My Raphtalia, My Queen (Raphtalia x male reader)

Chapter 47: Forward onto Death

Atop his horse from the hilltop far beyond, General Harkon peered as his army rushed into the opening. They waded through a sea of bodies to join the fray. The soldiers that weren't battle-crazy maniacs gained their commander's respect that day: it wasn't an easy task to charge into the jaws of death itself. His advisor, hunched over and dressed in a black veil shambled his way over to him.

"M-My Lord...Maliketh seems to be nearing his time." croaked the shadowy figure. Harkon nodded and fixated his crystal-blue eyes towards the mountain. 

"I'll be joining the fight now. Command our artillery to continue peppering the mountainside. Those midgets could still be hobbling in their holes somewhere." The shadow figure bowed. 

"Of course my liege," hissed the hunchback as he scampered out of sight. He raised a hand to signal his bodyguards and soon began their charge towards the gateway. The colossal gorillas beside him tossed more crushed-up rocks and jars of burning oil into the gateway. Raphtalia barely managed to scrape by one sizzling meteor as the ground around her exploded and erupted in flames. The shadow was weak now. Its remaining arm was barely managed to block her hits. Raphtalia was feeling the fatigue as well, but her body had adapted to drawn-out fights. 

"I guess...this is how-it ends," said the shadow with a dry wheeze. It blocked another shrieking strike from Raphtalia before falling to its knees in a coughing fit. Black blood vomited onto the floor, coating it. 

"Any last words?" Raphtalia asked panting. Her blade nuzzled the side of its neck, stroking the shadowy darkness. It looked up at Raphtalia. There was still no face. Nothing but darkness and smokey, blood-red eyes. A smile branded itself on its face. 

"Thank you, Raphtalia. I hope your days are peaceful and pleasant." Raphtalia's blade hesisted for a moment. Her grip returned to her, and with one final swing, the shadowy head was sliced off. Timed seemed to slow for a moment. The shadow's body began to fade, but its smile lasted to the very end. 

The stairway you and Ayaka ascended led to an old, rotting corridor. Stone tapestries told tales on its walls, and it was wide enough for 10 people to walk abreast. You held a lamp up from your metallic arm, with Ayaka on-duty to eliminate any threats that may appear in your way. 

"So, Ayaka, do you want to talk about something?" you asked. She hesistated for a moment, but her knife-like ears perked in affection.

"Well...your girlfriend...is she a demi-human?" 

"Yes, why?" 

Ayaka's eyes quickly darkened and glared at you. "So, your her slavemaster?" she spat. 

"What? No no no! Not at all!" you cried, shaking your head. "She was a slave, but I plan to remove that tattoo once I return to the capital." Ayaka's eyes softened, but your words raised an eyebrow from her. 

"The capital? You mean the capital of Melromarc? Why the hell would you go there?? Nobody likes Demi-humans in Melromarc!" You nodded glumly and looked down. 

"Yeah. We know that. Which is why we plan to settle down in some other country. One where we-she will be accepted." Ayaka nodded, and then smiled. 

"How'd you meet her?" You rubbed your chin and thought hard. It had been a confusing few months. Your mind wandered back to your first day of freedom, and you chuckled at the thought. 

"I uh...I seemed to have bumped into her." you chuckled. "And I guess I became some suave sweet talker for a few moments, because here I am now." Ayaka giggled lightly and shook her head. 

"Reminds me of how I met Magath. He bumped into me as I was carrying drinks, and proceeded to apologise as if he'd shot my dog," chuckled Ayaka. "He spent the rest of the night helping out at the bar, along with paying for those drinks. His kindness...it touched me," chirped Ayaka. You noticed how soft and fluttery her voice went when she mentioned that dwarf's name.