Page 4 of Rebel's Fated Mate
And a desire to know this bear-man of my dreams. Could he be the protector prophecy had foretold would come to me?
Chapter 2: The Ostracized Captain
(Kael)
In the smoky haze of the battlefield, the ground trembled beneath my heavy paws. As a Dire Bear, my form was a towering presence at the front lines, my roars echoing through the ranks of both friend and foe. The air was thick with the stench of burnt earth and blood, evidence of the chaos of war that surrounded us.
"Captain!" The shout came from a lieutenant, barely audible over the clash of steel and the cries of the fallen. He was gesturing wildly, his face masked by urgency. "The command has come down! We're to push forward, torch the Kingdom, spare no one!"
The order knifed through the din, striking a chord of dissent in my heart. From my vantage point, I could see the panic in the eyes of the rebels as they shielded their young and elderly, herding them toward the dubious safety of the forest.
My bear heart, massive and fierce, clenched with a resolve born not from instinct, but from a deep-seated sense of justice.
With a growl that rumbled like thunder across the battlefield, I commanded, "Pull back! Regroup at the ridge. Hold the fires!" My voice, though booming and bestial, carried an authority that brooked no argument, yet promised protection over destruction.
Confusion flickered across the lieutenant's face, but the fear of contradicting the bear outweighed his doubt. "But sir, that contradicts—"
"Follow my orders!" I roared, louder this time, the command reverberating through the air. My troops, though hesitant, began to comply, their movements slow, burdened by uncertainty but driven by the trust they had always placed in me.
As I shifted back to human form, the transformation felt heavier than usual, each movement weighed down by the gravity of what I had just done. My uniform, marked with the scars of countless battles, now seemed a burden too heavy to bear.
General Orin approached; his face twisted into a scowl that could curdle blood. "Captain Kael, you dare defy a direct order in the heat of battle!"
Standing firm with my feet planted on the blood-soaked earth, I met his gaze squarely. "There were children, Orin. Innocents. Our honor doesn't lie in the slaughter of the defenseless."
His face turned a shade redder, veins bulging as if they might burst. "Your sentimentality is a weakness we cannot afford, Captain!" he spat the word as if it were venom. "You are stripped of your command, effective immediately. Consider yourself fortunate if that is the extent of your punishment."
Instead of retreating, I squared my shoulders, my resolve hardening like the iron of my sword. "I took an oath to serve the Empire, but not at the cost of innocent lives," I countered, my voice steady despite the fury that b lazed in General Orin's eyes. "If upholding the Empire’s true values means facing your wrath, then so be it."
The General’s face turned a deeper shade of crimson, and he stepped closer, the stench of his fury as sharp as the cold steel of the blades that surrounded us. "You dare speak of values now? You, who defies direct orders? You are no soldier, Kael—you are a traitor to the very principles you pretend to cherish!"
His words echoed off the canvas tents, drawing the attention of nearby soldiers. Their eyes flicked between us, uncertainty and fear mingling in their expressions.
I knew these soldiers; I had fought beside them, shared meals, and stories. Now, they watched as if witnessing the final downfall of a man they once respected.
"Perhaps the Empire has lost its way if its principles demand blind obedience over moral justice," I retorted, my voice louder, meant for more than just the General's ears. "And if seeking justice makes me a traitor, then I accept that title proudly."
The General's hand moved to his sword, his grip tightening—a silent threat of what could come. But he paused, his eyes narrowing, calculating. After a tense moment, he stepped back. "Leave this camp. Disappear into whatever hole fits a deserter. And if you cross paths with the Empire again," he paused, his voice dropping to a venomous whisper, "it will be the end of you."
Turning my back on him was like stepping away from the life I had known. The murmurs of the soldiers followed me as I walked through the camp for the last time, each step heavy with the weight of my decision.
As the camp’s boundary came into view, the first rays of dawn breaking over the horizon, I didn't look back.
Ahead was uncertainty, danger, perhaps even death. But there was also the possibility of redemption, of finding the fiery-haired woman who haunted my dreams. In her, I sensed [MN14]a part of my fate, an answer to the disquiet that had long gnawed at my soul.
I made my way back into town and walked until I was too exhausted to keep moving. I found a corner to lean my back, and soon dozed in snippets and was up at the crack of dawn.
I continued to walk but I needed food, but water more and as I headed down the city’s main dirt road, I came across some soldiers. I made to raise a hand in greeting, knowing they all knew who I was. I was not too surprised when my former comrades averted their eyes, but not before I caught some of the words they whispered, and saw their looks of disdain and pity.
They seemed embarrassed to see to me and understanding, I let myself fall back behind them, but the isolation was palpable. The way they glanced back then averted their gazes was a stark reminder of my fall from grace.
I came upon a small tavern the soldiers often hung around that served warm soup. But after what just happened, I didn’t want any of the soldiers to see me.
I decided I could eat in the kitchen and as I tried to slip in through the back door, I noticed a young kitchen hand being cornered by two soldiers. They were teasing him, shoving him between them and taunting him to fight back.
The fear in the boy’s eyes was unmistable and something within me stirred—the same instinct that had compelled me to defy orders on the battlefield.[MN15]
Approaching quietly, my voice low and steady, I intervened. "That's enough," I said, stepping between them. The soldiers were taken aback by my sudden appearance.