Goodbye to the Knight✔️

48. Time to fight

A/N: Warning - a bit of violence in the chapter 

Like ants pouring out of their mound, the opposite side of the valley comes alive as the cave people swarm out. Before we know it, they are down outside the village and meeting our own people head on. For a while we all watch, tense, no one talking until the first blood begins to spill and then the mothers quickly swipe the children away from the edge, occupying them with other things away from the blood bath occurring.

For a while things seem to be going well for us, until Tirunthius' people manage to breach into the village allowing them far more places to dodge and hide behind as well as expose more weapons for them to use.

It alarms me how well they seem to know the village layout... almost more so than the villagers themselves. From our high perch I see Killian head straight into combat, taking on an alarming amount of men and yet defeating wave after wave and yet still Tirunthius' men keep on coming.

I am so focused on watching the battle play out that I don't notice five burly men break off from the battle and start heading towards us from the side, trying to take us all by surprise.

"Ell! Duck!" Cecelia suddenly shouts at me. Without thinking I duck, and just in time for a stone comes hurling over my head towards the men. We too have some defence up here. Cecelia and another women continue firing stones at the men with a slingshot, however most do not find their intended target and the men slowly advance.

"Cecelia!" I shout across the plateau. "Do we have any other weapons here?"

Without faltering in her rhythm of stone throwing she shouts back, "There are some swords and maybe a bow over by Gisela!"

With intent, I run over to Gisela and see exactly what I am hoping for, a bow and quiver filled with arrows.

"Can I take this?" I quickly ask.

"Have it! Florence broke her arm last week and is unable to use it now!" Gisela thrusts it into my hands and then quickly attaches the arm guard to my left arm, tying it quickly on whilst I sling the quiver over my head. "Go!"

I grit my teeth, I am ready to fight.

My muscle memory kicks in as I draw an arrow from the quiver and nock it against the bow. It feels good to be holding a bow once more, the rush of releasing the arrow is exactly the same as remembered. My arrow sails through the air and hits one of the men in his shoulder a distraction that allow Cecelia to finally hit his head with the rock, knocking him straight out. I lock eyes with the her and the other women, we now have a method.

I nock, draw and release, a rhythm quickly forming, and before we know it we hear cries of celebration from behind us; the children hurraying at our small victory.

"Nice slinging!" I call over to my partners and they both smile.

"Ell, I didn't realise you knew how to use a bow and arrow," Gisela says from behind me.

I smile, "It's been a past time of mine for awhile,"

"You have a special skill, now go, use it, I think they need more help down there."

I peer over the edge and see that she is right, the battle is still raging on, neither side making much progress.

"Are you sure that you don't need me up here?"

"Positive, whilst you were firing arrows we made more slingshots so Cecelia and Gwen will have more back up if they attack us up here again."

"Okay."

"May the wind stay in your favour down there," she pats my arm and then turns back to help with the slingshots.

With bow in hand I head back down the mountain side, the descent far easier than the incline allowing me to not be completely out of breath by the time I reach the bottom and make myself a base on behind some large boulders on the outskirts of the village and battle field.

Down here the atmosphere is completely different, everything is so much sharper and intense. I climb up onto the nearest boulder, giving me the perfect view point and without meaning to, my eyes scan the battle field for Killian and Sage, both of whom I'd lost track of when the men attacked our gathering at the top.

Are they both alive and okay? I had already seen many men on both sides go down and never get back up. No, I cannot believe that either of them are dead, they must be out there fighting.

Suddenly I spot Sage fighting with another man, both of them working well together against another two men, and to the looks of things they are winning. Relief fills me knowing that he is with someone else and then I finally find Killian, fighting three men who surround him. Swords collide, their clangs echoing out across the valley. Blood and sweat fills the air and yet still, amidst the chaos, he looks calm, too calm. We lock eyes and even at this distance I see the fire burning within, his power radiating outwards sending fear into those opposing him. His jaw is taut but his motions are as fluid as a cat playing with its prey. The scarred knight is very much alive giving me hope once more.

It is time to fight.

Again, I start drawing arrows and aiming at the opposition who are easily spottable because they don't wear a red circle around their wrists which is a statement part of the villages armour. Slowly but surely I begin picking people off, first I help Sage with his men, taking one right out and then I help another group of villagers who got themselves cornered against the village halls wall. They give me a grateful wave before going straight back into fighting another group.

Before I can re-nock an arrow, someone else's arrow comes flying towards me, I dive to my right and just in time, a split second later would have cost me maybe my life. I roll off the boulder and to the ground behind, laying their dazed for a few seconds

Nothing hurts too bad I rule out broken bones, I am bleeding slightly on one arm from the rocks but it isn't bad, the other arm was protected by the arm guard thankfully. With adrenaline increases I peer out from beside the rock and scan for the hidden archer that almost killed me.

Finally I spot him, based on the roof of a house, the perfect spot to take out people on the ground and yet be safe from the reach of swords, however not safe from my arrows.

Quickly I nock my arrow and release it, it's path straight to its target, the force of my arrow knocking him off his perch and down to the ground on the other side of the house. Unlike his arrow, my arrow had sunk into him and I have no need to fear a return strike from him.

In my heart I know that I had to take out that man in order to stop him but still I feel the weight of his life on my shoulders. These men of Tirunthius are not playing nice, they are not here to capture but rather to kill and take back what they believe is theirs. They are not here to crawl back to the caves in defeat which makes them that much more dangerous. They are here for blood and forcing these peaceful villagers to tap into their warrior sides and defend their lives. 

With a slightly heavier chest I start picking other men off again, trying to aim at their legs rather then their chests, causing my victims to fall and be the subject to those battling them rather than myself however occasionally I am forced to aim higher in order to save a villagers life.

The sun reaches its peak in the sky and then starts its descent. People on both sides are growing more tired and the battle is now slower. To my relief, red marked men are higher in numbers and gradually picking off the enemies one by one until they have either surrendered or are no more.

I unclench my fingers from the bow, instantly noticing how stiff they are before jumping off the boulder, this time far more gracefully then my previous fall.

With quiver and bow, I walk slowly towards people beginning to regroup on the village green, limping slightly my rush now wearing off.

What a day it has been.

A/N: 

Hope you all enjoyed! Weirdly enough writing battle scenes is very enjoyable and Ella finally got to use a bow again! 

Please vote and comment if you enjoyed! 

SouthernAlps over and out...