Zeravia's Five

forty-one

Izzie had been fighting in the woods for what felt like hours, but judging by the moon still rising and the light of the falling sun still painting the sky with wonderful colours, it hadn't been that long. She had taken down a few men already, but she couldn't seem to fight back enough to lower their numbers. She squeezed onto one of her daggers before tossing it, dodging a sword at the very last second. By the sounds of muffled gasps, she could tell she had successfully hit a target with her thrown blade.

She quickly grabbed ahold of a man's hand twisting it to get rid of his sword. Her dress flung around crazily, flowing wither her fast movements. She used her last remaining dagger and cut at her opponent's cubical fossa before kicking him back to watch him crash onto two of his fellow soldiers. He wouldn't be able to do much with that arm for a long while.

Training with Theo had proved to be very different than training back in Zeravia. He had taught her to attack without taking the life of others whilst William had taught them to kill mercilessly. Izzie was glad she didn't have to resort to this type of fighting, she had never enjoyed the idea of snuffing the life out of another living being.

As she was about to charge at another soldier, she felt something hard sharing against the side of her face. Falling down a few feet away, she groaned in pain, noticing her previously armed hand was now empty, grabbing onto humid dirt. She struggled, dragging herself on the ground as she heard a man laughing. The side of her face felt warm and her head was getting shocked by repetitive waves of pain. She reached up, pulling her blood stained hand away and looking up. For the first time during this battle she was afraid. She feared she would die and she would die alone at the hands of a coward.

The man who had hid behind his men during the beginning of the attack was walking towards her, dragging his sword behind him. He wore a wicked smile, his long frizzy grey hair falling around his face. Her breathing was heavy and as much as she tried, she couldn't catch her breath.

This is it, isn't it? She thought to herself, forcing a smile on her face.

The man rose his sword hight and let it fall. She wasn't ready yet, Alexis had told her Theo loved her too, she couldn't die before confessing her love to him. Her jaw clenched, she wouldn't be dying today, not until she had the chance to see the prince again. She rolled over, the sharp weapon ripping apart the skirt of her dress. She let out a scream, looking at the torn fabric before glaring at her assailant.

"My fucking dress..." she hissed at the man who only laughed even more. He picked his blade back up and chuckled, "I guess girls will be girls, won't they?" He muttered getting ready for his next attempt at taking the girl's life.

Izzie squinted her eyes at him before letting out another scream of anger. As she did, something seemed to change in the man. His eyes turned glassy, empty. He took a few steps back, turning his head to the side, his face filling up with horror. She watched, confused and curious as to what had gotten into him. Was it something she had done?

The man closed his eyes and his breathing went completely out of sync. It was sharp and short as he clung to his chest. He shook his head rapidly, coughing in disbelief.

"Stop! Stop showing me this! What are you doing!" He yelled at the dirt covered girl who was still on the ground.

She quickly rose back up to her feet and bit down on her lip, trying to figure it out. How had she done that? What was even happening to him?

Izzie wasn't aware, but the echoes of her scream carried memories, flashes of everything that angered her. The man was seeing it all. A village of innocents destroyed, kids who had barely just became adults running away from people who wanted them dead, betrayal, a loved one found bleeding out in the middle of a forest, the feeling of not knowing what was going on, anxiety of not knowing if the person you loved was okay, the scarred back of a young boy who had only ever wanted to please others, etc... he was seeing it all and it was making him crazy. He was a soldier. He didn't care, so why did he start feeling so unsure about the side he was fighting for? Why was he feeling sorry for the girl standing in front of him and how could she still be fighting so fiercely after what she had gone through?