A change

Pierre turned again in his bed and sighed. His wide open eyes stared at the darkness in his room as it seemed to cloak even his, usually so bright, white robe. An image of the past battle gripped him and stabbed his heart with a pain that didn't seem to go away. Pierre sighed again as his mind replayed the event.

Two armies, pressing eachother, fighting... The screams and shouts, the clammer of swords and shields echoed in Pierre's ears. Pierre was tending to an injured soldier right behind the centre of the line.

A horn was blown from the hills, calling a retreat. Then suddenly it happened and time seemed to slow down for Pierre. In the left flank, people turned and fled in panic, abandoning their friends in the front line. Like an angry flood breaching a dike, the Horde troops washed over the Allied soldiers. Orcs and Forsaken began a pursuit, sword and axe drawn for a killing strike, ignoring the centre line. With a great battleshout, a man from the central line rushed into pursuing Hordes, bashing one down with his shield and making a wide arc with his sword, forcing many to be stopped in their tracks. He swung his blade again to push them back, but so many Hordes couldn't be daunted for long and the flood washed over him.

Briefly overwhelmed with emotions from this scene, Pierre stared for a second though it felt like an eternity. Left without choice but to join the retreat, he used a levitate spell to hoist the patient over his shoulders. In tears from the selfless scene and the embarasment for rewarding this sacrifice with retreat, he ran with the other troops in hope to reach the safe haven... in the mountains.

Pierre shook away the images from his mind as he looked about his bedroom. The man had sacrificed his very life to buy a second of time for his brothers. It had proven enough to save their lives.
Would they ever know the price he paid so they could live? Were their hearts turned careless as they had turned their backs to him? Now that this battle was won, would they tell tales of his bravery or theirs? One life saved many. It was but one sacrifice, one moment of bravery... almost vanished in the glory of the victory if it weren't stalking Pierre's conscious.

Pierre felt weak. His limited abilities reflected the path of modest and small steps he walked. His heart lacked the courage to choose a braver path. He glanced about the shadowy shapes of his room. The white cloth of his robe seemed to mock his frailty. It showed more courage than him. Perhaps this is why he hid himself in behind his robes every day. The cloth proved more resistant to Pierre's nervous ticks and fiddling, than he seemed able to control his nerves.
Silently he wept and reminded himself not to fail his Tenacity. He shouldn't despair so when he realizes he may not change the world alone.

"But", Pierre reminded himself, "I should not fail Tenacity by dedicating to Light's path any less."
If the boundaries of his path were defined within himself, perhaps he would need the courage and tenacity to change himself. Pierre shuddered at the thought of the implications. He knew of the trainings that would do exactly that.

He glanced at a book on his scribe's table. His work reported on research in the old ways of the priests. They had seemed needlessly harsh, but they also held a deeper meaning and prepared priests to walk a path free of limitations that lived all too clearly in his mind and heart. Perhaps... He should gather the courage to follow their examples.
"Oh dear!"
The clarity of his own answer sadenned him. He hid himself under the warm cover of his sheets, treasuring the moment of comfort as if they would be his last. Restless he started preparing his speech and reasoning in his mind. He would have to talk to the Bishop and the Priestess.

What a lovely read! I really like the depiction of sadness and how the scene kind of unfolds for JP. Not easy being a healer amidst war. Thanks for sharing this!

I enjoyed this, too. It's a good reminder of the human element, and the effects of war on characters, after all the 'rargh PvP!' focus that IC campaigns can sometimes have.