Faceclaim (ONC 2022, Completed, Shortlisted)

Excerpt #4

I catch Lucinda in a kiss before running to catch up with my armies. The battle is near. I can hear the enemies approaching. The ground shakes from thousand thundering hooves.

"I'll stay back here," she says. "I'll use my magic to protect your forces."

"Just be safe," I murmur, my lips still tingling from her touch.

"I'm always safe, Ramon," she giggles. "And I will make sure you are too. When you need me, I'll be by your side."

I don't know what she means, but there are a lot of things I don't know these days. I wasn't born for such noble tasks as fighting the tyrant king that usurped my father's throne. I just do what I need to do.

And right now, my duty is to fight.

One more time, I press my lips to Lucinda's. Then I let her pearly white hand slip out from my rugged grip. My hands are not made for holding such delicate creations.

I'm also not used to holding a sword, yet I pull the golden sword on my hip from its sheet.

"For Eldorado!" I yell at the top of my lungs as I stand in front of the troops. Thousands of men willing to die for me.

Then we fight. Somehow, the sword in my hand moves as if it was in the hands of a skilled swordsman. Swirling attacks and parries. Perhaps it's Lucinda's doing. Perhaps her sparkling magic moved from my lips to my hands.

Blood spatters and bone splinters. War isn't pretty. If I ever harbored any illusions about the opposite, I know the harsh truth now.

With the screams of my enemies still ringing in my ears, I suddenly stand at the end of the battlefield, bloodsoaked and exhausted.

In front of me is a wide moat. It circles the castle that is my destiny. The royal castle that was taken from my father. They threw him in that very moat, legend has it. Gray clouds swirl around the top of the castle walls, so high that I can't see the top.

I looked around to survey the state of my troops. I'm surprised that most of them still seem to be standing. A glow lays over the battlefield, like a protecting shield. Sparkling like fireflies.

Only one woman could be behind it. One glowing queen who has my heart.

I spot her amidst the carnage. Her dress glows in green and yellow, lighting up the whole field. She really is a sight to behold.

I didn't know she could do that. There is probably a lot she hasn't told me.

She walks up to me with a knowing smile on her lips. "You need to swim now," she says and points at the wide moat, probably a mile across.

"I can't swim that far," I protest.

"Not in your current state," she says and places a sparkling kiss on my lips. "But you will be able to. Remember that there are underwater tunnels on the other side. Dive down low to get inside, then you can kill the king and let your troops in. I will make sure you turn back once you're safely inside."

"Turn back?" I try to ask but my body is already changing. It turns from upright to standing to all fours. From smooth to furry. From human to capybara.

I guess there was a reason my father was fond of the animals. They're not just our pets, they're our family.

Author's Note: I do apologize for how insane this story in the story is! I can't control it!