~Even the finest sword plunged into salt water will eventually rust.~

Sun Tzu-The Art of War

Andronika stood in a protective stance before Ikkan, back facing him, bloodied sword in hand as she swung it at anyone daring enough to come close, taking their lives with a single strike.

The Azure Elite had stopped attacking the moment her presence was noticed, they could not bring themselves to raise their swords against Andronika, previous high general of the Azure Elite, however the king's army and Andronikas' father's army were a different case entirely.

  The King's men wanted Andronika's head for her betrayal and her father's men were driven by a vengeful anger to slay the man behind her, her lover, whom Andronika had given up everything for, they believed he bewitched her in some way, perhaps it was because it would hurt their pride too much to accept Andronika had willingly taken his side.

  Andronika did not regret it though, it did not have to come to this but the moment they began the attempts on Ikkan's life they had become Andronika's enemies, for the simple reason that Andronika had turned down the arranged marriage with their King 2 years ago and left with prince Ikkan of Kahlo, they had never stopped attacking him.

  Over the past two years, the King's assassins had been a constant presence in their lives, always trying to hurt Ikkan, of course they never succeeded, the king's assassin guild, the Black Aegis who also served as his personal guards were excellent warriors, but Ikkan was a war trained prince, a hardened warrior from a great bloodline, and then there was Andronika at his side, the famed Ice-wrath.

Andronika's unmatched looks had won her the title of the most beautiful woman in the seven kingdoms when she was but 10 summers old, however from the tender age of seven summers, Andronika had already been labelled one of the most deadly warriors in all seven kingdoms, the black guards were skilled, both at fighting and all had power markings above normal, they were a force to be reckoned with, but against Andronika...that just wasn't enough.

  "Nika!" Andronika heard a voice call out, she hastily cut down the warrior attacking her before snapping her head up to catch the eyes of the general standing besides the King of Dalagh, the King to whom she was meant to swear loyalty, the King to whom she had been betrothed to from birth, the King she had betrayed.

  "Daerev." Andronika whispered out softly, her eyes locked on the general at the King's side, the general who was her own brother.

  General Daerev's eyes widened as he noticed the advance of the King's army concentrated on Andronika, their killing intent could practically be felt, Andronika adjusted her stance, tightening her grip on her sword as she prepared herself for the real battle which was only just about to begin, the atmosphere around changed as everyone not yet engaged in battle stared at Andronika apprehensively, fully aware that the cold winds starting up sourced from her ice core, which was the rarest cultivation method in existence.

  The ice core was the most powerful energy method in existence, but was rarely practiced due to it's extremely high risks, including complete destruction of your power source or death if even a slight mistake occurred, the success rates of the ice core were extremely slim, Andronika being the only recorded survivor of this method, although attributed to her strange power markings, it was still an incomparable achievement.

Andronika could see a frantic Daerev speaking with the King, probably trying to convince him to call off the attack on her and just focus on the heated battle against Kan's army instead, Andronika knew Jalan enough to know he would never give in....ever, 

Despite the friendship between both their fathers and King Jalan's own friendship with her brother, Andronika had always known her life and death had never mattered to the King of Dalagh, her supposed bethroted, and Andronika knew this reality would not change now.

  Andronika was drawn out of her thoughts by the battle cries of the King's warriors as they reached attacking distance, all other thoughts left her mind as she focused only on the battle at hand, with a deadly smirk, Andronika leaped into the air, sword at the ready, clashing head on into the attacking warriors.

_______

  Andronika was drawn out of her blood lust by a shout of her name and then a pain filled groan, recognizing the voice, Andronika spun around immediately, forgetting the raging battle around her as she stared in shock and horror at the sight her eyes met.

  Daerev stared back at her, eyes clouded in pain, mouth agape as blood trickled slowly out his lips, Andronika's eyes trailed down his body to see the sharp point of a sword sticking out the right side of his chest, right where his heart was located, only a few people knew of the fact that Daerev's heart was located on the right side of his chest rather than his left...just like Andronika's.

  In her frozen state, Andronika could hear a horrified scream, the scream containing such power and command that the bloody battle halted, it took her a minute to realize the scream had come from her very self, snow had already began falling heavily, an odd phenomenon at this time of the year, Andronika knew she had lost control of her ice core, the weather change was a sign of this and it would only get worse.

  Andronika reached for Daerev just as he collapsed to the bloodied ground, desperate pleas for him not to leave tumbled hysterically out of her lips, however Andronika herself knew it was a lost cause, she could feel the warmth of Daerev's blood pouring out of him, and soaking her robes, dyeing the white ensemble to a deep red.

Daerev reached up a bloodied hand and Andronika grabbed it, her head shook frantically from side to side, a mantra of 'no no no no' was uttered in an equally frantic way.

"Dae, minu tugevus...please stay with me. Hold on for just a while longer...I shall get you a healer... you shall be fine, I swear it." Andronika whispered to the dying man in a trembling voice, equally trying to convince herself as much as him of what she knew was not true.

Daerev shook his head slowly, his eyes pleading with Andronika not to lie to herself, he tried speaking but choked on his own blood and panicked tears began streaming down Andronikas' face.

"Do...do not speak Dae, save your strength... I beg of you.." Andronika pleaded with him as she swallowed down the sob stuck in her throat.

"I... I won't make it." Daerev told the sobbing woman with certainty and Andronika shut her eyes in denial, refusing to accept the obvious, but she could not lie to herelf even if she tried, she could already feel his life force leaving him slowly...but surely.

"Why Dae... why give your life to save mine, I betrayed father, I betrayed you and I betrayed our people and our King, why would you sacrifice yourself for me?" Andronika choked out, tears now falling freely down her cheeks, everything seemed to be moving in slow motion around her, the falling snow, the stunned warriors, her tear drops, the way her words sounded... everything, it was all just so slow, so so slow.

Daerev's eyes met hers, and as Andronika stared into the pair of dazzling golden orbs that now struggled to remain open, the look she had always seen in them that she had never been able to figure out, Andronika finally understood it.

"Because you love me... not as a sister...but as a woman.." Andronika stated, her voice pained.

' How could she not have noticed his feelings for her?' Andronika wondered shamefully, Daerev had always been by her side, although they were not related by blood, their bond surpassed even that of blood related siblings.

Daerev was Andronika's tugevus, she was the one who knew him best and yet, she had failed to notice his true feelings for her, how could she have been so blind? Was she truly that ignorant or had she been too consumed by thoughts for her own self that she failed to see her own brother's heart? How lost he must have felt, how much pain had she put him through with her ignorance? 

A thousand thoughts ran through Andronika's mind, so many questions and yet there was none to provide her with an answer, not when the only one who could answer her questions was bleeding out to death right in her arms.

"But I thought... you... Jalan and his lovers... I thought you all..." Andronika trailed off, not knowing how to continue, she did not know anymore, did she ever even truly know anything? Andronika was not certain of anything anymore.

"They... they are in my heart... just as you are in my heart... I..." Daerev broke down into a coughing fit, unable to continue, and Andronika did not want him to, knowing the words he spoke now would be his last.

"I... I love you Andronika...my Nika..., it was wrong of me, I knew it and yet...forgive me... for loving you.." Daerev choked out, his eyes finding it hard to focus, they tiredly fluttered close and his grip on her hand eased as he went limp... General Daerev Travvin of the gold crest guards, Andronika's dearest kin and adopted brother was dead, killed in a war Andronika had started with her own hands.

A heart wrenching scream tore out of Andronika's throat, her voice filled with pain and deep sorrow, Andronika's body was wracked with the sobs that tore through her, as she lost the one man other than her father who had always been by her side, her best friend, her confidant, her tugevus as she fondly called him, 'minu tugevus' which translated to 'my strength' in the ancient tongue of Dalagh.

Andronika's sobs turned into a gasp of pain as in her moment of distraction, a sword had slashed across her back cutting her deeply,

  Andronika winced but stood up sharply, gritting her teeth against the pain radiating across her spine, even as she spun around, facing the person who had attacked her, however the moment Andronika set eyes on her attacker, a cold chill spread across Andronika's body as she looked right into the eyes of her lover... prince Ikkan.

"Kan.... you.... why?" Andronika asked, her trembling voice filled with confusion and disbelief,

Ikkan stared sadly at Andronika for awhile, before swinging his sword in a wide arc, Andronika jumped back, her fast reflexes enabling her dodge his attack, even as her back throbbed in protest of her movement.

Andronika regained her balance, her features hardening as her grip on her sword tightened, Andronika crouched slightly, her brows furrowed even as she felt herself go into battle mode, her heart shattered piece by piece, intense pain ripping through her whole being at Ikkan's betrayal.

Andronika's senses heightened as she forced her feelings away, swallowing down the pain threatening to suffocate her, Andronika forced herself to focus on the battle at hand, reasons or not, she would find out later, right now, Andronika knew she had to make sure Ikkan did not kill her first.

Andronika dodged Ikkan's next attack, meeting him head on with her enchanted blade, steel clashing against ice.

Andronika immediately took the offence, knowing that the more time she wasted on this fight, the less chances she had of winning, she was loosing blood at a fast rate and she could feel herself growing weaker by the second.

Ikkan was an excellent warrior, however where Andronika could not meet up to him in strength, she made up for with speed, agility, her unique attack sequence and her superior power markings.

Andronika leaped into the air, expertly avoiding Ikkan's downward swipe, he lifted his sword just in time to clash with hers, preventing her from slashing his left arm,

  Andronika pushed against his sword with hers, pouring her spiritual essence into her sword, her ice sword channelled the energy as Ikkan's sword began freezing from the point of connection with hers, up to his hand.

Ikkan tried moving away but it was too late as even when he pulled back, the ice which had already touched him kept spreading in the form of frost bites, 

Ikkan growled in anger, channeling his own spiritual essence to block the spread, he succeeded but in his moment of distraction Andronika rushed at him with lightning speed, running a full circle round him, by the time she came to a halt, Ikkan fell to his knees,bleeding out from the different severe injuries she had just inflicted on him, executing one of her top moves, the thousand slashes of ice, her ice sword had left ten deep slashes in various targeted places.

Ikkan tried getting up but his attempts proved futile, Andronika's intention to render him immobile proving to be a success, her back was still turned to him and Andronika made no effort to turn around.

"I ask you again Kan...why?" Andronika asked coldly and Ikkan let out a mirthless chuckle.

"Why?... because I love you Nika, I love you so much that I know that if I do not end you now, you will remain an obstacle in my path, my feelings for you weaken me... I cannot afford weakness!!" Ikkan growled out angrily and Andronika's already broken heart shattered some more, even as she realized that, to the man she had forsaken everything for, she was a weakness that he needed to be rid of.

"It was all a plan from the start you see, to seduce you and win your heart, it was never supposed to go this far! I never planned to fall for you...it was not part of the plan! Despite knowing this, knowing that I had to be rid of you and your influence on me to truly be able to conquer the world, when I flung that sword in your direction, aiming for your heart..."

" I hesitated, otherwise you would be dead already, I hesitated for just a second, because my heart would not let me... I cannot be the one who conquers the seven kingdoms if I hesitate to take down an obstacle just because of feelings...my father was right... love makes us week, kings do not need love,"

"Love made me hesitate, and that short moment of hesitation was all it took to change the outcome, as I ended up taking down General Daerev instead, in either cases, his death was an excellent consolation for my failed attempt, having already lost their precious General Nika, with the death of General Daerev, the kingdom of Dalagh has at least lost two of it's greatest warlords, or three taking account of General Majeir's dishonourable retirement due to his daughter's betrayal." Ikkan said, breaking out into a depraved hysterical laughter.

Every word Ikkan said felt like swords stabbing at Andronika's heart over and over again, this was the man she had betrayed her people for, the same man who had now killed her brother, the same man who wished to kill her,

  Andronika was overcome with shame, she had drawn her sword and cut down her own men for this man, she had shamed her honored father for this man, she had left her kingdom for two years to be at his side, she had given him advice on all wars for the past two years leading to his constant victories, she had loved him with every fiber of her being and yet, it was all for naught.

Intense rage bubbled up within Andronika, anger like an uncontrollable storm stirred from within, rising at an alarming rate.

"My people would have never accepted someone like you as queen anyways, someone who betrayed her own people for love, if I could reassure myself that you would be content enough to be the only woman who holds my love and accept to be my concubine then perhaps I would not have gone this far, but I know you too well to expect you to be so understanding, I have no more use of you now, however I looked at it... this was the only outcome we could have." Ikkan said again, Andronika's fists clenched, she felt the temperature dropping more than it's already alarmingly low state.

"You refuse to speak and you refuse to let me see your face but I can smell your tears...it was the one thing I had never seen and never wished to see, your tears, I had never wanted to see tears in those beautiful eyes, it was not my intention for things to turn out this way, but once again, your tears prove me right..."

"You, the great Andronika Majeir of Dalagh, born into the perfect family, loved and respected by all, blessed by even the creator...you who had everything and everyone beneath your feet, you who had never shed tears for anything or anyone before today, cries not just for your brother's loss but because my words and actions have hurt you."

"Do you see it now Andronika? Love makes us this vulnerable, love makes us weak, it is a force so powerful that even exceptional warriors like us fall victim to it, unable to get out of it's clutches, it is something people like us do not need because it is the one force that completely and utterly defeats us...my inability to kill you earlier is my defeat... your inability to kill me right now, this is your defeat Nika." Ikkan said, cackling evilly.

However as those words rolled off his tongue, the last tendril of control Andronika desperately held unto snapped, spinning around, she swung her sword, bringing it down with calculated force, slashing off his left arm,

Ikkan let out a pained scream that fuelled Andronika's blood lust as she repeated the motion with his right arm, eliciting another gratifying scream of pain.

"You are right about everything else but just one thing, my defeat was loving you...and I intend to remedy that this moment... I can and will kill you.... Love?... I will not be defeated by it!!" Andronika yelled with rage, swinging her sword one last time in a clean stroke, Ikkan's head rolled off his neck, hitting the snow with a quiet thud, his eyes still wide in shock.

Andronika shut her eyes, turning away as she collapsed to the ground sobbing, even as she felt herself succumbing to the weakness eager to over come her, the young warrior had lost too much blood.

Andronika rolled unto her back laying beside Dae's body, silent tears trailing down her cheeks.

The soldiers on both sides of the battle had not recovered from the effects of the oppressive aura of Andronika's ice core, still under the effects of her stun magic and Andronika was glad for it, the young warrior did not need anyone trying to save her, this was an end she rightly deserved.

As the young warrior lay on the bloodied field, surrounded by the bodies of fallen soldiers, most of which had died at her own hands, she thought back on the past 17 years of her life and her heart was consumed with grief and intense regret.

She thought of all the things she could have done differently, the better choices she could have made, the people she should have protected, the life she should have lived, and even as the young warrior succumbed to the darkness tugging at her conciousness, one last thought occupied her mind.

"I have been such a fool, if there was a second chance, I Andronika Majeir swear on my life and honor that I will right all my wrongs, I will live only for my duty as a Majeir, If there was a second chance, I will conquer love."

~Author's Note~

Meaning of words as will be used in the story, I will keep you updated on any new word.

Tugevus- strength

Minu tugevus- my strength.

Armuke- Mistress

Mu armuke- my mistress

Kaitsja- Protector.

Minu kaitsja- my protector.

Minu usaldus- my trusted.

Truu- loyal one

Üks armastav- loving one.

My engaged- minu kihlatu.