| The Peacemaker |
A battle between two unimportant kingdoms raged for four hours. On one side were professional soldiers who were born and raised to fight and die. On the other were also professional soldiers, but there were also swordsmen who were mercenaries. While they did not consider themselves hired fighters, they were simply men not part of the main force. When the battle had finally ceased, there were almost no real survivors without many wounds. One man, dragging a bloody sword behind him, went from body to body and murmered at each one.
"Thaddaeus...I am sorry...Christopher...you were too young for death...Philip...you had so much more to live for than to die here," he whispered through dried tears. His armor was cut in so many places that he finally just tossed it aside. There were many cuts that crisscrossed his skin as well and he was forced to tear part of a tunic off of a dead many to bandage his wounds. He then sat down on a rock and thought to himself.
"My name is Gabriel Michael Aldane and I have just led fifteen men to their premature deaths. While I claim to be a teacher of a sword fighting school, I am no more than a murderer now. In my attempt to teach men to protect themselves and others with a blade, I made trained killers. In my attempt to create a sense of peace, I simply brought about another way to cause death. Many considered me to be one of the greatest swordsmen prodigies ever born...but now..." he heard going through his mind.
Gabriel 'The Peacemaker' stood up and then stabbed his longsword into the ground. Then he began to dig graves for each of his students that had died beside him. Other survivors had been doing similar tasks since the outcome of the battle seemed so unimportant now that so few soldiers made it out with their lives. Why no one had chosen to stop at any point was beyond him. He was only twenty-five years of age. He could wield a blade masterfully but Gabriel could not explain the minds of men or even his own. Carefully he dug fifteen graves. He started by using his dagger to help him until it snapped. Then his fingers had to finish the job. His fingernails all were torn out by the stoney ground and it took a great deal of effort not to simply stop and leave.
Gabriel, after finishing his task, then whispered a few words of peace to those that had died and wrapped his raggedy cloak around his body and walked off. Where he was going was unimportant. What he was going to do next was also unimportant. Half a day earlier he had been content with life and training men to use the special Aldane fighting style. He found his sack of rations and supplies outside of the battlefield where they had been left. Gabriel threw the sack over his shoulder and walked off towards the closest town of Walchorson. His golden hair seemed to have a bloody shade to it as a orangish-red sun set in the distance. His blue eyes seemed almost colorless in the burning twilight. The next few days in his life would decide if he would overcome his internal torment. Possibly deciding his punishment.
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Gabriel walked into Walchorson slowly, but he had finally sheathed his sword instead of dragging it at his side. A few people gave him strange looks, but they were not interested in a man who looked as poor as dirt. For all Gabriel cared, he was no better than dirt. He shuffled into the town inn and sat down at the bar.
"Give me the strongest drink you have," he said to a grizzled bartender.
"Sure you can pay for it? I don't want to waste anything on scum," replied the bartender 'politely'. Gabriel replied by tossing a purse of coins into the counter. The barkeep opened it up and almost asked where it was stolen from, but he kept his tongue to himself since he was getting paid and was not told to give any back. He simply poured a foul-looking drink into an equally foul-looking glass and placed it in front of Gabriel, expecting a humorous coughing fit from him. Gabriel picked up the glass, tilted it up to his lips and it was gone within a flash. He did not even flinch, and the barkeep was left standing with a dumb look on his face.
Outside of the inn, a trading cart rolled by with a woman guiding the two horses. Three men wearing scale armor stepped into the road with their swords drawn and did not say a word.
"Get out of the road ya fools!" yelled the young woman but the soldiers simply moved to her side and threw her off.
"Help! I am being attacked!" she screamed. Back inside of the inn, Gabriel had finished his second drink and listened to the cries for help. He almost decided to ignore the request for help, but his conscience deep inside of him had forced him to his feet.
"Don't forget to come back soon ya hear?" said the barkeep, not realizing he was being ignored anyways. Gabriel stepped outside to find the three soldiers being confronted by three brave men who armed themselves with spears. It was a desperate attempt at stopping them and not likely to succeed.
"Don't throw your lives away so foolishly," said Gabriel. The three spearmen turned to him and could only see a poor-looking man who smelled of strong alcohol.
"Can't you see this woman is being robbed by these soldiers? They must have survived the nearby battle and want to vent their aggression on people who can barely defend themselves. Cowards...that is what they are!" said one of the three.
"Then why would you throw your life away for a woman that must be a stranger if you don't even know her name?" asked Gabriel. He walked towards the woman who had been thrown into the dirt and knelt at her side.
"What is your name miss?" he asked. She looked at him closely. Something about him did not seem to make sense.
"Anya..." she replied slowly.
"Well, Anya...please stand back while I take care of these three men. I do not wish to harm anyone who gets too close. That goes for you three spearmen as well," said Gabriel as he stood up to his full height. He had been constantly hunched over since coming into the town. Now he looked much taller at 6'1" and he no longer looked like a poor drunkard. He rested his hand on the hilt of a sword that had not been visible before and this attracted the attention of the three soldiers.
"A fellow survivor from the battle?" asked one of the soldiers.
"If we were once allies in combat, we are now enemies here. I will not stand aside while you strike fear into the lives of these people," said Gabriel as he unsheathed his sword partway. It was no ordinary longsword. It was less thick and wide along the blade and it was slightly shorter. It still qualified as a longsword of some design, but it was one foreign to the people there.
"Very well then...draw your blade and prepare to defend yourself," said another of the soldiers.
"Come...and make me defend myself then!" replied Gabriel in a louder voice. Almost as Gabriel finished speaking, he threw his cloak towards the three soldiers and was already in a full sprint. His movement was partially cut off from the soldiers by the tattered fabric and before they could properly react, Gabriel had already stabbed his sword through his flying cloak and the shoulder of the closest soldier.
"Wha!?" said the startled soldier as he barely noticed the injury until he could no longer hold his weapon and blood flowed down his arm. Gabriel spun and slid back from the two remaining attackers as they began to try and circle in around his back. By the time they reached his rear, Gabriel had sheathed his sword again and was ready for them. They both gave some room between each other as they ran towards the lone man who defied them. Gabriel deflected the first blow above his head and seemingly left an opening in his defense that the second soldier moved to exploit. As he began stabbing at Gabriel's torso, his blade was intercepted by the crossguard and turned aside. The defense was quickly followed by two quick stabs that pierced the scale armor as if it was nothing. The soldier fell to the ground with a wound to his shoulder and to his chest.
"Im-Impossible!" he muttered as he collapsed. Blood drained from his wounds as he was effectively removed from the fight. The final soldier stood facing him and shook his head.
"There was no way you could have blocked both of our attacks like that...no way," he growled.
"You would understand if you knew who you were fighting," said Gabriel. The soldier had not really paid attention to the tunic that his opponent was wearing. Embroidered upon it was the crest for the Aldane family.
"You....Gabriel Aldane...The Peacemaker," said the soldier in disbelief.
"Now you know...give up," said Gabriel. The soldier, seeing the hopelessness of the situation, dropped his blade and surrendered.
Now, watching the fight were a young boy and his father. When the final conversation was taking place, there were obvious questions.
"Father, why did the man simply give up? Who is Gabriel Aldane. Who is The Peacemaker?" asked the son.
"It is said that Aldane...also known as The Peacemaker is a master of the sword at such a young age. His fighting style is strange in that it involves such incredible speed and subtle movement that sometimes the opponent does not even see it. His managed to block two attacks almost at the same time and neither of them saw it. He also was known for always siding with the weaker person or group in a confrontation in order to resolve it, hence The Peacemaker...still it makes little sense. So many stories have been going around...I wonder how many are true?" said the father.
"These men will not be bothering you from now on, Anya. Please move along," said Gabriel as he picked her up off the ground. She quickly left the area. While she was greatful for being rescued, there was something strange about The Peacemaker. The way he spoke and acted just seemed so awkward and foreign at times. The people were still struck with awe until they realized that Aldane had disappeared. He had moved on again...trying to find an answer to the question he asked himself again and again: "Why do I fight?"
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PS - This is a story, not an RP.
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you forgot the constructive part to make sure he doesn't leave and never come back ;) causing this forums to die....again
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I sent him a message explaining it. He forgot the part where you ask permission before simply jumping in, but I assumed he was new, so I didn't get mad at all. I was just surprised.
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