Principles

Krenen held the man before he collapsed on the floor, and laid him down gently. Their eyes were locked the whole time.

"We have to go," said Rudsis severely.

It didn't take long for the man to die. That resignation in his eyes was replaced by an absent stare that did not recognize anything before it. But maybe, just maybe, Krenen had been able to show the man that he understood. That he could summon that same resignation in his eyes. Krenen thought he saw the man nod, and even smile a little.

"We're going," said Rudsis. "There will be more attacks like this on our way. We are to stop and help every single person we can on our way to kinghall. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," the other guards saluted.

"He was already subdued, sir," said Krenen standing up. "There was no need to do that. He could have been imprisoned and questioned later."

Rudsis raised his eyebrow. "Children had their mother taken away. A husband had his wife taken away. Go in that house and ask them if it was not necessary to kill that murderer."

"He hadn't killed anyone, sir. You killed the one that murdered the mother, and I assume the rest lie dead in the house as well. These people are just acting out."

"They are a threat to the folk! I do not care about their reasons. I care about their actions, and that they are hurting our charges."

"This will only repeat itself in the future if all we do is suppress it. You can cut the tree, but the roots will stay there to make it grow again."

Rudsis advanced on Krenen and grabbed him by the collar of his overcoat. "Go into that house, Kren! Go into that house, and ask that family whether it was necessary to kill these wretches or not!"

"We could as well ask these wretches if what they're doing is necessary or not. They're poor, Rud. They want things to change and are doing what they think they have to."

"Remind me of your rank, guard."

Krenen turned his head to a side and shook his head. "Fourth, sir."

"Did I give you an order?"

"Yes, sir."

"Are you following it?"

Krenen locked eyes with Rudsis. "I will, sir." His voice was constrained.

"See to it." Rudsis pushed him away. "Let's go, men." He walked off, and they fell into formation behind him.

As they made their way to kinghall, they never came across another house that had been broken into, but they could hear battle ahead.

"Let's be careful," said Rudsis.

Krenen could feel it too. Something was off. What it was became clear soon enough. They reached an open square of the city, with a fountain at its center. There, a big group of fifteen robed figures had just finished killing a squad of guards, and had armed themselves with their spears and shields.

Rudsis' fist tightened on the shaft of his spear, his head tilted forward, and his shoulders moved slightly back. Krenen cursed silently. He knew what Rudsis' order would be without having to hear it, and seemed to be the only one that thought it was a bad idea. In fact, Rudsis didn't even have to speak the order. He charged, and the rest of the squad followed him instinctively. Krenen was left slightly behind, but kept up with them.

There were too many opponents, and they were too well armed, to worry about not harming them seriously. Krenen had to look after his own life during the fight. Someone came at him, but Krenen bashed them with his shield to push them off balance, and then swung the shield to turn them around. A thrust with the spear to their lower back would kill them in time, and a slash at the ankles would incapacitate them.

The following foe came from Krenen's spear arm side. Krenen spun with his shield in front of him to deflect the thrust aimed at his ribs, and clashed the shield to the foe's head on a back swing. The opponent went down, and only then did Krenen have a chance to realize it was a woman.

She dragged herself back clumsily on the floor. The blow to the head must have set her world spinning. Though Krenen stared at her in disbelief, he was still aware of the battle. Someone attacked him, and he reacted by raising his shield to block the attack, and countered with a thrust of his own.

The boy he'd just impaled must have been less than half his age. Realizing the blow he'd just been dealt would likely kill him, the boy's face went completely pale. He grabbed onto Krenen's spear with both his hands, pulled it out of his belly, and turned to run away. His panicked screams faded as he went into a street and kept going.

The woman Krenen had knocked onto the floor was also fleeing.

"Wait…" said Krenen staring after her. "Wait," he repeated, and turned all around him to see his fellow guards killing the robed figures.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIT," he screamed.

No one listened to him.

Krenen saw Rudsis fighting off three people at the time, using his shield to bait and position them to his advantage. One of them was a young woman with brown skin, brown hair, and light colored eyes. The other two were men.

Before even knowing what he was doing, Krenen had tackled one of the men, who fell hard to the floor with the sound of something cracking. The other he pushed so hard that he had to give stumbling strides, and put his hands in front of him to avoid crashing headfirst onto a wall. Rudsis took the opportunity to attack the girl with a thrust, but Krenen got in the way, blocked with his shield, and pushed Rudsis back with it.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" screamed Rudsis charging at Krenen. He gave a long jump to gain altitude, and thrust over the upper edge of Krenen's shield.

Sheer instinct made Krenen sidestep, but the spear tip still managed to cut the side of his face. Ignoring the blazing pain, Krenen spun bending his knees, and swept at Rudsis' legs with the shield. They came out from under Rudsis, and he fell with a muffled thud on his back.

"IT'S A GIRL, RUDSIS," screamed Krenen backing away from his superior. "LOOK AT HER, IT'S A GIRL. THERE'S BOYS AND WOMEN TOO."

The fighting was dying out by now. None of Rudsis' men were severely injured, but the streets were now littered with robed figures that were either dead, or agonizing. Krenen looked around. It was little comfort that most of them were grown men.

"Get out of here," Rudsis stood up and scared off the girl.

She ran away, dropping the shield and spear she'd been holding.

"Thank you for stopping me." Rudsis stood close to Krenen.

"I stabbed a boy's belly, Rud. He ran away, and must be dragging himself on the streets now as life and blood leave him."

Rudsis nodded. "Thank you for saving me from those nightmares, Kren"

"This is not what I should be doing, Rud. This is not what the city guard should be doing."

"They left us very little option, Kren. We have to stop them from hurting the folk, and we still have to go to kinghall and see what we can do there. If we hurry, the healers should be able to take care of that gash. I'm sorry."

Krenen touched the tip of his fingers to the swollen edge of the cut on his cheek. It stung so blazingly that Krenen sucked air through his teeth in a grimace. The blood coming out of it was sticky.

"Very little option," he said quietly. "You're right. There's very little option." He walked away, in the opposite direction of kinghall.

"Krenen," Rudsis called him.

Krenen didn't respond.

"They'll have you beheaded if you desert again, Krenen. I won't be able to dissuade them."

Krenen kept on walking.

"KRENEN"

"Very little option, Rudsis," thought Krenen. "This is not what I should be doing. This is not what I will do."