“You can’t stop us,” he groaned. “Even if you kill me, another commander is ready to take over any minute! The Yekara Clan is stronger than you think!”
“Good,” said Cessilia. “I don’t care how long it’ll take, but we’ll make sure to end this. My brothers would call it boring if you made it too easy for us. Plus, I plan to stay here for a while.”
“What gives you the right to interfere?!” he shouted, raising his sword and getting ready to defend himself again. “You’re just a child who came here on a whim!”
Cessilia chuckled, and raised her sword.
“Didn’t you hear your King before, Lord Yebekh? I’m his Queen. I didn’t come here on a whim, I came here to heal. Now I’m ready to give back what this country gave me. ...Moreover, when the King needs her, it’s the Queen’s duty to step up and get rid of the vermin. Get in position, Yebekh. This girl is about to show you what a real fighter can do.”
The loud growl of a furious Silver Dragon echoed with her words.
“You’re–!”
Lord Yebekh never found anything to insult her with, and Cessilia didn’t leave him the time to, either. She decided to resume this fight, more determined than ever. Her sword swung in his direction, and he only had enough time to raise his. Their swords clashed again, faster than before. They clearly had opposing objectives: Cessilia wanted to end this fight soon, while Yebekh wanted to make it last. It probably had to do with Ashen’s condition. That man thought that if he could make this last long enough, the King would die. Cessilia had no intention to let him win. She was getting tired, and this was the last fight she couldn’t wait to be done with.
She was already very different from the woman she was when she first arrived. Even since that morning, she felt like she had shed her old skin and been reborn into a stronger being, fiercer than ever. This time, she could proudly stand as the War God’s daughter and Ashen’s future Queen. She was pushing Yebekh more and more, not withholding her attacks, relentlessly pursuing the man. As he was trying to get away from her and her weapon, the man kept her circling around the room. The only thing Cessilia was adamant about was not letting this man anywhere near Ashen. She was protecting him, standing in the way as much as she could while trying to finish Yebekh off. It wasn’t as easy as she had hoped. The man was truly skilled and experienced. Unlike most men, he knew not to rely on his strength alone, and was improving minute by minute, learning Cessilia’s style as much as she was learning his. It was no easy fight.
“My lord!”
The voices coming from behind her made Cessilia lose her focus. She glanced back, annoyed to see more Yekara soldiers had made it all the way up to this room. She could already barely hold Yebekh at a distance!
“Ah!” shouted Yebekh. “See, a brat like you is no leader! You can’t do anything if you’re alone...”
Cessilia’s green eyes suddenly went back to him, glowing with anger.
“Who said I was alone?”
A furious dragon growl resonated above their heads. It was louder than the thunder, like a deafening echo in the skies above, surrounding the tower. Glimpses of flying silver scales flew by the windows like lightning bolts in the darkness. A smile appeared on Cessilia’s lips. The Yekara men were already staring toward the ceiling, looking afraid and unsure of what to expect. They probably hadn’t seen the giant Silver Dragon yet, and now they were in the front row seats. Shortly after, the whole tower began to shake. A lot. Groaning and grimacing, Ashen forced himself to sit up, and using his arm, slowly retreated until he was leaning his upper body against Cessilia’s leg.
“...A friend?” he asked, looking up with a worried expression.
“I think she missed you more than I thought,” chuckled Cessilia.
Another dragon growl resonated, higher-pitched. After more shaking, the tower stopped moving. It was only a second before the roof was suddenly torn off. It happened so violently and quickly, it looked as if it had simply been popped up, the whole ceiling disappearing in one go. The roof was literally sent flying god knows where, while stones from the top of the torn walls were falling down the sides, in or out of the room. The tower itself trembled again, and a gigantic dragon’s face appeared above them. Ashen gasped.
“That can’t be... Cece!” he exclaimed, a baffled expression stuck on his face.
The Silver Dragon answered with a gentle growl, before turning its large ruby eyes toward the Yekara soldiers that had just appeared. Raising their spears and swords, the men were suddenly not so sure about attacking anymore. Cece let out that strange scream, and most of them took a step back, unsure.
“Good girl,” chuckled Ashen, clearly the only man happy to see the dragon.
Luckily, the tower they were in was much bigger than the one Jinn had destroyed, and a bit sturdier. As Cece suddenly put a gigantic paw on the ground, the floor squeaked dangerously, but it held well under the pressure. The dragon’s head was right above the half-torn wall, and Cessilia guessed her dragon was probably supporting itself against the whole tower. Cece was way too big to get inside, but the dragon would still make a trustworthy support against more enemies... Meanwhile, Ashen was still visibly in awe. He leaned against the silver-scaled paw.
“Damn, you’re so big now... I missed you too, pretty girl.”
Cece must have enjoyed the compliment, because he received a gentle growl and slight nudge in response.
“Ashen, you shouldn’t move too much...”
Just as she said that, Cessilia watched him fight against his own body to get back up, although he immediately leaned against Cece’s head, patting the dragon’s snout. A happy Cece let out a gentle, soft growl.
“No way,” he grimaced. “I’m done napping, I just needed a minute to catch up... I can’t just stay still when we’ve got company, can I?”
One of the Yekara soldiers, braver than the others, suddenly decided to attack despite the dragon. With a yell, he ran forward with his sword.
Ashen only raised his leg with the right timing for the man to brutally run chest-first into his foot, losing his breath, and stumble back. The King moved immediately to grab his spear from him, swinging the weapon around. He made a circular motion with it, stabbing the soldier’s shoulder, and threw him right into Cece’s mouth. The dragon who had opened its mouth in a timely manner immediately closed it, chewing with a satisfied expression.
“See?” smiled Ashen, his eyes on the men. “I’ll handle it just fine.”
Cessilia was still worried, not about his skill, but by the fact that he needed to lean against her dragon to be capable of standing. She knew Cece had also probably come back because of her own worry for Ashen. Her dragon was naturally responding to her true feelings... However, Cessilia had resolved to not doubt him anymore, and she knew that Cece wouldn’t allow anyone to injure him either. Right now, those soldiers were her lesser concern. She had to finish this fight, and for that, she had to get rid of the main enemy, Lord Yebekh.
The hateful man was still standing on the opposite side of the tower, his shocked eyes still on the dragon. Then, he shifted to Ashen, a grin appearing on his lips.
“This foolish man is only hurrying his demise. He might be acting like a tough fighter, but the poison will kill him anyway...”
“I won’t let that happen,” retorted Cessilia.
She didn’t have a single minute more to lose with empty talking and threats. She ran toward Yebekh, swinging her sword with more resolve than ever. She knew she could finish this fight, she just had to find the right timing.
Strangely, Cessilia was having flashbacks of her training days while wielding her sword against Lord Yebekh. Her full attention was on this fight, but while facing one of the few people in this world who is actually on the same level as one of the War God’s children, she couldn’t help but remember her days in the North Army Camp. Their father had never let them rely on their strength alone. She had already fought against men bigger than she was, twice more experienced, or with the most dangerous weapon. Every time, her own strength hadn’t been enough to simply win. There was no battle won with only speed, strength, or technique. Cessilia knew she should never underestimate anyone, and she wasn’t letting Yebekh’s vicious attacks get to her. She was standing her ground, offering him a real duel, not withholding her attacks, and not showing any gaps in her defense either. Her movements were precise, perfect. It was as if she was literally dancing around the room, trying to get the upper hand of this fight. It wasn’t just about wielding a sword bigger than herself; Cessilia was using her whole body in each attack, all of her strength and focus.
Yebekh was sweating and getting frustrated. Although he did think that woman could potentially give him a challenge, he was a man drunk on over thirty years of experience. Unlike Cessilia, he wasn’t humble enough to realize a girl twice younger could possibly push him past his limits. Cessilia was his daughter’s age, but making him sweat and tremble like he was back in his training days. No, in fact, he was slowly realizing how terrifying this woman was. No woman this young should have this much potential. She wasn’t fighting like a young maiden with a bit of good training, she was fighting like an experienced swordmaster, and making him feel like a student!
The sword fight between the two was turning into one of the best duels that could ever be witnessed. They were both incredibly fast, violent, and relentless. Even the Yekara soldiers and Ashen couldn’t help but glance to the side several times, as if mesmerized by the superb choreography going on across the room. It was almost as if the two of them had rehearsed this beforehand, offering a ballet of blood and death. Each attack was potentially deadly, and only avoided by a hair, or blocked with equally impressive strength. Their movements were even hard for the naked eye to keep up with, as they only froze for seconds when their swords clashed, pressed against each other, and neither won, so they parted with a promise to try and kill each other again. They barely caught any breaks, and waited until they were steps away from each other, as if the short breaks had to be mutually agreed on.
Only the most experienced soldiers could tell Cessilia was starting to get the upper hand in this battle. The Princess was tired too, her body covered in sweat and blood, but she wasn’t willing to stop at all. She was also doing an impressive job of keeping Yebekh cornered where she wanted him to be, as if she was making the rules and choosing the physical limits of their fight. No one would have dared to intrude, anyway. The soldiers were almost happy to face the King and the dragon rather than this woman that seemed possessed by death itself. She was like a goddess of war, as beautiful as she was scary, and unpacifiable. Foolish was the one who ever dared to take a single step in her path. Yebekh himself was barely surviving. The man was sweating twice as much as Cessilia, visibly out of breath, his limbs beginning to shake from the overexertion.
The fight had insidiously shifted into more of a mental battle between the two. Physically, they were probably capable of remaining on an equal level, but psychologically, Cessilia was starting to make the man lose his ground. It was down to which one of them would admit defeat first, and Yebekh was slowly pushing past his own limits. He refused to admit how scary that woman was, while his whole body was about to beg for mercy. It was one leap he refused to take. He refused to be scared of her, but Cessilia was starting to grow into this furious, scary creature standing before him. The dragon that manifested in her furious movements, glowing green eyes, and powerful attacks was growing scarier every second. It was as if the more they fought, the more he discovered the dangerous beast behind the gentlewoman. The more he pushed her, the more powerful she became, and soon, she’d devour him whole. He couldn’t understand. When? When did this foolish, weak, and stuttering woman grow into this fearsome monster? How could he lose? He, who had fought so long and so hard to get here? He had trained, relentlessly, day and night for years, only to be bested by a child? He just couldn’t understand. No, he refused to admit he had already lost.
