The rescue mission was a success, returning for those two fallen knights without gaining the attention of anymore Western knights in the process. Lionel hadn't bought up his almost conversation again either.
By the time we returned the second time the sky had slowly grown lighter, the sun not far from rising. I couldn't get my mind to rest when we finally laid down to rest, instead I sat outside and watched the sunrise. The pastel blue sky looked glassy, fake almost. The wintery air became colder in the early morning of the new day.
Our second day at the front lines and an army thrice the size of ours was headed our way. A massacre was coming. How did one even mentally prepare for that?
"You'll be alright you know. I believe you will." Lionel mumbled down beside me after walking up to my side. My eyes remained on the rising sun, my back to the war.
"Athena." Arthur's voice called out in the distance. We both glanced back seeing Arthur stop a fair ways from us. Lionel glanced back down at me before wondering off..
"You haven't slept yet have you?" Arthur asked moving to sit beside me.
"I couldn't, knowing we are about to walk straight into war." I breathed out, "I'll be fine."
Arthur sent me a soft look, "You don't have to go."
I met his eyes, "Yes, I do."
"I'm sorry." Arthur sighed out, his hands reaching for my own. I stood up from the log, my back to Arthur. "I don't know what I will do with myself if you get hurt out there, or worse." He said standing up beside me, ignoring my subtle attempt to escape his touch.
"Then don't think about it. Think about fighting our enemies, on ending this war. I will be okay, I've trained my entire life for this." I said to him. I took half a step to move, wanting to prepare my mind alone for what was coming.
"I- before we go. I want to apologise, for not keeping you with me that night in my chambers. I should have, I should have given you a night you would never forget, not a bad memory of what could have been." Arthur said, grabbing my hands this time, keeping them tightly secured in his. Guilt flooded over me, crushing my body to the ground. I didn't deserve his apology after what I had done with Lionel.
"No. It's alright, it's still a memory I will treasure, being with you." I forced myself to say- to smile up at him. My chest ripped into a thousand pieces.
My eyes snapped past Arthur's shoulder as I saw a knight running across the camp towards Commander Gorenge's round tent, Arthur's head turned following my eyes. We both shared a knowing look that nothing from that looked like good news. We ran over ourselves to the tent, Lance and Lionel rushing in shortly after, not being far behind us.
"We spotted them- five Western knights approaching. They are running towards us." The young knight said between breaths after running over. Commander Gorenge and Commander Mavis stood by the table, three diamonds perched on their shoulders and a glass of spirits each sitting before the map.
"Five?" Commander Mavis frowned. "Inform everyone to prepare for battle Captain." She said to Lance who nodded and stepped out of the tent.
"Show me." Commander Gorenge said moving around the table, her drink forgotten. We all stepped out of the tent and followed the knight to the edge of the camp that faced the West.
The forest turned into a flat sandstone plain, some rocks towering up, others sunken into the ground creating trenches. Rolling sandy hills laid beyond that making it hard to see further towards the horizon. The terrain was not to our advantage, but neither was it for the Western Knights.
In the fresh morning light five black figures ran towards us in the distance. How many people had died on that battle field already and how many more would it take for this war to finally end? The section we met with on the edge of the desert all held bows and arrows- the knights being too far out to hit them yet.
"It's got to be a trap, a lure to get us out there." Arthur breathed out saying what had all crossed our minds.
"Shoot them down." Commander Gorenge ordered the section, they all readied their arrows even know they knew the Western knights were still too far.
"Why only five?" I asked glancing over at the Commanders, still knowing they didn't have the answers.
"Suicide runners, but for what purpose?" Lance frowned crossing his arms over his chest.
We watched as the section's arrows sprung into the air, flying out towards the knights in the distance. Behind us I could hear the commotion of the five hundred knights we had left preparing for battle. The arrows pierced the ground before the Western knights- the section re-loaded their bows, shooting again only to miss a second time. The five knights stopped seeing the arrows fall to the ground in front of them they stood there for a moment watching us as we watched them.
"Any movement on the flanking sides?" Commander Gorenge asked the knight who had run to her in the tent to give the news.
He shook his head, "Nothing."
"Our army is ready to leave Commander." Lance called out as he hastily walked back over shortly after. The knights had slowly begun walking back towards the horizon out of sight.
I watched both Commanders glance over at Arthur, he let out a breath.
"It is your call Hadriana, Mavis. We go out there now and risk the possibility those knights had done something or we go out anyway later on risking the same thing." Arthur said.
"Then we will go now and fight this battle, let's get this over with sooner rather than later." Commander Gorenge nodded, her eyes looking back out on the hazy horizon. I noticed the wind had picked up slightly, blowing the sand up from the ground.
Horses were bought to us by a section of knights, the army stood behind us as we moved out of the forest clearing. Commander Mavis sent two platoons to flank from either side of our frontal attack, already knowing our enemy's army was coming right for us. Five hundred knights, North and South alike would be going up against thousands. I couldn't decide if I felt ready or not, too many qualms worried my mind, things I shouldn't even be thinking of in a time like this. I had to concentrate, we had to win this battle for our kingdom.
"Remain by my side." Arthur nodded beside me from his horse. I didn't miss the rest of the Ashmore brothers already surrounding me along with Lionel on my right.
"I will." I said. I wasn't sure if I meant it, or knew I could even stay near him once all the chaos begun.
I glanced over at Lionel, the knight met my gaze and gave me a short knowing nod. I knew he would remain by my side no matter the cost. I wanted to say so many things to him in that moment when our eyes met- apologies, confessions, a good luck, but nothing came out. Our eyes had done the talking for us instead. I could see it on his face, I was trying to push him away before, making myself angry so it would be easier to let go. But I couldn't bring myself to do it anymore, not when death sat over the horizon.
Riding out across the desert my heart only ached for the lives that would soon be lost to this day, I found it ironic- to gain peace and live, we had to fight to the death. A cause raised by the Kingdoms after the West begun attacking the inland towns, raiding their homes and slaughtering everyone in their sights.
Before I took my next breath I saw it, a long lingering black line of knights stretched right across the sandy horizon. More than thrice the size of us by far. I had never felt so intimidated in my entire life seeing them all standing and waiting for us to approach like they knew we would. The five suicide runners were to bring us out to them, a lure to our pending deaths.
"I cant." Our heads shot to Nate as his horse's head pulled on the reins and begun turning around to face me.
"Brother, you've got this." Lance said from his side, holding out his arm to stop him from retreating.
"I will go dark again." Nate mumbled back, his eyes struck wide with fear- remembering his past.
"There is no turning back now. We will all be right beside you." Lance said. I noticed Commander Mavis glancing our way from her position, Commander Gorenge past her keeping her sights on the enemy in front.
"We are all in this one together Nate." Arthur called over to his brother as he sat stoic looking back at the ranks of knights behind us. The veteran knight gave a shaky nod, turning his horse back around to the front.
"Think they'd rather talk it all out than fight?" Edmund asked from behind me. I let out a huff of disbelief- jesting at a time like this, trying to make light of the situation. It did help a little honestly.
"Why don't you go find out?" Lionel glanced back at the young prince.
"Archers at the ready!" Commander Gorenge called out past Commander Mavis, behind us the first three rows off the middle four platoons readied their bows and arrows for an attack. It was almost time.
The Westers knights stood on top of a slope, gaining the advantage of the terrain. The rest of us were lured out to the flat open sandstone land, rolling sand hills sat in the distance to the North and South. The sun behind us still casting our shadows along the moving dusty ground.
I turned to Arthur feeling his eyes on me, his lips parted to open but closed them deciding to say nothing. I gave him a knowing look with my eyes, knowing that exact feeling.
I had been many things in my life already, good and awful, in this moment I had to be a knight. I couldn't let any emotions get in my way of my duty.
The long rank of Western knights begun their decent down the slope towards us letting out a mighty war cry as they charged. My heart thudded hard.
"Fire!" The Commander boomed, her voice echoing across the open land. Hundreds of arrows flew overhead, landing on the first few ranks of the knights from the Western army. From the amount of knights they had only a small portion dropped to the ground dead, stabbed by the arrows. The rest behind continued their charge. If felt my horse shift on her feet.
"Archers!" Commander Gorenge yelled again, "Fire!"
Another round of arrows shot into the air and took down more Western knights. Bodies started lining the sandstone ground, blood seeping into the ground like soot.
I gripped my sword harder by my side, the momentum in my shoulder slowly building to swing when we finally charge. Being on horses had its advantages and disadvantages, just like being on foot did for everyone else. I swallowed, the dryness burning my throat. I hardly felt tired as the adrenaline begun spreading throughout my entire body, making my fingers tingle with anticipation.
"Prepare yourselves!" Commander Mavis yelled out from the top of her voice. I pushed my heals down in my stirrups ready to trot.
"Charge!" Commander Gorenge gave the word. My heart leaped out of my throat. We would reach the enemies first on horseback, clearing a path for the knights behind us. I heard everyone behind let out their war cries, building up their strengths for battle.
I rode behind Nate, his sword hanging down the side of his horse like the rest of ours. The Western knights looked like a flood of black running down the slope. There was so many. Too many for a fair fight. This battle was doomed, the winners already clear to see by the number of them running down the slope towards us.
We had crossed into the Postradore Empire and only our own strength could save us now.
"Don't lose focus!" I shot my head quickly over to Lionel as he yelled out beside me.
I blinked as I watched Nate's arm rise up, his sword swinging down to the leathered armour knight by the horses legs. They flooded us. My arm was already swinging. Blood splattered everywhere, drenching our blades as bodies hit the floor.
I had to protect my kingdom, my family. I'd die before anyone could take that away from me, from the innocent lives that lived in the North and South too. I cried out as I swung again riding past another knight, my sharp blade instantly slicing his head from his shoulders, the next- I sliced through his armour cutting into his shoulder. The man let out a cry of pain dropping to his knees. Another, more lives ended from the blade in my hand.
I felt my horse stumble as the flood of knights became too much to keep pushing through, I could only see glimpses of everyone else fighting around us. Flashes of silver, black and red spurting into the air. I growled down to a knight as he charged at my horse, swinging his blade to the animals neck. I swept my sword forwards blocking his hit and saving my horses throat from being slit. I turned, swinging over and over, life after life. I could feel their blood splattered across my face.
I let out a short cry as my horse buckled upwards on her hind legs, kicking out at the knights in front of her. Knights swarmed me, one of their blades cutting into my horses neck, blood drenching her short fur. I jumped up to the top of my saddle feeling her body dropping to the ground, I didn't want another mistake like Nox.
I saw a mix of silver and black around me, I aimed for the closest Western knight and jumped swinging my sword down onto him. I would fight on my feet from here. Her sword clashed with mine, spinning I quickly blocked another hit from a second knight. I barely had time to recognise their faces as I moved blocking hits and landing my own.
My lungs burned as I forced my breathing, my body moving on its own- remembering everything it had been taught since I was a child. My eyes caught a glimpse of Lionel near me, his sword clashed with multiple knights, slicing their bodies and killing anyone who came into contact with him. He moved with such ease and power, this was the knight who had been training me my entire life. The man who had been by my side from the beginning. I pushed away another sword that clashed down towards me, slicing again to end the knights life. I used different brutal attacks and dodged more knights than I could count. The sound of war rang all around us, blood smearing over everyone's different coloured skin.
I spotted Commander Mavis swinging her Northern sword slicing into the chest of one knight then another two immediately after. Arthur stabbed a knight who went to attack Edmund from behind. Lance keeping near Nate as they delt with the knights that attacked them.
I let out another grunt as my sword collided with two knights, quickly pulling my dagger from its holster I used both weapons to fight. With my sword I lunged it into the knights shoulder, retracting it I blocked another hit from another knight. I pushed him back to swing my dagger at his throat, blood spitting out across my face. I could taste it seeping into my mouth. My eyes snapped to a silver knight as they dropped to the ground near me, his Northern Armour tainted with blood.
The fight had only just begun, I couldn't let myself feel drained. The fear of losing weighed on me, along with my exhaustion from not sleeping from last night. I couldn't stop. Not until every single Western knight was dead, or I was.
As I moved around fighting off every knight that came for me I realised I had moved too far away from Arthur and Lionel. Too many others fought between us. Pulling my blade from a knights shoulder my eyes landed on a familiar short black-haired knight.
"Jorja!" I called out running to her, stopping an attack from a knight that aimed for us. I saw her heavy breaths, blood smeared across her cheek and sticking to her hair. "You okay?" I asked her in a rush, seeing most of the knights around us held off the Western army.
"I'm not sure." She muttered out, her eyes snapping to a knight that ran towards us. I helped her fight the knight, ending his life together. She had been fighting all this time since leaving for the front lines months ago, she didn't seem like the same Tyro I knew before.
"Keep breathing." I grabbed her shoulder shaking it slightly. I could see her chest was rising and falling too fast. Her eyes roamed hardly meeting mine, seeing so much death around us.
"Elias." Jorja mumbled out running towards him right as another knight aimed for her. I swung chopping the knights arms from her body. The knight dropped to the ground screaming, my sword plunged into her neck ending her suffering.
Looking up I saw Lionel glaring at me, mad that we had gotten separated. I hardly recognised his face covered in blood and specks of sand, his green-blue eyes stood out against his sullied skin. We barley had a second before our swords were clashing against our enemies.
My head shot back toJorja as I heard a high pitch scream. Jorja's body seemed to fall back slowly,a sword pulling out from her throat. The knight pulled away, moving his arms toswing again. I saw nothing else as I charged for him, our swords collided as Iblocked the hit he wanted to land on Jorja. She was already on the groundbleeding out from her throat, gaping with wide eyes, trying to suck in her lastbreaths of life.