How the soldier murdered love

Seven Scars: “Are you scared because your army left you all alone with me? And by the way, If you let your sword down like that, what do you think I’m going to do? Let you go back to the army like we’re done here? That would really be an easy win.”

Belaru: “They should have called you Rubber Blade, not Seven Scars. It makes much more sense.”

Seven Scars: “That’s too much talk for a soldier with an ugly face.”

Belaru: “Then hurry up fighting, Rubber Blade. The sun’s already down.”

Seven Scars: “Are you cold, Belaru?”

Belaru: “Of course I’m not.”

Seven Scars: “But you’re shivering.”

Belaru: “It’s just the desire to take you off that little throne they built you.”

Seven Scars: “They really don’t equip you appropriately. Does that incompetent squirrel you have for a commander know this territory?”

Belaru: “Watch your – ”

Seven Scars: “Sit.”

Belaru: “You’d better think twice before letting your sword – Is this a joke? I didn’t come here to lie on the frozen grass and chat!”

Seven Scars: “I’m not on the grass, see? I’m on a flat rock. There’s one right there. The underground heat makes them really comfortable, you should try one.”

Seven Scars: “I will never fight you when your movements are made slower by the cold. Killing you would bring me no honor.”

Belaru: “And if you don’t pick up your sword I will have to kill you unarmed.”

Seven Scars: “Which you will never do. Imagine bringing my body back with my blade clean. You’ll become a singer’s favorite joke. The court will love this.”

Belaru: “Or I might have been extremely skilled and ended you before you could attack me.”

Seven Scars: “Difficult. I’ve been trained by the Tyrant, after all. If you forget about the three villages he erased from the map, he’s a really good teacher. I wouldn’t really leave your pretty face that clean, and I don’t really feel like doing any of that, anyway.”

Belaru: “What did you say?”

Seven Scars: “That the Tyrant is an excellent teacher. And a cook! Do you know what blini are? Should try them. As soon as you can.”

Belaru: “No, the –”

“Belaru, I suggest you to sit. The coldest moment of the day is getting closer, but after it the sun will rise and you’ll be better.”

Belaru: “Happy?”

Seven Scars: “If you could stop looking at me like you want to murder me, it would be even better. Oh, and if you put that huge blade away.”

Belaru: “Let’s play a game.”

Seven Scars: “Now, this is talking.”

Belaru: “If you lose, I’ll kill you.”

Seven Scars: “Why do you have to talk like you want to kill me when we’re getting to know each other? Wait until after our fifth date, at least.”

Belaru: “We’ve known each other for decades, what are you talking about?”

Seven Scars: “I don’t think we really do. I don’t know who you are anymore.”

Belaru: “Seriously? Right now? Sword in hands in the dead of winter, at night, with no one around? You want to talk of relationships?”

Seven Scars: “Why haven’t you ever told me the truth about the scar on your face?”

Belaru: “You know what it is, I’ve told you that story a million times.”

Seven Scars: “You invented it.”

Belaru: “How do you know?”

Seven Scars: “Because I’ve met the one who gave it to you.”

Belaru: “This is impossible.”

Seven Scars: “Well, you didn’t kill them.”

Belaru: “I meant that a person that good in fighting has no business in your army full of idiots.”

Belaru: “So? You lost your tongue now?”

Seven Scars: “I thought I deserved the truth, Belaru. Why didn’t you tell me?”

Belaru: “For the same reason you refuse to tell me about anything that happened before you were twenty.”

Seven Scars: “You know the word you should say to my servant to talk to me. You know the door that leads to my private rooms. You know about the morning we found our brother dead.”

Belaru: “These are not important things.”

Seven Scars: “They are to me, therefore they are important things about myself.”

Belaru: “Well, you changed all of those to make sure I couldn’t get in your castle anymore, so we’re even.”

Seven Scars: “You are still the only one who knows about Ero, you know? I want you to know that. I’ve never said those things to anyone else.”

Belaru: “Don’t use him to save your life. It won’t work.”

Seven Scars: “Why do you want to kill me?”

Belaru: “Why do you?”

Belaru: “For the same reason.”

Seven Scars: “I didn’t say I did. You didn’t let me finish.”

Belaru: “I don’t need you to.”

Seven Scars: “…”

Belaru: “…”

Seven Scars: “The sun is almost here. Say what you need to before it does.”

Belaru: “I don’t have anything to say.”

Seven Scars: “Do you know that up north there’s a place where the sun never sets for six months?”

Belaru: “And then it never rises for six more.”

Seven Scars: “Would you live there?”

Belaru: “Why are you asking?”

Seven Scars: “We could go there if we weren’t soldiers.”

Belaru: “We will always be soldiers, whether we want it or not.”

Seven Scars: “You’re wrong. We could run.”

Belaru: “I will have to kill you, Lore.”

Seven Scars: “I know. When the commander told me you were in the army, I knew why they had sent you. The only reason why they would put someone so skilled in the frontline – given that they weren’t idiots – where to come for me singularly.”

Belaru: “Why didn’t you do something to avoid this, then? If you knew, you could have just not come here. Fought later. Let me die first, then get down to battle.”

Seven Scars: “I wanted to see you one last time.”

Belaru: “Even if it meant dying?”

Seven Scars: “Why not, why not.”

Belaru: “The sky is purple. The dawn is close.”

Seven Scars: “It’s not. It’s still too blue, you see?”

Belaru: “What are we going to do when it’s pink, or blue?”

Seven Scars: “Appreciate it. Blue is your favorite color, after all. Why isn’t it red? I would have guessed it was. Same color of the blood of your enemies, lipstick, and wine.”

Belaru: “I’m serious.”

Seven Scars: “Yeah, I can see your ugly face, you know? I’m right next to you.”

Belaru: “What are we going to do once the sun rises? If my army finds both of us still alive and sane, they’ll execute me for treason. If the Tyrant find me alive, he’ll strangle you.”

Seven Scars: “I don’t know, what do you want to do?”

Belaru: “Give me your sword. We could make them believe that – ”

Seven Scars: “I mean right now. I can still see the stars. Tell me a story about a constellation, Belaru.”

Belaru: “Stop being so childish!”

Seven Scars: “No.”

Seven Scars: “I will not be serious because I don’t want this to feel like the last time we talked. I want to remember the sky as it is, cold and dreadful but beautiful, and not more fascinating than you are with your sword in your hand. And yes, you can have my heart, if you want. I mean, you can cut through it. I’ve never asked the Gods to let me live long, after all. And dying knowing that I will be in your arms sounds like a blessing, honestly. I don’t know if I’ll ever get this lucky again, you know?”

Seven Scars: “Come on, say something.”

Belaru: “My commander will execute me.”

Seven Scars: “You bring him the body of your enemy and he punishes you?”

Belaru: “I mean if I don’t kill you.”

Seven Scars: “Why wouldn’t you kill me?”

Seven Scars: “Thank you.”

Seven Scars: “Wait, one last thing.”

Seven Scars: “Every time I saw you sneaking in my castle I imagined how strange and beautiful it would have been to see you sitting next to me on our throne. I know it’s stupid, but I fell asleep cuddling my pillow, picturing it was you. Its comebacks weren’t has harsh, though.”

Seven Scars: “You see? It’s not that hard.”

Seven Scars: “Don’t worry, Belaru. I love you. I forgive you.”