Mine (Book 1 )

Part 1

Alexandra

The sword nearly gets to me, I jump back up and slide under him between his feet. I raise my sword and stab him. He falls to his knees as I slide my sword further so it comes out his chest. His blood splatters on my face. I look back at Viktor and Kyrr standing over the other corpses. I draw out my sword and clean it on the grass. We look at each other in silence and head back to the Capital.

 "You coming to have a drink?" Viktor asks with his Northern Ayrian accent. 

"Maybe. I've got to go check on something. I'll join you at the tavern" I say to them both and walk past the bustling market into the alleys till I see the fallen sign of the orphanage. The door creaks as I enter the dingy quiet house. "Miss Ava?" I call. 

"Lexie is that you?" Rosalynd's small voice asks. I look up at the stairway and see her standing holding onto a pail. "She's been asking for you" she comes down the stairs and rushes to my side "Clean yourself up" she says nervously "Have you been walking around with blood on your face?" she scowls and hands me a washcloth that hung from her waist and dipped it in the water she was holding and handed it to me. "Go on up" she says as I clean my face and hand it back to her. 

"Miss Ava?" I knock and I hear an 'enter' and open the door. She smiles as I approach her. She looked tired and yet beautiful. "I have to go tomorrow. I just wanted to see you before I left" 

"I have raised you like my own" she stands up and walks towards me "You're the closest thing I have to a daughter" she holds my face in her hands "You come back to me" a tear rolls down her cheek. I hug her tight and pray it isn't the last time I hug her and that I truly come back. 

"What kept you so long?" Kyrr laughs as I sit beside him and order an ale. 

"None of your business" I reply and look around at the tavern filled with men and women. Trying to enjoy their last night, before we left in the morning. We drink a lot and sing songs till we could drink no more. I saunter into the orphanage and sleep on the floor of the hall. I wake up when the sun hits my face. There was a blanket on me. I look behind me and see no one. 

I walk up and peek at Miss Ava sleeping and then leave for the grounds. Battalion 2. I look around and see Viktor and Kyrr walking towards me. They look at my scroll and smile showing be the Battalion 2 scrawled on their scrolls. 450 men and 92 women. 

We got our horses and began journeying. "Is ours under Prince Kal?" I ask Remy. 

"No" she shakes her head "Hal" she says softly as we ride. It was a day's journey. 

While Viktor, Kyrr and I grew up together. Remy joined us only once I got to training. It was harder for her, I imagined. Leaving a family behind to fight in the army. Viktor, Kyrr and I had no one. Just each other. We reached the camp by sun down and were assigned tents by the general. Remy and I sighed in relief as we were put together. 

While we sat by the fire, I saw the Prince. His chest bare, his waist wrapped tight in a cummerbund with the hand of his dagger peeking out. His hair as short as it could be, exposing his head. And beside him, the five foot tall white wolf striding alongside. His face was stoic. His friends walked beside him. 

For the past ten years I only saw him from a distance. He was sent to Gaia when he was sixteen to train with his uncle, Prince Kerrigan, who was known to be the best warrior in the nine kingdoms. Prince Kal had trained with him too, but Prince Kal was more fitting of a Prince while Prince Hal was more a warrior. I watched him sit on a rock and Kaala sat majestically on the ground beside him. He was surrounded by his second in command Uri and his third in command Elijah. They seemed like the only ones comfortable enough to sit around Kaala. Everyone else seemed to keep their distance.