Sitting alone at the cafeteria table, Violet knew that she had to chase after Fae and apologize, but she knew she could not truly mean it. Even if she apologized and promised to stop being so protective, it would be a lie.
Violet grew up in a wealthy household with loving parents, but the fate they placed on her before they mysteriously disappeared revoked all her fond memories of them in her mind. She spent her early teens entirely alone, wandering around like a corpse throughout high school…until she met Fae. Fae was the only friend she ever had, and the only thing in her life worth protecting.
Violet would continue to honor her parent’s wishes, but she held Fae’s life to the same importance, if not more. When Violet had finally reached the age of 15 and was finally old enough to transfer to the Military Academy in the 1st Division, she told the truth to Fae that she would be leaving their high school, which ended up being her biggest regret. There was no chance that Fae would let Violet leave so abruptly, and of course, ended up transferring to the same academy regardless of the implications of doing so. There were few girls in the academy and misogyny was rampant, but Fae managed to cancel it all out whenever she was present. She brought everyone together. She truly was remarkable. A talented fighter who could stand toe-to-toe with anyone in the academy, a model student who had the respect of the entire staff, and the most popular person in the entire academy. Boys and girls alike loved and respected her. But, regardless of anything and everything, she always put Violet first.
Violet was bullied ruthlessly during her time in the academy, but every time that Fae was present, they would never dare to try anything. Violet never did tell Fae about the bullying she faced whenever she was not around though. She just did not want to worry her. She knew that Fae would throw her entire reputation away if it meant protecting her.
After remembering all of this, Violet realized once again that their bond was not something she could live without. She left the cafeteria and followed the path that Fae took which led straight to the barracks.
Violet looked around the area and could not find a hint of Fae anywhere. She made her way to the armory though and noticed that a battleaxe was missing from the wall. This was Fae’s weapon of choice. Violet then made her way to the sparring grounds where she finally found Fae.
Violet watched from the doorway as Fae gracefully swung the large battleaxe like it weighed nothing. She spun it in circles above her head before landing a powerful strike on an armored dummy set up in the middle of the grounds. Her strike easily punctured the chest plate of the dummy and left a massive gash that would have certainly ended any soldier's life. She then quickly dislodged the axe from the chest of the dummy and swung it backwards hitting the dummy again squarely in its side. Another fatal blow surely. The poor dummies always go through a lot when Fae is around. A few moments after Fae landed that last blow, Violet started a slow clap.
“Bravo! Bravo! You always were a force to be reckoned with,” Violet said from the doorway.
Fae looked towards the doorway with a sour expression. Albeit, the very edge of her mouth was curling upwards, which was caught immediately by Violet, even as Fae tried to hide it.
“If you think I’m so strong, then why do you always baby me?” Fae said as she spun the large axe once again before thrusting the bottom of the handle on the ground with a thud. “Commander Sticks does the same thing, and I can’t stand your guys’ pissing matches with me around…”
“He’s just a perverted old man, Fae. You shouldn’t worry about what he says. But…I’m sorry for the way I’ve been acting. I know you’re strong, definitely stronger than me, but I just…don’t wanna lose you…”
The smile Fae had been trying to hide could not be hidden any longer. Neither could the tears welling in her eyes. She dropped the axe and rushed over to Violet who was also trying to stop the flow of tears.
“It’s okay, Vivi…I promise I’ll be fine. And…I promise to protect you. Guess I’m a bit of a hypocrite too, huh?”
“I don’t think anyone contradicts themselves more than us,” Violet said, giggling. “What do we do about the assignments? I don’t want to fight without you by my side…”
“I was thinking about it while I was dismembering these dummies, and I have an idea!” Fae said, excitedly. “You're part of the fourth squadron which releases right after the eight, so I’ll make sure we drag our feet when we get deployed so you guys can catch up to us! If the squadrons meet up, then there’s no way the commander can refuse you joining us!”
“D-do you really think that will work?” Violet said, drying her tears.
“You know how the commander gets with me, so if I want to take things slowly, I’m sure he’ll do the same! We’ll also be even safer if the squadrons combine, so it’s perfect!”
“Okay, I trust you.”
“Wonderf-”
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Suddenly, Fae’s voice was cut off as they heard a magnified voice from the communication stone in the top corner of the room.
“Attention all soldiers. Please gather in the briefing room to prepare for deployment. Please be there in fifteen minutes.”
“Time really flies, huh?” Fae said. “We should get going! Don’t wanna be late and get some kind cruel and unusual punishment when this is all over!”
Violet smiled, but she still felt uneasy about all of this, and Fae’s plan.
They made their way to the briefing room where they were split into their respective squadrons. There were eight total squads with each containing around three hundred soldiers. Their target was a small base right next to the border in Shangloo. They were to commandeer the base, then wait for further instructions from headquarters. They only estimated a few hundred soldiers to be present at the base which would mean that the Admian force would outnumber them at around 8:1. It was supposed to be an easy victory for Admia to start the war, but little did they know that it was a trap from the very beginning.
After the briefing, they were sent to the barracks to retrieve their gear. Violet took a longsword and kite shield, which she usually sparred with, and Fae expectedly took her large battleaxe. They made their way out of the base to the side that faced the Shangloo border. The border could actually be seen from the base even with it being about a thirty-minute ride by horse. The tall grass which swayed in the summer breeze signified the start of Shangloo accurately, making it the perfect marker for them during their attack.
They had been riding for twenty minutes before Commander Sticks put up the signal for them to stop (an open palm). He turned his horse around and faced the group of soldiers.
“We are now within striking distance of Shangloo territory, so it is now time for the eighth division to take their leave. After ten minutes, the fourth division will take their leave, then the third, second, seventh, sixth, fifth, and finally the first. Your commanding officers will be timing the deployments, so listen to them closely. But most of all, remember your courage and your disposition! You’re all representing Admia and will affect the first impression of this war to the world! We will prevail, and we will take down these tyrants! It all starts with us, so get out there and make a good first impression!”
Commander Sticks threw up his fist and the soldiers all started hollering and cheering his words. He then turned his horse, and the eighth division made their way to the border. Before they departed though, Fae looked back towards Violet and mouthed “See you soon, babe!” before smiling and following the eighth division to the battlefield.
The next ten minutes felt like an eternity to Violet. Fae had said she would slow down their advance, but even so, Violet could not see any of their horses from where she stood ever since they entered the long grass at the edge of the Shangloo border. Violet hated the commander, but in her mind, she begged and begged for him to keep her safe. Commander Sticks always treated Fae like the daughter he never had, and Violet always treated her like the sister she never had, so they both grew quite the attachment to her. Violet only hoped that this shared attachment would keep Fae safe. She knew Fae was strong, but if there was a slim chance at losing her, it was much too high to have her out of her sight for even a second.
Finally, the commanding officer of Violet’s division put up his fist and they started galloping towards the border. Violet urged her horse to go as fast as it could as they sprinted to the edge of the grass that Fae had disappeared into. Violet had heard her squad mates behind her urging her to slow down and keep pace with the group, but she had already pulled away from them. She made it to the grass by herself and after making through the brunt of the brush, she looked up and saw the base that was mentioned to them in the briefing in the distance. Peculiarly though, she also noticed an unusual chill in the air. It was the middle of summer in the north, so the military had dressed lighter than usual to prevent heat stroke and exhaustion, so why was this breeze so frigid?
Violet kept riding towards the base, and the closer she got, the colder it became. She rode for a bit longer before the cold was almost unbearable. Somehow, snow was piling up on the ground and her visibility was very low. They were in the middle of a blizzard. Nonetheless, she pressed on. After a few more minutes, she saw a few soldiers lying dead on the ground. They had arrows jutting from their chests and slight frostbite present on their ungloved hands. They had Admian crests on their helmets. Panic sat in almost immediately for Violet. Suddenly the cold did not bother her anymore. She only wanted to find Fae and find her fast. She kept riding towards the base and struggled to get through the feet of snow that had been piling up. Her horse was to the point of refusing to go any further as the cold was becoming too much for even it to bear. Violet started to call out in the storm for Fae, but her pleas were falling on deaf ears.
Thirty minutes had passed now, and Violet could hardly feel her fingers. She saw the occasional body as she progressed but was not able to witness any soldiers who were in a struggle. All of the soldiers had died from arrow wounds. She started to fear for her own life as the arrow-ridden soldiers were becoming more frequent the closer she got to the base, but there was no chance she was leaving without Fae. Violet then heard a quiet whistling coming from the corner of her vision, she suddenly realized what it was and tried to turn her horse around, but it was too late. A large arrow had planted itself directly through her horse's neck which caused Violet to get thrown off its back and into the snow. The fall had knocked the wind out of Violet who struggled to regain it with the icy air stinging the back of her throat. Her horse had run a handful of feet away from the place of attack, but stumbled and fell to the ground shortly after, unmoving. Violet was now alone in the center of the blizzard, slowly freezing while being hunted by archers she could not see. She heard another whistling, and weakly managed to throw her body a little to the left, but an arrow still made its way right into her left shoulder. She let out a pained yelp. She now laid on the ground facing the bright white sky, defeated. She had no strength left. After a few more seconds, another whistling sound came straight towards her. She wanted to get up and dodge it, but she could not.
“This is how it ends, huh…?” Violet said to herself, closing her eyes. “I’m sorry, mom. I’m sorry, dad. And I’m sorry…Fae…”
Crunch, crunch, crunch! Ting!
The pain she expected to feel never came. She opened her eyes, looked up through the snowy sky and saw a large black mass placed in front of her face. It was the head of a large axe.