A Princess Torn (Alys Book #2)

Chapter 44

Alys came to with a loud ringing in her ears.
Someone was looking down at her, opening and closing his mouth, but no words were coming out.

It was too bright; it hurt to look at him.
"Ivo," Alys whispered weakly as the face became recognizable.
She reached for her head and her gloved hands hit the metal of her helmet.
A groan escaped her lips. Her head felt like it was shattering.
"Get up!" Ivo's voice started to reach her ears, though he sounded as if he were a mile away.

He grabbed her by the hand and pulled her up to a sitting position.
"Princess," Ivo panted, out of breath from fighting in the battle, "You have to get up."

Alys looked around, trying to focus on what was happening around her.
Everywhere she looked, people were fighting. Blood was all over the packed white snow on the ground.

Not far off, her horse lay, screaming loudly as it tried to get up. Many arrows were in its chest and legs.
"Princess!" Ivo's words finally hit home, and Alys realized where she was and what had happened.

As quickly as she could, she got onto her feet.
Her head was pounding, and the world was spinning around her, but she forced herself to shake it off as best she could.

Now was not the time to be confused about who she was, but the hit to her head had her all confused again. She suddenly felt like the withdrawn, submissive woman she had been before she remembered who she was. The battle around her was terrifying and felt out of her control. She was out of place and unsure of what to do.
"Princess, Endolynn!" Ivo called over his shoulder to her as he fought off a soldier much bigger and younger than himself, "You have to get moving!"
Ivo saying her name centered her concentration and brought her back to what was happening.
A loud whooshing sound came from above and she looked up to see a huge chunk of rock moving through the sky.
The last trebuchet, her mind raced, but when she looked around her, she could not find her bow.
Endolynn turned and followed the bolder as it sailed through the air, horror filling her. It went over Zaiden's head by a clear margin, crashing into soldiers still coming over the hilltop.
From what she could see, it had taken out dozens of their soldiers, and it was being loaded again.

A bunch of the enemy soldiers were gathering around it, trying to protect their last big advantage from Endolynn's army.

"Fire flaming arrows at the trebuchet!" Endolynn called out, but her voice was lost in the crowds of the battle.
Ivo had gone back to fighting, and she was alone. She drew her sword and blocked as a large man came at her with a sword.
Her movements felt sluggish and ineffective compared to what she was capable of, and she knew her head had taken a hard hit. Still, she was able to fend off the person attacking her, sinking her sword deep into his stomach.
The man dropped to his knees in front of her, gasping in pain.

Endolynn looked away from him and continued to fight, knowing the haunted look on the man's face would stay with her for the rest of her life.
Alys, you are going to have to do things that you never thought you would, Dastrehan's words echoed in the back of her mind as she fought, slaying soldier after soldier.
This is for my father, she argued back, and my grandfather.

She knew she would not have to justify her actions on this day to Dastrehan. If he were here, he would understand.

Two of Ancel's soldiers came at her. She blocked the sword of one, but the second one swung his ax and caught her right arm. Endolynn almost took the time to pause, thinking her arm would surely be gone, but when she swung her sword back with the same arm to cut through both men, it was fine.
She realized with relief that the hit had been weak, and her armor had easily protected her. Still, it would have been a lethal hit if the man had not already been too weak from his own injuries to effectively hit her, and it rattled her confidence.
Above her, another bolder flew through the air from the trebuchet.
Endolynn looked around desperately for anyone she could recruit to help her.
"Zaiden!" she called when she saw him fighting from his spot on his horse not too far away, "Zaiden, over here!"