Mated To An Enemy

Their swords crashed together, and the sound of the rubbing of the metal rang in her ears.

"Argh!" he growled as he pulled away from her. His angry eyes filled with rage and darkness.

His chest heaved with effort as he took deep, furious breaths.

"Please…" she whispered. Then, still holding her sword in front of her. "Please, fight this! Come back to me!"

The man charged at her with another growl and a roar. Their swords clashed, and they fought back and forth.

He was a tall, thin man. His hair was a soft yellow, like the early morning light. His face was clean-shaven and young.

He wore leather armor, while she wore a long blue dress with a matching cloak. Her own honey-colored hair was pulled back in a mess of braids and knots.

He charged at her once more, and this time when she blocked him, she knocked the sword from his hand and kicked hard in the chest. He fell back into the snow.

She pointed her blade at his throat, and angry tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Please!" she shouted. "Do not make me do this!"

The dark anger that stared back at her slowly faded, giving way to the gentle green and blue of his natural eye color.

"Lily…?" he whispered.

She gasped and dropped her sword with a sob before she fell to her knees and pulled him into a hug.

"Loki…" she whispered through her tears.

"I'm… so sorry…" he said in a shaky voice as he wrapped his arms around her. "I didn't... I can't stop her…."

"I know... I know…" Lily whispered back, holding tightly to her brother. "But I've got you now… we'll beat her together."

Loki squeezed his eyes closed and let out a sob. He held tight to his sister for a moment and then let go.

"No," he whispered, pulling away and looking into her eyes. "I can't."

"Yes," Lily insisted. "You can. I will help you. I promise."

Lily smiled and touched his cheek gently, trying to reassure him.

"It's too late, Lily," Loki whispered. "You need to kill me."

Lily pulled back as though she had been struck.

"You need to," Loki insisted.

"No," Lily replied, shaking her head. "I won't do that; we can get through this together."

"Lily, please!" Loki shouted through his tears. "I can't hold her back much longer! I don't want to hurt you… please… kill me."

Lily shook her head; her heart was aching, and her chest felt tight.

"No, Loki, we can still–" her words fell with a gasp and a sharp burn in her stomach.

Lily looked down to see her own sword was driven into her stomach. She lifted her gaze to Loki's smiling face.

The blue and green were gone, replaced by that same darkness she had seen earlier.

"Hello, Princess… so good to see you," the Dark Queen's voice whispered from Loki's lips.

"No…" Lily whispered as the blood trailed over her lips.

"Goodbye, Princess."

Loki growled and shoved the blade further into Lily's body.

Ashleigh inhaled sharply and opened her eyes wide. The snowy forest was gone.

She was in a hospital room. An oxygen tube was strapped across her nose, and an IV was attached to her arm.

She took slow breaths, trying to calm her heart from the shock of the nightmare she had experienced.

'Sorry,' Lily's voice whispered sadly to her. 'You managed to access my memories while my mind focused elsewhere.'

"Was that…" Ashleigh began to whisper aloud. "Was that how you died?"

She could feel Lily's acknowledgment, though she said nothing.

"I thought Loki tricked you into the forest with your lost child. Then he took advantage and killed you."

'I told you the story was wrong,' Lily whispered. 'I did go searching for something I was missing. But not a child, my brother.'

"What happened?" Ashleigh asked.

'Loki was always far more sensitive to the dead than I was,' Lily said. 'He could feel their pain, their suffering. As children, we worked through it together. But when we grew up, when my mother made the wolves… he was.. left behind. She didn't think he was strong enough for it.

'She was right, but I shouldn't have volunteered. For many reasons… but without my help, Loki got lost in the sea of angry voices. He just wanted to help and free them from their suffering.'

"Wait… the Dark Queen… she mentioned having heard the suffering…"

'Yes,' Lily nodded. 'She could hear them, and she used it to her advantage. Using the last of their life force to give her power. After she died, she could call and seduce them to her tree by promising relief to their pain. Loki heard that call.'

Lily was quiet, and Ashleigh knew she needed the moment.

'He went there hoping to help them, but instead, the Dark Queen attached herself to him. She used him to create chaos and kill so many… and then she absorbed his soul before Geri could kill him.'

"So, he can't be reborn?"

'No, and I could never tell him I didn't blame him. Or apologize for not doing what he asked of me.'

"I'm so sorry, Lily."

'No, Ashleigh, I am sorry.'

"For what?" Ashleigh asked.

'In Spring, I let my anger control me. I didn't realize how much I still hated her until that moment.'

"Believe me, I understand," Ashleigh sighed.

Lily smiled.

'I think we share a lot of personality traits… some good, some not so good.'

Ashleigh laughed.

'You did the right thing,' Lily continued. 'I don't know if what I was trying to do would have actually worked and killed the Dark Queen, but if you had not stopped me, it would have killed Alice.'

"I know," Ashleigh whispered. "I wasn't sure if it was the right choice, but it was the only one I could live with."

Ashleigh took a deep breath.

"So, what happened to the Queen after the explosion?"

'She still lives,' Lily sighed. 'The mound was successfully separated from the ley lines, leaving only the connection point between Summer and Winter.'

Ashleigh closed her eyes and laid her head back.

'The Dark Queen was seriously injured. I suspect that she will draw her creations to her and use them to heal. Once she has regained her strength, she will use all she has to get to that gate.'

Ashleigh sighed.

"Do we have any idea how long we have? How long will it take her to heal?"

'At least five days,' Lily replied.

"Well, it's something…." Ashleigh whispered with a sigh of frustration.

'Yes, but you have been asleep for four.'

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