I laid in damp grass staring up at a pale blue moon through thick clouds as they passed, rain fell lightly on my face. Hot crimson liquid soaked my shirt as it stuck to my cold skin. I ignored the motionless bodies around me as I stood up.

The sharp pain in my side made me his and grit my teeth. My hand shook as I put it over the long gash that was causing blood to trickle through my fingers. I did my best to ignore the pain and bent down to grab my sword. I looked out at the thousands of bodies sprawled out across the ground.

The streams and puddles of water from the rain were a deep shade of red. I walked slowly around the lifeless people recognizing a few of them but kept walking. As I walked I saw many severed limbs and heads. Fallen armor and weapons littered the grass.

I saw a woman still with a look of fear on her face. Her mouth was open as if she was about to scream and her eye wide with horror. I saw the spear that was impaled through her bloody chest and her white hands still gripping it tightly. I stepped past her and passed many more fallen warriors with the same look of terror on their faces.

I walked in a daze across the battlefield. Minutes turned to what felt like hours as the sinking feeling of loss grew heavier inside of me. I saw him, my father. I choked back a sob as I rushed to his lifeless body. I stared down at him.

“This isn’t real..no no-no” I choked

The ground swung under me as my knees buckled, and hit the earth. My hands shook as they took the sword that was protruding from out of his neck and grabbed the hilt. I carefully pulled it out and threw it aside.

Silent tears rolled down my cheek. His eyes stared blankly into the softly blue-lit night sky. I brushed my fingers gently over his eyelids, closing them. My gaze fell to the small gold necklace glinting around his neck. My mother gave it to him before she died a few years ago. I slipped it off his neck and held it tightly, before getting up and looking down at him one more time.

“May Irene accept your soul, and may you be reunited with your fallen kin… Be at ease and part out of this corrupted world. Please guide and watch over me… Be with mother and be with brother in the realm of light and hope... Goodbye, father…”

I whispered the prayer that I had uttered dozens of times for dead friends and family.

I rose, taking a long look at my father before walking away as the silence ensued through a field of death. Hours passed as carnage lay before me.

The eerie silence broke when I saw moving figures in the distance through the mist. I pulled out my sword from my sheath quietly and crept closer.

“Did you find him?” A large man asked.

It was a group of about a dozen men, all of them had full iron armor and swords. The one speaking was the one in charge. He was the biggest and roughest looking one out of all of them. He stood above them all with a stern look on his face.

“No Lord Merek, we believe he survived the battle...” One of the smaller men told him.

“You mean to tell me he got away with the relic and we don’t know where he is… That was your final mistake... ” Merek said in a disappointed tone.

Before the smaller man could answer, Merek pulled out his sword and sliced off his head. Merek kicked the headless body to the ground and faced the others again. I kept watching, unfazed by the gruesome beheading, crouching low behind a pile of bodies.

“Lord Merek, we have scouts now searching for Aaron and the relic. It won’t be long before they are found and-”

A strong hand grabbed the back of my shirt and yanked me to my feet. I gasped as my side erupted in pain. I slammed my head back against the person’s face and there was a sickening crunch as the person let go. I took that chance to spin around with my sword and slashed it at them. The man gasped, thudded down to the ground, and groaned in pain.

“Well, well, well… What do we have here?” I heard someone say behind me.

I turned around to find Merek and his men in front of me. I gripped the hilt of my sword tightly. I stared up at him calmly as I studied his face. His dark wet hair sticking to his forehead, his cold gray eyes, and fixed jaw. He looked down at me with a look that almost seemed like amusement.

“Who are you?” He asked me, grinning.

I didn’t answer. He stood there patiently for a few seconds before walking around me slowly. I watched him out of the corner of my eye. His men snickered and looked at me grinning too. I felt a chill run down my spine.

“Not many people ignore me or stay as calm as you…” He told me

Merek stood in front of me, raising his sword to my neck. I didn’t flinch or look away from his cold gaze. His smile widened and he turned to his men.

“Kill her, and leave her body here to rot with the others.”

He walked away, passing his men as they drew their swords and closed in. I held my sword out by my side and stood my ground watching their movements as they crept closer. I closed my eyes and let out a breath of air, waiting. The rush of blood was pumping through my vein ready for a fight. I heard the movement of the armor of one of those closest to me, raising their sword ready to swing. I immediately raised my sword blocking it, as it came down, with perfect timing. I opened my eyes and stared at the man who tried to hit me.

I parried his sword aside and sliced down on his arm. He screamed as it fell to the ground, sword still in hand, as crimson blood gushed out. I ran my sword through his chest and kicked him down to the ground.

Merek paused as he walked away, and turned to me.

“You’re an interesting woman… Don’t kill her... We’ll be taking her with us.” He said with a smirk.

I glared at him and held my sword at the ready.

“Tell me… Who are you?” He asked with growing impatience.

“My name is Mia Helton, daughter of Lord and Lady Helton from Waterdeep in the North,” I told him confidently.

I lunged forward at the man closest to me, splitting his chest open before he could react. He stumbled back, hot blood splattering on me before I punched him across the face. He fell back with a thud. I turned to another and blocked his swing before swiftly kicking him back into his partner. They both fell back, and I brought my sword down through both of their bodies. I left my sword, pinning them to the ground. I yanked one of their swords out of their hand and turned to the rest of the group.

“Not many people can fight like you. The people in this battle were mostly just townsfolk, not warriors with proper training. They didn’t stand a chance... Nonetheless…” He pointed his sword at me, “Neither do you against me…” Merek said with an arrogant grin.

With inhuman speed, he lunged forward before I could do anything. I felt the cold steel of his sword slide through the skin above my hip. I gasped and stumbled back. My sword swiftly struck back at him to only have it easily blocked. He pushed down on my blade forcefully, the sound of screeching metal as our swords interlocked grew gradually louder as they slid closer to me. I struggled to hold his sword up with my own. I looked at him and saw a sneer. He quickly stepped back causing me to lose my balance and kicked me with brute force down into the grass. The air was knocked out of me as I laid on the ground wheezing.

He walked over and lifted his sword above me. Sneering, before thrusting it down through my shoulder. I screamed in agony and gripped the metal blade ignoring the sharp pain in my fingers and palm.

Leaning on the leather hilt and watching with a devilish grin his eyes met mine soaking in every moment I writhed in pain. He finally stood up again and pulled the sword out carelessly. I cried out and put my hand over the wound trying to slow the bleeding.

“Ryde, take her to Lhanbryde to a healer,” Merek ordered, “And the rest of you scum, find Aaron and bring me that relic!”

“Yes my Lord.” Several of them said

The man, Ryde, walked over and grabbed my arm brusquely pulling me up to my feet. I winced as he half dragged me over to a group of horses. He helped me up on a saddle and sat behind me. He grabbed the reins and spurred the horse forward. The bleeding continued as we rode quickly along the grassy terrain. I watched trees pass by and the moon flickering in and out of view behind them. My head bounced back and forth, as my mind flickered in and out of consciousness. I was losing blood, and I shivered as I felt the life in me slowly slip away.

I felt a heavy coat drape around me. I looked over my shoulder at Ryde but he didn’t say anything.

He looked familiar in a way but I couldn’t place how. He glanced down at me for a second before looking back in front of him. I pulled the thick coat closer around my aching, and cold body. As we rode on my eyelids felt like lead, my vision darkened, and I fell back against Ryde’s chest barely able to move. My eyes closed as the world faded into darkness.