When the Swords Clashed

Chapter 2

Chapter 2 - Familiar Stranger 

"and though she was intoxicating, I was never at my best when drunk"

                                                                - Matthew Williams 

                                                   POV - Ellemera

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8 months ago...

I am in the woods, walking around freely, knowing that the wild animals here mean very less harm to me as compared to my own people. 

Engaston is a beautiful town, with amazing architecture and lovely people who are full of life. But little do the people know, that behind the bright smile of their dear king, is a monster. 

From the North-western to the South-western, covering the entire west are the Dharone Mountains which works as a barrier in times of war, with the western kingdoms, though there have been no wars with the western kingdoms since the last 200 years and now we have friendly relations with them.

Starting from North till South-east, covering the entire east, is the kingdom of Shams. Shams are the enemies who act like friends. I don't trust the Shams. Their kingdom has always been unfaithful and untrustworthy, but our king, The Great King of Engaston, Augustus trusts them, and so we all have to. The border of Engaston and Shams is divided by the holy river of Temamisu. 

Towards the South of Engaston is the kingdom of Ritikeyas, the forbidden land of Witches. No one from Engaston is allowed to go to the Ritikeyas. No witches are allowed in Engaston, no one is allowed to perform any sort of magic. 

Right now, I am on the banks of Temamisu. I can see its bank on the Shams' side. This deep corridor in the forest is completely unguarded. The area around this little corridor is covered with trees. A person looking from the outside will never know about it. And hence here are no guards. If the Shams want to enter our ground, there would be no place better than this. Like a good citizen of Engaston, I should inform my King about this and help for the betterment of our army, but you are not the citizen of a kingdom just because you live there, you are a citizen when your heart lives there, and as of my heart, it's somewhere else.

I have always been the rebellious one, and to enjoy my little moments of adventure, I come here. I tie my long red hair into a bun, and secure the dagger on my waist, and quietly put my foot inside the cold water of Temamisu. The water is not too deep in this part of the the river, and only reaches to my knee. I cross the river and jump on the land of Shams. We might not be enemies anymore but there is no love too certainly. I walk to my usual sitting spot, under the banyan tree. I sit under its shade, enjoying my little escapade. I re-adjust the cloth on my neck and wrap it around my face in a way that it covers more than half of my face. 

I close my eyes, savoring the taste of freedom, of ease and of peace. 

I get lost in the sweet smell of soil, hushed whisperings of birds...

Suddenly, I feel a hand around my throat. Suffocating me from behind. I shoot open my eyes and see a man standing in front of me. 

He is at least 6 feet tall, or more probably, highly built, and has a sword in his veiny hands. His face is covered with a mask too. 

I pull out the dagger from my waist and slice it across the hand of the man who is holding my neck, before he could react I jump and run towards the river. 

Someone throws a stone at my leg and I disbalance, before I could start running again, someone pulls me by my arm. The same man with covered face. All I can see are his beautiful eyes. The alluring kind of eyes, deep gray, searching for answers in my green ones. His eyes show confusion, a tint of anger, and plenty of amusement. I have heard that the men of Shams are animals. They are known for their abuse against women. 

Anyone in my situation would throw her hands here and there, but I am not the one who fights with my body, I fight with my brain. 

I lean closer to him, dangerously closer to his lips, and just like any man he too melts. His eyes now only show amusement and he smiles behind his mask. And when he raises his hand to remove my mask, I take it as an opportunity and pull the sword out of its sheath. I step back with the sword in my hand and almost turn and run, but the other guy, with brown hair, who was still bleeding from my dagger's slice, throws his sword in the air and it lands just in the hands of Gray Eyes.

He starts coming closer.

I was taught not to run away from sword fights. 

I start walking towards him. 

I look deeply into the eyes of my familiar stranger. They are grayer than any gray object I have ever seen. 

At the same time, we both raise our swords. 

and then, 

 The swords clash.

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Hey there eveyone! I know I know, I went missing for a whole month, but hey, I am back now. And I really hope I say consistent. 

Tell me what you think about this chapter and don't forget to vote it .

Thank you for reading 

Love always, 

Word count - 918