Ailein and Amber were both sprawled on the ground, the heat of the battle still continuing without them. They both carried fatal wounds, and felt themselves drifting away. Fire and smoke was everywhere. Blood dirtied the ground, and bodies began to pile up. War cries ran out around the battlefield. Arrows flew through the air. It was a scene from hell.
"Ailein... are you still alive?" Amber asked weakly, she heaved in and out. The pain in her chest throbbed. The arrow wasn't deep enough to instantly kill her and pierce her heart, but it was deep enough to kill her slowly. Ailein coughed.
"I'm still alive..." he made out. His slash in his abdomen was slowly killing him too, and sent shocks of pain down his body. Amber sighed, her usual smile only made an appearance for a second.
"...That's.. a relief..." She swallowed. When she first entered the battlefield, she thought she wasn't afraid of death. She remembered when she would yell her war cry, and kill the enemy. But now she was afraid. She began to cry.
"Amber...?" Her sob became a wail of pain and sadness. Ailein's eyes widened. He had never seen her so miserable, so weak.
"I... I don't want to die!" Her pale skin streaked with tears. "There're so many more things I want to do! I want- *hack* I want to get married! I want to have children! I want to swim in the Lake of Sardonia! I want to ride my horse one more time! I want to go to Astrid's aging ceremony! I want to grow old with you! I want to stay with you! I want to, I want to..." Amber yelled with all her strength. She continued to wail. And with that Ailein began to cry too. He had sworn not to cry anymore, but he couldn't hold back.
"I want to grow old with you too! I want to see our children! I want to stay with you! I want to marry you!" Ailein wailed. They stared into eachother's eyes. I don't want to die like this Amber thought. Her chest heart, her body hurt, but her heart hurt the most. Amber noticed things more than she usually did. Ailein's beautiful blonde hair, his green eyes, his clothing, the dirt on him, the blood... everything. And Ailein did the same. He saw Amber's long red hair, her pain, her blue eyes, the arrow in her chest, her beautiful face soiled with blood and dirt, everything. I don't want her/him to die! they thought, as if their minds were connected as one. "I love you!" Ailein shouted desperately. Tears streaked down his face.
"I love you too!" Amber shouted reaching out towards him. With all their strength, they shifted closer together.
"Let's make a- *cough* a promise." Aildein said smiling. "It's obvious we won't make it." It was hard to say, but it was the truth. Amber swallowed. "But I want you to remember me, even in the next life."
"I, I promise." Amber said firmly, despite her life fading away. Aildein smiled in response.
"I want you to remember my warmth." He entwined his fingers with her, so that she could feel the heat of his hand. "My eyes." He brought his face closer, and placed his forehead against hers, locking their blue and green eyes. "And my voice." He began to sing an old folktale song, that they sang together as children. She remembered the story. A girl's friend had died, and so she sailed the seas, until she found the pathway to the underworld, and found the soul of her friend. The boy's soul and the girl's soul became one, and they lived together forever.
"I'll remember." Amber whispered tearfully.
"I know." Aildein answered smiling, until both of their eyes fluttered close, and their last breath disappeared in the wind.
May woke up, her heart pounding, and her body was covered in sweat. Images from her dream kept flashing in her head. But they appeared and disappeared too fast for May to focus on them. She ran her hand through her brunette hair. A dream? Definitely not. May was positive this was something much more serious. The dreams had been happening for a week now. But they came gradually. This one was just too intense. Once she had calmed herself, her blue eyes stared at ceiling of her one-room cottage. She closed her eyes. She needed to think. She wasn't sure on what the dreams were about, but the only thing that stood out to her was fire. That wasn't nearly enough to solve the mystery in her heart. Why had it uneased her so? Reoccurring dreams weren't normal. She needed to speak with the elders. May couldn't solve this alone. She put on some clothes, a red shirt with short sleeves, and black shorts. She put on some boots, and her bandanna. Then she wrapped her tool belt around her waist, attaching a sheathed sword to her left, and a sheathed dagger on her right. Then she slung her quiver over her shoulder, and took her bow with her. She walked out of her cottage, and then walked to the fenced area, which had her horse. She stroked its brown fur, then its black mane, then she attached her bow to the saddle. She quickly walked through her tribe village. She watched children practicing swordplay with each other. Her village, the Kekusaan, was a warrior village. Everyone knew how to wield a weapon, ready for battle. It was notorious for its strength and power, and had gone to war several times, always winning.
May quickly made her way through the village, and into a huge tent. There an old man with a gray beard looked up from his tea. Next to him was a staff, and he sat on a pillow. Smoke had filled the room, and May noticed a smoking pipe on the floor. May coughed and waved the smoke from her face as she stepped closer to the center of the room. Finally, she was in front of the elder.
"Young May... what brings you here?" the elder asked patiently, blowing out a circle of smoke.
"Elder, I'm having strange reoccurring dreams over the past few days. But they aren't normal dreams. Last night felt so real. But I can't remember anything from that dream. Elder, what could it mean?" May asked, a look of determination on her face. The elder stroked his beard, and finally set his pipe down.
"We both know that dreams could mean many things." May nodded her head. "But a reoccurring dream... those are different. Especially if you can't remember what it was about. My best guess is that something wants you to go somewhere. But we can't be sure..." He narrowed his eyes. "But maybe we can gain knowledge from another village." May looked up. Her eyes blinked with curiosity. He pulled out a map, and placed on the floor in front of him and May. He tapped his finger where their village was. "This is Kekusaan is... and here..." He moved his finger south. May's eyes followed. He tapped the location. "This is Leafde. They can help you." He looked up from the map. "But are you sure you can handle getting there? The journey is far and-"
"Elder. I am at the age of 16. No matter how treacherous the journey is, nothing will stop the unease in my heart." May's eyes were filled with passion. The elder smiled.
"Very well then." He rolled up the map, and gave it to May. She placed the map in the pocket of her belt, then waved goodbye to the elder. As he watched her figure disappear, he smiled to himself. She has grown up so much.
May returned to her home, and turned to her horse. She stroked its muzzle, before mounting it. She let it trot until they were out of the village. Then she made it run south, following the direction of the map.
After several days, May finally reached Leafde. It's heat beat down on her face, as she led her horse into the village, looking for water.
I hope you guys like this... thing. I got inspired by a song called "Find the Pieces". Please favorite and review.