Romance Amidst Rubble

A knight not oft called upon that is my duty, my assignment, my livelihood. A lover, longing to be with the woman who kindled my heart in this icy chest; that is my calling, my desire, my greatest wish. Is it so bad to want peace, to want a halt to this ceaseless war? I think not. All I want is to live a life of peace, a life with her, with Mimiko. I don't like fighting; I never have. Yet all the same, when I am summoned, I must heed the call to arms, for if not me, who would protect my brothers-in-arms?

It was easy when I was alone, a mercenary for hire. I had great success during that time, but then I was appointed to the royal guard proper. No longer a sell sword, I pledged to fight for king and country. This too, was easy at first, easy until, that is, I had a unit assigned to me. Seven men under my command. Seven brothers. Seven lives I must protect and shepherd. I couldn't leave them; I wouldn't abandon them to face the merciless cruelties of battle on their own. They needed me, but I needed Mimiko more.

Nowadays, the call for my services comes few and far between, which I'm deeply grateful for. The rich and noble, lavish with wealth, haven't the want nor need to call on a decrepit old knight like me. They splurge, spending carelessly what should be under lock and key. With fresh weapons and mercenaries with the latest munitions, the nobility of this land fixes their problems by throwing coin at them. I like things this way; I do not have to go to battle so much anymore, and I get to spend more time with Mimko this way.

I wear her favor in every battle I still have to rally for, not knowing if I will make it back this time to see her or if I will be sent off—an early exit from this world. The scarlet-red handkerchief, worn upon my breastplate, reminds me of who, of what, of why I continue to fight, of Mimiko. Our meeting, on that fateful day, had been the most serendipitous splendor of my life. A place neither of us should have been nor a place we wanted to be; we found each other. I would say it was love at first sight, but the blinding beauty I saw before me, I couldn't put that into words. The feeling of being lifted up, of possibility, of sweet, soft lips and hair smelling of spring flowers. Memories of a gentle smile quirked to one side, of hazel brown eyes, of the woman who stole my heart from the moment we met under that old birch tree.

I wish I was someone else, a potter, a cobbler, a jester, anyone but the bound knight I am. Then, maybe, I could be with Mimiko, nothing to worry about, and all the time in the world. Listening to the soft chime of her voice—a ballad to bolster my soul.

With a child—she was with our child now—my heart bounced for glee. I thought nothing could be better, nothing sweeter in the world. Mimiko and I were to have a child. You'll see, I told her, this will be my last battle; I will retire. I can't risk my life, not anymore, not with you and our springtime baby needing me.

A kiss farewell, a sword sheathed. I left my dear, horse-mounted, and spurred towards the sea.

Ship-borne attacks were nothing new; we had rehearsed this type of battle a dozen times. We knew to watch out for their sharp javelins, sailing through the air to pierce us from high above. We knew to send out boarding parties to stop their advance before their cannons could target the harbor. We knew all this, but they knew it, too.

So it was that when our harry of that corsair, the great ship from unfriendly shores, went awry, we fell. We fell one and all. I watched the first of us struck down, then the second, and the third. My screams were only heard by my dying comrades and the deaf-to-our-tongue ears of these pirates who plagued our shores.

I was the only one left; they were all gone. My comrades, my brothers, all dead. Yet that wasn't the foremost of my concern nor the reason I wept. I touched her favor, that soft red scarf.

"I'm sorry, my love. You'll have to get by without me."