~Vices and Virtues~

Davina's kingdom had never claimed to hold the smartest people, but at this moment she began to question if those running it have anything but air between their ears. They'd been under siege by the Veliras Empire for what felt like years now, the fact it had only been a mere month is truly pathetic. Winter was approaching and the hand of death was about their throats. This kingdom won't last much longer. Fight as her soldiers may, fighting an unwinnable war was nothing more than a suicide mission, and she refused to stand by as those in higher power sent them to die. Pretty soon they'd be looking for kids to fight their battles, as the men they sent into a death trap never came home.

Dry leaves crunch under her weight. She'd wanted to do something the second she got wind of the upcoming war, but being that those above her not only kept it a secret from her, but also stationed guards around her at all times to alert them if she'd gone off and to do anything, prevented her from doing as she wanted to. "You'd cause a scene, Davina." They'd said. Davina highly doubted that the scene could get much worse, it was already covered in blood. Said guards were drafted to the front lines of the war a day ago, as those in power picked and pleaded for more pawns in this war. She'd taken this, this whirlwind of chaos and sorrow, as her chance to take action and ran from the castle under the shadow of night. She'd been moving for a while now, having lost track after the first hour of running. As captain of her battalion, she was used to running long lengths of time, but this was wearing her down. Adrenaline flooded her veins, though sleep beckons behind her heavy eyelids. She continued to run until she stumbled upon.. Someone. Well, an outline of someone. She saw their outline in the darkness and heard the crunch of their footsteps against the dry leaves. Davina dropped low to the ground in a crouch as she slowly made her way towards the unknown veil of shadows.
No one is in this part of the kingdom at this time of night...

The figure continued lurking in the forest, dancing between trees as if it was one with the forest itself. Davina drew her scimitar. A female voice sounded from the darkness, "Come now darling, you're not going to need that." Davina's sword hissed as it cut the air, slashing at the voice behind her as scrambling to her feet.
The female chuckled at Davina's attempt to slash her, "Stellar swordplay, Captain."
Trying to regain her composure, the captain stood straight and looked at the woman. Davina's raven black hair, as pitch as the night, was a perfect contrast to the woman standing before her. The woman's gentle flowing blond hair reflects the moonlight like water. Her body blending into the shadows. If it wasn't for her smooth, icy voice or her piercing gray eyes, Davina would have missed her. Davina eyed her up and down, taking note of the cutlass on her hip, "You seem to know who I am, I think it's only fair that I know who you are, m'lady."
The blond haired woman frowned, "I assumed you knew who I was already." She sighed and slipped off her finger-less glove to reveal a tattoo that looked like mere scribbles in the darkness. Davina felt curiosity run through her veins as she squinted in the darkness trying to make out the tattoo. It was then that her blood began to boil. Displayed on the back of the right hand of the woman, was the same symbol displayed on the chest plates and flags of those who invaded her kingdom and slaughtered her men at this very moment.
A wicked smile crept onto the woman's face at the look of hatred and recognition that covered Davina's face, "Now I'm sure you know who I am. I am Alora, queen of the Veliras Empire. Soon to be the queen of your kingdom as well, Captain."
The amusement in her tone made Davina see red, the blood in her veins ran hot and she stared at Alora, who was bathing in her own sickening delight. It wasn't until she heard the wind howling in her ears that she realized she was sprinting towards the woman. Alora's blade was silent as it was drawn, but screeched when it collided with Davina's scimitar, the two blades forming an X between their wielders. Alora let out an amused cry as she jumped back from the clash.
 "Oh Captain, I've heard tales of your skill with a sword. You were said to be unparalleled to anyone in the realm." Alora looked Davina up and down before chuckling, malice coated the sound. "I must say, I'm not impressed. You think you're so much better, when you're really not all that."
Davina scoffed, as if she'd be swayed by the voice of a temptress, "My goal is not to impress you with my swordplay, m'lady. What's a villain to a hero?" Davina charged forward again.
Their swords clashed again and again, the sound filled the darkness like music as they continued their deadly ballet. Alora attempted to move out of the way of one of the attacks, but wasn't quick enough to dodge Davina's sword as it slashed at her neck. The woman staggered back holding her neck as a trickle of blood slipped through her fingers. Though the cut wasn't deep enough to kill her, Davina smiled in a condescending manner as Alora had done to her, "Are you impressed now, m'lady? Stop trying to convince yourself this is a game of mouse and cat. In reality, you've fallen, it's very clear to see."
Alora returned Davina's smile, a look of sheer joy sparkled in her eyes, "I don't know what I was thinking, talking down to such a beautiful woman~" Davina took a step back. What the hell is wrong with this woman?! She can't actually be getting off on this, right? Davina paused for what seemed like a millisecond, and in that time Alora was in front of her, "Is that flush because of battle? Or am I just in your head~" Davina threw her head back to dodge the upward swinging motion of Alora's sword. "But Captain, you're so uptight. Why don't you try and relax a little?" With that, Alora kicked out one of the captain's knees from beneath her, knocking her down into a kneeling position. Davina looked up at the woman as she pointed her sword at her and smirked, "I've got to give it to you, this was a whole bunch of fun! We'll have to do this again, beautiful!" She pointed the blade closer to Davina's face "Or not. I've never seen someone look so helpless!"
Davina stared at the blade as it neared her face. Grabbing the hilt of her sword and swinging it up with all her might to meet Alora's, Davina managed to knock the cutlass away. The woman watched her weapon fly from her hand in a daze, not reacting quick enough to block Davina's slash at her stomach. Blood began to soak her clothes, and the captain's sword was stained crimson. Alora sighed, holding her stomach as blood flowed down to the ground, "I guess we are going to have to continue this another time." Not willing to let her get away, Davina slashed again. Alora ducked under her blade and from her crouch broke into a dead sprint towards her weapon. Davina chased after her. The sword was snatched up off the ground as she passed it; not daring to look back, Alora ran. Davina chased after her, but after a few minutes Alora blended into the darkness and disappeared. Davina continued looking, but she was nowhere to be found. The morning sun painted the black skies an array of different colors and peaked out through the trees. Davina looked up at the sky in silence as she processed what she had just been through. Alora's fighting skills were as good, if not better than hers. She could have easily killed her, without her even noticing, but she didn't. She toyed with her instead. The way she looked, the way she moved, the way she smiled.. In that silence, she found her cheeks becoming warm.
Did she really think I was beautiful..?