𝘚𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘴, 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘓𝘪𝘦𝘴

The Battle (part 4)

Wymond looks at Hilda and wonders how and when she became a good fighter. He supposes that people are either born with it or they do not have it.

He has labored movements. Everything aches. Everything screams at him to stop. But he cannot. He must help to end this. He looks into her eyes for a brief moment.

"Stand back to back." He says to her.

They do. They will see if anyone try's to come to them and they will kill them. The protection of the group is thinning. More and more Fighters are breaking through: Wymond kills two in the same movement of his knife, slashing straight through their faces. Behind him, Hilda uses her sword to put three men down. All their heads roll past, their eyes wide and unseeing.

Next, everything happens too fast. The Soldiers surrounding Wymond and Hilda are broken through. A dozen or so Fighters charge at the wall. Wymond turns to find Fighters that he trained with running towards him and Hilda, arms ready to grab their target, wishing beyond hope that they would be the one to bring her to the King. She fights them. Wymond and two others rush to her side and together, they hold the men off. There is too many now. Twenty to four. Three more Fighters are killed then one of the Soldiers is shot by an arrow. Seventeen to three. The Soldier, three steps to Wymonds left is having hand to hand conflict with a Fighter. He has lost his weapon and lies in the ground beneath the stronger man. Wymond hurries forwards to his aid. Just as he reaches the men, an arrow goes through the Soldiers face. Blood spurts over the ground and onto the Fighters face who immediately gets to his feet. Then he charges at Wymond, a hand holding a knife out in front. But he is tackled to the ground. A flash of blonde moves across his vision and a moment later the steeled face of his friend appears. His hunting partner. His brother. His rock.

"Hilda." Kamden shouts and sprints past Wymond who is quick on his heels.

"Hilda." Wymond echos when he realizes what is happening.

She is surrounded by strongly built men. Her sword is flying around the circle. Blood sprays everywhere from gaping wounds in the men. A trickle of red is running down her face from a nasty opening in her forehead. Suddenly her weapon is knocked from her grasp. Wymond watches as her fingers fumble for the knife in her belt. She gets a better hold and brings it up and into the face of someone. The men close in around her as the Hunters aim their arrows. They fire and kill two men. It makes little difference. One Fighter gets ahold of her left arm. She still has her knife free. She brings it across a Fighters throat. Then her right arm is taken and wound around her back. She looks up. Kamden and Wymond fire two more shots, killing two more men. Hilda's eyes meet Wymond's. They are full with pure terror.

"Hilda." Wymond calls as he aims again. "We will get you back." Her fires and kills another. There is still too many.

She is dragged the short distance to the stage where the King, Duke and Ferox stand, overlooking the battle. The King regards his men who hold her. Then he motions for her to be bought onto the stage.

"No!" Wymond yells. All around him, the battle sounds slowly die. All eyes turn to the stage. Hilda is staring straight at her Father. A severe expression on her face.

"Well." The King bellows, his eyes falling over the crowd. "It looks like I have the first thing I want. Now, tell me again, I am a mad man?" His eyes fall on someone close by. Wymond drags his eyes away to find Queen Leoma and Prince Howard side by side. The Queen raises her head and takes a breath.

"You believe a children's tale." She says with a loud voice but not a shout. "Now give me my brother and Princess Hilda and let us leave. Leave with no more bloodshed."

"So I am a mad man?" He looks around and laughs. A crazy, almost sick laugh.

"You are sick!" Hilda suddenly shouts.

The King turns to look at his daughter. An unreadable expression on his face. "And you a traitor." He says quietly but it echos around the square.

"You are dying! You are a liar. And yes, you are a mad man." She spits.

He straightens up, taken back. Wymond and Kamden instinctively raise their bows. "I will finish what the Kings before me started... I will finish what I started." What will happen?

"Your majesty." A smaller voice comes from the side of the stage. The King turns to face the man who spoke and nods for him to continue. "The prisoners in the dungeons are gone."

Wymond slightly lowers his bow. How? It is impossible to slip past those Guards... The Myth...

He cannot finish his train of thought because at that moment, screams of shock ricochet around the square. Wymond turns around to find the source and sees something extraordinary. His eyes widen and his mouth drops open. There, in the centre of the town stands half a dozen people in ragged clothes and with pale skin. It was like they appeared from nowhere. But there is a reason they have 'appeared'. Before them, stands a four legged creature with pearly white fur. Silence descends over the town.

Then a man with darker skin steps forward. Prince Trystan.

"It seems as though you are not so mad." He simply says.

The Kings lets out a bellowing laugh. "It seems as though you are correct."

"But I know that you cannot touch this creature." Trystan continues in a more sneering tone, ignoring the King. "I know that you will be just as crazy when you realize the truth."

The truth?

He takes a break to let his words sink in. The he carries on in the same voice. "These creatures only present themselves to people in dire need for them. In dire need of escape if they cannot make it alone. That is why, as said in the Myth, the girl, my great-great grandmother, was able to be free of the King and the town. She had to get away but could not find a way until the creature presented itself to her."

His words hang in the air. So the King is not in dire need, which everyone knew. The King is just a crazy fool for power. For control.

It is as if the town heard Wymonds thoughts. A chant has begun. Towns folk emerge from their homes down the streets. Uprisings. That is the word that comes into his head. The word Hilda spoke about after being told what her Fathers intentions were.

Wymond looks back to her. She looks as confused as he feels. Then quiet covers the crowd. He looks back to see why. The creature is shimmering. Glowing almost. It seems like it is dissolving into the air, glowing brighter and brighter and shimmering like water. As quickly as it started to change, it vanishes. There is a moment of stillness until, without warning, the crowd explodes. People run. People shout. Wymond looks to Kamden and notices Lena for the first time.

"What do we do?" He asks over the racket.

They just shake their heads.

Wymond looks to the stage and sees the King conferring with Duke and Ferox. They keep steeling glances at Hilda, hands bound behind her back and held by two Guards. Then they look to the town. The mess. The uprising. That is the only way to describe it. An uprising.