Matutinus {Dawn}

Dedicated to all of you for sticking with Arya and me until the very end. 

"No!" Arya shrieked out loud. Her voice cracked and it she sounded inhumane even to her own ears.

She rushed to where the princesses' fallen body lay and turned Lady Zelie over slowly. There was blood oozing from her abdomen and she was violently coughing out blood as well. Arya pressed her hands to the injury but the blood kept flowing. In a matter of seconds, Arya's hands were coated in crimson blood.

"Stay with me," Arya whispered to Lady Zelie.

Lady Zelie tried replying but she just ended up coughing out more blood. Arya spoke to her in a quiet voice, "Don't say anything. I'm going to lead you back to the healers and everything is going to be fine. We are going to win this war and we will go back and build the academy from the ground once again."

Lady Zelie smiled slightly and Arya knew that she had heard every single word she had uttered. Arya gripped her hand in support and was relieved to see that it was still warm. However, she began to worry as Lady Zelie closed her eyes.

"Don't die," Arya begged her.

The bleeding continued and Arya watched in horror as Lady Zelie's breaths became shallower until she took her last breath. And then there was silence.

A ghostly smile illuminated her beautiful face. The hand that Arya had been holding a few minutes ago was now stone cold. Arya laid her head on Lady Zelie's chest.

She couldn't believe that Lady Zelie was dead. 

Lady Zelie was the one who had taken her in,  trained her, believed in her when no one else did. She was the first friend Arya had made. She was everything to her but now she was gone. Arya felt something wet and salty sliding down on her face and when she touched her checks she felt that they were wet.

She was crying.

Arya couldn't believe herself. She had never cried in her entire life. Even when Harper had died, Arya had remained strong. This was the first time Arya was crying. And suddenly, she couldn't hold it in anymore.

Sobs rucked through her body and her wet tears fell onto Lady Zelie's now crimson uniform. She cried harder and harder. Not just for Lady Zelie but everyone else who had died as well. A little while later, Arya felt more droplets falling and she looked up to see that it had starting raining. It was as though the heavens were morning Lady Zelie's death as well.

She felt a soft hand land on her shoulders and she looked up from her tear stricken face to see Aaron standing beside her. He gently pried her body away from Lady Zelie's and picked her up. Aaron cradled her face in his palms and warmth spread throughout Arya. She hadn't realized her body was shivering with the cold. Aaron slowly wiped away the tears that were gathered in her eyes.

"Prince Zander is calling us," he said softly.

Arya didn't want to go. She didn't want to face Lady Zelie's twin who no doubt would be stricken with grief. It didn't help that he reminded her of Lady Zelie and the good times they had. But she knew that she had a duty to Kalvaria. If Prince Zander could get through it, so could she. She would just have to be strong right now.

Aaron led the way back to the camp and Arya blindly followed him. She was unaware of her surroundings but she trusted Aaron to lead her away from harm. With her head ducked Arya continued on her path. She was vaguely aware of people trying to attack them but Aaron managed to keep them all away.

Arya didn't have to do a single thing until one foolish soul decided to touch Anaz. Arya turned around and glared at the knight who had dared to touch a sword. Before he could anything else, she drove Anaz through his body and blood splashed over her entire uniform. Arya didn't give him a single glance.

Aaron looked at her in surprise but Arya ignored his look. She stepped out from behind his body and stood beside him instead. She was done being weak. For the next few minutes, whoever approached Arya, found themselves lying in the ground in a pool of blood. She was a killing machine. All her emotions had been turned off and she felt no remorse for the number of people that died.

When Arya arrived at the entrance of the Kalvarian Camp, her uniform was filled with blood. Her midnight hair was crusted with mud and she looked downright terrifying. She wasn't surprised to see a few pages fleeing at the sight of her.

Aaron kept quiet beside her and the two of them walked to Sir Samuel's tent. Arya felt the pain hit her once again as she remember that Sir Samuel had shared the tent with Lady Zelie as well. They didn't bother knocking on the tent flaps and the guards that were posted outside let them in immediately.

When Arya entered the tent, it was pretty dark but a few candles had been lit to provide some light. The mood was solemn and both Prince Zander and Sir Samuel stood in silence. They looked different from the brave, bold warriors they usually were. Their backs were hunched the grief obvious. 

Sir Samuel lifted his head when he heard the tent flap open and Arya saw that his eyes were red.

He had been crying. Although Arya did not know the extent of the relationship between Sir Samuel and Lady Zelie, she knew they had been very close.

Prince Zander raised his head and Arya saw the sadness on his face that was reflected on her own.

It was Prince Zander who spoke first. "How did she die?"

Arya opened her mouth to speak but she just couldn't find the words to do so. It was Aaron who jumped in at this point. "Lord Jagmior attacked the two of them and Lady Zelie protected Arya from the attack."

"Where is her body?" Sir Samuel asked.

Arya didn't know the answer. Aaron had held her away from the scene. A sick feeling crept up in her stomach, had they left Lady Zelie's body behind?

"There are a few knights that were in charge of bringing her back. They should be back soon." Aaron spoke.

Arya looked up surprised. It seemed as though Aaron had prepared for everything. There was a light knock on the tent door and for a moment, nobody moved. Then, Aaron went to open the tent flap. Arya could see a white cloth that had been covered over a body and she knew that it was Lady Zelie's body.

"Bring her in," Sir Samuel commanded in a chocked voice.

The knights did as they were told. Lady Zelie's body was rested on the table. Sir Samuel turned towards the knights, "Did you make sure that nobody else saw?"

One of the knight's spoke. Her eyes were glistening but in a somber tone she spoke, "We made sure her body was covered."

Prince Zander nodded. "This knowledge cannot escape to anyone. That would bring down the moral of the army. We can't have that happening at such a crucial time."

The knights nodded and they excused themselves. There was uncomfortable silence in the room once again. Nobody knew what to do.

It was Aaron who took charge once again. "Would you like to see her face?" he asked in a soft voice.

Prince Zander didn't say anything but he just nodded gently. Aaron lifted the sheets and Lady Zelie's pale lifeless face was on full display. Arya covered her mouth in horror as a sob escaped from her lips. In a matter of minutes, tears were flowing down her face once again. Prince Zander's face was also moist as he stared at the face of his dead sister.

But it was Sir Samuel's expression that broke Arya's heart the most. He collapsed to the ground. His body was shaking with sobs but nobody made a move to comfort him. Aaron was the only one of them that remained composed. He interlocked his fingers with Arya and then he extended his other hand to Prince Zander so they were all linked together.

"We must kill Lord Jagmior." Prince Zander said in a distasteful voice.

Arya knew that hatred was filling Prince Zander. She felt the same. She despised Lord Jagmior and she knew she would go ballistic if she saw him again.

"I agree." Sir Samuel said in a deep voice. His face had cleared and it looked as though he had not been crying minutes ago.

"We have to avenge Lady Zelie." Arya spoke with determination.

It was Aaron who broke their thinking apart. "No, you are all frustrated and hatred has consumed your hearts. You are not thinking properly. If Lady Zelie and Arya could not defeat him, what makes you think you can? You would just be sacrificing yourselves."

Arya knew that Aaron was trying to be the voice of reason but she saw the steely determination in Sir Samuel and Prince Zander's eyes and she knew the two of them would kill Lord Jagmior with or without Aaron's permission. As much as Arya wanted to drive a sword through Lord Jagmior's body she also knew that they had to plan through this. Arya was broken and hurt but Lady Zelie had been the one who had taught her to be strong and to continue whenever a calamity befell her. It was Lady Zelie who taught her to be smart and think through her options rather than being consumed and driven by hatred.

Arya knew she would not be able to continue if Prince Zander and Sir Samuel died because of their quest to avenge Lady Zelie. She would have to convince them to be reasonable.

"I do agree we should attack Lord Jagmior," Arya began and Aaron shot her a panicked glance. "In terms of a war strategy it makes sense. To bring down a colony, you remove the Queen bee and the rest of the hive no longer knows what to do."

Aaron was about to say something but Arya held up her hand, she was not done yet. "However, we need to have a sound strategy of defeating Lord Jagmior to avoid having anymore casualties. It will not do us good if we charge head first without a proper plan."

Arya shared a look with Aaron and he seemed satisfied at her proposal. Sir Samuel and Prince Zander looked as though they were pondering over what she said.

"That seems reasonable." Prince Zander said slowly.

Arya smiled at her success but it felt soon enough when she realized that she had been smiling over winning how best to kill Lady Zelie's murderer.

The four of them pondered over maps for the remained of the time trying to find the perfect strategy in defeating Lord Jagmior as well as the Haxovolian Army. They were all submerged in the plan and trying to erase the death of Lady Zelie from their minds.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the time the four had finished finalizing the plan, night had fallen. It was dark outside and it seemed as though many of the knights had retired to their tents.

"We shall carry the plan out tomorrow." Sir Samuel said softly before his voice became more firm. "For now, everyone needs to be well rested. It has been a long day for us all."

Arya and Aaron nodded and they both exited the tent leaving Prince Zander and Sir Samuel alone to discuss anymore strategy they needed to do.

A yawn escaped from Aaron's lip and a small smile made its way onto Arya's face. "Shall we retire now?"

Aaron nodded and the two of them were about to head towards their tents when Arya saw Yasmin approaching her.

To say she didn't look pleased would have been an understatement.

"Could I talk to you?" she asked Arya in an uncharacteristically hard voice.

Arya was exhausted but she nodded. "Speak."

Yasmin exchanged a glanced with Aaron, "Alone?"

Aaron looked at Arya awkwardly unaware of what he should do. Arya saved him from the trouble of responding, "I'll come by your tent later." she said in a dismissive tone.

"Okay," Aaron said softly before kissing her temple and leaving Yasmin alone with Arya.

Arya watched his retreating figure before she turned towards Yasmin, "It's been a long day, and so could you please tell me what you wanted to talk about?"

"I'm glad that you were able to give me a little time from your busy schedule." Yasmin said in a bitter tone.

Arya was surprised. She had never heard Yasmin speak to her in such a manner.

"Did I do something?" Arya asked with a confused expression on her face.

"Don't act so innocent." Yasmin continued with the same bitterness. "You knew that Silvia was a traitor and you killed her. Yet you lied to my face."

The truth was out.

Arya had been afraid of this but she had tried to shield Yasmin from Silvia's true personality. She didn't want her to experience the same guilt she had.

"I didn't mean to." Arya began but Yasmin cut her off.

"It doesn't matter. You killed one of my closest friends and you didn't have the guts to say it to my face. Instead, you lied like a coward."

Yasmin's voiced was like a spear stabbing her chest. Arya didn't know how to respond. Today had been an extremely long day and all she wanted to lie in bed. 

"I know you didn't have any parents but I thought that Lady Zelie would have taught you better." Yasmin delivered the finally blow.

That was the final blow for Arya. She couldn't have Yasmin insulting her dead friend. "Take it back," Arya said in an icy cold voice. "Take back your words right now."

Yasmin didn't say anything but she just stared at Arya. All common sense escaped Arya and she drew Anaz. Yasmin drew her own sword when she saw what Arya was doing. A few people from their surroundings scattered away when the realized that a fight was about to break out.

When Arya looked at Yasmin, a newfound sense of hatred filled her. This was the girl she had helped and protected and instead of thanking her, Yasmin was turning her back to Arya as well as insulting her closest friend. Arya was not going to stand and let Yasmin yell at her.

She was about to run towards Yasmin with her sword when someone stepped in between and parried her thrust. Arya looked up to see Jennica standing in between the two of them.

"That is enough." she said in a low voice.

Arya stepped back but she didn't say anything else.

Jennica turned to Yasmin. "Leave, and don't come back. You need a walk to clear your mind."

Yasmin sheathed her sword and walked away but not before giving Arya a dirty glance. Arya returned it but when she left the truth of her loneliness hit her. She had broken another tie. It seemed as though everyone was leaving her.

"What is wrong with you?" Jennica turned around a spoke with such fury in her voice. "We are in the middle of a war and you just had to fight with one of your comrades! What kind of message does this send to everyone else in the Kalvarian Army?"

Arya looked up with her tired face and Jennica's face turned into a frown. It almost looked as though she felt pity for Arya.

"It's just been a long day," Arya said answering her question with a vague response.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Jennica asked.

Arya shook her head. "I'm sorry about causing a big scene; I'm just going to go to sleep now."

Jennica looked as though she wanted to say something more but she held back. Arya turned away and continued her path towards Aaron tent. He was waiting for her when she arrived. "What happened?"

Arya took off her boots and the belt that held her sword. "Yasmin found out the truth about Silvia's death. We were both about to face off but Jennica stepped in."

Aaron sighed. "Come here," he said softly.

Arya did he said. He pulled her into his body and warmth spread through her own. He grasped her chin and lightly tilted it towards himself.

"It will be okay." he said in a convincing tone.

Arya smiled bitterly. "No it won't. Silvia and Lady Zelie are both dead and Yasmin has left me as well. It's funny; I'm all alone once again."

Aaron looked deep into her eyes before he brushed his lips softly against hers. It was a comforting kiss. "You are never alone. You always have me."

And then he kissed her once more preventing her from saying anything else.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Arya strapped down the hidden knives at her calves. She would only use them if they were necessary. She withdrew Anaz from its sheath before running a rock over the edge in order to make sure that the metal was still sharp. The sword gleamed when the light hit it.

Beside her, Aaron was preparing for battle in a similar manor. However she it seemed as though his armour was stuck. He gave Arya a charming smile, one she hadn't seen in ages, "A little help please?"

Arya shook her head in a good natured way before she helped Aaron put on his armour. "What kind of knight isn't able to put on his own armour?" she asked.

Aaron gave her another smile. "The one whose Queen is right next to him."

Arya sighed at his cheesy lines. She knew he was only trying to cheer her up and to distract her from what lay in their destiny today. They were going to bring down the Haxovolian Army tonight and win the war for Kalvaria.

Arya rubbed her eyes trying to remove the sleepiness. It had been a long night for her and she had she had only slept for a few hours. Nightmares about Lady Zelie and Silvia's death and surrounded her but the fight with Yasmin had been on her mind as well. In the end, Arya had even dreamt that she Aaron had died. She had awoken with a start only to be comforted by his presence beside her.

From the distance, Arya spotted Madame Kenna making her way towards the two of them. She looked down right hysterical with her hair unkempt and clothes tattered. It was very different from the fine pristine Madame Kenna Arya was accustomed to seeing.

"It is true?" she asked Arya.

Arya didn't Madame Kenna to speak the words out loud. She knew what she was asking. Was it true that Lady Zelie was dead?

Arya nodded her head and Madame Kenna began shaking. Aaron rushed toward to catch her in time just as though she was about to collapse on the ground.

"We need some help here!" Arya cried out to the knights near here.

They rushed forward but seemed unsure about what to do.

"Are any of you healers?" Arya asked the group.

They all shook their heads and Arya sighed. It looked as though she was going to have to take the matter in her own hands. Just as she was about to step forward, Yasmin's black curls came into Arya's face and blocked her vison.

Yasmin ignored Arya and turned to Aaron to ask him the questions. "What did you guys tell her?"

Aaron shared a looked with Arya who titled her head back and forth slowly. Now was not the time to tell Yasmin or anyone else.

"We informed her that someone close to her died." Aaron replied vaguely.

Yasmin snorted. "Well I'm hoping you told her the truth about the person's death and didn't lie like someone had to me."

Arya ignored her snide remark. She was not used to seeing this horrible side of Yasmin and it was even worse when her attacks were directed at her. Arya had been through so much already and Yasmin's attitude was not making anything better.

"We must carry her to Madame Guinevere so she can properly examine her." Yasmin said before calling two knights to help her lift the body towards the healer's tent.

Arya found herself letting out a breath she didn't even know she was holding once Yasmin and left their group.

"I can't imagine how the rest of the army is going to react." Aaron said softly.

"Well it's not our job to imagine." Arya said with determination. "We having a bigger task to accomplish and it just won't get done if we continuously just sit here."

Aaron nodded. "We need to get the uniforms anyway."

"Then let's do that." Arya replied happy to be able to take her mind off of things.

The two of them walked to the morgue in silence. The place was empty and the stench was horrific. Arya was pretty sure that many of the bodies had begun to decompose and flies and other insects had begun devouring their bodies. It disgusted Arya and she was glad that Lady Zelie was being kept in a private monitored area.

"Do you remember where the bodies of the Haxovolian Soldiers are?" Aaron asked her.

Arya pointed to the far corner of the area. She remembered when she had come to look for Silvia's body with Jennica.

Oh how ironic life was.

She had come here hoping not to see Silvia's body but at the end of the day, the girl's body had returned to the very place Arya had feared to see her.

They crept through the rows of bodies and Arya stood guard while Aaron did the dirty work. They needed the Haxovolian uniforms in order to blend in with Lord Jagmior's Army. It would be much harder to detect them. At this point, a full frontal attack seemed pointless so Prince Zander, Sir Samuel, Aaron and her had come up with a much more detailed intricate plan.

The plan would begin taking place at nightfall and right now, they just needed to gather all the pieces to make it possible. Aaron was able to get four uniforms but they looked dirty and disgusting.

Arya sighed. It seemed as though they had more work to do by cleaning them now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The uniforms had been washed and they were drying behind Aaron's tent at the moment. Arya and Aaron were sitting at the base of a tree truck. A breeze swept through Arya's hair and she closed her eyes on instinct. The soft winds reminded her a better time; one that was filled with happiness and laughter rather than sorrow and misery.

Lost in the moment, Arya couldn't help herself as she began humming softly. It was the tune that she had played for Lady Zelie on the ocarina when they had seen the destruction of the Narvian Academy. Aaron's voice joined hers soon after and they harmonized together to form a beautifully tragic melody.

"I miss the way the things were before," Arya admitted once they had finished the song.

"Me too," Aaron said softly. "It doesn't seem as though a couple of months ago we were arguing with the King to let us fight in this war. A part of me wished we had never done that. Maybe we could be free of all of this bloodshed."

Aaron's confession haunted Arya. It reminded her that she and Aaron had been the ones to convince the King that they were ready to fight. They were the ones that had dragged the academy students to this hell hole.

As if sensing her train of thought, Aaron spoke. "Don't even think about it. We might have requested to take part in this war but Princess Zelie and Prince Zander gave every student a choice to do so. In addition, Sir Samuel made sure that everyone was physically capable. Everyone knew what they were getting into."

Arya shook her head slightly. "That's the thing; I don't think that everyone knew how horrific war was. We didn't fathom how many people would die or get injured. Everyone is right when they say that war is not a child's play. You don't know what it feels like until you are a part of it firsthand."

"We can't do anything about that anymore." Aaron said wistfully. "Our only hope is ending this war as soon as possible so we can return to our lives."

"I don't think I'll ever be the same." Arya confessed.

Aaron pulled her closer into his body so that his chin was rested under her head. She could feel his steady heartbeat and it calmed her, "Neither will I."

They two of them spent the rest of the day gathering all the materials they needed for their attacks. As much as Arya had wanted to go out in the front lines today, Sir Samuel and Prince Zander had forbidden it. They were all on lockdown and they all were required to remain inside the camp.

They needed to put a façade of being defeated and Sir Samuel had told the two of them there was not better way for doing that then pretending to be depressed. In fact Prince Zander and Sir Samuel had not left their tents which had spread some rumors among the campers. Arya knew they might have tried to pretend that they were depressed, but a part of them actually was and they needed this time to get their head straight.

And that day, for the first time Arya prayed that this war would end soon and that no more lives would be lost. She was tired. They were all tired.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Do you have everything?" Prince Zander asked them.

Arya nodded. They were all wearing the uniforms of the Haxavolian Army and they had thrown their Kalvarian uniforms over that so that nobody in the camp would attack them.

"Is the team in position?"

"Yes," Aaron spoke. "I went to check on them an hour ago. They said that they understood their orders and that they would be ready."

Sir Samuel pulled out an old clock. "The catapult should be launching at any moment now."

They all waited silently in anticipation. Arya was anxious and she didn't want to sit around and wait. She knew the others felt the same way as Sir Samuel was tapping his foot while Prince Zander seemed to be staring at the sky. Only Aaron looked poised with his arms crossed over his shoulder.

Finally the rock was launched through the air and Arya saw it fall onto the enemy camps. Arrows lit with fire also followed soon after. That was their que to move.

"I'll see you all on the other side?" Sir Samuel looked at all of them for confirmation.

They all nodded. And without a second word, they blended into the darkness and went their own separate ways.

Arya could hear the chaos in both the camps. Only a few members had been told about the night attack so many of the Kalvarian Knights were confused as if they were being attacked or they were attacking. The chaos was perfect and it made it easier for Arya to slip past Kalvarian camp borders. Now she only had to do the same for the Haxovolian camp.

Arya climbed the closest tree and she jumped from branch to branch. It was much safer then trekking on the ground as people would be able to see her footprints and it was much harder to get a clear shot in the tree branches if someone wanted to kill her.

Once the forest ended, Arya jumped back to the ground and analyzed the camp in front of her. The camp guards were still standing there but the rest of the camp was filled with chaos. Many of the tents had been lit on fire and the Haxovolian knights were trying to find water to put it out.

Arya felt a slight pang of guiltiness but that was soon erased when she remembered Lady Zelie's smiling face in her head. They had brought the war to them and now they would have to pay for their mistakes.

Glancing once again at the camp, Arya knew she should go and approach the guards but there was something that was holding her back. Maybe if she waited a few minutes some of the guards would leave their posts and it would be easier for Arya to slip through their ranks.

To her relief, a few minutes later one of the knights from the camp came rushing towards them and called the guards away from the border. It was as though fate was pulling the strings in her favour.

Arya slipped into the camp very easily. She was about to head towards the middle of the camp, where Lord Jagmior's tent was set up when a voice called her back.

"Hey!"

Arya's heart beat widely. She slowly turned around trying to keep her face towards the ground.

"Is something that matter?" she asked in a deeper voice then her normal tone.

"I was just wondering where you were going."

Arya sighed. It looked as though the man didn't suspect anything so far.

"One of tents caught on fire in the middle of the camp and I was going to fetch some water to douse it." Arya lied.

"Well that's great! I'm headed that way as well. Let's go together."

Arya plastered a fake smile, "That's a great idea but we must hurry up." She didn't need another soul tagging along with her. She had other matters to take care off.

The man started walked and Arya walked behind him. She was thankful that he was the one who had taken the lead because if he had suggested to Arya that she take the lead, her cover would have been blown in a matter of seconds.

Arya didn't know the location of the nearest water source and that would throw anyone off. She was sure that everyone in the camp would have to bring pales of water at one point or another to quench the thirst of the warriors.

The two of them walked in the camp and thankfully nobody around them questioned her motives. They all seemed to be rushing towards the wall of flames that had erupted. She saw knights upon knights throwing pales of water but it seemed not to do any good. The flames only got larger. The Haxovolian Camp was in chaos.

Arya realized that this was the perfect moment to get rid of her companion. If she knocked him out, the people around would think that it was due to the fact that he had inhaled too many fumes and it would free Arya to go towards Lord Jagmior's camp. Arya stealthily took out Anaz and wacked the man on the head.

"Sorry," she whispered as his body fell to the ground.

She slipped into the shadows once more and raced towards the heart of the camp. When she arrived, she could hear the sound of blades clacking against one another. Arya peeked through the side of the tent, and saw Prince Zander, Aaron, and Sir Samuel engaged in battles with Lord Jagmior's knights.

It seemed as though she was late for the battle. She jumped right in and took over one of Sir Samuel's opponents. He had been dueling with one of the guards as well and Lord Jagmior at the same time and sweat was dripping from his face.

"About time that you joined us," he said in a gruff voice.

Arya winced at the tone. "I'm sorry, I just got held up."

It looked as though Sir Samuel was about to say something else but then Arya's opponent brought down his sword towards her thigh. Arya barley blocked the attack and then she realized that she was going to need to focus in order to defeat her opponent.

She locked eyes on her target and tried predicating if he was left handed or right handed. Being able to tell someone's dominant hand because very useful since it also told you from what side they would be attacking from.

Arya waited for her opponent to strike and she knew he was right handed based on how he was gripping his sword. She met his attack blade for blade. They continued exchanging blows. It seemed as though nobody had the upper hand. Arya didn't even have a moment to see what was going around her but she could hear the words that other were exchanging.

"So you though you could just stroll into my camp and kill me?" Lord Jagmior's mocking voice filled her ears.

"Yes," Sir Samuel said calmly.

Her opponent attacked her stomach and Arya dogged to the side. She could now see Sir Samuel and Lord Jagmior engaged in a duel. Prince Zander had also taken down one of his guards so it was now one-on-one.

"If that is the case, you are more foolish then the dead Princess Zelie." Lord Jagmior said with a smirk.

"Do not speak her name." Sir Samuel said in a lethal tone. 

Before Lord Jagmior could say anything else, Prince Zander obliterated the knight before him and rushed towards Lord Jagmior. 

"Zander don't!" Sir Samuel called out but it was no use.

Pretty soon the three of them were interlocked in a battle.

Arya turned her focus on her opponent. It was time for her to get rid of her opponent. She knew that he was a very skilled swordsman but she also knew she was better. After all, she had been trained by Lady Zelie herself.

Arya feigned and attack towards the left hoping the man would fall for it. He almost did but then turned towards the right in the last moment. Arya took advantage of his crouched position to kick some sand into his eyes.

"You bitch." he muttered while trying to rub his eyes so he could see.

Arya didn't let the moment go to waste as she drove her sword through his body. She watched with satisfaction as his body collapsed to the ground.

Arya looked up to see the Prince Zander and Sir Samuel were still engaged in a battle. Sir Samuel had blood dripping from his abdomen from where Lord Jagmior's sword had sliced him. He was slowing down and Arya knew he would be losing consciousness soon enough.

She was right as moments later Sir Samuel's body feel to the ground. Lord Jagmior barely gave him a glance as he continued his duel with Prince Zander. Aaron was still engaged with the other opponents that had arrived when they heard the ruckus so Arya dove towards the middle of the battle and dragged Sir Samuel's body towards the edge. She ripped up her tunic and stuffed it near the wound trying to prevent the blood from flowing.

"Come on, you can't die here." Arya whispered over and over again.

It was as though she was having a déjà vu. She had been in a similar position trying to save Lady Zelie's life as well. She didn't want three people to die in her arms. Two had been enough.

However, Sir Samuel remained silent.

For a fleeing moment, Arya looked up from his body to see that Prince Zander was lying on the ground in a pool of blood while Lord Jagmior seemed to be approaching him.

Arya's heart beat wildly in her rib cage. The scene before her did not look good. Lord Jagmior had a predator look in his eye and Arya knew he was going for the death blow.

Arya watched in horror as his steps increased. She looked to Aaron to see if he could help Prince Zander but he was still engaged in the battle. Arya knew she was too far; she was never going to make it on time. But Aaron was close, maybe if he could just turn and run towards Prince Zander.

Arya took the chance. "Aaron, help Prince Zander!" she screamed as loudly as she could.

Aaron turned around and she saw the fear that was present in he own eyes. Lord Jagmior was two steps away from Prince Zander's body and he wasn't going to make it either. Arya watched on as she saw the two greatest warriors on the edge of leaving this world.

"I'm going to kill you, just as I killed your dear friend Letholdus and your beloved sister." Lord Jagmior promised. "It's going to be a slow death little prince."

He brought down his sword and Arya let out a heinous scream. Just as Lord Jagmior's sword was about to slice Prince Zander's throat, three arrows pierced through his body. Lord Jagmior screamed in pain as his body rolled to the side.

Arya looked up to see Madame Kenna dressed in her battle armour with a steel determination present in her eyes. "Next time you idiots have a plan, don't forget about me. I may be old but I still can fight."

Arya momentarily smiled but she turned her gaze back to Lord Jagmior. He was struggling to move. Prince Zander took advantage of his weakness as his hands grasped onto his sword which had been kicked aside by Lord Jagmior. Prince Zander drove the sword through Lord Jagmior's body and he let out a haunting scream before everything was silent once more.

Lord Jagmior was dead.

They had done it. Arya looked to see Aaron sitting beside Prince Zander. There were tears on his face and they rolled down his check as the two of them shared a private moment.

Arya could imagine this moment in her head as well. Lady Zelie would have looked Arya straight in the eye and would have told her what a good job she had done. She would have told her how proud she was of her. And then maybe, if she had felt the moment was right, she would have hugged her.

Arya had never missed Lady Zelie so much as she did in the moment. Her heart felt heavy as she looked at Prince Zander and Aaron speaking with one another.

She wished she could go back in time to thank Lady Zelie for everything she had done for her but it was too late now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Both of them are in pain but they shall heal nicely." Madame Guinevere explained to Arya and Aaron.

Arya sighed in relief and leaned into Aaron's body. She was glad that nobody else was dead.

Madame Guinevere almost had a heart attack when she had seen the state of the two male warriors. She hadn't said another word before kicking them out of the tent to begin the healing process.

Arya and Aaron had both waited outside, awaiting the faith of the two warriors. The last two hours had been chaotic. A few minutes after Lord Jagmior's death Lady Vivian and Sir Francis had both arrived with their armies. It had been fairly easy to capture the Haxovolian Army thereafter and many people had surrendered after they had seen the face of their dead leader. Lady Vivian and Sir Francis had taken charge and currently the two of them were rounding up any rebels.

"Thank you for saving them." Aarons said to Madame Guinevere.

She huffed loudly. "Don't do anything stupid again, or next time I may decide not to save you."

The corners of Arya's mouth tilted upwards and she watched Madame Guinevere's retreating figure. The camp was still noisy from being happy about their victory and also mourning the people they had lost.  Arya had released the news of Lady Zelie's death and her body had been available for viewing. Right now Arya didn't want to be around any of that, she needed her peace and quiet. 

Arya felt a tap on her hand and she looked to see that it was Aaron.

"Look up," he whispered.

She did and saw that that sun was coming up. Beautiful pastel colours filled the sky in a mesmerizing pattern. In all her years, Arya had never seen such a beautiful sunrise.

"It signifies a new beginning." Aaron whispered softly before threading his fingers with hers.

Even though they still had funerals to plan for their dead friends and buildings to build from the ground up again, Arya realized that Aaron was right. The sunrise did signify a new beginning; one that they would be taking together every step of them way. Right now, it didn't matter that they had friends that were severely injured and healing, it didn't matter that they had bodies to count, right now all that mattered was that they were both immersed in this beautiful moment together.

With that realization, Arya smiled widely.

"What is it?" Aaron asked her.

Arya continued to smile before shaking her head to the side. "It's nothing."

But it was everything to her, because Arya Ernestus was no longer alone.

THE END

I'm sorry for being MIA and leaving you all with such a cliffhanger. Life just got crazy. I have never written a chapter so long. The second part alone was almost 7K words alone. I hope you were all satisfied with the ending and there will be a short epilogue! Thank you so much for your support. You know what I realized, this story comes full circle. The story begins with a sunrise and Arya being isolated and alone and it finished with a sunrise and Arya realizing she has many people around her.  (Just thought that it was a cool fact). Anyways, please hit that vote and comment button. I love you all and thanks for your patience. 

Love, 

Kyra