HOW TO LIVE AGAIN (girlxgirlxgirl)

Kuusitoista; Chasing a feeling

"Until the silence is broken"
16

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⚠️ mentions of death ⚠️

20 days after Andra's escape

As cold as it is, Minerva can only hope that their destination is close. She knows that it isn't though.

They have to move up north to reach it, and in between stands a whole chain of mountains. It's a steep uphill walk from wherever they are, up and up and up. It never stops, always going upwards. The ground is filled with rocks, big and small, almost piercing through their shoes. Minerva isn't one to feel exhausted, like ever, not after becoming a goddess. But their constant march up this mountain without a break, without any hope and with the harsh terrain, it's taking a toll on everyone.

Night and day come and go. They never get to rest enough for it to be good. Just a few hours of sleep and suddenly they are back to it, walking again. They don't have ay time to waste, Minerva knows this. The reason they are moving so fast, away from the city of Crown Jewels and towards the blue boarder is because they are being chased. They can walk, run, travel faster than any other army because they have been trained to do such. But they can't stop, because if they rest for one moment too long, the enemy catches up.

How did it come to this? Well three days ago the entire rebellion army was forced to retreat from crown jewels, chased by Aryans new royal army. Their plan of staying there longer and gathering thousands of members was discarded. Everything they had planned, hoped and worked for, is now gone. A simple, reckless and risky plan B is the only thing that they have left. Plan B is just them escaping the country, over the boarder to the blue clan to seek help from the empress who rules there. She's their only chance, the only thing they have left is outside support, no matter how much Andra wanted to defeat her brother by herself.

The blue empress is known for trying to make the blue clan similar to the gold clan. Build equality and female superiority. A matriarchy like the gold clan once used to be, that's what she wants and she's been working for it for twenty years already. If anyone is willing to help them defeat Aryan and bring back equality, it's her. After all, if the big gold clan falls back into an oppressive patriarchy, the blue clan will soon follow. She needs them to win, just as much as they need her help. But the only way to get there is by foot, and until they have crossed the boarder, Aryans men will continue to chase them up the mountain.

Minerva can't lie, she's a little scared. Sure her life isn't worth as much as everyone else's, as she has already lived once, as she has another life waiting for her after death. But the thought of those men catching up with them and forcing them into battle whilst they are so exhausted and tired to the bone, isn't very appealing. She's scared that Andra will die, scared that Thyra will die protecting the princess, scared that everyone will die and she will be forced to fight this battle alone. After all, that's why she's here, to defeat Aryan, with or without this army.

She was the one who determined the success rate of plan B. A near twenty percent chance that they make it across the boarder, a nice fifty percent chance that the empress agrees to help them and a sad ten percent chance that this plan ends up with Andra on the throne instead of Aryan within five to ten weeks. That's what she told them after calculating their plan in her head, rushed by their stress and worry, for the enemy wasn't very far away at the time. So close you could hear the rumbling of their horses, wagons and soldiers echo through the edge of the mountain.