Not Your Hero

Serendipity

Smoke surrounded the small space and Reyna suddenly realized just how claustrophobic she had become. Years of war and leading her armies out in an open space had taught her to utilize the free air. Now that it was limited, she wasn't sure if her efficiency would be the same as it usually was. It wasn't often that Reyna found herself in a pinch. There was always another way to get out of a tough spot and better yet another way to survive. This was a whole other story. Reyna let out a quick breath as she lunged at the first woman to her left.

She knew better than to try to take on more than one person at a time, but she also knew that her daughter's fragile state would cause a hindrance to her own abilities. She had to do what she did best on the battlefield, think fast and act faster. There was only so much time before the dust settled and that would give her just enough time to do the damage and leave. 

Aseria found herself panicking slightly at the brief moment of silence before all hell broke loose. The look Marisol gave her before the room gave way to smoke, the way her mother grabbed her by the back of the collar to pull her away from the goons running at her, the way her body stuttered at the sudden intrusion of a blade to her leg. The adrenaline coursing through her veins wouldn't let her relent against her oppressors. With her back pressed to her mother's and too much pressure on one calve, she let out a shriek of pain.

"I've taken a lot worse than this, c'mon!"

She half whispers to herself, angry that she couldn't find the strength in her to push through her pain a little longer. Her blonde hair was starting to shed with the sweat, ash and blood that clumped themselves together due to her days of fighting and lack of showering.
If the wound getting infected wasn't going to be her biggest problem, unknown germs from her surroundings would be. There was nothing her mother could say that would deter her from the fight, but she knew her mother wouldn't let her make any haste decisions without a quick redirection.

    Glancing to the door Marisol ran through, she saw the glint of a blade almost mocking her. Shoving past one of the men, she slid across the floor to reach, completely ignoring her own pain as she let the adrenaline pump through her. Aseria wasn't as skilled as her mother with the sword by any means, but she at least knew that she could cause a distraction long enough for Reyna to regroup with her.
Throwing the two in front of her for a loop, she made an impulse decision to slam her shoulder into the bookcase beside her, causing dust and wood to obstruct their vision.
Reyna could only do so much at one time. With Marisol running away for some anklet, the smoke finally settling, and the realization that her daughter's leg had been sliced open and she was nowhere to be found, she found herself struggling to juggle her priorities. It wasn't until her daughter's voice rang out in the room, yanking her back into the present moment.

"We need to get you out of here and we need to do it quickly."

"You know I'm not leaving without you."

"That wasn't a request, Aseria."

Tears began to leak from her eyes. Aseria couldn't tell what exactly they were from, she assumed it was simply a combination of everything in the moment. The smoke in her vision, the pain in her body, the realization that her mother isn't going to let her win this argument. Sliding the sword across the floor to her mother, she holds off one of the assailants with a strong kick to the gut.

"Mom I can't leave you."

"You're going to have to. I will meet you in our old safehouse."

Reyna grabbed the weapon and gave her daughter a quick kiss to the crown of her head, something she did before every battle, just in case it was the last time they were to see each other.

"I love you. Never forget that."

"You'd better win."

"I always win."

She kept her sword in a ready position held in front of her, signaling to the oppressors around her that she was ready to keep fighting. She held the sword with expert precision with both hands, perpendicular to the ground. With the method she once learned that stayed in her mind, burned like the cigarette she lit before they came to this hellhole, she could move the sword side to side and up and down easily, blocking and landing blows in all directions.

Aseria gave her one glance before she began to back away towards the door. There wasn't much she could do to help with her wound, and she knew her mother could hold her own, so regrouping and getting to the safehouse in one piece was the only thing she could do.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Reyna heard her mother's voice.

"Hold the tip of the sword at a bit of an angle, with the tip pointed slightly toward your opponent. You cannot falter at a moment like this. Deep breath, now strike."

She found herself quick to act, stepping up and into the blow, with her arms held against her body. Something her mother taught her when she was her daughter's age, but with more vengeance than defense in mind.
She reacted quickly and against her more sane instincts, which screamed and told her to move back and save herself while she still had the chance. The fighter in her knew that she couldn't hold back. Moving closer, she would be able to cut off the woman in front of hers power, meaning she could hold the upper hand while Aseria was running.

Aseria had lost the feeling in her leg as her vision began to fade. As much as she wanted to cry, scream and beg someone to help her, she knew she couldn't. With the safehouse in view and her mother in the doorway, she let out a relieved huff of breath.

"Thank the gods, just the woman I needed to see."

With her vision fading out, she found herself panicking a little more, unsure if she could make it to the door in time. She wasn't sure why her mother wasn't coming to help her, especially after watching her get wounded. But before she could register the features, she heard the voice of the woman she just escaped from.

"Welcome home, Aseria."