Fated Enemies

Chapter 43 - Hit!

The thundering sound of hoofs on wood was the warning they needed, archers went to their positions on the wall, soldiers waited in line to take their place as soon as the riders went through, Truman was the first one to notice that something was wrong, one of the riders was laying on the horse and the animal was being pushed by another rider, as soon as the reached the inside of the gates, Alexa's commanding voice was heard louder than never in absolute silence, "Gwen, Sam, and Elia take Andrew inside the castle! Soldiers are ready to attack, archers find your mark and shoot as soon as they are in sight!"

She didn't dismount as everyone else, she went to the other side of the castle, by the narrow streets in a gallop, "Flora, take your riders and flank that army, now!" She ordered the other woman and didn't wait to see a form of complying, she returned to the main gate, where it was possible to hear screams of vampires when they fell on the traps, when the boiling pitch was falling the walls or when the flaming arrows of the archers found it's marked, and incinerated the pitch making the flames roar to consume flesh. One horn was sounded, and they began retrieving, as Flora's riders were arriving, Alexa shouted for her to retrieve too, it was useless to fight a fleeing army, and they would get another chance, just then she dismounted the horse and run inside the castle, not caring about what people might think, bit that action tipped off Truman who went behind her, they reached the kitchens that was the closest room from the door and saw Gwen and Sam trying to take care of Andrew's wound, a wooden arrow was piercing his chest, right in the middle, his breathing was labored, his skin white and sweaty, "Alexa!" he called.

"As anyone called for Arya?" Alexa asked, trying to avoid the tears that were forming in her eyes, she knew deep down that there was no salvation, someone said that she was on her way.

"Alexa, please, I need to tell you something!" he called again, and she made her way to him, hold his cold hand, and signaled for him to keep going, "It wasn't your fault, you did everything you could! Please take good care of Elia and my unborn child, she is pregnant!"

"I'll take care of her as if she is my blood!" Alexa assured him, her voice breaking.

"It was the best thing that ever happened to me, and I wished you could see it as I do, when I won the Tournament, getting my wolf and this family, was the best thing an orphan boy could have ever asked for!"

"Don't talk like that! You won't die!" Alexa shook her head not wanting to leave him, Arya arrived at that moment.

"Let me go through!" She asked, and when she saw the wound and the pool of blood on the ground, she gasped, touching Alexa's shoulder, she whispered in her ear, "The only thing we can do, is making him comfortable, he won't last the night, the loss of blood and where the arrow is, I can't do anything."

"Can I... Can I remove the arrow? It's painful!" He gasped for air, and his hand went to the arrow, Alexa tried to stop him, but he pulled the arrow anyway, blood trickled through his out and he gasped for air, for a minute or two, before closing his eyes, and losing all movement in his body.

Alexa felt a part of her had died and a painfully howl escaped her mouth, which was joined by all the pack members who felt a similar thing as her, not in the same intensity.

The howling disturbed Edwin and concerned him, making him run inside the castle, he had let her go and knew she would want to be with her packmate, in this time of need, but she was needed on the battlefield and he took her place the best he could, but the howling sent him in a rush of worry. He found her moments later, Andrew was laid down at the kitchen table, a pool of blood dripped to the ground, his corpse cold, his eyes closed, Gwen and Sam hide behind a column, Elia was crying her heart out, in his right side, Truman stood at the end of the table, looking shocked, Arya stood next to Alexa who was kneeled on the ground, shedding tears, without making a sound, her eyes were fixed on Andrew, but it seemed she didn't saw him, or anything else, Arya was trying to talk to her, but she didn't react.

Edwin crossed the kitchen, shaken Truman to come back, he told him, "Snap out of it! Everyone will need us, pick Elia up, and take her to her room, ask the others of the pack to go there." Truman nodded and went doing what he told him, then he took his turn to the two women that were hidden, "You two there, go get water, take care of the body and give whatever orders you need so he can be ready for the pyre!" They nodded and left the kitchen, then he asked carefully Arya take care of the rest of the preparations for the funeral, he would take care of Alexa.

Once they were alone, he analyzed her, shaken hands, with blood, that wasn't hers, a shocked look on her eyes, as if the image was in another world or another reality and not there really, he picked her up, and she didn't move or made a sound, he carried her to her room, cleaned her hands and changed her into a dress, he kissed her forehead and her lips, "Alexa, my Alexa, come back to me, I'm here for you, but we can't stop now. We need to avenge the death of Andrew, focus on that, revert the pain to rage use it to make yourself a better warrior, I'm here to help you out!"

She began crying and sobbing, Edwin only pulled her closer to him, and let her cry, holding her and caressing her until the cry turned to a sob, and the sob stopped as sleep claimed her.

He watched over her all night, as she turned in bed all night, certainly with nightmares plaguing her mind, but to that, he couldn't do anything, but embrace her. He could only wish that she would wake up better.