127

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298 AC

Summer Isles - Jhala

Eragon Targaryen

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Taking a rock to the shoulder as soon as I pierce the side of an enemy with my spear I have to clench my teeth to prevent a shout. I look over and see the man who has a sling and is putting another rock into the leather as he looks at me with wide eyes. I smile wide as the distance between us is clear of the fighting.

I look at my feet and see the man who I yanked my spear out of and his head dropping into the sand with glazed eyes letting me know he has given up. His spear lays at his side a perfect replacement for what I am about to do.

I might not be the best at aiming a bow or throwing knives but I can make do with what I can do. Throwing a spear on the other hand is an entirely different matter and something this rock slinger is about to learn intimately.

I toss the spear up just enough to grab it with an underhand to hoist it over my shoulder. I pull back as the man's eyes widen as he was not expecting me to disarm myself to get him. He stops spinning the sling and the rock goes flying off to his side cracking someone on the back of the head.

He steps back and his body turns to the side to put more distance between us and also make my target smaller with his side facing me. I have faith I can still hit him and I already slung my arm forward and only had to let my grip loosen to send the spear.

The spear digs into his thigh as I snatch the spear from the dead fingers of my first kill of the day. I drop the rest of the way to the ground and roll getting sand in my hair as an axe cuts through where my head was.

I focus fully on the wildly swinging man Infront of me sending a quick prayer I won't catch a rock to the back of the head. Screaming and loud cracks of wood colliding with wood or bodies being torn apart by stone weapons fill my ears as I watch the hand holding the axe. Seeing a twitch in the upper arm I lunge forward pushing the tip of my spear toward the center of the chest of my opponent.

His axe collides with my spear shaft and knocks it to the side which he uses to follow up with a quick swing at my body. I grit my teeth as I pull my spear back toward me and hold it at an angle in an attempt to stop the swing.

Poor positioning leads to my spear being slung out of the way once again and it almost leaves my grip as the axe is once again swung at me. I let the spear go as I lean back and crouch to lower myself down. It pays off as I narrowly avoid losing the top of my skull and the axe head soars past me with the man's body within arm's reach.

Now he is poorly positioned as I lean back forward while pushing my feet into the sand and tackle him to the ground. His lungs empty as I put my full weight into sending him on his back, hitting the ground ensures he is out of breath as he grunts. I grab his shoulders and slide my knees up to hold his waist.

A fist meets my side as I sit on top of him and hold down the hand that barely managed to keep his axe handle in its grip. I send a fist into his nose with the hand not holding down the axe, his grip loosens and I pry it open for the axe.

Rage I didn't even know I was feeling burns inside of me as I waste no time with raising the axe to cleave his head open and instead I use the stone head as a knife and slit his throat. I roll off him enough to get my knees under me once more and push myself up adjusting the axe handle in my hand. It's not my choice of weapon but I will make do with what I can with little option available as another stone hits my back.

I turn to see the very man my spear impaled falling to his knees as blood runs down his leg. He seems to have spent everything he had with that last one but I still close the distance between us. The axe head buries into his skull with a sickening crunch and I take a deep breath as I spin around.

Seeing the beach littered with bodies I suck in another breath and my eyes widen with my heart clenching in my chest. I look around like a made man and spot a white-haired woman with a spear in her hands twirling it around as she fights the Summer prince.

I sigh in relief and yank the axe from the head of the man who was somehow still upright on his knees. The body drops as I start running to join Nata when I see she is outnumbered, she and three others are up against six people.

Closing the distance I notice the other 'groups' that are 'fighting' are only putting in half an effort and are mainly watching the two 'leaders'. I am so surprised I almost trip over a corpse I have to leap over, these guys are holding off to see who wins.

The beach is soaked in blood and corpses are spread around but for the most part, more than half of the people seem to be observing.

"Fucking cowards." I spit tasting a bitter taste in my mouth, I will remember this.

I can't blame them as it does come down to whose leader dies but if this is how it is then we might as well do a one-on-one instead of this.

Not caring about fairness or 'honor' I bury the axe into the shoulder of a man with his back to me. Kicking him in the ass I keep my grip on the axe handle strong and blood sprays from his shoulder as he screams and falls.

The numbers look a little fairer as one more of the enemies dies when he looks to see what got his comrade and catches a spear in the neck for his troubles. I have to step back from a lazy swing of his axe as his body drops to my side and Nata yanks her spear from it. Seems she saw me coming and took a chance to surprise one of them when they looked away from her.

"I will WIN!" Xenioa has a hoarse voice as he runs forward abandoning his defensive position.

I half expect a witty line in return from my very own Summer princess in the making but instead, she jumps back and readies herself. Xenioa jumps and tucks his feet behind himself as he really clears the ground and covers the last of the distance between himself and Nata.

"Fool." There it is, my snappy girl couldn't hold herself back.

She already had her spear angled and only pushes the butt of it into the sand before dropping to the side. I watch along with all the other dumbstruck observers as the spearhead slowly falls since the butt was not pushed enough into the sand to stay up. But Xenioa is also descending and when the tip of the spear enters his waist he screams as his weight pushes it in deeper.

The spearhead does not emerge from the other side and instead, he lowers to the ground and the spear shaft flexes like a fishing pole.

"AHHH!" He screams in pain as he gets his feet under himself and jumps back pulling the spearhead from his body.

The spearhead cuts a deep gouge up from where it entered as it straightens itself back up, the massive wound on the prince silences the whole beach. Even the waves seem to stop as we all look at the fatal wound dealt to the Summer prince.

Nata pulls her blood-covered spear from the ground and walks toward Xenioa who is franticly trying to hold his wound shut. The top portion of the wound could potentially heal leaving a massive scar, but the bottom of the wound is into his guts. He is finished and everyone knows it as they drop their weapons and the priest starts singing.

"It was a good fight, you fought bravely and I thank you for this experience." Nata stands Infront of the man as he looks at her in disbelief.

"But the fire showed me win, it promised me victory." Nata shakes her head as Xenioa falls onto his back.

She spins her spear before sending the tip through the underside of his chin and ends the prince's suffering.

"The war is over! The victor is decided and they now claim what the defeated lost! May the souls of the dead pass on easily!" The priest raises his hands high into the sky and goes into a prayer for a god I don't know.

My face is pulled to the side as hands lace behind my head and lips press against mine, I catch blue eyes before I close my own. A hand on my chest resting over my heart brings my attention to how fast it is beating and I take a deep breath through my nose. The scent of blood and sweat not being what I wanted to smell but the sweet flavor from Nata makes up for the bad.

Nata breaks the kiss and I look into her eyes once more and see the pride in them as we just took our first 'real' win. Words don't need to be said as I pull her in by her waist and she lays her head on my chest.

I wince feeling her forehead find the spot a stone struck me on my shoulder and leans back and spots the 'damage'.

"What did that?" She asks as her hand comes up and brushes over it and I grit my teeth.

"Stone, I got one on the back as well but it doesn't feel as bad since he was bleeding out at that point." A last 'fuck you' from the stone thrower I will never learn the name of.

Nata gently presses her lips on the bruise and looks up with her sky-blue eyes sending a shiver up my back.

How can I possibly be excited after what just happened?!

Hmmm, the conquering thing might be doing it, or maybe it's from seeing my wife win against the proud warrior prince. That man did not inherit his position and instead won it with the might of his arms and by spilling blood. Now Nata is the one to win and I can't help but want to have her under me as soon as possible.

"Let's go wash this blood off and then we can go fin-." Nata seems to have the same idea as her voice turns a bit husky and she licks her top lip but a shout from the side cuts her off.

"I knew you would win!" Rhaenyra runs full speed at us as the rest take things slowly and walk with some 'dignity' as they pass the slain corpses of allies and enemies.

I look back at Nata as she shakes her head but has a fond smile, her arms tighten around me and she presses her body against me.

Rhaenyra ruins her nice dress as she hugs us both and smears blood onto the front of it, she doesn't care in the slightest as she squeezes us tight. I doubt she even noticed and is just happy we both made it through the fight.

Pulling my arm trapped between us out and wrapping it around her I pull her in and smile as she hums happily.

We won.