The Union

Leopold looked behind. The comrade was the fifty-fourth to fall. Every heavy crunch in the snow, every sound of a body falling, brought him sorrow. Such is life, he thought. Such is life, he repeated.

He dismounted and went to the corpse. The corpse was that of a young man with curly hair. His eyes were still open. His body was stiff. His fingers were already pale.

"What is his name?" Leopold asked to the people around

"Rudolf Gale sire. Second Cohort, third Century" A voice answered. Leopold didn"t bother looking at the speaker. He kept his eyes on the dead man.

"Thank you Rudolf Gale for your service to Castonia. Now you lie dead- a corpse. But your sacrifice will not be for naught"

Leopold knelt on the snow and closed the man"s eyes.

"May the Omniscient"s light guide your way. May his arms cradle you to a peaceful rest"

He rose and sighed. Cold white air exited his nose.

"Treat him like the others. Dig straight to the ground. Don"t just bury him in the snow. I don"t want wolves and vultures to feast on him once the spring comes"

He turned around and trudged towards his horse. He mounted and noticed someone staring at him. It was Braun.

"You cannot do this for every person that falls" Braun said

"But I can and I just did" Leopold reasoned, giving a bitter smile "They followed me Braun. They did not utter a single word of complaint when I commanded them to tread this path. The least I can do is to give their corpse an honorable burial. I will bury them one by one"

"The dead has no need for honor but we, the living, are wasting time. We are still far from that abandoned village"

It was their plan to rest in an abandoned village along the way. But looking at the whiteness that spread endlessly, Leopold doubted that they would find that village.

He leaned back and winked at Braun.

"And we, the living, are not animals to just leave our dead like some dropped baggage. I"ll have no more of this Braun. Let"s just continue"

Leopold clucked his horse into motion. The march resumed.

White snow extented all around them. There was nothing- not a single tree and not a single rock. Only the dim illumination of the sun above provided them with a sense of direction.

It was also cold. It was the coldest Leopold had ever experienced. The seldom gelid breeze would freeze both his saliva and tears from time to time. Small ice crystals clung on his eyelashes. His beard, which was already white due to age, was further painted with the white hue.

His bones ached. His jaw shivered. And his fingers...

Leopold turned his eyes on his hands. Inside the furry mittens he was wearing were his frostbitten hands. His fingers were numb. All of the ten were already turning pale. Soon the damage would become permanent.

He again sighed but his sigh ended in a violent cough.

He raised an eyebrow towards Henry after the cough.

"Don"t you dare doubt my health. It was just a cough. Coughs are normal"

"I did not say anything" Henry said. The knight was just beside him.

"Yes. But your sticky stare is screaming at my face. Say it Henry. Holding your tongue would only give it frostbites"

"You are acting like a young man" Henry provided a laconic answer.

"Still not resting the issue huh?"

"We shouldn"t be doing this. Marching through a wide lifeless plain in the snow season is..." Henry shook his head "This goes beyond sense"

"So what? Sometimes having sense will only hinder us" Leopold inched his horse closer to Henry"s "Don"t worry. We will live. Mere cold cannot bring a Castonian down.

"It just did. Fifty-four to be exact"

Leopold bit his lips as he realized that he just disrespected the dead.

"Fine. Let"s just continue" he said in a hoa.r.s.e voice.

The march continued. Dozens more fell along the way. Their lips already dark and body stiff. But what really devastated the party was the blizzard that followed.

Strong freezing wind hit them- cold, unresponsive, uncaring. Every now and then a thumping sound would echo from behind. Leopold didn"t know which thumps were those of horse corpse and of men. He wasn"t able to stay true to his word and bury the dead one by one as he himself was struggling to live. His breaths had become short. He had lost the sense of touch in his fingers already. The tip of his nose was also turning pale. He couldn"t even talk lest his saliva freeze in his mouth.

A sudden darkness filled his vision. His body felt light. Strength left his flesh. His last feeling was that of his bottom sliding off the saddle of his horse. The last scene he saw was Henry and Braun dismounting and running towards him.

Leopold closed his eyes. It was cold.

**********

The first thing that filled Leopold"s vision was the faint light of the lamp. He was on a bed inside a small room made of wood. It was a small room but it was warm.

He then saw two faces- that of Henry and of Braun. He pushed his body into a sit. Henry helped him.

"So we found the village. Good for us" Leopold said

"With the Omniscient"s mercy we did" Henry grabbed a bowl of steaming stew and offered it to Leopold.

Leopold took the bowl. The hot surface of the bowl provided relief to his hands. And then he noticed his fingers. They had recovered their color and their warmth.

"How many did we lose?" He asked as he took a mouthful of the stew. He shook his head "Let me rephrase that. How many survived"

Henry grimaced "Just a little more than three hundred. The horses fared worse. Only about two hundred survived"

Leopold nodded weakly "And how did I survive?"

"Someone... offered to carry you on his back" It was Braun who talked.

"Who?"

"Rupert"

Leopold"s heart raced. With shaking voice he asked, "Is he alive?"

"He is" said Braun "But four of his fingers will have to be cut off. One of his ears is beyond saving. And he is yet to wake up"

Leopold blew a forceful exhale. He frowned and clenched his hands.

"I want to see him"

"You are too weak. Rest. He is a royal guard. Rupert did what he thought was his duty. Besides..." Braun put his hands inside his pockets. "You need to meet one of the scouts"

"A scout?" Leopold lifted his head to look at Braun

"Yes, a scout. He is one of the few who survived. Protocol commands that he reveal his report only in your presence. I forced him to give me his report but that scout is a strict follower of rules"

"Bring him in" Leopold commanded.

Aftet a few moments a scout was escorted inside the room. The scout was wearing a thick fur coat padded underneath with mail. He wad a man of short stature. His face was pale perhaps because of his long exposure to the elements.

"Have you eaten?" Leopold asked

"I have sire. Mister Braun is kind enough to offer me food after my return"

Leopold saw Braun shrug. He c.o.c.ked his head down and took a mouthful from his bowl.

"What is your name?"

"John sire. John Wilkin"

"I have heard about you. If I remember correctly, you were a Centurion. The King demoted you because it seems you want to play soldier more than you want to lead"

"Centurion"s life ain"t for me sire" John said with a lowered head.

Leopold finished the last of his stew with a long sip directly from the bowl.

"Don"t worry. The King doesn"t dislike you. He understands that some people just likes to follow rather than lead. And based in your performance as a scout I can say that you are doing well. You just survived that blizzard. Now tell me boy. What did you see?"

"I"ve seen lamps sire. And wagons. And horses. I"m still not sure but I think what I found are the supply wagons of the n.o.bles"

Braun"s jaw dropped. He glared at John.

"You are withholding such a valuable information!?" Braun roared

"Hush now Braun. He was just following orders" Leopold said

"But..."

"Continue John. How many guards and how far from here?"

John looked at Braun and then back at Leopold. "Less than a hundred sire. But they are fully armed. Mercenaries. They camped about a league from here. It seems they are taking a different path"

"Good" Leopold said with a smile "Good" he repeated with an even wider smile.

"Braun" He called "Prepare some of the men. Choose those who are still fit. We attack tonight"

"Too risky. Night raids in the snow? You must be joking"

"We need food right? I have noticed that the stew was thin. Also we can surprise them" He looked at Henry "Can it be done"

"It will be difficult and only the Omniscient could ensure us victory. But I have led night attacks before" Henry said

Leopold pushed his body to stand. It was difficult and he was still weak but he was able to present a gallant posture.

He grinned at them.

"Let"s paint the snow red tonight"