General Julius Side

General Julius had seen himself wiping at his eyes in front of a minor, round mirror using a handkerchief given by his mother, who never cared about him. But he not once thought twice about forgetting his mother except that he was not sitting in the chair near Sultan Jaar's table.

He walked around inside the Sultan's room--it was his room if there was no Sultan in sight. Only to witness the beloved Sultan Jaar slam his dominant hand on the table. He stopped in front and took a few steps to go nearer to the Sultan giving him a chance to grip its bare weak hands on his wrist. General Julius did not show any expression as he deliberately pulled his hand away from the Sultan's grip.

"I have been trying to keep our agreement since you followed me first when I rescued you, General Julius. So say you do the same if you were in my position, right? I bet you would be the happiest General in all the world."

General Julius, with no fear, looked into Sultan Jaar's eyes, "I have met you on five occasions, Sultan," he said with a deep tone, which was rude in the eyes of the other people if one was watching them. "Have I done something related to you that indicates that it will be affecting your familiarity with your people as a ruler when they would be welcoming you?"

"You have been showing a smile at me, General." Sultan Jaar's said with a hint of forcing himself not to get angry as he narrowed his eyes at General Julius. It was no doubt meant to be sarcastic. "And I have read your plan on how to put down Sultan Jaar, and it was an amazing strategy General. I did not know that I had that privileged to see such talent in this country before."

"Sultan, my plan will always have a way even if you found out about it," he said flatly. "As simple as that." He did not take any safeguard on stepping forward; this time, General Julius slammed both his hands on Sultan Jaars' table.

"I know that you have tiny respect for me because I am just a General, a new post here in Fort Pampanga, but the admiration that your people have for you will be gone once you admit that you sell some of your loyal, female slaves to a brutal prostitution life," General Julius stepped back and gently stand still with his hands on both sides. "You see your people as pigs."

Sultan Jaar was about to take out his shamshir, but he suddenly lost balance, making him tremble to the right side. Fortunately, he still got a good hold on the edge of his table. However, holding up one hand for him was tough already. General Julius grinned before he reached out his palm towards him, he was eager to stop his advances on the plan, but like most people who have to find justice, they must find a way to break the cycle—the root of the cause was Sultan Jaar. However, he heard praise instead in the Sultan's words and a bastard in his silence.

"I have seen you betray your former general on the battlefield," he said.

"I guess there is no cure for being selfish, the wisest General Julius. We are just alike. You treat your former General as a pig too."

General Julius was in fort Pampanga to recover from the trauma of what happened on the battlefield with his deceased General Tan, who died in his hands after he called for help, and the fact that he was his legacy from the beginning of his training and the process of becoming a great general one day, that was both their goal, not less than anybody's dream still, the title he got was not due to his outstanding records that it might once have been the latest news. However, General Julius was no illusions about his wise plans. Still, since that day his Former General died, the rest of his team paid attention to his ongoing success, and he got compensated with the title of General in direct proportion to the rumors of him backstabbing the late General Tan.

A few of the men he'd met had decided that they would not proceed in filling up their forms when it was about him. Because others would sigh in curiosity as to what did happen on that day, and the thought of living with him in the camp for all their days would turn a few into disloyal teammates. Not one of those men could stand beside him anymore, without a doubt, on the battlefield. They did not know that General Julius, who tried to save the deceased General Tan, also experienced trauma. It took him one year and a half before he decided to proceed and accept his new post. Not even the closest assistant of the Crown Prince trusts him; although he was beginning to think that he would not be forever bad to some people, he wants his memory with them as a good General—not even closer to the word Hero.

Just a good General.

"I want to thank you for making me remember what I did on that day; it is an honor for me; a Sultan's statement means a lot," he said by habit. A habit that he does not show that he was affected by it. He 'is' not only a man but a General, and having that role –he must maintain a humble and respectable way of dealing with a situation. One of many lessons that he did learn from the late General Tan.

He was taking a year and a half off as his break and it was enough for him to practice overcoming his trauma. Because he knew that he would encounter a lot of setbacks from the past as a huge obstacle, General Julius does not want to waste time betting that his trauma would be heavier even if he has both hands to work on it.