FreeWrite: Their Faith
"Amidst the chaos of battle, a revelation struck: our enemy's unyielding faith overshadowed our might."
Their Faith
As battle cries roared on all sides of the sandy horizon, I held my sword high. "It's war!"
Moments later, I realized how wrong we were.
This enemy we have made. These people. They're unstoppable.
I saw my companion strike one of them. The enemy smiled before death, exalting God as he breathed his last breath.
Such faith, I glanced as a fallen member of my people. The despair in his face as he saw death.
"Yaaaaaagh!!" I shouted as I broke through the enemy lines. I cut one's arm. I sliced one's throat. I tackled one to be stomped in the battlefield. I almost reached their flag bearer, but I stopped.
We have more people on our side. We have better weapons. We have stronger horses and camels.
Yet, I stood shaken as I saw my brethren fall one after another,
We were wrong... I concluded.
The enemy's strong faith made me realize how weak ours is. Have we been fighting God this whole time?
I refused to admit it. I never wanted to admit it. Until now...
One of them came my direction. I almost saw his sword on my throat.
"I surrender!" I threw my sword away.
Looking back, that was the greatest decision of my life.
The End
The 5-Minutes Version
They're unstoppable.
We , ridiculed them, and mocked their faith. Now we're fighting them.
They're winning. How?
We have more people on our side. We have better weapons. We have stronger horses and camels.
Yet, I stood shaken as I saw my brethren fall one after another,
Those are monsters... I concluded.
They keep coming, with the courage of a lion. How?
Is their faith that strong. Have I been on the losing side?
One of them came my direction. I almost saw his sword on my throaught
"I surrender!"
...
Author Notes
This is written for the FreeWrite initiative 13 Nov 2023 Prompt: "Creed." Following the meaning of creed "A set of beliefs that determine one's actions." I thought the best setting would be early Islam, with Muslims vs the Pagans in which they showed an extra-ordinary showcase of faith.
I didn't mention the sides of this story, but I based the protagonist on one of the Pagans. For non-Muslims, I recommend you read about the Battle of Badr if you're interested.
The flag bearer held a great importance in Battles between Arabs. If the flag is down, the battle is lost. One of the biggest targets in these wars of swords was the person who carried the flag of the army. Isn't it interesting?
What do you think?
Please read my previous story, "Stranded, Parched Man" the setting is based on the Arabian Desert too. If you're interested in another story, check out my "Where to Start?" List. Please comment below if you like this.
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