[Enter: Caleb from the Forest]
Just after falling into the river, Caleb was furious. Very, very furious. He intended to somehow get out of the water and strangle those who disturbed him. Mostly because they interrupted his thoughts about Cornelia, not because he fell into the river and made fool out of himself. What if something like this would have happened in a battle?
But some time in the cold water helped him relax. Just like Caleb expected, cold waves eased his pain - even if slightly - and he allowed the river to just carry him along for a while.
He felt like a betrayer, as if he would have betrayed Cornelia somehow. Here he is, so hellbent to play his little rebellion, so concerned, so busy to think about her during daytime. Hatred and deceit always come first. Caleb gave himself many promises. And he broke them all. Truly he was unworthy of Cornelia's love.
Besides, what can he give her? A part of him was rotten, and the rot could quickly spread and take over his mind, stealing everything that he truly treasured away. Love. Truth. Beauty. Sometimes he could not treasure those things, in those moments of dirty darkness.
She probably thinks about him constantly. Caleb felt - no, knew that he didn't deserve that. Cornelia was much better than him. He would have done the best thing if he would have simply killed himself and thus freed her from even thinking about him.
He reached out, grabbed some root that was above water and climbed out. Yes. Killing himself was the best option, if not the only one. That's exactly what he will do... right after winning the war.
Caleb looked at the castle, which was far away, but still visible - in the middle of the night, the torches and fires looked like the castle's many eyes, desperately searching for him - and the others.
Caleb sighed... How many others were there now? Twenty? He couldn't believe it. Twenty men, all unknown to him. Although he remembered seeing some of them in countless battles, maybe even acknowledging their strength and skill, he didn't even know their names - well, except Goenn's and the veteran's, who was called Berghan. But Aldarn and Drake... how could they betray him, betray their freedom like that? Caleb loved them, he could even feel happy with them. But now... Now thoughts about them brought nothing but a new pain. It would probably be for the best to forget about them. But if he'd meet them on a battlefield, fighting against him, would he have the strength to cut them down?
"Yes." Caleb whispered. But after that, he'd probably jump on the nearest blade and end it all.
He was cold. Usually, he could tolerate even the coldest of blizzards, without paying too much attention, but now he was cold, trembling and broken. No one could break the rebel leader on the battlefield, but his own thoughts could crush him down easily.
Caleb looked up, but he couldn't see anything. Blurry black and silvery shapes, dancing in front of him, telling him something. He was almost afraid of them.
But then, he spotted a long bright line, coming from the castle and venturing into the forest - towards the mountains. What could it be? The soldiers? The 'rebels'? In any case, he had to find out. Caleb knew that the soldiers won't be able to find the new hideout and he didn't care about the 'rebels' at all, but for the sake of his twenty last friends, he had to find out.
Caleb was still cold and weak and he wanted only to bury himself among the fallen leaves, but a part of him forced Caleb to act like the rebel leader. Maybe for the last time, he didn't know.
[Exit: Caleb to the Forest]
Elyon, if you want, you can post about Caleb coming out from the forest and appearing before Aldarn and the others, when you decide to do some rebel posting again.