Memory in the End

Chapter 3: First Battle

There were at least fifteen warriors, and there were not ordinary warriors. They were Victor's personal army, comprised of extremely skilled and powerful men that joined him in betraying the king. Looking around, though, and judging by their uniforms, they weren't his most elite men, more so common foot soldiers. The two who stood at the front were the leaders, they were the elites. Their armor was darker than the others, and they had the seal of a Falcon engraved in it. Only Victor's elite had a falcon engraved in it. The other soldiers were divided in their reactions to encountering us. Half of them looked terrified; they'd heard the rumors of the Five and knew to be wary about Michael. The other half of them were excited and jittery, each one dreaming that they would be the ones to destroy the Five. But of course, young soldiers have a poor habit of daydreaming.

Michael held the sword in his hand, staring down the two elites. The elites didn't speak, only watching Michael, anger flowing through their eyes; elites don't like to think that there are people who are more powerful than they are. Their eyes shifted to me, and they smiled.

"Princess Arrabella," the first elite, Draymond, addressed me, "Lord Lynx has been looking for you.".

"So has half the kingdom, apparently," I say, with a smirk, "Though I suppose Victor is already aware of that. He placed quite the generous bounty on me, after all.".

"Yes, I suppose. But no matter, we are bringing you back to Lord Lynx," he tells me, "Even if we have to bring you back dead.".

"Go ahead and try.".

I might not be the best fighter, but I sure as hell do not back down when I'm threatened. The only way they'll take me back is if I'm dead. I will fight until my last breath. Michael hasn't said a word, but I could feel a strange force emitting from him; a really powerful force unlike any I've ever felt before. The elites send their foot soldiers forward to make the first move. They run towards us, swords aimed for our hearts, but Michael simply strikes them down with a single blow. The foot soldiers are inexperienced, and I'm able to easily defeat quite a few of them. The real challenge comes when the elites begin their attack. Draymond takes me on personally. He is expecting me to be an easy fight.

His white-blonde hair was cut short, revealing his piercing blue gaze and a scar along his left brow. His thin lips were curled in a nasty grin. He used to be the leader of my father's army. Once when he asked for my hand in marriage, I had refused. Ever since that humiliation, he's had a terrible distaste for me in his mouth. He trained me, though, and I know his moves just as well as he knows mine. The only real question left is, which one of us will falter first?

He hits me with his full force at first. His sword hits into mine, and he pushes it towards me. I might not be as strong as he is, but I have a secret weapon: the element of surprise. I use the little strength I have to push against him, throwing him off a bit, and knock his feet out from under him. He falls back, and I try to stab him but he moves out of the way and lands a kick to my side. I'm stunned for a second, but then quickly regain my senses.

I glance over to see how Michael is doing. He seems bored, the elite aren't much of a challenge for him. Then again, he's fighting against Louis who isn't all that strong. How he managed to become an elite, I will never know. Apparently, he became an elite shortly after his brother died in battle. He blamed the king for his brother's death and vowed to get revenge. Well, he kept his promise.

Louis seems to be putting in his all while Michael may have been barely be tapping into his power. Louis has him for a bit, using a small dagger to cut him on his arm and then using his sword to try to deliver the final blow. Michael doesn't seem to be phased by the cut. In face, it actually makes him even more angry. He thrusts his sword, with more power than before, onto Louis' blade, throwing him back. Louis knocks into a tree and is stunned for a long time.