Neverending fight

Chapter 3

For the first time today I felt alone. I was not accompanied by Robb, softly explaining his tactics and what everyone's role would be. I was not accompanied by one of the handmaidens, who had not said much, but still. I was not accompanied by soldiers and commoners encouraging me with only two or three words of comfort.

"You've been brave today."

I looked up when the queen, looking as if this entire fight had not happened, stood in front of me. She had dark red hair, perfectly braided, and her eyes stared at me. "Your stance looked much better right before the battle then during any of my lessons." Only she managed to make a compliment sound offending, but I couldn't bring myself to smile politely. "My son is waiting for you in the chapel." She nodded her head and I bent my knees slightly before I passed her.

The halls of the castle had never been this empty. My footsteps were echoing all around me. The unusual silence hurt in ways I couldn't even describe.

"Anna?" Dominic rushed towards me as soon as he saw me. His arms slid around my waist and he pressed me to his chest. "I'm so glad you're okay!" He kissed my lips as if he had not kissed me this morning and last night and countless days and nights before. He kissed me as if he would never kiss me again.

I wasn't sure if I was okay. I couldn't shake the image of the death bodies covering the marmer floor of the throne room. I didn't want to shake the image.

Those people had died for me. They had died because they had cared about my life more than they had cared about their own.

"I'm glad you're okay too." I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back. I knew that he was blaming himself for this as much as I blamed me. After all, he had been the one choosing me instead of the young and beautiful queen of the Big Kingdom who had set her mind on him.

"I've died at least ten times during the last five hours." His voice was trembling while he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

Five hours. This fight had lasted five hours. A lot could happen in five hours. A lot of people could die in five hours. A lot of people had died in five hours.

"All those people..." I almost tripped over my own words and now I was finally safely in his arms again I felt my eyes watering and the tears rolling down my cheeks. "They all died for me."

"For us." Dominic rubbed my back and he let my head rest on his shoulder. "They died for us. They died because they believe you are their rightful queen. They died because they believe this country deserves someone like you and not someone like her. They died because I picked you and not her." He didn't have to say her name for me to know who he was talking about.

"How can I ever become the queen they think I can be?" I shook my head. My parents had never been rich and I knew next to nothing about the rules at court and how to talk, stand and move like a proper lady.

"You already are. And don't let my mother tell you otherwise." Dominic smiled. "But next time my brother can shove his tactic of hiding you in the front line, where our enemy doesn't expect you, up his..."

I shook my head before he could finish his sentence. "Dominic! Even I don't talk like that!"

"You get my point. Next time you'll be with me." He kissed me again and my heart skipped a beat in my chest. "I don't care if that's smart or not."