Tant con je vivrai
Grey fingers of dawn opened the sky. Dew lifted from grass into drifting mist. The body of a man, three crossbow bolts protruding from his armour.
More bodies, hundreds, scattered over the meadow.
One lay against a tree. He gasped and opened his eyes, grimacing as his hand tightened on his sword. A body lay across his leg, too heavy to shift.
"As long as I shall live..." he began. He paused, drew breath again. "My right hand shall defend thee."
"As long as I shall live, our love shall live."
"As long—"
Above the silent battlefield, the crows began to arrive.
This was inspired by the song “Tant con je vivrai” (“As long as I shall live”) by Adam de la Halle. The song is about something completely different, but the cold performance linked here fits the mood.
The story has also appeared on Laurence Simon’s Weekly Challenge.
Image credit: Gunnar Lundström, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
