Here Lies the Queen

Chapter 8

"What do you want," Bella said, her words laced with a cold fury.
Shayde stepped forward and paused as they drew their weapons. Her eyes flickered, then she said, "You murdered my friend."
"He's not your friend and he was going to murder me."
"He should've."
A snarl ripped from Hunter's mouth. "Don't talk that way to my Queen."
A smile danced on Shayde's lips. So different from the girl asking for peace in Bella's dungeon. The bridge trembled and she was reminded there was a waterfall thundering next to them. They needed to get out.
"Well, it's been lovely seeing you, but we must be on our way." Bella stepped forward and Shayde clicked her tongue. "What."
"I'm not sure you want to do that. I came prepared for a fight."
"So did I. And look! I have two people on my side. Who do you have?" She scanned the trees behind Shayde. Her mouth popped open in mock surprise. "Oh, you have no one. How disappointing."
"I did not come to fight your companions. I came to ask for peace again."
"No."
"Then I will fight you. Not your... friends." She spat the word as if it had burned her. Maybe it had.
"Very well." She motioned to Hunter and Mel to stand down. Metal whined as she drew the sword from the palace. Blood still caked it. Shayde's face went pale at the sight of it. She sucked in a breath and drew her own.
"I really don't want to fight you," she said, loosening her cape. It fluttered to the ground.
"Then don't."
"You know I can't do that."
Bella took a step forward and Shayde clutched her sword. Her knuckles were white against the dark hilt. Bella let a deep chuckle escape her mouth before going silent. The two girls circled each other.
Bella struck first. Not with her sword, but with her magic. A wall of fire slammed into Shayde. It should've burnt her to a crisp, but a cocoon of water sheltered her. The fire pounded at the wall, not giving up. Slowly, the wall of water expanded, pushing back the fire. Bella snarled and the fire enclosed Shayde once more. She was so focused on her that she didn't notice the waterfall until it was too late.
It slammed into her. The fire vanished from around Shayde and her water exploded outward. A second wave struck Bella. She laughed, her hair plastered to her head. Shayde still stood, her face grim.
Bella lunged for Shayde with her sword this time. Her wrath smoldered, and she knew her eyes were glowing disks of flame. She'd been preparing, more so in the past few days. Any chance she could get, she was fighting.
Her skill showed as she backed Shayde up. She cut at her and Shayde barely got her blade up in time. Bella cut and thrust at Shayde relentlessly, driving her back. Their swords were a whirlwind of steel. Bella's blood sang in time to the deadly dance. She savored the feel of adrenaline pumping through her body, the feel of the sword in her hands.
Shayde blocked another strike and threw her own. Her blade swiped through the air near Bella's stomach and she leaped back. The air became charged as she rallied her power again. She poured her emotions into it and Shayde barely got a shield of water around her in time.
Bella's sword cut through it like jelly. Shayde blocked it but Bella turned her blade downward. She drove her off the bridge and into the trees. Shayde desperately tried to go on the offensive, but Bella never gave her the opportunity. Their magic vanished as they became absorbed with their swords again.
Bella's blade finally slipped past Shayde's guard and the girl turned in time for it to slice her cheek. In shock and pain, her blade clattered to the ground.
"I yield," she panted through clenched teeth. She raised her head and repeated, "I yield." Blood trickled onto her armor.
"Good." Bella sheathed her sword and paused to catch her breath. Nobody had ever fought her like that. She stretched and was oddly comforted by the ache in her arms. "I should kill you now."
"No. Don't." Shayde straightened and grabbed her sword. The blade disappeared into its scabbard. "I will leave and never come back. I promise."
Sweat dripped down into Bella's eyes and she brushed it away. "You promise? And you will leave my kingdom alone?"
"Yes."
"Very well. Leave." She couldn't run away faster. Bella watched the girl disappear into the trees before turning to her friends. Their faces were a mixture of emotions. Mel's mouth was open as she stared at Bella. Her hands shook slightly. Hunter on the other hand... Her toes curled as she beheld his face. Pride shone there, laced with hunger. Hunger, she realized, for her.
She walked up to them both and hugged them. "I think we're done here."
"What did she say?" Mel inquired.
"She said she would leave us alone."
"Why'd you spare her?" Hunter asked.
"Because..." She dragged a hand down her face. "Because I've never seen anyone fight that well. Besides you," she said, poking Hunter's chest.
He grabbed her hand and brought it to his mouth. Their eyes met as he softly kissed it. Understanding flashed, then he was on her.
"Find somewhere else to be," he told Mel, then turned back to her. Their clothes were off in a heartbeat and he moved inside her. She couldn't think, couldn't feel, anything other than him. Her hands clawed at the ground as he slid deep inside her. She groaned and he kissed her. Her breasts tightened and he took one in his mouth. She purred as he sucked, and groaned as he moved slowly inside.
They moved together, as one. The trees swayed above them and she looked farther above. Stars were beginning to pop out. The moon was just a sliver in the sky. The warm air pressed down on them as they made love under the sky. Eternal art for an eternal couple. Never apart.
They finished and Hunter drifted off to sleep. A few minutes later, the crunch of leaves told her Mel had returned. In the darkness, she couldn't see very much but could hear her breathing. The footsteps went off to the side and Bella relaxed again.
Hunter's body shone next to her in the starlight. He snored lightly. She traced the hard planes of his chest. How close she had come to losing him! If Shayde hadn't surrendered, she would've still had to have made that impossible choice.
She shifted and gazed up at the stars. Thousands and thousands gazed back. Here, out in the wilderness, she could see far more than in Vearus. The dark that loomed over her kingdom extinguished the stars, except the brightest.
There's a legend in Vearus that says the brightest stars are the souls of previous rulers. The ones who defied it all. The ones who kept the kingdom intact throughout the years. She hoped one day she would be up there. Still watching over her people.