Dear Sarada,
Weeks into the battlefield had me scared of the unknown. To be scared of the enemy that lies ahead would be quite typical yet I fear of what comes next. We're moving on to another area in the mountain, my troops and I. I will be meeting with a childhood friend of mine there along with his troops. We'll be preparing to ambush the enemy before they pass through the valley and find themselves by the shores where they can easily flee our land. Going back on my fear of the unknown, I am afraid of what comes next. Death was something I was not used to fearing. A battles here and there only made me think of the glory and honour it would give, yet now I'm scared of never seeing you again. I adore you, really. I would wish to marry you as soon as I get back from war. It seems soon but I'm more than sure and ready to face you in the altar. Send me a letter of your thoughts about this.
Sincerely,
Captain Boruto Uzumaki.
He said in the last letter he sent to me. It shook my being. He wanted to marry me! I've wanted nothing more than to live that life with him. I thought of wedding bells as I imagined him and his breathtaking laughter. The thought of hearing that every single day for the rest of my life. Oh, the bliss that would bring.
The noise of people gathering to the center of town, the town square, ruined my train of thoughts. What was happening there? I stood up and walked to the window of the little cafe I was dining at. What was the reason they decided to crowd around the notice board. Then it hit me.
"You aren't serious, are you...?"
I had quickly left a hefty amount of money on my table before I ran and opened the door. I joined the townsfolk that crowded around the board that presented the news about our troops in the mountains. The people were whispering, they had wondered what the news would be. I awaited for the arrival of the Herald. He opened the door to his office as soon as he heard more and more were waiting for his announcement. He walked to the podium with a figure of a man who clearly hasn't been getting enough sleep. It scared me that maybe he's bringing bad news.
I felt like collapsing. My breath taken away. I couldn't breathe. It felt like the air wasn't even getting into my lungs at all. I stared into the Herald's dull eyes. He too was used to this. The bloodshed of wars and battles. He too faced the grief and worry. Yet unlike the soldiers, the herald faces the storm of the citizens. He was the one to announce if our troops succeded in the battle. He sighed as he prepared to nail the announcement of the battle to the notice board.
Slowly, he brought out his shiny silver hammer along with a sturdy nail to hang the parchment to the piece of wood in the town square. He carefully put the parchment against the wood and poked the nail through the paper. He then slammed the hammer against the nail that poked the parchment that announceed the results of the battle in mountains. Painstakingly slow, he finished hammering the news.
I took deep breaths as I waited for him to declare allowance to read the parchment stuck to the board. I heard the mothers of the sons that were sent to battle months ago, shaking and whispering to each other. Scared of the results that laid on that paper. I heard the children whose fathers marched to the mountains along with the other soldiers, whimpering. Afraid that daddy may never come home. I heard the soon to be brides tearfully pull at the sleeves of their mothers' dresses. They too were afraid of the outcome.
As for me, I was shaking. My parents. My lover. They were all there. My father, a general. Mother, a doctor for the injured soldiers and lastly, my beloved. He too was a high ranking military officer. I'd be damned if they all perished in the battlefield. Their deaths would mean eternal loneliness and lamentation for me. I just need them back here, safe and sound.
