Resemblance of a Friend

"Ggh!"

Using the wooden sword, Mikail struck the training dummy with deadly precision, repeatedly attacking its vital points.

"Egh...!"

He swung his weapon and struck the dummy's temple before ducking and thrusting at its abdomen. Mikail put all his strength into his footwork and maneuvered his body to move again, but he slipped and almost fell due to overexertion.

Taking a quick step back and regaining his position, he panted heavily, feeling annoyed and frustrated that he had made a mistake.

Mikail knew himself that that one mistake could lead to him being hit and wounded. Much worse is where he would die.

His breathing grew heavier as he imagined a sword striking his face; causing him to fall onto the ground. His face looked anxious and scared.

He could see the disappointed face of his father gazing down at him with his sword pointed threateningly at him, poised to hit and aimed to slit his throat.

Shaking his head, Mikail stood up, clenched his weapon, and lunged again, parrying the wind as if there was an imaginary attack. Each of his movements required great effort, visible by the sweat forming on his forehead.

With his eyes opened wide and his grip firm on the handle, he heaved his sword towards the dummy's neck.

Swoosh!

His face looked contorted and angered, his teeth clenched. He only used a wooden weapon, but the strike was so strong and heavy that it made training dummy to slightly break.

Mikail panted heavily, controlling his emotion before putting his weapon down. He still feels his heart racing.

He still couldn't overcome that fear.

As he stood there, panting heavily, a group of knights approached him.

"Look at him, training all by himself," one of the knights remarked.

Mikail looked at them briefly but didn't turn around completely.

"Move. We are using this place to train," another knight spoke sternly.

"..."

Mikail remained silent and only glared at them as he picked up his wooden weapon. He tried to ignore what they were saying and continued his training.

"Hey! Are you deaf?" the first knight shouted in frustration as Mikail ignored him. He shouted a couple more times before approaching Mikail and touching his shoulder.

In response, Mikail quickly pointed his wooden weapon towards the knight's neck.

Everyone in the fortress courtyard was watching them, their eyes locked and silent.

The other knights behind him laughed nervously, not wanting to look like foolish extras as one of them spoke up.

"Hey? Is this guy crazy?"

Now that everyone's attention was on them, Mikail couldn't help but lay his weapon down and just walk away.

The knight who looked scared, caught off guard by Mikail's weapon finally spoke after walks away, "Yeah... L-Leave, you bastard. Go back to your stupid library. You're a disgrace, a stain of the Winthrope knights. You're nothing like your father."

Mikail stopped walking away, not saying anything. But his fist was clenched, his head bowed down, and his face twisted in anger.

"Did I hit a spot?"

"The bastard is already leaving, Conrad... I think you're taking it too far now," one of the knights said, looking nervously at the other knights in the courtyard who watched them.

Conrad scoffed and continued to mock Mikail, "Your father died on the battlefield, fighting for his homeland. And here is his son, reading books and playing with his wooden toy."

The knights around them began to murmur. No one wanted to step up as they don't want to get involved in their little dispute.

"Even if you are a legitimate son of the Winthrope bloodline, you are still no different from us. You will suffer the same fate as us. Now quit acting like you're anything different like the trash you are."

Mikail turned towards Conrad, his face contorted in pure hatred. Tears fell from his eyes as he glared at him.

Conrad and his men became silent. Conrad wore an uneasy smile while the two knights behind him wanted to walk away.

Mikail slowly walked towards them and each step of his feet resounded with a heavy thud.

As Mikail approached, a voice suddenly shouted, echoing through the wide courtyard.

"Stop this at once!"

It was the third commander, Gallahan.

He glared at Conrad and the two other knights. His ominous stare alone conveyed a message that Conrad's group immediately understood. They hurriedly left, apologizing.

Gallahan gave a slight smile at Mikail to which Mikail felt calm. It was only Gallahan who treated him like everyone else.

Without making much fuss over it, the knights continued their training as if nothing just happened.

Gallahan took his leave as well, nodding at Mikail.

Mikail stood there silent for a while before he left as well to change his clothes that were drenched in sweat.

Mikail's room wasn't that small, but it felt so empty. Only his wardrobe, bed, and a single table and chair were in there.

He puts back his wooden weapon that his mother gave him ever since he started practicing swordplay. It was as well the last thing that reminds him of his father whom he hated.

But there's this feeling deep inside his chest that he can't stand. The feeling of hating his father despite the mental torment he gave him.

Mikail looked at his fists and clenched before he wore his clothes and went straight to the library to study more offensive stances in swordplay.

The hallway was vast, and several maids passed through him. No one even gave him a slight look or even greeted him, but Mikail didn't give much attention to it.

He just silently made his way towards the only place he could be alone with his thoughts.

The library room's door creaks as Mikail opens the door. The library was dim and quiet like it always had been. Empty for few only had access, including him, considering that he is a direct son of a Winthrope noble, and as well as a friend of commander Gallahan.

Mikail's face was expressionless, but inside him was excitement as he hurriedly went to get the books he was reading.

"Huh?"

He went to the bookshelf where the books he usually read were stored. But to his confusion, some of the books were gone. And it was the books he was interested in at the moment.

'Did I leave it on the table?' Mikail thought to himself. Quickly checking the table that he always used.

As Mikail wandered around the slightly large library, he finally found the books he was looking for. But the books were put in a table, furthermore it wasn't the table he used.

Mikail was pretty sure that he didn't put it here, but no matter. He took the books and carried them towards his usual table spot until he bumped into another person.

"Ah, I'm sorry about that," the boy apologized. His face wasn't familiar with Mikail who always visited the library four times a week.

"..."

"Wait, I think I know you..." the boy said, quickly removing the glasses he wore. "Mikail, is that right?"

He put down the glasses and said that it's much better without it. Mikail was confused as to why he even used glasses if he's not supposed to use them. Apparently, the boy thinks wearing those makes him look "smart".

The boy wiped his hands on his clothes before handing it out.

"My name is Sigfred. Nice to meet you!"

...

"So, you liked these books too, huh?" Sigfred kept talking, bothering Mikail who only wanted to read in peace.

Mikail felt really annoyed but he tried to keep his mouth shut and focus on studying.

"You know, I'm really interested in books, too. I'm not like those other men who only know how to swing their sword and go 'hyap!' and 'hiyah!' and things like that?"

Sigfred kept on and on for minutes until Mikail decided to speak up.

"...First of all, how did you get in here?"

Sigfred gave him a stare before answering.

"The Commander gave me permission," his face was straight, evident that he wasn't lying.

Mikail lets out a deep sigh, thinking that the commander just befriends literally everyone he finds in good terms with.

Sigfred then suddenly stopped talking and stood up.

Mikail paused reading and looked at what Sigfred was doing.

It seems like he was looking for something on the bookshelf. It took a matter of seconds before he finally found what he was looking for.

"There it is!" he said with a smile as he pulled one book from the shelf.

He walked towards Mikail's table and dropped a book that looked like it hadn't been opened for years now.

Mikail and Sigfred coughed as the dust flew towards the air upon Sigfred dropping the book on the table.

"What is that?" Mikail asks, waving off the dust in the air, which was only worsened as Sigfred wipes the surface of the book to see the words written on it.

"How the hell can a book be this dusty!"

Sigfred who was waving off the dust couldn't help but chuckle and apologize.

"Sorry about that!"

As the dust faded in thin air, Mikail and Sigfred looked at a book that was badly tattered.

The book was named "The Art of Greatsword Combat by Robert of Winchester"

Mikail couldn't help himself but wonder. He had never heard of a type of weapon called "greatsword."

Sigfred grinned and explained Mikail what a greatsword is.

"You're trying to learn that?"

"Yes, I am!" Sigfred replied with a big smile on his face.

***

As the carriage rode along the rough trail, Mikail finally gained consciousness. He found himself sitting inside a wooden carriage amongst the knights who looked tired. As he looked at them, Mikail couldn't utter a word, and his expression remained the same.

The sky turned dark and cloudy once again and the rain fell upon the roof of their wooden carriage. For minutes now, he had been only staring at Sigfred's greatsword.

Some of the knights from Sigfred's troop inside glared at him as if he was at fault for everything. But Mikail couldn't deny it. The fact that he won't even apologize, he felt deeply angered by himself.

He knew that Sigfred's life couldn't be taken back anymore, let alone a simple apology that could compensate for the unnecessary loss.

Mikail wished he could've just died back there...

But wouldn't it make Sigfred's sacrifice in vain? Mikail thought to himself if he would just live his life while being eaten by this guilt.

'I don't know anymore...' he felt his chest ache as he clenched his fist. He tried to hide his horrible crying face by looking down.

But with the enemy's commander apprehended, it will bring down the enemy's morale.

"Here," one of the knights inside the carriage him extends a handful of torn bread.

Mikail looked at the knight besides him that was munching on the stale bread as he gave off a smile.

He looked the same as his age, but he didn't look like a knight.

"Why...?"

The boy looked confused and panicked and took his extending hand back. "I apologize. I just thought you needed to eat."

"If he doesn't want it, then let him be," one of the knights inside the same carriage they sat on spoke with a hint of annoyance in his tone. Both of them looked at the knight but he remained silent, his eyes closed.

Mikail felt the knight's annoyance directed to him so he suddenly took the bread that the boy besides him offered and munched quickly, putting all his anger on it.

The boy besides him chuckled, "So you were hungry after all?"

The knight scoffed and averted their gaze.

"My name's Trevan," he said while Mikail only listened as he munched on the stale bread.

"Cough! Cough!"

"Ah! Here..." Trevan handed out a waterskin. "You should slow down while eating that."

Mikail took the waterskin and drank it. He gave the waterskin back to Trevan but it's already empty.

"I'm sorry about that."

"I-It's okay."

"...My name is Mikail Hann Cynesige."

"That's a really cool name, sir Hann!"

"Sir?"

Trevan chuckled as he scratched the back of his head, "You're a knight, right? 'Cause I'm a squire of sir Sigfred!"

"Ah..." Mikail's face turned mournful. "I'm... sorry," he said, barely above a whisper.

Trevan noticed Mikail's expression and felt awkward, "It's alright, sir Hann! This is no one's fault!" he smiled, trying to cheer Mikail up.

"If there is only one to blame, then that's the Skogzgards!"

Mikail lets out a slight smile and says, "Thank you, Trevan."

"Shut your mouths, will you? We're trying to rest here," the annoyed knight spoke once again.

"Sorry!" Trevan apologizes.

"..." Mikail glared at them, to which they reacted.

"W-What? You want to start something?"

But Mikail then tried to reason with himself, not wanting to cause much trouble and burden his current problems, letting him slip this time.