The Damned Princess

Chapter 13

Lyria liked to think she was in shape, but apppparrrrentttlyyy she was wrong. She was so out of breath it was embarrassing, and she was riding a horse! Why was she so tired? It's not she was the one running.

And yet her legs and back ached so badly she wanted to scream. She rolled her shoulders uncomfortably and shifted in the saddle. The outline of it was definitely imprinted onto her thighs. The bottom of the saddle chafed against her lower legs, scrubbing them raw.

Her stallion jerked his head forward, yanking her sore arms forward. Cursing him, she re-wound the leather reins around her hands. 

The only comfort of riding for three days straight, was that Val looked even more uncomfortable than she was. The poor woman looked absolutely petrified of the mare she was on, every time the horse made a noise or movement she would flinch back. The mare, sensing weakness, took every opportunity to eat whatever she could. Tari seemed to be in a similar boat to Lyria (AN: get it, BOAT). Casteel on the other hand was a subject of annoyance. Whenever, Lyria looked at him, he always looked fucking perfect. 

Whilst she was sweating like a pig, red faced and messy haired, Casteel moved gracefully, wind streamed through his midnight hair and not a drop of sweat on his face. Lyria decided she hated him. But those hip movements...

As if sensing her thoughts, her horse snapped his head round to bite her. Tugging his head forward again she slumped over onto his mane, burrowing her face into the course hairs. He kept cantering and she could feel the movement through his neck. 

"Ahhhhh," She moaned to the horse, "I'm so sore and bored." With the reins tucked at the base of the neck, Lyria lay against his neck. Having her weight now off her legs was a welcome comfort. 

"You alright there, love?" Came Casteel's amused voice. 

"Shut it." Lyria replied, her voice muffled by the mane. 

"Guys..." Lyria lifted her head up, and then straightened completely in shook. In front of them was a village. Or rather, what was left of it. The houses were all charred, and only the skeletons of them were left, twisting in eerie directions. A few blazes of fire still lingered, but majority were just smoke, adding to the dark cloud that hung over the village. Lyria nudged her horse into a gallop and the others followed. The closer they got to the village the more horror they found. Dead bodies were practically piled on top of each other every where they looked. There were children in there, babies-

Tari vomited over the side of the horse and Lyria felt rising nausea herself. Her heart tightened at the monstrosities. Who would do that, kill a vulnerable baby? The epitome of innocence. Lyria held a hand over her mouth as a sob left her. 

"There's someone still alive!" Val yelled and they all dismounted and moved the wear she was pointing. A man lay under a fallen beam, but he was alive and struggling.  Together they heaved off the beam revealing a pale man, covered in blood. 

"Hello, are you okay? Where are you hurt?"

"I'm fine, the beam just collapsed on me. It hid me from them. It's why I survived." His eyes flashed with fear and the other's shared a look. 

"What do you mean, 'them'? What happened here?"

"They came like demons. You know when you wake up from a nightmare and there's that relief of knowing you're safe? We woke up into a nightmare. They moved so quickly with blades the colour of night and and whenever we tried to attack they disappeared, only to appear again faster than we could track." The man stared off into the distance until Val stepped on rubble that snapped in half. He flinched so hard, Lyria thought he got whiplash. Breathing hard, his eyes wide, Lyria crouched next to him.

"You're safe now, I promise." He nodded slowly at her, and she offered him a smile. 

"Where did they come from, what did they want?" He shrugged.

"I have no idea. They came down from Orynth. We thought they were the monthly supplies, its why we didn't have time to raise the alarm to other villages when we realised."

"From Orynth?" Lyria turned to Casteel. That was where they were headed.

"What is your name?"

"Hunt." He didn't offer a last name. Lyria didn't ask him for one, for all she knew his family could have been killed in the horrors. 

"I'm Lyria, this is Casteel, Val and Tari." He nodded once at them, shoulders still folded over. 

"We are actually on our way to Orynth. We'd be happy to take you to a nearby village before hand?" He shook his head feverishly.

"No, thank you. Take me to Orynth with you, please. I-I they killed my boy, my precious boy. I need to-I just want to..."

"Revenge, I understand. You can ride with me, if you like?" 

"Thank you. I want to avenge my boy, if I can." 

They remounted, with Hunt with Lyria. 

"We'll come back, and give them a proper burial." She vowed as they moved slowly out the village. She murmured a prayer for them all, that they would find peace. 

Who ever had done this, would pay. That she could promise. 

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Author's note:

And I haven't edited this at all, because I wrote it in literally ten minutes.