Worlds Apart

Tenebrosity

"Aurora!"

The ringing sensation in my ears shrouds David's shouts of protest as I stumble back roughly, not even bothering to raise a hand to my nose already dripping blood. This may be the twentieth hit I have taken in this sparring match, having barely managed to land five on Olvir before he inevitably turned the tables on me. I shake my head out roughly, blinking back the automatic tears forming in my blurred vision to little avail. My joint in my dominant arm still grinds uncomfortably as I lift my hands up in a ridiculously delayed manner, and my entire body feels as though liquid lead is running through my veins due to the strenuous effort such a limited actions seems to require. My hoarse breaths seem to accent this reality once I finally manage to raise my eyes to Olvir's hulking silhouette again.

Olvir takes advantage of my current condition without hesitation, landing a hard knee into my liver that knocks the wind completely out of me.

My heaped form falls limp against his own slick with sweat, and it is not long before the blurred ground already swaying under my feet is flashing before me until my back finally slams into the mat, and I have, officially, lost this match.

Olvir considers my current state for a moment, looking to his uneasy soldiers warily until I rasp, "You know our ways."

He quirks a brow, surprised. "My Lady-"

"Finish it." I insist.

Olvir swallows before nodding, forced to obey his Queen's commands. He raises his hand clenched into a fist, about to whip it across my face until a hand catches his wrist. It is not long until his own form is thrown over the assailant before being brutally whipped to the ground.

Eadric stands strong before my broken form, his entire body tensed and domineering in nature as his hands continue to wring in tight fists at his sides. "Step away from her. Now."

Olvir scoffs before rising abruptly despite his size. "You don't know our ways." He reminds his King, rather boldly in nature if I do say so myself.

"She's had enough." Eadric insists. "She knows she's lost."

"You have no right to speak for her." Einar cuts in, stepping up to the pair to stand beside her cousin. "Our Queen has faced plenty of insurmountable opponents while gaining her current skill set. She can handle a loss every so often."

Apache steps up confidently beside his King. "That in no way means she needs to be beaten to the point of being bedridden. Leave her be."

"In all honesty, we are all exhausted." David calls, directing all eyes in the clinical training center to him. "Maybe we should all call it for a night."

Apache looks to Eadric who simply nods in answer, permitting him to help escort everyone out of the grand, open concept space. It is not long before most bodies have filed out accordingly.

After having overseen their progress for a bit, Eadric tentatively kneels down to check on me. "Are you alright?" He grunts, gruff yet measured in tone.

I just stare at him as I slowly sit up, not all that surprised he had intervened in the end.

He sighs towards my silence before lifting a hand to press it to the blood still seeping from my nose. Once he pulls away to closely observe the crimson fluid for a moment himself, he looks back up to me before haphazardly attempting to wipe away the rest. "Are you hurt anywhere else?" He questions once finished.

I shake my head in answer, unable to explain the grinding of my arm right now, the throbbing of my bruised knee that got twisted at some point, the tightness in my chest.

"Aurora, can you stand?" He presses once I have dropped my gaze from his own, still not all that responsive.

"I-" I release a sharp breath after the words seem to get momentarily stuck in my throat. Can I rise yet again, turn my back on my numerous failures and keep leading with my chin up? "I don't know." I finally whisper after some time, feeling pathetically lost.