Mirror, Mirror

Chapter 1~

Chapter 1~

**Lydia**

Rudolph the red nosed reindeer,

Had a very shiny nose.

And if you ever saw it,

you would even say it glows.

All of the other reindeer...

Ah, Christmas... What a "wonderful" time of year. I tugged absentmindedly on my hood as I watched the lively party go on. People drinking too much at once, giggling couples "accidentally" under the mistletoe (what a sad excuse to make out), and a bunch of fools running around in Santa hats. Every single year I watched them, because I knew that someday, during this time when they were defenseless, the Crimson Lord would attack. And the partygoers wouldn't be able to lift a finger against them, because of their blissful drunkenness.

I shifted into a more comfortable position, taking a moment to look around me. I had looked around beforehand to take note of my surroundings, but now, I had a chance to really take in where I was. I was sitting upon a small hill under a cliff, with a pile of dirt and grass as well as a tree covering my position. I frowned thoughtfully-- the cliff wouldn't be a bad place to make a temporary hideout. I was jolted out of my thoughts when I heard a shriek coming from below. Had the massacre I had been anticipating for years finally come?

Looking below, I found the disturbance was nothing more than a small rat scuttling into the plaza. Of course, I thought bitterly. As much as I didn't want to reveal my existence to the village of Celeste, I still longed, deep within my heart, for a chance to prove the hero. But being a hero had its own issues-- the issue of not revealing my identity to anybody.

Once again shaking me out of my ponderings, a shriller, more frantic scream cut through the night. This scream sounded more masculine and not completely drunk. I peered down once more, looking for the screamer. I didn't have to look very far.

Below me was utter chaos. An army of scarlet-clad soldiers marched upon the plaza, violently slaughtering everybody that stood in their way. "Finally," I said quietly, a malicious smile spreading over my face. "The Crimson Lord and his Blood Knights have come out of hiding." I decided to simply observe until they stopped, seeing as they looked as if they had a purpose and would stop ruthlessly murdering once they found said target.

...Of course they were looking for the lord. In order to strengthen the Crimson power, Blood Knights needed to kill a person in power. It was quite a disappointment that they wouldn't get to today-- I rather liked the current lord. She was fair and kind to her citizens, and rarely spoke a bad word about any of the neighboring villages. Lady Annalina, they called her. "Lady of the Light" would be the crude translation.

But names aside, I watched curiously as the lead Blood Knight forced Annalina to her knees. Her drunken guard stumbled forward to try to protect her. "Tsk, a true guard wouldn't let their guard down," the Blood Knight said. I nodded my head in agreement; it was a true statement, and truths should be recognized, no matter from which mouth it came from. I cringed as the second-in-command stepped up and slashed out with his sword, throwing back the guard and leaving a nasty cut on his cheek.

The lead guard once again stepped forward. "Hand me the sacred sword, and hold back these... peasants." He declared, sending a disgusted glance toward the assembled crowd. Just as the sword was handed to the Blood Knight, I jumped down from where I hid, landing unheard and unnoticed. Taking down these Blood Knights without Splitting should be relatively easy, but I really didn't want to take any chances.

I raised my staff and transformed into a jet-black sword. Raising it up, I swiftly cut through the ranks. Blood Knights fell left and right, swifter than a whisper of the wind. The lead Blood Knight raised the "sacred" sword and brought it down, knowing that he must finish his task no matter the cost, or be faced with the wrath of both the Dark King and the Crimson Lord. I darted in and blocked it, sparks flying as the swords clashed together. A few drops of blood splattered onto my face from my bloodied sword. I ignored them- cleanliness came second to survival.