Dusk approached quickly as the rain and wind whipped across my exposed neck. The *ting ting* of rain hitting my helmet the only noise. A prisoner from the lands known as Two Rivers was brought before all the men of the unit. He had been captured in a fight while bearing a flag of a Red Eagle. Hair matted with blood and soundly beaten during the skirmish, he limped on a clearly broken ankle toward the center of the field. Forced to kneel and body broken but his spirit was still strong.
Our Commander … “of the blood they said”… stood in the center of the field holding the pommel of the sword at parade rest. An honorable man, one would say, with clear vision and exacting precision of the law. He turned to the prisoner and spoke in a slurred accent. “You are held in high treason against the Empress, may she live forever, as an Oathbreaker. You are given one chance to repent and return to the fold of Empire or will be executed. What is your responssse?”
Lifting his head slowly, the bloodied man raised his head to respond. As if an arrow shot from a bow he stood on both feet and shouted “FOR THE OLD BLOOD!! FOR MA…..” and ended abruptly with the sword severing his head. The body crumbled and his head rolled slowly toward me and stop… eyes staring lifelessly at me. My eyes drifted down and locked with the dead eyes which were just full of commitment for his people.
Our commander quickly wiped his blade off and sheathed it turning to our unit. “Mercy is only given to those who swear fealty. You are dismissed”.
Later that night. The dreams occurred. The bearded man approached in the dream and asked “Why are you not accepting your heritage? The blood runs strong in you and your mother’s side. Embrace it”. These dreams came to me over and over again and I began to understand. I had to return to my mother’s homeland. I had to be brought into the fold again.
The dreams came every night. The man’s face. The whispers of my mother and grandparents. The time of reenlistment was only a month away yet felt like an eternity. On the day of my reenlistment I left everything in my tent, changed into my original clothes and left to go east. Never to look back.
YEARS LATER
It has been years now and I now fight for the free lands of Light. The service within the Seanchan Army is in the distant past but still plagues my conscience. I now fight and hope my reputation will allow me to repent to the lands which want me dead for my prior experience.
The dreams are now different. They speak of me fighting Shadowspawn and throwing myself against the dark horde and to be respun again. My brothers and sisters are calling to me in my dreams to drive forward and I will continue to do so.
-Qiang