"Eboni."
"Eboni, it's time to wake up."
"I brought you up some food."
Her eyes fluttered open. Sun light spilling into her room casting looming shadows around her room. Kas was leaning over her, his hand brushing the hair from her face.
She watched as his gaze wandered from her hair, to her lips, to her eyes.
"Good morning." He said quietly.
"Morning."
They sat in silence. Eboni took the moment to commit every detail of the man in front of her to memory.
His brown eyes looked down on her with so much love and passion, she would be lying if she said it didn't scare her.
He had shaved his hair back to how it was before they started their journey. She could see fair puckered scars on his scalp, from what she didn't know.
Tracing the tattoos on his olive skin she felt him tense and then relax under her touch.
Today was the day when she would fight by his side.
They had all stayed up late into the night plotting and talking about the attack and their defences.
Kimi had been reunited with her father, who after learning of their journey and fight to get out of Admari had been very proud of his daughter.
With the addition of the Admari soldiers they now stood an actual fighting chance of defeating The Darkness. But no matter how hard she tried Eboni couldn't shake the final line of the prophecy from her mind.
"Don't frown. The prophecy has been written Eboni, no matter how hard you think about it, it will not change." Kas said, as though he had read her mind. His thumb smoothed out the frown lines from her forehead.
"I can't stop. I know it has been written and so it will happen, but we do not know who. If you- Bren..." She shut her eyes tightly trying to banish the thoughts that pulled painfully at her heart.
"We are all family now Eboni. The prophecy does not say that one of us will die. We are all going to fight, not only to win but also for each other."
"You are right. I know this." Eboni replied, smiling through her sadness.
"Once this is all over, I know you are confused over what is next for you. I just wanted you to know that there is a place- a home- for you in Sher Wood with-"
His offer was cut off when Iasa and Kimi bounded into the room.
"Goodness! We sent you up an age ago to get her out of bed, not keep her in it!" Iasa said laughing.
"Your timing is impeccable as always Princess." Kas replied sourly, pushing himself away from Eboni.
"Oh come now, we will be at war after lunch! Time my friend, is precious and simply cannot be wasted." Iasa replied sweetly.
"Thank you Kas, I will consider your offer." Eboni said, reaching for his arm and squeezing it affectionately.
Kas stood from the bed and handed her the bowl of chopped fruit and sweetened bread he had brought up for her.
"You haven't even eaten yet?" Kimi said, walking over to her window to look between Eboni and the horizon.
"I will leave you ladies now, to do whatever ladies do." Kas said, smiling at Eboni before he walked out.
"Do not think we have not noticed the dreamy looks you have been sharing between each other." Iasa said, hopping onto her bed giggling.
"I don't know what you are talking about." Eboni replies nonchalantly, popping a piece of fruit into her mouth while picking at the sweet bread.
"Sure you don't." Kimi said, smiling mischievously
"Oh hush. What is it you are here for anyway?" Eboni said her bowl of food nearly empty.
Iasa jumped from the bed and with Kimi's help, brought into the room a small wooden chest.
"What is that?" Eboni asked nervously as she noted the Princess's seal on the lock.
"You have every reason to be afraid, I got one too." Kimi joked, faking a shudder as Iasa scowled at her.
"What is inside Iasa?" Eboni asked again.
"Well." The Princess began, producing a key from a chain from around her neck. "In a small amount of time we will be fighting for our lives- our people's lives. And I will be damned it I don't make sure that we don't all look fabulously fierce." She unlocked the chest, the lid popping open to reveal the most terrifying sight Eboni had seen.
Eboni discarded her empty bowl on her bed as she slipped out the other side, throwing her hands up in frustration.
"No. Dear Elementi no!" She said, shaking her head fervently.
"It is of no use Eboni. You have to get changed from your night gown anyway. It's only a dress!" Iasa smiled innocently, picking up the garment to show her.
"What did you get, Kimi?" Eboni asked, hoping she wouldn't be the only one to look like an overdressed fool.
"Tight black trousers, a fitted white cotton shirt and the most ridiculously over the top corset I have ever seen in my life." She replied.
"I want that." Eboni said, her eyes wide and pleading.
"You look way better in a dress. Trust me!"
With those haunting words ringing through her ear and Kimi sent to her own room to change, Eboni bathed, scrubbed had her hair styled and slipped on the dress.
"No makeup?" She said, sighing in relief
"The Sher Wood warriors have asked if we would like to join them in their pre-fight ritual of war painting. It will look far fiercer than what I could ever do." Iasa replied, looking her up and down, nodding in approval.
"Look."
Eboni to face a mirror that had been stored in her room from the Rolezal camp.
Her black hair was curled loosely, pinned back strategically to keep the hair from her face.
The dress Iasa had coerced her into was brilliant white. It hung tightly from her shoulders, intricate lace and beading stopping at her waist, which had been cinched in by a thick gold corset.
Eboni had thought she would be restricted by the long floating skirt when Iasa had first pulled it out of the chest. But now she had it on she had found two strategically placed slits had been created to allow her free movement. Though she had slipped on some trousers underneath while the princess wasn't looking.
"I will leave you to prepare yourself. It is my turn to get ready. See you on the grass." Iasa said, smiling kindly as she took in Eboni's mix of expressions. Awe, excitement, nervousness- dread.
"Iasa." Eboni said, stopping her at the doorway. "Thank you."
"Always, sister." She replied, before returning to her own room.
Walking tentatively down the steps to the grassy area on the other side of the moat, Eboni was relieved to see that she wasn't the only one who was dressed up- whether it was Iasa's doing she wasn't sure. They truly did look like a formidable group.
Watching from inside the tower she saw the Sher Wood warriors painting symbols onto each other.
Iasa had beat her down stairs and could not be missed among the others. Her bright, fire red dress tight on the top with two long bunches of fabric going down both sides of her long-tanned legs. Kimi was in a bright purple corset that glittered every time it saw the sunlight.
Orlan was dressed in what looked to be the Rolezal army uniform. Shiny silver metal plated armour over the top of a yellow tunic. He was helping Raus into a set of armour, though not of metal but leather.
"Ready?" Bren said, walking from behind her to stand at her side, to join her looking out of the window.
"Yes. What about you? Are you going to be ok?" Eboni asked, taking in her brother as she thought about how hard the battle would be on him.
"I believe I am." He said, looking down at her, smiling confidently.
It had been decided the night before that as Bren was their only defence again the fog that turned them bind- it would be too dangerous for everyone to have him out on the battle field.
He was to be sealed in a stone room Kas would build on the second to last floor at the top of the tower. It would be silent and dark- the perfect environment for him to meditate continuously throughout the battle.
"Come on, they are about to finish the war painting. I want to- how did Iasa put it? Oh, 'look fierce'." Bren said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as they walked outside.
Looking around as they crossed the moat Eboni saw Darien stood by his King as they talked to a group of Rolezal soldiers.
Jolon was by the shore, organizing the Cerinian people, who were all putting on the leather armour like the set that Raus had put on.
Admari soldiers were walking to their designated stations after receiving orders from the Commander, who was stood in the distance talking to a remaining few.
The Brothers and Sisters of God's Land were in their designated positions already, and sat on the grass in contemplative meditation as the soldiers organized themselves around them.
Catching the nervous eye of Arianna, Eboni sent her what she hoped would be a warm and reassuring smile. Bren and Eboni joined the Sher Wood warriors- who had formed themselves into a circle. Raus, Kimi, Iasa and Orlan following suit.
Kas swapped places with another warrior to be at Eboni's side.
"It is part of our pre-fight ritual." He whispered in his ear. "The pots of paint are used to bring us confidence in the face of fear. It is said that hundreds of years ago my people used the war paint to look so strong and dangerous that any potential invaders fled at the sight of them." Kas pointed to the pots that were being passed around.
"There is black, blue, green, purple and white." He said. "You choose the colour you feel most connected with and paint whatever markings you choose on your face."
Eboni watched as Raus painted a blue stripe across his face, grinning as he passed it on.
Kimi chose the green, painting a stripe across her eyes. The black pot reached Kas, who painted a line down the centre of his face, with two lines diagonally on his forehead.
Eboni passed on the black paint to Bren, who took some on his fingers but did nothing with it- passing it on to Atu who painted a black stripe diagonally across his face.
The purple reached Iasa, who carefully drew a line underneath his eyes.
The white pot landed in Eboni's hand. Deciding to keep with the theme of her dress, she painted a dense white line across her eyes.
Passing the pot to Bren he took the black on his fingers and mixed it with a small amount of white. Following her suit, he painted a grey stripe across his eyes.
"You are a natural." Kas said to Eboni, taking her wrist his in hand to and drawing a small swirl in the black paint left on his finger.
"What is it?" She asked, looking down on the small mark.
"It means forever." He replied softly. "You look beautiful, by the way."
Eboni smiled, her cheeks flushing at the compliment and their close proximity.
"Let us hope they take one look at us and flee." She replied, her cheeks still red.
The blast of a horn rang through the air, silence rippling across the land.
This was it.
The Sher Wood warriors ran to their positions leaving the rest of them stood stoically in a circle.
"I will see you all at the end." She said, looking each of them in the eye.
"Go, now." Iasa said, pushing Bren towards the tower.
"I will be beside you soon." Kas said, running after Bren to build the room at the top of the tower.
"Let's go kick Dark Ones butt!" Raus said, hopping from one foot to the other as adrenaline began to rush through his body.
"Be smart. Be ruthless and be unpredictable." Orlan said, gripping Raus's shoulders to stop him from jumping up and down.
Raus mumbled 'strong, ruthless, and unpredictable.' Under his breath.
They stood in their small circle no one wanting to break away first.
Eboni looked to the horizon, a black line surrounding the land growing as they neared.
"They are attacking as predicted." Eboni said, relieved that they were at least prepared for what the Dark Ones had planned.
"Then it is time to set up our first line of defence." Kimi said, clutching the sword by her side.
"Let's go." Atu said, his voice strong with determination.
With a fleeting look to the top of the tower where Bren was being sealed in, she began her walk to the area of land she would be defending.
She passed a sea of red tunics and gold armour as she walked thought the two hundred Admari soldiers who would stand behind her.
The yellow tunics and silver armour came next as she passed through one hundred or so Rolezal soldiers.
Getting closer to the shore the nodded to the twenty Cerinian fighters who were clad in leather armour and the Sher Wood warriors wearing only cloth and painted symbols for protection.
The ships encircling the Barren Land were approaching at a terrifying rate.
Looking to her left she saw Kas run up the shore, his gaze locked determined on the ships.
Her heart fluttered, a mix of attraction and nerves. A longing to keep him safe.
She tore she gaze from him to look back to the people behind her.
They looked strong and ready.
A gust of wind rippled out churning the ocean and forcing the ships to slow down.
She watched the ocean, knowing Raus had unleashed his first wave of defence. The waves around the ships growing bigger and stronger. The ocean turning from a warm blue to black and uninviting.
A small Cerinian ship half way between Eboni and the oncoming ships served as a marker for her and Kas's second line of defence.
The fleet of ships neared the small finishing vessel, the closer they got the more trepidation Eboni felt growing inside of her.
The earth rustled beneath her feet.
Glancing down, all her fears melted away. A single lily- her lily- grew at her feet.
Looking up to Kas, she knew it was time, she was ready.
Bring it on.