"Warrior´s Epiphany" by JM Collins

We won… That was the predominant thought in my mind as I struggled forward through the snow. The feeling of arrogant elation was dulled only slightly by the lamenting of the vicious wind and the throbbing pain in my side. I cast a look down at the source of the discomfort, pulling my hand away from the wound. An annoyance, but nothing to worry about, I told myself... I smiled slightly. We won. That’s all that matters. Our realm will soon be unified once again. Just one more step in the right direction. I paused for a moment. It’s so cold… What a bleak, desolate place this is… Why would anyone die for it? Fools.

Sighing to myself, I stopped and leaned against a snow-coated tree, clasping a hand back over the wound in my side. They’ll come soon enough. They won’t leave me out here. I didn’t think about when the patrols came out again. Didn’t think about how long it might actually be.

I looked around to pass the time, smirking to myself at the lack of enemy survivors. Traitors… Serves them right. They abandoned us, and now they pay the price. Resistance indeed. I allowed myself a short laugh, letting my eyes flicker coldly around what had been a battlefield not too long ago. I was surrounded by scattered swords, fallen warriors, and the frigid quality of the air that seemed to seep through my skin and pull away at me at the same time.

I turned my eyes from the darkening sky back to the ground, suddenly noticing the bright sword there. It was so beautiful… So intricately done… I simply stared at it for a moment. Silver etchings ran through the hilt, merging and dividing in a pattern that seemed fragile, yet at the same time of an undeniable strength. It was liquid… Almost movement. I could see images in it that would linger in my eyes for a moment or two, then vanish. My mind was hushed for a moment as my eyes trailed up to the face of the person who held the sword.

The newly fallen snow had covered her in a light, almost protective blanket, giving her an odd quality that was a bit evanescent. Inexplicably transfixed, I stepped closer and the wind howled angrily in a sudden updraft that stole my breath. The idea crossed my mind that the wind of this world seemed almost as if it was trying to guard its fallen child. I quickly tossed it aside. What a silly notion. But if it was so silly, why did I stop in my tracks? And why couldn’t I take my eyes from this warrior?

She held the sword still close to her in a death grip, and her face, nearly as pale as the snow, could easily be read. It was a look of knowing peace oddly mixed with an unrivaled determination. Despite the new layer of snow, her blood was still visible. The contrast to the sparkling white field of diamonds made it appear a brilliant shade of scarlet. An incarnadine trail followed her to where she fell. Once again I found myself simply staring as an image of her final battle played unbidden into my mind.

I could see her… Fighting, surrounded. She was surely farther into our lines than most had gotten. I could see the shimmering snow reflected in the blade she wielded as an extension of herself. The look of such strength and determination on her face, the… the life that sang so uncontested in her eyes. I watched as a blade flashed, cutting a deep trail of crimson, but still she fought on. I watched as her friends fell around her, cries echoing through her ears, but still she fought on. On and on with a fierceness and conviction found in so few these days. I watched in my mind as the fatal strike landed… I saw the alarmed look that played across her face for a brief instant, then melted into the peace and determination that would remain there forever. And I saw her take one last step forward into our lines… A last slash, even as she fell.

I blinked, suddenly shaking my head to clear it, and tore my eyes away from her. What a scene! I didn’t know her, had never seen her before! And she, as a rebel, wasn’t even worth the thought. I leaned back further against the tree. So cold here… When are they coming? A sudden flare of pain shot through my side, reminding me of the lovely gash there. I let my eyes wander around, avoiding the dead warrior and trying to keep her out of my thoughts as well as my field of vision. This place really is a barren wasteland… I thought, shivering. Why do they fight so hard for it? I cast a fleeting glance back at the woman, then quickly looked away.

I am so tired… I hope they come soon… I should maybe… sit down. It’ll be easier for them to find me if I stay in one place anyway… Hard to see in this maelstrom of a blizzard. The thoughts were halfhearted excuses as I let myself slide down to sit at the base of the tree. For a moment or two my mind was silent, then I allowed myself another look at the woman.

"Who were you?" I asked hesitantly. My words were lost to the howling of the snowstorm about me. A human voice here seemed wrong now somehow. "What was your name? What was it that made you fight so tenaciously for a place such as this?" I really was asking them to the warrior. Really. I sighed and leaned my head back against the tree.

My eyes drifted to the silver necklace she wore, crafted in the form of a small sword, nearly identical to the one she held. What’s that? Was it your father’s too? Did your sister give it to you as a good luck charm to keep you safe? Didn’t work too well… Or was it a surrogate engagement ring…? I get the feeling you’d like a sword necklace much better than a gold ring… Were you married? Did you love someone? Will he miss you? Did you have a child to protect…? What were you fighting so fanatically for? Once again the image of her taking one last step forward.

The thoughts flitted through my head and I tried to swat them away. She’s a rebel! Nothing more, nothing worth thinking about! But I didn’t believe those thoughts anymore… It was as useless as chasing your shadow. A bit confused at myself, I stared at her face. There was a deep scar… It ran from her left eyebrow to her jawbone. A previous battle? Were you a warrior all your life? How many battles have you fought? Or are they just as countless as mine are? I bet you know their names though… You’re… You’re… The thought was an odd one. Of course she was a person. But it was a new one to me. It startled me, shook something within my very core.

Forever I had believed as I had been taught… They are the enemy, they are all alike, we must defeat this resistance force and stop the cancer in our realm from spreading, so kill as you must. Don’t think twice… They had been faceless enemies, just opposing pieces on a chessboard… But they were in truth no different from us…

I shook my head, suddenly frightened though I didn’t know why. I have to get away from this… I’ll go back, somewhere, anywhere. Though I didn’t realize it, there was nowhere to hide from what I was actually running from. I tried to stand, suddenly aware of the light blanket of snow on me. My legs refused to obey the command. Blinking, I looked about, only to see that the blood had been obscured by the snow as well, and the sky was darkening. How much time had passed?

I looked down at the wound in my side, a trickle of red still running from it. I was quite confused… What’s… wrong with me? The thought was sluggish, and seemed to echo through in my mind. I… I can barely move…But that wound wasn’t bad… I blinked again, time seeming somehow suspended. The cold… The idea yawned through my mind, drawing no real reaction. I was somehow… detached. I… I guess they’ll have to find me after all…

I cast a pained look down, catching the streak of red still on my hand. Suddenly seized by an odd fit of inward laughter I looked back to the woman. With a jerky movement that I was surprised I had the strength to control at all, I reached out and brushed her bloodstained hand against mine for the barest of seconds. I felt the sudden driving need to say something, anything, but my breath was lost as another gust of harsh wind blew across the snow-covered plain. And again the image played through my mind.

One final step.