The Legend of the Sword of the Day and the Sword of the Night (Translated Novel)

Year 1.028 of the III Era

The little one awaited in her chamber, just like her nanny told her too. She saw the horseman arrive inner ward and could still remember the fear she felt when she saw that he was covered in blood, and with a weak voice, and ready to pass out, he asked to talk to the marquis. Then an escort appeared with other men, and everyone helped the horseman enter the castle. She tried to follow them, for she wanted to know, however, the nanny stood in her way and ordered her to wait in her room. She could still remember the fearful expression on the women’s eyes.

The light of dusk slipped through the large windows of the room, she awaited sitting on her bed, when her father came to speak with her. Even though she was of young age, she knew something was wrong. Her father kneeled before her, his eyes red and his face paled. The girl knew that, not to long ago, he‘d been crying. She felt as if she didn’t want to know what happened.

“Fate…” Daran began, Lord and marquis of Parmor. He was a tough and strict man, and no his voice trembled. “I don’t know how to say this… Your mother and sister are…are dead. Their delegation were attacked by bandits as they were returning from the Wizard’s Forest.

The little one didn’t react, she stood still, looking at her father, while her mind processed those words. Her mother and sister were dead….dead, it couldn’t be true. Her father was playing a trick on her, but how could he do something so cruel. It couldn’t be true.

“Fate, do you understand what I‘m saying?” Her father looked alarmed at her lack of reaction, and put a hand on her shoulder.

“Yes… But it’s not true, your lying, Mom and Alicia couldn’t be dead. They promised. They promised that we would play together when they returned, that we would all four go horseback riding through the fields… It’s not true, right dad? Right?

Her voice broke then, as the crying came at last, when she saw how her father shook his head and hugged her tightly.

“I’m sorry Fate, I’m so sorry… I should have sent more men with them. I should have gone with them. I’m so sorry, my daughter.”

And in that very afternoon, of the beginning of summer, a father and his 5 year old daughter shared the most deeply and painful sorrow.

Be one with the shadows, be one with the night, be one with the darkness. Those were the concepts of the brotherhood, that their members fed from the cradle. When the years of hard training came, those who fear pain, and those who lost friends were never remade, because he, the one that today gives you his hand, could tomorrow stab you with a dagger. There were no other loyalties but to the High Council and their orders were the law. There were no innocent children of the Brotherhood, since five years of age they were separated from their family and taken to The Abyss. The nights were longer and the sun were nothing more than an echo of a far off memory. In that tough and terrible land, they were trained by merciless beings, and only the will of strength and courage would help them survive one more day of hell.

“You come here children of kind looks and you will leave here as a warrior of steel eyes” were the first words the Grand Master told the new disciples, and, shaking with fear, looked around the cold hall of stone in the House of the Ghosts.

“Be one with the shadows, be one with the night, be one with the darkness” the other masters echoed and urged the little ones to repeat them out loud, until their voices were hoarse.

They were then taken to the barracks, where they would live for the next ten years. The first night was the worst of them all. The older disciples assaulted the rookies rooms at an early hour of the morning, forcing them to come out, naked, and dive into the cold black water of the lake, with no name crowned on one of the steep hills, and was insulted while whipped with branches and whips. It was a tradition that no master intervened. In The Abyss, traditions were important.

“I don’t like this place” cried one of the kids, who stood next to a red-headed little girl. Shivering, they both entered the cold water..

“Don’t cry, or you’ll make things worse” She whispered to him.

“I want to go home…” His sobs grew louder.

“Shut up, or there’ll hear you.”

“Ah! Something touched my foot!“ He screamed in fear, and without thinking, turned around to get out of the lake.

“Well, well, what do we have here?” He was one of the older disciples.

“A coward rat, Kyouya” Laughed some of the other girls. The light of their torches surrounded the shore, looking like a vivid image of the first one. The red-headed girl held her breath, as she saw them.

“You know what we do with coward rats, brat?” Kyouya asked, as the little kid clutched onto his arm tightly. “Tell him, Miyuki.”

“We feed them to the dogs.”

The disciples laughed out load at the kids fear, and the tears that fell from his cheeks

“So…are you going to be a coward rat?”

“N…No.”

“Then go back in the water.”

Kyouya throw the kid without care, and he fell into water. He started to kick, unable to stand up, and swallowed water, coughing. The red-head held out her hand, to help him stand, but felt pain instead, forcing her to move her hand away.

“Here, we take care of ourselves. There are no friends, no family. Don’t forget it Nanoha” The first and maybe one of the few words, Kyouya, her older brother, would tell her, during her years of training there.

That infernal night ended when dawn came, allowing them to go back to their barracks. Before their first day of training, they would at least get a few hours of sleep.

“Be one with the shadows, be one with the night, be one with the darkness” Said the woman who will soon be their master. “You will never forget those words, but also remember this, the words that I will tell you now; be one with the sword, be one with the earth, be one with the air. Etch them into your minds, for that is what I will teach you here. Repeat.

“Be one with the sword, be one with the earth, be one with the air!” The children echoed.

“That’s it. Now run!”

The group started to run up the broken path that went deep into The Abyss, dodging obstacle that the children knew to well.

“What do you think of your flock, Arf?“ Asked a mature man, with tan skin, full of scars.

“Five of them will probably make it, Grand Master.”

“Is the younger Takamachi among them?”

“Favoritism?” The Female master smirked.

“You know that’s not it, but the name of her family echoes off in this land with power. Her older brother and sister were promising from their first day.

“She will be among them if her kind eye disappear one day.”

Meanwhile, unknown of those words, Nanoha ran inlaying her shirt and pants of hard leather. Her naked feet bleed over the stones, as she made her way. “Be one with the shadows, be one with the night, be one with the darkness. Be one with the sword, be one with the earth, be one with the air”, she repeated those words again and again in her mind, as she tried to forget her pain and fear.

Year 1.038 of the III Era

The camp was a mass of activity, the men were getting ready for battle. Finally they were called to reinforce the defenses, of one of the frontier forts. Everyone was tense, expectant, they wanted to win honor, glory, for the marquis of Parmor and for the Velkan county. For their lord that will lead them to battle. The banners waved in the wind, as the horns called for arms; it was time to march. The sun of dawn stained the tip of the spears. Their rampant silver horses, over the land of sable (1) of Parmor, blew with the wind in the first lines.

“It’s to soon, father” said a young knight next to the marquis. He wore clothe of black emerald armor, with a white horse printed on his chest.

“How many times have you said that, Chrono?” Daran answer.

“But she is only fifteen years old.”

“If my memory doesn’t fail me, your first battle was when you were sixteen. It’s not much of a difference.”

“Yeah but…”

“But she is a girl, is that what you were thinking? Because let me tell you this, I have seen a lot of women handle the sword better than men. In our guard, there are quite a few.”

“That‘s not what I was going to say. It’s just that she is my little sister; I’m worried about her safety. For god sake, you are her father, don’t you fear the same?”

“Of course, Fate is the girl of my eyes. If something were to ever happen to her…” He trailed off. “But I can’t deny her dream. Since such a young age, she’s taken a liking to the path of the sword. She chose to follow it, and I follow her, giving her the best masters that will teach her. She is ready for this. Some day your chick has to abandon the nest and fly away” He smiled. “Besides, Arf will be with her. I know she will not let anything happen to her pupil.”

“I guess you’re right.”

A couple of rows behind, in the light cavalry column, a fifteen year old girl, with long blonde hair tied in a single tail, and also the center of all the conversations, rode eagerly to reach her destination. Her alazán(2) accelerated himself every now and then, infected with his riders anxiety.

“Fate, relax. A battle is something you must confront with peace, with a clear mind” Said the fire haired woman, that advanced at her side on top of a dapple.

“I know, Arf, I’ll try, but its going to be my first battle, my baptism of fire“ she answered, excited.

“It will be your baptism of death, if you don’t calm your nerves down. Calmness, something a worrier must have.”

Fate took a deep breath to calm herself, following the instructions of her supervisor. She knew Arf was right, she always listened to her teaching, ever since she substituted her last master almost five years ago.

“Be one with the sword, be one with the earth, be one with the air” she repeated several times, in quite voice. She looked out of the corner of the eye, and spotted Arf’s smile. That was her maxim, the first thing she taught Fate, saying these words always made her focus, calm.

“That’s better” Arf commented, noticing how the alazán of her pupil, relaxed.

Fate smile proudly, she felt a nice tickling feeling enter her stomach. It happens every time her master praised her achievements. Arf was the most strict person she ever know, even more than her father, but she was also the kindest. With the years she spent with her, she felt more close to her. Most of the time even, she thought of her as the older sister she lost. She loves and admires her deeply, and even though she knew that that day may come, she couldn’t image her life without her, at her side.

The heat of the battle came to their ears before they reached the fort. They watched the roads of the Mircan river, natural frontier between the Cavendor and Argimor kingdoms, troops, who were now found stuck in fierce clashes throughout the frontier, that was where the waters allowed the crossing, from one territory, to another.

Several horsemen went ahead of her, to return later with information of the situation on the battlefield. The captains decided on a strategy that divided the troops into three columns, heavy cavalry, light cavalry and infantry. The unit on horses would attack from the flanks, in a surrounding maneuver, while the infantry would do it head on. If things went well, they would liberate the fort from its sieges.

The battle was brief, the enemy, taken by surprise, barely had time to organize their defenses, before they realized what happen. Fate had shed her first blood and reaped her first lives. She avoided being hurt, and covered Arf’s back. The battle barely lasted an hour, the field left with only the victorious troops and the dead enemies scattered on the ground The crows cawed over their heads, waiting greedily for their feast.

“Are you feeling better?“ Arf asked Fate, as the girl went apart from the rest of her comrades, and was now vomiting behind a tree. She could feel her cheeks burning in shame, from bringing shame in front of her master.

“You are going to think I’m weak” She regretted in a breathless voice.

“I just think your human. There is nothing to be ashamed of. You fought with bravery, and with time you will be stronger. To endure, to become better at the fact of taking other lives.” She clapped Fate’s back in a cheering manner. “If you are feeling better now, your father and brother await you at the fort.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

“Wait, take this,. Rinse out your mouth and drink some water.”

“Thanks, Arf.”

They got together with Fate’s father and brother on the fort’s tower of tribute. Both were speaking with the lord of the place, but greeted her when they saw her coming. Her father put a hand on her shoulder, and smiled at her proudly, relived that she was safe. Chrono also looked relived and smile down at her.

“Lord Ebrian, I present you my daughter, Fate.”

“It’s an Honor” The Lord said, bowing profoundly before her, making Fate mimic him in response. “I have heard that today was your first battle, I’m sure your sword took several lives of those dogs of Argimor.”

“A few, yes” Fate said, forcing a smile. She didn’t wanted to look weak at the eyes of these men.

“I envy you, lord Daran, both your children are skillful with the sword, I wish one of mine would be as efficient.”

“You exaggerate, my lord, besides; your children have nothing to envy mine.”

Both men laugh out loudly, Fate held an exasperated sigh, she couldn’t put up with those exchanges of cordiality and false flattery, everything was just a game in the bigger game of politics of the kingdom, necessary, but unbearable in her opinion.

“Father, I’m sorry to interrupt, but have you called me for some reason?”

“Oh, she’s got quite a character,” lord Ebrian smile amused.

“Yes. Forgive her.”

“Do not worry; it’s the youth of her blood.”

“Well, Fate, in a few days it’s going to be your birthday and we are far from home, so we decided to give you your present today, also, for having passed your baptism of fire.”

The girl smiled, she must have seen this coming, her father was sometimes sentimental, and loved to do these kind of things, although surely her mother has something to do with it too.

“I shall leave you alone, this is a family moment,” lord Ebrian apologize and go to meet with his captains on the other side of the hall.

“Take this, Fate.“ Chrono held out a bastard sword sheathed on a tool leather with wolfs on a race, “This is from father and I.”

Fate took the steel and unsheathed it with elegance, the blade shone with white sparks and a black vein that ran through the lose on the middle of the sword, that made it lighter, the curve guards were black and the hilt was lined in soft black leather, finished off with a pommel crystal of an intense yellow color. The young girl was amazed for the simplicity and beauty of the blade, its perfect balance and weight, that fits her arm perfectly.

“Seems like a good steel,” commented Arf at her side.

“Made by the best blacksmith master, Erdian of Coven,” said her father.

“The one that forged the swords for the royal house?” inquired Fate with astonish.

“The same,” said Daran smiling. “I’ve known him since we were young; I asked him for this sword as a little favor. Do you want to know its name?”

“It has a name? A sword?”

“Of course, All Erdian’s swords have one, its one of his eccentricities,” laughed the marquis

“And its name is”

“Bardiche.”

“Bardiche,” repeated Fate with reverence while she took the cross of the sword to her face. “I shall honor your name, and the name of your blacksmith.” She sheathed it again and remove her other sword, then she placed it on her belt.

“I’m glad you like it. Have this; it’s from your mother.”

She took the black fabric and unwrapped it. Only to discover a cape with the colors of the house of her father and some add-ons, embroidered in golden thread two stars shine over a figure of a horse. In Fate’s eyes burned tears, for she understand perfectly what those stars represented.

“It came with these words,” her father told her. “That Precia and Alicia always shine on your path like the stars do in the sky”.

Fate held her tears, there were too many people in that place and she didn’t want to be seen crying. She promised herself that when they returned home, she will thank her mother properly.

“Well, that’s it, this night we shall celebrate victory, so we shall drink a toast in your honor,” her father said smiling. “You can go and rest, you earned it.”

Fate say goodbye to her father and her brother and, alongside with Arf, went outside the fort, the morning was left behind and the sun started to fall over the afternoon. To the inner ward arrived at that moment the rearguard men of her father, those on charge of moving the camp, surely soon they will have the tents mounted on the land adjacent to the fort.

The young girl held the cape tightly to her chest, while watching the coming and going of men.

“You should take this opportunity to change and bathe, the mail must be heavy by now,“ commented Arf by her side.

“I’m fine; I will wait for my tent to be lifted.”

“As you wish. Ah, almost forgot, I too have something for you,” Arf smiled on the side and held out a dagger sheathed on coarse leather.

Fate toke it, it was nothing out of the world, but it was a gift from her master and that makes the value increase a lot for her. She unsheathed the blade, it was of steel with a sharp tip, ideal for sneaking in-between the holes of armor and rings of chain mail, and the handle was of polished bone.

“Thank you,” She said and smiled.

“It’s nothing, a typical weapon of my land. Compared with Bardiche, it isn’t worth anything,” she said making a funny face.

“No, It’s fine, really. I like it. I will always keep it with me.”

Arf put one hand on Fate’s head, and ruffled her hair while smiling at those crimson eyes that held a kind look.

“Be one with the shadows, be one with the night, be one with the darkness!”

The echoes of the voices repeating that maxim strongly and with devotion resounded on the walls of stone; eyes of steel, dark and cold looked like one single man at the Grand Master over the platform, who watched them full of pride, a new generation of Ravens spread their strong wings, although only a few of them would really make history inside the Brotherhood, and that night it would be decided, who will have the honor of receiving the First Mission, the most important of all to make. The night was young, and the Black Path awaited them, neither rules nor norms, only the law of the steel and the strongest.

“Go now and win your honor!“ He told them, and all disciples abandoned the room in an expectant silence. The masters waited outside, joining them in a last test, if they succeeded, they would be consider adults and rightfully members of the Brotherhood, and their years of training would have come to an end.

Nanoha walked tightening the belts of her leather defenses, adjusting the belt of the sword on her waist and unlocking it lightly so she could unsheathe it faster. The adrenaline started to run trough her veins, she should be the honor of the First Mission, Kyouya and Miyuki achieved in their time, she couldn’t be less. She was the first of her group and many masters considered her as one of their best disciples of The Abyss, she couldn’t fail now. They reached the beginning of the Black Path, two torches marked the starting line; she stretch her muscles and took depth breath.

“Be one with the sword, be one with the earth, be one with the air,” she whispered for herself. Five years have pass without her presence, but her words keep had been her talisman.

“The first one to return to the Ghost’s House with the proof of their courage will be the chosen one for the First Mission,” the master reminded them. “Go, run with the night!”

The disciples went deep into the darkness of that road between rocks and trees, everyone knew the path, for years they ran through it, but that night was different, there were new obstacles and everyone was an enemy. There were many routes for advance on the Black Path and soon they separated in different itineraries; Nanoha ran fast and stealthy, like a fox, her eyes used to the darkness saw perfectly in the night and her developed sense captured much more than any person could. Her first objective was the Cave of the Whispers, there she shall capture a ribbon that would be her proof of brave, however not only the speed and agility were important, for she also would fight, even kill, that night some disciples would not return.

Her first confrontation was half the road, one of the girls of the other group rushed over to her from one of her flanks; the steels sparked finding each other, clashing one against the other. The girl was fast, but Nanoha was faster, with agility, Nanoha broke her enemies guard, and hurt her in one leg. She left the enemy on the floor that was trying to stop the bleeding with her hands and moved on. More combat followed, some scratches decorated her skin, but she kept moving forward, running, jumping, slipping with agility like a cat.

In the Cave of Whispers she fought one of the boys, the one that was battered by her brother and sister on the first day on the Abyss, the boy now became a merciless and brutal young man. He attacked by just seeing her, they exchanged strong attacks, notching the blades of the swords; he was a rival, tough, that took advantage of his superior physical strength, however Nanoha kept a little trick; she let herself fall backward like if she would have lost balance, the boy howled feeling his victory and advance his sword in the direction of Nanoha’s chest without keeping his guard, in the last moment, She turned to a side at the same time she took out a dagger with a handle made of bone and in a fast movement, opened the boys neck with it, the hot blood shed over her hand and splashed her face. She got up, took the ribbon, and returned to the out side, not even looking at the young she had just killed.

In the race back, she faced two more combatants, but they were no problem, resolving them with speed and competence. She was the first on the Ghost’s House and in the face of the Grand Master she could see a little smile, like he knew that she was going to be the first to arrive. She waited, standing in silence until the rest of disciples returned, that year more than half of them made it. When the masters confirmed that no more would come, the Grand Master spoke to them once again.

“You are the new Ravens, the new shadows that will walk in a world of light, don’t let the shine blind you. Honor your days here and don’t forget what we have taught you, that one depends only on their self, that the hand that once was friendly can turn into the one that takes your life. And even though you will be far, remain loyal to the Precepts and the Law of the Brotherhood.”

“And now, Takamachi Nanoha, stand forward.”

The young girl obeys and kneeled before the Grand Master, whom stepped down from the platform until he reached her.

“Yours is the honor of the first mission, tomorrow at dawn you shall leave The Abyss and go wherever your destiny sends you. The First Mission is the most important and the one of greatest honor, it’s not a thing of a day or an easy task; it will be the dedication of a life time. For that reason, receive it with humility and fulfill it with honor.”

Without raising her look from the floor, Nanoha lifted her hands to receive the sealed roll that she would open whenever she is alone that night, the Grand Master put it on her palms, and put a hard hand on her head, it wasn’t warm or friendly.

“Be one with the shadows, be one with the night, be one with the darkness,” he recited and Nanoha repeated the same way she did in the past.

She didn’t get up until the Grand Master returned to the platform, and then returned to her place among the disciples, some looked at her with badly hidden envy, others with admiration. She looked at them with eyes of steel.

Here began this history of the land of Efan, many call it The Romance of the Ruby and the Sapphire and the bard-poets and jongleur still sing it in the long nights of winter, however her real name its lost in the memory of time, maybe in the old kingdom you can still hear it under the name of The Legend of the Sword of the Day and the Sword of the Night. This is a story of honor and brave, of pain and love, of blood and death, of promises and oath, of broken dreams and new hopes, of betray and friendship. A history of old times.

Notes of translation

1-The original author uses heraldic terms when speaking of banners and such in this case, silver over the land of sable is white over the black background.

2- The alazán is a horse.

Original author: Nura de Mithlond