Love Conquers All, Right?
Posted: 12-19-2008

It started off like just another ordinary day. The sun was out, shining down on the beautiful green fields of Aureilia. Nature's choir was singing a sweet melody and the backdrop of beautiful white clouds taking their place in the bright blue sky was a rare sight for the early spring time, but it was welcomed nonetheless.

Reyna Zysiks really couldn't have pictured a more lulling scene than the one that was before her just moments ago. It would've been a good day to relax, stretch out her sore legs and just wallow in the cool, crisp waters of the Corozon Lake.

"They've broken through the first gate!" a voice faintly called out in the distance, dashing any hopes of a peaceful afternoon.

If you had passed her in the local market you wouldn't have spared her another glance.

She had a face that didn't command attention. She had an aura that hardly existed unless she wanted it to. You would never had known that you were in the presence of a warrior that was notorious for things that men twice her size would never even dare to imagine on a battlefield. She could blend so easily in the daily grind of Aurelian life that you would never realized that one wrong move and she could've swiftly cut you in two.

Outside of a battlefield she was just another face in the crowd, but on a battlefield she was feared, despised, and respected.

"Hold the east wall! Don't let them destroy the east wall!"

It took all of her years of rigorous training to force herself to abide by the order that was given to her by the Aureilian king himself. Instead of following her heart and turning around to join the ranks of her fellow soldiers, she was running the opposite direction.

She did not want to go running to save the princess. She did not want to run away as her men died. She wasn't a damn bodyguard; she was born a warrior and would've loved to die that way.

Unlike most females, Reyna would've loved nothing more than to stand at the front gates with a sword in hand to kill any who dared to defile the Aureilian Royal Castle. Whether she lived or died, she would've rather met death head on, instead of playing bodyguard to a princess who probably couldn't even imagine the sacrifices her people were making to keep her alive.

"Hold them back for as long as possible," she commanded as she passed by soldiers who were running at the opposite direction.

She grew up in a world that gave her a sword in one hand and a shield in the other. Over the years, she learned to block out the stench of blood and death that overwhelmed the air as it did now. She trained her ears to drown out the gut wrenching cries and wails of her fallen comrades to the point of complete silence. She had even perfected the art of not batting an eye as she slit the throat of her enemy. But, above all, she was able to numb her emotions during the heat of battle. Nothing got to her on the battlefield. Not a fallen relative, not a bleeding flesh wound, or a revengeful need; she couldn't afford it.

And yet, her heart couldn't handle the scene that unfolded before her.

It was too obvious that the men weren't ready. They weren't equipped for a battle, no less go into a war against savages that were highly trained to kill with absolutely no remorse or distinction between real soldiers or commoners. Most of the men were too young to carry a sword, no less die by it. And with every face that passed her by was a fresh stab to her heart.

She knew that their fight was futile. She knew that it was their end. She knew that she would never see any of them again. There was only death left for them and she could do thing about it.

She had seen and fought in her share of battles that had no chance of victory, but this was the worst.

There was no way for those soldiers to fight back, no way to force a draw, and absolutely no way to retreat.

The damn Demorian bastards had planned their surprise attack so perfectly that even she was taken aback by their treachery.

It was well-known that Demorian word was worth shit, but the audacity of those cowards to break a truce on a day of mourning was beyond wickedness, it was pure evil.

They had barely buried their king just a hours ago. Aureilian's king, queen, and the vast majority of the trained soldiers of Aurelia were still in Demoria, helping their king rest in peace.

It was all a lie, she thought with disgust.

Of course, there was no doubt in her mind that the Demorian king was dead, for even he would not plan something as low as this. But nonetheless, Demoria had set a trap and the kind hearted Aureilian rulers had fallen for it.

Time and time again it sucked being the good guys, she spat angrily.

Annoyed and angry, she swiftly turned the corner until she stood before a doorway of a hidden room specifically made for times like this.

Quickly, she scanned her surroundings for any onlookers or spies.

There were only five people who knew of this secret doorway. Even with her own men, she couldn't take any chances.

Entering the room, she found her older brother waiting for her. But, he didn't make any movement to acknowledge her existence because Princess Seraphina had taken his full attention.

Rian, I'm scared, signed the young, deaf princess.

In a soothing act, Rian took the princess's hands and squeezed them softly before responding. Do not worry. It will all work out in the end, he signed back with graceful movements that disguised the terror bottling up inside of him.

Do everything she says, he ordered with a faint smile before pulling back a wall painting and revealing another hidden doorway.

The way the princess and Rian gazed at each other unnerved Reyna to no end. Under Aureilian rule, the two shouldn't have been touching each other. Hell, the two shouldn't have even looked at each other in that manner. And if it were not for death knocking at their doorway, she would've stopped to question the scene unfolding before her.

The walls suddenly shook with amazing force that the three nearly toppled over.

The east wall was down, Reyna thought with dysphoria. At this rate, Aureilia would be destroyed in less than two hours.

We must leave. She signed to both Rian and the princess.

To Reyna's surprise the princess turned to Rian and kissed him hard on the lips. After first, Rian stiffened, but slowly softened to the kiss and in no time closed the distance between the princess and himself. It may have lasted only a few seconds, but to Reyna it lasted longer than it should have.

Rian suddenly pulled away, as if realizing his position and audience for the first time.

He spared Reyna an apologizing glance, before he tucked some stray strands of fiery auburn locks behind the princesses ear and with a soft smile he signed, Be strong. God and Reyna will protect you where I can not.

I love you, signed the princess with hands that were shaking so badly that the words were barely recognizable.

After a final kiss, Rian pulled up the hood of the princess's cloak and pointed into the hidden doorway.

And with tears streaming down the princess's face, she followed Rian's orders.

"Rian," Reyna started, not really knowing what to say. As much as her instincts wanted to yell at him for what he just did, her heart wretched for her brother.

"Just get her out of here," he said in a definitive tone as he handed her a black cloak. "May God protect you, sister."

For the first time in her life, the sudden want to hug him overwhelmed her and to both of their surprise, she hugged him.

She sent a small smile to her older brother when she pulled away. As much as she wanted to respond by saying "With you as well, brother," she knew that it would be asking God too much. Only a miracle could save her brother now. "Take care of yourself, Rian, and kill as many of those Demorian pigs as possible," she finally said. She pulled the cloak over her frame and studied his face one final time. "Tell mother and father that I miss them," she added solemnly before disappearing into the dark tunnel, knowing that it would be the last time she would ever see him..

...

She looked down at Princess Seraphina.

Despite the situation, the princess still held her chin high at a defiant angle. In the inside the princess may be a scared little girl, but the generations of royalty and power coursing through her blood gave her the strength to disguise the fear well.

At this angle, Princess Seraphina reminded Reyna of the Queen. Strong, regal, and ready to take on the world.

It was the first time, Reyna realized with surprise, that she truly respected the naive princess.

Tugging at Reyna's sleeve, Princess Seraphina signed, "What does this mean?"

Throughout all of her years, Reyna never learned how to properly comfort another human being. She always got up and left before the situation even arose. But she couldn't do that now. There was no one left except her and the princess, so she forced a smile on her lips and squeezed the princesses hand gently.

"War."

.to be continued.
-hopefully-

Author Notes: Yes! Score. Does a small happy dance. Haha. It's a bit more dramatic than I planned, but no worries! It'll get funnier, hopefully. I'm just happy because I finally got the courage to post my first story on Fictionpress. I know it probably sucks because it's actually my first time writing with 3rd person, so please critique heavily. I promise that I'll only cry just a little bit.