The silence of the forest was broken by the rustling of feet upon dead leaves. She looked up at the sky, washed orange and pink by the dusk. Soon, night would descend upon them like a dark, endless cloak. It was all breathtaking, the warm colours of the sky blending with the colours of autumn which began to settle upon the trees.
     She took no notice of the beauty around her. Her gaze was set on the dark shadow, steadily marching in front of her deeper and deeper into the forest’s heart. She was too stricken, too numb to look elsewhere. She clutched a spear so hard in her dark hands her knuckles paled. She knew that if she dared to open her mouth the only thing that could escape it would be screams. Screams of anguish, anger and disbelief over the news she’d been given. Promises of vengeance and death to the ones who dared to harm a hair upon his head. She replayed the scene where she learned of his death in her mind over and over, remembering how hazy and surreal it felt.
     Someone touched her shoulder ever so gently and she turned, and there he was. She remembered feeling so nervous; apprehension hung in the air like a heavy blanket. She stood there, transfixed in her disbelief when she heard him speak.
     I’m sorry. It’s about…oh. You cannot imagine how difficult this is to say. I tried and it was too late, he’s…
     It was all she cared to listen to, all she needed to hear to know the truth. The stabbing pain that knocked the air from her lungs told her the rest.
Now she followed her messenger, her dear friend whom she would have trusted with anything, to see her beloved one last time, although he would never see her.
     The traveling companions were so deep into the forest now the girl couldn’t even tell what direction the town lay. She turned her ears to listen to the forest’s sounds; she sniffed at the air, ever so gently. A faint smell of decay wafted about, and restlessness began to worm its way into her stomach. The man stopped and she walked up to him, but she thought something was wrong - something felt unnatural. She smelled no blood. She thought this peculiar, and then she realized she hadn’t smelled the scent that she could’ve recognized anywhere. The sweet, intoxicating scent of her beloved. She touched the cloaked man’s shoulder.
     “Are you sure this is where…where they-“ Her words caught in her throat and she barely suppressed a sob. She clamped a clawed hand over her mouth and squeezed her eyes shut. She didn’t want to cry; she didn’t want to accept how painful reality was. She wasn’t numb anymore. Her body was flooded with grief she thought would tear her apart, limb to limb.
     “Ssh, shh,” the man pulled in her into a rough embrace. “Everything will be alright, trust me. Everything.”
     “No it won’t,” she protested. Tears ran down her flushed cheeks. Her eyes were tiny springs of sorrow. “No it will not be alright, it will never be alright. He is gone, and I can never see him again, and he is not even here and-” For the second time, she cut her sentence off, too weary to speak and too weak to stop crying.
     The sleeves of his robes rustled behind her back. For a moment, she thought she smelled something metallic and cool. She thought she could feel malice touch her shoulder, bound into his very breath. It quickened and grew stronger. She gasped and tried to pull away, but she was too late.
     She screamed in pain as the cold metal pierced her skin and sank into the flesh between her shoulder blades, barely missing the bone. He withdrew the dagger and raised his hand again, ready to strike for the killing blow. She was ready for him this time. Hissing, she turned sideways and leaped away. He sped forward and she spun around to land a kick into his chest.
     Panic rose all around her now, as she felt blood ooze down her back. Beads of sweat materialized on her forehead . The pain was so great, so difficult to ignore. She wished she could bolt and run and find security in her love’s arms, but her feet turned to lead. She felt as if the air turned the liquid, and she could not swim.
     And he was upon her once again He tackled her head on and she fell back and winced as he landed on top of her. The dagger was ready in his hand. She raked her claws across his face, and he screamed and fell back. With effort, she managed to throw his heavy weight off of her frail body, and scrambled off the ground. She grabbed her spear which in haste she dropped on the forest floor.
     Shaking with fear, she backed away, brandishing the razor sharp weapon in front of her. He shed his cloak; a shiver ran down her spine. She watched him unsheathe twin swords from the scabbards that were clipped on his belt. Low growls emerged from her throat as she gritted her teeth in pain and frustration.
     “How could you!” she screamed, “You betrayed us both! You were our friend, our ally, we gave you our trust and you knew it. This is how you’re going to repay me?”
A new kind of grief was climbing into her mouth, leaving a bitter, acidic taste on her tongue. Of course her beloved was not dead. He had been nowhere near danger. Her love was strings which were used to drag her right into a trap.
     He remained silent and instead, his eyes spoke for him. They were blue and piercing, ice, devoid of a speck of mercy. They didn’t speak, they screamed. They screamed of hatred and contempt.
     Oh god please please where are you I need you I cannot take this all alone please, come help me come save me please
     Her thoughts were a web of entropy, pleading, crying, and begging. The dusk was long gone now, and a deep indigo dominated the night sky. The cool starlight that sneaked through the dense canopy made him look so much more powerful, so much more menacing.
     They circled each other, moving in small, careful steps. Both warriors sprang, weapons poised and tempers flaring. She desperately whirled her weapon left and right in an attempt to clock the incoming blows.
     He brought down the blade in front of her and she caught it with her spear, trying to push the attack back. He seized the opportunity and with his free blade, he slashed her across her thigh. Her armor was of little use; the leather parted and the blade hurt her skin, although the wound was not deep.
     She yelped and the newly formed burning sensation fueled rage in her heart. She screeched and ran at him, nearly blinded by anger. With all the strength she ever had, she plunged the spear into the attacker’s wrist. He sprayed her with a shower of poisonous words that would make even a seasoned soldier squirm. He was forced to let the blade go.
     She stepped back and managed to pull the fallen blade along with her. She discarded the spear and held the sword out in front of her. Now, they would be even. She watched her own blood run down the shining steel. Her own set of hateful words formed in her mouth, but she held them in.
     They resumed combat, swords dancing in a turbulent whirlwind of steel. She was ready to cry again, hopelessness spreading through her mind. Her strength would leave her soon, and then she would be powerless to stop him.
     The pain was still there, shooting thorns all throughout her body. However, at that moment there were worse things to worry about. She feared him more than anything, for he was her death, the end of all ends and the greatest fear above all.
     She grunted with effort to get away from him pushing his weapon away; each time he was back to attack. She nearly stumbled on a protruding tree root and he forced her back, bringing his boot to meet her chest. The kick sent her flying back, as if she were a rag doll in the hands of a fickle child. She heard several somethings crack at the impact. She coughed blood, and realized she probably would not live for long. Her fury ebbed away to be replaced by sadness and fear. The scent she smelled, the metallic taste in her mouth, the very presence of blood was beginning to make her feel sick.
     She couldn’t help it. She began to scream. Cries of help tore out of her mouth, mournful and desperate. She hoped someone would hear her. She didn’t want to die alone. She didn’t want to close her eyes forever without ever taking another look into his.
She had been barely able to get up before the wretched man was upon her. She couldn’t recover fast enough to stop him.
     Their blades passed in midair. She dropped her weapon as her life was leaking out of her, moment by moment. This close to him, beneath the glassy hatred she could see her reflection in the liquid ice of his eyes. Her tear-streaked face, the small trickle of blood leaking out of the corner of her lips and down her chin. She wondered what he saw in her eyes: yellow and green, feral and wild, full of pain. She breathed a heavy, forced breath.
     His face was blank; she couldn’t tell what he could’ve been thinking. He slowly pulled back the blade which now found its target in her belly. She whimpered as he did so, and when the blade was free of her flesh, she collapsed on the ground. She shrieked and cried while clutching at the gushing wound, choking on her own sobs. Warm blood stained the grass and the dirt around the spot where she lay.
     The dewy grass was pleasantly cool on her cheek for a moment, but she quickly grew colder. She knew she was dying. She no longer had the strength to scream and her limps went limp; once again, she was a rag doll, crumpled on the forest floor. She watched him raise his sword to prepare for the killing blow. She tried to suppress the shudder that threatened to wrack her body, but she couldn’t find the will.
     This is it isn’t it I’m going to die all alone with no one to help me and please where are you I need I need you so badly my love so please-
     A scent wafted to her, overwhelming despite the blood and the malice that consumed the surroundings. He was there; he really came. Her love, so close to her, right there. The murderer sensed this; he retrieved his weapon and cloak and scampered away.
     She felt relief bloom at the back of her mind like a young rose. Darkness was claiming the corners of her vision and she closed her eyes. She had to hold out, just for a moment. She was so exhausted, and she would have liked nothing better than to fade away, but she fought it. She wanted to see him one last time.
     She could hear his footsteps, shuffling and she thought he called her name. Her mind was hazy and she could no longer tell. She heard a pained scream, and then running and labored breathing.
     And then warmth of his hands burned around hers like divine fire; he was kneeling beside her, whispering, pleading. He gently touched her shoulder and turned her towards him so that she lay on her back, and she could feel his warm breath on her face.
     She tried to speak, to tell him how happy she was, how frightened she was, how much she would miss him and how much she loved him.
     “Please don’t leave me…” she mouthed silently. She parted her lips but the only sound that escaped them was a quiet sigh, softer than the sound of a butterfly flapping its winds. She forced her eyes open and gazed into his.