<u>Chapter 40 - Face of Death</u>


    Elizia pushed herself upright, groaning. Her head hurt, her attempts at sleeping going rather poorly for hours. It was near pitch black in her tent. There had to be at least a few hours left before dawn. She yawned aloud while stretching her arms, uncomfortably aware of the wretched state of her hair and face. A set of her clothes and armaments were neatly folded to one side. But she made no move to wear them just yet.


    Her injury had lain to waste several days of time. She touched her skin where her wound should have been. Lina, the head physic of her camp, said a scar line remained. Elizia couldn''t feel it with her rough fingertips. Her wound had closed within two days, her Healing ability near as remarkable as her mother''s. She breathed deep, feeling for any weaknesses mayhap left over by the poison in her system.


    I can move. It''s not the same paralyzing toxin used on mother.


    A lingering ache still remained in her joints, though, whether that was the after effects of the poison or due to nature''s hand, she could not tell.


    She sprawled on her back, groaning at the stiffness of her muscles. The makeshift bed had absorbed much of her body heat and was serving to be more a nuisance than a resting place. She threw her blanket half off and stared at the dark top of the tent cloth until the cold of night forced her to curl beneath the sheets again. Elizia winced at her cramps. Nature just had to take its course now of all times.


    Lieutenant Faren was managing the camp well in her stead, sending rounds of scouts to survey the surroundings and keeping record of resource use. But the camp was stuck in one place, wasting away food rations rather than moving through the lands in search of insurrectionists razing villages. The Queen''s Guard in the meantime had returned to Exaltyron with Azurus remaining. That was well. Elizia had a friend to speak to and was grateful for his gesture of kindness.


    Hushed voices came from the mouth of the tent. Elizia could make out vague silhouettes of spear bearing guards standing outside. The tent flap opened and Azurus stepped inside as if her thoughts had somehow summoned him. Perfect timing. Any longer alone with nothing to do, and boredom might have killed her. She thought of sitting up before remembering that she was bare beneath.


    Azurus stood over her, as if examining her from above. Elizia could hear his breaths. He then turned and began walking towards the entrance again. "Odd time to be visiting an unclothed woman," Elizia said.


    "You were awake, El?"


    "Unfortunately. You can''t sleep either?" She thought she saw him nod as he sat down cross legged before her. She could hardly make out his features in the dark.


    "How are you feeling?"


    "Well," Elizia half lied. Another half day''s rest and I should be able to ride a horse. The female physics didn''t need to worry about any such thing, travelling with supply wagons that trailed the cavalry whenever they moved. Half of them are well past the age anyway. "How are the soldiers faring?"


    "There''d been a tense atmosphere hanging over the camp when you were hurt. The soldiers have since found a second wind now that they know you''ll live. Faren cried on that first night but he''s managing well, working hard. Your men are barely eating though, holding to rationing their portions. It''s… a bit hard," Azurus said, stomach grumbling as if to prove his point.


    "One of many hardships of war," Elizia sighed. "One of the lesser ones in fact." She regretted saying those words. Azurus had been on the worse end of it, seeing what horrors a war could bring to an innocent family. One that he''d fallen in love with and had seen as his own.


    "A trifling hardship, really," he said, voice soft and head tilted up as if he were questioning the heavens.


    "Missing eating our luxurious vegetables, are we?" Elizia quipped, attempting to lighten the mood.


    "Never," he snorted. "Brussel sprouts are the bane of my existence." His stomach growled again.


    "Mhm," Elizia teased. She pulled her arms out from under the blanket and rested the back of her head in her hands. "I''m sure villages we pass by might spare us some cabbage heads or broccoli if we asked." Azurus shuffled back as if she had those on her at that moment. She laughed, clenching her belly at the sharp pains that came with. It was worth it. Bearing mild pain for these small pleasures was worth it. Elizia had read enough accounts of past battles and worn journals of long dead generals to know joy was seldom found on active battlefields.


    "What''s something you don''t like?"


    She snorted. Guts were distasteful. Liver, kidney, trips; gross, all that. "And why would I willingly expose my weakness?"


    "I asked nicely," he muttered, sensing a losing argument.


    Elizia rolled her eyes. She sat up, clutching her blanket in a fist against her chest. "Ah, and asking nicely, I''m sure, has always resulted in one getting what one wants." If that were the case, beggars wouldn''t be begging and thieves wouldn''t be stealing.


    "Uh," Azurus said, rubbing his neck and avoiding her gaze.


    Elizia blushed, realizing how suggestive her words had seemed with her sitting the way that she was, the entirety of her side visible to him. She then smirked, seeing another opportunity to poke at Azurus with. "What? Never seen a naked woman? You''ve never had the urge to visit an establishment?"


    "No!" he said, near shouting.


    Honest to a fault. "You love Emeria that much hmm?" He didn''t say a word. Shame it was dark. She knew he was blushing, but couldn''t make it out. "Well, surely you''ve seen her naked at least," she teased, lying back down.


    "Er."


    Elizia blinked, mouth agape. He really was poor at lying when Emma was involved. "You mean you have!?" He darted out of the space before she could ask any further questions. She was left alone again in the dark, blushing herself at her own thoughts. She let out a sigh.


    Part of her was jealous towards Emeria and Azurus. She wondered what it was like to have someone like that to love. Was it different to how she felt towards her parents? Her mother had shared her love story more than once. She''d never had much interest in it as a child, but those words seemed sweet now and instilled a yearning, like a peach pie after a tiring day. Something she longed for but had not the slightest as to where it could be found. She''d never felt a deep admiration towards anyone but her friends and family and mentors.


    Elizia shook her head, slowly sitting upright again. Better to occupy her thoughts with logistics. Such luxury thoughts could wait until after this war was won. Food we''ll be lucky to procure from settlements. Firewood might be spared if traded for with extra horses from fallen soldiers. Medical herbs… I should check if there''s enough for the winter. Sickness could easily arise, especially if our rations start getting really low.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    What if I never fall in love? Will I marry someone I don''t have any feelings for? What then? Nights with no morning to look forward to… That was how mother described a life without father—


    Flames, I can''t keep my head straight!


    ***


    Azurus rubbed his arms. He''d left his cloak in his tent and walking around the camp at night in nothing but a shirt and trousers did not serve him well. Condensation from his exhales were thick. A field of clouds filled the sky, blocking out any of the moons'' radiance. Few campfires still burned this late at night, most of them small and dying. But they were bright enough to draw his gaze.


    Just like the outline of Elizia''s shape. A vague warmth spread on across his face. He vehemently shook his head, trying to rid himself of immoral imagination. Elizia was a close friend and nothing more. His faith was owned by Emeria and Emeria alone.


    Azurus'' stomach growled again. He''d only had a runny stew made with scraps of jerky mixed in. Its taste had been of salted hot water with chunks of hard and chewy flesh that got stuck in between teeth more often than it end up in the stomach. The supplies had more grains and the like to spare, but they weren''t being handed out, fear of how long the rebellion might last forcing caution in the use of resources.


    "One of the many hardships of war," Azurus grumbled to himself. House Serene''s soldiers were well disciplined. Any normal army would be complaining about their empty bellies by now, seeing only to current needs rather than future ones. Azurus gripped the hilt at his waist, hoping it would grant him strength and stave off his hunger. Instead it only chilled his palms and he was forced to blow between his hands and rub them together.


    Burn it all. I should have brought my leather gloves at least. He found himself at the camp''s edge. The surroundings were attended to by watchful sentries rotating shifts every few hours. They stood like stone statues, unmoving in the cold with hands wrapped around spears and crossbows hooked to their belts. It would be easy to mistake them as such if it weren''t for the occasional yawns or scratching of itches. Azurus nodded to some he passed by, earning sharp salutes.


    It began to snow, light at first like stars falling from the sky. Azurus kept his hands between his pits as he carried on walking, unsure where to. There was a certain allure to the plains in the dark. A calmness that allowed him to keep a singular mind free of any demoralizing thoughts. Just what he thought he needed since he couldn''t sleep. He stood still when a good two hundred paces from the camp, holding out his hands to catch snowflakes. They turned to droplets before he could examine their majesty.


    He closed his eyes, inhaling ice as a breeze pierced through his shirt and rustled his wavy hair. He conjured an image of the brightest star —that of a smiling Emeria. An image he created each night before going to sleep. Her memory kept him moving. Despite how his atrocities and failures haunted him, Emeria''s image stayed still like a sphere of luminite within a windowless room. Without her light, that room was suffocating.


    He opened his eyes, snowfall a little stronger now. He dusted off his shoulders and hair and turned to return to camp when he heard the snorts of a horse. A lone rider was slowly approaching the camp, his horse large like those of the Lotus Knights. Its fur seemed black too, though it easily could have been a dark brown. The rider had a small mound tied to his pack. He didn''t seem to be from a round of scouts that constantly surveyed the surroundings.


    A peddler and at this time of night?


    Sentries around the perimeter didn''t seem to have seen this man yet. That, or they assumed a lone approaching rider was just a scout. Azurus wrapped a shaky hand around his hilt and approached this slow moving rider. "Should''ve brought my gloves," he thought aloud. "State your name and purpose, traveller," Azurus said, stopping a few paces short of the rider, each word sending out puffs as if he had a lit pipe in his mouth. The horse snorted out a cloud as the hooded rider tugged on its reins. Their face was veiled. Azurus half drew his sword. That scarf could pass for winter protection, but the way it revealed eyes only made Azurus think otherwise.


    The rider dismounted, stumbling, but keeping their long cloak wrapped tight around their body. Another gesture that could be forgiven as merely warding off the cold, but that cloak could just as easily be hiding weapons too. "Name and purpose, traveler," Azurus repeated.


    The person stumbled about, moving to the side at times and then forward. "Travelling peddler," he said, voice lingering on that last syllable.


    Drunk? I suppose alcohol does keep the body warm. "You won''t find any customers within this encampment." Azurus nibbled on his tongue at the memory of having purchased a circlet from a peddler.


    "You leave the selling to me, boy," the man said, sniffling. Or was that a hiccup? "Just find me a fire to make ashes by."


    Azurus frowned. A fire, he agreed, would be nice right about now with snowfall picking up. But that word choice was odd. The man was undoubtedly drunk what with the way he spoke and walked. Azurus circled around him, still keeping up caution, and grabbed the horse''s reins. "Follow along then. There might be a few breathing fires, though I can''t guarantee any extra firewood put to use for one man." A stranger, but perhaps not an ill meaning one. Kindness paid, and Azurus could always set guards to watch this man. He led the horse away. "Follow along now," he repeated, louder.


    The drunk stumbled along behind Azurus, mumbling. "Fire to sit by. Fire to sing why. Fire to burn a mansion with. Fire to burn some children with."


    Winds howled, carrying with it a distinct metallic ring.


    Azurus ground his teeth. "What did you just say?" he asked, turning, glaring. Memories of the burnt Draumen manor resurfaced, prodding at his heart and wrapping that image of Emeria he''d created with tendrils of despair. No! I will not succumb. The peddler seemed to glare back, now holding out a longsword, cloak unpinned and lying like a mud pool at his feet. Azurus drew his own and wrapped his cold hands around the hilt, enviously eyeing his opponent''s gloves. "Who are you?" he demanded.


    "Death!" the man howled. "I am death!" And then he charged forward like a madman.


    Sentries from the camp shouted as soon as the sound of clashing blades echoed through the open field. They''d be here soon and this drunk assailant could be taken into custody. Azurus just had to hold out until— "Gah!" He stumbled back, feeling a sting on his upper arm. A slit had been made in his shirt and a dark stain grew beneath it. He frowned at his opponent. Someone random had gotten the better of him?


    "Death," the man said again, stretching the word out. His voice sounded eerily familiar through the cloth veiling his face. He charged again, swinging his sword with the speed and precision of a trained soldier. Azurus stepped back parrying the blows, heart pounding. The cold sapped at his breath and stamina very quickly. His joints were stiff and his teeth chattering. His arms shook from the ringing impact of each parry. This man was skilled. Very skilled. But not to the point that Azurus couldn''t win.


    If only it weren''t so Flaming cold.


    A heavy gust blew flakes of snow into his eyes. He yelped as cold iron bit into his cheek. Enough of this child''s play! Azurus opened up distance and then screamed to ignite his own fury, snow blowing into his mouth. He charged his opponent with renewed vigor, sniffling to stifle a runny nose. His ears, numb from the cold, hurt even more with each clash, the ring of striking irons seeming louder than it would in an enclosed space. But he was no longer on the back foot. Azurus screamed each time he swung his sword, a cloud coming out from his mouth. He forced his opponent back, cornering him against his own horse. The beast whinnied and trotted away from the battle.


    "Death!" the man shrieked. He charged and attacked with less precision but more fury, each attack bearing more weight.


    Azurus tried finessing his way past with skill but that added weight of the attacker''s blade along with his already stiff muscles was making dancing hard. A stark fear crept into him. The fear of death. An overwhelming feeling he''d last felt when dueling Sir Aegis during his graduation ceremony. This was another real battle. Not some duel amidst allies. Not a one sided massacre of poor clothed peasants. A real fight where someone else was trying to kill him just as they had at Oakwood Forest.


    The shouting of camp guards grew louder. I just need to hold out a little longer. But he wasn''t being given the opportunity. The attacker continued screaming as his arms moved with renewed fervor, seemingly getting faster now. I can''t, Azurus thought. He couldn''t hold on. His own body was moving out of reflex, his mind unable to keep up with the movements. Breathing in the cold air was making his head throb at the sides. Phlegm backed up in his throat. Azurus screamed, channeling his desire to live into his limbs and willing them to move faster.


    He deflected and dodged and swung then thrust. Another cold sting spread in a line across his torso, at the same time as his thrust. His sword scraped his opponent''s arm. The man barely grunted and continued his unrelenting assault. Everything became a blur. Only the shouting of guards and clanging of blades were apparent. The two swords must have met at least a half dozen times within the span of a second. At the very end, Azurus at last managed to blow the attacker''s guard open and thrust into an open torso, impaling the attacker through the heart.


    "Death," the man croaked, dropping his weapon. "Why… did you…kill them?"


    Azurus breathed hard, staring into his assailer''s eyes, holding the sword there to keep the man from falling. A familiar set of eyes. A scar on the cheek. "No. You''re not…" he pulled the face veil down.


    A blizzard raged between him and a dying Radis Draumen.