Sevanah and I crouch in the treeline, waiting like two hungry predators. Her wings flutter sporadically as they seem to try and match my own heartbeat. "This is your first major battle, yes?" She turns those deep blue eyes towards me. The friend that I made is nowhere to be seen in those bloodthirsty eyes. They don't sparkle like they did at dinner, even her usual shine is dimmed at the moment.
"Yes. This will be my first one. Am I safe to assume that this isn't your first battle, like me? Since you're a battle strategist and all?" I fight that shiver that the cold brings on. I can't tell if it's her new demeanor or the actual chill in the air that seems to have my blood frozen at the moment.
"Yes, that is a safe assumption. I guess I never really told you why I became a refugee here. Did I?" Her tone is flat, almost even as she looks back to the storm beyond the trees. The reason why we're huddled so closely together and covered in not only jackets and blankets, but pelts as well is because of that roaring storm just beyond the, mostly, safety of the trees. The wind isn't so bad here and the snow only makes its way in every once in a while.
"You don't have to. It took a while before I opened up about my stuff. I just thought you'd tell me whenever you were ready." I look back out to the darkness. Seeing only a few white flakes flutter by when the trees shake harshly from the wind.
"It's alright. You should know who you'll be fighting with after all. The kind of person I am." That has caught my attention. I'm not one to pry into people's personal lives. If, or when, they're ready to talk about their past, I just figured they'd open up about it on their own time. But to put it like that has me even more curious about the small woman sitting next to me in the snow. I keep quiet, letting her continue if she wished, pretending to be perplexed by something in the darkness. I wish I could see out there like most of them can, but I'm still just a human after all. It feels like forever, but she finally speaks up again.
"Tradesh, my older brother and now the king of the Fae, had always disliked me. From birth he believed he should be the only one in the family, the perfect child our parents had wanted. When I was born, that changed. He never wanted a sibling, never wanted the responsibility that our parents put on him to watch over me. If he had to deal with another child, he'd hoped it would be a brother. Yet I was born and while we are 20 summers apart nearly to the day, that didn't stop him from avoiding me at all costs. Once our parents had finally decided he was old enough for the crown they had thrown a huge celebration in his honor. What should have been a joyous moment for our family, only felt like another party for dignitaries to me. I didn't know much about him, he didn't even really feel like my brother. I had already been appointed a seat on the council to the crown by the time he had taken over, so he couldn't just wash me out to the sidelines like he was hoping. It forced us to spend time together. While I was excited to finally see him and get to know more about my estranged brother, he felt trapped and saw me as a nuisance."
She takes a deep breath and buries her hands in the snow for a moment. Like she needed the reminder of where she's at, like she needed to be grounded to this present moment. I remain silent, afraid if I say something it will throw off her thoughts. "He married quickly after that. It was a marriage of convenience and strategy to the daughter of the Dark Fae Queen. They didn't love each other, but shared the same goal to unite their people into becoming one again. She is a lovely woman. Strong, powerful and beautiful inside and out. We had become as close as sisters. I was ecstatic to have someone in my life to be friends with that my parents approved of. She had hoped to eventually win over my brother, and wished that they could fall in love with a little bit of time and care. He was never cruel to her, just a bit distant from what I understood and saw. I would later, by mistake, learn that he was in love with a water nymph. Through no fault of her own she was a commoner and someone our parents did not approve of, so in order to settle the debate with them he married Charlotte instead. Secretly seeing the other woman when he could, and I had accidentally stumbled upon one of their meetings. As punishment for seeing something I shouldn't have, he reappointed me from the more diplomatic side of things to the war council." She takes a deep breath and I can't believe what I'm hearing.
"He just threw you to the wolves?!" My shock must be evident on my face as hers looks confused from what I had just said, before she finally realizes I don't mean real wolves.
"In a sense I guess he did. I had limited knowledge of self defense, thanks to my parents being paranoid that I would be taken, but otherwise I was like a lost child in their world. Like a baby who knew nothing of what she was supposed to be helping with, or speaking on. I had to toughen up quickly to survive, learn as much as I could as fast I could. It was like you say, a sink or swim moment for me. I'm sure Tradesh thought it would be a quick and easy way to finally get rid of me. To both of our surprises however I made it through my first battle, then my next and soon after I found out I was good at strategy. He couldn't get rid of me that easily. The men on the council were impressed by my resilience and how my mind seemed to pick apart every aspect of what was happening on the battlefield. I was finally welcomed, and was quickly taught how to hold my own in a fight. When they had accepted me, my brother's frustration and fury only grew. I was winning battles and wars for him and yet he still wouldn't even look at me during family dinners. Hundreds of years passed the same way and when I had come over to see Charlotte one day for our regular meetings, Tradesh was home which was unknown to the both of us at the time. We had been keeping our friendship from him in fear that he would separate us, but after finding out about his affair I'm sure even more fear grew in him that I would tell her. When he discovered us sitting and laughing like we usually did, he went ballistic! Threw me out of the palace, and then continued to yell at her all the while I was being dragged away by guards unable to help my only female friend. He believed we were plotting to take the throne from him and sabotage his entire life. All the progress he had made, all that work he put in to finally get along with Charlotte, went down the drain in that moment."
My heart aches for the poor girl sitting beside me. She was like me in the sense she was only looking for love, acceptance and companionship most of her life. When she finally had found a friend, they were taken away from her. I knew that feeling all too well. I fight the tears away as my throat feels as though it has a lump closing it off from being able to speak to her. Instead I place a cold, pale hand onto hers for reassurance. She glances at me for a moment and I know she sees the understanding there.
"During a conflict with a neighboring village, we had misinformation and we're discovered rather quickly. Panic set in and myself and one other soldier were the only ones to make it out alive. Tradesh spun this wild story about there being a trader in our midst. About how the mission failed because we had a leak somewhere. To my horror the soldier who had escaped with me agreed with him, and they pinned it on me. Charlotte would later find me fleeing in the middle of the night and tell me about how Tradesh set everything up, sacrificing his own men, in order to have me executed. She helped me escape the fate he tried to place on me and I went to the only kingdom I could think of. That's why I'm here. I had made friends with the Queen a long time ago when I was still a diplomat, she was nice and warm towards me and showed me everything I would need to know to be successful where I was. It didn't take much begging for me to seek sanctuary here. I wouldn't change it though. I'm glad I got to come here and meet all of you. To call you my friend."
Her soft, awkward smile shines at me through the darkness and I can't stop the tears from running down my face to match her own. That cold, calculated gaze turned to something warm and shimmering, just like how she usually is. I want to hug her, but snow crunching under boots draws our attention and reminds us of the reason we're sitting out here in the cold. Wiping our faces quickly and focusing back onto the task at hand, we both face forward and have hands hovering just above our weapons. Ready for a fight if they somehow make it around all the traps we've set.
A scream of pain rushes after a loud snap and we both know whoever is out there has stepped into a bear trap. We need to silence them before they draw attention. We looked at each other and nod before shedding our warm blankets, slowly creeping out into the storm to see what we have caught. She walks ahead, keeping one hand on me, to not be separated in this blinding snowfall and darkness. She carries something called a poleaxe, I've come to find out. With a long, slim handle the thing is nearly as tall as her! With magic she had placed upon the weapon when it was made, the handle can shrink for it to be carried around easily for her when not in use. At the end of the handle it has multiple weapons on it! On one side is an ax head, sharpened meticulously by her, to such a sharp edge I'm sure it could cut through the air if she tried hard enough. The ax flares out widely to come to a point on either side, she told me once that they were good for hooking enemies and dragging them around if needed. The other side has a hammer like head sticking out slightly, large, flat and square at first glance. If you look closer you'll see small spikes on the square surface for even more damage. And finally out of the top of the pole is a spear, also sharpened by her only. Coming to find out that this sweet, little, sparkling fairy wielded such a weapon made me rethink a few things about her.
Coming up to our destination, it seems I'm not the only one holding my breath as the grunting and cursing grows louder with every step. Slowing our pace I wait patiently as she looks through all the snow and wind to see who is there. When she goes rigid I know it's not one of ours, thankfully. She signals me to stay here while she goes to take care of it. One tap of my hand on hers lets her know that I understand and I'll wait for her return. It's only a few seconds, and I'm now thankful for the blizzard so I don't have to see what she's doing, as a wet crunching sound makes its way to me sending a shiver down to my bones. I fight the urge to lose my dinner as my mind pulls up horrible images of what could be happening just beyond the snow falling. Taking a deep breath I'm quickly frozen in terror as someone's warm breath brushes against my ear.
"How lucky I am to find a pretty little thing like you all the way out here." A sleazy, hoarse voice whispers to me. I want to turn, to fight, but my fear is turning my limbs into stone. I'm unable to move or think as he slowly steps closer, his body heat pressing up against my back. My hand shakes right above my sword, as my other hand is fisted by my side still unable to move, but shaking as well. "Don't talk much, huh? That's fine. I'll have you screaming in no time." I don't have to turn around to know he's smirking, as his hands slowly run over my shoulders. His touch making my skin crawl. When he picks up my braid to twist it around his hand idly is when I finally regain control of my body.
Jerking my head away to pull my hair out of his grasp, I spin on my heels to face him. He's tall and lanky, looking a bit odd as he's disproportionate. His arms and legs seem longer than normal. I draw my sword without a second thought and he has the audacity to laugh at me. It makes my anger rise, heating up my body slightly, and my goal more clear. I've never killed anyone, but I've been training for this and I won't let all that hard work go to waste now that I need it. "What are you going to do with that, little girl? You should put it away before you hurt yourself. You won't win against me." He steps closer. As he does I widen my stance, preparing for a fight as I dig my heels into the snow.
When he gets close enough I swing up, catching part of his shirt leaving a thin slice from the middle of his stomach to just beneath his chest. The exposed skin looks odd. Sickly skin stretched taut over bone and what little muscle is left, while short, thick black hair seems to cover him. What is he?! He looks down at his shirt, poking a finger through the hole and making a 'tsk' noise before looking back up to me. "Now that wasn't very nice! I was going to be patient with you, but now I think you might need to be taught a lesson." The cracking of bones is nearly deafening with his screech as something is happening.
He's doubled over, as if he's in pain. I'd be concerned, except that he's the enemy and I have to stay on my guard. He looks to be getting taller? No… it's something else. Once he's back up and staring at me, my terror returns. I'm in deep shit! "What do you think? Still up for a fight, pathetic human?!" He screams at me from above. He's a Joro Shifter! His long, spiny legs spread out around him, lifting him higher. His spider appearance doesn't stop there as his whole lower half has seemed to elongate behind him, to give the appearance of a spider's abdomen to hold all six of his legs. His face now doesn't look human either. With one set of eyes on his forehead and two more spread awkwardly on his cheek to match the black ones he already had. His lips are gone and now a long slit spreads across his face to show his fangs perfectly. His arms are longer and covered in the same, short, black hairs. His short, slicked back black hair now holds stripes of yellow, and it makes my body shake with fright. I don't let go of my sword however, trying to mentally prepare myself for this fight.
As I take off running for him, he seems unbothered as his hands clasp together and he wiggles his fingers, slowly pulling his hands apart to reveal the golden thread he's weaving. I have to avoid that at all cost, I just know it! Swinging my sword with all the might I have, I aim for one of his legs. There's no way I'll be able to reach the rest of him until I take out his legs first, trying my best to get him down to my level first. Just when I think my attack is going to land, he easily steps aside and out of the way. Kierens voice fills my head as I swing through open air. "It wastes twice as much energy to miss a hit, than to land it. Always make sure you have a clean hit and a clear plan to secure victory. If you don't have either, then take your time and wait for the opportune moment." I nearly fall into the snow, but find my footing at the last moment. This is going to be so much harder than I had initially thought.
His face still holds that stupid smirk and I want nothing more than to prove him wrong and make him eat those words. Yet I'm not sure how I'll do that. Scrambling back to where I was before, I take my time now. Really assessing the situation I'm in while trying to suppress my fear. His hands are nearly as wide as his body now, and I wonder how long he'll make the string. My thoughts are racing too fast for me to keep up. My hands shake, making my sword do the same, as I try to take deep breaths and try to come up with a plan.
All thoughts leave me as he finally tosses that golden thread at me, and I'm frozen in place trying to decide if I should dodge or cut it. His smile tells me that I'm trapped either way, and it makes me second guess myself and wonder what I've missed for him to be so confident.
It's too late. My fate is sealed in that split second hesitation.