Camp Nürthwylld

“I’m starting to think you don’t understand the point of parties.”

Matthias sighed heavily, disappointed that his plan to escape onto the castle balcony was thwarted. He turned around to see two more knights, a man and a woman, clad in the purest silver seen anywhere in the United Lands.

“Percival is right,” the blonde knight said. “This is for you, after all.”

“I appreciate the sentiment, Evelyn,” Matthias said. “But it’s really nothing special.”

“Easy for you to say,” Percival quipped, gesturing towards the golden medallion hanging from Matthias’ neck.

Matthias sighed as he lifted the medallion, gazing intently at it before letting it back down.

“I don’t deserve this. All I did was make one suggestion to the general.”

“Yeah, but that ‘one suggestion’ saved many lives in one of the worst wars the kingdoms have ever seen,” Evelyn said in awe.

“Not to mention that this ‘one suggestion’ was made in the middle of a brutal battle,” Percival chimed in. “You truly don’t give yourself enough credit, my friend.”

Matthias gave a soft but sad chuckle. “Thank you both, my closest friends; my brother and sister in arms. Your opinions matter more than those in the ballroom, but I still stand by what I said.”

Silence fell upon the trio, with the faint sounds of laughter and clinking mugs of wine threatening to break it. Matthias turned back to face the expanding forest before them, losing his mind in the rustling of the leaves in the breeze. Finally, he gazed up at the blanket of darkness above, mixed with the twinkling of countless stars, and he gripped the medallion tighter.

Swiftly turning back around to face his friends, he made his way to the stairway.

“I’m heading out,” Matthias said.

“Wait, what?” Percival asked, even shaking his head to ensure he heard correctly.

“You can’t leave now, not in the middle of your party,” Evelyn added. “Where are you even going?”

“Camp Nürthwylld,” Matthias replied.

“Wait, the place we all trained and became knights?” Percival asked. “Why now? Are you feeling nostalgic?”

Matthias stopped dead in his tracks. He didn’t move for a minute, didn’t even utter a whisper. Finally, he gazed back at Percival with a sorrowful look that was as dark as the night sky.

“Oh,” Percival said softly but grimly, finally understanding.

“Matthias, please don’t torture yourself,” Evelyn said. “What happened then wasn’t…”

Matthias held up a hand to silence her, then he said, “My mind is already made up. Before the trees turn gold and brown, where I’m sure I’ll be much busier, I need to do this.”

No one spoke. Matthias stood his ground and held his grim stare; Evelyn tried to keep her expression neutral but couldn’t hide the worry in her eyes nor the slight pursing of her lips; and even Percival’s usually jovial nature faded away to reveal his concern.

“Well, I know we can’t stop you,” Percival said.

“But we’re not going to allow you to do this alone,” Evelyn finished.

“What? No, my friends, please don’t feel forced to accompany me. I apologize if I made you both worry, but I really am fine. You two should enjoy the party; you both have earned this praise more than I have.”

“Nice try, Matthias,” Percvial said. “But you won’t find it so easy to abandon us.”

“Not after everything we’ve been through,” Evelyn said.

Matthias stared at them both, then finally sighed with a defeated smile. Whether it was stubbornness or loyalty, Matthias knew there was no point in arguing with them anymore.

———————————————————————————————————————

It took three days before the group finally spotted Camp Nürthwylld. The compound was massive, with many old wooden structures that had definitely seen better days. Most of the wood was rotting and falling apart, while ivy and mold would cling and spread across the walls. Even the flimsy nets barely stopped mosquitoes and other bugs from infesting them.

But that was the whole point. War was not kind, and it was important to learn that as soon as possible. If you could survive training in a place like this, you were worthy of the title of “knight.” Quitting would’ve been the easier way out, but the shame brought on you or your family would follow you to the grave.

Matthias, and even Percival and Evelyn, would’ve accepted that fate, had it not been for Samuel. He was the heart and soul of the whole training regiment, encouraging everyone to keep going and even sacrificing his own well-being to make their lives easier. Whether it’s covering for mistakes or taking Matthias’ guard shift to give him rest, all you had to do was ask, and Samuel would do it.

Matthias shook his head in dismay at the memory, gripping the medallion tighter once again.

“Matthias? Are you alright?” Evelyn asked.

Matthias released the medallion, forced a smile on his lips, and turned around to face his companions.

“I’m fine,” he said. “Just tired is all. Riding on horseback for three days can do that to you.”

“Sure,” Percival said. “But that has never been a problem for you before.”

“Regardless, now that we’ve made it, you two can wait here while I take care of the matter at hand. You’ve already done more than enough by coming all this way; I can’t burden you any further.”

“I honestly can’t believe you’re still trying to leave us behind,” Percival said. He tried to mask it in a joking tone, but it was clear there was a hint of anger rising inside it.

“When we said we’d accompany you, we meant it. All the way to the journey’s end and beyond,” Evelyn concluded.

Matthias wanted to insist—no, command—them to stay put, but his mouth felt as empty as a dry well. He could feel his legs starting to shake, but he tightened his muscles to keep them straight. He even blinked multiple times, fearing that his eyes were filling up.

“Very well,” he finally said. “Come along then, the river should be on the other side of the hill.”

Percival and Evelyn intently glanced at each other, as if they knew something that didn’t need saying. Matthias recognized that look, but it usually came right before an intense battle. Regardless, Matthias forced himself to turn away and lead his friends up the hill.

It didn’t take long before the trio found it: the Nürthwylld river was so wide that people have often mistaken it for a lake, and it was surprisingly just as deep as one too. A large, thick tree stood tall before the shoreline, with a long rope dangling from one of the higher branches. The training instructor tied it there as part of an exercise: the goal was to climb to the top while the instructor swung the rope so fast and hard that it seemed impossible. However, Samuel found a better use for the rope: using it to swing until they launched themselves into the air, diving into the water below.

Not an uncommon activity for anyone, but you normally wouldn’t see this in a United Lands training academy if it weren’t for Samuel.

Matthias’s knees shook, feeling weak. All of a sudden, it felt hot underneath his armor, and he even started attempting to remove some of it as he knelt hard into the ground.

“Matthias!” Evelyn exclaimed, rushing to his side and supporting him.

“Are you okay?” Percival asked, grabbing the other side.

Matthias didn’t answer, but he did stop grasping at his armor. All he could do was stare at the water, remembering what lurked beneath. How could none of them have known? The tentacles, the furious splashing, the screams.

Matthias tried grabbing his armor again, but Evelyn and Percival strained to keep his arms back.

“Matthias, what are you doing?” Percival asked.

“Let me go! What are you doing? Let me go!”

“Matthias, you know it’s too dangerous!” Evelyn said. “Juvenile Wökhrens migrate these waters at this time.”

Matthias stopped, mainly because he was focused on stopping the memories from flooding back in. Even though he slipped and tried to remove his armor, he had hoped to be more composed than this. After all, what was so hard about paying your last respects to someone close to you? Apparently a lot, especially if Percival and Evelyn didn’t come along.

“I knew just as well about those monsters back then,” Matthias said, his voice breaking. “Samuel warned us not to go swimming, but it was our last week in training, and I was stubborn. So…so stubborn…” Matthias sniffed, shaking his head before continuing. “I still remember the Wökhren rising from the depths, reaching for us. Samuel pushed me forward…he stayed behind, probably to distract the horrid beast…but what did I do?” Matthias’s breathing grew faster, harder, until he finally screamed, “I just left him there! I swam away like a coward!”

Matthias screamed towards the sky, finally unleashing waterfalls of tears and pounding the ground in anger.

Only after a bunch of soft sobs and shakes did he finally speak, “It should’ve been me, not him. He’s the one who deserves this stupid piece of metal, not me. So why? Why was a wretch like me spared from the embrace of death? Why was Samuel’s life cut so cruelly short?”

Matthias shook with an additional round of sobs. Neither Percival nor Evelyn said anything or stopped him; they just knelt in the dirt on either side of him, waiting. Eventually, Matthias’s sobs grew quieter and quieter, but still neither friend spoke. By the time the sun began to set, Matthias finally fell into silence, lying on the ground out of pure exhaustion and despair.

“Samuel knew the risks as well as you did,” Evelyn said softly. “Despite being so cautious, he was just as daring as you. I feel like we forget that a lot.”

“That’s for sure,” Percival chuckled. “The man never did know when to back down even in the face of danger. That was always the best part about him.”

Matthias laughed softly.

“Even if you had dived in alone,” Evelyn said. “I guarantee he would’ve jumped right in to save you the minute he saw the Wökhren’s tentacles.”

“But that’s all the more reason he didn’t deserve such a fate!” Matthias said. “No man or woman like Samuel deserves such a fate.”

“Matthias,” Percival said in an oddly chilling tone. “You realize that death comes for us all, whether naturally or enforced, right? This fate comes upon the selfless and selfish alike; no one and nothing can change that.”

“So you shouldn’t bear this responsibility,” Evelyn said gently. “Samuel made his choice. And besides, even if you did try to save him, what could either of you have done against a sea monster in its own element, unarmed?”

“At least something would’ve been better than nothing!” Matthias said.

“But there’s nothing you can do about it now,” Percival said. “So why torture yourself?”

“Because I deserve it. I left a good man behind and earned the rewards he should’ve gotten. Plus, if I don’t, I risk allowing his sacrifice to lose all meaning to me.”

“There’s a way to honor the memory and sacrifice of a loved one without letting the weight crush you,” Evelyn said.

“But…I don’t know how,” Matthias said, his voice catching in his throat once more.

“That’s what we’re here for,” Percival said. “We’ve always carried your sorry hide through training, after all.”

A laugh involuntarily escaped from Matthias’s lips.

“Do not forget that it was I who saved you just as many times. That instructor would’ve found out you slept in one day had it not been for me,” Matthias said.

“That was one time!” Percival said defensively. “You should be talking about Evelyn! Didn’t you tell me once that you kept lookout while she raided the mess hall’s pantry?”

“I was starving, and they kept giving us food that tasted like filth!” Evelyn laughed. “I knew they had the real tasty stuff somewhere!”

The friends laughed together for a good while, each one attempting to outdo the other with a story of their own. Before they realized it, the sun was barely peeking above the horizon, and crickets began their natural concerts.

Matthias finally gazed back up at the river, and while tears did continue flowing, they weren’t as intense as before. It was as if the tears themselves carried a massive weight, one that somehow grew lighter.