Chapter 1
Riding through the town, after returning from a victorious battle, should feel exciting and relieving to be home. Not for Jeremiah, he lost his true love, Timothy, in battle, but he still put on his happy face and waved to the townsfolk, nonetheless. He was glad he couldn’t see their faces, his eyes covered in his signature gold blindfold, the people in the town always wondered how he survived each battle not being able to see, but with his elf ears it only heightened his senses even more.
With his bow and arrow, he never missed his shots, his ears giving the advantaged of him hearing where the attackers were. Jeremiah had a custom bow and arrow; the bow could fold into a violin and each of his arrows had horsehair attached to be able to use as the bow for the violin. He sat the violin on his back on display for everyone who he passed to see, they loved to see the spectacle that created beautiful music and death. He used it to bring music along with him on his journeys as the men and women fighting alongside him didn’t have any exciting conversations to discuss when they rode.
Jeremiah continues to wave and smile to those he passes by lined up on the path, he doesn’t want his true emotions to show, all he wants to do is get off his horse and be greeted by Timothy. He knows its only a dream, there is no one waiting for him at the end of the victory line, no one to hold him, for him to know that he’s home safe, to live out a normal life with.
Memories flooded Jeremiah’s mind of the time he spent with Timothy, when they ran from the campgrounds to an open field, away from the battle ground. Dancing to their own music together, laughing in the darkness, only having the moon light to see. They enjoyed it nonetheless, the only peace they got from the snoring of the troops or the gunshots in the battlefield. As dawn begins to rise, the couple are found laying in the tall grass staring up at the sky, sharing everything about their lives, talking about the future they hope to share together.
Now knowing that their future can never happen, as Timothy is left on the battlefield, taking his last breath in the arms of Jeremiah. He doesn’t know whether he’ll be able to move on, Timothy was the only person to make Jeremiah want to settle down to start their future together, to start their own family.
Reaching the end of the parade line, the other soldiers in front of Jeremiah have dismounted to greet their loved ones, hugging their children tight, or meeting their new-borns for the first time since they were dispatched. Jeremiah didn’t have anyone waiting for him at the end of the line, instead he made his horse carry on, turning into a sprint away from the people and toward the closest open field he could find. He can sense dozens of eyes staring after him as he leaves the town centre, he doesn’t need to have eyes to know that all those eyes are feeling sorry for him. Timothy and Jeremiah were the new favourite couple of the town, everyone knew they were meant to be together, and now their story had come to an end.
Hoping to find solitude in the peaceful noise of nature, Jeremiah reached the clearing in the field, dismounting his horse and removing his gear. He plucked out one of his arrows from the bag attached to the saddle of his horse, swinging round the violin on his back to the front, before taking a seat in the grass. Instantly, Jeremiah started to play a tune, the same tune he imagined listening to when dancing with Timothy, hoping it would bring him some comfort, but it only made him more upset. He couldn’t bring himself to play anymore, he was hurting too much, he didn’t allow himself to grieve whilst still on the battlefield, he didn’t shed a tear when the battle was finally over, or as they made the troop made their way home. Not wanting to look weird having tear stains on his blindfold in front of everyone. Finally, he was alone, he allowed himself to let go, to get out all his sadness and anger he had to the one who shot Timothy.
Grieving finally settled in, and Jeremiah was a mess, had been sat in the field for a few hours now, his blindfold long since removed, not wanting it to be any more ruined than it was. He didn’t care if anyone had passed by and saw his eyes, no matter how long he had hidden them, but he no longer cared for any opinion made about himself. He knew he probably looked like a mess anyways, his eyes wouldn’t make a difference.
Night sky had started to arrive, as the temperature started to drop, Jeremiah knew he should start heading back to his house now, but he couldn’t bring himself to get up. Instead, he laid down in the grass, holding his left hand out waiting, hoping that Timothy’s hand would join his as they laid under the stars. If only he did grab on, pull him up onto his feet so they could run back to their house, back into the warmth, where Jeremiah would prepare a hot drink for the pair to have whilst Timothy grabbed thick blankets and started a fire for them to sit in front of. They would sit and talk about nonsense for hours, about anything they could, each of them always having something to tell the other, never running out of things to say. As the night continued, they would warm up and slowly start to feel asleep in each other arms, feeling content in where they are.
