East Kingdom, 3 years earlier
The young girl's arm muscles tensed and adrenaline rushed through her body as she raised the sword. With a muffled shout, she brought the weapon down, slicing through the air at high speed and striking the wooden trunk, instantly cutting it in half. Camilly smiled, panting, seeing how easy it was for her to cut that trunk compared to how difficult it had been a year ago, when she first arrived in the East Kingdom. She had evolved a lot during that time her sword skills, with the blade given to her by the queen herself and which she hadn't let go of since, had become impeccable; her reflexes, which made her even more fierce, had grown sharper; and her close combat experience was now considered nearly unbeatable, which really irritated Megan.
— Hey! — Camilly was pulled from her moment of inner celebration by Madson's voice.
The girl stared at her blonde friend, curious about her presence in this area of the training field. Madson usually stayed on the opposite side, where the archers trained. Camilly belonged to the front-line soldiers, the ones who were truly in the midst of the carnage, but unlike most, she would be at Freya's side, which was her first and main priority.
— What are you doing on the dark side, blondie? — Camilly teased, pulling her sword from the split trunk.
Madson rolled her eyes at her friend. Camilly had teased her about the "dark side" ever since Madson had freaked out, saying Camilly had been chosen for the worst area of all, the "dark" side of the force. Since then, Madson hadn't had a moment's peace.
— First, stop being annoying. — Madson said, making a face and drawing a laugh from Camilly — Second, I have some news.
Camilly stopped what she was doing and looked at her friend, this time seriously. Madson's low, hesitant tone already gave away where this conversation was headed.
— What is it? — Camilly asked, swallowing dryly.
— The day after tomorrow, there's going to be a war, the first since we got here. The East Kingdom will face the Southeast Kingdom, which has been trying to take the queen's territory. — Madson said, now also serious.
— Our territory. — Camilly corrected her — I've said it before, this kingdom is ours too now. We live here and we fight for this place, it belongs to us as well. And even if the Ice Lady won't admit it, she knows it too. — Camilly said, referring to the queen.
— You know we're just puppets to that woman. This will never be a home, my friend, but it's sweet that you still believe it could be someday. — Madson said.
Camilly sighed, knowing she couldn't change her friend's mind. Sometimes she forgot that, unlike her, Madson and the other kids had all had a home and a family before ending up here.
— Fine. — She changed the subject — But why did you say the news about the war was so bad? Only the elite soldiers will take part. — Camilly questioned.
— Me and the other kids won't be taking part in this war. — Madson sighed heavily, with regret — But you will.
At that moment, Camilly felt her heart race and her breath catch in her throat. This couldn't be possible, she thought, in disbelief.
— Me? — she asked, in a thread of a voice. She got a nod from Madson — That's not possible! — she exclaimed, dropping the sword on the ground and bringing both hands to her head, pulling at strands of her own hair — I only got here a year ago, just like you guys. I'm only a year older, I'm just 15... — Camilly looked at her with a fearful gaze — How can they want to send me to war?
Madson pulled Camilly into a quick hug—affection wasn't well looked upon in that place. When they broke apart, she placed a hand on Camilly's shoulder in a comforting gesture.
— You need to calm down, Camilly. You know disobedience and lack of discipline lead to severe punishments here. — she reminded her — You know you were chosen because you're at a more advanced level than the other kids here. — Madson said.
— Mads, you don't understand. — Camilly whispered, still stunned — I've seen war up close before, I've seen the things that happen. I'm not ready for this yet, I'm going to die. — she said, more to herself than to the other.
Madson took a deep breath, feeling useless for not being able to do anything to help her friend. Before the two could finish their conversation, Megan walked up to them, a malicious smile on her lips.
— Look who's here. — the general began, positioning herself beside Madson and facing Camilly — By the look on your face, I see you've already heard the news.
Camilly raised her gaze to the woman in front of her. Suddenly, everything in her head seemed to make sense. She was sure her early deployment to war had been caused by this woman. Her insides began to boil with the hatred taking over.
— It was you, wasn't it? — Camilly asked, staring fixedly at Megan.
Megan smiled even wider seeing the girl's eyes turn reddish. It still intrigued her, but knowing she had managed to make Camilly furious made her day much better.
— What? — she played dumb — If it was me who fast-tracked your deployment to war? — she asked sarcastically — Hate to disappoint, brat, but I don't know if you've forgotten—any decision related to you belongs to the queen alone. — Megan said.
Camilly frowned, thoughtful. Did the queen really want to throw her into war so soon? Was the Ice Woman that eager to get rid of her?
— But I'll admit. — Megan pulled her from her thoughts — I would make the same decision. Do you think it's easy being the focus of the queen's attention, girl? — she leaned in, bringing her face close to Camilly's — She'll squeeze you until all your bones break, just to see if you'll still stand afterwards. This war will serve as a test for you. If you win, you'll be the queen's favorite. If you lose, you'll die right there. — Megan finished, smiling maliciously.
The girl felt adrenaline rush through her body. There was no escape from this, so she had no choice but to accept and pass this cruel test imposed by Her Majesty.
— I will go to this war. I look forward to seeing you in the fray, Megan. Maybe I'll discover the reason for your arrogance, won't I? — Camilly said, forcing a provocative smile.
Megan stared at her angrily for her audacity, but quickly composed herself.
— From the moment you step onto that battlefield, you must completely forget who you ever were. Believe me, I'll be eager to see how you handle death both that of your enemies, and the death of the person you were before entering that battle. — Megan said.
She let out a nasal laugh and then walked away, passing Camilly with her chin held high proudly. The girl became thoughtful about Megan's words. They had shaken her. She didn't know if she was ready for it not to die or lose the war, but for another reason, one much more disturbing and unsettling than any other. Camilly didn't know if she was ready to kill.
_
When training ended, the children were dismissed as usual. Camilly, contrary to what she usually did staying behind to train for a few more hours decided to enter the castle and look for the queen. She needed real proof to finally accept that the Ice Woman was truly responsible for sending her into the field so soon. It took several minutes of searching before she finally found her. Freya was on the castle tower balcony, as usual. The woman was leaning against the icy marble, watching the sun set on the horizon. It brought her a few minutes of peace, which was very valuable for someone living in an eternal daily struggle against her demons.
Camilly hesitated to approach the queen. Seeing Freya like that, so tranquil and calm, made the girl forget the anger burning inside her for a few seconds.
— Your Majesty.
Freya let out an audible sigh, knowing her moment of peace was over. She straightened up and turned to Camilly. Over the past year, the relationship between her and the girl had been somewhat confusing. The queen treated her better than the other children, but in return, was much stricter with Camilly than with the rest. She attended most of the girl's training sessions, always demanding her best, and always making it clear that her best wasn't enough.
— What do you want here, girl? — Freya asked, walking up to Camilly and stopping close to her.
Camilly looked at her with her chin raised. This still surprised Freya—no matter how harsh and hostile she was with the girl, Camilly never lowered herself, never yielded.
— I received news that Your Majesty has assigned me to the army that will fight in the war the day after tomorrow. — Camilly said with a serious expression.
After spending over a year in that kingdom, training every single day without fail and preparing to become a warrior, Camilly had matured a lot compared to when she arrived. She still carried her characteristic bold humor, but now she knew when it was time to take things more seriously.
— And why did that make you come to me? — Freya questioned, even though she already knew the answer.
The decision to place Camilly in the army fighting the war against the Southeast Kingdom had been heavily considered by the queen before being finalized. Freya felt an unfamiliar hesitation inside when thinking about the girl actually taking part in a real war. She knew it might be too early to send her into battle, and even using the excuse that this was a test for Camilly to earn her trust, Freya knew she was doing it just to prove to herself that she didn't care about the possibility of something happening to Camilly.
— I'm here because I want you to know that I will accept taking part in the war against the Southeast Kingdom without any hesitation. — the girl said — And also, that I will do my best to protect Your Majesty during combat. Even though I know you're doing this with the aim of seeing me fail, I will make a point of proving you wrong about me. — Camilly said, looking at her without fear.
— How dare you speak to your queen like that!
— Frankly, Your Majesty, I'm being quite polite considering the immense rage spreading through my body right now. — Camilly said through gritted teeth.
Freya held herself back from freezing every little piece of that defiant girl's body.
— You shouldn't be angry about being assigned. You are here for this—to fight for the kingdom and for me. You've been training for over a year, and unlike the other children, you're already fighting at the level of my elite soldiers. — Freya said.
Camilly took a deep breath, irritated that the queen didn't understand her insecurity about this war.
— Ah. — She finally recognized those reactions from the girl — You're not afraid of dying. You're unsure if you're ready to kill someone. — Freya said.
Camilly felt embarrassed at being read so easily by the queen at that moment. She averted her gaze from Freya, looking at the ground.
— Look at me, little lioness.
Camilly sighed and looked back at her.
— That is normal for someone going to war for the first time. — Freya decided not to be so harsh with the girl this time — Don't be ashamed for not being sure if taking someone's life will be easy. I won't tell you it's easy, because it really isn't. What you do on the battlefield will come back to haunt you every night, but with time, it will become less difficult. You'll find that, given the chance, they will take the life of one of yours without hesitation. — she said.
— Did it become easier for you? — Camilly asked.
Freya reflected on that for a few moments before answering.
— Easier to kill, but harder to live.
Camilly looked at Freya and allowed herself a small smile.
— Seems like we'll have to figure out how to deal with both things together. — she said.
Freya looked at her for a while. The queen was still trying to decipher that peculiar little human being, and every time she tried, she sank deeper into an ocean of confusing feelings she so desperately tried to escape. Feelings that made her think about her life, about herself, and about things she'd rather not remember or live through again.
— I want to ask you for something. — Freya said.
— Whatever you want, Queen. — the girl joked.
— I need you to promise me something. — Freya said again, as seriously as before.
Camilly frowned, confused by the queen's change in mood, but nodded, indicating Freya could proceed with her request.
— Promise me that once you set foot on the battlefield, you will leave behind any kind of ethics you have. Promise me you won't hesitate to finish off the enemy, you won't give them an opening to attack you. Promise me you will come back alive from this war. — Freya asked, not looking away from the girl's brown eyes.
Camilly was surprised by Freya's request. She didn't expect the Ice Woman to care whether she returned from this war or not.
— I promise, my Queen.
Camilly brought her right hand to her chest and inclined her torso slightly forward in a bow. Freya gave a small, quick smile. She liked the way the girl could be rebellious and loyal at the same time. Indeed, the queen seemed to have found a right hand worthy of her—or perhaps, even better than she had been looking for.
East Kingdom Border
— Behind you! — a soldier shouted amid the sound of horses' hooves and clashing swords.
Camilly tightened her grip on her sword's hilt and turned around with a swing, hitting a man from the Southeast Kingdom and opening a deep horizontal gash from one leg to the other. The man fell to the ground, screaming in pain which didn't last long, as the soldier who warned Camilly killed him with a sword thrust to the chest. Hours had passed since the war began. The horror and carnage the East Kingdom border had become couldn't be described in words. Camilly seemed to be thrown back into her past with all of it, but she stayed strong and prevented most enemy soldiers from approaching the queen. Those who managed to get past the girl were immediately killed by Freya.
Camilly hadn't taken anyone's life up to that point. She merely incapacitated the enemies while other East Kingdom soldiers killed them for her. The girl took a deep breath, letting all her senses heighten. Her eyes had been a reddish brown since the battle began. Adrenaline took over her body the feeling was inexplicable, surprising, and slightly addictive.
From atop her polar bear, Freya allowed herself to look away from the center of the battlefield to watch Camilly. The girl was fighting two more enemy soldiers and defeating them easily, which relieved the Queen. Freya had already noticed the girl wasn't killing her opponents, but was incapacitating them enough for other soldiers to kill them with a single strike, which was sufficient for now.
— Your Majesty! — Megan shouted, running to her side.
Freya turned to her general, who was covered in enemy blood. Indeed, Megan enjoyed letting her sadistic side take over during wars.
— Speak, Megan.
— We're winning. The Southeast Kingdom's army is falling one by one. Their king has realized this and is ordering his soldiers to retreat. — Megan informed her.
The Queen broke into a wide smile at the general's words. Victory in war was one of the few things that could draw a genuine smile from the Ice Woman.
— Excellent! Order everyone to continue advancing. — Freya ordered.
Megan nodded and quickly returned to the center of the battlefield. Camilly, who was near the general and queen as they spoke, smiled in relief at the news that the war was in its final moments. The girl was pulled from her moment of relief by the strangled scream of one of the East Kingdom soldiers. Camilly turned around and, before she had a chance to attack, was hit by an arrow in her left thigh. She screamed in pain and fell to the ground. A lancinating pain spread from her leg throughout her body. The enemy soldier who had shot her walked past her and headed toward the queen. Freya was mounted on the polar bear with her back to Camilly and the enemy soldier. The man stopped a few meters from the queen and readied his bow and arrow. At that moment, everything before Camilly's eyes seemed to go into slow motion. The girl knew that arrow would kill the queen, but she couldn't let that happen. Protecting Freya was her duty, part of her promise.
Camilly felt her strength return. For a moment, she forgot the pain in her leg and got up from the ground at high speed. The girl yanked the arrow from her own leg and walked toward the enemy soldier. In the seconds before the man could shoot, Camilly reached him and drove the arrow into his back. She pushed it forcefully into his flesh until the object went completely through him. The soldier screamed and then fell to the ground in front of the girl, lifeless.
Freya, hearing the man's piercing scream, turned around in time to see him fall at Camilly's feet. The queen stared at her, completely stunned. Camilly's left leg was bleeding heavily, her hands and the front of her shirt were covered in blood. The girl was staring fixedly at the lifeless soldier's body on the ground. Freya felt her heart slow, as if the world had stopped spinning for an instant.
— My Queen! — Freya shifted her gaze from Camilly to answer Megan's call — We've won! They've fully retreated!
Freya smiled and told Megan to organize the army for the return to the castle. She dismounted from the large polar bear and walked to where Camilly had been. The queen's smile faded when she saw the girl was no longer there. Freya looked a bit further ahead into the open field and saw Camilly entering the nearby woods.
— My Queen. — Megan drew her attention — We are heading back. — the general said, referring to the army.
Freya looked at her, then back at the woods where Camilly had gone. The queen sighed.
— I have some things to take care of here. You may lead the army back to the castle. — Freya said.
Megan was curious about what the queen had to resolve, but chose not to question her. She simply went to guide the army survivors back to the castle as ordered. Once she saw the army moving back toward the castle, Freya headed into the woods. She followed the small droplets of blood along the path, probably left by the deep wound in Camilly's leg. A few minutes later, Freya stepped off the trail into a more open area with a small lake cutting through the forest. The queen caught sight of Camilly. She had her back to Freya and was holding her sword by the tip of the hilt, seemingly staring at her reflection in the small lake.
— Camilly?
Hearing the queen's voice, Camilly snapped out of her trance and slowly turned to her. Freya looked at the girl and quickly noticed she wore the same expression as when the queen saw her on the battlefield, staring at the dead soldier on the ground.
— What are you doing here? — Freya asked calmly. She couldn't be hostile with the girl seeing the state she was in.
Camilly frowned, looking at the queen and then at the sword in her hands.
— It didn't work. — she whispered, looking at the sword.
— What didn't work? — Freya asked, confused.
— The sword's red blade. — Camilly raised her gaze and looked at her — It didn't stop me from seeing the blood on my hands.
Freya stared at the girl, unsure what to do. Then the sword's hilt slipped from between Camilly's fingers and the weapon fell to the ground. The queen shifted her gaze back to the girl's face. Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. Freya felt herself weaken for the first time in years. In an impulsive, desperate act, the queen walked over to the girl and pulled her body to herself, hugging her awkwardly. Camilly clung to Freya's clothes and let the crying take over. Freya felt strange holding someone after so many years, but she felt very useful feeling someone so fragile in her arms, leaning on her. When Camilly calmed down, Freya carefully broke the hug but kept her close. She used her fingertips to wipe the traces of tears from Camilly's face. When finished, she looked intensely into the girl's brown eyes. The queen wondered why she was there, and why she didn't regret it.
— You did a good job today, little lioness. — the queen began, using her magic to heal the wound on Camilly's leg — It's time we return to the kingdom. You deserve to rest. I don't want you to blame yourself for what you did today. Know that man was as bad as I am. — Freya said.
— And now, I'm as bad as he was. — Camilly lamented.
— No, you're not. — Freya said — You did it because you had no choice. He would have done it even if he did.
Camilly fell silent and Freya sighed. The Ice Woman knew that no matter what she said, nothing would change the fact that the girl's head was a mess at that moment.
— Alright. — Freya stood up and took a few steps away from Camilly — Pick up your sword. We have to return to the castle. — the queen said, walking back to the trail they came from.
— Your Majesty. — Camilly called her, making Freya turn her attention back to her — Thank you. — she said, genuinely.
Freya felt a pleasant sensation warm her insides. It had been a long time since someone thanked her so sincerely.
— There's nothing to thank me for. Now let's go back to the castle, little lioness. — Freya said, with an almost imperceptible smile.
Camilly smiled widely at her. The girl picked up her sword from the ground and secured it in the sheath on her back. She walked over to Freya so the two could leave the woods.
East Kingdom
When Camilly and Freya arrived at the castle, the queen was summoned for a "meeting" with General Megan to discuss the war casualties. Camilly took the opportunity to look for her friend Madson and reassure her by showing she was surprisingly alive. As soon as Camilly reached the training field after stopping by her dorm to wash and remove any traces of blood from her body she was met with a strong hug from Madson.
— Heavens, you're alive! — Madson shouted, euphoric.
Camilly laughed and returned her friend's hug. She was happy to have someone who cared whether she returned from the war or not.
— Yes, blondie, I'm in one piece. — Camilly joked, watching Madson inspect her.
— I can't even believe you're really here, after taking part in a war, at 15! — Madson said, excited.
— Okay, okay... — Camilly gave a weak laugh — I promise I'll tell you everything you want to know later, but first, I need to tell you something that will make you want to strangle me. — Camilly said, hesitantly.
— Oh heavens. — Madson sighed heavily — Alright, let's go somewhere quieter.
She grabbed Camilly's arm and dragged her to the back of the castle, to a dark corner away from everyone.
— Okay — Camilly began —, I really don't know how to say this... — Madson interrupted her before she could finish.
— Come on, Camilly, no beating around the bush. — she grumbled, rolling her eyes — If you're going to tell me you ate my dessert that I saved for later, you don't need all this, I...
— I'm in love. — Camilly took a heavy breath — I'm in love with Freya. — she said, leaving Madson speechless.
All that ran through Madson's head at that moment was:
Now everything was truly over.