Swords of Justice
Chapter 25: Everything Changed
That day, we were going about our routine work with nothing unusual, until a group of the kingdom's soldiers arrived, looking to buy weapons and equipment. We showed them our latest products—swords, axes, armor, and more.
At the time, the lady was busy hammering iron in one of our workshops. I think she was looking for me to ask what to do next. But the moment she saw the soldiers, she froze in terror. She looked utterly shocked, and tears began to stream down her face.
When I saw her like that, I was confused. What's wrong with her? I thought.
I approached her and asked,
"What's the matter, ma'am?"
She raised her trembling hand and pointed at the soldiers, fear filling her eyes. She struggled to speak:
"They… they…"
I asked, "Who are they?"
Meanwhile, their leader happily said he would take the items, paid us, and they began to leave.
She spoke again, her voice shaking:
"They are… they…"
"Who, ma'am?!"
She finally said,
"They're the ones… who killed my family and my village… They're the ones who sold us to them!"
I froze. My emotions clashed—anger and sorrow colliding within me. I didn't say a word to her. Instead, I grabbed a sword and followed them.
I called out to their leader,
"Wait!"
He turned, surprised, and said,
"Is the money not enough?"
I replied with a fake smile,
"I want to give you a gift before you leave."
He smiled, thinking it was the sword, and gestured toward it.
"That?"
I said, still smiling,
"Hold out your hand."
He was foolish enough to do so.
"This is your gift."
I cut off his hand with my sword.
He screamed in agony and shouted,
"Why did you do this?!"
I said angrily,
"This is the price for what you did to that village."
I struck his stomach, tearing it open, then cut off his head. His body fell to the ground.
I shouted to my people,
"Brothers! These are the ones who harmed her. We will take revenge for her!"
Everyone shouted, drew their swords, and attacked. We killed them, slaughtered them, tore them apart… It was a horrific act. We were consumed by rage for her, and I didn't realize the brutality of what we had done.
After the massacre, I looked at the lady, expecting to see shock on her face. I thought she was horrified by what we had done. But suddenly… her expression changed.
She smiled.
A terrifying smile… as if she had just discovered what revenge truly meant. A smile closer to that of a demon.
I had awakened something dark within her… the true meaning of hatred.
Then she laughed loudly.
Three days after that incident, she finally spoke again:
"I'm leaving."
I asked,
"Where to?"
She replied with a cunning smile,
"I'm going to form a gang… and take revenge on every member of the royal family."
She said it with unwavering determination. I knew nothing I said would change her mind.
So I told her,
"Alright… but if you ever need help, we'll always be there for you."
Four years have passed since we last saw her… and it seems she now needs our help.
He smiled bitterly and continued,
"I realized something that day… The leader whose head I cut off was the same man I had once sold weapons to. He must have used them against her village. That day, I swore to myself never to sell weapons to soldiers again… no matter what."
Princess Hasna wept after hearing the story, deeply moved.
"It's all because of that bastard Taher…"
Hamza smiled, stood up, and walked toward Moataz, extending his hand with a warm smile:
"Get up, Moataz. We are not official soldiers of the Kingdom of Darhamsan. We fight to free the people from this suffering and to bring down this ظلم regime."
Moataz turned his face away and said,
"Words are easier than actions."
Hamza replied,
"Do you see that princess? She was the one who turned the lady's anger into hope. Strive like she did… and God willing, we will win."
Moataz took Hamza's hand, tears streaming down his face, and said,
"I'm with you."
Qasim interrupted,
"I hate to ruin this dramatic moment, but we should head to battle now. We don't have time."
Moataz gathered all his men, and they set off with Hamza and his group to join the battle.
The sun was about to set. Commander Jalal stood on a hill, watching the palace. Then Hamza's voice echoed from afar:
"We're here!"
Jalal turned eagerly, searching for Hasna. When he saw her, he felt relieved.
"Good… then let us raise the banners of war."
At that moment, in the royal hall, King Hussein and the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Fawza, Mustafa, were both bound, waiting for salvation. Meanwhile, Minister Taher was arrogantly eating on the throne.
One of the ministers approached him and said,
"Why don't we just kill the king now and be done with it?"
Taher replied angrily,
"Do you think things work that way? Would the people accept this so easily? A new king out of nowhere? Of course not. So be quiet and leave it to those who understand."
Then he thought to himself:
I'll wait for the assassin I sent to kill Princess Hasna first… then I'll kill the king and make it look like an accident… then I'll use the prince of Fawza as a hostage and take control of their kingdom as well.
Suddenly, a soldier rushed in, terrified:
"We have a problem, sir!"
Taher frowned, annoyed:
"What is it that ruined my meal?"
The soldier said,
"War banners have been raised from all sides… we are surrounded!"
Taher choked on his food and shouted,
"What did you say?!"
To be continued…