Photo: Pfc. Allison Lampe
A proud army stands in the rain, waiting for orders. This army is not made up of boys who want to murder their enemies, there are no men focused on destroying everyone in their way; this army is made up of citizens of a stolen home, these soldiers obey their leaders because they will take back their City – preserving as many lives as possible on both sides. While they wait for their leaders the rain is the only threat and each soldier stands strong, not caring about their rusting knives and guns because at least the rain won’t kill them; they know that this enemy is one that can be ignored, the ruthless army inside the City is waiting to kill each person loyal to the bloodline. This army, loyal to the rightful rulers, stands proud with each soldier holding his head high knowing that he is on the right side.
Two figures emerge from the darkness and move toward the stage in front of the waiting soldiers. As they walk into the light the soldiers stand even taller as they recognize their leaders, their commanders, the future rulers of the City. Anna and Emyr look out into the crowd and take note of the great number of excited and terrified faces turned forward. Anna steps forward and salutes her soldiers, showing her support and gratitude for their sacrifices, and proceeds to unsheathe her dagger as she walks off the stage towards a mysterious tent. Once Anna disappears into the tent, Emyr steps forward to greet his army.
“Good morning, my good men!” He says with raised arms and an unwavering smile, “We are finally here, and today we will show everyone what we can do. You might think that they have the upper hand since this is their land, but remember why we are here: this is our land, not theirs. They may think they know this land, but this is MY City and we will walk the roads as citizens, NOT invaders. We are defending our city from the invasion of so many years ago. It was stolen from us and we are going to take it back, tonight this city belongs to the people and we are here to prove it.” Emyr takes a step back, his smile faded into concern, watching the army in front of him as his soldiers hold onto the few memories they have of the City before they were each forced to run away.
“The sun rises in a couple of hours, and by the time it is in the sky we will be at our target location. There will be a lot of resistance before we even get to the house but we will need to be aware that most of their men will be at the house so there will be bombs and snipers stationed along the roads to the house. We have our teams ready to watch out for these things but everyone must be vigilant since we are all going into the city and we need everyone once we get to the house. We have trained for this, everyone knows what to do once we arrive. I will be with you all the way and once we arrive Anna and her team will be waiting for us as well as most of the enemy army so stay alive and keep your strength. I don’t want to see anyone stopping for a quick game of chess on the way, since I know that’s what you guys love to do in the middle of battle.” He stops talking and bends over to pick up a golf ball from the stage and rolls it in his hands, “Well I think you’ve stood in the rain long enough, how about we go take back out city now?” The cries in agreement from the army drowns out the rain as they had long since forgotten that their boots are covered in mud and their helmets are providing them with personal waterfalls. They raise their arms in a salute to Emyr, the man they will follow into battle and for whom they are each willing to sacrifice their lives. Emyr salutes them in return, savoring this moment of solidarity before he must lead them into a battle where most will die, and walks off the stage to the front of the group and begins the march into their City.
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