364 – EP.13 Eyes
***
As we opened the tent and went inside, we saw a man sitting on a makeshift bed.
A man with a pale, tired face and a large knife scar on his cheek slowly turned his head to look at Anna.
“How are you feeling?”
My heart feels at peace when I see your blinking eyes.
Hoo- Anna let out a sigh as the anxiety that had been firmly fixed melted away little by little.
“…….”
“colon?”
Whether it was the aftereffects of his injury or not, the captain just stared blankly at Anna.
Anna looked at the captain, her eyes meeting his.
‘eye….’
The captain’s hazel eyes were unfamiliar.
Eyes like deep lakes. Calm, yet the loneliness that could be felt through a strong will was not visible.
Doubt, confusion, fear, annoyance. Emotions that are rarely seen were seeping into the eyes, giving them that subtle color.
‘This is the first time I’ve seen a captain express his emotions so well.’
She thought. Her gaze gradually descended.
A man’s hand was seen holding a huge lump of cloth that could hardly be called a blanket.
The commander of the shrewd cavalry didn’t miss the subtle tremors of his hands.
“Captain. Are you okay?”
Anna bent her knees, brought her eyes to the captain’s level, and placed her hand over the captain’s.
Anna smiled weakly at the captain, inwardly surprised that he didn’t even avoid that contact.
Anna generously shared the warmth of her hands warmed by the campfire, and looked into the captain’s eyes.
Purrung, I heard the sound of a horse yapping somewhere.
They shared silence and warmth for a while. Anna stroked the back of his hand with her thumb and closed her eyes.
Because old memories suddenly came to mind.
‘Did I know it would turn out like this?’
Pick- She gave a breathy laugh.
***
Children left behind in war zones are not given many choices.
They were left with no other option but to end their lives in their own empty homes, clutching their hungry bellies, or to commit robbery with the trinkets they found in empty houses to get something to eat.
Anna’s case was the latter. She was clever enough to attach a suitable blade to the end of a long stick and tie it tightly with a string.
The makeshift spear was perfect for fighting from a distance, allowing her to safely protect her loot.
She killed to live, and lied to avoid being lied to. She was stained with blood at a young age and was not afraid to swing her spear.
Now, it was time to think about how the spear fit so well that it could easily get what it wanted even from adults.
As usual that day, he was hiding in the bushes, waiting for passersby.
Clap clap clap – A young man was walking down the road, accompanied by the sound of his horse’s hooves.
As the man passed by, he would have easily died if he had opened the window.
Anna took a deep breath and grabbed the window.
As the words passed, the man’s profile came into view. His mouth was tightly shut, his expression was blunt, and his eyes were deep.
It was a luxury to have any feelings about the sight, so Anna ran forward and threw down the window.
“oh!”
The spear extended through the air, but unfortunately failed to pierce the man.
The man avoided the window by tilting his head back and met Anna’s eyes with only his eyes moving.
Hazel eyes. Emptiness, futility, fatigue.
Anna was dissected by eyes that looked just like her own, as if she had seen them through a broken mirror.
“profit!”
I tried to retrieve the spear I had thrown, but the spearhead I had caught wouldn’t budge.
“Is it a robber?”
It’s probably not a question you asked with the expectation of an answer.
As soon as he finished speaking, the man jumped down from his horse and hit Anna on the back of her neck.
Without even being able to scream, Anna fell forward like a falling leaf.
When Anna opened her eyes again, night had already fallen on the forest.
She sat up, still rubbing the back of her head that was still cold.
A nearby bonfire kept us warm.
“…Here?”
Anna searched her memories, muttering the usual lines of someone who has lost consciousness.
Forest, window, evasion, counterattack.
As the thought crossed her mind, Anna looked around in surprise.
“Are you awake?”
The man who appeared behind her handed her some porridge that looked like dog food.
As Anna remained silent, the man waved the bowl of porridge in front of her again, gesturing for her to take it.
As she accepted the bowl with a bewildered expression, the man slumped down opposite her.
With the campfire in the middle, the man and Anna formed a straight line.
The man began to eat his food, seemingly uninterested in Anna’s presence.
It was porridge boiled in a rough wooden bowl mixed with various ingredients, but he ate it in moderation and with a pious attitude.
The man’s eating continued for a while, and Anna did not do anything until the porridge in her hands cooled.
“……Did you give this to me to eat?”
After thinking for a while, the words he finally said were quite aggressive.
The man who had already died nodded.
“…….”
Anna looked at the man.
Only now did I get a clear view of the man’s face.
The man’s face was rather young. Anna thought he was about four to six years older than her.
There were many wounds here and there, and his clothes were shabby, as if he had just come from a battlefield.
What stood out were the hazel eyes.
Her eyes, which looked like they had seen a lot of hardships in life, captivated her.
‘I don’t think there’s much of an age difference between us.’
What happened to him to have eyes like that?
Gurgle – My stomach growled because I hadn’t eaten all day.
Anna scooped up a spoonful of porridge with a wooden spoon.
The thick porridge fell into the bowl in drippings.
“eww….”
Anna didn’t hide her displeasure and stuffed the food into her mouth.
“…It’s not tasty.”
Anna recalled that it was her first meal with the captain and that the food was terrible.