It seemed that time had stopped all around her. Nikki was only zeroed in on Alexa and where that dangerous little woman's sword was. It wasn't in Nikki's best interest to ever look away from the smaller warrior, because while she was tiny in stature she was equally as fierce and deadly with her blade. She tore her helmet off, knowing that she'd need as much mobility as she could get against the faster opponent and decided that she needed to go on the offensive to start this little duel. The swords clashing together seemed louder to her than the rest of the screaming, dying men around them as Alexa blocked her first downward stroke and pushed back with a surprising amount of strength.
Sure, Nikki had fought Alexa on many other occasions, but that was always with practice swords, never once thinking she'd have to fight the girl she was raised with in actual combat. They had been two peas in a pod since they were small girls. Both taken in by the Baron as orphans when their parents were killed due to his warmongering. Whether it was because he felt guilty or apologetic, he had treated them well enough; not as daughters but better than slaves or the help.
They each had a drive to become the best at whatever they chose to do, and they'd chosen to earn the right to become warriors for their people, though it was not accepted for women to do this. They had wanted to protect people, even if it broke the rules a bit, they didn't want anymore girls like them and have to rely on the benevolence of a noble, benevolence which was rare at the best of times. They'd broken all the stereotypes in different ways when they achieved this dream, overjoyed for one another and spending many of their days training to be better than each other or any of the other knights in the surrounding areas.
However, they hadn't seen the civil war coming. They hadn't anticipated that they'd disagree over it either. So, now in the thick of battle, both having killed their countrymen in other battles finally had been drawn together in the final one. Nikki knew that it was kill or be killed, though she'd give anything to fight Alexa until the fighting was over and give her a chance in court, or try to put in a good word for her. But as she knocked Alexa's helm off, she saw the look in her eyes: sad, but determined. Nikki was convinced this would only end when one of them was dead.
They knew one another so well, their swords met in a shower of sparks and clanged off of each other with each passing minute. Their skill seemed to be on such a display that no other soldier from either side was attempting to assist their fellow warrior. Nikki saw an opening, knowing that if she went for it, her own defenses would be useless. Alexa being as good as she is would be sure to see it and strike at the same area. Maybe that was for the best. To wound one another and let the people in charge of this civil war settle it amongst themselves. Nikki went for Alexa's under arm, where her armor was weak only to have Alexa catch her blade between her arm and body and twist it out of Nikki's hand.
Nikki lowered her arm, truly bested and having been fooled by such simple bait. She watched Alexa stand up; sweat making her blonde hair cling to her forehead. She eyed Nikki, not letting a thing break through her carefully crafted façade that she had crafted over years and years of practice. Nikki simply gave her a rueful smile, knowing that Alexa would catch her meaning: 'What are you waiting for?'
Alexa seemed to stall, indecision finally showing through in her eyes, her hand tightening on her sword. Then Alexa, just as suddenly cooled her features, striding forward purposefully. She brought the sword back and stabbed forward. Nikki shut her eyes waiting to hear the metal on metal clash before she felt the pain. But, it never happened. Instead there was a soft sound of sword hitting flesh and sinking in to the hilt. Nikki looked down and saw that Alexa's attack had subtlety moved in between her arm and her body, as her attack had done just moment before, but the point of the blade didn't puncture Nikki. The man behind her who had an ax raised was another story.
He wore the insignia of a knight from Alexa's side and he looked surprised as Alexa's sword had impaled him. He gave her a questioning look, clearly in shock, before he dropped backwards, as a tree does in the forest, and was still.
Nikki looked at Alexa whom had backed up and retrieved Nikki's sword. She held it out to her hilt first. "You owe me."
She nodded, grabbing her sword, unsure of what to do now. The battle was obviously dying down. Alexa looked around, seeing that her side had won, but her face showed no elation. She reached up to her tabard, showing her colors and tore them off, leaving them on the ground. She sheathed her sword, and looked to Nikki. "I still think I was right. But some bonds aren't worth destroying for the sake of being right."
Nikki gave her a small smile, her body still hurting all over from their duel and the warriors she had killed before that. She reached up, tore her own colors off, leaving them next to Alexa's in the blood stained grass. She looked to see the knight's horse, the one Alexa had killed, was still trotting nervously a few feet away. She marched over, and took his reigns leading him over to Alexa and hopping into the saddle, offering her arm to the smaller woman as she used to do when they were younger. Alexa rolled her eyes at having to be helped up, but took the offered hand anyway and swung on behind Nikki.
She spurred the horse and they traveled far away from the battle, uncaring of what the outcome was anymore, only knowing that their lives were far better on the outskirts of the world, with one another.