I braced as well as I could. My eyes locked onto the gleaming metal, watching it slice the air as easily as it would slice my throat. I was about to become one of these men, face down in the dirt, bleeding out, with a lifeless gaze. Still, I fought. I caught his blade on mine and held strong, shaking and trembling against the pressure he used.

Would Leo even know that I came for him? Would he ever learn my side of the story? Would it even matter if he did?

My opponent smirked, seeming delighted by my struggle, my will to live, even if it was only for a few more seconds. "Such a pretty princess. You must have such a pretty siren heart. I can't wait to show my king."

I hated that those were the last words I was going to hear, loathed that his would be the last face I saw. But I was powerless against it. I had been wrong. I was not a great killer, not a beautiful mix of the wildness of the ocean and civility of humanity. Here, there were no designations. I was a prize or an obstacle.

I heard a dull thump, my thoughts of death fading with slight curiosity. The fairy opposing me made a strangle noise, one that I hadn't heard before. My attention left our battling blades, watching his eyes widen and his lips part. His intent no longer seemed to be on killing me as he took a step back, but I stayed ready. Mouth open, he attempted to say something as his sword was dropped, discarded on the battlefield. Blood trickled past his lips.

I jerked back in horror. Was this on the spells they possessed? Was this a trick? Or had someone spotted me and they wanted my heart all for themselves?

The fairy fell to the ground with a muted groan.

An arrow protruded from his back having penetrated the leather he wore.

"Oh my God," I whispered, stumbling a step. I debated running then, fleeing like a coward to the tree line and never coming back. War was hell. And I no longer wanted to be in the center of it. Despite all of my pride and my previously self-sacrificing behavior, I felt that I could not overpower the simple need to survive.

Something clamped down on my arm. A scream rose in my throat, about to release my distinctly feminine voice into the air before a wet hand clamped over my mouth. I was about to raise my blade, about to strike blindly, when I recognized the person before me.

Chest heaving, wide eyed with a set jaw, he didn't seem like the same man who laughed at my attempts to attack him on a beach after my wedding. And he was far from the man who grinned with amusement when he saw my husband seething with jealousy.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Willow's guard demanded.

His hand finally dropped from my face and I was able to see the crimson coating his fingers. I inevitably had sticky blood streaked across my cheeks now. On another day, that would be a horrifying thing to encounter, here, seeing him was enough to make me feel a pinch steadier, like I might not actually die this second. It was all false hope really because war was still being waged all around us and it only took one stray arrow, one well timed strike to end it all. That fell away when I realized that he was wearing only a shirt and pants. I almost scolded him for being so foolish.

But I stared at him, saying nothing at all.

"You can't fight. You never could," he hissed as if I hadn't realized this fact all on my own. "You're lucky that King Archer spotted you. You would've... "

"I'm going to die," I stated, my voice quaking. "I didn't know that when I left my island, but I know it now. I couldn't let anything happen to Leo. I couldn't let him go without him knowing- "

"This is a fucking battle, Princess Ember. We don't get to decide those kinds of things out here." His eyes flashed to the side and before I even saw it coming, he lunged, batting away an opponent's blade. More were coming. My anonymity had expired.

"I can go to the trees-"

"You won't make it. Get to a position where you can defend yourself. I'll keep as many as I can at bay. Archer is watching from a high point, he'll help."

I was given no more warning, no more time. I could see heads turning towards me, eyes widening with shock. And James was gone. With his back to me, he sprinted into the mess. And I realized why he had opted out of armor when his clothing began to pull and tear. I was warned that seeing a werewolf shift would stop me in my tracks. Maybe I shouldn't have been so surprised considering I was surrounded by the beasts all engaged in brutal assaults. But seeing that soft human skin give way to coarse fur and a hide was something otherworldly.

I would have watched forever if death wasn't imminent. I had to find somewhere to defend myself and my only thought was that I needed to be somewhere that eliminated attacks from the back. With Archer protecting me from afar and James doing what he could nearer, I would have to do my part just the same.

I was moving before I knew where I was going, the heavy metal on my body clanging together, drawing more attention to me. I heard others following me, just as I heard the soft flutter of a deadly arrow through the air. Was it meant to strike me down or help me fight for another day? I couldn't fathom where my legs were taking me, but I knew if I stopped now, I was as good as dead. I pushed on and on, forcing my body up and over a hill despite the weighty armor and my exhausted muscles, and there, as if placed by the god of water himself, was a frightening stream. I hadn't been able to hear it over the battle, but it was a fierce creature in itself. Carving stone, plummeting down the valley, it frothed at the mouth like the most violent of beasts.

And I raced right towards it.

I was not a powerful siren who could crack the water like a whip. I was not a human who had been raised to take on swords and maces and bows. But I had learned the ways of water, knew when to respect it and when to fear it and when to use it to my advantage. And I had learned the down fall of so many creatures: pride and glory.

I stopped on the edge of the cliff that gave way to a rocky riverbed. It seemed impossible to ignore the strength of the river now when it roared in my ears. Even after all of my time with the ocean, I knew that this river was one to be feared. One misstep and it could swallow a man whole, only to spit him out again after his lungs had been filled with water and his skin had turned icy.

Sword in hand, I turned to face all of those who sought my life.

I could see James – or at least the wolf version of him – darting through the crowd, dodging sharp blades and using his own teeth and claws like razors. He left a trail of injured and dying behind him. Others were struck down by arrows that seemed to be raining from the sky as if a celestial being was filled with rage, taking revenge. I even saw one of Leo's men moving, swinging his weapon through opponent after opponent, defending me even when I had betrayed the kingdom. 

Still, a few made it through.

I told myself that I was ready for this because I didn't have any other choice.

The first man made it through. I didn't know what he was or which kingdom he belonged to. I didn't care. I called upon all of the training Leo and James offered up and reminded myself of something Leo told me. Even sailors and pirates hated the water. It was misunderstood and negligent towards them. I might've not been a siren, but I could be their worst nightmare.

Using a clever trick that Leo taught me, I disarmed the man before me with nothing more than a flick of the wrist. It didn't seem to faze him. After all, who would be afraid of a helpless girl like me? It was clear I only knew defensive maneuvers after all. He flung himself at me, fingers clawed as if he was going to rip my throat out with his bare hands.

I forced myself to be still, wanting so badly to flee or to beg for mercy, but only standing. And when he was close enough that I could see faint scars on his face, feel his strange hand brush my neck, I moved. My leg jerked out, twisting with his own. With him unbalanced, I pressed my elbow and forearm into his back, forcing him to tumble.

I didn't watch as he went down head first. There was a fleshy thump, his body hitting jutting rocks that had not bowed to the water's will, then a splash. If he wasn't dead before he hit the water, he would be soon.

I made a choice right then and there that I would not kill anyone today. I would not take another life. But if this land wanted blood, if the river required vengeance, who was I to deny it?

My three defenders did an amazing job. Archer, safe and hidden, killed with accuracy that could only come from years of training. James moved as if being a predator was just as natural as being the kind hearted human who laughed a little too loud at jokes. And the solo guard from Leo's army was no longer so solo, already gaining two more warriors who flung maces and wielded those awful two handed swords that I couldn't manage.

I wondered if the men who made it to me would envy those who had a swift death because wrestling with a river was an awful way to go.

But each man made their own choice.

Each one seemed more savage than the last. One, armed with a bow and arrow, seemed determined to shoot me from close range. I could have died then. And if that arrow had been two inches higher, it would have pierced my delicate neck. But the arrow struck metal plating. It was enough force to make me stumble a step, but when he darted for me with a short knife, I dodged. His momentum carried him over the short cliff edge, right into the water.

The next was prepared to use nothing but a tree limb. I would have laughed at the attempt if he hadn't been the first one to knock my sword out of my hand with nothing but sheer force. My hands remained curled, not understanding the pain lacing up my arms or how my weapon was so far away. His club was barely even splintering while I was desperately wishing I had brought a second blade. But I couldn't change what was already done. My instincts had carried me this far, so I didn't question them when I reached out and grabbed the club before he could swing it again. Shards of wood were embedded in my palms, but I stared at the man trying to kill. Just like James taught me, I went for the sensitive areas, one hard kick to the groin. As he dropped, his hands loosened. One sharp crack to the back of his head sent him over the ledge with all the others.

I barely had a second to notice when one of Leo's men went down. I couldn't tell which one it was, but seeing his body hit the ground twisted my gut. I had done that. I had put him at risk in the first place. He was suffering because of me. He could have been dying because of me. The man might have hated me, but he was following orders and that was enough to be a death sentence.

So, when the next challenger came to me barehanded, I was almost pleased. This, I was trained for. And hell, right now I wanted it. If my men were suffering, everyone needed to be suffering. I scratched, I clawed, I bite, I punched. I did everything I had been taught and things I couldn't fathom. The man was bloody and groaning when I was done with him, but I refused to kill him. He was shoved into the water just the same.

My heart was racing in my chest but my mind was unearthly calm. Death didn't bother me, nor did living. In that moment, I didn't have my sword and I certainly had a chance to grab it. I had no challengers right then. But I didn't move for it. I felt like a god, all powerful and all knowing despite the burning in my lungs and the watering of my eyes. How easy it was to convince one of immortality when death could be defied so easily.

I was ready.

I wanted more.

But none came.

Bodies were littered before me, lying in the valley lifelessly. Wolves limped and whined. Human men were doubled over, hands on their knees as they winced against wounds or attempted to catch their breath. Many were kneeling by fallen comrades, a few of them surrounding one solider in particular. A handful of silhouettes were racing away as fast as they could with their pronounced injuries, disappearing into the mountains. And from the tree line, several men emerged. At the head of the group was King Archer. Even from this great distance I could see his midnight hair and serious gait.

And from the mountains that the fairies fled to appeared a white flag.

Surrender.

We had won. We had won and I had survived.

The first thing I did was release a crazed bubble of laughter. I was convinced that this couldn't be real. There was no way that I had made it through this battle. It was impossible. All my life I had been certain that I was purposeless, destined to die on that tiny island alone and afraid. I had stumbled from hurdle to hurdle, defeated and worn out.

Not a daughter of the sea.

Not a queen of the land.

But a fierce warrior that united the two.

I felt like this was heaven on earth. This was what I had been meant for all my life. I had finally found it. As afraid as I had been, I had conquered. I was certain that I could battle anything that came my way.

Until I heard King Archer's voice rise up from the valley below. "You're going to be alright Leo. I just need you to stay awake, okay?"

~~~Question of the Day~~~

Who knows you better than anyone else?