THE DEATH OF LADY HIRA
19 YEARS AGO
It looked as if hell had opened up and seeped into the real world, spreading its pestilence and death for all to see and cower before. Fire coiled around the burning island of Armwell and the women and children ran screaming from their homes as deranged pirates chased after them with blood dripping from their weapons. The innocent was a single stroke away from dying when a sword came out of nowhere and pierced through the pirate's chest. Lord Armstrong stood up from behind and yanked his weapon free, simultaneously pushing the pirate's body aside to see to his frightened people.
"Oh, mercy me," the mother breathed out a sigh and held her young son close who was a teary mess. "Lord Armstrong, thank you. Thank you so much."
Armstrong nodded and placed a hand on her shoulder and gestured out towards the ocean. "Make for the port. We've prepared ships that will carry you away from the fire. Go now!" he ordered.
"Yes, my lord." The mother picked her child up and did as she was told. She began to make for the port as swiftly as she could.
Armstrong didn't move from his spot and stood perfectly still around the fires that were nearly on top of him. The heat from the inferno didn't even come close to the anger he was feeling at the moment. His sea-green eyes could freeze this hell on earth over with a single glare if they could. His fury even felt great enough to take on the devil himself.
Two knights came rushing around the corner and stopped once they spotted their lord standing in the middle of the street with a dead pirate at his feet. They ran over to him quickly.
"My lord, thank goodness you're unharmed." One of them said.
Armstrong tightened his jaw. "I can't say the same for my island though. How could this have happened? How could pirates have gotten inside?" he demanded but the knights appeared to be just as in the dark as he was.
"I wish I had the answers for you, my lord. But what of Lady Hira? Today is the day she was supposed to give birth, right?" the other asked concerningly.
"She's in labor right now!" Armstrong said through gritted teeth to try and control his anger and worry. "I had to leave to take care of some of these pirates. I left her midwife with her and two other able-bodied knights, but I can't stay away for long. I just can't leave my wife at her time of need."
The two knights understood their lord's concern and stood at attention, awaiting orders with eagerness and ready arms.
"Sir, then what do you wish us to do?"
"Make a sweep through the city and lead our people to the ships," he said. "We can't stop the fire. We're gonna have to...abandon Armwell," he said darkly.
One of the knights appeared taken back. "But...sir-"
"Our people are more important than this blasted island prison," Armstrong nearly snapped. "They're the foundation! Save them."
"Sir!"
They pounded their fists against their breastplates and moved out as Armstrong headed in the other direction towards his estate, passing by ruined buildings and dead pirates. His eyes settled firmly on the tall mansion on the back of the island as he stomped his way down the cobblestone streets that were covered in a thin layer of ash.
After arriving at the estate that was luckily still intact, he passed by the two knights at the front gate and hurried inside and up the stairs to the right. What followed after that though was the labored screams of his wife, something he had never heard before and caused all the warm blood in his system to flush away.
"Hira?" He quickened his pace to a brisk run. He made it to the end of the hall where Hira's room was and nearly busted down the door in a panic. He wasn't thinking straight when he did it and caused the midwife, Corinne to jump and drop the stack of towels that were in her hands.
His wife laid in bed with a heavily pregnant belly. She was sweating a lot and her skin had turned a sickly shade of green during the time he was gone. Her brown eyes were moist and turned up when he entered the room. She smiled at him though and reached her arms out for a hug that Armstrong moved in for and melted into.
"My love..." She held him tightly before pulling his face back so she could look at him. "The island! Please...the people."
Armstrong gently cupped her sticky and wet face and pressed his forehead against hers. "We're taking the civilians to the ships at the port. We cannot stop the fire. We're going to have to wait until...there is nothing left to burn."
Hira's face quickly turned distressed. "Mercy... This is not what I wanted. I wanted our child to grow up on a beautiful island where they would be able to smell the fresh ocean breeze and the lush flowers. Not the smell of smoke!" She covered her face and leaned against the headboard.
Corinne quickly guided Armstrong away to have a small talk with him. "My lord, please do not stress her out anymore. She's in a very delicate state right now." she urged in a hushed voice.
"Why hasn't the child been delivered yet?"
"These things take time. We cannot move her right now. We're going to have to wait until the child is born."
Armstrong's jaw clenched. "Are you kidding me? The island is on fire and my wife has to remain here...in a city full of bloodthirsty pirates?!"
Corinne fired back firmly. "If we move her now then we'll end up putting stress on both her and the child. They could both end up dying if we're not careful." She bit down on her lips and placed a delicate hand on his shoulder. "My lord, please. Let me do my job," she said with a pained voice.
"My love..." Hira called out to him weakly from across the room.
Armstrong didn't think twice and pulled away from the argument to tend to his wife. He got down on his knees and held her small but rough hands. "What is it? Is there anything I can do for you?"
Hira raised his hands up and kissed his scarred knuckles. "Leave...please," she begged and saw the shock rise up to his eyes. "Look after our people. Make sure they survive. Make sure...they get off the island."
"But...Hira."
"Armstrong, I beg you. We are knights...it is our duty to protect those who are unable to protect themselves." She pulled her hands away from him and pushed him firmly on the chest. "Now go! Go!"
Armstrong fought against the desire to stay with his wife over performing his duty as a knight. Ultimately though, he knew she was right. Like always. He wasn't just the lord of the island. He was the lord of its people. They came first before anything. They're what's important to both him and Hira.
Armstrong leaned down and kissed his wife soundly on the lips before pulling close for one final hug. "I love you. I love you so much...I don't know of any other words to describe it to you," he said with a pained whisper.
Hira was nearly in tears but kept herself together and hugged him back, knowing that he probably needed it more than her. "The simple ones have always been enough for me. I wish you all the luck in the world, my love. I wish for our safe reunion." She patted him on the cheek a few times and pulled away.
Armstrong stepped away from his wife and kept a stiff upper lip. He turned his worn sea-green eyes over to Corinne as they slowly hardened to stone. As they should be for the Lord of Armwell. "I leave my family to you, Corinne."
Corinne stood at attention and held her fist up to her chest. "Sir!"
He nodded once and headed for the door, his eyes briefly landing on Hira's weapon that was mounted on the wall. The golden sheen of the Ancient Weapon acted as a mirror and reflected Armstrong's heavily disgusted eyes before he turned away from it and left.
It took at least another long, drawn-out two hours before the sound of intense flames were drowned out by the world's most shrill and heart-pounding scream. The cry of a distressed newborn brought into a red-colored world that smelled of smoke and earthy gunpowder. Corinne handled the child with the utmost care and wrapped its delicate and small body up with a dark blue blanket. She only had time to do a brief look-over since they didn't have a moment to spare with the situation they were boiling in right now. The child was born safely, so now it was time to get off the island as quickly as they could.
Hira laid limply in bed and was covered in a thin layer of sweat that soaked her clothes to a dark gray. Her breathing pattern was deep and struggling to stay consistent because of how exhausted she was. It nearly zapped all her strength and left her with just enough to where she would be able to move on her own. But that was it. "Corinne, please. I have to know...is it a boy or a girl?" she asked in a single breath.
"It's a girl, my lady. You've given birth to a baby girl with golden hair." Corinne said and presented the child in front of her mother's eyes.
Hira was almost in tears when she took the small bundle into her arms, instantly making the child calm down and reside to just stressful wiggles inside the blanket. "She has...Armstrong's hair?" Her weeping eyes crinkled up when she laughed. She pulled her daughter close to her chest and whispered soothing words. "Thank the heavens...that you came into this world safely."
Corinne stood by the window and rested her hands over her pattering heart. She had to take a moment to breathe again and turned her head to look outside, immediately glancing down to the gate where she saw the bodies of the two knights at the front. The ones who were supposed to be guarding it. Corinne turned fully around to see what happen when her eyes caught a silver glimpse hiding behind a pillar. There was a loud pop, but Hira was quick and yanked the back of her collar and pulled Corinne away from the shot. The glass shattered into a million pieces and caused the newborn to cry all over again.
Hira hunched down away from the window and crawled over to Corinne who looked pretty shaken up. "Corinne, are you unharmed?"
Corinne nodded her head frantically. "Yes, my lady. What was that just now?"
"Sounded like a gunshot," Hira spoke calmly and handed her child over for Corinne to take. She peeked her head over the window and finally saw who pulled the trigger. There were about four armed pirates down by the front door who had just managed to break it down and disappear inside. Hira didn't fret though and analyzed the situation quietly to herself before speaking up. "The estate has been breached, and it's assumed they know where we are."
"We can't stay here then. How are we going to get out?" Corinne said while trying to rock the child back to sleep. Her heart was aching though from the sound of its distressed cries. She couldn't imagine what she must be feeling at the moment. Not knowing what was going on or what those loud sounds were. All she knew is that she was scared and wanted them to stop.
"There are plenty of ways. I don't really fancy jumping out a window with a newborn, but I also don't think we have a choice." Hira pulled her sword and sheathed off the wall and got dressed at the same time. She pulled her weapon over her back and buckled it down with the straps. She didn't bother to put her armor on though since it would take too long and probably slow her down because of her current state. Her body was still reeling from the stress of giving birth and didn't need the burden of armor. "I don't feel like wasting my limited strength right now if we have to make the long track to the port by ourselves."
Hira moved swiftly as the sound of rushing footsteps out in the hallway got closer. Before Corinne even knew what was going on, she was hoisted up into Hira's arms and the three of them leaped out of the shattered window. They made the two-story drop all the way to the ground with ease. It was so smooth and graceful that it didn't even wake up the newborn.
Once they were on the ground though, they finally got the full picture of what the island had become. A raging inferno that was colored red, orange, and black. Neither Hira nor Corinne could recognize a single thing anymore and it pained their hearts to see, what was once a beautiful island, being consumed by the flames.
The girls made haste through the wreckage and took every alternate path they could to try and avoid the wandering pirates that were still relentlessly hunting everyone down. It made Hira's blood boil to see them take everyone's livelihood away. She wanted to do something about it. She could if she desired to but chose to keep quiet. The only thing that was stopping her was the small bundle in her arms. Her child. Her daughter's safety was her top and only priority.
Corinne followed close behind her lady but stopped suddenly when she thought she heard an all too familiar voice close by. "Lady Hira, wait," she urged.
Hira looked back and saw the anguish in Corinne's soft brown eyes. "What is it?"
"I…I think I heard my husband's voice just now."
Hira frowned. "Ozwin? Are you sure?" she asked but Corinne was very adamant about it.
"Positive."
"If that's the case, then what is he still doing on the island? He should be at the port with the rest of the civilians."
"I don't know, I don't know. There are pirates all over the island." She shook her head vigorously and looked up. Her eyes grew wide and her mouth dropped open. "Could he be in trouble?" She sucked in a shallow breath and rushed ahead of Hira.
"Corinne!" Hira called out and was quick to follow after her.
The closer they got to the source, the more Hira was beginning to believe Corinne. She too could hear Ozwin's low and rough voice, but it also sounded like he was talking to someone. Probably even arguing since he sounded irritated. The two girls kept behind a wall and peeked over the edge. They saw Ozwin talking to a rough-looking man that they assumed to be the captain of the pirates.
"What is happening?" Corinne muttered breathlessly, spiraling into a total state of hysteria.
Hira kept a firm hand on Corinne's shoulder and spoke quietly. "Try to be calm."
They decided to stay quiet and listen to what all this was about.
"My men said they haven't found Lady Hira yet. Not even this...weapon you're babbling about," the captain said with an air of annoyance and uninterest.
Ozwin tightened his jaw as annoyance resided firmly on his face. "She shouldn't be far. I saw Lord Armstrong at the port, and it didn't look like Lady Hira was there with him. She's probably still in labor. Have you checked the estate yet?"
"Hold on there, your majesty. You hired us but we haven't even come to an agreement yet on our pay. You're calling off numbers like one hundred million beri, to at least two hundred. I'm afraid those numbers ain't gonna fly with how big the scale of attack is. This is Armwell, for pete's sake! You're gonna have to pay us double for our losses," The captain argued.
"Double? Are you serious? I never asked you to burn down our town. I hired you to bring me back the bloody weapon. I asked you to bring me back the weapon!"
"Shit happens. Did you seriously expect us to be docile when trying to steal a magic weapon from a legend? Your brain must be screwed on wrong if you think this was gonna go smoothly."
"I hired you to be discreet. Not to kill anyone. I just wanted Mars!"
"WHAT!?" said a loud and shrill voice.
"Corinne, wait!" Hira tried to stop Corinne from leaving but she wasn't fast enough. The distraught woman rushed out from behind cover and stared down her husband with a look of hurt and betrayal.
Ozwin's sharp silver eyes turned up into shock when he saw his mortified wife standing before him. "Corinne? What are you still doing here?"
"What are you doing with them?!" she shouted. "What are you talking about? You...planned all this...just to take the weapon from our lady?"
"That is not what this is." He tried to convince her but Corinne wasn't having it. He never had been a good liar and she was always able to see right through him.
"You're lying to me? Your own wife? Ozwin, I heard you! I heard all of it! What have you done?!" She screamed so hard that tears were beginning to mist her eyes. It was such a shock to Ozwin that he completely froze where he stood as every kind of emotion blended into his face.
Hira didn't see the point in hiding anymore and stepped out from behind cover to confront the situation. She saw the look on Ozwin's face though. The distraught and horror finally washing over him. He must've been so absorbed by his greed that he didn't even realize it until now. Until Corinne raised her voice.
"I get it now," Hira spoke smoothly and held her child close to her chest, hoping the sound of her calm heart would ease her daughter's stress. "The attack and invasion. The fires and horror. All this…was so you could get your hands on the weapon."
Ozwin shuddered when Hira spoke to him. He felt too ashamed to look at them and kept his eyes firmly on the floor. "That...this...I didn't want this to happen. I just...I just wanted the weapon. I wanted it so badly I couldn't stop myself. I didn't mean...for the city to burn on the day your child was born. Lady..." He dared to look up, but once he did, he saw a bemused-looking pirate looming dangerously behind Hira with a large blade in hand. "Lady Hira!"
Hira turned around instantly and saw the chilling silver blade swing over her head. She held her arm up and let the knife stab right through her so it wouldn't get to her daughter. Blood splattered onto the blanket and Hira gasped deeply from the intense pain. The child began to cry again as Hira yanked her out of the blade and harshly kicked the pirate away from them.
"My Lady!" Corinne turned pale and shrieked out in horror. "Oh, my god!"
Hira looked down at her bleeding arm and saw something strange began to surface under her skin. Her veins pulsated and her body began to feel feverish as these ominous-looking black veins appeared and started to crawl up her arm, making every nerve in her body turn to ice. Something wasn't right but it was confirmed when the captain of the pirates began to cackle.
"That's unfortunate, Lady Hira," he said with a wicked grin.
Corinne ran quickly over to Hira just as she began to lose her balance and sway. She got an up-close look at the black veins and noted the odd design that resembled a spider's web. "It can't be...poison?" she said with a shallow gasp.
Hira bit down on her lips to try and regain some kind of sensation in her body that gradually began to fade. "I understand now. The reason...the reason it was so easy to breach our walls and kill our highly trained knights. All it took...was an inside job and a fast-acting poison." She balled her hand up so tightly that her skin turned white. Blood trickled through her fingers when her nails cut into her palm. It was a consistent pain though that kept her mind sharp and ready.
The captain reached down and picked up the sword that had stabbed her. There was a strange black residue on the blade that mixed in with her blood. "The donnabell plant is a rare poison to come across. Sorry to break it to you like this but...the effects are insanely fast. You'll be dead in about 15 minutes."
The child's sharp cries didn't cease the whole time and only intensified to inconsolable screams. It was like she was aware of what was happening and was wiggling her body about to try and grasp ahold of her mother's blouse. Hira's body ached all the way down to her core, looking down at her daughter trying to use her small arms to stop her from leaving.
"Lady Hira, we have to get you to a doctor. We don't have much time!" Corinne shouted in a panic, but her cries fell on deaf ears.
Hira could no longer hear a single word being spoken if it wasn't her own daughter's. She looked up to the sky that flickered with bright white stars and dark blue hues, a sight that you could only witness on Armwell. There was an even better view on the cliffs when morning came. She took in a deep breath and let it out while gently caressing her daughter's face until she stopped crying.
Corinne stared bewildered at Hira's sudden calmness. "My lady-" She stopped when Hira held her arm up to silence her.
"My dear one…" Hira lifted her child up and stared fondly at her with an ever-peaceful look on her face. "You shall have the name of someone with a noble heart, to never falter and never doubt yourself. You will live...and you will be brilliant, my beautiful 'Artemyra'." She leaned in and kissed her daughter on the head one last time and smoothed out her golden hair.
She tried to imagine what Artemyra would look like in a few years when she finally grew up. Would she look like her mother or father? Would she keep long hair or short hair? Would she be short like herself or tall like Armstrong? Would she even want to become a knight? Funny that those were the questions she wanted the answers to the most in life.
Gray sadness filled her eyes as she reluctantly handed her daughter into Corinne's care. Hira straighten up her back and took a stand against the pirates, placing herself between them and her people.
Ozwin was left speechless that Hira even considered him to be worth protecting. How could she stand so strong and unbreakable after everything he had done?" I...I never want...this to happen," he muttered under his breath. "I... the weapon...I."
Hira briefly looked over her shoulder at him before looking back. "Greed is an awful thing to be possessed by, Ozwin. Anyone can be made a victim by Mars' curse. But...though my life may be taken on this day...I will not hate you. Instead...I will forgive you." Her fingers curled around the hilt of her sword when she grasped it tightly. She slowly began to pull it as bright red flames spilled out of the Ancient Weapon. "I am a knight...and I shall protect my people."
Tears welled up in his eyes and emotions of grief emptied from his words. "I don't...I don't deserve such words..."
Hira pulled him by his upper arm and pushed him over to Corinne so neither of them would get in the way. Corinne was in tears just as much as Ozwin was and Artemyra had started screaming again.
"This isn't a fight you can win in 15 minutes," the captain spat. "You're a dead woman walking, and if Ozzy over there doesn't want the weapon, then we'll gladly take it ourselves."
"15 minutes, huh?" Hira scoffed and smiled proudly with overflowing confidence. "That is more than enough!" She raised the tip of her sword at them before pulling back into a fighting stance. "What are you waiting for? Come at me! I'll welcome…anyone who will challenge me!"
"My lady!" Corinne shrieked but was held back from the danger by her husband.
Hira's proud smiled melted into a thoughtful one as she looked back at her daughter being taken away. Artemyra didn't stop screaming the whole time and her voice soon drifted away. Hira could no longer see or hear her daughter anymore. That...was her last moment with her. A painful and sad goodbye.
"Take her down!" The captain shouted as his pirate crew charged at the seemingly distracted knightess. They circled her in a matter of seconds but Hira looked like she didn't have a care in the world.
"I see now...so this is where my legend ends." She breathed in deeply and closed her eyes, enjoying her final moments of peaceful stillness. "This is fine though. I'm home."
The boats swayed back and forth on the treacherous dark blue waves as the people of Armwell watched from a distance as their island went up in flames. Many were brought to tears at the sight of their lives burning up, but no words could even come close to what Armstrong was feeling at the moment. His wife and child were still missing, but you would never be able to tell that he was in anguish by looking at his face. He kept up appearances and made sure he was stoic and unreadable. He didn't allow himself to show any weakness because he didn't want to add to the despair that everyone else was going through.
Everyone looked overhead as the sky growled like a beast and turned a dark shade of stormy gray. Dense rain clouds gathered together at an insanely fast pace and began to spill out a heavy downpour of water over the flame-coated island. White smoke billowed in the air as it began to miraculously put out the fire.
"Is this…is this a miracle?" Words of wonder and awe spread around the crowd as they stared in disbelief. "Are the gods taking pity on us?"
Armstrong raised his head and felt the droplets hit his face. He closed his eyes and gripped the hilt of his sword tightly. "No…that is not what's going on here."
The island eventually was left to smolder and the torrential downpour of rain had faded just as fast as it came. Yet, the sun didn't shine and remained hidden behind the gloomy clouds that refused to part, leaving an awfully depressing feeling in the air. The world felt quieter than usual and not a single person dared to speak as the boats made their way back to what was left of the island, unsure of what they would find. After exiting the boat, Armstrong was the first to break off to search for his missing family.
"Hira? Hira, where are you?!" He called out, his voice growing desperate when no one answered back. There was only the sound of smoldering wood giving off a subtle crackling noise.
"My lord, wait! We don't know the whereabouts of the pirates!" Someone called out but Armstrong didn't even hear him over the panic sweeping across his very being, leaving him in a shivering cold sweat. His mind was nothing but an anxious mess of the things that could've possibly happened to them. He couldn't bear the thought of it. Losing his family. His whole world.
"Hira! Hira, where are you! I beg you...I beg you to please answer me!" His voice continued to fall on deaf ears as he wandered throughout the ruined streets.
Armstrong stopped when he came across the remnants of a large massacre. They were all dead, the pirates that were responsible for setting their island on fire. They were lying dead on the ground with deep wounds all over that could only be inflicted on by a highly skilled swordsman. He wondered who could've possibly killed all the pirates in such a short amount of time, but soon noticed Hira's handy work. The clean cuts and typical places she would usually strike lined up with her personal habits that were developed throughout a lifetime of training.
"Hira...were you trying to purge the pirates from off the island?"
He followed a trail of bloody footprints that led him throughout the town, and as it dragged on, the bodies gradually lessened. The trail eventually guided him out of the town and up towards the pathway where the cliffs met the sea. Hira's favorite spot, as he knew it to be. He took it one step at a time but grew ever the more anxious the closer he got.
Once up top, he looked towards the edge and saw a small-framed woman sitting right at the end. Hira was covered in wounds and blood and her body was totally motionless, aside from the wind gently blowing her messy brown hair to the side. Her legs were crossed and her sword laid against her shoulder with Mars, the golden sheath, down at her side and untouched.
"Hira?" A pit grew in his stomach when she didn't answer him or even turn around. Armstrong approached and reached his arm out, stopping just short of an inch when he saw ugly black veins all over her exposed skin.
In the back of his mind, he knew that her heart…was no longer there. No wonder the world was so gray. No wonder the world was void of sound. He knew what happened but didn't want to accept it. He wanted to feel her warmth again and hear her voice, to know that she was still with them…but he couldn't bring himself to be proven wrong.
Armstrong never could've imagined a world without her. His wife, his partner, his hero…his heart.
Where the cliffs met the sea and gave the best view of sunrise…Lady Hira met her end the following morning. Covered in old wounds and fresh scars, she laid victorious one last time and parted from the world with a satisfied smile on her face. All the while giving the illusion that she was simply sleeping.
Armstrong dropped to his knees and his arms swayed weakly at his side. His face looked as it was frozen in time with permanent shock. His eyes began to water, turning to glass as he dropped his head to the floor to keep them hidden. His ears perked up though as sound returned to the world. A shrill cry of a child. He lifted his head in an instant and looked to where he just came from.
Corinne and Ozwin were walking up the pathway and stopped when they met Armstrong's mortified eyes with their own glassy ones. In Corinne's arms was a child wrapped up in a blood-stained blanket that was wiggling and crying.
Armstrong rose up to all his height and dragged himself over to the child as she cried for her mother. Corinne didn't say a thing and handed his daughter over, and like with Hira, the child's cries faded away to irritated whines. Armstrong held her so tenderly and looked almost scared that she would break. She didn't though and opened her eyes, finding a matching sea-green gaze looking back.
Artemyra sat slumped down at the base of her mother's gallant statue that resided in the middle of the town. She didn't have a destination in mind when she walked out of her house but did find herself aimlessly wandering in such a direction with only muddled thoughts in her head. All her tears had nearly dried up the time she arrived, but her eyes were still swollen and red. Artemyra never liked crying so she's been forcefully swallowing down her sobs to the point that her throat felt raw, constantly taking in deep breaths to try and collect herself too.
She pulled her gauntlet off and reached up towards the statue, carefully gliding her fingers across the smooth surface. Her lips fell into a frown though when her skin made contact with the cold material. There was no warmth at all that you would usually feel from a living person. Lacking in both memories and emotions. Artemyra didn't know what she was expecting and found it to be quite ridiculous to think that a statue of a loved one would still carry the warmth that a real person had, but perhaps it was her desires and longing that made her delude herself into thinking that maybe…something was left behind. Childish dreams such as those only exist within fairy tales though.
The knightess sighed deeply and pulled her gauntlet back on. She got up from off the floor when her ears perked up to shuffling footsteps, multiple pairs, actually. They were echoing from within the darkened alleyway to her right, yet they were moving in a way that made her believe that they were trying to be quiet. Not quite subtle enough for an Armwell knight to not hear though. Her ears were too sharp, but as she moved her hand slowly to the sword on her back, an old and warn voice called from directly behind her.
"Ah, Lady Artemyra?"
Artemyra was quick to recognize the voice and swiftly pulled her arm from her weapon to not raise alarm. She turned her body away from the alley and looked to see Ozwin walking into time square, still warn down as usual, but now he had a curious glint in his eyes.
"Ozwin. You're heading home?" she said.
"Yeah. Just closed up shop a couple of minutes ago." Ozwin nodded his head and strolled up next to her, turning his eyes up to the statue. "Have you seen my son today?" he asked meekly.
"Yeah. He was at my house last I've seen him," she said while gesturing up to the estate. "I didn't think about it until now but…wasn't he supposed to help you out at the store today?"
Ozwin's lips curled up into a melancholy kind of smile. "Yeah…he was. He's just like his mother in that regard. Corinne never liked staying inside the shop for too long and always wanted to go talk to Lady Hira every chance she got. I guess it's the same with you and Gale." He clenched his hands into tight balls but quickly hid them in his pockets before she could see.
Artemyra turned a bit perplexed since it was the first she heard of this. "Really? I didn't know those two were so close."
Ozwin nodded his head vigorously. "My wife adored Lady Hira like she was her own sister," he said with dwindling eagerness. He frowned quickly and looked over in the direction of the cliffs that were beyond sight because of the night. "After your mother's death though…Corinne was never the same. The grief was too much, and she took her life only a year later by jumping off the cliffside." He bit down on his lips and breathed in deeply, awkwardly scratching the back of his head. "Sorry. You already know the story, do you."
"I guess we both know what it means to handle a loss," Artemyra said soundly. "Even though I never met either Miss Corinne or my mother…I still feel like I did. Isn't that strange?"
He closed his eyes and gently shook his head. "Memories and legacies are what immortalize us. You're a shining example of that, Lady Artemyra. Your grace and your poise. Your strength and your weaknesses. You…are the only one who can carry her will now." There was an odd strain of regret and exhaustion that carried with the last view words he spoke.
"But shouldn't the ones who actually knew her when she was alive carry on her will?"
Once again, he shook his head solemnly. "Not necessarily. At least that's what I think."
Artemyra's lips turned thin when she sensed discomfort and shame within him. It appeared when he spoke. It showed when he shifted around uncomfortably, and when he fiddled around with his hands when he didn't know what to do with them. He was always an odd fellow though, so these habits of his were nothing new. Everyone knew him to be this way and still showed respect for his craftsmanship. All accept her own father, funny enough. Ozwin and Armstrong never had been close and the distance between them always appeared cold for reasons unknown to her. In any case, Armstrong was still cordial and seemed to just tolerate him.
Artemyra patted Ozwin on his stiff and bony shoulder and captured his deterred eyes with her firm and proud ones. "If I am the one to carry her will and title…then I shall do it to ease your heart. I will, without a doubt, end this old war… so that the ones who have passed away can find peace, and hopefully, the ones left alive learn to live without turmoil. You have my word."
In the moment, he thought his old eyes had deceived him. The look in her eyes. The way she spoke, and how she made herself sound. He thought, but for only a fleeting second…that it was Hira talking to him again. Yet, it turned out to be just a figment of his imagination. "A word is all I need then…" He smiled kindly and lowered his head.
Artemyra dropped her arms but froze them in mid-air when the unseen footsteps began to shuffle again and move in close. They were coming from both sides of them now.
Ozwin notices her eyes suddenly intensify. "Lady?"
"Ozwin…it would be best if you headed on home now."
"What? Why?"
"We're surrounded," she said in a low growl before stepped forth. "Stay at the base of the statue if you're not going to leave."
They spilled out of the darkness in groups, men and women carrying weapons in that hand with faces overshadow by the twilight. They appeared to be civilians though. Everyday people who ran the shops and didn't have a single thought of how to use sword and battle axes.
"Ozwin. I think I understand why people have been stocking up on weapons recently." Artemyra said with a steady voice.
"They…they were meaning to ambush you?" Ozwin sucked in a deep breath and backed up until he was pressed against the statue.
"Ambush? No. Ambush would mean that the opposite party had no idea this would happen." She closed her eyes while reaching to the hilt of her blade. She gripped it tightly and pulled it out slowly. She snapped her eyes open and took a battle stance against them with her blade held firmly down at her side. "I, on the other hand…always knew this day would come."
Author's Note:
Damn...this was a long chapter to write and edit. My eyes freaking hurt and my brain is turning into mush, but hey, at least it's done. Things are getting spicy, right! We're nearly done with Artemyra's arc too. It's probably gonna wrap up in one or two more chapters! And then we'll finally get to One Piece's story. Stay patient with me!