I sat quietly in the shade of the trees as I watched the hunters return from their trip, deer hanging from the poles being carried between each pair as they as they made their way through the camp. There would be enough food to last for quite some time, to go by what I was seeing. It really had been a successful hunting trip, something the others were already beginning to celebrate.

I could only shake my head and sigh as I thought of all the work this would bring me, replacing or repairing lost and broken arrows as well as the occasional bow. Successful or not, hunting trips always seemed to mean more work than usual and less relaxation. Sometimes it didn't pay to be one of the best bowyers in the tribe, not to mention a fairly decent fletcher as well. It just makes sense to know both crafts since they are so closely tied together, although I didn't care for the extra work it brought me.

Shrugging, I slowly climbed to my feet and began the trek to my dwelling, sighing again at the site of a couple hunters already heading that way after having dropped off their deer to be prepared for either cooking tonight's meal or drying into rations for later use.

Oh well, at least I didn't have to join any of the hunts. Grinning at the happy thought, I began my slow walk home, not feeling the need to hurry along.

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Shrugging at the female in front of me, I watched as she threw the broken arrow to the side of my work area, a scowl on her face.

"You think I'll allow you to get away with this substandard workmanship? The lives of our people are relying on these arrows, yet you seem to not care enough to put any real effort into crafting them! Either start making arrows that fly true every time or I swear I will kill you myself!" I sighed as I listened to her yell at me, knowing this meant more work for me.

It's not like I didn't put effort into the arrows. I just didn't have the level of skills she seemed to think I did. I was a Bowyer first and a Fletcher secondary after all, not that she seemed to care that they were not one and the same. I would do my best to raise my skills to meet her needs, even if just to not have our queen breathing down my neck again.

"Kill me if it'll make you happy, my queen. Until then I shall do as you ask to the best of my abilities." I sighed again as I bent down to pick up the arrow she'd tossed, knowing that at least the arrowhead could still be saved for future use.

Giving me a strange look, Ashe shook her head before turning and walking off without another word.

--------

"You want me to do what?" I asked in confusion, not understanding why she would ask this of me after I had already worked so hard at increasing the quality of the arrows I made. Wasn't that enough extra work? Why was she asking more of me like this?

"You dare to question my decision? Either you pack up your gear and assist the warriors on the battlefront or I'll make sure you won't see the light of another day!" I sighed as she shook her fist at me, turning as I headed over to start filling my pack.

"No my Queen, I don't question your decision. I'll do as you command and if I fail to please you, kill me if that is what you want." I began packing my belongings, grabbing the tools I knew I would need to do as she had demanded.

Maybe if I completed this task for her, she would let me have a break when I got back. Either way, I just hoped she didn't end up asking more of me after this. Maybe death wouldn't be so bad, if it meant I could get a break from all this constant trouble.

Turning her back with a thoughtful gaze, Ashe walked away to give further instructions to the archers she would be sending along with me.

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I clutched my side as another arrow hit the ground just a few feet from me, blood staining the shirt I wore under the leather armor. Bodies already littered the battlefield, arrows having brought some down while others smelled of ozone and burnt flesh, magic having taken them down in explosive blasts. I had done what I could to assist our archers, bringing them arrows to replenish their stock as it ran low, but the last trip had ended with an arrow sticking out of my side.

This was why I had always stayed out of sight when I could, working on bows and arrows rather that going on the hunting trips and wandering off into the woods to rest when I could get away unseen. Feeling  more blood spill down my side, I saw a flash of white before loosing consciousness.

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Cold. It was so cold. I couldn't hold back the shiver that ran through me as I tried to find where my blankets had gone to, feeling a biting chill numbing my entire side.

"Hold the patient steady or the stitches won't be even," a tired sounding voice came from my left, startling me. Everything from before came crashing back into my mind, making me flinch all the more when I felt a needle pierce my skin before the odd tugging sensation of thread pulling the wound closed followed.

"I'm trying, but they're waking up. If you'd been faster, maybe this could have been finished while they still slept off the potion you poured down their throat earlier." I froze at the obviously upset voice coming from my right side, trying to force my eyes open so I could confirm what I thought I heard. Sadly they refused to cooperate, a heavy fatigue trying to drag me back down into the sleep I had just left.

It made no sense. Why would Ashe, the queen of our people, be next to me? She should be back with the tribe, preparing them for the harsh Winter to come, not on a battlefield helping tend to the wounded. Besides, what reason would she even have to come to my bedside, rather than the side of one of her warriors?

Confusion filled me before I gave up trying to make sense of anything, giving myself back to the darkness of slumber as I thought I  felt a gentle hand, calloused from weapon use, brush the side of my face in a fond manner. How odd, the tricks a battle fatigued mind plays upon itself.

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I awoke to a dull throb in my side, my eyes still heavy with sleep as I looked around the tent I had found myself in. The few "beds" that remained in here were little more than sleep mats resting upon the ground, some stained with the dark marks of dried blood, but it was as good as most could expect when so close to a battlefield where things needed to be easy to move if the fight came too close to remain in one spot.

I winced from the pain as I struggled to sit upright, wondering where everyone else had gone. I could no longer hear the sound of battle, something that had become a part of everyday life in this area, and the lack caused me to feel a chill run down my spine. Although there had always been lulls in the battle, there should still have been some kind of sound coming from our enemies.

Where was the sound of their warriors moving about in the forest? What happened to the sounds their mounts made even when they were at rest? Their encampment that was always filled with movement and sound as the people rushed about? Even at this distance some kind of sound should have carried across the valley to this tent...

Maybe... Had I been moved while I slept and just not realized it? Was that the reason for the silence? After I finally managed to sit myself up on the mat, I moved to working on getting to my feet, wanting to go outside and look around me. The continued lack of sound, both from the enemy and from our own camp, had me worried. I hadn't even taken note of the silence of the camp until I had gotten somewhat adjusted to the silence of our enemy.

Where were the sounds of the archers gathering arrows together? Warriors sharpening swords? Healers tending to the wounded? Even the sound of someone walking between tents should have been obvious in this overwhelming silence. Instead, the only sounds I heard were leaves rustling as a gentle breeze wove through their branches and the occasional crow calling out to another.

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I stared around me after finally making my way out of the tent, the smell of blood filling my nose. I would have thought the enemy had slaughtered everyone if not for the fact that both enemy and ally alike had arrows of ice sticking from their bodies, rained down upon them in indiscriminate fury.

The sounds of footsteps slowly coming up behind me as I stood in shock had me wondering if I would soon be joining those around me. I felt a moments confusion as to why she would heal me first, but that vanished as resignation to my fate set it. I had long ago decided to follow her commands. If that led to my death, then so be it.

"Are you still willing to die for me? Would you still give up your life if I asked it of you?" Her voice whispered softly from just behind me as I felt her place a hand upon my shoulder lightly. The tip of a dagger pressed lightly against my back, right where it could slip between my ribs and pierce my heart if she desired to do so.

"If my death would make you happy, my Queen, then so be it. My life has always been yours to command and your to take." Closing my eyes, I smiled softly as I waited for death to embrace me, shocked when instead I felt the pressure of the knife vanish before being turned by the hand upon my shoulder.

"Do you really love your Queen, me, so much you would let me take your life? And with a smile upon your face?" A wonder filled Ashe's voice as she questioned me, her eyes lit up as she began circling me, her gaze traveling over me like she was inspecting a new prize. Her eyes went dark though as she asked one more question before deciding my fate. "You do love me, don't you?"

"If it pleases you, I shall love you for the rest of my life." I looked at Ashe, my Queen, as she gave me a smile that sent shivers of warning down my spine.

"Then I had best keep you safe, my dear. I want to have your love for a very long time. Don't worry love, I won't lead us astray ."

Anyone want some non-yandere fluff or angst oneshots to start appearing in here? Or keep to the Yandere?