as he looked up at the cloudy sky, and at the Union's flag waving in the wind. The flag stained red, with the blood, of the martyrs.
WARNING: THIS FLASHBACK HAS DEPICTIONS OF VIOLENT ACTS SUCH AS MURDER AND EXECUTION, DO NOT READ IF YOU WANT TO AVOID
19 Esrellia 1940, Sarmiers, Shahdom of Eonia
The Fifth Staol War was in full swing. Millions of lives had been lost in the brutal fighting on the front lines, however all that was so far away from the simple town of Sarmiers. A small town in Eonia far from the front lines the war had not reached there beyond the demands for food increasing each week. The young men had already been called away to serve at the front a few years prior, so there was no one left to worry. The children played and the women and elderly worked. Bastien was only 11, and spent most of his time with a young Eoni girl named Rose. The two were considered inseparable. The elderly of the village liked to joke about young love whenever they saw the pair. It had been a fairly quiet life in the village until that fateful day.
That day Shahist military forces occupied the village. The adults looked nervous, but for the kids they thought nothing had changed. They continued to play and act as if nothing was wrong. One night Bastien snuck out of his house, aiming on meeting up with Rose. They had planned on looking at some of the stars. They meet up in the middle of town and walked down the street, after all who would be looking at the road at this hour? As they walked they heard a sharp crack travel through the air. At first they thought they had imagined it, but then they heard it again. It seemed to have a rhythm. Curiosity overwhelming them they headed in the direction of the sounds. The sight they saw turned their stomachs inside out. The soldiers were standing there, surrounded by the dead. As they stared, Bastien stepped backward from shock, snapping a branch. A soldier's head looked towards them and they darted, terrified.
After a few minutes of desperate running, Bastien slowed down to catch his breath. His heart then stopped, for Rose was missing. He looked around, hoping to see her following him. She was gone. He stood there for a few moments before running home, hoping she had done the same.
That morning he went to look for her again. After she wasn't in their usual spots he wandered through town wondering where she was. As he thought about heading back to the scene he saw last night he heard shouting in the square. He trudged over and saw a crowd of angry people surrounding the platform at the center. There was a line of soldiers preventing the crowd from getting to the platform. On it he saw a few soldiers, a fancily dressed man, a few people who looked beaten... and Rose.
She looked a little rough, but she looked ok. Bastien didn't pay attention to the words that were being shouted as he tried to squeeze his way to the front of the crowd. As he finally made it to the front he finally made out a word. "Death." There was a chorus of cracks and Bastien stood still in horror. The last things he remembered was grabbing a rock, throwing it, and the thud that followed.
END OF WARNING
Present Day
Bastien felt the tears flow down his face as his hand rested on the name. He could no longer hold them back. It had sunk in that he would never be able to see her again. He stood up straight and felt the rifle bang against his back. He was determined now. He had lied on his papers and gone to training. This was likely the last time he would ever be here again. He bowed his head to the memorial before turning back to rejoin his unit. The officer looked at him and nodded approvingly before giving the order to move on. It was at this moment that the oath he had given made sense. He smiled as he looked up at the cloudy sky, and at the Union's flag waving in the wind. The flag stained red, with the blood, of the martyrs.