"I won't miss a second time," Evelynn swiped a leg from underneath him.
Marcus noticed the attempt and jumped before sliding to his back and wrapping an arm around Evelynn's neck. Evelynn threw her legs up over Marcus' head interlocking her boots over his head. Evelynn flinched in his grip, baring her teeth at him before her momentum released his grip. She flipped with legs landing crossed around his head and flung him backwards into the mat.
"You aren't mocking me are you." Marcus said placing his hands on her arms and throwing her off him.
Evelynn landed on the blue mat with a thud followed by a cough. I hope she's okay. Evelynn's downcast gaze caught Marcus' eyes. Evelynn blinked away raising her chin to the ceiling. At that moment she couldn't look him in the eye. She inhaled heavily pondering over her endless thoughts, crashing into her head like a king tide. With another darting glance at Marcus, she placed her elbows by her head and pressed herself onto her arms before bending her back and kicking up.
Landing on both feet she clicked her tongue, "That's right," Evelynn chuckled wiping her bloodied nose.
"I am sorry about that," He said laughing kicking his boots off, clenching his fists risen at his face.
"Sure you are" She commented sarcastically shifting her weight from leg to leg before taking a crouching position with a leg out. Is she alive?
"You are the one who wanted to spar," He said rolling his eyes.
Evelynn mimicked him and rolled them placing a hand out to her direct side. Lisandra, please be safe.
"Let's end this" Marcus' voice was calm. He rubbed the back of his head that Evelynn struck with her foot earlier.
Evelynn gazed from behind the glass panels of the training room. The sun beaming over the horizon. The clouds parted as if the principalities were watching her from above. The sound of Lisandra's laugh filled her head. She would have killed to be here.
"Evelynn?" Marcus questioned holding his pose. "Evelynn get your head back on this country please," He reprimanded. I wished I at least said goodbye.
Evelynn swallowed. "Sorry,"
Her hands twitched and she exhaled creeping back to the place she pleaded to remain alone. Thoughts clustered together and crumpled her words. Evelynn was reminded of the door creaking open late at night. Her heart jumped out of her chest in anticipation for her friend to return, only to be met with a closed door. Her eyes played tricks on her like a child. Evelynn rolled her tongue in her mouth and squeezed her eyes shut.
"Okay Marcus," Evelynn smirked, her eyes flickering open. Evelynn placed a wall between her and the endless wave of thoughts. Evelynn spat blood on the mat from her mouth and bit her bloody split lip. "Let's end this,"
"Bet," Marcus' eyes thinned and turned hungry.
~
"I win," Marcus raised his eyebrows at her.
"Revenge prevails" She grimaced sharpening her sword on the bench. Evelynn flicked the sparks of the blade off the table, falling gently onto the wooden floorboards.
"Come on, you're a sore loser" Marcus decreed smirking at his blade twisted between his hands. She turned to Evelynn and threw his blade next to hers.
"You didn't win it was a draw" Evelynn reiterated continuing to sharpen her blade.
Marcus sighed dramatically as he wiped the dried blood off his knuckles with a small square of green fabric. Evelynn rubbed her arm and snatched her sword from the table. The stone clattered onto the table. The blue stitching of the mat was fraying, and the imprint of their boots on the blue mat rose slowly.
A knock returned Evelynn's train of thought. The knock reprimanded itself. Marcus flipped his blade and walked to the door, his strides were large and weary as if he was walking on glass. Evelynn placed her blade in her hilt strapped to her hip and raised her hand to her face tucking the strands of her hair behind her ear to meet whoever was accompanying the knock.
"Hey," Marcus exclaimed, his smile brightened as he reached his arm out to place it on the guard's back. The green embodied chest plate and gold plated amour clattered as the guard raised his gloved hands to take his helmet off. A known smile was displayed to Evelynn.
The unkept ashen blonde hair and wicked smile greeted Evelynn. Riley bowed, reaching his hand over his chest and bowing deeply to her. A cackle escaped Evelynn's mouth, "Please don't do that. If you should be bowing it's to Marcus. He just handed my ass to me,"
"Well if I must insist," Riley peppered and shifted to Marcus, welcoming glare and bowed. Marcus huffed in return and slapped Riley across the back. "I mean I can take two for two,"
Riley calmly returned a nod and whispered something inaudible to Evelynn into Marcus' ear. Evelynn's ears pricked in hope for the whisper to reach her, however, the silence was quickly met.
Riley's eyes flickered to Evelynn as he pulled away from Marcus' ear, lowering his hand which he held to cover his mouth.
"I have received a letter which was addressed to you, Evelynn," Riley spoke analyzing Evelynn's face. He reached into a pocket within the armour and pulled out an envelope. Evelynn wiped her hands onto her shirt and swallowed.
Riley placed the envelope in her palm. In silence they all glared at the letter, their eyes flickering across it like there was a detail hidden from their eyes.
Rubbing the envelope between her fingers Evelynn unclipped her sword belt and placed it sword down on the mat. She placed her finger under the envelope's lip and glanced at Marcus. His eyes drifted from her back to the hilt of his sword. Evelynn reverted her eyes to the lifted lip of the envelope.
Dear Evelynn,
Your people are dreading the thought of their heir not returning, as the eldest daughter, you are to fill the duty and become Queen. It brings me great grief to write to you about the events yet to occur. Athrolila has claimed war, and your father will lead the army until you return. You will fill the duty you have been sent here to do. I hope this finds you, my dear child. Your Kingdoms await your return.
Yours,
Mother
"Thank you, Riley," Evelynn mumbled nodding towards the boy. Riley met her dark eyes, the sea of blue becoming more endlessly deep in her soul. With every breath, the worry grew and the callousness of her heart.
Evelynn crumbled the letter in her hands and dropped the envelope onto the mat. She walked back to Marcus with her sword belt gripped in her hands. She pulled the cover off her sword, exposing the encrusted blue and silver.
"They're claiming war." Evelynn exhaled. He nodded and placed himself in a stance.
Marcus exposed his sword to hers. "You sure?"
"Again,"
~
The dark was sympathetic. Its compassionate glare and reprimanding are soothing. In the silence, it honed a new monster. One that is apart from the deepest and the shallowest parts of us. A monster however immoral plays a part in the lust, guilt and greed that is aggravated within all of us in the dark, we cannot see but certainly feel the pain, and the pride we lack. Vulnerability is a mere connotation in the dark. We express the pain in the dark, wanting its pity. Our tear stricken faces are a portrait of those who conform to the pain.
Poison was the dark in a bottle. Wrapped and exhaled into the purest of dark with the ability to take away life it was scarce to come by, but with high concentrations could be more painful than a wound in which one sticks their bloody finger into.
Evelynn bit her tongue when it was announced that the Baron was dead. His weary and dried body sprawled between bloody sheets. The clumps of dried blood clinging to the sides of his mouth. When you're drowning in the darkness you must try to breathe eventually, the dirty soul attempted to until the clots in his lungs let him drown.
No mortal was invincible to the dark, some get used to it and practice escaping his comforting grasps. Evelynn practices to become immune to its drowning methods. All royals had to. It is an easy death of poising in food, some as quick as blowing out a candle, others as slow as the entire wick of the candle burning.
If War is what they desperately want to fill their hearts with the temporary contentment of pride, then they must first face death and introduce themselves. Evelynn was an old friend's death so are many others who faced him on the battlefields.
~
The shards of the smashed bottle sprawled on Evelynn's desk grew lonely as she ventured on horseback in the dark. The lower limb of her bow resting on her shoulder, the point of the single arrow placed in her quiver sharping at every gallop deemed not to miss its mark.
Lord Vander-worth sat with his window open that night. A stupid and reckless thing to do considering what was lurking in the dark. The single oil lantern illuminated the room, exposing the man's face.
Evelynn pulled the reins of the horse and pulled the bow across her shoulder. She pulled the single arrow out of her quiver. The silence of the outskirts of the forest placed its hands on her bow.
The fletching flickered across her cheek as she released the arrow. The forests' hands released as the quick snap of the bow lingered in the forest, echoing softly. The oil lantern flickered as fingered clutched a neck, pressing on the spilling of red blood. Iron met the tang of blood, the heart pulsating the red liquid further out his neck. The lantern spilt over the desk illuminating the room. The fire burst over the window. The oil spilled down the brick, oranges and reds licking the brown brick of the tower.
Evelynn swore, placing her bow back over her shoulder and kicking the horse with the heels of her feet. The rumble of thunder echoed over the trees, lifting her head to the sky Evelynn exhaled as the rain poured. The heavy drops dampened her face.
Evelynn glanced back to the tower. The colours of orange disappeared as the rain dripped down the brick. The trail of fire that dripped down the tower was replaced with a long trail of blood and at the delta of the river of red was a body that hung over the window still. The arrow lodged in his neck.
~
Evelynn dropped the book onto her lap. "Lisandra would love this book,"
"I'm sure she would Evelynn, but the aim of reading is reading," Audria exclaimed placing her book on her lap, twisting her braids around her finger.
A small laugh came from Rylen who sat in Vallie's lap.
Chuckling Evelynn glanced to Soey, who grimaced. Evelynn pulled a face back and picked up the book again, reminding herself of the blood spilt tonight.
"Azrael would love this book!" Soey gushed.
"Azrael is not one to read," Audria reprimanded.
Evelynn scoffed as she continued to read. "He does like reading."
"Well there's a flaw his head is filled with fantasy," Vallie laughed.
Rylen looked to Vallie and smiled, "adding to a list of others," Vallie rolled her eyes playfully in return.
"Leave him alone he's a good person," Evelynn sneered flicking through the pages of the book, the spine bending in half. "He may not look like it at the surface but he his,"
Audria raised her eyebrows at her, creating a humorous tone in the air of the common room. "But do you know what he looks like without a shirt on?" Audria jestered, creating commotion in the room.
Evelynn leaned back into the couch and crossed her arms. "Enlighten me,"
The room burst out in laughs as Audria explained in great fictional form what he looked like without a shirt on. She forgot one minor detail, however, his scars and tattoo. Which Evelynn felt underneath her fingertips that time on the beach. The wanted sensation burned her fingertips as she clutched them in her dress.
"Deep down I know he's a good person, however I am not,"