Steel and Sorrow: Rise of the Mercenary king

A fourth figure approached cautiously, his eyes wide with wonder as he gazed upon the flickering flames. ”Can I sit by the fire?” he asked tentatively

”The wood is not ours, so neither is the fire. Why would we deny that? Come here and sit with us, brother,” one of the former slaves spoke with a warm smile, patting the sand next to him. They had made camp near the oasis, breaking bread here and sharing stories under the starry sky.

”Tell me your name, brother?” The eldest of the group, his beard grizzled with age, inquired as Tibius warmed his hands by the fire, his blistered palms mirroring theirs.

”Tibius. My name is Tibius,” he replied softly,

”Any idea what you’ll do now, Tibius?” the elder asked, his voice filled with genuine curiosity.

”I hadn’t thought that far. I suppose I’ll try to live. What about you?” Tibius responded, his gaze fixed on the dancing flames.

”I reckon I’ll find me a fine wife and a nice piece of land to settle down on,” one of the former slaves chuckled, his words tinged with optimism.

”Always the romantic, Darius. Meanwhile, I plan on enjoying every moment of this freedom. No more chains, no more masters! I will drink and sleep around,” another chimed in, his laughter echoing through the night.

As they bantered, Tibius continued to gaze at the fire, his thoughts drifting to the one who had orchestrated their escape. ”I still can’t believe we’re alive and free, all thanks to Alpheo,” he murmured, his voice filled with awe .

”Who’s that?” the third former slave asked, furrowing his brow in confusion.

”He is the one who orchestrated the revolt, the one who led us against the soldiers. It’s thanks to him that we now breathe the air of freedom,” Tibius explained, his voice tinged with reverence.

”Well then, we would toast to his name if we had something to toast with,” one of the former slaves jested, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

”I don’t know if we should. He appeared deeply worried. I shared a few words with him, and he gave me that feeling,” Tibius confessed, his brow furrowed in concern.

”Why is that?” the others inquired, their curiosity piqued.

”I don’t know, just a feeling, as I said. Though he told me that later this evening, he would share something with his brothers, so I think we all have to wait,”

The three former slaves exchanged uncertain glances, a small seed of doubt gnawing at their hearts. One of them turned to Tibius, ’’Still you have any idea why? Are we in danger?’’

’’I -’’ Before Tibius could answer, another one of their brothers approached them, interrupting their conversation.

”Sorry to bother, but the man who led us out of the cell is making a speech. I suppose you want to hear.” He said before striding forward.

’’I did all I could Egil ’ , he mused as he too joined the three brothers he was tlaking with . He had been one of the few actively spreading the name of Alpheo among their brothers, though only a handful were doing that . Now, thanks to their efforts, most of the slaves knew the name and face of the young man who had led them out of captivity, and now that name was making a speech in front of them.

———

Alpheo’s piercing gaze fell upon the roaring fire, intentionally placing himself in its glow so that even all of them could witness his face and gestures.

He knew with utter confidence that within 10 minutes, all 530 of his devoted slaves would be chanting his name in unison. For them, he was their savior and leader, despite being half their age. They were but a fraction of the mighty army they had followet , yet seeing them now , was still daunting . The weight of 1060 eyes fixed upon him only added to Alpheo’s sense of authority and a bit of fear as he stood before them, bathed in the flickering light of the fire.

Calm yourself, he thought , you can do it .

”It is quite a chilly night, is it not?” he began, his voice carrying through the stillness of the evening. ”I’ve known many nights like this during my years of slavery. The cold used to bite into my skin like a whip, . But tonight feels different. It’s as if the world itself is offering us a welcome, now we are free again .”

His gaze swept over the faces of the men gathered around the fire, each one bearing the scars of their shared struggles. ”I was just a boy when I was sold into slavery,” Alpheo continued, his voice tinged with bitterness. ”I watched as my own parents shook hands with the slaver, exchanging me for a handful of silver coins, they were smiling as they did . It was then that I learned the true value of a human life, measured in grams of silver with the face of a man I’d never met, maybe it was the current emperor or maybe it was the previous or the one before that , it matters not.” Alpheo looked at the stars in the sky before resuming

”For twelve long years, I endured the indignities of slavery, never once losing sight of my dream of freedom,” he recounted, his words carrying the weight of his past suffering. ”I remember one night in particular, I was serving a noble family , still I was little more than a plaything to be whipped and abused in the night , rather than a servant . I found myself hiding in the kitchen, driven by hunger to steal a piece of bread.”

”As I turned to leave, I caught sight of a young girl watching me with wide eyes,” Alpheo recalled, his voice softening with the memory. ”She couldn’t have been more than thirteen or fourteen, yet the look she gave me was one of disgust and fear, as though I were nothing more than a bug crawling over her clothes. I’m sure you all know the look I’m talking about.”

His gaze lingered on the faces of his companions,they knew.

Alpheo’s voice wavered slightly as he recounted the chilling memory, his words laced with a mixture of remorse and determination. ”I could see it in her eyes, the fear and the disgust, she would certainly have ratted me out ” he confessed, his hands clenching into fists as if reliving the moment. ”I approached her, my hands closing around her neck as I squeezed the life out of her. She fought back, clawing at my arms with desperate strength, but she was no match for me. In her final moments, she looked at me not with contempt, but with the same fear a girl might have when faced with a rabid dog.”

Pausing for a moment, Alpheo’s gaze dropped to the ground, his expression pained. ”I still remember the taste of that bread,” he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. ”It seemed to sour in my mouth, tainted by guilt and regret. But I was never discovered, never punished, I took a life and yet I was not even pinched for it . From that night on, I learned a valuable lesson: if you want something, you take it with your own hands. Just like we did today, when we fought for our freedom with steel and blood.”

His eyes met those of the slaves seated before him, his gaze unwavering. ”It’s a strange feeling, isn’t it?” he mused, his voice tinged with bitterness. ”Having the freedom to choose your own path, to eat what you want and go where you please. We should cherish it while we can, because I fear that soon we may find ourselves back in chains.”

The slaves gasped in horror, their eyes widening as they exchanged panicked whispers.

’’THEY ARE COMING?’’ One of the slaves shouted as he grasped his head with both hands

’’I WOULD RATHER DIE’’ Another one shouted grabbing the hilt of his sword almost as if he feared that it would run away.

But Alpheo silenced them with a stern look, raising a hand to command their attention. ”I walked through the camp and saw many of you behaving as if the danger had passed,” he admonished, his tone sharp. ”But can’t you hear the hooves of the riders approaching? They will send men to kill and enslave us once again if we do not stand together. Alone, we will fall. But united, we can defy our fate and fight for our freedom once more.We need to be united for that, we need a leader , someone to lead all of us”

Suddenly, a voice rose from the back of the crowd, ”And you think that a boy like you will be the one to lead us?” the slave scoffed, his voice dripping with contempt. ”You’re half my age, and I could blow you over with a single breath.I am much more stronger than you why should I obey your commands?” he sneered as he delivered his words on that dark and chilly night