Chapter Text
ONCE
Chapter 1
"...And the rest of your group goes East, the spot is easy to make out because of the Dragon Cult statues, remember? Here..." I rolled my eyes upon hearing Alecto talk about those silly dragon statues again. Of course we remembered. She made sure to remind us of them at every meeting, at least two or three times. This was so tedious. She should have gone through each team's tasks individually, instead of making the entire group waste their time.
"...for everyone." I heard her speak up. I still wasn't paying attention and kept looking out of the window, watching some sparrows fly by. Even their life must have been more exciting than mine. The sky was tinged in a melancholic violet. How much would I have loved to spend the rest of the day outside, and alone. I had been a loner for as long as I could remember. I hated being under someone's authority, even as a child I almost never obeyed my parents. And I loved adventures and getting into trouble. Playing with other girls was always boring to me. I enjoyed tussling with boys to find out who was the strongest. Proving my skills was much more interesting. And why should I have needed anyone else? I was my best companion. I never felt a close connection to anyone, so why should I have respected some strangers, all of a sudden? I just joined this group to prove my skills once more. I loved combat. To not keep moving for a longer period of time gave me a feeling of unrest. Maybe sometimes I did feel lonely. But there was no one whose company I enjoyed, or felt natural to be with me. And so, I was a lone fighter.
Just as I saw several pairs of eyes on me, I realized that she had addressed me. "Why, on earth, don't you listen for once?!" She shook her head in annoyance. God, I hated her bossy voice. "Because it's not my business", I responded calmly. Alecto was about to lose it, I saw her face taking on a reddish tone. "Are you being serious?! We are one unit! We have to work together! Everyone of us! The slightest error can end in captivity or death, or failure of our entire mission! Are you out of your mind?!" She slammed her fist on the table where I was sitting. I wondered if she was able to break it if she wanted to.
I should have gotten back into training my bare hands. Too much time had passed, spending to practice with our black knives.
'We are one unit'... This was delusional in my eyes. We were a motley crew that only shared the same interest. Not even that. As I didn't hate the Golden Order or the Two Fingers. I just joined because I loved fighting. Storming Leyndell, the royal capital, wasn't this the ultimate challenge? Finally, I could escape the monotony of my life.
She shook her head. Again I missed what she had told me. She started yelling, but it didn't bother me.
I was the best and most skilled fighter of our entire group. Yet, Alecto refused to assign me to one of the main groups. Absolutely rude and idiotic. It wouldn't have surprised me at all if they failed the mission.
"Don't waste your nerves on her, mother", I heard Tiche say, frowning at me. "...is your problem?!", Alecto asked, I barely grasped her question. They were both so irritating. I was tired of their voices. I thought about just standing up and leaving. Hah, what would they have done? "...You're not a team player. If you don't follow my commands or listen, you'll be replaced", Alecto declared, with arms akimbo. I couldn't suppress my laughter. "Replaced? Me? Who's gonna replace me? Ah yes, right, you gave me a useless, negligible position for tomorrow!" She wanted to protest, but I went on, "...even though I am your best fighter. This is beyond my comprehension."
Tiche tried to ignore me. Of course, she didn't want to hear the truth, that I was better than her. We had dueled twice, and both times I beat her, and I would easily do so again. Alecto always came up with excuses when I demanded to duel her. She was such a coward. She knew what the outcome would have been. Embarrassing for a leader. She only enjoyed giving pointless commands, and always giving Tiche the advantage.
"Not this discussion again... And not today, of all days...", she sighed in annoyance. "I assigned you the western tower because there are by far the most guards! Madame 'best fighter'!"
Some of our group giggled, with a malicious grin towards me. I heard Tiana whisper "God, I hate her" to a woman with long, brown hair and whose name I didn't even remember. Her hair was beautiful, though. I wish I had lush, long hair, too... Again I was getting distracted. I just couldn't bear their self-absorbed voices anymore. "Fine", I said in a sarcastic undertone, "the western tower will be safe and the mission will fail due to chaos in the center, where everything takes place, alright." Alecto took a deep breath and looked as if she was about to lose her temper, but Tiche held her back. Actually I was a little disappointed, maybe finally she would have had the backbone to fight me.
It was getting darker outside. I wondered what would happen tomorrow. I was certain that not everything would go according to Alecto's plan. I wasn't scared for my own life, since I had a position far away from the center. I would beat the soldiers of Leyndell with ease, if I got the opportunity. But I couldn't imagine the last moments with the demigod. Would he get the chance to beg for his life? Or would he simply try to fight, until his very last breath? A stranger they had never seen before, ruthlessly killed.
Alecto turned around and tried to continue her lecture for the eastern group. She was clearly struggling to maintain her composure. I smirked. Tiche remained at my table and whispered: "You're such a pest. If I hear that someone has fallen tomorrow, other than the demigod... I know for sure who it will be..." She showed me a spiteful grin. "I hope that, after our mission, I will never have to see you again."
I just smiled at her, before seeing another sparrow fly by the window. "Likewise."