It happened during the coronation.

The coronations were always a vulnerable time, seeing many important people from the country were gathered beneath the same roof. All were there to see Izuna, whom they'd grown to respect, become king.

He looked incredible. He stood up, not seated in his throne on the podium but standing beneath it as a sign to the people of his country that he considered himself equal to them. He wore a big, black cape of fake fur, underneath of which he wore extravagant trousers and a tunic, both black with complex embroideries of all colours. His crown was black with rare gemstones that caught the light and shone in the colours of the rainbow. I stood next to him, free of armour as was correct for the occasion, my sword at my left side, having given up not staring at him long ago. Luckily, everyone else in the room were spellbound by his charisma, too, so they didn't notice my hungry eyes. Or at least, that's what I tried to tell myself.

He swore his oath, and the bishop pronounced him king to the loud cheers of the crowd. I felt such an immense pride then that I thought I might burst. It struck me sometimes how little time we'd truly spent together compared to the time we had ahead of us, and a surge of happiness like nothing I'd ever experienced before washed over my flesh and bones.

I am going to love you for an eternity, I thought.

That was where we were when the guard came running into the room.

"Were under attack!" he screamed. "The east is attacking us! They're hundreds!"

A confused whirl spread through the room, but I didn't partake. I immediately reacted. I have sworn to protect him to the best of my abilities. I ran out to get to the stables. There was no time for donning my armour, nor to saddle my horse. I would just bridle him, jump up and go to war.

Soon, other guards, in armour, followed to grab their horses.

"Aren't you going to stay by the crown prince's side?" Alberto asked when he caught up to me in the stables.

"He's not crown prince anymore", I said, not able to hide my worry. I wanted to stay by his side so bad it hurt, but I knew I would protect him better if I went out to battle. "He's the king. My duty is to lead the army."

I jumped up on my big, brown horse, my oriental one not yet having been trained for battle, and cantered out of the stables. I rode to the great meadow behind the castle, where hundreds upon hundreds of enemy soldiers were cantering towards us.

Shit, this is bad, I thought. It would take at least one hour to gather the true army of the king, as all of the members did not live in court. What we had to do before then was to try and cut their numbers as well as we could. I asked my horse to stop, analysed quickly, estimating we were outnumbered by roughly five to one.

"Defensive approach!" I roared. "Do not let them close to the castle!"

The enemy army came closer, their leader in the front. I squinted my eyes.

No way...

It was my old mentor.

The personal guard of Madara, the former crown prince who had killed him.

He smirked when he was close enough to see me.

"Charge!!" I roared to the army that had gathered behind me, seeing the enemy army wouldn't stop.

I immediately clashed swords with my old mentor.

"Leave the Snowmonster be!" he shouted. "He's mine!!"

It frustrated me, seeing he thought this was a game while to me, it was about my lover's life. But at least I didn't have to worry about being charged at from behind. We clashed swords, over and over, equally strong now, seemingly equally skilled which satisfied me no-end. I needed to get him away from the castle, I knew, as this man knew its secrets, including its every weakness. I led him away to the high cliff where me and Izuna had made our promise not to leave this world without telling the other all those years ago, and continued to clash swords on our horses, alone.

"You've become good, Tobirama", my old mentor said meanly.

I tried to think. I was not protected by my armour, nor had I any stirrups to help me balance on my horse. I needed to use my brain to win over this man.

And then it struck me.

It struck me how I would win.

Both of us had trained our endurance in armour each week. But now, I had an advantage. He was wearing a heavy armour, but I was bare of mine.

I could tire him out.

I charged over and over, never taking a break, lifting my sword for another collision as soon as the former was done. I could see him becoming fatigued within minutes while my arm, free of any metal sleeve, was fresh.

But would turn out, my former mentor knew my weakness, too.

Of course he did.

When I lifted my sword, he steered to the side, lifted his sword and...

Cut it straight into the belly of my horse.

Time stopped. Then I realised he knew. The bastard knew.

For most soldiers, their horses were just equipment, something to be used in war and then disposed of if injured. But I wasn't like that. He'd heard me promoting to learn to ride with a soft hand, to make your horse trust you so you could be companions in battle. He knew I loved my horse. And he knew he could use that to throw me off guard, even if it was just for a second.

And for the second it took me to snap back from my sorrow and anger to reality, it was too late.

My horse's legs buckled beneath me.

My former mentor threw himself over me.

I tumbled down on my back, him above me, his weight unbearable, not because of the heaviness but because of the shame.

I haven't even told him I'm leaving. I'm breaking my promise to him.

I had just run out of the castle, not even considering the risk of not returning.

My former mentor lifted his sword to stab me through my unprotected heart.

Izuna, I'm sorry.

We were right at the edge of the cliff, the wind strong, the skies grey.

I love you.

He put his weight behind his sword, and pushed it...

Straight into the heart of Izuna Uchiha.

Everything around me disappeared.

The cliff.

My horse.

My enemy.

My Izuna.

And my soul.

There was only a white nothing.

I wasn't in the middle of it; I was part of it.

One drop of red landed on the whiteness.

Then another.

I felt the softness of his black fur.

His back to me.

Having thrown himself in front of the sword that was going to kill me as he knew, he knew he wasn't strong enough to push the sword away.

Izuna turned his head, unable to turn his entire body as the sword was piercing him, in through his breast bone and out through his shoulder blades, the top of the sword inches from my nose.

He smiled at me.

"I'm leaving now, Tobirama", he said.

My mentor, stiff with shock, pulled the sword out.

And before I had time to react, Izuna slumped forwards and fell off the cliff, straight to the rocks beneath, and then into the unforgiving froth of the ocean.

It was like being stuck in a nightmare where you screamed and screamed, screamed for your life but couldn't get a word out.

I was running but I got nowhere.

I tried throwing myself after him, but a couple of strong arms grabbed my waist from behind, preventing me.

Alberto.

He screamed in my ear.

I didn't understand a word.

I screamed I still had time to save him before he drowned.

Alberto screamed he was already dead.

I lost track of time.

I didn't know where one minute began, and another ended.

The battle had been fought.

We had won as soon as our main army joined.

It didn't matter.

I cried and I cried.

I couldn't describe the pain.

Not that I would ever try.

Alberto was by my side all the time, holding me back.

Somewhere along the line, I noted my old mentor, dead on the ground, Alberto's sword through his heart.

I allowed myself to look down.

The stones were covered in his blood from where he'd hit them before falling into the depths of the ocean.