...

Lady Mariot, lady-in-waiting to Princess Hildegarde of the Queendom of Rosemarble, was in middle age and had not borne children, could not bear children. This was not of great matter to her as Mariot was in many ways still a child, despite her age. She still had her flowing brown hair, starting to grey, but curled into ringlets on the sides of her head. She had sparkling blue eyes and nearly always wore her elegant pink noble's dress with creme frills, even when attempting to ride a horse.

Mariot awkwardly bobbed up and down on Greenweed, a borrowed brown knight's mare, her legs barely adjusted into the saddle, and her dress a crinkled mess. She held onto the saddle pommel with her left hand and attempted to keep her pink hennin attached to her head with her right. Greenweed trotted at a leisurely pace, if she had galloped, Mariot would have instantly fallen off. By this point, Greenweed was deep into Rosewood Forest, under a thick patch of trees, where knights did not always patrol.

"Engarde!!" an unfamiliar voice shouted from the woods.

A figure sprang out from behind the tree, wielding a flashing needlepoint sword. Greenweed bucked up and whinnied in fright. Mariot screamed as she slid off and plopped to the ground. The lady landed on her bottom and was unhurt but soon found the sharp, thin point of a sword dangerously close to her neck.

Mariot looked up and gasped at the sight of a tall, black haired woman wearing a plain white tunic, black pants, and boots. The woman appeared young and tan skinned, a foreigner in Mariot's eyes. The woman had cool brown eyes and an angry sneer.

"Wh-who are you?" Mariot stammered in fear.

"Give me your hat." the woman ordered in an accent that Mariot understood as from the nation of Mancana.

"It is not a hat!" Mariot protested.

"Hand it over, now." the woman said, just barely tapping her captive's flesh with her sword.

Mariot winced and gave the woman her hennin. The woman placed it on her own head and Mariot then saw another woman step out from behind a tree. The second woman was even taller, muscular and well-built, and had an even darker complexion. She wore a brown leather tunic with no sleeves and matching pants. Her long black hair was wrapped into a horsetail that flowed down her back. Strapped to her back was a massive sword with a blade the size of a small table.

The second woman smiled as Mariot frowned and looked to Greenweed for comfort but the horse had since fled.

"Who are you?" Mariot asked the women, "What do you want with me?"

"I suppose we can tell you our names." the first woman announced, starting to lower her sword, "My name is Raquilia Antonia and this is Shelia Sibuso. And you will help us break into Fortress Stonehill."

"How do you know about Stonehill?" Mariot questioned.

"That is no concern of yours!" Raquila shouted, raising her sword again and tapping Mariot's neck, "Now be silent before I cut out your throat."

Mariot whimpered in fear as Shelia, the strongwoman, stepped forward. Shelia looked down at her captive with pitiable eyes as she raised her fist and brought it down on the top of Mariot's head, knocking her out.

When Mariot awoke, her head throbbing in pain, she found herself facing the front of Fortress Stonehill, a massive stone complex with a large iron grate and drawbridge, surrounded by a small moat. Two guards, clad in chainmail, stood on opposite sides of the gate, wielding pikes. Two more guards stood above them at the parapet, wielding crossbows. Mariot tried to move but found herself tightly wrapped in Shelia's arms. Shelia stroked Mariot's hair as if trying to soothe a pet and smiled at her.

"Don't try to escape." Shelia advised, "We mean you no harm. As soon as our duty ends here, you are free to leave."

"Duty?" Mariot questioned, "What duty?"

As if in answer, Raquila stepped forward, drew her sword from its scabbard, and again placed it against Mariot's neck. Mariot winced as Raquila looked up and shouted to the guards.

"If you value this woman's life you will lower your drawbridge and hand over Countess Valaria!!" Raquila demanded.

"We will do no such thing!" one of the guards answered.

"I can slit this poor lady's throat far faster than you can strike me with your arrows!" Raquila continued.

To make her point, Raquila pressed in her blade just enough so that Mariot got a small cut and blood trickled onto it. At this point, Mariot feared she would truly be killed.

"One moment!" another on the parapet called out as he turned away and seemed to disappear down a flight of stairs.

Raquilia groaned as she impatiently waited for several minutes. Another figure eventually made its way up the stairs and Raquila's eyes nearly bulged from her head when she saw who it was.

"Countess Valaria!!" Raquila screamed, "You murdering bitch!!"

"Such language..." Mariot started to scold.

Countess Valaria was also a tall woman, roughly the same age as Mariot, with greying red hair and green eyes. She black pants and tunic with gold fringe and a small cape. The only part of her that was armored was her left arm, encased in a menacing iron gauntlet and attached to her opposite shoulder by a leather harness.

"Raquila Antonia!" Valaria shouted back, "Lower the drawbridge!"

"My countess?" a guard questioned.

"Lower the drawbridge!!" the countess repeated.

Two guards walked over to opposite wooden cranks and turned the handles. The large iron grate receded up into its holding place and the drawbridge lowered across the moat. Raquila started to walk across but the two guards wielding pikes crossed them in front of her.

"I'm coming out to meet you!" Valaria explained as she descended the roof stairs.

Only a few minutes later, Valaria stepped out toward the drawbridge and the guards let her pass. Raquila could barely contain her vengeful rage.

"I have come to avenge my mother's blood!" she announced, Engarde!!"

With a silver streak, Raquila flashed her blade open and Valaria did the same with her own matching needlepoint.

"Guards, leave us." Valaria demanded, "That is an order."

The guards reluctantly marched away until they were inside the fortress but still kept watch from afar. Raquila and Valaria matched each other, blow for blow, as blades clashed loudly, both fighting with their right hands, their sword hands. Their left hands were held behind their backs.

"Do not skilled fighters usually start with their weak hand only to surprise their opponent later?" Valaria questioned.

"I seek to end this quickly. As memory serves, you killed my mother with your left hand." Raquila said.

"Yes, but who says it was my weak hand?" Valaria said with a smirk.

The countess quickly threw the blade into her right hand and despite the weight of the gauntlet she seemed all the more stronger for it. Raquila started to struggle as she backed away and broke into a sweat.

"A coward who hides behind armor." Raquila noted, "You have an advantage."

"If I were to remove my gaunlet, you would stand no chance." the countess replied.

Something about the tone in Valaria's voice rang true and Raquila began to wonder who she was dealing with. All she could remember was brief flashes from childhood in which this red-headed woman had stepped into her mother Raulita's home and got into an argument. The argument broke into a duel that ended with Valaria impaling Raulita's heart with her sword. Raquila had made it her life's work to track down her mother's killer.

"Get out of here." Valaria warned, with a hint of sorrow in the back her throat.

Raquila tried to mouth a reply, but the shock was too great. Tears filled her eyes as she realized her life's mission had failed, her mother would not be avenged. She wondered why Valaria did not kill her but realized that perhaps Valaria knew she would suffer more if she left her alive. By this point, Shelia had let go of Mariot and drew her own enormous sword, starting to run toward the countess.

"NO!!" Raquila screamed as her voice went out.

Shelia halted in her tracks, respecting Raquila's wishes. Valaria returned her own bloodied sword to its sheath and started to walk away. Raquila fell on her face in the dirt and squirmed toward her severed arm. She then felt a rush of strength as her living fingers pried the sword free from her dead ones. Shelia gasped in astoundment as Raquila managed to stand up on her feet, sword in hand. Raquila silently ran after Valaria who turned around just in time to see Raquila's blade pierce her own heart. Valaria coughed up a spat of blood and fell forward, the ground driving the handle into her chest. Raquila wasted no time in turning the countess's body over with her foot and violently yanking the sword from the wound.

Raquila then fell to her knees and finally fainted from the loss of blood. Shelia rushed over and cradled her in her arms.

"Don't die, Raquila. I need you." Shelia pleaded, "I love you so much."

Before Shelia could say anything further, she was alerted by the noise of trampling in the dirt as a bevy of soldiers rushed toward her, lead by a young woman clad in a suit of blue armor. The woman had short blonde hair and blue eyes, and wielded a flat longsword that she held above her head. The woman and her soldiers stopped just short of bringing their weapons down on Shelia's head as they noticed Valaria's corpse. The armored woman put away her own sword and cradled Valaria's body with the same care Shelia showed Raquila.

"Valaria!!" she wept in horror, "My sweet Valaria! No!"

"You have to help her." Shelia requested of the knightess, "Raquila will bleed to death."

"So be it!" the knightess shouted in rage as she stood up, "She murdered Valaria!"

The knightess kicked Raquila in the stomach making her spurt blood. Shelia started to stand up in order to break the woman's neck but soon found four sharp pikes placed against her chest.

"Chain these bandits to the dungeon at once!" the knightess ordered, "I will deal with them myself!"

"Yes, my captain." a soldier responded.

The four soldiers prodded Shelia with their pikes as she struggled along toward the fortress, trying to carry Raquila in a way that she would not bleed out. Raquila's arm remained on the ground and the captain resumed her task of hugging Valaria's corpse and crying.