Sweat beaded her brow as she dodged the next strike, her hair plastered to the sides of her face and neck. The sword her opponent held whistled through the air again. She didn't bother crying out as the sharp blade cut her arm. She backed away, rolling herself out of harm's way and used the cherry tree to lever herself up and forward, her broadsword ready to strike. The strike landed, running through flesh and muscle to strike bone and the man cried out in pain as he went down. She removed a dagger from her belt and slit his throat.
Then there were seven of them upon her and she didn't stand a chance. Only so much training could have prepared her for the siege upon Alexandria castle. She managed to run one through and wound two others before she lost her weapon and was grabbed from behind. She struggled against the hold and very nearly managed to pull away when the leader's dagger appeared just before her eyes. The last thing she saw before it went dark was blood splattering across the sakura blossoms that were scattered upon the ground.
When she awoke, it was to the soft whisper of a white mage. She recognized the voice as belonging to Dante, a newly apprenticed mage to the castle. She tried to sit up, but a hand on her arm kept her down.
"Beatrix," Sergeant Steiner's voice.
"I can't see," she said, not wanting to fight with the younger man.
"You will never be able to see out of that eye, Colonel," Dante explained.
"The prince?" she asked, pushing Steiner's hand off of her shoulder and sitting up. She nearly fell over, but Steiner was there to catch her.
"He is unharmed," Steiner answered. "The wedding is being pushed back until tomorrow."
"And the assassins?"
"Several of your knights and I handled them," Steiner assured her.
Beatrix nodded, still feeling highly disoriented. She clung to Steiner and used him, and the hand he had placed on her lower back, to stand up.
"You'll not be able to fight with only one eye, Colonel," Dante said gently, almost hesitantly.
"Yes I will," Beatrix said sternly. "Sergeant, take me to the prince."