The Soldier Of Sins | ✓

[24] Father To Son

Her father's eyes stunned at her just as she told him about what had happened in his absence. Horror struck his eyes and it was scaring Samara how much afraid he looked for his only son.

"They took him?" He asked calmly. "Just like that. Without any notice to me. Without any news."

Samara handed him the glass of water which he took hesitantly. She walked back to the bed, sitting beside her mother who couldn't stop sobbing heartily. Her father gulped down the water hurriedly and put the glass down on the side table.

"I am going to bring my son back," he told them loudly.

Samara stared at him, shaking her head. "Father, it's getting dark. You know the environment in the village. Even the Warriors warned us to light torches and stay in the house."

Her father flared his nostrils. "My son is out there alone in front of the King. If they get a slightest of wrong hint that he is the wolf, they won't leave him alive, Samara. They won't."

Samara's mother gasped and broke into tears as she stared at her husband. "Bring my son back to me, I beg you. Bring our son back. Since the day he had arrived from the war, he has been on the bed. How could he even dare to hurt others when he himself was injured all this time?"

"A little happiness he got last night. A little by receiving an honor in Archery, by receiving the post. He made us proud, Alistair. He made us happy. But it wasn't enough for that King. For that God," she yelled angrily.

Samara's father looked away from them and checked around the room. She could see emotions swirling in his eyes but understanding what was more important this time, he said, "Close down the windows and bolt all the doors, Samara. I don't know how much time it will take for me and Samuel to return. The whole village is under protection by the guards and they won't leave any innocent man in doubt."

"Do not go out by any chance until the daylight appears," he gave her a warning look. "Sleep in your mother's room, tonight."

She nodded slowly while feeling terrified to let her father leave at this time when the sun had set and people were inside their homes having dinner. "Will you be fine all the way, father?"

Her father walked towards a wooden cupboard and pulled out his sword that he was given by the Council. "I will be very fine. Enough to kill that beast if he comes my way. He has put my son's life on stake," he grunted angrily while clutching the sword belt.

Samara held the lantern with her while walking behind her father, out of the room leaving her mother alone. "Father, do you think this beast is really one of the soldiers the Prince had talked about?"

Her father stopped to turn around and looked at her. "This is not something that has been made up. If we think through the proofs and the Prince's tale, we must revise which soldier and how many of them were there with the wolves. It is clear that none other than those ten had any encounter with the wolves. So it is one of those ten soldiers only."

"Our Samuel is one of them, father," she reminded him.

Her father nodded while grimacing. "That is what I am not able to understand, dear. The whole time during the war, Samuel was in my sight. He might be a newly recruited soldier there but he was my only son. I kept my eyes on him fearfully."

His eyes filled with memories as he described, "When he took those arrows to save some of his friends, I was stunned. I was dead there, seeing him getting stabbed slowly. Since then, a part of me has died inside with this much horror."

"But we fathers, whether or not Warriors, whether or not are brave men— when it comes to our kids, we never step back from even begging if we have to. Samuel is burdened with the horrors of the war. Not just the attacks but the wolves too. Now that he knows, there is one wolf around here, he is traumatized."