As the Amazons had planned, a bonfire of joy was ignited in honor of Nette's victory in their borderlands. The fire could be seen from afar, above which a fat pig was roasting. A signal that radiated beyond the protective treetops, reaching far into the lands, symbolizing what they wanted to be and mocking the kings!
Behold! Here we are! You can't harm us! We have triumphed and will prevail! Negotiated by their sister, written on a piece of paper, far too thin to endure!
How she would show them! It would burn this night, like the foolish dream the village residents clung to!
Nerre instructed her subordinates to approach slowly. None of the Amazons should notice their attack yet. Nette sat in front of the bonfire with two of the women whom Nerre had encountered during her visit. It was the only thing the young warrior perceived and the only thing that belonged to her after the signal for the attack was given.
The soldiers left their hiding place with a battle cry, heading towards the village square. There were 15 women sitting here without a care, including the greatest warriors of the Amazons. The rest were nowhere to be seen. As they were informed, the army must have suffered heavy losses, making this battle a child's play.
Nerre's smile faded as she raised her sword for the first strike. Her sister, the great Amazon queen, did not seem surprised. She knew about the attack. Next to her lay the sword ready, with which she skillfully parried the blow of her younger sister.
The gaze of the young soldier turned back. From above and out of the shadows of the houses, more Amazon warriors emerged. 40 in number but far too few against the army under Nerre's command. Comprising of her comrades and those who joined them after learning of the plan.
The blades of the two sisters clashed in a battle that no one wanted to interrupt. It was solely the battle of both sisters fought under a hot evening sky. None wanted to give in. And it was not in vain that the Amazons were known for their fighting spirit. Add to that the proud queen, who, like her sister, came from a noble house.
If you had seen them 15 years ago, two children always dressed in the finest clothes and adorned with splendid jewels, hunger and suffering were foreign to them. No one would have predicted such a fate for these girls, leading to the edge of a sword.
And now they stood here, at the crossroads of their paths. Nette was skilled with the sword, but her little sister knew exactly how to throw her off balance.
None of their opponents had ever felt pity or love for her. Neither would any of the Amazons spare the young soldier. Only Nette, in whose eyes the will to survive was not present, but sorrow for her little sister.
Therefore, there was carelessness, exploited by Nerre. At the end of this night, it was Nerre's soldiers who emerged victorious from the battle. The Amazons in front of them were a bunch of defeated people.
Lying in their own blood, barely alive. It would be enough if they survived until the execution. Nette faced a different fate. She would have to settle her debt by standing before King Teron at the altar. Nerre already knew the ideal bait. "Take care of our honored guest!" she called with a smile to two of her soldiers. "Tend to her wounds and those of the other Amazons! They should cross the gate of our castle alive."
Nette lay in front of her sister. She curled up on the ground, pressing her hand to the wound on her stomach. The injury was not severe enough for her to die from it. The soldier raised her right foot, kicking her sister so that she rolled onto her back with a gasp. The fighting spirit had not left the beaten queen.
"Don't look like that!" Nerre shouted from above. "You wanted it to end like this yourself!" In a grimace of anger, the 25-year-old bared both rows of her white teeth. "Our family sacrificed themselves for you. They always pampered you, and you were supposed to be married to our king. And this is how you thank us, with this disgrace?"
The woman before her gasped again as her younger sister's heavy boot descended on her. "Our father is dead! He couldn't live with the shame into which you plunged our family through your selfishness!"
Nerre raised her foot again for a blow against her own sister, but she blocked it with her bare hands. "I'd rather willingly face death than become the lapdog of this king!" she growled with her remaining strength.
Nerre turned away. If she didn't surrender willingly to her fate, her sister would force her to. Her gaze wandered over the Amazons. Many of them were young and rushed to the battlefield. Only a part had to be pulled out of the houses. Yet, a few of them were missing.
"Where is Alesa?" she sharply inquired from one of her comrades. "She must have two children with her. Find her!"
"Alesa is an old woman who can hardly fight anymore," her sister interjected. "Leave her be. Our children can hardly incite a rebellion."
Nerre's face twisted into a broad grin. The sister at her feet understood. Shortly afterward, some of her scouts were sent out to trace the group. A true victory over the Amazons would be to marry Nette to the king and see Alesa's head roll. Perhaps even at the hands of her successor. The heroine as perceived by the people. Created by her.
And if the mother didn't comply, she would, when her own child was in danger.