Dissident

Chapter 4

Possible TW: mention of bl00d and weapons in this chapter

Shitt. I can already tell it isn't the man from the village following me, there are too many boots hitting the earth. This means only one thing; Knights from my father.

I fix my composure, and start to run. I took too long processing who was chasing after me, and I can already see the tall end of spears through gaps of bushes and undergrowth. I know this time is different, I'm going to have to kill them if I want to live. Not like I've never killed anyone before, I think to myself. I sharply stop running and turn around, grabbing the long knife from my hide pocket. The first knight is nearing, and I quickly run up to him, lodging the knife into his unprotected throat. I feel the warm, familiar sensation of blood running down my fingertips from the knife blade. The knife isn't going to do much, it'll take too long to  drain them each from life with a single knife. I stoop over and snatch the long spear from the dead knight's clutch. Two other knights have approached, and with no hesitation, I stab the spear into the closet one. Yanking it out quickly, I turn around and see the second knight already inches away from me. He runs up to me, and slams me against a tree trunk. The impact caused me to drop the spear, and the knight kicks it away. He pulls out his short dagger, and drives it into the side of my waist. Fuck. FUCK. He leaves the knife in, and wraps his hands around my throat. I'm quickly losing breath, choking and gasping for more. I reach down, struggling to pull my own knife from my pocket. My fingertips grope the handle, and I force myself to grab it fully. Desperate to live, I stab the knife into his side, just as the knight did to me.

He gasps, and lets go of my throat. I stand up fully, back into my power. I yank the knife from his side, and look him into his eyes. His face is pale and sweaty, and his eyes are wild with fear.

He tries to say something, but before he can I quickly stab him again. His eyes slowly go blank. I can tell he's dead.

Now to address the fact I literally got fucking stabbed in my side. I pull out the knife, much more gently than I did for the knights.I try to stifle a moan of pain as the blade rips my skin even more. The blood flow is non-stop, and I yank of my jacket and undershirt. Tying the ripped undershirt around my waist, I pray it'll help stop the blood flow.

I have the feeling the king already knows about his slaughtered knights. I know I should get out of here fast, but the pain in my side is only worsening. I need to push through, or else I will be in much more pain than this. As I push myself up, I cry out from the pain. I'm now on my feet, but they feel wobbly and unstable. I won't get far. I'm going to end up dead. I think. "Don't think like that," I mutter, shaking my head from the thought. After a few seconds of limping around, trying to get used to the pain, I hear footsteps. They are more light, not as heavy, and I only hear the swift movement of two feet.

Shit. This is definitely the end. I'm going to die. I will fight back if needed, yet I know I won't do much damage. The rustling is closer, and then it stops. Whoever it is, they are watching me.

"Just come out and kill me already," I croak. I know they heard me, because I hear a (though small) sharp intake of breath. A tall figure steps out from behind the tree, and I see the boy from the village. I was right, he did follow me. He doesn't say anything, just stares for a few moments.

Does he recognize me?

I pray he doesn't. I follow his gaze, and see him staring at my bloody wound. He slowly steps forward, and I see anything but hate and the desire to kill in his eyes.

"I'm going to help you," He says softly, getting closer.

I step back. "I don't believe you," I reply, a little too harsh. He's only inches away, and I scoot back further this time. The sudden movement makes my side burst into pain, as if someone set fire to my skin. I moan in pain, this time not trying to hide it. I collapse against a tree, and he comes forward to help. I don't object or resist now, the pain is unbearable. His slender fingers work quickly to undo the fabric I tied around my body. I become aware of how much blood I have lost, and how sweaty I am.

When the wound is revealed, he mutters something and pulls out a small pack. Inside is some bandages, only about one or two.

"This is all I have, it better work..." He tells me.

I'm not really listening. There are block spots appearing in the corners of my vision, and I find myself slipping away from this world. I try to force myself to stay awake, this man could easily kill me any second. He could recognize I'm Emyrin, and boom, no more me!

I gaze at him while he's trying to help my wound, and find myself staring too much and too long. His eyes meet mine, and he tries to give me a small smile. My vision starts to go fuzzy and black, and this time, I let myself go. His hands working around my waist are the last thing I feel before I am out.