2017 Stories

Man in the Mist

I rode on, trying to forget the horror of the past few days. I rode past the fields of flowers that I had played in when I was younger, when I had nothing to worry about, when life had only been inside the castle walls, I had not known danger nor had known loss, anger or hatred. I had only known how to be a proper lady, how to eat properly, how to use my manners, how to dress myself properly, how to ride side saddle. I looked down out myself my mother would have been horrified to see my ride like this, to ride like a man, I laughed at that thought, to ride like a man, only year ago, I to would have been horrified to see a women ride like a man but things had changed, survival had become more important than how to be a proper lady.

As I rode I noticed a blurry figure in the distance, it had been running but had suddenly stopped.

"HALT", I called out, my army behind hesitated before they stopped. They had laughed at me the first time I had given them orders, they had said that only men could give them orders, but when the world had changed, they had realised that their only chance of survival was to listen to me. It had taken me 6 months to convince them to teach me how to fight. They had taught me the basics with a knife and how to defend myself with no weapon. It had been I hard for them, going against their ordinary orders and listening to not male, nor female but just a child of 12.

"what is it, my lady?", Lieutenant Smiden asked me.

"There is a man in the distance", I replied.

"Shall I get rid of him?" he asked.

"No, I want you to leave me to deal with him", I replied.

"Are you serious my lady", he asked.

"Deadly", I answered and rode off to meet the man in the mist.

"Don't come any closer, my Lady", The man in the mist said. I ignored him I was no longer a Lady, no I was a courageous, young women, not a 'lady'.

"Do you not know that respectable Lady's listen to men?", The man said.

"I do, but I am no 'respectable young lady', I replied

"You certainly look like one", the man said. I glared at him, anger bubbled inside of me, how dare he. I pulled out my sword and said,

"Fight me, if you don't believe me".