Niko was pushing the plough into the ground. He did so almost effortlessly, the soft, dark earth was giving in easily, as an ox pulled the plough. The day was clear, with not one cloud on the horizon. With the smell of earth and his own sweat in his nostrils, Niko was thinking of his woman. Ara. Her brown hair and hazel eyes, her soft face and a bright smile.
He could see her approaching in the distance, coming from their house. She was carrying a basket, no doubt a meal for her hard-working man.
"Niko, come to me! I got you something to eat!" He halted the animal and stopped his plough near a tree. He still had much to do before the sunset, but he and the animal deserved a break.
They ate together under the tree; fresh bread with some cheese and water from the jug she also brought. It was simple enough, but it tasted wonderful. She did not bring much, but it was enough to fill two people for the time being.
As he was lying under the tree and she was putting the remains of the meal into the basket, he could not help but to notice as she was looking at him, with an obvious intent on her face.
"What are looking at? Do I have something on my face?"
"No, no, you are fine, but I got something for you..."
"Ara, please, I must finish before the sunset"
"Oh come on, I know you are strong, you can manage both at the same time...”
"Don't worry, I will be back home soon enough"
Fine. I will see you home, my love"
With sadness on her face, she left. He was eager to finish quickly, so he got back to his plough. But as he started pushing, he felt as if he was pushing against a rock. With a lot of effort the plough moved, very slowly. He felt a lot of strange bumps and stones under his feet, so he looked down.
He was horrified. As he moved the plough, instead of dirt, his plough was moving through a field of bodies. Skulls, bones, half-rotten corpses, tattered banners and shattered armour. Somewhere in the distance he heard a crying child and moaning of dying men. Broken swords and spears, lances and axes, mangled with a mass of dead, sticking out like knives and forks thrust into a slab of meat.
He looked around him. Sun was gone but he could still see. He was surrounded by a sea of grey, as if a heavy mist surrounded him, yet he felt no cold or humidity. Ara and the house dissolved in the distance, and the ox suddenly became a warhorse, with guts hanging out its belly. His feet and legs were all muddy and plashed with gore. He tried to leave and run towards his home, but he couldn't move, his body constrained with a heavy suit of armour.
He fell, and the rotting mass of dead grabbed him with and started pulling him downwards. All were chanting in one voice:
Love, Duty, Death, Love, Duty, Death.....------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nikephoros woke up screaming. Cold sweat covered him as he grabbed his face and started coming to his senses. It was still dark in his tent, so he lay back on his bed, but not before drinking a whole cup of wine that stood next to the bed. No soldier bothered coming in, everyone sleeping or too tired to notice or care.
He lay in his bed without closing his eyes until morning. He thought that with Tala safe this was behind him. But for some reason he was more uneasy than before...
Full credit to Dwarmin for the dream sequence idea for Niko.