White Roses Bloom

Chapter Twenty Four

     Anna stood upon a roof in the town square. The castle had been turned into a sanctuary. Undercover witches who specialized in healing magic and doctors had all been taken to the castle, preparing for a wave of injured to come from the battle that was about to consume the whole kingdom.
      The sun was starting to set above Anna's head. People were staring up, some shaking with fear, some excited for the thrill of a battle, some scared of the possible outcomes of this night, and some just melancholy or emotionless entirely. “Bella, be careful out there, okay?” Thomas begged from behind Anna. Anna turned to face Thomas and nodded. “You too Tommy,” she whispered in reply. Thomas cupped Anna’s chin in his hand, staring into her eyes. “I never got a chance to say this when we were children, but I always loved you Anna. You are everything to me. Those years without you were the worst years of my life. I. What I'm trying to say is I love you,” Tommy murmured, pulling Anna close. Anna blushed, feeling her cheeks go bright red. Thomas leaned forward and placed a kiss gently upon her lips. The two closed their eyes and melted into the kiss.
     After a moment, Thomas pulled away and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “Please don't die on me Bella, okay?” Thomas begged. Anna nodded, completely speechless as the thought of Thomas’s lips on her’s lingered in her mind. Anna looked over to see Vidro begging Analise not to partake in the battle. All though he was losing that argument and Analise refused to leave. She leaned forward and kissed Vidro’s cheek, holding the bag full of potions that Lydia had given her. Lydia sat, reading a book of spells, memorizing every incantation she could. Carvar stood at Lydia’s side, keeping a watchful eye over the kingdom. Anna glanced to see a sword at Vidro’s waist and recognized it instantly. “You found father's sword?” Anna asked. Vidro looked up and nodded. Anna smiled. She had been wondering why Vidro had given her his old sword.
      The group waited patiently as the moon began to rise into the sky. Anna felt her chest tightening and her heart pounding. She was terrified. If she failed tonight, then this whole kingdom would perish. It was up to her to save everybody, and that pressure was starting to get to her.
      The whole kingdom was dark, waiting for the battle to start to ignite the fires. Anna frowned and drew her sword. Suddenly there was a loud howl. A fire lit up on the south side of the town and smoke rose high into the sky. Fires around the city periodically lit up as they caught sight of the smoke from the other fires. The creatures of darkness began to appear throughout the whole kingdom.
      A sea of arrows rained down like a tsunami from on top of the kingdom's walls. As the arrows stopped falling. There was a large battle cry across the whole kingdom. Anna and her group jumped down from the roof and ran to join into the fight. Anna bit her lip as she ran. The battle had begun.