Moon and Yorick were sparring in the training hall. Moon, however, very much had the upper hand. Ordinarily Yorick being a part of the lower class would not have been able to officially begin his training for another year, but being the emperor’s son had its perks and Moon had made sure Yorick would be able to train in the same group as him. It was a little unfair to Yorick as he hadn’t even really mastered the basics yet, but Moon watched the large improvements grow in his friend that came from constantly sparing with better opponents. Yorick of course having never spared with someone around his level didn’t notice these improvements. They were in a large room filled with a large array of recruits ranging through many grade levels classifications and ranks, each of them differing greatly in shapes and sizes.  Despite being only eleven years old, Moon had already built himself a name in both his skill in weaponry and his battle strategies. Yorick was not quite so adept.

          Dropping low to the ground fast, Moon dodged Yorick's blade. Left open for attack, Yorick stood no chance at withstanding the oncoming onslaught as Moon scythed his legs around and knocked Yorick’s feet out from under him.  The wind was knocked for the boy’s lungs and before he had a chance to roll out of range, Moon had quickly planted himself atop Yorick’s chest and drew his blade near this throat.

“I…win!” Moon grinned between breaths, forcing his tired body to stand.

He held out his hand to help Yorick up before he sheathed his blade away.

“Good match.”

  “For you or me? I think all I learned how to do was fall over.” Yorick grumbled. Before Moon could give a response, alarms rang loudly within the room and off the nearby buildings as wounded soldiers were poured in, in all different manners. Some limped in themselves and some were dragged or carried on stretchers.  Moon stared in horror, both hurt and angry that he was unable to do anything. Yorick lowered his head, unable to watch any longer seeing so many of the wounded whimpering in pair. The trainees quickly rushed to help the wounded lining them up in row across the training room. Moon swiftly moved to do the same Torrick at his heels. These were his people, Moon thought suddenly. He had never given much thought to this ongoing war, no matter how many times he had played make believe as a younger child and he had never seen much of the consequences, but it was quickly starting to become as clear exactly what that looked like. Moon felt he stomach churn listening to the moans and whimpers of pain and seeing a full-grown man crying and screaming like a child kicking his legs fiercely or at least trying to because there were no legs anymore.

An agonized cry suddenly stung the air, causing the children to turn around. There, a familiar round face of the royal kitchens raced through the streams of medical personal and soldiers alike to one young solider in peculiar. The cook dropped to his knees devastated and in tears beside the fallen warrior, who had breathed his last breath before his father had even heard the news of his injuries.

“My son! Oh, my boy!” The cook cried as he hugged the young warrior’s body now. “My precious boy!”

Yorick’s eyes widened as tears threatened. Moon stared unblinkingly at the scene before him. Vaguely, he recalled the cook’s son being sent out into battle. The young man was so pleased and happy to be of service to his kingdom, to his people, that Moon didn’t fill much need for worry over him. That had happened a year ago and he had soon forgotten about it as he buried himself in his own studies about the war.

Now, all that was left was heartbreak over someone who Moon knew well. This hit close to home. All sound left his hearing as his thoughts raced; all calls from their training officer to leave the area went unheard. His heart pounded painfully in his chest. He barely felt Yorick’s touch as his friend trying to get his attention. Moon now understood something they had been learning about in class. Why they had been at war with the Sorians and for so long. Rage was lit within his heart as things began to make sense, as was his sense of duty to his people as the emperor’s son.

Finally, as a white cloth was laid over the cook’s son, the training officer managed to turn the young boys away and ushered them out of the room so they could finish setting up an emergency hospital in the training hall for all the new wounded soldiers; for the hospital ward was already too full. The boys walked in silence until they got outside where Moon stopped.

“Greed.”

Yorick turned to him in alarm. “What?”

Moon met Yorick’s eyes finally for the first time since leaving the training hall. “Those vile Sorians are so greedy that they would rather hog all the remaining resources for themselves and leave us for dead.”

Yorick’s frown deepened, and he drew back his head as if he had been slapped. He was surprised by Moon’s statement. Yes, he was upset too but he didn’t think it that they were that desperate as a people yet.       

Moon continued, staring off in the direction the Sorians’ homeland in the south, as if he could see them for himself if he tried. “Our world is dying because of them. Our people are dying because of them! The cook just lost his son because of them!”

A fear was slowly creeping into Yorick’s heart. “Yes, that’s true but they too must have taken damage. They’ve lost people too.”

Moon rounded on him fast and quick upon hearing this. “Are you trying to tell me you feel sorry for them?”

          Yorick stepped back, surprised by Moon’s outburst. “I mean war isn’t pretty. People die! We’ve been told about this in class!”

Moon looked away. “Of course, war isn’t pretty, but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s their fault!”

          “Can’t we just find a way to resolve this peacefully?” Yorick murmured.

          “If we could do that, we would have done it ages ago. No, what we need to do is kill them all. That’s how we’ll save everyone.”

          “But has there already been too much death already?”

Moon looked back at his best friend, with a clear and even expression. Nothing would change his mind. Yorick saw that. We’ll have different goals then, Yorick thought.

Moon turned away when he was satisfied to know his friend got the message. “Enough. I’m done talking about this. Let's get out of here.”

“Come on then. Let’s head over to the east districts I heard from some of the other boys in class today that the pipes burst and flooded the street again. We can head over there and cool our feet down.”

“Sure.” Moon accepted the truce gratefully. He really was a good and true friend even if they didn’t agree all the time. Moon had never found anyone quite like him. All the other kids had only wanted to be his friend for some kind of gain in return or for their parents had wanted them to try so they could have the ear of the emperor.

Yorick truly seemed to not care about their social status differences, and he didn’t seem to care about the difference in wealth either. Moon still remembered the day he had become friends with Yorick. It was when he had turned six. He was playing in the palace gardens when he heard a commotion on the other side of the iron barred fence.

 Coming closer Moon saw that there was a group of older boys picking on a small red hair boy about his social status.

 Moon had ignored his nanny’s repeated calls to come away from the fence and instead told the bullies to stop. They of course immediately recognized him for who he was and scraping over themselves with apologies fled the scene. It had always bother him that he was the one they had apologized too and not Yorick. Moon had invited Yorick into the castle grounds through the gap in the fence bars and together the pair went to eat ice cream in the palace kitchens. They had remained best friends since.

Running a couple steps Moon casually gave a hard shove to Yorick’s shoulder before taking off in a sprint. “Race you!”

“You’re on!”

  Yorick barely won the race joyfully stomping in the puddle shoes still on. This small victory seemed to have instantly healed his bruised ego from the sparring match.

  Laughing Moon pulled off his shoes and joined him enjoying the cool but filthy water cooling his feet.

     He wished things could stay that way forever.

    But children grow up and there was a war on, so he resolved to enjoy it as much as possible while it was his.