My vison blurs with tears as I make my way in the direction of the accommodation wing of the castle. I try to ignore the stabbing pain in my heart at the thought of the archer who had moments ago caused me great heartbreak.

As I near the armoury, I almost run straight into Wynonna. My sister is currently in the front of her men, leading them to the front gates of Purgatory to face the coming foe. Upon seeing my face, Wynonna immediately halts and places her hand gently on my shoulder.

"What's wrong, Baby girl?" She asks gently, her voice full of genuine concern.

"I…Nicole..she…she.." I try, but the words won't come. My bleeding heart seems to have stopped my ability to speak properly. Wynonna's gives me a deeply worried look before turning to one of the men who I recognize as the guard who had stopped us at the gate when we first came to Purgatory. "Freddie, go ahead and get the men set up on the perimeter. Deploy the defense strategy as discussed. I'll be right there."

Freddie listens to her instructions intently and nods before taking charge of the guards, leading them in a hurried march towards the front gates.

Wynonna then turns back to me, her face carrying a soft expression. Her gentle blue eyes welcome me to tell her everything in my heart. "What did Nicole do?"

She asks the question with such caution, like she knows exactly how significant Nicole is to me and the potential damage she can cause to my heart. I take a deep breath and wipe away some stray tears from my cheek. "The men approaching Purgatory, they…they are her mother's men."

At my words Wynonna's eyes widen as she looks in the direction of the town gates. "Shit. That's not good." She says while gritting her teeth.

"Nope. It's really bad Wyn. And Nicole is going to go into battle to try and stop her. Willingly. She is willing to put her life on the line in the hopes that her mother would stop the fight if she sees her daughter. I don't understand why she would do this when we only just…" Instead of completing my sentence, I let out another sniffle as fresh tears build up in the corners of my eyes.

Wynonna lets out a sigh before reaching out and squeezing my arm. "Listen, Baby girl. Nicole and I are very much alike. We are both born protectors. It's part of what makes us who we are. So, if a situation arises where we need to do anything in our power to protect others or to stop a tragedy from happening, then we are going to take it on. It's not really a choice. Don't blame Nicole, she is only doing what she needs to, for the greater good."

I release a frustrated sigh, realising that Wynonna was right. "But she could get hurt severely or…or die!" I say, my voice wrought with anguish and exasperation.

"She could. But that's a risk people like us have to take if it means there's any chance for us to save someone else." She tells me in a firm voice but then she softens, her voice taking on a much more sombre tone. "It's never an easy choice. And a lot of the times, we…we still lose people despite everything."

I realize she must be thinking of Dolls. Her words shock me into silence, making me finally consider that perhaps I was wrong. I mull the words over in my head, thinking about Nicole and every time I had seen her save another person. How she always looked like she had succeeded in her purpose on this earth when another person was safe from another evil person.

Nicole was a saviour, so was Wynonna. She did not necessarily want to do this, but she felt she needed to. And ironically, I was the one who had told her how much of a difference she makes, saving and helping others. My newly revealed feelings for Nicole have just made me selfish, made me want to keep Nicole all to myself. And that was wrong. It was her selfless nature which had been the reason for me falling in love with her in the first place. And it was her selfless nature which could save both Purgatory and Monument.

Wynonna must pick up on the revelation going on in my mind somehow, because she gives a rueful smile. "Do you understand now?" She asks softly.

I nod slowly. "I think so, yes."

I remember the last words I had said to Nicole before I left her to head to the battle and fear grips my heart. I release a gasp filled with anguish, raising my hand to my mouth from the feeling of wanting to vomit.

Wynonna hurriedly moves to embrace me, running her hand over my back in an attempt to comfort. "Waves, what is it?"

"Oh Wynonna…my last words to her…I told her she should go and be an idiot hero if she wants, that she was always going to choose other people above me. What if those were the last words she hears from me and I never get the chance to make it right?" Sobs start wracking my body as I speak, causing Wynonna to holds onto me even tighter.

"Waves, that woman is crazy in love with you. She knows your heart, knows that you love her back. So don't sweat it."

"No! I need to go find her and make it right." I say, making a move to break from Wynonna's grip and run back towards the tower where I had left Nicole. But as I turn, a loud bang resounds through all of Purgatory. Wynonna and I both follow the source of the sound towards the front gates. I watch as Wynonna's jaw tightens. "They are here." She turns back to me briefly. "Waves, I need to go. And I need you to find safety right now."

I remember that we have not yet gathered the townspeople and that we probably had a very short time frame left to do so. So in my mind I make peace with the fact that I may not see Nicole ahead of the battle. I was just going to have to trust that she was going to make it through. Someone had to get the townspeople to safety, and Nicole trusts me to do it.

I grab Wynonna's arm as she goes to leave. "Please tell her I am sorry and…please will you…?" Wynonna gives me another small smile and nod. "I'll have her back the whole way, Baby girl. I promise. And you can tell her yourself when this is all over." I nod at her gratefully and watch as my sister rushes off to face the enemy.

"Be safe. Both of you." I pray softly beneath my breath before running as fast as my feet can carry me towards the rooms to gather Mercedes, Kate and the others to help get the townspeople to safety.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

It's been twenty minutes since I left Wynonna. The booming sound has been continuously getting louder and louder. Jeremy explained that it was from the enemy soldiers banging a wooden beam constantly against Purgatory's gates in an attempt to break through.

I initially had a lot of hope that it would stop, that the Purgatory soldiers would have made quick work of the Countess's men before they even managed to get within Purgatory's walls. But every time I chanced a look towards the parapets where Purgatory's best archers were doing their utmost to protect their town from the threat, I would be met with the sight of more and more arrows coming from the other side of the wall. The arrows were pelting down on the Purgatorian warriors like non-stop rain during a hurricane.

With every round they would take out more of Wynonna's men, flooding the town with bodies. The anguished cries of brave men losing their lives would probably haunt my dreams forever. I prayed every second that Nicole was not among them, my heart feeling like it would seize at the mere thought.

To distract myself from these horrible thoughts, I focused all my energy on getting the townspeople into the bunker beneath the castle. Kate and Rosita were responsible for evacuating the Western parts of town, Mercedes and Beth the Eastern parts and Jeremy and I the town centre. We worked swiftly and efficiently. Like a well-oiled machine we took turns in our duos to gather people from the town and lead them to the safety of the bunker.

I am presently guiding a woman and her teenage son into the already overcrowded underground hollow, telling them to make themselves comfortable. Jack comes to greet the newcomers, ever the calming presence to everyone in the bunker. I long to sit down, my limbs burning from the continued strain they experience from my constant trip between the town and the bunker, trafficking living bodies from danger to safety. But I have a responsibility for these people, so I resist the urge and exit the door once more.

As I make my way across the castle drawbridge for what feels like the millionth time, I almost run into Kate. The fortune teller is in the process of herding an elderly couple, trying her best to speed their slow gate to safety. Beth follows behind them with a dog in her arms and a young girl on her back who seemed to have sprained her ankle somehow.

"Are there still many left?" I ask them, my breaths coming out ragged.

"I didn't see any more townsfolk after these two. I think that was it." Kate informs me. But my gut tells me to go down and do a final check. "We need to be sure." I say before once again running in the direction of the now mostly abandoned houses. I make sure to throw my eyes behind every nook and cranny as I go, trying to ensure that no average Joe gets left behind to be collateral damage.

Finally satisfied that the town was now successfully evacuated, I chance a look towards the gate, hoping to spot a certain red headed archer alive and well. I squint at the remaining archers on the parapets and the many sworded guards standing on the ground, but they all look the damn same in their armour.

I don't dare look at the myriad of bodies of archers already strewn on the ground. "She is okay, she is okay, she is okay." I repeat the mantra underneath my breath as if it were a prayer that will ensure Nicole would be brought back to me safely.

With one last look towards the gates, I release a sigh and start turning to head back towards the bunker. My feet freeze in place when another much louder bang resounds throughout the town walls suddenly.

I watch in complete horror as the gates fly open from the impact and a stream of the enemy's men start peeling in like angry termites swarming to take over everything in their way.

The worst part? The number of men entering the gates seem to never end. The sound of clanging weapons jars my ears as the enemy soldiers start engaging with Purgatory's meagre defence force, easily overpowering them by sheer number alone.

I manage to spot Wynonna near the centre of the battle, engaging a brute twice her size. She looks fearless, wielding Peacemaker like it were an extension of her arm. I watch in relief as her blade finds home in the soft flesh beneath the brute's armpit. His agonized scream mixes with the cacophony of pain and death of other men losing the battle. The terrible sounds overwhelm my ears and I lift my hands to stop myself from having to hear them as tears flow freely down my cheeks.

I feel frozen solid in place, numbed by the needless destruction in front of my eyes. I think I hear someone shouting my name from behind me, but the sound seems dulled as if I were underwater. I ignore it and force myself to look back towards the chaos, unable to allow myself peace when there were people losing their lives right in front of me.

Then something catches my eye, something that does not belong in the midst of a war. A blonde-haired boy of about 4 years old stands outside one of the houses observing the battle. He releases a distraught cry, clearly unable to comprehend what his young eyes were witnessing.

My fear and doubt immediately fade to nothing as adrenaline kicks in. I start moving my legs, shaking myself from my numbed state as I hurry in the direction of the boy.

With no regard for my own life, I run towards the boy, dodging fighting men as best I could. All I knew was I needed to reach him and fast. I duck into the safety of an alley behind a house, jumping over the wall that separates the back yard of the house from its neighbour. I spot the back of the building where I saw the boy and hurriedly round the corner, grabbing him from behind and picking him up.

He releases a scream at my action, clearly terrified that I was one of the mean men that had come to do him harm. "Shhh, it's okay. I am going to take you to safety, okay?" I tell him gently, trying my best to sound calm and kind despite the turmoil and terror gripping my heart. Luckily it works and he seems to calm down, gripping onto me for dear life.

I run as fast as I can back in the direction of the castle. Nearly there, nearly there! The sound of clanging metal and screams of men facing their death starts to get louder and closer behind me, the enemy clearly having the upper hand.

As I round the corner, an arrow lands 3 inches to my left. I am unable to stop the frightened shout from leaving my throat. After my split second of initial shock, I force my legs to move and continue my frantic run towards the castle.

To my great relief Jeremy appears in front of me just ahead of the draw bridge, beckoning me to hand over the boy. I gratefully deposit the youth into my best friend's hands, who would get him to safety much quicker than my now completely exhausted body would.

I watch as Jeremy swiftly runs to the bunker and my heart is consumed with relief. As I slow down slightly to watch their retreat, my vison starts to swim and my feet feel heavy. It seems the adrenaline was starting to wear off.

To my surprise I hear my name being called from somewhere behind me, the voice familiar and warm. The voice sounds like home and I smile in relief, knowing who it belonged to. So, although I feel drunk from fatigue, I turn around with hope in my heart.

However, instead of Nicole, I find a huge war horse rearing up in front of me. My heart seizes in fear when I recognize its rider. Bobo del Rey smiles menacingly at me before swinging his sword. Then everything goes black.