"..A fairies child, her hair was long,
her foot was light, and her eyes were wild"
- J.Keats
Chapter 4
Her left arm froze with pain due to the arrow lodged in her lower tricep, and Nevada nearly doubled over. Blood immediately began seeping out, leaving trails of it on the dirt as she turned wildly to find the monster that did this to her, gritting her teeth to keep from crying out at the agony that it caused. She watched them come out at her from the trees, bellowing and waving their swords and thatchets menacingly in her direction.
Over two dozen of them.
"This is the last thing I need!" she said desperately. With a growl, she took out her sword with her right hand, leaving her left arm for useless until she could get the arrow out. Bracing herself against the pain and fearing the worst, she jumped at them with a great yell, and the killing started.
It was hell. Her left arm screamed at her in agony every time it was jarred or hit, and the arrow lodged in her flesh didn't help the matter. If she pulled it out herself, she would do more harm than good; ripping muscles and tearing flesh was something Nevada did not need.
So she fought to the best of her ability, slaying an endless amount of them as they kept coming. Snarling, grungy Orcs that seemed to come gift wrapped from hell just to slow up her trip and make everything harder. Her sword fairly whistled in the air as it came down again and again, spilling more dark blood and killing more creatures.
But there were too many of them. Nevada knew she could have taken them all if she could use both of her arms, but that wasn't the case. The torture she felt in her left arm could vouch for that. They were ganging up on her, slowly. For every one Orc she killed, three seemed to take his place. She was getting desparate - fighting this long with only one arm didn't sit well with her. And the Orcs didn't care how tired she was getting. 'How am I going to get out of this one? With the way my arm's looking, I'm not going to last much longer!'
Something whizzed by Nevada's head, and her eyes went wide as the Orc in front of her mysteriously screamed and fell from a blue feathered arrow lodged in his forehead.Where had that come from? She slowed her fighting as a flash of brown and white passed her. 'Could it really be...?' She turned to see the figure of a lithe, battle ready Faerie hop lightly off her horse and join in the fray.
"Liana?"
The Faerie in question fought her way next to Nevada, giving a quick smile before turning back to the task at hand."Need some help?"
"Does it look like it?"
"Ouch, that hurts." The lighter haired princess laughed quickly before attacking the monsters with a vengeance."You're the only person I know who would take on a score of Orcs with one arm and one sword." Her narrowed gaze seethed with an annoyance that came from someone who cared."You bloody fool."
"Shut up, Liana. You're the only one I know who'll show up randomly to save someone's ass. I'm going to spend the rest of the day wondering where the hell you came from."
"You're not just someone," Liana said firmly, ignoring the last remark. Nevada smiled fondly, then shook her head and decided to leave it at that until they finished the job. She was just thankful her best friend showed up at the right time, let alone even showed up at all.
Their conversation ceased as both concentrated on slaying the rest of the Orcs. Their dying screams scorched the early evening air at the faeries' expense; it was hard to match their expertise. Each one alone was an excellent warrior, but together, they were a force to be reckoned with. The new Faerie fought with fierce determination, her expression losing its former good humor to turn grim and solemn. She fought as ruthlessly as Nevada, never pausing from killing one Orc to another until the numbers started to diminish under their joint effort.
Nevada killed the last one with a quick slash of her sword.
With nothing but the smell of dead Orcs left in the air, they stopped to face each other, chests heaving. Nevada was still amazed her friend made it there to help her, but there she was, and it looked like she'd had a tough time, as well. Bruises, cuts, and blood colored her long, dirty blonde hair, and the hand that gripped the sword was bloody.
"You look like hell."
Liana silently studied her best friend of over two thousand years. She looked beat; her long hair was messy, blood streaked thinly across her face, not to mention the countless dark bruises, and of course, the arrow in her arm."Not half as much as you do."
" You're not too keen on compliments, are you?"
Liana cocked her head to the side."Not really. So where's my thank you?"
Nevada's grin was slow, but lit up her face."What makes you think you should get one?"
The girl laughed, making Nevada want to laugh, too. Liana was blessed with one of those laughs and those smiles that made a body want to smile and laugh right back. Apparently her friend's good humor couldn't be doused for long, since she was right back to her cheery self in a matter of seconds; despite all the dead orcs at their feet. Or maybe it was because of it.
"I didn't have to save you, commander."
"You know you love me, 'princess,'" Nev mocked, sheathing her sword.
"It's more like an obligation. It wouldn't look very well if I let a commander die in battle - I might get kicked out of leadership, and who would hire me after that? I'd be out of a job."
Liana smiled at Nevada's answering laugh as she walked away to retrieve her horse, a beautiful white mare named Sterling. The mare had waited patiently off to the side during the fighting, and as a reward Liana pulled out a shiny red apple for her to munch on, chuckling at the horse's prance of delight. The animal followed her mistress obediently, clopping through the dirt until they both reached Nevada again.
They were so relieved the other was ok, the girls hugged when they reached other. When Nevada winced in pain, Liana pulled back in alarm.
Her tiger-like golden eyes narrowed on Nevada's arm, and the arrow going through it. She sheathed her sword and gripped Nevada lightly on her uninjured arm."Come here."
"You're going to pull it out, aren't you?"
Liana raised an eyebrow, giving her friend an 'I-didn't-think-you-were-that-dumb' look, but Nevada failed to see the humor in it. Any other time she would have laughed at Liana's exasperation, but the pain was becoming consuming. Fighting on it for a quarter of an hour didn't help the searing agony she felt, either. With an inward sigh, she nodded, knowing it was inevitable; she couldn't pull the arrow out herself.
Liana beckoned her to sit on a rock near Arabia and Sterling, who were socializing with each other in a language unknown most of the peoples of Middle Earth. Nevada turned slightly to let Liana get a good grip on her arm. The arrow had gone clear through the side of her upper arm, caked with dried blood and dirt. The princess of Ciel took out her dagger and got a firm grip on the arrow, trying to ignore her friend's slight cringe."Do you want something for the pain?" she asked quietly.
"No, just get it over with," Nevada said quickly. Liana nodded and swiftly sliced off the arrow tip with her dagger.
"Do you have a rag of some sort?" Liana asked. Nevada nodded in pain, and pointed to the pack hanging from Arabia's saddle. She retrieved it quickly, and placed it around the arrow carefully. With an expertise that came from centuries of experience, she cleanly slid the arrow out, ignoring Nevada's strangled noise of pain. She held the rag firm to stop the flow of blood, and transfered it to Nevada's hand."Hold it tightly so you don't lose blood," she offered."Let me get some bandages."
When the pain was more bearable, Nevada shifted to get more comfortable and watched Liana get what she needed. She asked her the question that had been nagging her since the princesses' arrival."How did you find me?"
Liana didn't supply an answer until she sat back down. She had grabbed some herbs from Sterling's pack, and some water from the nearby river. Pausing to look Nevada in the eye, she said,"We had just finished defending the southern border of Charon, which was a success, and my troops and I were heading northwest back home. I ran into a Charon messenger, who mentioned that you had already left. I wanted to speak with you, so I branched off and into the direction he said you had gone. It wasn't long before the forest went quiet and I heard the Ringwraith's screams. I knew you had to be near, since you seem to attract problems wherever you are," she commented in a dry tone, to which Nevada snorted,"so I made haste in the direction of the sound."
"I've never heard anything so foul. It felt like my eardrums were going to explode. Then they left, and just when I thought the nightmare was over, the Orcs came."
"They?"
"There were two Ringwraiths."
Liana's eyes widened."Really!"
Nevada nodded and closed her eyes as Liana started to bandage the fresh wound."It baffles me as to why they came after me." Yet another question burning in the back of her mind."I thought they were trained to go after the One Ring."
"I did, too. They must have gotten sidetracked... I really don't know. You might have just been at the wrong place during the wrong time. A lone Faerie looks to be an easy target for them."
Nevada frowned."But that doesn't explain why they left so quickly. Their horses reared, and before I knew it, they had taken off."
Liana finished tying the band around Nev's arm. "Maybe they were called away. Or -"
It dawned on Nevada."They sensed the Ring." The two looked solemnly at each other for a long moment.
"That could mean a lot of things," Liana sighed tiredly. The other nodded in agreement, and the lighter haired Faerie paused for a moment, then seemed to remember something."Oh! Here." She picked up the small bottle of herbs, and dug out a cup from the bag she brought with. Pouring the water in it, she pulled out some herbs and used her fingers to crush them into the mix. She handed it to Nevada."Drink this. It's for the pain."
The warrior nodded thankfully, drinking deep. It tasted like mint and jasmine. The pain subsided almost immediately, but it was still there-still stinging."Hooded bastards," she muttered. She flexed her arm slightly, and bared her teeth."This won't heal easy."
"No, probably not. Not after fighting on it, which couldn't be helped."
"I have to ride to Deimos." Nevada closed her eyes in rememberance of what she had originially set out to do."I assume you've heard the news, too?"
Liana nodded, worry creasing her brow."Yes, I heard." She shared Nevada's pain, but knew her friend's was ten times worse. Valar knew what state that country was in." There is nothing I can say that will make it better." She looked at Nevada's bowed head, hunched over her drink. Brushing a strand of dirty blonde hair away from her face, she stared regretfully, sadness wrapping around her heart. 'We had no idea it would be like this. The attack was so sudden, and Princess Rees is more than likely dead...How is her first commander going to deal with that? And how did those Orcs get so damn smart? No Orc could have thought up a plan like that. Would Sauron really focus his attention on us? We don't even have the Ring!'
"Stop thinking, you're giving me a headache."
Jarred from her thoughts, Liana lifted her head to meet Nevada's slightly amused gaze. She seemed okay with all that was going on, but Liana knew it was a cover up for the grief lurking in the corner's of her comrade's dark purple eyes."Finished with the tea?"
Nevada nodded, downing the last of it and standing up. The pain had slowed to a dull ache, and she was confident she could ride with it."Thank you, Liana. I appreciate your services."
She stumbled back in mock surprise, clutching her heart and widening her golden eyes." Did you just thank me for my 'services'? Valar, I feel so honored! Really, I am so humbled and touched that you thought of me, I mean I only saved your happy ass from being killed by almost thirty Orcs and then fixed your arm, but then again, I do it all the time-" she stopped, laughing when Nevada shoved her to the side and mounted her horse.
"Yeah, laugh it up, Liana." Nevada couldn't help a chuckle. Since she couldn't escape her friend's humor, she might as well enjoy it."You know what I meant."
"Yes, just learn to control your temper next time." Liana's smile faded into a look of seriousness. She stared up at Nevada for a moment."We need to meet up later. Take all the time you need at home, but meet me afterwards."
"We can meet with Alexia. She took two wounded down to the healer's in Charon. Her name is Ruth."
"I know where that is. There is a lot we need to talk about. And hey," she stopped Nevada for a moment, a sad smile gracing her face."Be careful. Don't do anything stupid. Stay off the arm."
"Yes, mother."
"Oh, please. Someone has to make sure you don't get yourself killed over something incredibly stupid, like trying to take on thirty Orcs with a bad arm."
"Will you leave it alone? The next time you get caught in those kind of circumstances, I'm never going to let you live it down."
They smiled at each other fondly, instead of saying goodbye. During times of war, it was too painful to say goodbye.
Without another word, Nevada smacked Arabia's flack, and Liana watched her ride towards Deimos in the failing light.
"Valar be with you, Nev," her friend said sadly.
The silence was so loud.
A quiet wind flowed over the broken trees, around the dead bodies. So many dead bodies. So much blood...It was hard to tell who was a civilian, a faerie, and who was an orc. The horrible sight of a mother clutching her child in death, the orc that had done the deed long since gone.
They had no warning.
She found herself far away from Arabia, closer to the palace. Dumbfounded, Nevada looked at her feet. She had hardly felt her legs move, how did she get this far? The warrior peered up at the palace, and knew there was no one in it. Her princess was dead...so was everyone else. Everyone was gone, she felt that, too.
The marble steps leading up to the palace doors were cracked, and she was careful to avoid the deep cracks as she walked halfway up them. The pillars on either side of the building has been cracked practically in half, and the guards at the door were slumped in a sitting position...almost as if they were sleeping.
The doors of the palace were wide open, and no one who drew breath was inside.
'It's so quiet...' All she could hear was her own breathing. She climbed back down the steps and stared out at the burnt landscape. The Orcs had all gone after their duty was done, leaving a barren wasteland. The quiet was shattered by the clopping of horse hooves, which stopped when Arabia reached Nevada.
More sounds. The crackling of a small fire in the shrubs nearby...
And a scream. Oh, it was horrible. Nevada wanted to cover her ears, claw at them to escape the awful sound being made. Whose was that? Nevada thought in confusion. What being could make that terrible sound?
She had reached home twenty minutes ago, and hadn't moved from the bottom of the stairs in over twenty minutes. Arabia pawed the ground and nudged her mistress numerous times, but she couldn't respond. She was numb.
That sound again...That screaming. It sounded so close...so filled with pain. Grief.
Wait. That was her own scream.
Nevada's knees buckled, and she wept.
Liana stared at the food sitting on the rock in front of her, and found her appetite had fled her. Mutely, she pushed the food toward her horse, who happily reached over and dug in noisily. She just couldn't stomach food at the moment.
Instead, she stood up slowly and began pacing, worry and anger the predominant emotions running through her mind. She dreaded what Nevada would find, and found herself angry at the same time. She felt just as misled as the others over the attack on Charon. They had attacked the borders so fiercely that Charon had called for her and her army's aid a few weeks ago. Her and her troops had spent the next three weeks doggedly fighting off the Orcs' advances into the country, driving them back out to where they belonged. Charon was unfortunate enough to be the closest Faerie country to the northeastern borders of Mordor, and everyone had obviously assumed that was the reason they had been attacked.
But they had been wrong. It seemed like a coincidence when Princess Tatyana's commander died in battle. Her second in command had already fell wounded, and in desperation, Tatyana called for Nevada's help, since Deimos was the closest country. She had come, and in her absence, Deimos was attacked.
Obviously it had been a setup. But why Deimos?
Liana stopped pacing. Of course Deimos. It was further towards the heart of the Faerie Kingdom. Had they known they would lose the fight for Charon? If word hadn't gotten out so quickly about the attack on Deimos and put everyone on their guard, would they have tried to push into the northern borders of Charon from Deimos and trap everyone within?
It was a logical plan, and that was what chilled Liana. They were getting smarter, mot stealthy in their attacks, and it set her on edge. The way the enemy had been attacking Lo, Triton, and now Charon over the years was unnerving, and this new attack on Deimos was downright alarming.
Liana shifted her gaze from the ground to the eyes of her horse, who looked back at her with dark eyes."Almost as if they're trying to take over," she said softly to herself. Ludicrous. They couldn't overtake the entire Kingdom - they had fought againt Mordor for thousands of years, and no amount of evil could force them out or take them over.
Nevertheless...Liana pressed two fingers to the bridge of her nose. Her body was fatigued with continuous fighting, and her mind was filled with concerned. She had a bad feeling about the attack on Deimos, and it gnawed at her stomach that Nevada was going back alone. The Orcs had most likely fled, but there were always stragglers. Liana lifted a hand and placed it on the side of Sterling's head, briefly leaning her forehead against the horse's warm fur." I am so worried about her," she admitted."She's strong, but not that strong. I hope she'll make it back here safely."
She was quick to gather her things and mount Sterling, deciding to not waste any more time. She coaxed her mare into a canter in the direction of the healers and prepared to wait for the arrival of Nevada again.
her foot was light, and her eyes were wild"
- J.Keats
Chapter 4
Her left arm froze with pain due to the arrow lodged in her lower tricep, and Nevada nearly doubled over. Blood immediately began seeping out, leaving trails of it on the dirt as she turned wildly to find the monster that did this to her, gritting her teeth to keep from crying out at the agony that it caused. She watched them come out at her from the trees, bellowing and waving their swords and thatchets menacingly in her direction.
Over two dozen of them.
"This is the last thing I need!" she said desperately. With a growl, she took out her sword with her right hand, leaving her left arm for useless until she could get the arrow out. Bracing herself against the pain and fearing the worst, she jumped at them with a great yell, and the killing started.
It was hell. Her left arm screamed at her in agony every time it was jarred or hit, and the arrow lodged in her flesh didn't help the matter. If she pulled it out herself, she would do more harm than good; ripping muscles and tearing flesh was something Nevada did not need.
So she fought to the best of her ability, slaying an endless amount of them as they kept coming. Snarling, grungy Orcs that seemed to come gift wrapped from hell just to slow up her trip and make everything harder. Her sword fairly whistled in the air as it came down again and again, spilling more dark blood and killing more creatures.
But there were too many of them. Nevada knew she could have taken them all if she could use both of her arms, but that wasn't the case. The torture she felt in her left arm could vouch for that. They were ganging up on her, slowly. For every one Orc she killed, three seemed to take his place. She was getting desparate - fighting this long with only one arm didn't sit well with her. And the Orcs didn't care how tired she was getting. 'How am I going to get out of this one? With the way my arm's looking, I'm not going to last much longer!'
Something whizzed by Nevada's head, and her eyes went wide as the Orc in front of her mysteriously screamed and fell from a blue feathered arrow lodged in his forehead.Where had that come from? She slowed her fighting as a flash of brown and white passed her. 'Could it really be...?' She turned to see the figure of a lithe, battle ready Faerie hop lightly off her horse and join in the fray.
"Liana?"
The Faerie in question fought her way next to Nevada, giving a quick smile before turning back to the task at hand."Need some help?"
"Does it look like it?"
"Ouch, that hurts." The lighter haired princess laughed quickly before attacking the monsters with a vengeance."You're the only person I know who would take on a score of Orcs with one arm and one sword." Her narrowed gaze seethed with an annoyance that came from someone who cared."You bloody fool."
"Shut up, Liana. You're the only one I know who'll show up randomly to save someone's ass. I'm going to spend the rest of the day wondering where the hell you came from."
"You're not just someone," Liana said firmly, ignoring the last remark. Nevada smiled fondly, then shook her head and decided to leave it at that until they finished the job. She was just thankful her best friend showed up at the right time, let alone even showed up at all.
Their conversation ceased as both concentrated on slaying the rest of the Orcs. Their dying screams scorched the early evening air at the faeries' expense; it was hard to match their expertise. Each one alone was an excellent warrior, but together, they were a force to be reckoned with. The new Faerie fought with fierce determination, her expression losing its former good humor to turn grim and solemn. She fought as ruthlessly as Nevada, never pausing from killing one Orc to another until the numbers started to diminish under their joint effort.
Nevada killed the last one with a quick slash of her sword.
With nothing but the smell of dead Orcs left in the air, they stopped to face each other, chests heaving. Nevada was still amazed her friend made it there to help her, but there she was, and it looked like she'd had a tough time, as well. Bruises, cuts, and blood colored her long, dirty blonde hair, and the hand that gripped the sword was bloody.
"You look like hell."
Liana silently studied her best friend of over two thousand years. She looked beat; her long hair was messy, blood streaked thinly across her face, not to mention the countless dark bruises, and of course, the arrow in her arm."Not half as much as you do."
" You're not too keen on compliments, are you?"
Liana cocked her head to the side."Not really. So where's my thank you?"
Nevada's grin was slow, but lit up her face."What makes you think you should get one?"
The girl laughed, making Nevada want to laugh, too. Liana was blessed with one of those laughs and those smiles that made a body want to smile and laugh right back. Apparently her friend's good humor couldn't be doused for long, since she was right back to her cheery self in a matter of seconds; despite all the dead orcs at their feet. Or maybe it was because of it.
"I didn't have to save you, commander."
"You know you love me, 'princess,'" Nev mocked, sheathing her sword.
"It's more like an obligation. It wouldn't look very well if I let a commander die in battle - I might get kicked out of leadership, and who would hire me after that? I'd be out of a job."
Liana smiled at Nevada's answering laugh as she walked away to retrieve her horse, a beautiful white mare named Sterling. The mare had waited patiently off to the side during the fighting, and as a reward Liana pulled out a shiny red apple for her to munch on, chuckling at the horse's prance of delight. The animal followed her mistress obediently, clopping through the dirt until they both reached Nevada again.
They were so relieved the other was ok, the girls hugged when they reached other. When Nevada winced in pain, Liana pulled back in alarm.
Her tiger-like golden eyes narrowed on Nevada's arm, and the arrow going through it. She sheathed her sword and gripped Nevada lightly on her uninjured arm."Come here."
"You're going to pull it out, aren't you?"
Liana raised an eyebrow, giving her friend an 'I-didn't-think-you-were-that-dumb' look, but Nevada failed to see the humor in it. Any other time she would have laughed at Liana's exasperation, but the pain was becoming consuming. Fighting on it for a quarter of an hour didn't help the searing agony she felt, either. With an inward sigh, she nodded, knowing it was inevitable; she couldn't pull the arrow out herself.
Liana beckoned her to sit on a rock near Arabia and Sterling, who were socializing with each other in a language unknown most of the peoples of Middle Earth. Nevada turned slightly to let Liana get a good grip on her arm. The arrow had gone clear through the side of her upper arm, caked with dried blood and dirt. The princess of Ciel took out her dagger and got a firm grip on the arrow, trying to ignore her friend's slight cringe."Do you want something for the pain?" she asked quietly.
"No, just get it over with," Nevada said quickly. Liana nodded and swiftly sliced off the arrow tip with her dagger.
"Do you have a rag of some sort?" Liana asked. Nevada nodded in pain, and pointed to the pack hanging from Arabia's saddle. She retrieved it quickly, and placed it around the arrow carefully. With an expertise that came from centuries of experience, she cleanly slid the arrow out, ignoring Nevada's strangled noise of pain. She held the rag firm to stop the flow of blood, and transfered it to Nevada's hand."Hold it tightly so you don't lose blood," she offered."Let me get some bandages."
When the pain was more bearable, Nevada shifted to get more comfortable and watched Liana get what she needed. She asked her the question that had been nagging her since the princesses' arrival."How did you find me?"
Liana didn't supply an answer until she sat back down. She had grabbed some herbs from Sterling's pack, and some water from the nearby river. Pausing to look Nevada in the eye, she said,"We had just finished defending the southern border of Charon, which was a success, and my troops and I were heading northwest back home. I ran into a Charon messenger, who mentioned that you had already left. I wanted to speak with you, so I branched off and into the direction he said you had gone. It wasn't long before the forest went quiet and I heard the Ringwraith's screams. I knew you had to be near, since you seem to attract problems wherever you are," she commented in a dry tone, to which Nevada snorted,"so I made haste in the direction of the sound."
"I've never heard anything so foul. It felt like my eardrums were going to explode. Then they left, and just when I thought the nightmare was over, the Orcs came."
"They?"
"There were two Ringwraiths."
Liana's eyes widened."Really!"
Nevada nodded and closed her eyes as Liana started to bandage the fresh wound."It baffles me as to why they came after me." Yet another question burning in the back of her mind."I thought they were trained to go after the One Ring."
"I did, too. They must have gotten sidetracked... I really don't know. You might have just been at the wrong place during the wrong time. A lone Faerie looks to be an easy target for them."
Nevada frowned."But that doesn't explain why they left so quickly. Their horses reared, and before I knew it, they had taken off."
Liana finished tying the band around Nev's arm. "Maybe they were called away. Or -"
It dawned on Nevada."They sensed the Ring." The two looked solemnly at each other for a long moment.
"That could mean a lot of things," Liana sighed tiredly. The other nodded in agreement, and the lighter haired Faerie paused for a moment, then seemed to remember something."Oh! Here." She picked up the small bottle of herbs, and dug out a cup from the bag she brought with. Pouring the water in it, she pulled out some herbs and used her fingers to crush them into the mix. She handed it to Nevada."Drink this. It's for the pain."
The warrior nodded thankfully, drinking deep. It tasted like mint and jasmine. The pain subsided almost immediately, but it was still there-still stinging."Hooded bastards," she muttered. She flexed her arm slightly, and bared her teeth."This won't heal easy."
"No, probably not. Not after fighting on it, which couldn't be helped."
"I have to ride to Deimos." Nevada closed her eyes in rememberance of what she had originially set out to do."I assume you've heard the news, too?"
Liana nodded, worry creasing her brow."Yes, I heard." She shared Nevada's pain, but knew her friend's was ten times worse. Valar knew what state that country was in." There is nothing I can say that will make it better." She looked at Nevada's bowed head, hunched over her drink. Brushing a strand of dirty blonde hair away from her face, she stared regretfully, sadness wrapping around her heart. 'We had no idea it would be like this. The attack was so sudden, and Princess Rees is more than likely dead...How is her first commander going to deal with that? And how did those Orcs get so damn smart? No Orc could have thought up a plan like that. Would Sauron really focus his attention on us? We don't even have the Ring!'
"Stop thinking, you're giving me a headache."
Jarred from her thoughts, Liana lifted her head to meet Nevada's slightly amused gaze. She seemed okay with all that was going on, but Liana knew it was a cover up for the grief lurking in the corner's of her comrade's dark purple eyes."Finished with the tea?"
Nevada nodded, downing the last of it and standing up. The pain had slowed to a dull ache, and she was confident she could ride with it."Thank you, Liana. I appreciate your services."
She stumbled back in mock surprise, clutching her heart and widening her golden eyes." Did you just thank me for my 'services'? Valar, I feel so honored! Really, I am so humbled and touched that you thought of me, I mean I only saved your happy ass from being killed by almost thirty Orcs and then fixed your arm, but then again, I do it all the time-" she stopped, laughing when Nevada shoved her to the side and mounted her horse.
"Yeah, laugh it up, Liana." Nevada couldn't help a chuckle. Since she couldn't escape her friend's humor, she might as well enjoy it."You know what I meant."
"Yes, just learn to control your temper next time." Liana's smile faded into a look of seriousness. She stared up at Nevada for a moment."We need to meet up later. Take all the time you need at home, but meet me afterwards."
"We can meet with Alexia. She took two wounded down to the healer's in Charon. Her name is Ruth."
"I know where that is. There is a lot we need to talk about. And hey," she stopped Nevada for a moment, a sad smile gracing her face."Be careful. Don't do anything stupid. Stay off the arm."
"Yes, mother."
"Oh, please. Someone has to make sure you don't get yourself killed over something incredibly stupid, like trying to take on thirty Orcs with a bad arm."
"Will you leave it alone? The next time you get caught in those kind of circumstances, I'm never going to let you live it down."
They smiled at each other fondly, instead of saying goodbye. During times of war, it was too painful to say goodbye.
Without another word, Nevada smacked Arabia's flack, and Liana watched her ride towards Deimos in the failing light.
"Valar be with you, Nev," her friend said sadly.
The silence was so loud.
A quiet wind flowed over the broken trees, around the dead bodies. So many dead bodies. So much blood...It was hard to tell who was a civilian, a faerie, and who was an orc. The horrible sight of a mother clutching her child in death, the orc that had done the deed long since gone.
They had no warning.
She found herself far away from Arabia, closer to the palace. Dumbfounded, Nevada looked at her feet. She had hardly felt her legs move, how did she get this far? The warrior peered up at the palace, and knew there was no one in it. Her princess was dead...so was everyone else. Everyone was gone, she felt that, too.
The marble steps leading up to the palace doors were cracked, and she was careful to avoid the deep cracks as she walked halfway up them. The pillars on either side of the building has been cracked practically in half, and the guards at the door were slumped in a sitting position...almost as if they were sleeping.
The doors of the palace were wide open, and no one who drew breath was inside.
'It's so quiet...' All she could hear was her own breathing. She climbed back down the steps and stared out at the burnt landscape. The Orcs had all gone after their duty was done, leaving a barren wasteland. The quiet was shattered by the clopping of horse hooves, which stopped when Arabia reached Nevada.
More sounds. The crackling of a small fire in the shrubs nearby...
And a scream. Oh, it was horrible. Nevada wanted to cover her ears, claw at them to escape the awful sound being made. Whose was that? Nevada thought in confusion. What being could make that terrible sound?
She had reached home twenty minutes ago, and hadn't moved from the bottom of the stairs in over twenty minutes. Arabia pawed the ground and nudged her mistress numerous times, but she couldn't respond. She was numb.
That sound again...That screaming. It sounded so close...so filled with pain. Grief.
Wait. That was her own scream.
Nevada's knees buckled, and she wept.
Liana stared at the food sitting on the rock in front of her, and found her appetite had fled her. Mutely, she pushed the food toward her horse, who happily reached over and dug in noisily. She just couldn't stomach food at the moment.
Instead, she stood up slowly and began pacing, worry and anger the predominant emotions running through her mind. She dreaded what Nevada would find, and found herself angry at the same time. She felt just as misled as the others over the attack on Charon. They had attacked the borders so fiercely that Charon had called for her and her army's aid a few weeks ago. Her and her troops had spent the next three weeks doggedly fighting off the Orcs' advances into the country, driving them back out to where they belonged. Charon was unfortunate enough to be the closest Faerie country to the northeastern borders of Mordor, and everyone had obviously assumed that was the reason they had been attacked.
But they had been wrong. It seemed like a coincidence when Princess Tatyana's commander died in battle. Her second in command had already fell wounded, and in desperation, Tatyana called for Nevada's help, since Deimos was the closest country. She had come, and in her absence, Deimos was attacked.
Obviously it had been a setup. But why Deimos?
Liana stopped pacing. Of course Deimos. It was further towards the heart of the Faerie Kingdom. Had they known they would lose the fight for Charon? If word hadn't gotten out so quickly about the attack on Deimos and put everyone on their guard, would they have tried to push into the northern borders of Charon from Deimos and trap everyone within?
It was a logical plan, and that was what chilled Liana. They were getting smarter, mot stealthy in their attacks, and it set her on edge. The way the enemy had been attacking Lo, Triton, and now Charon over the years was unnerving, and this new attack on Deimos was downright alarming.
Liana shifted her gaze from the ground to the eyes of her horse, who looked back at her with dark eyes."Almost as if they're trying to take over," she said softly to herself. Ludicrous. They couldn't overtake the entire Kingdom - they had fought againt Mordor for thousands of years, and no amount of evil could force them out or take them over.
Nevertheless...Liana pressed two fingers to the bridge of her nose. Her body was fatigued with continuous fighting, and her mind was filled with concerned. She had a bad feeling about the attack on Deimos, and it gnawed at her stomach that Nevada was going back alone. The Orcs had most likely fled, but there were always stragglers. Liana lifted a hand and placed it on the side of Sterling's head, briefly leaning her forehead against the horse's warm fur." I am so worried about her," she admitted."She's strong, but not that strong. I hope she'll make it back here safely."
She was quick to gather her things and mount Sterling, deciding to not waste any more time. She coaxed her mare into a canter in the direction of the healers and prepared to wait for the arrival of Nevada again.
