The Battle
1The Battle
The wind was blowing hard against my bare face. I shivered violently as I ran
along the Merlons of the castle. In my mind I played a little game. If I touched the
Embrasure I would die, I had to stay on the Merlons.
I ran as fast as I could with out losing my footing. I was close to the last Merlon. Nathan
was too close to run by. I stopped dead in my tracks. I froze staring out at the water in
front of me, if I fell I would die.
It was just about to break dawn. I could see the orange of the sun start to hit the
glass water.
I looked at Nathan in the eyes for a second intending to see what he felt; I stopped short
per usual as not to get lost in them. Nathan's eyes had little depth. They were blue ice cold
eyes. Dead, staring out in to nothing. I always hated them. I felt cold when I looked into their ice sheets.
I turned my eyes away from Nathan. My heart sank, which usually made me nervous and
sick. This time it made me think clearer. I stepped away from him swiftly avoiding the
hole behind me.
"Ok, Nathan. Just … I'm so sorry. I know I hurt you. I'm sorry." I whispered,
concentrating on my footing. I continued to walk slowly back. I knew Nathan was mad
and hurt but he wasn't stupid. He wasn't a killer. I paused, slightly shocked. Was he?
"Faith, Faith." Nathan taunted stepping closer to me. "Oh, don't be like that. Come. Come now. I'm sure you remember the times we spent together when we were little.
It was true I would never forget. It was nice when we were children. Playing and
laughing with no care in the world.
I wanted that so bad, now more than ever. I wanted to be close to Nathan as we were as
children. Brother and sister we were bound to have our disputes but this. This was too far.
Looking up into his eyes, I stumbled. I was going to loose my footing if I didn't watch
myself. My face was a mask of pure fear for a second, then my eyes filled with pleading
as they often did.
"I'm so sorry Nathan. Please don't do this. I know it's over. Just let me go …
I won't return. I promise."
Nathan smirked pleasurably at my weak stance. "You can't possibly think that I'm going
to let you live after the last time I saw you now do you?" Nathan smiled. I took a step
back slowly trying to get rid of my fear of hights. "Nathan" I ordered sternly.
Nathan took a fast step towards me; the distance between us was gone in an instant. I felt
panic flood my body like poison.
I took a deep breath as my mouth began to dry making it hard to breathe. Against my
hyperventilation this was severally unpleasant.
Nathan grabbed my left arm. His hand raping easily around it. His grip was hard,
I wanted to scream but I wouldn't give him the satisfaction.
A flash of silver in the shadows made it clear that Nathan had a sward on his person.
The silver lunged towards me. I felt a stab of pain as the sward sliced through my stomach.
My breath was lost with the impact and I struggled to breathe. The fear that came to me
was overwhelming. It smothered me to the point that I could hardly think of anything else.
I had a strong fear of not being able to breathe. It was the one thing that made me panic.
It was other than being helpless the greatest torture I could bear.
"Sorry" I choked coolly, as I struggled on my knees. The sward had made a
gruesome but clean cut. Even so, bright red blood spilled out onto my dress almost
invisible against the red velvet. My hands trembled grabbing, trying to stop the blood.
My hands were now stained red, as was the floor in front of me. I grunted heavily as my breath came back.
Placing my hands against the other Merlon I pulled myself to an awkward standing
position. I staggered over slightly noticing the prints of red where I had put my hands.
I faced Nathan sternly grimacing in pain, wincing with every move. Nathan took another
step towards me. Something hard lashed out into my chest. I fell backwards against the
wall. I heard a loud crunch as Nathan's hand hit me. I felt my ribs break. I hunched over
trying to stay intact. It was hard to see my vision now clouded with black dots.
All I could feel was pain. Every inch of my body was cut and or bruised. I could smell the
sulfur and rust sent of my blood. I cringed.
I felt another lash as the sward stroked again. I could feel cold wet blood oozing out of my arm. I fell, now covered in blood. I lied against the stone cold floor waiting to catch my breath. In another life I would have given up but I was not about to let him kill me, not even if he was my brother.
Nathan grabbed my arm pushing on the blood drenched cut. He lifted me till my back was against the brick wall.
"Bitches deserve to die" Nathan spat at me. He grabbed my neck releasing my arm. Nathan held me above the ground about to toss my lifeless body over the edge.
"Go to hell" I screamed in his face. I reached painfully behind me for the small dagger I had hidden in my turned up hair. I found the Hilt of the dagger and pulled it out of its case. The orange sun glittered off of the silver blade, casting a rainbow across my face.
I thrust the dagger as hard as I could. I heard a slice as Nathan dropped. His body fell limp to the ground making a sickening crunch as he lay in a heap.
The blade had sliced clean through Nathan's neck. A large ball of hair rolled out of eye site and down the Embrasure. I had fallen on my hands and knees from Nathan's grasp and was know crouched against the wall of the Merlon.
I grunted bringing myself to my knees. I tore two long piece of red velvet from the under layer of my dress. I took the thinner strand and tied it tightly around the red open cut on my right arm. I took the strands in my fingers noting them tightly in place putting an uncanny amount of pressure on it to stop the bleeding. I took the larger piece and did the same across my stomach, tying it tighter than the first.
I pushed myself off of my knees hoping to gain some balance for the walk back across the Merlon.
I stud against the wall keeping at least one hand on it the whole time.
Once I finished getting to the other side where I found the door I had come in, I wrenched it open. I ran as fast as my legs and lungs would allow down the winding staircase. I reached the bottom after an impossibly long time and started down the servants' corridor. I slipped unnoticed out side.
As soon as the sounds of swords on swords reached my ears I spilled into the most deserted area possible on a battlefield.
I could only see the backs of the men at arms, and solders as they fought.
A man I had know since I was little as Acklely ran into the fight charging forcefully towards a tall dark man. Acklely instantly fell to the ground blood pooling around his head. I ran to his lifeless body. He was dead.
I looked up at the person who had killed this innocent old man. My eyes filled with hate as I painfully stabbed my sward into the man's left leg. He fell hard as a rock onto one knee.