The Borderlands The Memoirs Of Lord Tristan

Chapter II

I took the lead in the procession. By the attitude of all it felt like we were riding to our death. Which I had no doubt about. All able bodied males were riding with me, aside from about ten who stayed at the Manor to defend it when the time came. Our number to the last man, including Gena and I, was 387 strong. A force of near four hundred trying to defeat a force of over 20,000.
We wound our way down the hill. Only about twenty of us were on horses. It didn't take long for us to arrive at the appointed plain. All the men who would perform the traps were in position. My heart fluttered feebly. Everything in me told me not to go into battle. I wasn't afraid of death; I was afraid of what might happen if I wasn't available to protect my mother and fiancée. I waited apprehensively for the army of Raiders. The heat increased and the sun scorched any exposed skin. Still, we waited. 
Then it happened, thousands of fur clad men poured out from the pass. Some were heavily dusted with snow, showing that at least one of the avalanches had worked.
"Hold! Hold!" I ordered. Some had been struck suddenly with terror and a number of at least forty turned tail and ran. The horses became uneasy. They weren't battle trained; we had to let them go. The Raiders began to converge upon us, and our lines met. Fierce fighting broke out. I was swept away from Gena by the tide of men. I cut down several Raiders in quick succession. They were fearsome warriors with red and white tribal war paint. Their technique of fighting was unique; there was no elegant swordplay, but merely brute force and hacking. I held my own. Dozens of men fell around me, both Raiders and my own. Blood gushed, and men screamed in agony. My battle skills began to kick in. I had just come up against a particularly large Raider, when my world shattered. I heard a quiet gasp behind me, I plunged my sword into my opponent and turned. There she was, my sweet Gena...with a crossbow bolt imbedded in her stomach. A red feathered shaft, one of the Raiders'. The bolt had pierced right through her breastplate. An emotion so deep and thick dominated my senses. My vision tunnelled, and I only had eyes for Gena. I ran to her side and squatted down next to her.
"Gena!" I exclaimed, and lifted her head up into my lap. "Gena dear, everything is going to be all right!" I said, tears streaming down my face.
"Tristan," she said, thickly. She coughed up blood. Blood was everywhere. Her face became deathly pale.
"Talk to me Gena," I pleaded. Never had I experienced such deep and sudden emotion. My father had been withering away and we all knew that he would die. But Gena, she wasn't ready to go, and I wasn't ready to let her go.
"Tristan..." she said, and coughed a second time. She was ashen white. "I'll...miss...you." Her eyes danced across my face one last time. Then her features became still and relaxed. Her eyes were devoid of life and she stared, with her eyelids still open, up at the blue sky. Gena was dead. Her body was still and relaxed. The crossbow bolt no longer quivered with her breathing. My eyes streamed, and my vision blurred, but I had to fight. I would take down as many Raiders as I could. I stood up, sweat and grime covered me, but I would fight longer, vengeance would make sure of that.