Rain.

  Such fitting weather for the tragedy that was spread before me.

  As I laid against a small rock, slowly bleeding to death, I gazed upon the green, grassy plains of Arda.

  But there was nothing to be seen.

  It was all buried underneath the dead bodies of thousands of monsters and men alike, the grass stained by the rivers of blood. It was the most unsavoury cemetery I had ever had the displeasure of setting eyes upon.

  I gazed emptily into the distance. The air was so thick with the smell of blood, smoke and metal that even the rain couldn't wash away the scent. It wasn't so long ago that I and the many dead men around me sang our war songs together as we stood in solidarity, watching the growing black mass of monsters covering the horizon. For honour, for family, for the kingdom…

  ‘The kingdom be damned!’ I thought to myself in anger.

  Ever since the King passed away five years ago before the conclusion of the Succession Games, the noble families had been losing their heads over who would take the throne before a proper successor arose.

  Pride. Arrogance. Greed. And sheer stupidity!

  They schemed and squabbled with each other while neglecting the very people they wanted to lead. Then when adversity came knocking on the door, we were ill-prepared. Men forcibly conscripted into the army, retired veterans called to arms once more. All because none of those jerks wanted to deploy their own armies for fear of being stabbed in the back by the others.

  The next wave of monsters would arrive soon and tear through this graveyard. There were only a few defences left between here and the capital. Those schmucks wouldn’t even be able to enjoy the weight of the crown. Soon, their heads would roll just the same as the very people they so desperately wanted to lord over!

  I sighed.

  ‘Look at me still thinking about politics when I’m mere inches from death. And here I thought this sort of thing only happens when you become an old man. Or perhaps it was just one of the many quirks of being a father.’

  “Little Iselda…” I quietly muttered.

  She was really the spitting image of her mother. To think the last memory I would have of them was the worry on their faces when they heard I was conscripted. I really hoped this bad weather wouldn't reach wherever they were, and that they would be able to enjoy the warmth of the sun and a dazzling blue sky before news of my demise cast a grey cloud over them.

  ‘I miss them. I wish I could see them one more time.’

  I had no energy to shed tears, but the rain upon my face served as a suitable substitute. My vision gradually dimmed and I found it hard to keep my eyes upon. There wasn’t much to see anyway so I slowly let them close shut.

  Grrrrrrrrrr…

  Just as I did, I heard a low growl coming from my left. I opened my eyes and saw a monster standing just a few metres away. It had the appearance of a black wolf, albeit it was the size of a small horse. With two pairs of blood-red eyes that glowed, and a maw that was dripping with the same colour, it seemed to have taken notice of my being alive and decided to conveniently leave behind all the other corpses just for a fresh kill.

  I quietly laughed to myself.

  ‘It seems I wasn’t meant to have a slow and painless death. Let’s just hope there’s enough of me left for my body to be identified.’

  The monster snarled and then charged at me. I kept my gaze on it, accepting my demise.

  But just as its jaws were about to reach my neck, an object flew between me and the monster. There was a small thump in the soil close to my feet. The monster stopped in its tracks and looked up to ascertain where the projectile had come from. With the trailing woosh of something cutting through air, an arrow was lodged into one of its eyes. It whimpered and howled in pain right before a few more arrows found their way into its flank and it dropped to the ground.

  I heard the sound of what seemed like a dozen horses coming closer as I looked at the blood flowing from the wounds of the Lupus. Someone in a flowing white robe came and stood in front of me. They stooped down to take a closer look at me and for a moment I thought I had passed into the afterlife without knowing. With her snow-white hair and skin that seemed just as white, I thought she was a spirit. Her blue eyes looked on with concern at the wound located on the left side of my torso. But when she tried to pull the patch of cloth that was stuck to the wound because of a blood clot, the pain reminded me that I was still alive.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  “You’ve lost a lot of blood.” a soft voice flowed from her lips.

  She opened the leather bag at her side and started to bring out some clean cloth, bandages, a few small vials, and a pair of scissors. She cut the cloth around the wound, isolating the patch that was stuck.

  “Grit your teeth. This might hurt a little.” she said as she gripped a corner of the cloth.

  Little was an understatement. No amount of bracing could prepare me for the sheer agony that followed when she slowly started peeling the cloth away from the wound. A new wave of pain shot through my body, and the tears I was unable to shed just a while ago pooled up in my eyes. Seeing the pain I was going through, she decided to pull the cloth off quickly instead of prolonging the experience.

  “My apologies. Just hang in there.” she said once she was done.

  Fresh blood pooled from the wound, but now she could better see the state of it.

  “You were bitten by a Lupus?” she asked.

  I nodded. During the battle, one got a nice bite in before I drove my sword through its neck as a last ditch effort. I could barely stand after that, the exhaustion and pain weighing heavily on me. I staggered over to the rock I was currently leaning against, watching as my comrades and the monsters slowly dwindled in number around me till no one was left.

  She opened up a vial that gave off a very strong scent. I was asked to take a whiff and it felt like the smell pierced through my nose and went straight into my brain. But the pain I was feeling began to numb and it became more bearable. Another vial was opened and a bit of its contents was poured on a piece of clean cloth that she started to use to lightly dab and clean the wound.

  As she did so, I noticed we were slowly being surrounded by horses with fully armoured soldiers on top. A few of the horsemen I could see had bows slung over their shoulders, with two of them holding onto theirs like they had used it not too long ago. The sound of a bunch of horse hooves from behind indicated there were still a lot more.

  A white stallion came into view, marching towards the front of the horsemen. On the back of the steed was a warrior completely covered in silver armour that looked impossible to move in, yet the wearer didn’t seem troubled by the weight of all that metal. And neither did the horse apparently. Straddled on their hip was a longsword with a scabbard that betrayed the masterful craftsmanship behind it. Even to a commoner like me, I could tell it was exceptional.

  But by far what stood out the most was her hair. A deep, fiery red that flowed till the midpoint of her back. A laminar waterfall of crimson that flared into a mane towards the base, it looked completely unnatural, yet it had a certain charm to it. As she surveyed the battlefield with a scowl, I noticed the small vertical scar on the right side of her face that ran from her chin to the middle of her cheek. An unexpected sight on such a young lady.

  There was only one person in the Kingdom who matched this profile…

  “P-princess…Scarlet.” I said weakly.

  On hearing her name she turned to look at me, the scowl on her face softening as she did. She got off her horse and handed the reins to a soldier nearby as she walked towards me.

  “How’s he doing, Fara?” she asked the white robed lady as she got down on one knee beside her, her voice heavy and smooth.

  “With the supplies I have at hand, there’s only so much I can do for a wound that has festered this long.” Fara replied as she started wrapping my wound with the bandages.

  “Perhaps if we get him to the medic tent quickly, we might be able to nurse him better. But with the amount of blood he’s lost, a ride on horseback might be too much for him to handle.”

  “If it’s the only option we have, I think it’s worth the try.” said Scarlet.

  She beckoned to two horsemen, and they dismounted and unfurled a stretcher from a supply bag. They came around and laid it on the ground beside me.

  “These two men and Fara here will take you back to our tent to get you proper treatment.”

  She briefly looked around once more, her ruby-red irises twinkling from the occasional flash of lightning. She looked down at my wound and then stared deadpan into my eyes.

  “I’m sorry.” she said.

  The words caught me off-guard, given that they were coming from a noble.

  “I can tell from your eyes how angry you are. The kingdom has failed you. Your leaders have failed you. I…have failed you.” she continued.

  “The political unrest has caused many problems for the people, most criminal of all being the deployment of civilians to fight our battles for us. I have no excuse for not being able to stop their decision or making it here in time. I may not be your Queen yet, but I still have an obligation to the people.

  “‘The weight of a King’s crown comes from more than just the gold it is made from. It comes from the weight of every life under its authority.’ This was something my mentor told me long ago. I’ve only been able to see the true meaning of his words recently.”

  She gripped my shoulder firmly with a gloved hand.

  “The battle isn’t over yet for you and I. You still have your battle against death, while I have a fight with the next wave of monsters.”

  Fara had finished wrapping my bandages and the two horsemen proceeded to put me on the stretcher.

  “Fight hard to live.” Scarlet went on. “I know you probably have people you want to get back to. And even if you don’t, life is still worth hanging onto.”

  She started to walk back towards her horse.

  “Rest assured, soldier. None of the heroes lying on these plains died a pointless death. These bodies are not testament to a crushing defeat, but the foundation to a glorious victory. Be proud. You fought a good fight. You deserve your laurels.”

  She turned to me and flashed a warm smile. “Now leave the rest to us.”

  She collected the reins from the soldier and climbed onto her horse, turning it so she could face her army. As both horsemen helped me mount one of their horses, I got a glimpse of the remaining troops I couldn’t see earlier. My eyes went wide as I saw their number, a legion of calvary and infantrymen covering the vast plains. I looked back at the princess as I heard the sound of metal being unsheathed.

  Her sword, deadly in its elegance, seemed to gleam even under the dark clouds.

  “Men!’ her voice boomed across the plains as she raised the blade into the air.

  “Prepare for battle.”

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