A Dance Of Blades and Hearts

zethna

Hey guyss, I'm so thankful that you decided to give this book a chance, it's been in my head for so long and I know how long I want this book to be. The pov is kiaras for now, till we meet our male lead ofcourse, then the story will be told by both of them.

This book is also a slow burn so it'll take a while before we meet all our characters and before the plot starts to come together, I hope you all like it and grow as attached to the characters as I have💜

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"if you fall pick yourself back up,

yah!

hold your stance, feet firmly on the ground, ania I said feet firmly on the ground "

"you think he's gonna let up pretty soon"? I smiled at my best friend and aimed my sword at her throat, a move she dogded Expertly.

" there's more chance of master joria actually smiling than that ever happening " I replied while dogding a move from her that could have very well taken my head off, she full on laughed in response

"kiara, Tera, this is a training ground not your personal jesting house " master joria said with one of his famous scowls.

"sorry master " we both said bowing.

" hands firmly on your swords" master joria continued screaming making tera roll her eyes and steel her face in an attempt to copy him, I couldn't control the laugh that escaped then,

"kiara!" oh no "yes master?"

Tera and I walked back home after training, well training plus extra hours from master joria for 'disrupting the lesson ' . Zethna was usually quiet by this time of the day, Tera took to humming a song as we walked which left me to my thoughts.

I had lived in zethna all my life with my brother azumi, it's the only home we've ever known, a small place which although hadn't been claimed by peria, wasn't a stranger to the war and the loss that came with it. Zethna was a home of warriors, men and women both trained in the art of combat and self defense, the war started decades before I or my brother was born.

we grew up hearing stories of a time all was right in the world and a family wasn't lacking it's father, where war didn't take a man from his wife and a mother from her children. Zethna fought in the war, with every warrior that was of age going off to help our sister towns and cities, sometimes they returned, other times, they did not.

I was 6 and my brother 8, when our parents once again went out to war, but the difference this time being they both didn't make it back, the pang in my chest at the thought of my parents had dulled over time, but it wasn't any less painful.

In this world where everyone was so impossibly alone, where you never know when you could lose a loved one, all I have is my brother, all he has is me.

"hey sis" azumi greeted from his place on the gahma, I smiled at him and collapsed on the gahma "you guys took forever at training today " he said with his cheeks stuffed with rice balls ,

" master joria" I said simply and he nodded making an ohhh sound of understanding , azumi trained with him last year before he turned 20 and became eligible to go out to war, a fact I silently dread in my heart.

He offered his plate of rice balls to me with a cheeky grin, I rolled my eyes and accepted them from him. "how was training ?"

"you know same old, just me kicking warrior ass" azumi said with this smug look on his face, I laughed and facepalmed but couldn't hide the hint of a smile on my face.

After we lost our parents, that night when the ship of zethnan warriors came back and azumi and I stood by the bay, his hand holding my smaller one , watching warriors both male and female, some gravely injured come out from the ship to their loved ones, I watched the light and hope in his eyes get dimmer as the last passenger came off the ship, as the ship retreated from the harbor without our parents, we were so young, too young to let go, but we understood what it meant, our parents weren't coming back.

6 year old me broke out into sobs right there, but azumi, my brother didn't cry, he had this look in his eyes which didn't match his age, he pulled me into an embrace and all I could do was scream and sob as he hugged me

"I'll protect you kiara okay, I'll always protect you" I'll never forget that day, the sadness we both felt, how we both had to grow up so fast, and the silent whisper of promises made by my brother.

" there's a bonfire tomorrow, wanna go? " azumi asked suddenly, "you mean the event that's supposed to be the recounting of the towns history but ends up being over exaggerated tales of war experience from meathead warriors? I would love too", I said with this big fake grin on my face, he grinned back

"that's the one".

As expected, the bonfire consisted of male warriors who were too old to go to war recounting glory days, and the younger ones who had been on the frontlines a few times singing praises of their own bravery.

Tera and I shared numerous eye rolls through the tales, but the children and some of the younger men listened with wrapped attention, the older women later on recounting tales of years before the war, peaceful times where mothers put their children to sleep at night and cities, kingdoms weren't at constant war with Peria at the forefront of it all.

Peria started the war decades ago, where the greed of the perian king at the time led him to expanding his powers by forcefully taking over independent cities and Nations. Unlike with zethna, Peria succeeded in taking over most nations, but not without blood and tears, and a never ending battle of war and loss. Something which ended up taking my parents from me, a war which had taken something from us all.

The stories became singing and the singing became dancing, I smiled as I watched my brother and his friends singing an offbeat tune at the top of their lungs, Tera had started dancing with the children, this happy grin on her face, the world wasn't perfect, but knowing I'm not alone made dark days brighter.