Chapter Text
Mafuyu feels nothing as she clashes her sword against the sword of the Light Kingdom knight she is fighting. She doesn't feel the stab wound in her arm and she doesn't feel the biting cold weather.
This Light knight is small. This job doesn't look right for her. Though, at the same time, Mafuyu is struggling to land hits on her. She moves quickly, and her being a smaller target makes her more difficult to hit. Her sword is thinner than most of the other Light knights. Not as heavy looking. It's odd. The knight had short white hair and the brightest blue eyes Mafuyu has ever seen.
It doesn't matter.
Mafuyu knows her job.
Kill or capture. That's it.
The war has been going on for about two months now, nothing but relentless fighting because of a particular set of orders for the Dark Kingdom to take over the Light Kingdom so only the Dark Kingdom remains. The reason was never made clear to the public.
It would mean no more war, but just how much war will it take to get there, and will it even be worth it? Not that Mafuyu has a choice. This is it. Her job.
The air feels thick, the heavy scent of blood around, red staining so much of the icy ground. Others fight around them as well. They clash swords again.
This is getting annoying, all the back and forth.
The Light knight dodges the next strike and slips behind her.
Mafuyu spins around, striking at the first thing she can hit.
The girls collarbone.
The Light knights sword hits Mafuyu's ankle from the fall, but Mafuyu can't feel it.
The Light knight passes out.
Mafuyu picks up the knight and goes back to the castle.
Any prisoners are useful.
____________
Kanade feels dizzy.
The last thing she remembers is blurry fighting and a sharp pain in her collarbone, which still remains.
Kanade doesn't sit up or move, simply taking in her surroundings for the moment. It's cold and dark. She's laying on a rough surface.
Kanade lightly brushes her thumb against it. Concrete, maybe?
The metal bars of the cell reflect in the moonlight.
A cell. That's where she is.
It's too dry feeling to be the Light Kingdom, which has heavier humidity that would've provided her bones a slight warmth, but it's freezing.
It's dark out of the window high up in the cell.
Kanade has always been good at telling the time. She wants to guess it's around 10pm.
Kanade looks out through the bars, looking for any more evidence. Just more cells. It occurs to Kanade that it's quite loud here. People sobbing and the heavy creaking of others shaking bars to escape.
Kanade makes an attempt to sit up, which she manages to do, but her shoulder aches like Hell.
Kanade looks at the slightly raised concrete that makes up her bed, and then around in more detail, doing her best to ignore the pain.
The cell is empty aside from a bucket, a chair attached heavily to the ground, and dust.
It's so cold.
They took her sword and cover-ups, so all she has is a white shirt and her shorts, and the thick, stiff bandages that wrap around her collarbone and onto her shoulders, which are soaked in dried blood.
Kanade sees no immediate way to escape, but it's early. It's better to wait things out for now, until she heals more.
A cold, empty voice cuts through Kanade's thoughts. “You're awake.”
Kanade nods, looking outside of the bars to match a face to the voice. Faint familiarity. The Dark knight she was fighting earlier. She has short dark purple hair and empty eyes.
“Nothing to say?” The Dark knight asks, staring at her. Analyzing her.
“Not particularly.” Kanade responds. “How long until this,” she gestures to her collarbone. “Heals?”
The Dark knight shrugs. “None of my business.”
“I see,” Kanade nods, looking off to the side, out of the window.
The Dark knight's eyes follow her gaze. “Just making sure we weren't imprisoning a dead woman.”
The Dark knight walks off, eyeing other prisoners.
Kanade feels slightly uneasy, and a little hungry.
This is unfamiliar.
She doesn't feel scared.
Whatever happens will be simply that–what happens. She can't change it. Whether that means release or death.
Kanade takes a deep breath.
She should focus on recovery right now.