A RETURN TO KINGDOMS, BOOK 1
Word Count:147,621
For nearly two hundred years, the seventeen territories of the world have lived in peace, each swearing never to repeat the horrors of the largest war there ever was. But when Lady Nara of house Ashhan...
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Derun 9th, 3328 A.G
"It'll be easier to shoot from horseback." Nara said as she, Renard, Tuyon, and Andre watched the battle move outside of the soldier's tents and closer to them. They'd only been standing still for a few moments, but to Nara that was a few moment too long. The whole reason they'd come outside was to fight, and fight they would.
"For you maybe." Renard mumbled.
"For most people." she scratched under her chin with her free hand. "Sure, we could climb on top of one of the roofed wagons, but then we'd be still and an easy target for Sharenian archers. On horseback we'd be moving constantly and have the higher ground."
"I still prefer the sword." Tuyon shrugged. "So that is what I will be using."
"Stay alive then." Nara patted him on the back. And so Nara, Renard, and Andre began to run towards the horses, who were tethered at the end of camp furthest from the fighting. They had a little over two dozen soldiers stationed there to protect their strongest borrowed stags and mares, some being the horse's owners - while others were just decent with the sword. Uwen was there, while his friend Mace was fighting on the other end.
Nara reached a horse first, a white one with a black patch and spots- who would have been too tall for her to mount on her own if it weren't for the stirrup.
The man guarding it immediately untied it, and she forced the creature into a gallop. Andre and Renard weren't far behind. When they'd gotten close enough to be useful, Andre used his sword to cut a man's head off as he rode- while Nara and Renard made sure their swords were sheathed well and quickly notched arrows.
It was a horrible thing to say or even think; but Nara had never felt more alive. War was supposed to be a bad thing. It was a bad thing, but watching her soldiers cut down another army like it was nothing- an army that claimed to be strong at that, was an incredible feeling. She knew she could never say so aloud though, at the risk of losing the support of the most moral among her soldiers.
She made a clicking noise with her mouth twice and lightly kicked the horse's side, a command to ride in a circle that'd been taught to some of them. She sat up as much as she could, almost standing on the stirrups- and pulled her bowstring back. Renard commanded his horse to ride alongside hers just as she released it.
The arrow went flying, finding it's way into the chest of a man not much younger than Renard. Nara wished she felt even a pinch of guilt- the man could have had his entire life ahead of him, but she felt nothing. Another ran towards Renard with a sword in hand, screaming like a madman, but he only forced his horse into a gallop and met him halfway. The arrow found his eye at such a close range that blood splattered on Renard and the horse he rode.
Nara did feel something then- but not for the man Renard killed, or for Renard.
Her heart had dropped into her stomach, feeling something was off. She trotted beside Renard, holding his arm as she squinted at the highest point of the hill that she could see.
