Sooo...I drew Avelyn? Well, I tried to. I just got myself a drawing tablet because I got straight A's in uni last semester (woop woop!!) and I have yet to learn to draw digitally!! I will hopefully draw more visuals of Avelyn and the characters once I get better at this!! 

Idk why it's not as bright when I post it here :(

What do you guys think?

Anyways, put on your seatbelts because you're in for a ride!

"More and more recruits sign up every day," Clara stated. "It's getting harder to organize, but my knights are a big help, we'll manage."

"What if we assigned new training areas for the rising numbers?" Victor suggested, sitting up straightly as he looked at his father whose eyebrows rose.

"That's a good idea, Victor." He smiled. "How about we make that your new project?"

"I'd be honored." He smiled back.

Clara's eyes flickered between the two, noticing how carefree they grew to be around each other lately. They rarely argued anymore, giving the other space to explain their side of the argument.

She liked seeing them at ease.

The gentle calmness of the room was interrupted by the door slamming open as a knight ran in, frantically looking for the general to report some grim news.

"Shuroo is under attack." He said. "The numbers are large."

Clara's ears began to ring the second that name was brought up. For a second, her mind glazed over and all she could see was herself as she cowered away from the bandits. Her breath got caught in her throat as she remembered the suffocating air that surrounded her home when they lit it on fire.

Snapping out of it when Victor called her name, her gaze hardened.

"Gather our men, we're going now." She ordered, quickly setting off towards the exit.

"I'll go get Lila." Victor stated before he ran off to find the little girl, not allowing anyone to protest.

 She turned to the king. "Be careful, I suggest you hide just in case. I'll handle them."

Clara's chest tightened and her heart was beating out of her ribcage. Her mouth felt dry and her lips stuck to each other, slightly cutting her off from yelling out orders to her knights as she ran over to her own horse after grabbing her weapons; grateful that she'd already been wearing her armor.

The world around her darkened as she neared the small town, an all too familiar smell invaded her senses and she grew angrier. Her ears picked up on the screams of the civilians and all she wanted to do was harm those who caused it. 

She didn't wait for any of her knights to catch up when she set off to fight the bandits; taking her sharpened sword out of its sheath and yelling out in fury as she swung the blade expertly at the enemy. 

Particles of ashes flew in the air, sticking onto her hair and sweaty forehead, but that didn't stop her from fighting with all her might despite being outnumbered until her knights arrived behind her, joining in the fight.

A little girl screamed in the distance and her heart dropped at the sound, distracting her enough to let one of the bandits slash her abdomen. Yelling out in pain, she faced him again, her eyes sending a chill down his spine in fear as she approached him with her sword in tow. The last thing he saw was the furious and hateful gaze of the general before his world was no more.

Not even glancing at the limp body, Clara directed Shadow to where she had heard the scream, jumping off of her horse as soon as she saw the girl being approached by a large man holding a dagger in his hand; his menacing grin implanted itself in Clara's mind, causing her scar on her shoulder to sting.

Before his blade could come close to the little girl, Clara had tackled him away, quickly getting up and kicking him harshly away. The bandit got up, angered by the young woman in front of him. He laughed and spit out the blood staining his teeth before he lunged at her. Clara used her smaller frame to her advantage, easily dodging his attacks and advancing on him, sending him to the ground once more. This time, however, he took her down with him, getting on top of her and pushing her sword away from her.

Her eyes met the terrified ones of the little girl, frozen as she watched the ordeal, trembling and hugging her doll closely to her chest. 

"Run!" she screamed at the smaller girl, who thankfully obliged, crying all the way as she ran to safety.

Knowing the little girl was away from the sight, Clara reached for her dagger that she hid in her boot, taking it out stealthily and stabbing the man in the side, allowing her to overpower him and stab him in the heart when he rolled away from her.

Ignoring the blood covering her, she got ahold of her sword and fought the approaching bandits, easily taking care of them.

Bodies fell limply to the floor with each passing second, drowned out by the battle-cries and continuous screams of fear. Suddenly, a loud horn was sounded off and all the bandits retreated in an instant.

The general was about to follow behind them, wanting to end them once and for all but stopped when she felt a tug at her sleeve. Looking down, she saw a small boy looking up at her with tears streaming down his flushed cheeks.

"What's wrong?" she kneeled to his height. "Are you hurt?"

"I can't find mommy!" he cried.

She looked around, her heart shattering at the sight of so many children crying and running around looking for their parents. Her heart shattered at every sob she heard from those who found the cold bodies of their loved ones.

"Come on, I'll help you find her." she fought back her own tears, offering a small smile to the little boy. "What's your name?"

"Nate." he sniffled before she held out her hand, waiting for him to take it. Once he did, she stood up and he clung onto her tightly, still shaking with tears.

The older girl swallowed the lump she felt in her throat and walked around, asking him if he saw anyone familiar. Finally, she saw a woman crying and running over to him, crushing him in a hug as the boy hugged back. The woman sobbed as she held her son tightly to her chest.

"Oh my baby, you're safe!" she cried, cradling him as she kissed the crown of his head. "Thank god you're okay, Nate. It's okay, darling, mommy's here."

A tear fell from Clara's eye when she heard those words, her resentful feelings against her mother had risen once more. The woman then looked up, gasping at the familiar face.

"Clara?" she let out a breath.

"Hi, Mrs. Freya." she wiped away her tear and smiled at the woman, recognizing her.

"You saved my boy, thank you." she stood and held her hand, looking into her eyes. "You've grown up."

"Yeah..." she let out a wet laugh, the memories flooding back to her. "I'm sorry, about all of this."

"It's not your fault, dear." she put a hand on her cheek. "It must be hard for you, seeing Shuroo like this again."

Clara's throat closed up and she nodded, unable to speak from all the emotions overwhelming her. She gave the woman whom helped her study when she was a child a hug before she left off to check on everyone else.

It was bittersweet seeing so many familiar faces and so many new ones. Every corner she looked at she saw her father laying there motionless with a large wound in his abdomen. As she walked around with her knights, assessing the situation and helping those in need, her foot hit a soft object. Looking down, she realized it was a small doll burnt around the edges. The once white fabric of the doll had turned grey and dotted with red.

Her mind flooded with screams once again, but no one around her was screaming. It was the sound of her mother screaming in terror at the sight of her father. It was the yells of her father as he told her to run. She closed her eyes shut, gritting her teeth as she fell to the ground, clutching the doll to her chest.

"No, no, no..." she whispered to herself, shaking her head, wanting to get the voices out. "Shut up, shut up, shut up, I can't-"

She took frantic breaths, trying to calm her beating heart. Her head pounded and her side stung with the cool breeze, the blood sticking to her hands. She grew slightly dizzy but stood up nonetheless, her eyes hard as she swallowed down the pain, clenching her fists so hard that her nails drew blood from her palms.

The adrenaline had faded by now, making Clara's body ache and burn with every small movement. Stumbling her way to Shadow, Julian ran over to her, taking her face into his hands, looking at her drowsy eyes, slapping her cheek to keep her awake.

"Clara, stay with me now." He raised his voice, gently lowering the two of them to the ground as he held her gently to his chest. He called onto another knight to pass him some bandages once he saw the gash at her side. "I've got you, just take a deep breath for me, sweetheart."

Clara held onto Julian's shoulders as he cleaned her wound and bandaged her up all the while she hissed in pain, taking in deep breaths to keep herself from drifting away, too tired to go on. Julian accidentally applied too much pressure on her wound while wrapping the bandage around her and Clara could no longer hold back her sobs as she fully collapsed into his arms, her shoulders shaking with violent sobs escaping her bloodied lips.

"Hey, hey..." he whispered into her ear, softly running his hand down her back and tangled hair. "What's wrong? We drove away the bandits, they're safe now."

"This is where I-." She cried. "It hurts, Julian."

"Shh, it's okay." He held her in his arms tightly. "You don't have to tell me now."

"I lived here-" she was cut off by a hiccup escaping her. "My dad, he- this is where he died."

Finally understanding what made her this way, Julian's own heart shattered to a million pieces as he looked around the town she used to call home. Slowly, he calmed her down enough to get her back on her horse to get back to the castle as the rest of the knights stayed there to help around while they reported back to the king.

A couple of knights accompanied Clara and Julian back to the castle to get reinforcements. The ride back was full of conversation about the next steps they should take. Clara responded halfheartedly, her mind mostly absent and lost down the memory lane. Suddenly, loud bells rang in the distance, and the knights picked up their speed.

"The castle is under attack!"

Urging their steeds to speed up, the small group hurriedly made their way to the castle, where they found armored bandits going around causing havoc. The bells got louder with every step they grew closer to the castle grounds.

Clara's eyes widened at the sight of so many armored bandits fighting skillfully. Not wasting any time, she made her way to the castle gates, fighting off anyone who tried to enter the building, looking to harm the royals and inhabitants. Thankfully the bandits weren't targeting the people as much as they were the castle.

While Clara and her knights fought outside of the castle grounds, a few bandits managed to get into the castle itself. 

Victor had failed at finding Lila when Clara had left, so now he was roaming the castle halls looking for the little girl. Before he knew it, the castle bells rounded and almost too soon, unfamiliar men in armor blocked his way.

"Well, well, well..." A bandit grinned, showing his dark teeth. "Look who we have here."

His heart dropped to his stomach. The three men in front of him laughed menacingly, looking delighted with their new prey. Looking around him, the prince realized he had nothing to defend himself with, and he certainly didn't have the strength to take on the larger men by himself.

A shrill scream sounded near them, distracting the bandits long enough for Victor to try and lift off the large vase next to him. However, the vase was far too heavy for him, so he gave up on the task and lifted his gaze to where he heard the scream from again.

All blood drained from his face once he saw Hazel pushing Lila behind her, her eyes wide in fear as one of the men began to approach her. Lila's face was stained with an unlimited stream of tears, tugging at the prince's heart. Panic rose in his chest at how useless he felt in such a situation, until his eyes fell on the vase once more. No longer wanting to throw it at the men, Victor used all his weight to push the ceramic object onto the marble floor, the loud crash echoing around them. He hurried to take some of the broken shards and threw them at the bandits, aiming for unprotected areas. 

One of the shards sliced the cheek of the man who stood in front of Hazel and Lila, and Victor took the time to tell the two to run towards him, all the while he threw larger pieces at those in front of himself, trying to distract them long enough for Hazel and Lila to get away from them.

"Hurry, go!" he yelled, narrowly dodging a punch coming his way.

Not wasting any time, Hazel scooped Lila up into her arms, holding her tightly as she ran away, hoping to find somewhere safe for them to hide. Victor wished he could go with them to show them the secret hideout within the castle walls, but he was too busy dodging attacks from the bandits, and getting hit a few times. Getting tired, he decided to throw a punch for himself, hitting one of the bandits in the jaw. His knuckles throbbed with pain as he shook it, looking at the furious bandit who was walking towards him intimidatingly.

Before he could take another step, a clash of armor was heard behind him, making him turn to see what had happened. Victor's eyes focus on the sight of Clara on the back of one of the bandits, taking off his helmet and elbowing a specific spot on his head, sending him to the ground before she took out her sword to fight the rest.

"Get out of here!" She yelled at Victor, her eyes never leaving that of the bandit as she fought with him, slashing her sword strategically to tire him out before she could finally knock him out.

Knowing he would only cause more damage if he stayed, the prince ran for his life. 

Clara continued to fight, finally getting rid of the intruders before she ran around to where she heard another ruckus. The knights were able to finish off all the bandits within the castle and slowly all those outside as well. The remaining few retreated and Clara ordered one of her knights to go after them. Robin volunteered to go. Other knights gathered those who were alive and took them to the dungeons to interrogate them.

Not stopping to see the havoc that had been caused, Clara hurriedly went back into the castle to where she knew the king and his son would be hiding with her little sister. Upon entering the lower grounds of the building, she approached the wall which she knew was a secret door. Pressing a few stones both on the wall and the floor in the correct order, the wall cracked open enough for her to push it all the way calling out for the royals.

Her voice echoed in the cold, dim halls. Then, the king walked out into her view, Victor trailing behind him. She glanced around for her little sister, and her heart dropped when she didn't see her.

"Where's Lila?" she asked, panic rising in her chest.

"She's with Hazel," Victor began, his voice shaking with fear and guilt. "I looked everywhere for her, but I didn't find her until it was too late."

"Stay here, I need to scout the castle again." she muttered before she left hurriedly, her main goal being finding her sisters.

"I'm coming with you."

"No, Victor." she said sternly. "You were in danger once and I can't let that happen again."

"What does she mean?" the king asked, furrowing his brows. Walking closer to the hideout entrance, the light reflected off of Victor's face, revealing the forming bruise on his cheek. "Is that a bruise?"

"Uhh, I just hit a wall on my way back?" he rubbed the back of his neck, cringing when he heard the words leave his mouth.

"You were around bandits!?" His voice grew angry.

"Yes, but he's fine, I was there too." Clara interrupted. "Now stay here until I double check the castle and find my sister."

Not sparing another glance, she left the underground room, her heart beating furiously as negative thoughts invaded her mind. Victor watched her retreating figure, and he could already hear the lecture his father was going to give him about being more careful.

"Sorry, dad." He smiled sadly before he ran after her, closing the secret wall behind him.

He called her name once he saw her, urging her to slow down so he can catch up with her. Clara turned to look at him, her eyes pooling with unshed tears but she still stood strong, determination clear on her face.

"What are you doing here?" 

"Helping."

"Victor, I can't do this I need to find Lila-"

"It's my fault she's not with us right now, please, let me help you find her." Seeing the sincere look on his face, she sighed, wiping away the tears that had managed to escape and nodded.

"Okay."

Clara took his hand in hers, making eyes widen and cheeks redden at the sudden tingle at the contact. She placed a dagger into his palm, closing his fingers around it. Without saying another word, she began to walk again, pushing away any thoughts reminded her of how bad the day had been, deciding to deal with it after her sister was safely back in her arms.

Breaking from his trance, Victor followed after her, stumbling the first few steps, still processing what had just happened in his head. As they walked around, Victor got to see just how awful things had been while him and his father were hiding.

His chest tightened at the thought of so many lives being lost.

He couldn't help but loathe himself for hiding when his people were being slaughtered in the hands of an unknown enemy. He felt uncomfortable in his own skin, and a headache accompanied all the awful thoughts running through his mind.

Finally arriving at one of the rooms where the servants often spent their free time in, Lila ran to Clara who dropped to her knees in relief, hugging her little sister tightly. She looked up, silent tears falling down her cheeks as she motioned for Hazel to join in on the hug. Victor was next in hugging the little girl, having her in his arms easing his mind for a moment. Then he hugged Hazel, who he had grown close to and admired.

"I'm glad you're okay." Hazel smiled at him, holding him at arms length. "Thanks for helping us back there."

"I should've done more." he sighed, shaking his head. 

"What's important is that you're all safe." Clara spoke, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder, sending him a grateful smile. Lila had gushed about how he swooped in to save them and for that she was eternally grateful.

Hazel could tell how exhausted Clara was, not physically however; mentally. Her eyes were distant and hollow, missing the usual confident glint. Her smile wasn't as lively anymore.  The curly haired maiden grabbed ahold of Clara's hand, stopping it from shaking so much.

"How are you?" she asked softly.

"I'm fine." she replied curtly, making Hazel and Victor exchange knowing looks, but they couldn't push further just yet. They let her be.

"What happened out there?" Molly asked, walking over to Clara, concern flooding her eyes as she looked at the young lady who always donned a bright smile lose her light.

"Shuroo was attacked as a distraction so they could get to the castle." Clara crossed her arms, looking down at the ground, everything she had seen replaying in her mind. "So many innocent lives were lost." 

She didn't have to say it, but everyone knew she was thinking it. She was blaming herself for everything. Maybe if she didn't take so many troops with her to Shuroo, the castle would've been more protected. Maybe if she had better security plans, Shuroo wouldn't have had to go through loss again.

"Something's not right..." she muttered to herself, thinking over the events. "I need to talk to the prisoners." 

Walking into the dungeon, Clara asked the guards to leave her with one of the bandits. They obliged, and soon enough the only sound that could be heard was the angry breathing of the man and Clara's strong footsteps.

"Who sent you?" she demanded, her steely eyes burning his gaze.

"Like I'd tell you that." he laughed before he sneered. "Go to hell."

"I think you have me mistaken." She got closer to him. "I am hell."

The man gulped, seeing exactly that in her. He believed her, but he had to hide it. He continued to mock her, avoiding her questions. He could see her anger growing with the way her voice got louder and the way she clenched her fists, as if she was holding back a monster she didn't want to let out.

Clara got fed up with him so she grabbed his collar and hauled him up enough so that she wasn't crouching down too much, surprising the man with her strength.

"I'm asking you one last time," she said, venom dripping from her voice. "Who sent you?"

This time, he said nothing.

Clara raised a fist and punched him so hard he fell back into the wall. Grimacing at the pain, he spit at her feet, drops of blood accompanying it.

"That all you got?" he chuckled darkly.

"Tell me." She demanded again.

"What's in it for me?"

"I'll consider letting you live."

"That's not so ladylike." He tilted his head. "Is that how you speak to your superior, bitch?"

"Funny you say that, considering you're the one in chains." she glared at him.

"I could use the rest," he shrugged. "burning that town took some work."

"Just answer the damn question!"

"The people had some fight in them, I'll give them that." he said, spitting out more blood. "But killing them was so easy."

Something in her snapped, and she launched herself at him, sending punch after punch at his face. He was no longer recognizable when she got ahold of herself and backed away. Her knuckles stung when the cool air hit the newly opened wounds.

Looking down at the man and the way his head fell limply back on the wall, her heartbeat picked up and it got harder to breathe. Clenching her jaw and relaxing her fists, she left the room, telling the guards to watch out for him and to try to get information from him once he came to.

Her vision blurred on her way out, but she needed to get out of there. Out of the castle. She needed a break from it all. Making sure no one saw her, she slipped out of the building and sprinted over to the ground that honored so many fallen warriors.

Her knees gave out as soon as she saw the stone that had his name engraved on it.

 Edwin Virtus 

Loving father
Fierce protector of Avelyn
Loyal friend to all

Her chest burned with untaken breaths, her eyes bloodshot from all the falling tears. Her entire body shook with silent sobs. She leaned her head on the headstone, the cool material calming her burning skin. Her hands clenched around blades of grass, ripping them out of the ground.

"I can't." she choked on her words. "I need you, dad."

She could no longer hold herself together, her body feeling unbelievably heavy as she leaned on the stone, gripping it tightly like it was Edwin himself.

"I can't- I can't do it without you." Hiccups interrupted her words.

A few minutes passed with Clara letting out all the anguish she'd been keeping in. She was tired beyond compare. Finally having calmed down more, Clara sat calmly by the grave, just staring at it and contemplating her next move.

A movement in the corner caught her eye, making her look up. A beautiful, colorful butterfly landed on the tombstone, fluttering its wings as it settled on the stone.

She stared at it with a heavy heart, but soon felt determination flowing through her again. Standing up, Clara took a deep breath before making her way back to the castle, preparing herself to take action and make Avelyn safer than ever. She would not let all the lost lives go in vain. She vowed to herself that she would become a better general, and it was time she started.

After a long day working at the castle with her troops, Clara finally made her way back home where Lila and Hazel had been for the duration of the day. Entering her home quietly, she sat down on her couch, letting out a relieved breath of much needed rest. She then began to look over all the security details she had.

Robin lost the trail to the retreating bandits, and their prisoners had yet to give any information. She was anxious for what this meant for Avelyn.

Sighing frustratedly, she began to massage her temples. Hazel walked out Lila's room, seeing Clara on the couch looking distressed. She calmly sat next to her, putting a hand on her shoulder before pulling her into a comforting hug.

Clara shut her eyes, having no more tears to shed.

"I couldn't keep them safe, Zee."

"But you did." Hazel denied. "Had it not been for you and the knights, much more could have happened. You got to the town before there were many casualties. You came back and fought away the bandits from the castle. You kept us safe."

"I went back home for the first time in seven years today." She whispered. "It looked just as it had when my dad-"

Her voice cracked and she pressed her lips tightly together, not wanting to say the sentence again. Hazel's eyes softened as she looked at her best friend. She hated how she couldn't do more for her.

"You're so strong." She pushed a strand of hair away from her face, offering an encouraging smile. "I'd rather no one but you to keep Avelyn safe."

Clara smiled thankfully at her words.

"Have I ever told you you're the best?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Only like a million times." she grinned, setting the two of them off into a fit of quiet laughter, careful not wake up Lila. "Now let me redress your wounds-"

They were interrupted by a series of knocks at her door. Clara cautiously stood up, still feeling on edge with everything that had happened, and opened the door just a smidge. The relief in her face from when she opened the door switched to one of confusion as she let the prince enter her home.

He took off the hood of cloak first, looking directly at Clara.

"What are you doing here?" she asked urgently. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes and no-" he stuttered. "Yes everything is okay, but no it also isn't."

"Vic, calm down." Hazel approached him. "You're making no sense, sit down and I'll make us some tea."

He sighed and nodded, letting himself take a seat on the couch.

"I was useless today." He started, his gaze avoiding Clara's. "I couldn't find Lila in time, and when the time came, I couldn't protect her the way I should have."

Clara wanted to ease his mind, but knew he had to let out his feelings or he'd end up like her, so she stayed quiet, nodding along as she sat next to him.

"I only distracted them long enough for them to run away." He said. "They were going to kill me if you didn't stop them."

"Hey, you know I will always be there to protect you, right?" she put a hand on his shoulder and he almost winced at the tingling returning. He then relaxed under her touch, despite the slight burn it brought with it.

"That's just it!" he threw his arm up, startling Clara. His eyes softened when he saw her flinch and he turned to her. Their knees were so close, he could feel the heat radiating off of her. "I don't want to depend on others anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"Everyone fought today," he explained. "even normal citizens; farmers and bakers...But I hid. My people fought for their lives and their home, and all my dad and I did was hide. I can't stand myself, Clara! I hate who I am!"

Clara was shocked, but she understood how he felt. That's how she felt after Shuroo was attacked the first time. She felt like a useless burden on other people's shoulder.

"I need you to train me." he said. "Please."

"But your father-" he cut her off.

"I don't care." He shook his head. "You'll have to train me in secret, but please, let me help protect our home."

She gazed into his eyes, seeing nothing but a reflection of herself in him. Training him would go against the king's orders, but she couldn't say no to him. Not when he was right.

"We start tomorrow morning." She smiled.

Overwhelmed with happiness, Victor threw his arms around her, hugging her to his chest tightly, making them laugh.

Hazel entered the room, grinning at the sight before she placed the tray of tea on the table and joining in on the hug.

"You dare to hug without me?"

"Never." Clara smiled.

For a while, everything felt okay. Clara's mind was at ease and a smile danced on her busted lips. 

With them, she'd be truly okay.