Yeonwang

서른다섯

"You are as he says. It will not be easy to kill you. But I shall take my time and enjoy it." In that moment, the strangest thing happened. Something he never before experienced. Time seemed to slow. It was as if his comrades and his enemies were fighting in slow motion, blood an unfortunate and welcome sacrifice unto the earth it spilled upon. Oft in the distance, he saw his friends engaged in battle, bloodied...tired...yet still pressing on. He felt pride swell in his heart as he caught a glimpse of his Kushite brothers repel the forces that advanced on them. Like majestic lions they moved swift and uniform, graceful like a cheetah of the wild but brutal and merciless all the same. Arrows, halberds and spears cut through the dark flesh of some and some fell claimed into Isis's embrace. A cry of grief fell upon his woman as she too watched her countrymen fall; crowned warrior, ruler of his heart and of the very land she defended. She bared her teeth like the great cat goddess B'sst, roared like the mighty lioness and charged, retribution and vengeance singing through the arrows she fired.

"Come with me." The man demanded, drawing his gaze away from the many scenes of battle before him. Throat tight and leaking his own sacrifice, his eyes hardened.

"If you wish to kill me then do it. Stop stalling like a fucking coward." He hissed in return, taking a step towards the blade.

"He will wear your skin as a cloak pretty faced basta-" Turning, he lifted his foot and crushed his windpipe, silencing the annoying buzzing from the injured fly. The man he presumed was the commander lifted his eyes from the now slain soldier and grinned once more, the action twisted and even more demented than before.

"Perhaps you two have more similarities than thought. Perhaps I shall not slay you. Perhaps I will make you my slave and send you to kill for me."

"Pyeha!" Holding onto a halberd, Yoo-shik charged toward them on horse back and swung the weapon, cutting into the back of the man's thigh. Hissing, he turned towards the attacker which gave him the time he needed. Balling up his fist, he delivered a hard punch to the brute's jaw, freeing the weapon from his fingers. Grabbing the handle of the blade, he slashed his cheek, a thin merciful line marring rough dirty skin.

"Menre!" To his surprise, Tiye advanced towards him on Dong-Il, having pushed him into a hard run. Holding on to the reins, she extended her hand outward. Grabbing hold of it, she pulled him up, breathing a sigh of relief as he roughly flopped into the saddle. Reaching under her arms, he took hold of the reins as she lifted out of the saddle, thighs tightly hugging Dong-Il's sides as she drew back two arrows. Up ahead he eyed Yoo-shik who now fought bare handed with the commander he'd freed him from.

"Tiye!" She turned her head only slightly, focused on ahead.

"Strike to your left." At once she obliged, releasing the weapons of death. Hitting their target hard and sure, the man hovering above Yoo-shik fell.

"Wangja-nim!" The scream of a woman followed and yet who seemed to rise out of the pile of men was Hae, fierce and hardened by grief, pain and disgust. Lifting a halberd, she tossed it towards him. Catching it, he thanked her with a brief nod. Relieving the strain on her thighs, Tiye resumed sitting.

"This day will not claim you will it?" He spoke against her ear roughly as they galloped and he could feel Dong-Il's fatigue, the muscles underneath them growing tight.

"Should you desire to surrender then so will I. If not then no. It will not happen in this lifetime." She replied, breathy and strong. He kissed her right underneath her ear in reply. Ahead, a line of solders drew arrows back seeming to await them. Her sharp inhale of breath gave him chills and he swallowed thickly.