I

━━━━━━┓༻❁༺┏━━━━━━

Arc I Chapter 4

━━━━━━┛༻❁༺┗━━━━━━

Geralt required much pleading and persuasion, but he succeeded, Aurora listened. Aurora took fate into her own hands and fled the battlefield. It was her only chance.

After all these years, after all the time they spent together, Geralt knew Aurora well. Maybe even better than her father.

His old lips mustered a smile. Deep down in his heart, he cherished her like the sweet daughter he never had. Aurora was a good girl despite all her shortcomings. She didn't deserve death.

His stamina, his mana were low, but he didn't have time to rest. Duty called him for the last time. His hand gripped his rapier with new resolve.

He was Aurora's designated guardian, and he would ensure her safety. As long as he was still breathing, he would protect Lady Aurora. He would fight no matter the cost, no matter the price. He had to.

Aurora was neither strong, nor fast. Geralt didn't expect much from her. For her entire life, she was treated like a little princess. Her brother pampered her, her father spoiled her, her maids cherished their little sunshine. Those were the days when she still smiled.

Her swordplay was underwhelming. Her magic weak. Her physical prowess disappointing. He knew that her chances of escaping were slim, not to say non-existent, but slim were better than none. Fate was a mysterious force. If the spirits took pity on her, Aurora might see another day.

Geralt faced the enemy. A man approached him with dark chestnut hair emerging from below his hood. Dark, vibrant mana coated his blade. He was the same dark magic user from before.

The man smirked in open mockery. “Do you really think we will allow her to escape?”

“...” Geralt readied his blade. Silence was his answer.

The man grinned. “Doesn't matter, we will catch her sooner or later anyway. Her days are numbered, Lord Geralt~.”

The mysterious man attacked with full force. Amidst the falling rain, their swords crossed and steel met steel. Only victory or death awaited them.

━━━━━━┛༻❁༺┗━━━━━━

Aurora pushed her body to the brink of collapse, running deeper and deeper into the forest, following her instincts. Wherever she looked, trees flanked her way. In silence, they bore witness to her gradual demise.

She couldn't any more. She was tired, exhausted, out of breath. Her muscles grew heavy, her movements sluggish, yet her mind urged her to continue. Her body reached its limits and paid the price. Her exhausted body collapsed and hit the humid forest ground as her lungs were gasping for air. They wouldn't ... they shouldn't find her.

Aurora regretted her decision to skip her physical education classes at the academy. Apparently, they had some use besides offering her classmates more opportunities to humiliate her. The bullying never ceased and only worsened over the years, but it didn't matter. It was too late anyway. Her time had come.

Savouring her last moments in peace, Aurora gazed at the sky in silence and watched the beautiful rain. The rain soaked her clothes as heaven opened its gates and cried for her. Millions upon millions of tears shed only for her.

Her heart enjoyed the scenery and rejoiced. Rain always cheered her up. She wasn't alone any more with her sadness. Heaven shared her sadness, her pain, her grief, her loneliness.

“Any news from Roland and Albert?” Voices echoed through the forest, accompanied by footsteps. Her blood froze. The footsteps were coming closer.

“Negative, no news from them, but I think we are heading in the right direction. Hagen saw her escaping this way. I doubt the girl could have gotten far. She must be somewhere close by.”

“I hope so.” Guenther gritted his teeth. His right arm took a nasty slash. The old man took a toll on him despite his advanced age. He had underestimated the count and his rapier. His own negligence nearly cost him dearly. “The sun is setting. Catching her at night could be troublesome ...”

His gleeful golden eyes stared right at the terrified, petrified girl. The poor girl was staring back at him.

Guenther flashed his teeth. They had found their prey. “Did you miss me, Lady Aurora?”

━━━━━━┛༻❁༺┗━━━━━━