The Great War: Chapter 63
Every being needs some peace of mind
Edwin doesn’t try to appear like he’s following the Generals. He isn’t. They just so happen to be heading in the same direction he is.
He even waited around after the meeting, just to make sure that they were gone. A lot of the other captains did, actually. And fair enough; there is a lot of information they each have to unpack over the coming cycles. Routes to plan and manifests to draft.
So it’s a surprise, then, that here he is only steps behind the king and his strange entourage. It’s hard to keep himself from glaring at the back of Mathew’s head. Is this truly the will of the Great Spirit? To have him advising their king and overseeing their ships?
They make it to the outskirts of Ica, where the refugee tents are. All sorts of beings mill about aimlessly, a strong air of tiredness and loss lingering around each of them. A mix of sympathy and frustration swirls inside him. The sooner the war is over, the faster they can all go somewhere else.
Ahead, the Generals stop outside one of the tents, and Edwin’s blood runs cold. He pauses in the middle of the dirt pathway as he watches Ezra approach the tent’s entrance, sticking his head inside. Moments later, Ishtar and Anya emerge, both of them smiling as they hug their siblings.
At least, he assumes that Mathew and Anya are related at the very least. She grips his arms so tight, fearful to let him go. He’s seen that happen with many of his own sailors on their first few voyages.
Should he approach the tent? Or should he wait for the Generals to finish their business first?
As the group chats, a small face pokes out from the tent, looking around with bright eyes. When they land on him, they light up like little stars.
“Papa!” Anora’s cry rings out over the din of the crowd. The other Generals are taken aback as the little girl bolts from the tent, rushing to her father as fast as her little legs can carry her. In her hand, she clutches a series of papers. Edwin can’t help but smile back and squat down, arms outstretched to catch her in a hug.
“Hello, my little star!” Edwin greets her. He takes her hand and starts to slowly approach the small gathering of beings ahead of them. As much as he wants to leave them be, now that Anora has announced his presence, he might as well give the refugees his thanks before heading home. “How was your cycle?”
“Good!” Anora answers. She proudly holds up her short stack of papers for him to see. “Look at what I drew!”
“In a moment,” Edwin tells her, though he does steal a glimpse at the top picture all the same. It appears to be a drawing of himself beating up another figure, with tiny Anora standing in the back appearing upset.
Ah… It’s him beating up that kidnapper. Though he’ll never admit it to Anora - not yet, anyway - he wasn’t even there. However she had been saved, he’ll be forever grateful that she’s not more harmed than she was.
“It looks very nice, though,” he adds, turning his attention back to the beings before him. To the king, he gives a brief nod. Then he turns to the two girls. “Thank you for taking care of Anora for me.”
“No problem!” Ishtar beams back.
“She was very sweet,” Anya nods, bending down to Anora’s eye level. “She’s a really talented artist.”
“She gets that from her mother,” Edwin halfheartedly chuckles as Anora bounces happily by his side.
“We’ll let you get back to your business,” he adds, acknowledging the present crowd.
“Good bye!” Anora waves as Edwin guides her away, the weight of the world starting to press down on his tired shoulders. It’s been a long cycle, and they’re only going to get longer.
“I didn’t realize he was a father,” Samuel comments after a long moment of silence.
“Oh, we were just watching her for the cycle,” Anya says. “Apparently he doesn’t have any being to watch over her.”
A blanket of unease settles over the group outside as Isaac sits up on his pile of cushions. He’s happy Anora is gone now, though he’s not looking forward to her return. Yes, the Captain is already planning yet another visit. He doesn’t want to be stuck watching over a child like this.
Those papers he gave to Anora are all fake; they’ll disappear after a few cycles, never to be seen again. Once she realizes, she’ll be upset, no doubt.
He shifts and lays back down, turning his body away from the tent’s entrance. Though he hardly moved at all this cycle, his mind is exhausted. The last few cycles have certainly taken their toll on him. He’s not used to using so much of his magic, nor is he used to wandering through such dense crowds. Anora was more of a nuisance - her thoughts were loud and constantly changing, almost like a Guardian but far from being as chaotic as theirs - but a well behaved kid nonetheless.
The conversation outside resumes, though it’s mostly lighthearted “how have you been?” type chatter.
Anya has been doing much better the last few cycles, and being in the presence of her younger brother once again makes her feel at ease, if only for the current moment. Mathew, on the other hand, masks his lingering bitterness from the meeting that the five of them just concluded. The stares of the other Captains lingers in the back of his mind, distrust and unease, perhaps even murderous intent gleaming at him all throughout. He’s happy that it’s all finally over… for now.
Ishtar and Ezra laugh together, though they both seem to share the unease of Ezra’s status as a General. There are no real deeper worries beyond that, apart from the cycle-to-cycle concerns. Simple minds for simple beings.
The king and his guard remain quiet, occupying their minds with other, more “productive” thoughts, in their own opinions. Devin, for one, turns his attention to what was discusses at their meeting. Scouting ships will be sent first, to secure the waters around Korodon. Once they figure out their plan of attack, they can start looking into more serious expeditions and reclaiming whatever islands they can.
Samuel, on the other hand, feels that his productivity is best spent in wallowing in his own frustration. He sensed the skepticism of the Captains quite well, especially when it came to introducing Mathew. If they knew Cassie was a criminal, who he is glad that she didn’t introduce herself as such to the gathering, then perhaps there would have been a riot. He might be young, and the Spirit might have called for him to gather the strangest allies, but the last thing he wants is for the beings of Korodon to loose faith in him. He is their king now, after all.
And speaking of Cassie… she must have moved away from the group. Isaac doesn’t sense her anywhere nearby.
Good… He doesn’t think he wants to see what she thinks about on a regular basis, let alone what’s on her mind right now.
It feels like an age passes, but eventually they all bid each other fare well. The Generals make their way back to the castle, whereas Ishtar bids Anya a good night before returning to her parents’ tent.
“Are you awake?” Anya asks as she steps back inside.
“Mhm,” Isaac hums, though he keeps his back to her.
Anya lets out a long sigh and finds a spot on the padded ground to sit. “Long cycle.”
She’s concerned about him, and rightfully so. He’s hardly moved all cycle, even when he was supposed to be watching Anora with the other two. And after all that he’s done for her so far, she feels like she owes it to him to make sure he’s doing alright as well.
“The next one will be longer,” Isaac replies. It certainly will be if they’re going to be taking care of Anora for any length of time.
The two of them fall into silence. Anya’s merriment from seeing Mathew is starting to wear off, giving way to worry once again. Though it’s not as strong as it was before; as much as she doesn’t want to loose him, she’s starting to come to terms with the fact that this is what he’s supposed to be doing. If the Spirit asked for him, then who is she to argue about it? He’ll be alright out there. The Spirit will watch over him.
Isaac closes his eyes. “I’m going to sleep now.”
“Already?” Anya hums. “You haven’t eaten yet.”
“Too tired.”
As he gets comfortable, he can almost hear Anya scowl behind him. Is he homesick? Is he missing his parents? are the first two questions she asks herself. He hasn’t lost his hope, has he? And then she starts to wonder about what would happen if he were to throw himself into the sea like she thought of doing all those cycles ago.
If he weren’t so tired, he’d laugh. What a quick conclusion to draw. No, his mind just needs some rest. He’ll be feeling better next cycle.
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