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S. A. A

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Drip

Drip

Drip

I trudged forward, my legs aching as I walked. The sun was blazing down and I could feel it hit the open wound on my head, making my teeth clench in pain.

Drip

My hand tightened around the handle of the doublesword as I walked forward, making sure I didn't look down. I couldn't.

Drip.

But, I couldn't help myself and my gaze turned down, making my insides curl. My fingers were clutching at the strands of hair and blood was trickling down on the ground as I walked towards the battlefield.

I had nearly vomited when I had seen what I had done- when I had severed the commander's head. But, I knew there was no time; I had to find Negus and I had to do something.

With that, I had gone against every moral value within me and had taken the head into my clutch and along with me as I stumbled towards the direction I had seen the other soldiers go. I felt dizzy, but I couldn't succumb to it; not when I still had things to do. I glanced down again, lost in thought.

Do you know why our people behead?" He asked tauntingly, lifting the head up yet again and I clenched my eyes shut, hoping it was a nightmare.

"We do it to show authority. It means you kneel to me."

With the thought planted in my head, I moved hurriedly forward, the sound of battle becoming louder until it was deafening and I looked around at the chaos.

There were tall white buildings, wrapped in vines, looking as though they had been abandoned to nature. I caught sight of Ayla, looking out of the window of one, her signature bow and arrow in hand as she shot arrows at a striking speed.

I looked around at the crowds of soldiers, trying to find the familiar face of Negus, but there were too many soldiers. We were truly outnumbered. I could see Maya and Abrax, back to back as they held their respective weapons. They were surrounded by around 30 soldiers and I watched, amazed, as Abrax lifted Maya by her arms and swung her as she butterfly-kicked three opponents down to the ground. She lifted herself swiftly before throwing her flame-lit daggers into the air. Abrax lifted his hardened fist in response, volley punching at the hilts of daggers, sending them flying into the chest and leg of two soldiers.

I moved in tepidly, looking around and I flinched slightly as the head in my hand flailed with the wind. Only, I knew exactly where the wind was coming from. Looking to my left, I saw Demir and Emut fighting in a small alley, between buildings. They were surrounded by all angles and I watched at how Demir raised a hand and some soldiers around them began sinking into the sand, their exclaims filling the air. Emut took advantage of this, his sword coming down at lightning speed and killing 5 men. He effortlessly grabbed the surviving men by their necks, throwing them behind him where Demir stood, glaive in hand. I watched as he stoically yet powerfully swung his weapon, slicing the bodies in half.

They worked quick yet the numbers of Chigaru were far from dwindling and I looked around hurriedly.

"Stop!" The shoot boomed across the village and I stilled at the sound as did the others.

My eyes finally caught the familiar cream cloak belonging to Negus. There were more than 8, around 15 chigaru soldiers now and they had formed a defence line in front of Negus, one with a sword at Negus's neck as he kneeled, his eyes closed.

They were a little bit ahead of me now and I moved closer, but their eyes weren't on me. They were fixed on the others, knowing where the threat lay.

"Father!" Maya exclaimed, making to rush forward, but the soldier raised the sword closer to Negus's neck and raised a hand to point at Maya violently.

"Uh-uh! I wouldn't do that, fire princess!" He admonished tauntingly, a sleazy grin on his face and Maya's expression hardened, but she stayed still, nevertheless, making the grin on his face widen. He knew he had her.

He eyed them all, content they were all in his field of view and that he had the upper hand. I scowled at the look on his face before looking up at the buildings. I could see the villagers peeking out of the windows, clutching their children and covering their eyes and I turned back to the soldier.

There were more villagers just like Faridha and Khalid, all of which were equally as scared and helpless. They were feeling how I felt when I had covered Khalid's eyes to prevent him from seeing the inevitable- something that was not in my control.

Yet, here I was stood, unwatched and unguarded.

Having the element of surprise is really important.

I repeated Emut's words and looked on, lost in thought of what I could do as the sleazy soldier tightened his grip on the sword.

"That's like a good obedient bitch." He cooed and Demir moved forward at his words, his hand tightening on his glaive. But, Emut raised a hand to stop him to which Demir stopped, a muscle twitching in his jaw.

Emut raised his gaze to the soldiers, a stony look on his face.

"If you hurt him, I'm going to kill you." He uttered the promise, a hand instinctively resting on the hilt of his sword.

It was silent for a while before the sleazy soldier laughed, making the others join in. I used the sound to my advantage, hurrying in from behind, knowing their focus was not on me. I ducked behind the trees, leaning the doublesword against it and taking hold of two twigs, the plan inside my head so vividly clear. I needed to do it quickly.

If they're scared of fire, I'll give them fire.

I moved hurriedly, rubbing the two twigs together just as I had done many a time in scout's club as a youngster. Keeping my gaze on the chaos, I kept my hands working, feeling the ache in my wrists. I stilled when I saw Ayla being dragged in and thrown to the ground near the others. I could hear Abrax growl quietly but was too focused on the small flame that flickered against the twigs. Hurriedly, I touched the flame against a larger branch I had found on the floor before moving, watching as the soldier looked around, smiling.

"All 5 of you here to see the show. How splendid!" He mused and I creeped closer hurriedly, hoping no one could hear the pounding of my heart. I could faintly hear the sound of the soldier speaking, but my breathing was too loud. Holding the lit branch and doublesword in one and the severed head in the other, I sucked in a deep breath. I was scared; I had never thrown myself quite this far in danger, but I steeled myself when I thought of the cause, of Negus and of Faridha's warm smile- all of which held more importance than I.

With that, I raised myself on shaky legs and, before I could talk myself out of it, I barrelled forward, doublesword first. I felt the warmth as I made contact with a body and the squelching sound of flesh that I had become too scarily familiar with today.

Hearing the exclaims of uproar, my vision focused and I found myself lying on the sleazy soldier, my sword deep in his chest as he let out stuttered gasps, coughing up blood.

I withdrew myself from the disgusting sight, barreling to the side where Negus was lying down and hovered over him. The soldiers moved in then and I raised the flamed branch hand before creating a circle of fire around us, causing exclamations of anger to arise from the soldiers. They could still see me through the licks of rising flames and I raised the severed head, watching as their expressions turned from recognition to fear in seconds as I spoke.

Raising the head high, I looked around, my voice sounding more confident than I felt.

"That is your commander! It means you kneel to me!" I exclaimed and I watched at the men looked around, trying to find a way to get to me and I took the chance to throw the severed head in their direction. They moved back as I flung it and it landed on the floor with a loud squelch. I ignored the bile in my throat and looked around in a challenging manner. They tried to near me again, in anger, but stopped when reaching the protective barrier of fire around me. I could see the gaze of the others as they looked at me, but I couldn't focus on that. I said the words I knew would stick, facing my weapon to them.

"Kneel for the daughter of Isis." I said simply and silence descended as I made contact with the others where Ayla watched with wide eyes.

Then there was chaos.

I watched as Emut shouted a command, seeing that Negus was safe, making everyone get into action. The soldiers ran at this, some still struggling to get to me, and I sighed deeply before clambering down next to Negus, ignoring the battle.

"Negus!" I exclaimed, checking for injuries, but other than the bruise on his head, he seemed untouched and he gave me a small weak smile to show he was okay.

"Hanna!" I smiled in relief as Arun made his way over to tend to Negus, throwing a damp cloth over the fire and I let out the breath I had been holding the whole time.

It was only a mere few minutes in which the soldiers were rounded up and killed. The fear of the prophecy, along with their leader gone, had really gotten to them and they became clumsy, dropping their weapons and scrambling for an exit. It made it all the more easier to rid of them and I stood up away from Arun and Negus as Abrax struck down the last one.

I could feel the dizziness overcoming me, but I trudged forward, headed to see if Ayla was okay after being thrown. I stumbled back slightly when Maya reached me, a scowl on her face. The others were gathering round as I watched in silence as she looked down at me.

Suddenly, I was pulled into a hug and I let out a small noise of surprise as Maya tightened her arms around me. I felt my body ache with the injuries, but I couldn't bring myself to mind.

"Thank you." She muttered, her voice tickling my ear and I pulled back, my eyebrows raised in confusion. She continued speaking, her green eyes sparkling.

"Even when I called you weak and took your weapon. You risked your life for my father- thank you." She edged out, her voice shaky, but she still stood strong and I let a small smile grace my face, feeling the ache where the commander had slapped me.

"That's nothing you have to thank me for. I just did a fraction of what you've been doing your whole life." I praised her honestly and she stared at me when I said those words. I still felt uneasy from her hard gaze as I recoiled slightly in. She shook her head, eying my wounds as she spoke.

"You really are a balīd." She said and although I knew it was an insulting word, I could tell she didn't mean it as such. She pulled me in for another firm hug before pulling back and stomping away towards Negus. I smiled at this before feeling Ayla's arms wind around me too.

"Girl hug!" She squealed and I rolled my eyes, laughing at her words as she talked cheerily into my ear. I felt another pair of arms surround us and I looked up at Arun who had joined in.

"Now, how is a hug complete without me, my aljuniyat?" He laughed softly before Maya shouted his name and he pouted, walking over to Negus. I smiled at this, nudging Ayla as she leaned her form on mine.

"Hanna." I looked up, meeting Emut's warm gaze as he neared. He placed his sword back into its scabbard and came to a halt in front of me. Ayla gave me one last smile before making her way towards Abrax and I made a mental note to ask her about it later.

Turning back to Emut, I let a small smile grace my face to which he smiled back, looking down to the weapon in my hands. I followed his gaze, trying my best to ignore my bloodstained hands as he spoke.

"It suits you." He commented off-handedly before tilting his gaze to look at Negus.

"You did good." Emut continued and I looked to Negus and Maya hugging. I tried to believe his words, but I couldn't find it in me to.

I had killed two people.

And, try as I might, it wouldn't go away. The look in their eyes as they met death was something I knew would haunt my nightmares. I had helped Negus, but at what cost? The cost of my morality?

I knew it was worth it and I knew that, if it happened again, I would do exactly the same and that very thought troubled me the most. I had no remorse for what I had done and I feared for what type of person that made me.

I tried to smile at his praise, but my hands still shook at what I had done; at the stains that no amount of water would wash away. Emut looked back at me and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"What is it, Hanna?" He asked, his voice a gentle murmur and, thinking to what I had done, I couldn't stop the trembling of my lip as I spoke, trying to sound calm.

"I- I killed them." I let out quietly, but it was enough for Emut to understand and he sighed softly before ducking down slightly to face me properly. I lifted my head at this, making contact with his golden eyes that calmed me as he spoke.

"They were murderers, Hanna; rapists. If you knew what they did to women; to children, you'd feel different." He said, his voice soft yet I could hear the disdain. I nodded, feeling my eyes water. He was right, I knew. I looked at him through glassy eyes and he gave me a small smile.

"Sometimes, we have to do bad things for good reasons. All you need to do is look at why." He consoled me and I felt myself calm at his words, still shaking from the adrenaline of the situation. He gave me another reassuring smile and, without thought, I put my arms around him and pulled him into a hug, feeling grateful for both his training and comfort that helped me greatly. He went rigid at this, his shoulders tense.

"Hanna." He murmured, seemingly uneasy at the contact. It was only when I sniffled, letting a few tears drop that an arm wrapped around my waist and another against my hair, making me heat up as he spoke, his deep voice against my ear.

"I'm proud of you." He said simply and I blushed at his words. He drew away shortly after this and stepped back, brushing a hand through his hair as he coughed awkwardly.

"I need to make sure the villagers are okay." He said to excuse himself before walking over to the buildings and I sighed, looking down at the weapon in my hands.

It had proved very useful and wasn't as large and heavy as the longsword which meant I could handle it better. I decided then to take it with me as a reminder of what I had done; of what I could do.

"You look like a wreck." I looked up to see Demir crouched on the floor, cleaning his bloody glaive, his gaze not even on me as he spoke absent-mindedly.

I rolled my eyes at his words, looking down. Sure enough, my tank top and shorts were muddied and tattered and I knew, if I could see my hair, it would he soaked with blood. Meanwhile, Demir was untouched, his weapon the only thing he allowed to be stained. I let out a dramatic sigh, folding my arms.

"Oh, I apologise for not applying some makeup mid-battle, Demir. I would have, had I known I'd disappoint you!" I let out sarcastically to which Demir stood to his full height, letting a small laugh leave his lips: the sound both foreign yet enticing. He let his cool gaze fall on me then, an eyebrow raised.

"I'd be a fool to be disappointed when you're coated in the enemies' blood." He countered and I let a laugh leave my lips, looking down at my bloodied clothes before looking at him.

"I'd say you were a fool, regardless." I jokingly jabbed and his eyes lit up at this as he drummed his fingers against the pole of his glaive. He regarded me- the wounds and the weapon before he shrugged.

"And I'd say you weren't as useless as I thought you were."

He walked past me then, making his way over to the villagers and I looked to the sun that was about to set, taking a deep breath in.

"You are weak."

"But, don't we all start off that way?"

I smiled as I kept my gaze to the sky. Soon, the stars would be visible and they'd be watching. They'd be watching my journey.

If you can see me, I'm doing this for you.

                          °°°°°°°♧°°°°°°

Hope you guys liked it! Let me know how it was!

I will be updating weekly now so make sure to add to your library to get the notifications!

S. A. A