Washed ashore with no money, no identity and no memory of a life before. Adopted by a kind family only to be plunged into the fires of war. Will the boy, more beautiful than any girl, live a life of happiness or one of sadness? A Tale of A Thousand Days and A Promise Chapter 2 By Shinieris

“I think I’m going to join the army,” Mugi said as he bent down to pick a mushroom.

“Haa? What nonsense are you saying?” Ayu said as he threw away a mushroom that looked poisonous from the pile in front of him.

“People are saying that there’s going to be another drought, like the one from two years ago. If it’s true, there won’t be enough food for everyone in the village.”

“So your solution is to die on the battlefield?”

“It’s not like death is guaranteed. We’d be fed while in the army, and that means there will be more food in the village.”

“Wait, ‘we’?Are you asking me to join the army with you? Definitely not!”

“Why would I ask a girl to join the army?”

“As mentioned many times, I’m not a girl! Should I strip naked before you’d believe me?”

“Yes please. I’m ready to strip naked too. Anytime you’re ready.”

“Uhh, no. Nevermind,” Ayu said, slightly taken aback by Mugi’s readiness to strip together. By right, if Ayu just wanted to prove his manhood, Mugi wouldn’t have to strip as well. Ayu knew very well that the only reason Mugi volunteered to strip naked as well, was because he was expecting to get lucky. Adult kind of lucky.

It was clear to Ayu that Mugi did not believe Ayu was a boy even for a second. Knowing that his own best friend wanted to do the nasty with him made Ayu feel like vomiting the contents of his breakfast. Despite knowing how Mugi lusted after him, Ayu had no intention of stopping being his friend. Regardless of his flaws, Mugi had been the single shield that protected him from the lusty intentions of the other boys. He also found it weird that ever since he became good friends with Mugi, the older girls treated him nicely, where it was all scorn and mistreatment before that.

Ayu wanted to believe the older girls had warmed up to him. It would be bad if he couldn’t get married because all the girls hated him. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder what the sudden change in attitude was about. After years of treating him badly, the older girls suddenly treated him well the moment he turned 10, a few weeks after he started hanging around with Mugi exclusively.

“Are we not getting naked?” Mugi asked with a voice of disappointment.

“I’m worried for my ass even after I strip naked and despite showing you the proof.”

“Haha. Well anyway, I’m talking about the boys of the village. Most of us decided to join the army.”

“Why haven’t I heard anything about this?”

“Why would we invite a girl to a boy’s only gathering?”

“I’M A BOY!”

“Yes, keep thinking that. Say, can I join your family dinner tomorrow?”

“Why? Is your family out of food?”

“No, it’s your birthday dinner tomorrow, right? Don’t you turn 13 tomorrow?”

“It’s tomorrow?”

“You don’t even know?”

“It’s only the anniversary of the time when I was found washed ashore anyway, not my real birthday.”

“So, can I?”

“It’s fine, as long as you bring some food as well. I also want the sweet muffin your mom makes. Bring two, Lila likes it too.”

“Alright, I’ll ask mom.”

“Anyway, let’s pack up. I think we have enough mushrooms to last a week. Thank goodness we’ve had plenty of rain for the past few days.”

“Okay, put the edible ones away. I’ll gather some wood while you’re doing that.”

Once they arrived at the village, they went straight to Mugi’s house, where they unloaded half of the edible mushrooms and damp wood they collected in the forest.

“Mugi, wear your mountain climbing boots and bring your pickaxe and a stronger basket.”

“Mountain climbing boots?”

“Don’t tell me you sold it away. I made it just for you, remember? For free too! I will be very pissed if it’s being worn by some kid in the city.”

“No, how would I dare sell it away, Ayu? We both know you will kill me if I do that. I mean, are we going to the mountains?”

“Yes, take some ropes too if you have any.”

“A change of scenery? I think I remember father saying something about a blossom tree in the mountains that mom and dad used to go dating under.”

“Mugi, we’re not going on a date.”

Mugi made a shocked expression.

“We’re going to mine some iron ores.”

“There are iron ores in the mountains?”

“Why are you surprised at everything I've said?”

“Umm, wait, hold on a minute. Why would we gather iron ore? Blacksmith Jaqs died last month, remember. What could we ever possibly need it for?”

“I have plans for it, and you’re going to help me every single step of the way. So meet me at my house. I’m going to drop this stuff and change into my mountain gear set too.”

******

Ayu’s birthday dinner the next day turned out to be a backyard bonfire. Originally, it was only going to be Ayu’s family dinner plus Mugi. Mugi’s family, minus the eldest son crashed the party instead. Since there was not enough room in the house for nine people to dine together, they set up a bonfire in the clearing behind Ayu’s house. Naturally, where there were bonfires, there would be gatecrashers too, so Ayu’s neighbors also joined in. Thankfully, as this was a rural society, everyone pitched in with their dinner as well, so there was enough food for everyone.

“Noisy...” Ayu remarked as the dinner party went full swing.

Ayu, just like several others, sat on boulders of iron ore that he and Mugi had been mining since yesterday while munching on roasted mushrooms and wild bird meat. Some others sat on logs or chairs they brought from their own homes. It wasn’t long before the noise also drew random passersby. At some point, a keg of beer and even more food appeared.

Sitting in circles, the drunken adults toasted to everything from the rain to the harvest to the mushrooms being roasted. That was, until some random drunk decided to toast to Ayu and Mugi’s happy wedded life. It made Ayu choke on his roasted mushroom.

“Wait! Who said we’re getting married?!!!” Ayu yelled to the group of adult men beside the bonfire.

“Isn’t this your wedding feast?” Brewer Tont asked as one of the few sober adult.

“No! Why would you think that? Mugi, say some... thing...”

“Hic!” Mugi replied with a stupid smile on his face before he took another gulp of beer from his mug.

“Why are you drinking with them?!!!”

“Now now, don’t be so angry, Ayu. Come have a drink, it’s your wedding feast after all,” one of the adult women handed Ayu a mug of beer as the women made their own toast.

“... You all just want an excuse to get drunk, aren’t you?”

“Come, come, lets drink to your happy wedded life, my daughter-in-law!”

“Who’s your daughter-in-law, Aunt Helga? And stop trying to push the mug to my lips!”

“Oh just a sip. You wouldn’t embarrass your mother-in-law, would you?”

“You’re not my mother-in-law! Mom, help!”

“Mmm, Ayu... happy to get a son... help at... farm,” Ayu’s mom, who was already halfway drunk said.

“Mom! I AM your son!”

“Nnn, need to... extend... the house...” Ayu’s mom said before she passed out against the wall of the house.

And thus, Ayu’s 13th birthday dinner turned into Ayu and Mugi’s wedding feast, despite neither of them actually getting married. The next day, the rest of the village came to Ayu and Mugi’s family homes to congratulate them while at the same time complaining about not being invited to the feast the previous night. Ayu, tired of trying to fix their misunderstanding without success, fled into the forest. Mugi eventually found him picking fruits alone under the blossom tree in the mountains. They ended up staying in the mountains for the whole night, further fanning the rumors traveling among the gossiping housewives.

******

“So what’s this for?” Mugi asked as he folded and hammered the piece of iron in front of him. He couldn’t understand why the iron had to be folded, but he trusted Ayu when he told him to just do as told.

“Don’t talk. Focus on that thing you’re working on,” Ayu said as he worked on a much smaller piece of glowing metal, hammering it at precise points against the anvil with a smaller hammer.

“What am I working on, really?” Mugi asked again as he continued to hammer the strip of iron into something thinner and longer.

“A dagger. How can you go to war without your own dagger? Do you want to get laughed at by the other soldiers?” Ayu said as he hammered the glowing steel into the shape of a ring-like object.

“Oh, now that you mention it, it’s true that I don’t have a dagger of my own. Horon bought one from Blacksmith Jaqs before he died. Kelk said he’d just borrow big brother Horon’s dagger. I assumed I would be borrowing big brother Horon’s dagger as well.”

“Borrowing daggers? What nonsense is this? It’s fine if you share daggers during meals, but you can’t do that during battle. What would you do if you lose your spears? Fight bare-handed? Wait, you are getting spears at least?”

In this age when states and cities warred against each other almost every week, when alliances were made and broken almost every month and when human lives were cheaper than the price of equipping them, warlords would generally be in charge of equipping their soldiers for battle. While some rabbles were sometimes formed carrying their own makeshift weapons, warlords would often take great pains to equip their soldiers with at least something basic and cheap such as a short spear and a small shield. Being cheap, these warlords could field thousands of soldiers with every engagement. It had nothing to do with trying to preserve lives, it was simply that, if the soldiers couldn’t even last the first few skirmishes, there would be no point in hiring them in the first place. Therefore, a short spear, a small shield and sometimes leather body armor would be provided to every soldier. Of course, the equipment belonged to the warlord and would be returned at the conclusion of the campaign.

Although not a written rule, if the soldier wanted something better, they’d have to prepare it themselves. That was why Ayu brought Mugi to the late Blacksmith Jaqs’s smithy to craft additional equipment for Mugi. A dagger for example, wouldn’t be provided by the warlord.

“Should be, but I’d like a plate mail too, and a sword. Then I can join the swordsman company.”

“If we have the time, sure, let’s make one. By the way, focus on the job. Your ‘dagger’ is looking terrible.”

“I can’t help it. I’m not a blacksmith in the first place. Say, you’re not going to tell me not to go anymore?”

“It’s not like you’d listen even if I tell you not to go. The iron is getting cold, heat it up again. And stop talking,” Ayu said as he threw another ring-like object made of steel into the quenching bowl filled with vegetable oil. He proceeded to measure another glowing hot steel piece against a cast iron replica of a person’s hand.

“Maybe if you beg me in a sweet voice, I’ll think it over-“

“In your dreams. Besides, if I do that and you actually end up staying behind, you’ll be shamed, won’t you? The others will think you’re a coward after already agreeing to go with them.”

“Well, I think they’ll be a bit more lenient with me. After all, everyone thinks we’re a newly married couple.”

“That’s why you should fix that misunderstanding! How can I get married now if everyone thinks I’m married to another boy? And how long are you going to take to make a dagger? I think it’s – what is this piece of worthless lump?!!!”

Ayu ended up having to help Mugi make the dagger with precise instructions. The dagger was eventually completed, at the cost of much coal and many failures. Lured by the sound of hammer against hot steel, the other boys looked through the open door and thought that Mugi and Ayu were having some kind of strange tryst, in a smithy. When they saw Mugi’s new dagger and breastplate, they also wanted the same things. As payment for his instructions, Ayu had them all mine the ores from the mountain and carry it to the smithy. The raw ores eventually piled up behind the smithy after the boys were done making their own daggers and breastplates.

All the boys enquired as to how Ayu knew exactly what to do. Of course, Ayu had no answer. After all, Ayu had never forged a single blade in his life. In the end, Ayu simply imagined that his real parents must’ve been blacksmiths and that Ayu’s knowledge came from watching them at work.

*****

After weeks of preparation, it was finally the day for the boys to depart for the battlefield. The boys, numbering 47 people and several adult men would walk by foot together to the city of Arsac. They would serve under the banner of Warlord Juc for a period of one year, during which they would be provided with a salary and meals. For city-dwellers, serving under the Warlord’s banner was a no-brainer. With their lives tied directly to the city, the fall of the city also meant the ruin of the citizens. For the residents of the outlying villages though, it was a matter of choice.

After all, the villages didn’t pay the cities any amount of tax. Nor would they be required to assist if the cities were under attack. At most, some villages would pay a tribute to the cities close to them, similar in a way to protection fee. Otherwise, they would probably suffer raids repeatedly.

For villages like Easthill, where Ayu and Mugi lived in, that situation wouldn’t apply to them. Easthill was situated near the eastern shore, east of Shrine Hill, with a river running along the eastern side of the village. To the north, a mountain range blocked any passage of hostile armies. The city of Arsac was far to the west, past the villages of Westhill, Farfright, Halfmight and Borling. One could say that the village of Easthill was probably the safest place in this war-torn era, if one regarded a naval raid or invasion as a far possibility.

There would be only two reasons why a small village like Easthill would volunteer to serve under a warlord. The first would be the fear of being invaded. In this case, some of the boys would aim for a military career, where they would gain enough trust and responsibility to have their own troops with which to defend their village from raids or invasions. The second would be to avoid starvation. In this case, the volunteers would leave the village, leaving more food for storage and consumption of those who remained behind. They would also supplement the village’s food stores and income from the salary they received under service of the warlords. While one could serve under any warlord, most would choose to serve under the closest warlord, in this case, Warlord Juc.

The latter was the reason for the boys signing up under Warlord Juc’s banner. With the rumor that there would be another drought this year, many were afraid. The draught two years previous ruined much of the crop and caused famine in the upper villages. While Easthill, being situated closest to the sea wasn’t affected as badly as others, a draught would still cause them trouble. Thus why, they had to prepare for the worst.

A more egotistical reason would be that participating in a war was often considered a rite of passage into adulthood. In this rural society, a man who had never tasted war would be considered a ‘virgin’ and wouldn’t have any level of standing in the village. While there were a few men who had never went to war and managed to live a more or less sedentary life, they were never looked upon as anything other than immature men. Thus why, even though nobody would admit it, at least some of the boys decided to go to war not for the sake of the village, but for their own selfish ego.

On this day, everyone in the village took a day off, wearing their best clothes to send off the young men. For a family like Ayu’s that had no boys (apart from Ayu), they would still stand on the side of the road waving goodbye and sending off the boys with well wishes and prayers. For families where their sons would be going to war, it was a scene where tears and pleadings could commonly be seen. Of course, mothers who carried their boys in their womb for nine months and raised them to maturity couldn’t possibly bear simply watching their sons march off to war where they could be maimed or killed.

It was shortly after Aunt Helga hugged her sons with tears in her eyes that Ayu approached and pulled the sleeve of Mugi’s hemp shirt. “Hey,” he said.

Mugi turned around. “Ayu? Are you here to send me off?”

“Umm, can we go somewhere else?”

Mugi looked at his brothers and parents before he turned back towards Ayu and said, “Okay, but not too far.”

“Un, just under that tree,” Ayu pointed at a large apple tree not far from Mugi’s home before he started walking away without even looking to see if Mugi was following.

It was then that Mugi noticed the leather package in Ayu’s hand.

“That’s right, Ayu. Tie him up so he won’t leave!” Aunt Helga urged.

“What are you saying?!!!” Ayu started running without looking back.

Mugi went to chase, despite being encumbered by the steel breastplate, steel reinforced mountain climbing boots, leather shin protector and leather bracers. He had gotten used to wearing his dagger everywhere, so it was no longer a problem for him to run with it strapped to his belt. It was probably important to know that everything apart from the hemp clothes, the dagger and the steel breastplate were handmade by Ayu himself.

Mugi arrived just as Ayu sat down under the shade of the big apple tree. Ayu patted the ground next to him, urging Mugi to take a seat on the grassy ground. Mugi took a seat, all the while admiring the white dress that Ayu was wearing for this occasion. Unlike the everyday manly clothing that Ayu wore to imitate boys, this dress emphasized Ayu’s beauty and hugged his body enticingly. He thought it was a shame that Ayu had nothing up top, but he wouldn’t exchange Ayu for any other girl.

Ayu was wearing a one piece dress that ended a little above his ankles. The dress was made from the fibers of the ayu tree, twisted when wet and dried under the sun for half a year and moistened by morning dew until the fibers separated itself from the rest of the plant. Compared to other materials such as hemp, a single sheet of woven Ayu fibers wasn’t very strong. However, it was light, stretchy, thin and soft compared to any other cloths they had access to. Due to the long processing time required, it was considered a luxury item among the villagers.

“You look nice,” Mugi uttered a compliment.

“Thanks. Mom forced me to wear it. She said since everyone thinks that we’re married, I should send you off properly so that you won’t be shamed.”

“That’s good. But now I’m afraid everyone’s seen how beautiful my ‘wife’ is. I don’t think I can rest easy knowing that every men will be lusting over you in my absence.”

“Hey, don’t misunderstood, okay? I’m only wearing this because mom pestered me. I’m not doing this because of you!”

“Yes yes, I understand,” Mugi said as he took Ayu’s hand, “I appreciate the gesture either way.”

They were silent for some time as they held hands under the tree. Their backs leaning against the bark of the apple tree with their eyes looking in the distance, empty of all thoughts. This was the first time they would be apart. After years of being beside each other, neither could imagine how they would be living their lives without the other in the future.

“Hey, could you somehow not go?” Ayu asked while still looking at the blue sky.

“It’s a little late to say that, isn’t it?” Mugi said with a smile. Just like Ayu, he was still looking at the sky.

Ayu turned his head to his right, looking at Mugi’s face. “Maybe I’ll take your mom’s advice. Tie you up and tell them I’m kidnapping you.”

“Hahaha, that would work. Instead of going to war, the boys would be chasing the pretty kidnapper instead,” Mugi said while turning his face towards Ayu.

There was silence again as their eyes locked on each other’s. An awkward silence. A silence that Mugi tried to fix by moving his lips closer to Ayu’s.

“Hnngh!” Ayu blocked Mugi’s lips with the leather package he was carrying.

“What’s this?” Mugi asked as he took the package.

“Open it,” Ayu said while looking away with a red face.

“Gloves? What are these metal plate on the back?” Mugi asked while raising the pair of gloves with metal plates affixed to the back of the glove.

“It’s a gauntlet. See, the palm part is all leather, so you can have a firm grip on your weapons. The back of the hand and fingers are attached with steel plates. It will give minor protection from swords and spears but it can also be used to punch people’s faces. It should hurt a lot.”

This was the final form of the small steel rings and plates Ayu crafted some weeks ago.

“Thanks, Ayu. Not just for the gauntlet, but everything you’ve made for me. You’re the best wife any man could ask for.”

“Don’t go overboard. When you come back, you’re going to make everything clear to everyone, okay?”

“If I come back.”

“You MUST come back. Don’t forget your promise.”

“My promise? Was it the one about building a ship and sailing the seas?”

“Not that one, it’s the other one.”

“The one about having a party under the waterfall?”

“Not that!”

“The one about making a hut in the forest?”

“No! You’re just making fun of me aren’t you?”

“Is it the one about proposing to you after I return?”

“No! Actually, when did we ever make that promise? I meant the promise that we’d always be together for-“

It was stopped with a kiss. The moment Ayu realized what was going on, Mugi already had his left hand hugging Ayu’s waist and his right hand on Ayu’s back. On the contrary, Ayu, who was caught off-guard turned red as tomato while flailing his arms around in panic. He tried to push Mugi away and stop the sneak kiss.

Eventually, Ayu stopped trying and just surrendered his lips to Mugi’s insistent assault.

When they finally separated, Ayu was panting and his eyes were closed. A trail of saliva connected their tongues together as Ayu slowly came to realize that he was no longer being assaulted. Ayu slowly opened his eyes as if he just awoke from a slumber.

“How was it?” Mugi asked, referring to their first ever kiss.

Ayu, whose eyes were still only half-way open, replied with, “... disgusting...”

Hearing that, Mugi attacked Ayu with another deep kiss. Ayu tried to push Mugi away, even hitting his chest with his much smaller fists. Panting and feeling his skin becoming sensitive to the caressing of the ayu cloth, he eventually surrendered again. He placed his hands on Mugi’s shoulders and instead of pushing him away, Ayu held him close, as if begging him not to stop.

“Still disgusting?” Mugi asked, watching his bride panting in need.

When Ayu didn’t reply, Mugi kissed Ayu’s cheeks before going lower. Mugi kissed Ayu’s neck, his collarbone and proceeded lower, pulling apart the fold of the cloth that covered Ayu’s chest. Ayu grabbed his head and pulled him up before Mugi could do anything else.

“If I say it was disgusting, are you going to do it again?” Ayu asked while breathing heavily.

“I don’t know. Was it disgusting?” Mugi taunted with a smile.

“...It was very disgusting,” Ayu answered before he was again assaulted by Mugi’s lips.

Unlike before, Mugi became a little more aggressive. He pushed Ayu down on the grassy ground, kissing Ayu with abandon as his tongue wrestled with Ayu’s submissive tongue. Ayu’s hands that previously fought Mugi off were now crossed behind Mugi’s neck, pulling him closer instead of pushing him away. Ayu could feel Mugi’s manhood hardening against his leg as Mugi caressed his thin legs that was exposed when the folds of his dress opened, but Ayu couldn’t begin to care. For some reason, feeling Mugi’s hot and hard manhood pressing against him made him even hotter. As the caressing on Ayu's sensitive snow-white legs, his arching back and the delicious kiss intensified, Ayu felt like he no longer wanted it to stop.

It was the whistles and the catcalls that broke them up.

“Hey you two, couldn’t you have done that yesterday? We’re going to be late!”

“Kyaaa, that was so hot!”

“Why can’t I be married before I leave?!!!”

"Big sister... shameful..."

“Ayu, please give birth to girls.”

“You rascal Mugi! I hate your rotten luck!”

“Get a room!”

Since everyone thought Ayu was Mugi’s bride and their earlier actions proved it to most of the villagers, it was considered only right that Ayu stood with Mugi’s family. After all, a bride’s place was with her husband, it was only right. As everyone else already said their goodbyes and gathered at the village entrance, only Mugi was left behind.

“Hey, Mugi.”

“What is it?”

“I’ll forgive you for every other promise, but promise me something, okay?”

“What would that be?”

“Come home in one piece, with your heart still beating.”

“Alright, I promise I’ll come home in one piece, with my heart still beating.”

“You really promise?”

“Of course! Let’s seal it with a kiss.”

With a short kiss on the lips, Ayu sealed the promise.

 

*As usual, all your comments and feedbacks are welcomed. Praises helps me puff myself up so I can write faster. Constructive criticisms humbles me so I can do better job at writing. So please say something, okay?
**Had a little bit of continuation of the dream. So I'm writing another chapter. The kissing part was written exactly or as similar as I could to my dream. I wonder if it's working. Ever since my trauma at Literotica, I've not been able to write any good ero-story.