White Star of Aturan

VOL. 1, Ch. 10 - The War at Home

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Cainne, Republic of Casovyo
19:37, WCT
3/1/2000

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As the sun set and the streetlights lit up, a new reality now stood only some dim hours away. The modest town of Cainne found itself the place where hundreds of soldiers of the Casovyonian Army now scrambled to send letters back home informing their families of the incoming war before they were to leave to fight in the morning.

The town square, which normally was deserted around this time, was now an active albeit short-term logistics and organisation hub for the soldiers and their equipment as they prepared to organise everything for the long ride to their next staging grounds. For now, all was quiet on this side of the country. The men and women of the present forces had originally been called to the area to secure and aid the investigation of the portal, but now most of the original contingent found themselves soon to be shipped off to fight off the Wannoans for their territory back.

A mere stone's throw from the square at one of the town's butchers, a commotion took place on the second floor above the premises of where many of the local townsfolk purchased their meats each day – the residence of the butcher's family.

"Ma, the sausages are ready."

"Mae, bring them over here, the oil's ready."

"Fran, is the tea ready?" asked Maeaersa.

A young man in a plain white shirt and grey trousers turned around, holding a tray of filled cups which were almost wide enough to be a rather narrow bowl.

"The tea's already done."

Maeaersa placed down the plate of sausages which were to be part of the family's dinner for tonight, and looked over her shoulder upon hearing a familiar voice from behind.

"Mae, come here for a bit. I need you to bring something to the soldiers in town."

"What is it, dad?"

Her father, the head of the family, gestured for Maeaersa to come over anyways whilst he pointed to a sack on a table. He was sat on a chair next to the table pointed outwards and away perpendicular. She hurried over and unfurled the untied sack to discover a pile of relatively fresh meat set on a bed of ice.

"It's not much but, I want you to give these to the soldiers out there in the square."

"Dad, this seems to be a lot of meat..."

"I know, Mae. Some of it was from what we couldn't sell today by evening but the rest was from a portion I separated this afternoon specifically for the soldiers when I heard they had come. I separated even more for this sack when I heard they are going to fight the Wannoans in the northeast."

"Does mom know about this?"

"She is, my dear. We both agreed to it together. I have not told you this about myself, Mae, but I was once just like them. I was once a proud soldier myself out there handling a musket and a sack full of my own provisions like the thousands of others I called my brethren back then."

Her father turned his gaze downwards, staring at his calloused palms which were a product of the labouring hardships of his army years. He reminisced of his times as a soldier despite all of the struggles of the job and the not-uncommon injustices from his superiors.

"It's been 25 years since then. There were times we felt we weren't treated right and times we felt regretful of the work we volunteered for. I signed up myself after my two-year conscription, and at the time I thought it was a great idea."