The guns fired off in rounds. We heard the British scream “Fire you bloody traitors, at least fight back show us you have some courage.” That’s what they called us, traitors…but in reality, they are the ones who double crossed us. They used to be our partners, allies…friends. Now as a result of our separation, innocent people were getting murdered, good men looking for a method to this bloody madness.
I ducked around a small, brick building for cover as another round of simultaneous shots fired. My childhood friend Alexander lays beside me with a small pool of blood slowly drips out of his wound right below his right lung. I mummer to him “Your fine; we’ll get you out of this mess, just hang on.” Alexander chuckles, then wince at his pain. “There’s no way, in this mess, that I’ll make it out alive Henri, you on the other hand don’t have a fatal wound from your own carelessness. You were always a positive person ever since I can remember.” He smiles softly then coughs into his blood stained handkerchief.
I look away quickly to avoid watching my friend in pain. I turn away from the building to fire a shot at the red coats, who were, at this point making everything worse. As I fired I heard a groan, then the shot started to come even faster than before. I looked over at my friend once again, this time he looked so disappointed in himself. I wept in sorrow that this wouldn’t end up like the war stories in the books I commonly read with Alexander when I was little. There would be no healing, no miracle, and no chance he would survive.
He started so speak in a voice so weak it was a struggle to hear him over the loud gun shots. “Remember when we were young and I would read to you?” He asked his voice growing longer and more drawn out with each passing word. “Yes, what about them?” My voice cracked with the pain of losing my friend. “Well I was wondering if you could tell me a story, you know the ones were the guy always saves the girl, saves the town and becomes a legacy, one last time before I fall asleep for the final time?” His breathing grew harder like he was struggling to fight for his remaining time left on Earth.

I sobbed “Ok. For your dying wish I’ll tell you the best tale I know.” I started quickly making sure I would finish my story before his end. “Once upon a time, there was a girl who lived in a small village near the coast of Massachutes.” I continued on shakily. “She grew up with a boy who lived across the road named Alex. One day when the boy and girl grew to the age of 13, the girl had a family crisis. Her older brother had perished in a rifle related accident. Her father having a reputation to withhold had told the girl she’d now had to dress like her elder brother and impersonate him as well.
She asked he father why? He replied simply that he could not go on without his son and could withstand the death of his daughter. On the day of the funeral her brother had been places in woman’s clothes and buried under her name. The girl had taken on her brother’s name Henry and had to act like him.” I paused to make sure Alexander was still living and he nodded slowly. “She moved away shortly under her father’s orders, and never saw her childhood friend Alex again, until a few years ago. Henry had been listed on the army’s recuing list and had been drafted in. Shortly afterwards-” I cut myself off to fire again. The British were advancing though our lines quickly. After I made sure I hit one of them I dove back down to finish my story, Alexander was holding on tight to his life. “Go….on…” he said breathing so desperately for air. “Right, so soon after she was thrown into the army she saw him again. He hadn’t really changed since the seven years she last saw him, except he had grown taller and look a tad older.” I paused for a moment. “She quickly befriended him and told him she had a friend just like him when she was young. After a few months of rest a battle was commissioned.” Close to tears I was trying to finish quickly. “They went to war together, but he got injured in the process. And before he passed she had laid out his last story before him and told him that she truly loved him.” Waiting a moment before finishing I sobbed harder. “And that’s the story of the man I love and a true hero laying his life down for his country.” I looked up at beaming face of my old friend. He just smiled and before giving out he had whispered so slowly “I love you too, Alice.” And with that I kissed him until his last breath ran out.