The border… To be honest the name sounded like nothing special, but to all those who lived along it nothing about it was normal. In normal villages or towns one might live ones whole life with only sparse contact with soldiers and to hear of a battle was high and disturbing news indeed, here it was an everyday occurrence. Soldiers marched from their barracks each morning to patrol and go about their duties and nearly every-night farms were raided or burned. It was truly a dangerous place, a place where death was just around the corner and always waiting for the unwary passer-by to leap upon and devour. But then it was hard to find the unwary in this place, even the animals seemed ill at ease. The tension in the air was palatable, even from the high walls of one of the many garrisons in the area.

Ciaphas however was not bothered by the air of doom that hung about this place, he stood at his post upon the wall, leaning on his spear with an expression of interest, not for the landscape beyond but for his compatriots near at hand, whispering with their heads together as if none were about to hear them. Fools, dident they know that sound carried on the wind as well as scent? Their words were plain to him. He was not your average soldier, a spy, a spy for his king and his country amongst his countrymen. Quite an oddity wasn’t it? He was spying so that the king and his advisors might know what their soldiers thought of them, but in all honesty why should it matter? What would it change? If the soldiers and the populace wanted a new ruler why shouldn’t they have it? It was really a strange concept, he was spying upon his countrymen to protect his countrymen. It dident make any real sense, but then nothing ever did it? His bells jingled softly as he shifted position. Moveing further down the wall and away from his whispering companions, nothing said was anything new… They never spoke of anything to direct even in whispers, but to be honest he wasent concerned, things always worked out in the end. Besides he had more pressing things to do than listen to lesser men prattle about the fortunes of their lords.

With a steady rolling gait Ciaphas made his way down the wall, his short-spear upon his shoulder and his eye’s outward. The sun was beginning to set, not much longer and the patrols would begin to return and he would retire to the barrecks to sleep off the fatigue of his watch or to play a game of bones with his companions. It was a simple existence, one that he was determined to enjoy to it’s fullest until his opportunity came. But when would it come? That was the real question wasn’t it? He had fully expected for this to last only as long as it took to find someone with enough vision to catch his eye, but frankly, he’d been disappointed. He’d always thought the border-lands were filled with impressive men and leaders, men who were truly worthy of his service, whose dreams would take them ever-higher and who he could truly devote himself to without regret. But then he’d been searching ever since he was old enough to walk… Searching before he knew what he wanted… He wanted to live, not to achieve his own dream but to drive another’s forward. He was getting lost in thought… So lost he nearly missed the approach of another.

(Forgive me I am tired and shall edit tomorrow.)