A Curse of the First

•«CHAPTER TWENTY»• •«WAR»•

Birch was sitting alone as she watched everyone else practice fighting for the last time before the war started. She had hurt her wrist and couldn't practice fighting today. The sun was starting to set as Blossom walked over, slipping her sword into its sheath.

"Don't be so upset," Blossom chuckled, pulling up a chair and sitting next to her.

"But I can't fight till my wrist stops hurting!" She complained, annoyed and tired.

"But you get to save up on energy! That's useful! Plus, the practicing is almost over anyways!" Blossom said in a kind and happy voice, wanting to cheer her up.

Birch didn't say anything, only yawned and started to look at the ground.

"If you're tired you should head to sleep." Blossom shrugged, looking at the sky. She glanced back at her friend's hurt hand, which luckily wasn't bleeding, but was still wrapped up.

"No, it's not really that late yet." Birch sighed, watching the grass rustle in the wind. Her sword was propped up against her chair before she finally picked it up and sheathed it. "I really hope my wrist stops hurting before tomorrow," She muttered.

"I bet it will. After all, it's not hurt too badly," Blossom reminded her calmly, "And it is late. You need sleep if you want your wrist to feel better."

Birch shrugged before looking back up at the night sky again, "Just a few more minutes... then I'll sleep."

"Alright. See ya," She said, smiling, before standing up and walking away.

I just want to train... is that so bad? Birch thought to herself, trying to ignore the pain in her wrist. It hurt, but luckily not too badly. The unnecessary bandage around it wasn't very comfortable, and it bothered her that they wasted supplies on her right before the war.

Tomorrow the war started... Wasn't that an unbelievable thought? A war! There hadn't been a war since Melancholy's time. She shivered as she thought about Melancholy. Those had been dark times for everyone, but the thought of magic made it seem weird. It was true what had happened... and it was written so deep into everyones history. Melancholy had been a real human, with real magic, not just some tale made up to keep young people entertained.

It was a gruesome story, so Birch choose not to think about it anymore. She looked up at the sky, at the stars, at the few clouds that still hung around, and at the moon. It was a beautiful night, no doubt about that. Dark blues and purples seemed to swirl in the sky, but they were faint. The stars however, were bright as they tried to steal her attention. She tried not to let them, not wanting to forget how late it was getting, but it was impossible.

They called for her, and she listened. The sky seemed to darken as she sat there, as if time was rapidly passing. Something seemed to shove her shoulder in the gentlest way, snapping her out of the trance the stars had put her in.

"A few minutes, huh? It's been an hour," Blossom chuckled, standing in front of her.

Birch's eyes widened, "An hour?!" When her friend nodded, she stood up quickly, "Sorry!"

Blossom didn't seem to care, seemingly amused that her friend couldn't keep time very well, "You should get to sleep now, everyone else is."

Birch looked away in embarrassment before following Blossom to their tent. Once she got there, she slipped her boots off and got ready for bed. Just a few minutes later, she was laying in bed, almost asleep. After a short moment, she had already drifted off.

~~~***~~~

The soup in her hands was still steaming, though the bread she had set on her knee wasn't as hot nor fresh. Birch took her third sip of soup before glancing around to see the still rising sun. The day seemed still so far, though she knew it was going to be one hectic day. She barely had the nerve to be out so early, so her hair ended up covering her, hiding how scared she was.

Wars were new to her... Well not exactly new, she had read about them before, but she had never been in one. The dreaded time came when she finished her breakfast, it was time for the war to start.

ONLY ONE CHAPTER LEFT GUYS!!!! I SWEAR YALL WILL BE MAD AT ME AT THE ENDING! I was mad at myself... BUT IM SO EXCITED TO FINISH THIS BOOK!!!!!!