"Sumia, look out!" Ben yelled out as an axe whizzed past her head. They kept running as fast as they could, but they couldn't get back to camp without running straight through a massive horde of Risen.
"Quick! This way!" Sumia yelled as she waved her hand toward a clearing in the wood. Ben swerved and started running in her wake. It was surprising to see her run so fast without tripping. She had stumbled once or twice, but Ben and her panicked state of mind helped her up quickly. Arrows flew past them, some lodging in trees, and some grazing the very hairs on their heads. They ran out of the forest to a giant chasm with only a small rickety bridge spanning the distance between them and a small clearing.
"Alright, we can get across the bridge, but they won't if they try to go all at once. If they get across safely, we'll be able to fight them one at a time." Ben yelled to Sumia as they crossed the bridge. They neared the end when suddenly, Sumia tripped and fell, knocking a few planks off the bridge. The impact also pulled on the rope railing rather tightly. Ben tried to pick her up, but she slipped on another plank and let it loose while one of the ropes broke free. Instantly, they were both dropped to the side of the bridge, barely staying in the air, with only the frayed rope to grip.
"Ben! Help!" Sumia shrieked. She was near hyperventilation.
"Stay calm, Sumia! Just do what I say." His words calmed her a little, but not quite enough. The Risen were reaching the edge of the forest and started contemplating how to reach their prey. "Alright, I'll grab your hand to make sure you don't fall. Slide the other one a foot or two over and then do the same with your other one." Ben put his left hand over Sumia's right. Sumia locked eyes with him for just a second before shakily following his instructions. She did this two or three times before reaching the end of the bridge.
Snap! Another rope gave out as a few Risen began walking across the intact first part of the bridge. "Ben! They're coming closer!" There was a sure panic in her voice.
"Alright, just grab the land with your hand and hoist yourself up! I'll come after you!" Sumia did have a little trouble, but she managed to get up. Ben quickly scrambled up. The Risen still ran across the broken bridge.
"They're not stopping!" Sumia shouted, clutching Ben in fear.
"It's okay," he said, just as the Risen in question were breaking the bridge off. "We don't have to worry about them anymore."
"How are we going to get back to camp?" Sumia asked.
"Well, they've probably started looking for us by now. Frederick wouldn't want to wait any longer than he had to to start a fire." This was a joke, since they had been out collecting firewood when they were ambushed. "In the meantime, we need to take care of whatever injuries we have. Did you get anything too bad?" Ben did a once-over of them both. They looked fine except, "Sumia! You have an arrow in your leg!" Ben was saying this in shock rather than trying to tell her since she obviously knew already.
"Hm? Oh, yeah." Sumia pulled the arrow out of her ankle with surprising nonchalance.
"But," Ben stammered, "How did you- why didn't you- are you okay!?"
A strange look crossed Sumia's face. She looked confused and curious. "But I-" she gasped, "Didn't anyone tell you?"
Ben was still shocked by her lack of pain and curious about what secret had been kept from him. "Tell me what?" In response, Sumia unstrapped her boots and started to pull them off. As she was doing this, Ben's face went pale and his mouth hung open. Sumia's leg looked normal at first, but as it was revealed, he saw that there was no foot beneath her ankle.
"But- How did you-"
"I was born without any feet. At first it was worse, but the doctor's have helped me and now it's easy enough to walk."
"So that's why you trip so much, and everyone seems to tolerate it."
Sumia blushed and covered her face with her hands. "Yes, I know I'm a burden to you all, but they just feel bad for me so they don't say anything." Perhaps Ben could've put it a little more delicately.
"Now Sumia, you know that's not what I meant."
"But it's true, isn't it?"
"…Well, it might be true if you had to work in hand-to-hand combat, but you trained that Pegasus, so you're anything but a burden now! You don't have to walk, and you can fight without ever getting tired!"
Sumia looked like she didn't believe him at first, but then reconsidered. "Do you… Really mean that Ben?"
"Of course I do! You're one of the strongest Shepherds!"
"Now I know you're lying," Sumia said.
"Sumia, you don't have to be modest. Sometimes you have to be disabled to be among the greatest people in the world. You have to be stronger that way. And you are one of the strongest people I know."
"Just because I don't have feet?"
"…No. I would've said the same thing an hour ago. You're one of the strongest people I know without a disability, so just imagine how strung you must be with one!"
"...Thank you Ben. Even if that's not true, it's good to hear."
"Any time, Sumia. But there's one more thing. Let's not keep saying you're disabled. That makes you sound unable to do something. And I know you can do anything. Let's call you… disadvantaged. Crippled, yet strong."
And it went down in history that she was not disabled, merely disadvantaged. And the man who had coined that phrase?
That was her loving husband, Ben.
Sup guys? I wasn't planning on making an author's note, but since I needed five more words to make 1k, I decided I may as well. SO, what did you think? Too weird? Not detailed enough? I've got an idea, maybe you should tell me! There's a little button down there that says review, so why don't you get off your lazy butts and write something? Please?