Dutchess of the End

“It is of some concern that we have time to talk now of all times, Carla.” Mona said. We stood atop the rampart of the Castle Telbud, overlooking the plain that lay to the north, towards the Hinterwastes. There, we saw the army of Myn, standing in full force. They walked slowly, using that same unmoving pace that they had always walked at. Now, they all had on shining blue armour, swords, shields, spears, and clubs in their large hands. “We stand atop our home looking down upon giants, and all I can think of are my daughters.”

 

“I feel the same way. Now probably isn’t the ideal time to tell you this, but Stephanie is pregnant.” I said. My bow held in my left hand, arrow nocked in its string, still pointed down. My right dangling uselessly beside me for the moment. Mona chuckled.

 

“If I fall today, I am glad you shared, Carla. I always wanted to be a grandsire.”

 

“And so you shall be.”

 

“I hardly would have expected you to fight. You’ve changed since you left. You’ve grown so much. Your mother and Sire would be proud.” Mona said. She raised a hand, signalling the archers to raise their bows. Many stood behind me, though a row of them extended to my left and right, behind the parapets we would soon use for cover. There was enough space in between them for an arrow to fit between to fire blindly, but not much more. Behind me, rows and rows of archers raised their bows, aiming above the heads of the King and those before them. I did the same, taking aim at one of the Myn at random.

 

“I have something to fight for, now.” I said.

 

“Of that, I am thankful. I hardly would have suspected it would have been my daughter when we took you in here, but I am happy for it. You are good to her, you always were.”

 

“Just doing my job. Both as a tutor and as a lover.” I said. “This is all my fault. Many women will pay for my mistake with their lives today. I could never apologise enough for that.”

 

“You’ve owned your mistake. It can be a difficult thing, especially with one as large as this. Atone for it by being a good Queen to your people. Promise me.”

 

“I promise.” I said with every ounce of conviction I had in me. “They’re close.”

 

“Hold!” Mona screamed, as though prompted by my words. My bowstring was pulled taught, anchored to my cheek in the way I’d been shown. It was easier to keep it tight like this, it used less energy. I could hold it until the order was given to fire. Mona spoke to me again, in a lower voice, first addressing the general to her left with some comment about battle strategy before leaning over to speak to me again. “I am proud of you, too.”

 

The words made me smile. 

 

“Thank you, Aunt Mona. Let’s kick ass and live to tell the tale.”

 

“Agreed. Tonight, we feast like Kings.” She said. Those were the last words she spoke to me before the fateful order came. “Fire!”

 

I let loose my arrow, two fingers relaxed with as much hate as I could muster. The arrow flew, as did many others, the sound of whooshing air caused my hair to flutter in its wind as arrows soared up and above me. I watched them fall like so many violent flies upon the ranks of ugly creatures. Most of the arrows clinked harmlessly off of armour. Some pierced skin. They were close enough to the moat for me to see the blood oozing out of the wounds. Elbows were stuck through with arrows, one or two had one through a wrist. None of them slowed. None except for the ones that had arrows run through their necks. There weren’t many of those, but the ones that did fell to the ground. The rest that were still standing ignored their fallen, trampling over them as though they were the grass all the same. It seemed odd at first, but the memory of how they behaved at the cavern came back to me. They were uncaring, even of their own kind, they were ruthless killers, hellbent on destroying everything precious to me.

 

“Aim for their necks!” I screamed, nocking another arrow, pointing it straight at the line of assault. They had no volleys to return fire with. No arrows, no bows. Only close combat weapons, only the ones that allowed them to look directly into our eyes as they killed us.

 

“Fire!” Mona screamed a second later, turning around briefly to swing her arm up and forward. This time, a few more arrows hit their marks, Myn falling to the ground with the same clatters of metal as before.

 

Then, they reached the edge of the moat. For a moment, the front line stopped, puzzling over how to bridge the gap. They had no siege equipment, nothing that would help them reach over. One jumped. I watched with curious intent. The bottom of the moat had been trapped with spikes, alligators infested the waters. It would be fatal to a normal woman to fall in.

 

But these were not normal women. The first of them cleared the seven metre gap in that single standing bound, grabbing hold of the uneven bricks that made up the castle wall.

 

“Knock them down!” Mona screamed, for after the first, the Myn spread out, each leaping and gripping the side as the first had. They climbed. Arrows were rained down on them as efficiently as we could manage. I hit one in a chink in herhis armour in between the helmet and breastplate, sending it down to the murky waters below. It hit the surface with a loud splash, many more followed in its wake. Underneath it, was another. And another. I began to run low on arrows, and panic washed over me.

 

This is war. I’m fighting in a war. The thought stung like a wasp sting on your forehead, an inescapable throbbing.

 

“Archers, retreat! Swordswomen, to me!” The Myn were three quarters up the castle walls now, still a huge sea of them standing on the other side of the moat, waiting for their turn to jump over. I obeyed, turning around and climbing down a ladder, watching the three dozen other archers do the same. We met with the second wave to restock our arrows while women clad in heavy metal armour climbed up. Another General went to stand next to Mona, claymore clasped in both hands, pointed upwards.

 

“Shit’s fucked, isn’t it?” I heard a familiar voice next to me as I took a fistful of arrows from a woman wearing black head to toe. Next to me, to my left. Penelope Knass.

 

“Fucked hard, and not in the good way.” I said. She laughed.

 

“Yeah well, play the hand we’re dealt, huh?”

 

“Let’s get up there. We should have a good vantage point when they finish climbing.” I said, pointing to a tower within a short run’s distance. Some women were already headed that way, others still climbed down, trading their bows for swords for when the close quarters fighting started.

 

“Sure.”

 

“And when this is over, if we both make it, let’s not go back to hating each other.” I said. Now was hardly the time for making up with petty enemies, but there really wasn’t a better one.

 

“Sure. Behind the bitchy exterior you’re a pretty cool chick.”

 

“Engage!” Another scream from Mona as she plunged her sword down, disappearing from view behind the parapet. It came back up, soaked red with blood just before she swung it down again. Screams and shouts came from the women around us as they began fighting. The first wave of Myn climbed over the rampart and were swinging their weapons wildly, not caring if they hit friend or foe in their rampage.

 

“Let’s go.” I said, tapping Penelope on the shoulder, sprinting towards the tower. It wasn’t much higher up than the rampart I’d been standing on. Close enough that I could trust my shots while Telbian women were mixed in with the Myn in the fighting. Before my arrows ran out, I felled two of the beasts, and disabled another’s arm.

 

I tossed the bow to the side, useless without anything to fire, and pulled out a knife. It was barely ten centimetres long, but it would do.

 

“Now what?” Penelope asked. We stood leaning over the stone looking down at the battle. The Myn were getting the upper hand. Women lay dead and dying on the stone, blood soaking the ground in sheets and booted footprints. I could have baulked at the sight were survival not at stake.

 

“Fucking fight, what else?” I asked, a manic smile drawing on my face as I began to climb back down. The steps ended quickly, and at the level of the rampart, I collided head-on with one of the Myn. I hit its metal-covered arm and bounced back a bit, staring up at it, small blade in hand. I could just barely reach up to stab at its neck, and I did so before it had a chance to react. They were huge and brutally strong, but they were also- luckily enough- slow and stupid. The creature hit its knees after my surprise attack, leaving me ample time and space to slit its throat. It fell to the ground, and I picked up its sword. It was heavy, I was barely able to hold it up, let alone swing it. The eerie blue light still emanated from it, the handle felt disgustingly warm in my hands.

 

Four. Seven if you counted the three back at the chamber. Seven too many, and yet not nearly enough. All around me, archers were still retreating, armour-clad swordswomen engaged the Myn, though in sheer force of numbers were being overwhelmed.

 

“Fall back!” Mona called out. She was still alive, good. But this space seemed to be lost. So I ran. I lost Penelope along the way, leaving me alone with the frantic nerves pulsing through my veins. I rounded a corner and slammed my back into the wall, intending on sinking my borrowed blade into the neck of the next Myn to cross that threshold.

 

One did. I pushed my weapon up, but I was too slow. It scraped against the beast’s pauldron, and it turned to face me. I slashed again, but the sword was too heavy. I lost control, the momentum spun me around and knocked me to the floor. I felt pain as my head collided with the floor. Blood oozed out of a stinging pain in my bottom lip. I rolled over, and saw the behemoth standing above me, one foot raised over my chest. 

 

I closed my eyes and winced hard.

 

This is it. This is how I die.