The Kingdom of Eternal Winter (Divergent Fourtris Fanfiction)

Chapter 25

The ice was as hard as stone, and Tris' palms burned as they slid over it as she tried to break her fall. It stopped her from more severe injuries, but her knees still hit the surface hard enough for her to cry out in pain. They would certainly bruise. But there was no time to worry about that now. She had to get out of this situation first.

She turned around quickly and was surprised to find that her attacker was a girl, tall and broad, her dark brown eyes staring at her menacingly, her face vaguely familiar. She didn't know what she could possibly have done to deserve to be looked at like this.

It was good that she had been training so regularly with both Marlene and Christina, as well as on her own, for she managed to get back up on her feet as soon as she was over the first shock. It didn't prove to be easy on the slippery ground, though.

"Who are you?" she gasped out as she stared right into the girl's hatred-filled eyes.

"Doesn't matter who I am. It's more important to ask me what I want," the girl snarled as she stepped threateningly close to her again. She was at least a head taller than her. It would be hard to tackle her down in a fight.

"So, what do you want?" Tris choked out, trying to play for time and think over her options to escape.

"The Water of Truth!"

Of course, another contestant! That's why she looked familiar. Tris wasn't sure about her name, was it Molly? She hadn't talked to her before. Now she instinctively turned sideways in an attempt to protect the bag slung across her body from the attacker.

"Go and get some yourself!"

"Why go through all this trouble when I can just take yours instead?"

Molly reached for the bag with an ugly laugh and pulled, hard, but Tris clung to it desperately. She wouldn't let go, not this easily. Not without a fight. There was too much at stake.

"No!" she shouted and wrapped her hands around Molly's wrists to pull her hands off her bag, but she held on stubbornly. Yet with Tris constantly moving and turning around, she didn't get her hands inside it either. That's why she tried to tackle Tris harder instead, wrapped her arms around her upper torso from the side and tried to make her fall.

Tris knew Molly was bigger and stronger than her, but she herself was more agile. For a moment, she pretended to surrender, and Molly's grip around her loosened a bit. She immediately used the opportunity to trip her up. The slick ice made it easier to do than if they'd stood on solid ground. But Tris hadn't calculated that Molly's arms were still close enough around her to pull her down, too.

Both girls slipped and toppled, and Molly huffed as she fell backwards onto the ice. It must have hurt her a lot more than Tris grazing off her palms' skin when she had first fallen. This time, she landed more or less on Molly herself, knocking the air out of the taller girl's lungs. She used the moment that Molly was gasping in pain and shock to roll off of her. She turned around and, with little hesitation, jumped at the chance to defeat Molly. She quickly slung a leg over her and swung herself up to straddle her. With her left hand she pinned Molly's right arm down against the ice and reached for the knife tied to her belt with her right.

Tris didn't want to hurt Molly with it, but she wanted, needed, to prove that she could if she had to, and this was probably the easiest way to get out of this fight quickly and without injuries. It seemed to be a language that the other girl understood, for she flinched as she saw the blade and stopped struggling as her eyes widened in surprise and fear.

"Please, don't stab me! All I wanted was a bit of the Water, please, don't hurt me."

"I won't stab you, but I won't give away what I rightfully own. You have no right to take it from me. What were you thinking to attack me this cowardly?"