Unveiling the Shadows: Albin and Bannis' Quest

The battle raged on all around me. I could hear the sounds of metal hitting metal, of arrows slicing through the air, and of screams that would haunt my dreams for years to come. People were dying all around me and yet I stood there, in the middle of it all, watching the terror unfold.

I was helpless.

I was imprisoned by a force greater than myself. I was chained to a tree, with shackles tightly wrapped around my ankles so that I couldn’t move. I had tried to break free, but they were made of solid iron and my hands were bound together. There was no escape.

On the ground, the bodies piled up higher and higher. The last of our men fell just as a loud horn sounded out from across the field. My heart sank as an army of men rode onto the battlefield, each one clad in armor that glistened in the sunlight. They reined their horses to a stop and dismounted before slowly walking towards us prisoners, who were chained up like animals in front of them.

A man walked over to me and sheathed his sword into his scabbard before looking down at me with cold eyes. He kicked my leg so that I fell backwards onto my back, where he stood over me looking down at me with disgust. “So this is the great warrior Albin?” he sneered down at me before spitting on my face and kicking me again until I stopped moving.

The last few months have been hell for me and my brother Bannis. We had traveled far from home to try and find work as soldiers so that we could save up enough money to buy our own farm back home in France. We had never really adjusted well to farming life when we were younger, so it only seemed appropriate that we would try something new instead.

Well... at least it seemed reasonable while we were still living in France. Now however, our lives depended on escaping from these chains - which didn't seem likely as more soldiers approached us and began taunting us for what we were about to endure.

Somebody hit me hard on the back of my head with a club before being pulled away by another soldier who whispered something into his ear before nodding and leading him away from us prisoners unseen by those around us. “We're going to enjoy watching you die!” somebody else yelled out before laughing hysterically at his own words as others joined in with him, creating a chorus of insults hurled at us all around us as we hung there waiting for our fate to be decided upon by someone else's hand... or rather... sword - because that's what they had decided they would use to end our lives once they all finished gathering around us like vultures ready to feast on fresh meat after a long trip through Europe searching for jobs as mercenaries all across Europe.. which thankfully ended up here... far away from home... where nobody knew where we were or cared about what happened to us now that our job was done.. until now.. before we could even get paid!