The Queen's Sandcastles

The embodiment of danger(edited)

It was a silent night. The gentle rays of the moon caressed the landscape, bathing everything in its bluish-silver light.

A little run-down village situated between hills of blue sparkly sand was deeply sleeping. Well, almost the whole village was sleeping.

Ten unknown men armed with daggers, long swords and axes, protected by the shadows of numerous trees sneaked towards the houses wanting to take the poor people by surprise.

The only person still wide awake because of her sleep disorders, laid with her head facing the cottages' ceiling on a warm and cosy improvised bed on the floor. A man in his later 40's asleep not more than two meters away from her on his also improvised bed snored lightly.

The woman scarcely clothed with a sports bra and shorts, traced the lines of the tattoo on her arm.

The soft crunches from the sand outside that she could hear even with Asnee snoring in the background, further supported her feeling of something being amiss.

After a couple of moments considering if it could have been an animal or a villager on their nightly walk, she left the warmth of her bed behind and gave in to her instincts.

Only a single careful peek outside the window affirmed her fears.

With fast, trained movements she hung the belt with her weapons around her waist and shook the snoring man awake.

"We're under attack. Criminals perhaps." She faintly whispered and handed him a big cleaver knife and pointed in the direction of the bedroom" you go protect the two. I'll handle them."

"But you can't handle all of them, shouldn't I ...." shocked because of the situation he was thrown into fully disoriented, he gulped.

"No" She interrupted him harshly with her hoarse commanding voice " I said that you'll wait here and ensure their safety."

"But.."

" No buts. I can handle it. You can not. I don't want you to get hurt." She cut the worried man again. Her eyes sharp." Understood?"

Asnee warmed up to the young woman who seemed to be cold on the outside but still cared for him despite his crimes and faults, couldn't go against her words in spite of how worried he was.

She emanated power and authority. The sign on her right arm was evidence enough that she had the right to command him what to do and that she was fully able to protect herself.

"Yes," He said defeated" understood."

"Good. Now hurry."

In the few seconds she needed to make Asnee do as she said, the bandits already invaded multiple houses and brought the victims violently together near the fountain.

Children and elders either muted or screamed in fear and parents wept and pleaded for their children's life.

She was convinced the bandits didn't have any ranged weapons and because she didn't want to kill the men without giving them a chance to surrender, she revealed herself.

"Listen. This is the single chance I'll give you. Let the people go, disappear from my eyes and you'll get to live."

The biggest guy who seemed to be the leader and the most dangerous one from the bunch snorted arrogantly eying the pistols on her belt. " And what will you do? Will you try to hit us with one of your insignificant woody black tools? Or will you stab us with that toothpick of a knife? She is crazy. Duck, Fool, go grab her."

At his command two very ugly men situated around the prisoners walked confidently in her direction. Just as they were about to pack each one of her arms she bowed under one of them and twisted her body so that her left elbow collided with his face and with the given momentum she executed a front snap kick to the second man's kin which sent him flying back for half a meter.