* * *
The two of them moved with synchronicity. Like a well choreographed dance, they moved in perfect timing.
Except Camila and Lauren were not dancing.
They were slashing and striking back at the serpentina bandits that, pretty much like a massive pimple outbreak, suddenly came out of nowhere to attack them. It was outrageous. There were too many of them but just between Camila and Lauren, they were such a formidable duo that one by one these serpentinas fell dead on the ground like leaves simply falling at the peak of autumn.
Ally held her own side of fighting, brutal and precise with her daggers. And despite her age, Simona fought well too with the sword that was gifted to her decades ago. So far, none of them got wounded by their opponent's poisoned blades.
The flying flock of griffins above that cast a massive shadow over them has long been gone. The warning bells of Reiham Port has long ceased, but in the midst of that roadside forest, a gruesome fight still continues. While Ally and Simona poured all of their focus on not getting themselves any cuts from their attackers, Camila on the other hand feared for someone else's safety.
The last time she felt fear was when she was three years old and her father got mad at her for stomping on a boa constrictor's head during a fit of tantrum. She wasn't scared because of his yelling, that wasn't anything new to her at that point, or the fact that a large snake tried to squeeze her absolutely adorable three-year old self. Instead, she feared he'll send her to some convent in Weiss Tower where all the prissy girly girls go.
Since then, she felt pretty much nothing. In between anger and hate, scorn and disdain, Camila felt pretty much nothing for a very long time. Remorse and regret came along when her mother revealed herself, but when she was killed, apathy took over right next to her numbing hate towards her father.
But right now, she felt fear. Creeping in her bloodstream like the poison her father concocts. Slithering all over her skin like how a snake slithers its way to a prey. And she is not even fearing for her own life.
She is scared for Lauren's.
Camila knows that every serpentina weapon are always laced with poison. Even if she has burned down her father's cellar of poisons and pit of venomous snakes, she knows how sneaky Alejandro is. And even though Lauren has showed impressive fighting skills, she fears that one tiny little cut from a serpentina blade will pierce her delicate skin. That alone will surely bring her down to an eventual death.
She doesn't want to lose someone she cared so much for again.
Not Lauren.
The fight was brutal, and these bandits seem to just keep pouring out like rain. Not only that, these bandits also looked so young with boundless energy and have had an improved fighting skills.
None of them knows for sure what exactly are their intentions, they only have speculations. These serpentina minions have been on to them since the moment they left the island, it shouldn't be a surprise anymore that they can pop out of nowhere to challenge them. These group of bandits are like a widespread of disease; they are everywhere, pillaging and destroying whatever it is in their way.
Simona and Camila have similar suspicions but Ally's hunch was slightly different. She thinks they are after Alejandro's spawn, that someone must have finally figured out that the leader of the lionhearts who has pestered them and snatched their bounties is in fact the spawn of the lord of serpents.
Ally thinks that Camila has grown to be Alejandro's most dangerous rival and he would want to eliminate her.
But then, there's Lauren.
If the rumors are true, that Alejandro is now finally holding an Arcadian territory in the south, then it's more than likely that his next target is the princess. Camila knows very well how much her father hungers for power and dominance. What a better way to achieve that is to get a hold of the princess, force her to give up her empire. And the worse case scenario that has been playing on her mind for a while now is making her want to throw up all of her guts out.
On the other hand, based on everything Lauren has told her, Simona thinks that someone was able to follow the princess around. Someone who works for that Bunloaf boy, whom they both think was associated with the notorious serpentina bandits. Because without them, Brad could never overpower the imperial guards with only his men. Men who were raised in a farm whose combat trainings and experience were mostly inferior. The older woman thinks that the Bunloaf traitor isn't really the complete idiot he seems to be, because so far, he has been utilizing his resources very well to his advantage.
It is imperative that they get to Clifden County and come up with an action to defeat this traitor.
Now, the fighting still ensues. Camila remains close to where Lauren is, making sure to cover her weak spot. And the princess is doing exactly the same for her. Only, the girl also covers Ally and Simona's weak spots as well. The sounds of heavily clanging metals, the grunts and the huffs and the shouts and the thuds of falling bodies on the ground, echoed through the forest. Blood splatters on the ground and the large puddles are about to grow into a lake of red.
Until there were just a handful. But these handful of people attacking them are more difficult to get rid of. However, the four of them have the skills and endurance that surpasses any expectations. Soon, the handful dwindled down into four.
Now, it's an even fight, numerically speaking.
Four against four.
But what they didn't put into equation was the sudden appearance of a mother and child, dishevelled and seemingly lost as they ran. The ruckus at the main roads and town square of Reiham Port because of the speeding flock of griffins earlier must have confused them and led them into this side of the forest.
One serpentina turned to the mother and child right away, both were terrified and defenseless.
"No!!"
Was all Lauren can say a split second before the snake bandit slit the mother's throat and grasped the child's shirt, holding him captive. A poisoned blade was already against his young throat.
Everyone stopped.
Both opposing groups cautiously moved from one another to form some kind of defensive line on either side. The serpentinas were sneering at Camila's group because they feel like they have come across a lucky break, some sort of leverage that will get them what they want.
Lauren stood up front immediately, ready to negotiate terms just to save the child's life. Ally and Simona were slightly behind her to her left, both alert and ready to strike. Camila was standing parallel on Lauren's right side, very much ready to jump on anything or anyone who breathes the wrong way towards her princess.
And as she already recognizes the guy holding a child hostage, she knew right then and there that there's just no way the little boy will get to live. Especially if that blade nicks even just a little bit of his flesh.
"What do you want from us?" The princess starts.
"A few things," the serpentina replies.
"What things?"
"Karla's head for one,"
Ally immediately looked over at Camila. Knowing who exactly the serpentina is asking for.
"I don't know what a Karla's head is and I'm sure that boy you're holding doesn't know it too," the princess deadpans, remembering the name Klint referred to Camila back in Taurea but chooses to act as if she doesn't know it, "So it is pointless to hold on to him when we don't have what you want,"
Camila was about to step forward, ready to give herself up and face her father once and for all. Even if Ally was subtly compelling her with her eyes not to do something as stupid as that, while Simona only looked concerned about what Lauren is willing to do.
"You . . . We want you and Karla," the serpentina insists as he nods his head towards Camila.
"You can have me," the bandit cuts in, "You can take me to him, and he can do the honors of beheading me himself. But leave her and the child alone,"
"No!" The princess interjects, "Absolutely not! No one's head is gonna get chopped off by anyone, okay! To whom do you work for? Lord Brad of Bunloaf county or that serpentina master of thieves,"
"We don't work for some prissy ass lord of nothing!" Another serpentina answers, "We only serve the true legend that is Alejandro Cabello!"
"You all sound like some stupid cult following some stupid dirtbag worm! Just come at me and we'll see whose head falls off!!" Ally cuts in.
"I will kill the boy!!"
Ally rolled her eyes, "I don't care! It doesn't matter, his mother's dead anyway!"
"No! Can we all just calm down a little bit! Too many has been killed already and that is enough pointless killing! I will go with you if you set the boy free and my friends as well. Please, enough of this, I will go with you willingly," Lauren says as she exchanges a look with Camila.
"You can have us both!" Camila cuts in again, not liking Lauren's idea of giving herself up just like that, but with that one look, she figured right away that Lauren is up to something, "Both of us in exchange for the boy's life and those two grandmas over there as well,"
"Excuse me?! Who are you calling a grandma, grandma?" Ally takes offense.
Two valuable hostages in exchange for three irrelevant ones. It definitely sounded fair to the remaining four serpentina idiots. They looked at one another and nodded.
"Very well, Karla and the princess can drop their weapons now and move towards us!"
"How about we meet halfway?" Lauren bargains.
The serpentina huffs, reluctantly shoves the boy in the middle as Lauren puts down her bow and last remaining arrows. She moves forward as well, looking at the terrified child as they are about to meet halfway.
Camila thinks this is the dumbest thing that she has ever been through. But in her mind right now, everything else will be damned because she won't ever let anything bad happen to Lauren. So, she casually lowers both of her swords on her sides, but still holding onto it, and follows the princess.
"It's gonna be alright, okay," the princess tries to reassure the little boy once they're face to face.
"I don't think this is a very good idea," Simona finally speaks up but stays where she is.
Lauren doesn't look at her but still replies, "It's going to be okay, Simona . . . Just trust me,"
As the child reaches closer to their side, Simona pulls him towards her. Simultaneously, Ally moves in front of her and the boy. Then the serpentina grabs Lauren, with his blade right against her swan-like neck.
Despite all of her skills, Camila was unable to react quickly. Her thundering heartbeat, the sickening fear inside her, seemed to have dulled her best abilities. Before she can even poise her dual dao to strike, a poison infused blade was already an inch away pointing at her pulsing neck vein.
"Drop them swords Karla, and come with us,"
It seems like there was no way of winning. She doesn't want to risk Lauren's life by making any impulsive move. She drops her weapons despite Ally's disapproving groan behind her. Lauren tells them to leave and the two other ladies very reluctantly does so, taking the traumatized child with them and the griffins.
Another serpentina grabs Camila and shoves her around. Now, both the princess and the bandit are finally held captive by the serpentinas. Something Alejandro will surely be happy to know about . . .
* * *
Dinah kicked a piece of rubble in frustration.
She just unleashed her wrath out on a little too many Bunloaf and Astorian troopers, and some griffins also who decided she's good enough piece of something to land on. It's been about a couple of hours since a sudden attack fell from the sky down in the town square of Oakville, and sometime during all the chaos and confusion and her suppressed anger being let out, she lost sight of Normani.
Their griffins Buck and Eddy miraculously survived as she saw them galloping around and towards the lush forests. She hoped that both creatures will be okay there anyway, because right now, her focus is on her missing friend. After the things she heard from Hailee, the Queen of Oakridge, her emotional state is still unstable. But despite everything else, one thing she will always be sure of.
She won't ever let anything bad happen to Normani.
Dinah has lost more than enough people she cares about and she wouldn't want Normani to add into that list. Even if she is very much aware of how capable the girl is, her mind will never be at ease until she sees it for herself that her fellow bandit is indeed alive, breathing just fine and in one piece.
The fighting has settled down. Most of the attackers retreated when they realized that even if Oakridge was susceptible to an aerial attack and it's walls are not as formidable as it looks, the warriors of Oakridge are very proficient and effective in defending their lands and their people. Not to mention that with the full support of the centaurs of Clifden who were also very impressive in their fighting, the joint forces of Bunloaf and Astoria had to retreat and rethink their strategy. A few stragglers remained, thinking they can stand a chance when in fact they simply don't.
However, the aftermath of the attack was still devastating.
Houses and shops were ruined. A lot of people were injured, a lot more were killed. Civilians, attackers and armed defenders of the land alike lay on the ground either dead on their own puddle of blood or close to drowning in it. A huge fire broke from one of the blacksmith shops and was spreading on the nearby stores. It was being extinguished by a number of people helping one another, but the progress seems to take time. Weeping mothers and screaming fathers, a lot of these northerners looked so lost and perturbed.
The gruesome sight of all these smoking rubbles and broken pieces reminded her of another tragic loss not too long ago. Even if the looks of resolve and proud valor were etched on the faces of these northern people somehow made Dinah feel hopeful that things will get better, the whole scene before her reminded her the time when she lost Zara in that small faerie camp several miles outside the kingdom of Zaragoza.
She most definitely don't want a repeat of that and find Normani lifeless somewhere under these burning rubbles . . .
Not far from her, she could hear the queen addressing her people on top of a pile of rocks. She can hear her passionate reassurance that they will recover, rebuild whatever has been destroyed, mourn the fallen ones with high respects and swore that their deaths will not be in vain.
If that meant retaliation, Dinah doesn't give a shit at all.
Hailee catches her observing from afar. The queen then nods to her next-in-command to take over in making the necessary announcements and stepped down. She walked with purpose and grace towards the half faerie who happens to be her half sister as well.
"I wasn't expecting for you to linger around while all of this is happening but thank you," queen Hailee says as she reached her, "It is a relief to see that you're okay,"
Dinah was trying to feel some kind of animosity towards the young queen, but very surprisingly now, she can't. She remembered most of the things she went through as a child, and with that, she is now starting to understand that they are both victims of circumstance. Hailee didn't ask to be born from a coerced union of two people and Dinah never asked for the tragedies that happened to her either. It wasn't their choice to be in that situation but here they are now.
At least the queen is trying to be a decent person.
She sighs and replies quietly, "You're welcome . . . Your grace,"
"You know technically, you're supposed to be the heir to the throne of Zaragoza. But then your father gave up his birthright just to be with the family he chose to make,"
"And that didn't turn out so well either," but the bitterness of her loss will always be there and Dinah just can't help it, "But I can't change what's already in the past . . . Besides, I'm okay with the life I made now,"
Hailee the young queen studies her face. Some kind of nostalgia hits her as she sees the clear resemblance between Dinah and her mother, "That's good then. It's all I can hope for I guess, for you to turn out alright. Anyway, where is your friend?"
"I was actually looking for her . . . I'm actually getting worried now that I'm having trouble finding her,"
"Let me help you, I'll send out my people to look for —"
"Traitors! The traitors of the empire are here your grace!"
Several armed Oakridge warriors called out, dragging with them three ragged looking guys.
"We're not —"
"Shut up!" the warrior shoves the one who spoke out of turn on the ground.
Dinah watched the spectacle. In her unsolicited opinion, these guys looked more like a bunch of hobos rather than three scheming pieces of shit who betrayed their country. But then she couldn't care any less because her mind wanders off to Normani and where she might be or what state of being she's in.
She doesn't want to think of the morbid possibility that's playing in her mind, it's starting to wreck her inside out.
As the queen conferred with her people and dealt with the three peasants accused of treason, she wandered off and kept looking. It took her a little bit further and a few more minutes before she finally caught sight of Normani. Her heart beat went racing and her eyes stung. Her dear friend is unconscious against a tree at the edge of the forest, and a white griffin hovers around right next to her.
She wasted no time running towards Normani, cursing all the struggles she had been going through all of her life.
This is not happening again . . .
* * *
🙂