The Warrior of Avelyn

Ⅻ

 The man fell limp against her. Clara Let go of the blade and quickly crawled back, her breaths coming out shaky and uneven.

 She stumbled up to her feet, her hands shaking and trembling now that the adrenaline had passed and she realized what she had just done.

She just killed a man.

She had felt the blade go through his flesh, and the sound of the bones cracking filled her ears. She felt her stomach acid rise to her throat, and her heart sunk into the pit that was her stomach.

The sight of him laying there with blood pooling around him made her sick, and scared. That could have been her if she wasn't quick enough.

It could have been Victor.

The pain of her wound brought her back to reality, and she ran, not glancing back. Her vision was blurry and she still couldn't breathe properly.

She needed Edwin.

As she was running, she collided with the cold armor of a knight, but she couldn't find it in her to apologize, or even look up. She crumbled to the floor, her breathing getting shallower, and sobs getting caught in her throat. The knight was talking to her, but she couldn't hear him. He knelt on the ground in front of her, putting his hands on both sides of her face, making her look at him. Her brown eyes were met with the familiar baby blue of Julian, now darker than usual.

"Hey, hey, hey." he gently tapped her cheek. "Breathe, Clara."

"I can't." she choked out, her voice barely audible. Her hair stuck to her now wet and bloody face, and snot was running down her nose. "Ed.."

"Edwin?" he followed her gaze to make sure she wasn't going to pass out. She nodded, more tears falling down her face; the droplets staining her dirty dress.

"Henry, go get Edwin, now!" Julian ordered.

"What happened?" Alan asked, now sitting beside the pair. Julian shook his head, not knowing what to say. His heart was heavy with concern, seeing Clara like that.

"As...assassin." she took ragged breaths, trying to speak a full word without choking.

The knights eyes widened, and with a silent conversation, they nodded at each other before Alan took off to the direction which she came from, to see what had happened.

"You're okay..." he whispered into her ear as he pulled her into his arms, resting his head on hers as she cried into his chest. "I won't let anything happen to you. You're safe."

A few moments later, Edwin could be heard calling Clara's name, concern dripping from his voice. As soon as he saw her, he knelt on the ground and Julian moved away, letting Edwin pull her into his arms. Her sobs got worse and her breathing was nowhere close to normal. Henry, who had gone to call Edwin, came back with some bandages and started to wrap it around her arm to stop it from bleeding.

 "I'm here, darling, I'm here." he whispered into her ear and placed soft kisses on her head as he ran his hand through her hair. His own eyes were glossy with unshed tears. It hurt him to see his daughter so broken like this. "Let it all out, it's okay. You're okay."

"What happened?" he asked no one in particular. Julian was about to speak, but Clara's voice rang out in between sobs.

"I killed him." she cried. "Why does it hurt so much?"

Edwin's eyes widened and he held her tighter, looking to Julian for more context.

"The assassin." he told him, and Edwin nodded.

Just then, Alan returned, now holding a basket of clothes, knowing Clara would probably get scolded if she didn't take them back to the prince.

"He's dead." he informed everyone. "The same man she described last month. His daggers had these crests."