Love and War

13: Jonah

Jonah's POV:
I heard someone open the door to the house and I turned to see Landon. He had a worried look on his face and he was immediately at my side. His boots stomping across the floor.

"What happened?"

"I-I-" he sighed. "King Santiago attacked King Nicholas' palace this morning. They're okay but many people died and one side of their city is completely destroyed."

I gulped. He's acting fast...

Maybe if we had all met sooner and then maybe we would've figured something out like evacuating his people or sending some more armies to defend their lands.

No, we got hijacked there's nothing I could've done about that.

But maybe if I had known Cameron wasn't trustworthy since the start we would've arrived a long time ago.

It's all my fault.

So many thoughts raced through my mind and Landon placed a hand on my shoulder. "Don't blame yourself, nothing you could've done would have prevented this. These deaths... this war is all on him not you."

"Yes it is...which is why we have to kill him." I said my hands were now fists by my sides.

Landon nodded. "Yes we will do that Your Highness... but don't do anything crazy. Let's focus on arriving to King Ian's palace now, okay?"

"Yes we are leaving today right now. Tell Anastasia."

I started grabbing my weapons and cloak while Landon left to tell Anastasia we were leaving.

It's all my fault, it's all my fault, it's all my fault.

***
The redwood village was a small speck now from how far we were. Anastasia, Landon and I have been walking for a few hours so we stopped to drink some water.

Anastasia was sitting on a boulder in the shade with her eyes closed, to my relief she hasn't tried arguing or insulting me. Landon was filling his canteen of water from the small lake and I stood ahead of them not wanting to rest. The moment I rest the thoughts of guilt and anger fill me and frankly I'd rather not think about that right now.

Landon stood and turned to us. He picked up his shoulder length red hair in a small bun at the back of his head. "Let's go."

Anastasia jumped up and wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her cloak's sleeve. "Okay come on."

Then I heard some footsteps and in an instant I was at Anastasia's side wielding my dagger. She held the bow and arrow at her side ready to shoot and Landon was at her other side also holding a dagger.

The bushes to my side moved and I turned and starred.

Nothing.

A series of footsteps sounded and we looked all around unaware of where they might be. My heart pounded in my ears and I gulped waiting.

Then 2 figures jumped out and they held their own weapons. By their black uniform with white lining and boots they were King Santiago's soldiers.

If they were here then they must've gone to redwood...

Anastasia seemed to think the same as I and looked worried. She lifted her bow and arrow and pointed it at the man in front of me.

He had bushy red hair and pale skin. He had a long scar across his face and he wore a wicked grin on his face.

How I was dying to cut it off and feed it to him.

The man behind us attacked Landon first and I jumped in to save him. In the corner of my eye I could see Anastasia circling the red headed man like she was the predator and the man was the prey. She was light on her feet that you couldn't even hear her as she slowly breathed and aimed her bow and arrow.

I focused back on the man who was now holding a sword to Landon's neck. I jumped on his back and pulled him back, Landon rolled out of the way and the soldier and I fell to the ground rolling.

Landon kicked the soldier's sword out of his hands leaving him weaponless. I grabbed my dagger and lifted it up over my head

"Please don't hurt me. I will leave and lie and say I killed you. Please do not hurt me. I have children I need to get back to..." He whispered.

But it didn't stop me as rammed it into his chest. Pain was etched into his skin but he didn't make a sound.

We turned and Anastasia had shot an arrow through the man's chest and another on his leg. He was alive but bleeding out.

Landon stared at the other soldier as I'm sure he heard what he told me but I walked to Anastasia's side.

"Suitable punishment for someone who's probably killed many innocents." She said with hands on her hips.

The man tried to pull the arrow from his leg but the one on his chest was so close to his heart that he couldn't move without moving that one. He winced and his breathing was ragged.

"Don't leave him alive." I told her.

She glanced at me and then back. She hesitated and then I realized she had never taken a life before. Something in me churned and I grabbed her arm before she could move the arrow to puncture his heart.

"I'll do it." I said gently.

She nodded and I grabbed the arrow in his chest. I moved it slightly to puncture his heart and he died seconds after.

Anastasia walked over to the other dead soldier who lay there, my dagger still in his chest. She grabbed his dog tags and pulled them over her neck. She closed his eyes with a soft hand and removed the dagger. She washed it in the lake, the blood flowing away in the water and handed it back to me. "We're short on weapons, we can't just leave it here."

I nodded and took it. I pocketed it and we continued walking.

"Why take the dog tags?"

"I heard what he said to you... I don't know. Pity, I guess." She said.

His words rang in my head and I couldn't help but imagining his children receiving the news of their dead father killed by the "enemy".

***