Friendly Fire

I’m standing at my post, gun slung across my back. Its a little past midnight, and the stars glow overhead. The other guard and I stand at the entrance of the base. We are waiting on a carriage to come. We were not told who was inside, how many of them there are, or what they are doing inside our walls, but we do not have the right to object orders.

Snow begins to fall, but its normal for up in the North. It is considered unusual for us to not have snow in a twenty-four hour period, and concerning. The Emperor gets all his power from the cold. Without that, we will surely lose the upcoming battle. The Kingdom next door is becoming very powerful, but we have more soldiers than them. Many, many more. The Emperor says not to worry, because the King is very foolish, and he has already lost many warriors to our hands. His words doesn’t help. I don’t know if I can fully trust the Emperor. I have seen many of our own fall in the snow and never get up. Then again, I really don’t have much to lose if I fall like them. I don’t have any family left, as they all were executed by the King himself. Our leader says that should be my motivation, that if I don’t make it out, I can see them again. If I do make it out alive, I can save many others from the same fate.

I snap myself back to the falling snow. I can’t let my guard down. I’m on duty. I’ve been in the cold my whole life, not even fifty degrees below freezing is cold. I actually don’t know how cold I can get before it feels cold.

I hear noises off in the distance. The other guard hears them as well. We both grab our guns and prepare to fire. We wait a few seconds before a horse comes out from behind the mountain, then a second one. The carriage follows not far behind, and he pull the guns back onto our back. I grab the steel chain to open the door. Its rough, even through my gloves. The door opens its gaping mouth and the horses head in with no hesitation. We head in as well and close the metal gate. His Majesty said to follow the carriage in, and a new patrol will take our post.

Following the cart closely, our boots seen exponentially loud as we clack our way to the entrance of the main building. The guards at the entryway stop the cart and explain that the horses may not enter. The people inside seen frustrated, but follow what they are told. I would be too. After a long journey, you would want to remain in the conveyance. Out come a male, late forty’s, a female, also late forty’s, and finally another girl, this time mid twenties, about my age. They slowly enter the building, with us following behind.

We come up to his throne. He is sitting there, waiting for them. When he sees that they have arrived, he stands. The guard and I get on one knee, with our left hand on our hearts. The guest see what we are doing, and follow suit. The younger girl won’t stop looking at me, and I’m unsure why. I look just like any other soldier in the entire Empire. Silver steel chest plate with a scale-like texture all the way to my feet. I have a helmet with horn-like features on top, face exposed. My boots are also steel, and round at the tips just a little bit.

The Emperor raises both his hands. “Welcome Oscar, Lana, and,” He looks at the younger girl. “You must be Ash. You all must be tired. Sama and Sambo, please show them to their sleeping quarters.”

He sits back down and waves his hand in dismissal. Oscar and Lana begin to speak, but we pull them away before they get a chance to start. Its better if you don’t talk to him once you have been dismissed. The other guard, Sambo, takes the older people while I took Ash. Age groups get separated, even guests.

She remains silent as we walk. I am still trying to possess things. They’re English, with English names. They must be from the Kingdom, unless they are roamers. They don’t look like roamers, though. Their cloths are fine and made of silk. We enter an empty hallway when she finally says something.

“I’m very confused.”

“I am as well.” I reply.

“It can’t be.” She whispers to no one. “I am sorry. I just-” She catches herself.

“You can talk to me. Guests are allowed to speak, as long as they do no get in the way of our work.”

She stops dead in her tracks. I go to grab her arm to pull her along. “Can we please keep mo-”

“Your name is either Sama or Sambo, correct?”

This is right. My name is Sama. I don’t say this out loud, however.

“It still doesn’t make any sense. I don’t recognize either name, but I recognize you.”

This hit me hard. How could I know a English person? I have only ever lived here, among my people, and have never, ever spoken to an English folk.

“That’s impossible.” I reply. I try not to show my confusion, but I can tell that I look very confused. “I have never met someone named Ash. You must be making some kind mistake.”

She looked down at the floor and continued walking. “I must be. Its all a mistake.”

Night came and went, but I had a hard time getting to sleep. What Ash had said stuck with me and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. How did she know me?

I start another patrol. This time it’s inside our walls. Myself and another guard take role to protect the weapons. The welders are always very protective of their work, and who knows what the Kingdom would do if they managed to get their hands on our tools.

Oscar, Lana, and Ash are being shown around, but to me that doesn’t make much sense. Why would we show English folk around our town? What if they go back to the Kingdom and use their knowledge to break in? I know I need to get answers, but where?

“You know the new people who came into the Empire?” I ask the other guard. Her name is Fuji. “What do you think of them?”

She doesn’t look at me. Keeps her head forward and reply’s in a calm, mature tone. “I don’t know why they are here, but it does not regard me. I am to do my work, and you are to do yours. You won’t let some foolish girl to get in the way of duty, are you?” As she finishes, she turns to look directly at me. Her cold, deep, blue eyes are all I can focus on until she turns her head back.

“Of coarse not.” My voice shakes, and I pray she doesn’t notice. Fuji, although strong and wise, isn’t the best at picking up hooks in others voices. “It’s just, what if they are from the Kingdom? They sound like that’s where they’re from.” I can’t let her know that Ash recognises me. I don’t know who to tell. I might not tell anyone.

Fuji knows well enough not to reply to my comments anymore. She stands, shoulders back and head high. She looks just like any other soldier. Same silver suit. Same white hair. Same blue eyes. I have noticed the warriors from the Kingdom have golden hair and green eyes, or black hair with brown eyes. I once killed a boy with red, curly hair and blue eyes so pale they almost looked grey. I always wonder why they are so different. Maybe it’s weird we’re all the same. The roamers have multicoloured hair and eyes. Ash’s hair is brown and her eyes are a deep green.

I decide to find my answers I seek myself. My plan is to take Ash and pull her out and talk to her about what she said last night. It looks like she wants to leave the group anyways. I approach the guards guiding them.

“Good day, Zao and Kishi. Hello, Oscar and Lana.” I bow towards the Englishmen. It shows I know what I’m doing to Zao and Kishi. “Would you mind if I showed Ash around the main building? She might meet some great soldiers inside. It would be an experience.”

Lana and Oscar look at each other, and the guards wait for what they have to say. They trust me with the girl and probably want to get her complaints out of the way.

Lana faces me and looks a little confused and concerned. “Sure, person?”

I grab Ash’s hand, firm but not firm enough to be noticed that I’m practically dragging her around. We get to the main building and walk into another empty hallway.

“What are you doing?” She struggles in my grip before I let go, sending her almost to the floor. “Why are you pulling me?”

She’s a little shorter than me, so I bend over just a little bit to look her in the eyes. “I need answers to what happened last night.” Firm but gentle. I don’t like talking, so I’m trying to talk in a way to make her scared, but know she’s safe at the same time.

Apparently I went a little too firm. “What? Who saw? Did you snitch on me?” Those deep green eyes quickly turned to eyes of panic. She almost starts shaking when I grab her and pull her back to reality.

“No, I am the one who needs the answers.” I push into one of the empty storage closets we have. “We will figure this out together. How do you know me?”

She is still not calming down. “I thought we said it was all a mistake?”

“Its not. I know its not.”

I hoist myself up on an empty shelf and try to figure this out. I swear I have never spoken a word to one from the Kingdom, but I also feel like I’ve met her, and it makes it ever more confusing.

“What’s your name?” She has slumped herself in the corner closest to the door. It has sunk in that I’m not letting her leave until we have answers.

“Sama.”

She stares at her hands like they will tell her the answer. “I feel like I know you from school, but that doesn’t make sense.”

School. I don’t ever remember going to school, but I also don’t remember not going. To be honest, I really don’t remember anything or anyone before a few years or so.

“You look like a kid in my class named Brandyn, your face at least does.”

I know that name. I know it just a little. The memory is so foggy I can’t see it, but I know that name. “Brandyn.” I repeated.

“He just dispersed after we finished school. His parents were taken by the King for treason. Everyone believes he left because he thought he was next.”

“The Emperor says my parents were executed by the King.”

“If your are Brandyn, then why are you here? Why don’t you remember me? I was your sword fighting partner.”

“Why are you here?” I counter. “If you are from the Kingdom, why are you being shown the Empire?”

“I don’t know. My parents just left our home one day, and I think the Emperor offered us something or maybe-” I had heard enough.

I want to grab her. I am not sure why, but I feel the need to grab her like I’m about to punish her. When I hop down from my shelf, I knock a box over, and the contents spill onto the floor.

We both scramble to pick up everything before someone comes in. Everything’s almost in when Ash stops. In her hand is a gun of some sort, but nothing like I have ever seen. It resembled a pistol, and has switches all over, and has a bulky slide, but it doesn’t load mags. On the side, written in black print, it read ‘Memory Removal Ray Gun.’

We look at each other at the same time. I am Sama. I am also Brandyn, but just don’t remember. My parents were taken, and I didn’t want to be taken as well. I must have been offered the same deal Ash and her family had gotten.

I sit down and lean against the wall. I take off my helmet for a minute. This explains so much. Why we have so many soldiers, and maybe down to why we all look the same.

I look at her. Her face looks somewhat familiar when I really look. “I need more answers. Answers I can’t get from you.”

Next thing I know, I am standing in front of the Emperor himself. I throw down the gun and demand to be told what it is. All the guards were told to leave while I talked to him.

He sighed. “I tried to keep this from many of you. Majority of this Empire is made of past English folk who wanted a second chance. Like I have always told you, the King is a foolish man who does not treat his followers with respect. They want to forget their horrid past and move on, so I give them as they wish. You were one of them. Just a young boy who could’t bear to live anymore, so I let you forget your troubles. It wasn’t just your parents that made you come. The only problem I ran into was the side effects, but no one seems to notice that they all look the same and can’t feel the cold like the warriors can.” He looked at the floor, almost ashamed of keeping this from me.

“Will you please not tell the others? I don’t know if the rays effects will wear off if exposed to the truth.”

I agree to this, and walk back to the empty storage room to return this mind boggling piece of machinery. How it works, I don’t think I will ever be able to find out.

Its been a few days now. The sun begins to hide behind the mountains before diving into the ocean below. The war has come and gone. I tried my best, and alongside Fuji, managed to pull of some a large number of kills. In the end, the Empire emerged victorious, and the King was executed like he had done to many of his followers time and time again.

Many lives were lost that day, including my good friend Sambo, the other guard who let Ash and her family into the Empire for the first time. Oscar, Lana, and Ash had their memories wiped, and everyone was told that they had left. With no Kingdom to go to, everyone could think they are roamers, but they are still here.

Ash, now known as Uzume, stands here next to me. She doesn’t fully know who I am anymore, but I am slowly reintroducing her to myself and life here in the Empire. I have finally earned her trust back again for the third time, but it will be the last.

The Emperor is growing old, and needs to appoint someone new to power. He came to me with this the other day. We do not have a christening ceremony date set, but I will be the next ruler of this Empire, and I plan to rule it just as well as the one before me, and continue to take the people who want to forget their past into my hands and help them relive a life without worry.

I reach out for Uzume’s hand, and she lets me take it. She may not know what I talk about when I say life in the Kingdom must have been hard on us both, but she is here now, and I don’t care to know what my old life was like. I wanted it to be forgotten for a reason, and I want to keep it that way.

Sama and Uzume. Brandyn and Ash. The same people, but still now different. I look at her, and she looks right back at me. Her now white hair still looks weird, because when I look at her, I still only picture her with with that brown hair. We make eye contact, and I stare into her cold blue eyes, and I kind of miss the deep green, but as the sun sets on this day, I know that no matter what happens or what the future holds, everything will be alright, as long as I have her.