Love Can Save {An Aphmau Fanfiction}

Katelyn

I had fought many battles over the years, both as part of the Jury of Nine and as a guard under Lady Aphmau. Yet none before had been as intense or as long as this. I hadn't been fighting for very long, only perhaps thirty minutes, yet each new second was like an hour in itself. I worried for Travis, his casual clothes doing little to protect him from the violence, but I couldn't be distracted for long. He would be safe, only because I couldn't imagine anything happening to him. If Travis died...

My back pressed against another's side, and a quick glance showed me Dante's flying swords. I snorted, determined to not be outdone. Knowing that Travis was safe a few feet away, I threw myself into the battle, Dante and I partnering in a violent dance that left our enemies crushed and in pieces. Broken pieces of his shield bounced harmlessly off the back of my breastplate, and I swiped away sword strikes aimed in the midst of our two forms.

"How you doing, old man?" I called, leaning to the side to let an arrow speed past, skittering on the bloodsoaked cobblestones. "Need a break yet?"

"In your dreams, Kate!" He grunted loudly, and from the corner or my eye, I saw sparks fly and felt a smatter of liquid hit the back of my neck, drenching through my already disgusting hair. My lip curled at the new addition to the already overwhelming stench of blood in the air, and I went to swing my claws at anyone nearby before nearly stumbling, realizing the space before me was empty for the moment. I sighed, wiping the back of my arm across my forehead as I took the brief respite as a chance to breathe properly for the first time since the fighting had begun.

Dante seemed to have a similar situation on his hands, relaxing as much as he possibly could while the war raged on around us. "Are you doing okay?" He sounded out of breath, and I leaned backwards, resting my head against his shoulder for a brief moment before pulling away.

"There's no way I'm stopping while you're still going," I panted, earning a chuckle in return. "Besides, Travis and our other friends are still fighting strong. We must fight alongside them until the end." I sighed, eyes continuous scanning the square around us for any new threat. Apparently, I missed the biggest one.

Something whistled past my ear, and the second after I flinched away, I heard a roar of pain from the man standing behind me. My head unconsciously jerked to the side, and I came face to face with the image of two feet of wood sticking out of Dante's left shoulder, thick rivers of blood streaming from the wound and coating his dull armor. The arrow was level with my eyes, and bile roiled in my stomach as the realization of how close I had come to death fully hit me. Then the terror turned into vicious rage, fueled by the fading memory of Dante's initial cry of pain.

Spotting a fallen spear on the ground, I yanked the claws off of my right hand before swooping down and closing my fist around the smooth wood. My eyes were locked on an archer across the square, the man too busy reloading his bow to notice my attention. Well, he noticed it when my spear tore deep into his right side, taking him down a few heartbeats later.

"Travis! Zera! Kace! Give him some space!" I hoped my words had reached my friends as I picked up yet another discarded spear and threw it with all my strength at a different archer, this one half hidden in an alleyway. The sharp iron created sparks as it skidded off the stone of a building, just a few inches from my target. I picked up any dropped weapons I could find, throwing them at archers and spearmen in an attempt to keep them from picking on Dante as he recovered.

A familiar hand on my left wrist caused my gaze to flicker, and there was Travis, his own sword clenched in his left hand. "Do what you can to help him. We'll keep them away." I nodded in thanks before darting behind him, my severely injured friend not a few paces away. He had fallen to one knee, his face out of sight while his hands tried to reach the arrow a few inches below his left shoulder blade, his twin swords laying discarded on the ground before him.

"Dante," I murmured, kneeling down close to make sure my words were heard. I knew we didn't have much time; there was only so long Travis and the others could keep the rest of the battle at bay for us. Dante glanced up, his teeth clenched in pain as a few lone teardrops made tracks through the grime coating his face. He grabbed my free hand, squeezing tightly like he was trying to combat the agonizing pain he was surely experiencing. "Take it out," he managed, locking his gaze with mine.

I shook my head mutely, biting my tongue for a moment as his grip intensified. "We don't have anything to bind it with."

"Use... the rest of... my cape."

"Maybe if you were wearing leather armor. But with the iron? The only way we could would be if we took your chestplate off, which we can't do." He moaned, my chest aching in sympathy and dread. He seemed to be having a hard time breathing, and my heart leapt as he cried out, every subtle movement driving the cold arrowhead further into his flesh and muscles.

"Maybe if we stuffed the hole in my armor..." Dante's voice faded, and I knew that he was just trying to justify taking the excruciating fire from his body. "At least break the shaft."

"Are you sure? That's going to be brut-"

"Don't give me a reason to change my mind. Just do it. Now." Gently, I extracted my hand from his death grip, replacing my hand with the hilt of his discarded sword. His knuckles turned white, and his breath hitched in preparation. I shifted on my knees so that I was now behind his back, the offending arrow passing by my ears. My heart pounded, drowning out the battle and clashing swords as I spent every ounce of energy on focusing on the task at hand.

Counting each breath, I placed my left hand around the shaft of the arrow, the sharp claws adorning them flexing in preparation. My other hand grabbed the end of the arrow, feathers coarse against my bare palm. I didn't waste time worrying Dante with a countdown. I simply carved my claws through the smooth wood, pulling my other hand in the opposite direction in a quick motion. The wood shattered and Dante arched against my hand, howling in pain once more. I winced in sympathy, tossing the arrow shaft away. He leaned forward, folding nearly in half as the agony threatened to tear his body in half. Swallowing down the pain I felt for my friend, I picked up my discarded claws from the ground, slipping them back onto my right hand.

"Stay down as long as you need to Dante. We'll keep you safe." As I prepared to join the fighting once more, I heard Dante's broken and rusty voice.

"Katelyn, I'm... I'm not going to make it out of this one." My head jerked backwards, staring in disbelief at my old friend kneeling on the ground. "I need you to promise me that you'll keep my children safe. Keep my wife safe."

"Dante, you can't-"

"Katelyn, look at me. I have at least a dozen wounds that could easily incapicitate anyone. Especially that arrow..." he coughed before pushing himself to his feet, throwing an exhausted smile at me. "Please Katelyn. You have to promise me. Otherwise... otherwise I can't go easily."

"Dante..."

"I am more than willing to go down for my village. But only if I know that my family will be protected by someone who loves them like I do. Promise me Kate. Please." His voice broke, and we locked gazes. The bitter taste of sorrow burned in the back of my mouth, and I blinked away the first signs of tears.

"Of course Dante. I'll protect your kids. And I'll keep Nana safe. I swear on Irene." His head dipped, chest heaving. "Now rest for a moment. I'll see you on the other side of this war." And with that, I turned to join my love and friends on the battlefield, fighting for our lives.