Duty and Destiny

“Are you sure about this?” Adalia knew Archer was more comfortable with leaving Adalia back safely at home while he faced Xander by himself. She knew something was up when the rebels suddenly pulled back. She had no doubt it was they did so under Xander’s instructions. “I don’t want you put in any danger.”

“I can take care of myself. And besides I am here to keep you safe,” she laughed.

“It’s not funny but I need you to stay alert,” he grabbed her hand and spun her around. “I need to tell you something.”

“I don’t want to hear it,” she knew the drill. He would confess his undying love for her and go to his death. But she wasn’t going to allow it. She pulled her arm away from his grip and walked away. “He has to be here somewhere.”

“I’m right here,” Xander stepped out of the shadows, but he wasn’t alone.

“What do you want?” Adalia’s voice stuck in her throat as she shivered at the storm brewing in Xander’s eyes.

“Come with me. I need to show you something,” Xander led them out of the place gates and into the forest.

They walked for a while until they came into a clearing. Adalia regretted not letting Conan and Doran come with them. She should have followed her gut. Her plan of arresting Xander on her own out of vengeance was slowly backfiring on her. Her head spun in the direction where she heard the sound of a branch breaking. She stopped, her eyes taking in the darkness waiting for whatever was hiding behind the trees to reveal itself. And it did, but it wasn’t just one thing, it was a battalion of rebels, Xander’s rebels.

“What is this?” Archer pulled Adalia to his side. Adalia didn’t resist against his strength. She was sure, if she did, she would lose her arm.

“Do you know when she thought you were dead; she wouldn’t let me near her,” he chuckled. “She kept on reading that little diary of hers and everything in it was about you.”

“What’s your point?” Archer had a firm grip around Adalia’s waist, and his other hand firmly around the hilt of his sword.

“You win and I lose. I always seem to lose when I am up against you,” he laughed.

“Xander your games are wearing me out,” Adalia was growing impatient, but the fear that racked through her was greater. She knew that Xander had called them out there to kill them, it didn’t make much sense to hide the fact that she knew the truth. “You tried to kill Archer and my father,” she drew out her sword. “Make sure you don’t miss this time, because I won’t stop until your heart stops beating.”

“You are going to fight me,” he laughed at her.

Archer drew out his sword and paced around, but never letting Adalia get too far from him. She could tell that he was looking for their weak points. He was trying to gage where the most threat was, and where he would attack first for an advantage.

Consumed by rage Adalia lunged at him. But as hard as she tried, she was no match for him. He threw her against a tree, and she was knocked out. Archer went for him, but he was not strong enough to fight off Xander and twelve other men. He struggled but he was pinned down.

Xander drew out his sword and held it over Archer’s chest. “This time I won’t miss,” Archer’s body arched as the blade slid into his willing flesh. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears as his chest collapsed.

Adalia was snapped back into consciousness by the sound of Archer’s painful growl. She picked up her blade and charged at Xander, slicing everything that came in her path. Xander saw her coming, but he didn’t move until he was sure that Archer was dead this time. Adalia drove her sword into Xander’s back, but he didn’t move.

The blood bubbled out of his mouth. Xander was coughing up his lungs but his determination to see Archer dead kept him on his feet. She drove her foot into his back knocking him over. Adalia didn’t have the time to wait and gloat. She grabbed Archer by the legs and dragged him deeper into the dark cover of the forest. She didn’t dare pull out the sword, she was afraid that he would bleed out.

“Will you let me say it now?” Archer labored to get his words out in between gasps and coughs.

“No, I won’t,” she struggled to keep calm, but her tears were threatening to show how terrified she was.

She put her arms under his and tried to lift him up. But when she couldn’t lift him, she released her wings. Picking up enough momentum she was able lift him off the ground. The palace usually seemed so close but now she felt like it was taking forever to get there. Her wings were trembling, struggling to carry hers and Archer’s weight. She went for the balcony, sure that if she put him down, she wouldn’t be able to lift him up again.

“Help me!” she screamed out as they crushed on the ground.

Samson was the first to see them. He rushed to Archer’s side, examining the blade that was still sticking out of his chest. “What happened?”

“Xander happened, do you know where Fiona is?” she scrambled to her feet and ran into the palace. Fiona was in her father’s room, she grabbed her arm and pulled her out to the balcony. “You need to fix him. You need to fix him, I can’t lose him again. Please!”

Fiona froze. Her eyes were stuck on the blood flowing out of his body. “I can’t,” the words trembled out of her lips with a single breathe. “I can’t fix him.”

“You have to,” Adalia yelled hysterically as she went back to Archer’s side. “Find something to stop the bleeding then take this out.”

Samson, Randi, Conan and Doran carried Archer into one of the rooms. Samson didn’t want Adalia to watch what he was about to do so he sent her to another room, with guards making sure she didn’t leave.

“What is the plan?” Randi was pressing cloths into Archer’s back to stop the bleeding.

“We take this out and we pray to the gods, that it didn’t hit anything major,” Samson held onto the blade and pulled it out as slowly as he could. But as soon as he pulled it out a flood of blood poured out of him.

“What next?” Randi was getting nervous. “If this guy dies, I’m not the one who’s going to tell my sister.”

“He’s not going to die,” Samson said firmly.

Fiona rushed into the room; she seemed to be in control of her nerves. She came in with the same bowl of leafy mixture. Samson took it and poured it all in the cavity left by the blade.

“Are you sure you are supposed to do that?” Randi watched wide eyed as Archer’s body sipped it all in.

“Either way he dies, or he lives.”

Adalia was pulling her hair out as she paced up and down her room. Leora had tried to get her to sit down but watching Ilana and Novia silently cry was making her even more nervous. She looked at the guards blocking her way to the door.

“I need to go see him,” she tried to order the guards to let her through, but her father’s command held more weight than hers did. She went back for her sword then asked again. “I need to get through.”

One by one they stepped aside and Adalia made her way to the room where Archer was being attended to. She saw him lying on the bed motionless. She dropped her blade and rushed to his side. The men in the room cleared a path for her. She sat on the bed and stared at Archer’s chest, only taking a breath when she saw it moving up and down with each labored breath he took.

“This can’t keep happening to you,” she whispered. Archer tried to talk but he couldn’t. He put his hand over hers and her warmth surged through him. Adalia was comforted by that single act. She lay beside him and waited.