*/ FOR GLORY

                           𝐃𝐎𝐍'𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐊 𝐌𝐄 𝐔𝐍𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐃,   𝐃𝐎𝐍'𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐊 𝐌𝐄 𝐂𝐑𝐔𝐄𝐋;                                            𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐒 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐈 𝐀𝐌...  𝐈 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐁𝐎𝐑𝐍 𝐓𝐎 𝐑𝐔𝐋𝐄.

       ❝   𝖸𝗈𝗎 …  ❞   He became enthralled, frozen as if captured in a picture frame aside the greatest man alive. What is he meant to say ?  To share ?  Guts wishes to speak but any words meant to surface remained trapped in his throat, as if their worth could not match up against Griffith’s warm passion.

        ❝  Yeah, why not.  ❞  Guts amiably expressed, he is seemingly unaware of the flattering smile he gallantly carries. It has been awhile, yeah; how they fought that fateful day beneath a scorching sun, as memorable as the moment they now exchanged galloping across the empty meadows. He discovered someone to confine in: a friend, compatriot and …

        His hand leaned forth to bridge across the small distance, thumb and index pinched the succulent strawberry.  ❝  Still haven’t told me where we’re goin’ ?  ❞ His eyes sought to drown on Griffith’s image once again, to see how he almost glistened and glowed beneath the merciful warmth of the sun. He was going to achieve great heights, one day, and our captain would be there to lift him higher ────  a friend is a friend after all. 

         Guts eventually returned his attention to the land ahead. It was fairly verdant with a casual distant farmer herding their flock. On the far distance slept a maze of trees with untold disasters hidden within, all in all, no matter how hard he tried to guess ? He was clueless, it was far too strenuous to try and read Griffith’s brilliance. It is in that moment that it hit him; he was craving for another strawberry so his hand reached for one more.

            𝐀 𝐒𝐌𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐂𝐇𝐔𝐂𝐊𝐋𝐄 𝐄𝐒𝐂𝐀𝐏𝐄𝐒 𝐆𝐑𝐈𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐓𝐇’𝐒 𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐘 𝐋𝐈𝐏𝐒,  most  humbly  offering  the  last  strawberry  in  hand.    ❝    oh,  it’s  a  surprise,  guts...  one  mustn't  spoil  surprises.   ❞   hiding  away  the  now  empty  handkerchief,  they  continue  on  down  the  sandy  path  &  soon  enough  into  a  maw  of  the  great  maple  forest  ────  the  vast  acres  of  orange,  red,  &  yellow  trees  ────   as  well  as  the  most  beautiful  emerald  river.   griffith  halts  directly  by  its  flourishing  bank  &  peers  down  at  the  calm  glistening  waters.  there  are  many  wild  fish  to  be  found  there,  some  of  which  even  hop  out  of  the  stream  before  diving  right  back  in,  making  the  white  hawk  smile  ever  so  softly  in  turn.      ❝   here  we  are,   the  heart  of  the  wyndham  forest...  ❞    he  states  nobly,   ❝   one  of  many  hidden  secrets  which  i  was  lucky  enough  to  find,  &  wished  to  share.   ❞

       Admirable, wasn’t it ?  To carry not one but many dreams, yet able to smile as if tomorrow’s crack of dawn brimmed with hope. He fights for something, for someone, unlike me. Who am I fighting for, is it for him, for them or myself? And so our young captain thinks, sharing a smile in reflection of his guiding star’s vivacious determination.  ❝  Yeah, yeah. I heard ya’, I’ll go ahead for once.  ❞  Quick on making a decision, his towering frame came ever so closer, allowing his brutish hand to give a firm tap on the falcon’s shoulder.

       Fresh summer breezes brought a curtain between them, a veil of blushing leaves and faint scent of salt from the nearby ocean. Guts descended a set of cobblestone stairs spiraling down into the city below, and his focused attention to ‘obeying’ began to surface. Guess if I can’t find a reason to fight for myself, then I will fight for him. The ocean glistened brightly from where he stood, filled with unknown promise. Would they ever travel beyond the vast expanse ? Keep embarking on and on ‘till fate deemed them too old for it ? Whichever, Guts ensured to prepare a rucksack with essentials and made his way to the kingdom’s front gates, where his trusty steed kept him company whilst waiting.

                𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐓𝐎𝐎 𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐆 𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑,   the  young  commander  arrives  ‘pon  his  very  own  white  steed,   albeit  without  the  usual  suit  of  armour  to  match  the  rather  imperial-looking  creature.  it’s  not  needed  today,  it  seems.    ❝    so  i  see  you’re  ready,   that’s  good.   ❞    smiling  gently,  griffith  approaches  him  &  slowly  circles  around  within  a  wide  arch,  allowing  for  the  cool  ocean  breeze  to  sway  his  long,  wavy  locks.  a  truly  beautiful  weather,  he  thinks.   it’s  exactly  what  they  needed....    ────  no,  what  they  craved  ────   a  little  getaway  from  the  cruelties  of  this  wretched  world.      ❝   onward  then,  let’s  depart  before  the  sunset  catches  up  to  us.   ~    ❞

As far as he could wager, this was far uncharted territory. The world seemed familiar to him, but clearly something was amiss about him being here. As neat as it would be to figure out just how he wound up in this specific place at this specific time, there was little reason to stress over it.

As it was anyway, the time here seemed to be just as distorted, and there most certainly happened to be a cross between the normal plane all mortals wander, and the realm in which more fantastical entities reside. At least, if that magnificent light that haloed this figure was anything to go by.

“I’ve stopped here on my path.” A familiar, unpleasant sensation coated his words. Something seemed to be burning at his core. Rowan was keenly aware of the presence of less-than-savory entities, ones that he dedicated his life to hunt. “I was following the trail of a demon that seems to be hiding in wait..” The appearance of such a rough and obviously skilled warrior lent credence to such claims, at the very least if not that weapon’s profile were to be believed.

“I’ve not navigated this land before, but it seems all too familiar to me..” His stance only slightly eased, the clear foreigner of the two not completely giving up on his blade, but at the very least signaling that he wouldn’t attack unprovoked. It’d need a slight bit more trust before he’d lower (or even stow away) his blade. The unfamiliar inscriptions on Rowan’s surcoat, as well as his armor gave him away as a knight, but not as one of any recognizable land near here.

                ❝   ...  𝐀  𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐍?   ❞    he  quotes  the  other  in  a  gentle  tone,    ❝   that  is  indeed  troubling  news...   ❞    if  what  the  stranger  says  is  true,  then  they  must  dispose  of  it  quickly  before  any  possible  ill  happens,  however,  not  before  testing  the  sheer  value  of  those  words.  after  all,  the  man  could  very  well  be  a  spy.  one  out  of  many  more  waiting  in  darkness  of  night.    ❝   if  i  may  ask,  ❞    so  he  begins,  taking  but  a  single  step  forward,     ❝    from  where  do  you  hail  from  exactly,  my  friend... ?   as  you  say  yourself,  these  lands  are  unfamiliar  to  you   &   judging  by  the  gear  you  carry,  i  reckon  that  you  must  be  a  knight...   or  perhaps,  once  were.    ❞  

                𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐃𝐒𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐅𝐋𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐁𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐄,  there’s  no  time  to  waste.  every  second  counts.  every  move  must  be  sharp  &  swift.  as  such,  the  white  falcon  draws  his  sword  &  cuts  through  the  very  next  enemy  ────   manoeuvring  in  grace,  slicing  the  cur’s  head  right  off   ────   only  to  bury  his  bloodied  blade  deep  into  the  back  of  the  man  who  foolishly  attempted  to  catch  casca  off-guard.   it’s  pathetic.   no  challenge  whatsoever.  still,  the  sound  &  feel  of  organs  being  spilled,   the  very  downpour  blood....    it’s  all  just  so  invigorating.   it  feels  good  to  let  out  some  steam.    ❝   hmph.... ~  ❞

              nonchalantly  stepping  down  ‘pon  the  corpse,  the  white  falcon  once  more  drags  out  his  blade  &   slowly  peers  across  the  battlefield,   azure  eyes  scanning  each  &  every  individual  silhouette  with  surgical  precision  until  they  land  ‘pon  none  other  than  guts.   he  appears  to  be  saying  something,  but  what?  ‘tis  impossible  tell.  the  noise  of  the  battlefield  drowns  out  the  swordsman  in  a  sea  of  screams  &  clashing  metal,  but  just  before  one  can  possibly  ask,   griffith’s  eyes  suddenly  widen  within  the  shadow  of  his  silver  helm;   a  nefarious  beast,  as  big  &  tall  as  a  sturdy  gate,  is  rushing  directly  towards  him.   no,  griffith  thinks.     ❝   ────   GUTS!   ❞