Experience

Alina let out a breath as she skidded to a stop, her arm reaching up to grab her sword from the scabbard on her back. The hiss of metal against leather was familiar now. It reminded her of the fights she’d had to go through to get here. It reminded her of the friends she’d lost. It reminded her of everyone who had left.
She hadn’t meant to push them away. She’d been so wrapped up in her fate and her struggles that she hadn’t even stopped to think of asking for help. By the time she realised she needed her friends, they were already gone. They’d given up trying to get her to see she needed them, and now she was alone.
She gripped her sword tightly, her other hand on the dagger at her hip. She looked across the field to the army in front of her. At the front, in the vanguard, stood Chesca, her eyes trained on Alina, the hint of a smirk on her lips. The sight of Chesca used to make the hair on Alina’s arms stand on end, but they had battled enough now that Alina was no longer scared. She was just… tired. She wanted to be done with all of this. She wanted her friends back. She wanted her life back. And she wanted the chance to grow old with Tamzin without the fear of someone hunting them.
“On your own, Alina?” Chesca called coyly, her smirk growing as she held her arms out to her sides, “You expect to defeat us?” Alina sucked in a breath, her fingers tightening around the sword at her side. She gave a small nod, her face blank with steely determination as she adjusted her stance. Chesca rolled her eyes, almost seeming bored, and raised her arm. Her army rippled around her, waiting for her command. They were restless, it seemed. Alina recognised a few of them. Not by name, but by faces. She remembered their faces smiling down at her while they killed her friends. Rage began to build in her chest, and a muscle in her jaw twitched as she prepared for the onslaught.
She knew there was no way she could win. Not on her own. But if she could somehow get close to Chesca, she hoped she could get rid of her enemy once and for all. One quick blow and she could die happily, knowing that she had defeated her foe.
A movement caught her eye, and Alina turned her head slightly, her eyes straining in the waning sunlight. On the outskirts of the army, where the field gave way to forest, there was someone hiding in a tree. It almost looked like… Malthus. Alina sucked in a breath as his eyes caught hers. He bowed his head, and she bowed hers, thankful that, even as she prepared for death, she had one friend with her. Slowly, more movement stirred, unseen by the enemy army. It surrounded them on all sides, and Alina felt herself choke on unshed tears as she saw her friends. Damon, Rina, Clerk, Mage, Tamzin. The tears fell as she saw her friends and the woman she loved. They were here. They had come back. She bowed her head to hide her tears, and once she had calmed herself, she raised it, meeting Chesca’s eyes with a hopeful stare. If Chesca knew Alina was crying, she didn’t mention it. Instead, she brought her arm down, and the army let out a roar, almost as if it was one large creature. They charged, running towards Alina. She drew her sword up and unsheathed her dagger, determined to cut through as many of them as she possibly could. Her feet began to move, faster and faster, until she was running towards the army, a lone warrior against a massive horde. They met in the middle of the field, and Alina gave a wordless yell as she began to attack, feeling the blade of her sword sink into the flesh of the closest enemy even as her dagger embedded itself into the eye of another. Ripping her weapons away from the dead, she continued on, slashing at everything that moved. It was easier than she thought it would be, and it was only when she heard the sound of arrows above her that she realised that she wasn’t alone in fighting.
The army was drawn in all directions as the attacks came from the sides. Turning to where she’d seen Malthus in the tree, she saw the army of Kraznok leap from the treeline, racing towards the field, and when she turned to the other side, she saw Tamzin leading the Ghamchain into the battle. Her heart soared even as she cut down another enemy, thankful that she had not been so stubborn that her friends had forsaken her completely. A slurry of screams sounded from the back of the enemy army, and she could only assume that Mage had managed to persuade the Treplan army to join the cause. She ducked under the swing of an axe, slicing at a nearby foe as she tried to find Chesca in the horde. Chesca was hers to kill, and she intended to let the woman meet the friends she had ordered killed. On she fought, ducking and killing her way through the onslaught. Chesca’s army had seemed big, but now that there were three armies against one, it didn’t seem that large. A pile of bodies was beginning to grow, and as Alina watched more and more vanquished foes join the pile, she saw Chesca climb to the top, spear in hand, her flaming red hair making her stand out. Alina began to run faster, her legs screaming with effort.
She let out a yell as she felt sharp pain sprout in her right shoulder as she was thrown to the ground. Before she could tell what was happening, a man was on top of her, slashing at her with a curved dagger she quickly recognised. She raised her hand and gripped his wrist, putting all of her strength into keeping the dagger raised. She knew the man, she realised. He had been the one who had snapped Halda’s neck in the forest. She felt a pang of rage as she mourned her dead friend. The girl had been young, and she didn’t deserve to die at the hands of this man. Alina’s mind became flooded with memories of the girl as she fought, struggling underneath the man. He was bigger and stronger than she was, and her strength began to falter, the dagger drawing ever closer to her face. She gritted her teeth, praying that she wouldn’t die this way. Her prayers were quickly answered as an arrow struck the man in the temple, driving into his brain. He toppled over, and Alina sat up, gasping for air as she pushed him off her legs. She didn’t waste any time before continuing her journey to Chesca, weaving her way through the fighting.
She soon reached the bottom of the pile of bodies, stacked high, the grass below soaked with the blood of hundreds of fallen soldiers. Staring up, she saw Chesca atop the pile, ordering her army. Alina sheathed her sword and began to climb, using the dead’s limbs to make her way up to her nemesis. Chesca saw her climbing, and for a moment, just a moment, Alina could have sworn she saw a hint of fear in the other woman’s eyes. It was gone quickly, and Chesca began to jab at her with her spear. Alina hissed in pain as it grazed her forehead, and when she next brought her arm up to climb, she grabbed the end of the spear, pulling it downward. The force of the tug made Chesca lose her balance, and both spear and woman toppled over the edge, landing on the blood-soaked ground below. Alina wanted nothing more than to climb back down and finish the job, but others were climbing the tower now, and not all of them were friendly. She hoisted herself to the top and stood, drawing her sword once more. The pain in her shoulder had settled to a dull throb, but she could still feel the warm blood spilling out of it slowly.
As the enemy soldiers reached the top of the pile, Alina readied herself, raising her sword. A hand touched hers, and she wheeled round, ready to strike. She froze as she saw Tamzin, a shy smile on her face. The blonde was bloody, with cuts on her face and arms, but she looked mostly unhurt. Alina felt her heart soar as she looked into the face of the woman she loved; they had been separated for over a month now, and Alina didn’t think she could bear to be away from the other woman for much longer.
“Hi,” she croaked, her voice catching in her throat. Tamzin smiled softly for a moment before the look fell from her face. She tugged Alina behind her, swinging her sword at the enemy who had been stood behind the brunette, ready to strike. He fell, falling backwards to the ground. Alina looked around. The enemy was climbing the pile from all directions, and she turned so that she and Tamzin were back-to-back. Together, they fought, their blades shining in the faint light of the sunset. They cut down enemy after enemy, and soon, others joined them as they managed to climb. Mage and Rina fought side by side with the women, and soon all four directions were clear. The battleground was suddenly quiet, and Alina felt warmth in her hand. She looked down, not even noticing that Tamzin’s hand had intertwined with her own at some point during the fighting. She turned to face her love, and the two stared at each other for a moment, swords lowered. Next to them, Mage and Rina celebrated the victory, but the women didn’t notice them. They only saw each other. Tamzin raised her hand and rested it on Alina’s cheek, bringing their foreheads together, and Alina closed her eyes.
“I missed you,” she murmured, her voice low, “I didn’t know if I’d ever see you again.” Tamzin let out a soft chuckle.
“I will never leave you,” she whispered, bringing their heads closer. Their lips touched, and Alina felt herself melting into Tamzin’s embrace. She hadn’t noticed how tired she was, but now that the fighting was done, she could barely stand. The two pulled apart, and Alina opened her eyes, smiling widely at her love. All thoughts of Chesca and the battle had been leeched from her mind, and all she could think about was the woman who stood in front of her, resplendent in blood covered and scratched armor.
“Alina!” Tamzin screamed at the same moment Alina felt pain blooming through her. She let out a gasp and wheeled around, grabbing her dagger from the scabbard on her hip, driving it upward into Chesca’s throat. The redhead stumbled backward, clawing at her throat as crimson blood began to pour out. Her eyes were wild and scared, and for a second, Alina almost felt sorry for her. Almost. She watched Chesca as she fell to her knees, still clawing at her throat, and she watched as the woman fell, one more body on the immense pile.
“Alina,” Tamzin cried, her voice urgent, “Alina please…” Alina looked down at her body, surprised to see the tip of Chesca’s spear sticking out of her chest, covered in fresh blood. Her blood, she realised. Her vision began to blur, and she felt herself falling. Tamzin caught her as she fell, wrapping the brunette in her arms as tears streamed down her cheeks. Everything was beginning to darken, and Alina forced herself to raise her head to look at the blonde. Their eyes met, and she smiled.
“I’m glad I got to see you one last time.” she whispered, reaching out with a shaky hand to tuck a strand of hair behind Tamzin’s ear. She drew in a deep breath, a smile on her lips, and then everything went black.