Myshka

Chapter 5: Past

The Prince ducked and side stepped the warrior already reaching for his sword. Really he couldn't help but admire the gumption this girl had. The gumption that he'd seen all those years back when he had come to check out new territory.

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Five years earlier

Emtilov's POV

Working my way through the dense jungles with a small elite group of soldiers towards Burnall, the small village at the border of Rubesco, I thought about my plan of visiting the Khasha clan. I had heard so much about them. It was said that they could have defeated even my army. I snorted under my breath. I doubted anyone could defeat my army. I'd worked years to train them to be the best. Our skill improved with every new Kingdom we captured. No one could defeat us!

When we reached a clearing near the border I silently ordered the men to stop. Then I signalled them to different directions. After all we had come for information on this legendary clan not a fight. All of us were cloaked and invisible in the eyes of the common public. Thankfully, no one would think anything suspicious because this was a trade country. People like us came here everyday.

I quietly went across the forest which was filled with all kinds of noises. It was rich in fauna and flora. It was afternoon and the sun was right above us. I could hear the birds calling, the light footsteps of deer and the grunts of a wild boar. As the sweat slipped down my face I wiped it on my sleeve. Just then I heard a shuffling sound in a nearby tree and looked up startled. Automatically, my hand went towards my hidden sword under my cloak. I waited with baited breath. Maybe the Khashas kept vigilance from the trees like the famed guerilla warriors of Madiha.

I heard a few more noises and my spine stiffened with tension. Someone was on that tree. I contemplated taking out my sword but that might reveal my identity and spoil my plan. Just as I decided on a course of action a small black coloured monkey suddenly jumped down and screeched at me. I got scared and.....no not scared. Never scared. I got surprised and went for my sword but before I could, a trap fell from the sides and bound my legs together. I pathetically fell down on the forest floor with a loud thud that reverbrated through the whole forest and send the birds flying with panic. When I looked up I saw someone looming over me.

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The warrior went at the Prince relentlessly with her sword but was constantly either side stepped or her blow defended against. She could see that the Prince was making no effort at all to attack her. It made her even more furious and almost made her lose her stepping in battle. She told herself to focus but the pain from the blow at the back of her head was still very much present and was throbbing incessantly. It was hard to focus when she was so damaged. Briefly she entertained the idea of whether seeking out the Prince was a mistake when she was in this condition. She was stubborn though. She knew she could make it.

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Past

The figure when I could see clearly turned out to be a young lad of fourteen or fifteen with a small roundish face, almost girl-like. Clear brown eyes which looked at me like I was some animal to study. I could see some raven black hair from under his black cap. He was wearing a warrior's grab however, suited to his size, and carried what looked like a wooden sword. It was only when I saw the slight swell on the boy's chest that I got confused.

"And who might you be?" She said in a clear angelic voice. All doubt fled from my mind. Devil! This was a girl.... a young warrior girl, how ridiculous. I thought I'd seen almost everything after such extensive travel. I was wrong.

"I'm a traveller." I said cautiously. This almost lad like girl might be harmless but she could easily alert her elders. I had to be careful or I'd get discovered.