A Court of Ice and Fire

Chapter 45

We won the battle.

I remember very little of it after I had knelt next to Roma, and I refused to move from her side as the battle raged around me.

I moved only when the battle was over, and the fields began to clear out as the wounded and the dead were lifted and carried back to camp. I don't know how long I stare at the body lying in front of me, my mind blank and my body filled with an unyielding storm.

It raged silently, filling up my senses and overloading my thoughts. I was numb as I held a limp hand that was crusted in blood and looked into eyes that were unmoving and blank.

The storm doesn't waver as I feel a hard hand land on my shoulder, and while I can register the touch, my body does nothing in reaction. "Princess....We need to move."

The voice pushes against the storm, and for a mere moment, my mind is clear enough to feel the unending pain that existed just bellowing the raging chaos. The short blip of pain was enough for me to be thankful when the storm resurfaced, once again clouding the pain.

I glance at the hand on my shoulder before looking towards its owner, and the recognition is immediate. Idris was covered head to toe in blood and bruises, and her eyes were filled with a deafening sense of grief that made my heart crack and chip.

My teeth grind together as I give her a brief nod before turning back to the friend who had inspired so much hope and light in my life. Her blood had long soaked my clothes and stained my skin, and my hands were slick with the thick substance as I gently place my hands underneath her body, cradling her small form to my chest as I stand up.

"Dahlia you don't have to—"

"I know." My voice was hardened and lacked any kind of emotion as I began to walk. I can feel her presence beside me as I walk through the bloody and beaten battlefield. As we walk past, more Asraians fall behind us, their footsteps heavy as they walk quietly behind.

The camp was filled with soldiers rushing back and forth carrying supplies and shouting for help, but there was a pause as we walked through. Heads turned in our direction, and their eyes were filled with both confusion and a sense of respect as they saw the body I held in my hands.

My steps only falter when I reach our own camp and see the bodies that were laid to the side, their eyes closed to look as if they were sleeping. The storm wavers for a moment, allowing the pain to take root and plant itself deep in my chest.

My arms begin to shake as I stand in the middle of the camp, the pain striking through my body without mercy or restraint. I stumble as I carefully lower myself to the ground, my hands quivering as I lay the body in my hands onto the ground, my eyes watering as I slowly rise back up.

Those who had followed me to the camp fall in around me, their heads bowed in respect to not only Roma, but to the ones who had also been lost in the battle. We may not have lost many, but each one is just another reminder of the fragility of life, and how easily snuffed out it truly is.

The storm and the pain in my chest rage against one another, neither of them yielding or allowing a reprieve. My heart seizes when I see a lone figure step forward, and I swallow thickly as they raise their head.

Ryder looks devastated as he looks at the women who had helped raise him, and I watch as he slowly lowers himself towards the ground. He kneels onto the dirt with his head lowered in respect, his eyes closed as tears run down his bruised face.

The reaction is almost immediate, and soon, everyone who had followed me from the field is kneeling. Only Idris and I remain on our feet, and I look forward, my lips quivering as I close my eyes.