This is a story that I wrote few months back, but in Serbian, so I decided to rewrite it, so all of you can read it. Enjoy. 
[Serbian](https://steemit.com/teamserbia/@stormlight24/opada-deo-1-epskofantasticna-prica)

"Get up, quickly." Rough and distant words that always followed the kick with a stick on their bare back and then darkness followed.

No darkness of oblivion, but the darkness of my room where I awoke after this dream. That strange dream, nightmare, that recurs from night to night, over and over again for ten years now. From the moment this event happened last time. The Days of Training, so they called it, and continue to call it this way, the painstaking revival of too old and useless soldiers over some youth, mostly gathered from some distant army encampment. It always seemed to me that it was training for our teachers to learn how to deal more effectively with us, rather than teach me a lot about the life of a soldier. It was certainly not useless but too hard for young boys. It served to either break us or make us superhuman. Unfortunately, I did not belong to any of these two categories. I was never physically superior, but the tough body of the orphan who survived in the dark streets for the years before the training and not very friendly channels of the capital, later served me well. My body was not crushed, nor steeled, like they were hoping for, every blow was distant, and it strengthened me more than any steel.

I had the crazy luck that the officers considered me "clever for one obtuse kid", which soon turned out to mean additional training in the school for officers. It was not unusual in our army, that one of nobody would find himself among the royal children with their raised noses who were there simply because they were born as second or third sons in rich families. I did not have anything against them, although it lasted until I met one of them. Of course, about the decision to be sent to the Academy, I learned the morning before the first lesson. Ironically, then I felt more prepared than ever for what my life would bring. Obviously, except the body, my mind learned to inure his own way.

![](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/63/6e/63/636e63ed935dcfda34d2eee004c063d4.jpg)

The darkness is still in the room, and I spent the last candles I had while writing a report sent yesterday to the Empire. This means again another journey through memories until the sun is here. Through a small window, I could not figure out how much time it was until dawn. I'm not sure whether today I am able to deal with those memories. Not that they are too painful, I long ago learned to accept the pain, but they remind me of a part of my life when I was helpless. Perhaps I'll go to be with my soldiers. They are good people, better than many in fact. They knew when to fight, to listen to officers, when to eat and sleep, and when to march. They did not have unrealistic expectations of the army, they knew what the military consisted of. Eat, march, sleep and sometimes fight. It's a simple life.

I am not on duty today, but soon I will be, if I do not die of one of those heroic deaths, I will have to be present at my soldiers sides all day and night. At least beside those soldiers who stayed with me. That last attack on our position brought us to the brink of collapse. We still had the stock but not enough soldiers to spend them. Help will not be here, we are surrounded. Although in the best fortifications on this part of the terrain, we do not have enough people to defend the great walls. We're too stretched in the guard positions.

To my misfortune, all the officers were killed in that attack, except me and a young Count, and he is useless, more than most ordinary soldiers. So I'm staying alone.

![](https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/004/729/445/large/kadra-alvaro-0-fight-in-the-shade-title.jpg)

I've been thinking, they want to crush us to the earth, and we want to survive. These savages do not take prisoners. The only way to do this is to attack with this little force we have and try to break through their camp. We need to be restful for such an endeavor. I did not care if we were able to escape, we needed to try, it only worried me where to go when we tried to flee. Do you get to the nearest city, so that the local population is at risk or to the northern plain where there is no tree behind what you can hide?

If I only had one Wizard ... it's probably a hundredth of the night I thought that. We are left to ourselves only.

Now is not the time to think, I put on the sword and went out to the light of the moonlight. Tomorrow is a day for plans, today we just have to survive so that we can still have plans tomorrow. First of all, two hours of high quality swordplay.

Image [1](https://www.google.rs/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=imgres&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjH1bTsrYvdAhUMJ1AKHX4BAx0QjB16BAgBEAM&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.com%2Fpin%2F254031235215318215%2F&psig=AOvVaw1uV2PYc-9c3FTYneaY5v9h&ust=1535394894318006) [2](https://www.google.rs/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=imgres&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjOxpHGrovdAhVM16QKHeCdBZ8QjB16BAgBEAM&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.artstation.com%2Fartwork%2Fla2Oe&psig=AOvVaw3OpfqXRhzFS20v6vXzVRuB&ust=1535395032101236)