The Heart of Shadow and Gold

Chapter 37

Leyla POV:
Her hazel eyes met mine and a tear went down my face as she spoke my name, I never thought I would see her again. I rushed to her and captured her in an embrace that felt like a forcefield, that nothing could hurt us. The wind whipped our hair together and flames and soot surrounded us, tears stained our cheeks and clothing as we clung onto eachother as if nothing else in this world was worth our attention, that if we had eachother everything would be alright.

"I missed you so much." She whispered, "I missed you too Ash."

We pulled apart regrettably and her demeanor changed to Anticipation, I missed her. She hugged Callie for a quick second, said a few words and as gunshots rung she turned and looked at us, "we need to blow this operation, Ajax, think you can get us all too the centre of their troops? If we take out the head of the operation we can take out the army."

The prince nodded his head, I squinted my eyes at him and he did the same. I did not like him.

"I can try," he said tiredly. "but it will take a lot out of me."

"oh please, just get us there and we can deal with the rest."

"Leyla." Ashley looked at me, "please don't fight, we just need to save lives that's all." I sighed, "fine. But hurry it up will you?"

Ashley rolled her eyes and the prince motioned for all of us to come closer, two other Elves clung onto Ajax as well as Ashley, meanwhile me and Callie clung onto Ashley and eachother refusing to touch the elves. Both our eyes showing distrust.

Darkness clouded our vision and I panicked,I squeezed Ashleys hand and she squeezed back in reassurance. We reappeared in a battlefield of people in uniforms like mine and Callie, instantly the three of us were springing onto the people, shoting and slashing, or in callies case, stabbing, left and right. Apparently the other three weren't so quick, they stumbled back as the prince fainted and protected him and Ashley, the selfless hero she is protected the three of them. It almost felt like old times, in the training facility when it was just me and here situating the dummies around us like an army.

Well that pracyice came in handy as we stood back to back shooting down farther threats and her cutting down close calls.

Callie yelled something at us as something was thrown at our direction, I looked at it and screamed as I pushed Ashly to the side as the grenade blew up, throwing us to the wall.

"Leyla! Oh my god are you alright?" she ushered over to me.

"yeah, im good." I state sitting up holding my head. Out of the ruins Xanthos walks out and stands in front of us. "Ashley, im very disappointed in you." He gently scolds, I stand up and two soldiers come behind me and hold my hands together behind me, disarming me. "let go of me!" I yell and the cover my mouth, I couldn't help but watch as Xanthos approached Ashley.

"disappointed in me? I should be disappointed in you. You went against your word, you kidnapped me!" she yelled at him.

"honey, I was proecting you." "from my family?" "from monsters." He stated coldly. "well if that's your reason then you obviously failed because I grew up with you, and that's not much worse." She practically growled.

"you know, I can remember a time where you wanted nothing more than being an Etherisl gusrrd, the thought of protecting your country, the dream of giving your life for me was unimaginable but you attained it! But you threw it away? Why?" he stood there, his yellow and blue eyes shining with fake hurt.

"Because I realized living for you was much worse than dying for you."

Behind his back I watched as his hand brought out a gun and I screamed through the hsnds that held me, I cried out her name as tears fell down my cheeks and a pained scream ripped through the fingers as a shot went off, I bit the hands containing my voice as I ran towards her body, I steadied heras her eyes went down to her leg, her bloodied leg. She looked up at him and she unsheathed her sword and ran to him, for the first time I have ever seen, true terror flashed through his eyes as his student, his daughters blade stuck through his chest, and he didn't try to fight back, like he knew it w as his destiny.

"I knew it." He whispered to her as I stood there frozen. "you are a monster, perfect." And with that he dropped to the floor, not moving. The soldiers around us stood confused before someone took charge and called a retreat. I kneeled next to Ashley and hugged her. Her sobs echoed through my head as I whispered words into her head, for myself or for her I don't know.

But I do know one thing, I will protect her for the rest of my life, even if that costs my own life.

A/N 875 words