1 The Arrow

Arrows flew through the air and buried their heads into flesh and metal. The sounds of anguish and cries of outrage sounded out seconds later. Men all around Sheryl clutched at bleeding wounds, some they received and others that friends, family members, and lovers had received.

Sheryl closed her eyes for a moment trying desperately to shut out the sounds of war, of men and women dying a fool's death. This war was only meant for fools and though it may give but a small reprieve, in the end, it will all be for naught.

Sheryl placed her hand on her chest in an attempt to calm her heart and flinched as her hand grazed an object protruding out of her body. Scared to look, but knowing it must be done, Sheryl slowly opened her eyes and peered down at the arrow shaft that hung in the air suspended. The head of the arrow had made its mark.

Tears welled up in Sheryls eyes, she couldn't believe such a thing was even a possibility. The screams of pain and sorrow seemed to calm and dim from Sheryl's mind as she noticed the pain. The world began to tilt underneath her as she felt her body begin to fall. Her eyes briefly caught sight of Therion, the man she followed to this war.

Therion, Sheryl thought as she laid on the ground, her heartbeat slowing, I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise.

As the darkness closed in, Sheryl saw her. Amber, Sheryl's younger sister, ripped off her helmet, blood and gore splattered on her face, her once lovely dark crimson hair now took on a perverse appearance. Amber threw the helmet, Sheryl could see Amber's mouth moving but could not hear the words she spoke. As if to signal an unseen force, Amber pointed to the helmet and Sheryl felt a dull explosion rock the ground.

Seconds later, Therion, Sheryl's most beloved, walked up alongside Amber. Sheryl lost sight of them for a brief moment as a soldier stepped around her, swords clashed above her and sparks rained down, but Sheryl didn't care. In front of her, standing in each other's embrace was her sister, Amber and Therion.

That was all she saw before the darkness claimed her and the dreams of her past began to play.

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"…Sheryl!" Amber cried out as she waved her small hand frantically in front of Sheryl's face.

"Hmm?" Sheryl said as she returned to reality, her thoughts had, as it always was, been on the future and the many possibilities she could and would face. "Oh. I'm sorry, Amber. My thoughts had drifted from me. What was it you were saying?"

Amber made a face, her usual sign of displeasure towards her older sister. "I was talking about our upcoming birthday celebration." Amber said, her shrill voice piercing through any residual daydream Sheryl had.

"What is the big deal?" Sheryl asked as she began to stand and head towards the door. "It's not like this will be our last." She said with a chuckle.

"It is a big deal." Amber shouted as she stood up and ran past Sheryl, flinging her arms wide open to keep her from opening the door. "We're coming of age and, let's be honest, sister, I belong in the battlefield with soldiers like Therion, not at a desk trying desperately to not go insane."

Sheryl folded her arms and tried to hide her smile as thoughts of Amber doing paperwork for the dukedom flittered to mind. No, Amber was right. Since birth, Amber had always taken after their mother, Beth, duchess of the Julian estate, and Sheryl had taken after their father, Duke Zora Julian. They had little memories of their parents since they both died a gruesome death at the hands of their uncle, Thomas Julian.

Thomas was a jealous man who coveted anything his brother owned. Land, money, titles, even Zora's wife, Duchess Beth Julian was coveted by Thomas in the end. Sheryl hadn't heard how her parents were killed until many years later when Arnold, a family friend who owned his own fief and titles but took on the extra burden of running the Julian estate until Sheryl came of age, got drunk one night and confessed everything, blaming himself for not being able to help his dear friend.

Thomas had sent a letter to Duke Zora, inviting him and the Duchess to what was supposed to be a ball, but turned into…. Something grotesque. From what Sheryl knew, it was a ball, of that everyone was certain, just not the kind you would find any respectable aristocrat at. As the ball began to pick up and the guest began to undress, the duke and duchess excused themselves with the intent to leave. They were stopped by Thomas, who insisted they stay and "enjoy the sights of a real party" to which the duke, who despised such foolish behavior in public, disagreed and attempted to push past his brother.

Thomas didn't take the rejection well and had his men drag the Duke and Duchess to his room to "make you more comfortable." Not long after, Thomas walked into the room and ordered the Duke to be bound and gagged, a chain wrapped tightly around his neck so that he wouldn't be able to go free. Then, he proceeded to ravage Duchess Beth in the most brutal way he could.

Arnold found them two days later, Duchess Beth's body had been mangled almost to the point of nonrecognition and Duke Zora, whom Arnold could only have guessed had to endure watching his wife be tortured, had broken his neck while trying to free himself from his binds. Arnold had only found out about his friend's situation when one of his servants rushed into his office and told him that Thomas was bragging about his new title as a Duke and how he had already made the Duchess his.

A ringing echoed in Sheryl's ear for a moment before she realized her younger sister once more yelling her name. "Look, Amber," Sheryl said with an exasperated sigh, "where you are correct that you belong in the battlefield and I in the office, I still do not think a coming of age party is all that important."

Amber's face scrunched up in annoyance and her arms fell to her sides. "If it's not all that important," Amber said as she opened the door, "then I guess I will-"

Amber stopped mid sentence as she saw a tall, muscular, light skinned, honey blonde, gray eyed man poised to knock on the other side of the door.

"Therion." Exclaimed Sheryl as she stepped forward to throw her hands around the man, shoving Amber off to the side in the process. "What are you doing here?"

Therion's eyes seemed to linger behind Sheryl for a moment before shifting back to her. "I came to wish the two of you a happy birthday, but I see I am interrupting something."

Sheryl looked confused for a moment before realizing what he meant. "Ah." She exclaimed with a slight giggle. "No, we were just discussing how it would be foolish to have a coming of age party, when there is no reason to do so."

Therion's eyes flicked behind Sheryl again and this time she followed them and saw Amber on the ground, nursing a scrape she must have gotten when she was pushed aside. Horrified by what she had done to her younger sister, Sheryl quickly rushed to her and helped her up.

"Oh my Gods and Goddesses." Sheryl cried out as she ran to a cabinet and pulled out medical supplies. "I am so sorry Amber, I thought you would have caught yourself since…" Sheryl shrugged and motioned to Amber, "… you know. You have that whole, 'nothing can take me down' vibe."

Amber smirked a bit but didn't say anything, she just nonchalantly looked at Therion before shrugging. "It's okay, sister." Amber said in a quiet voice, it almost sounded like Amber was in tears, but not even a single tear showed itself. "You never mean to do this to me."

Sheryl stopped for a moment and it seemed that all of time and space stopped with her. "'Never mean to do this to me?'" Sheryl said under her breath, a strange sense of confusion and repulsion shook her body as she repeated the words. "What do you- Agh!"

Suddenly, Sheryls arm twisted upwards at an unnatural angle and the bone seemed to slip out of the socket. The pain was so excruciating that Sheryl couldn't stop screaming. She turned to her sister and Therion, wishing to ask them, beg them if needed, to make the pain go away, but what she saw stopped the words in their tracks.

The three of them were no longer in a room talking about the coming of age ceremony, they were now out in the garden outside their coming of age party. Therion and Amber were talking in hushed tones but Sheryl, being sensitive to noise since her parents death, could hear everything.

"… leave her for me." Amber said, her hushed voice was never truly hushed as her shrill voice could reach the ears of any man or woman miles away.

"That would mean leaving the title and we need it." Therion placed a loving hand on Amber's cheek and gently caressed it. "Once she and I are married, I will find a way to get rid of her so that the two of us can be together as Duke Therion Julian and Duchess Amber Julian."

Amber scoffed and started to say something else but Sheryl's mind railed at the prospect of Therion and her sister meeting behind her back. She couldn't, wouldn't believe it. There must be a reason they are talking about this. There must be.

Sheryl turned to leave, her mind racing forward as she tried to think of the reason before finally resolving to just ask her sister in private later. Sheryl opened the door leading to her room only to be met by Amber.

Sheryl blinked for a moment, surprised to find Amber waiting for her in her room before she realized she had called for Amber and only left momentarily to finish some business. Sheryl scanned the room, hoping to catch a glimpse of Therion before remembering that he had to leave to prepare for the upcoming war. A war was taking place because Prince Wreag had insulted another kingdom's Princess.

It was a fool's war, one that could be avoided if the prince had offered a proper apology to the princess, but instead, he had offered to take her to bed. This war was one over pride and stupidity, something that Sheryl had begged Therion and Amber to stay out of, but was turned down.

"Apologies, Amber." Sheryl said as she stepped over the threshold. "Since our coming of age party, I have been busy as of late."

Amber chuckled and waved her hand as if to wave the matter away. "You have to do what you have to do, sister."

Sheryl smiled and moved to sit next to Amber on the… sofa? It was as if a light had turned on in Sheryl's mind, she knew that Amber was sitting on a sofa but she couldn't make out the details of it. Nor could she make out the details of anything in her room, even though she knew where everything was.

Sheryl closed her eyes tightly for a moment and reached up to touch her chest and calm her beating heart and flinched when she felt a foreign object protruding from her body. Her eyes sprang open and she quickly looked down to where she was sure an arrow would be embedded into her chest. Nothing. No tear in her clothes, no blood stained her white nightgown, and, most certainly, no arrow.

Sheryl let out her pent up breath and heaved a heavy sigh of relief. Taking care of the dukedom must be taking a heavier toll on her mind then she thought. Not a single thing is wrong and yet Sheryl couldn't shake the feeling that she had felt an arrow shaft that protruded from her chest.

"I don't know what you are talking about." Amber said, staring at the space Sheryl was about to sit in. "Therion and I are nothing more than acquaintances, at best. Why would I betray my only sister for a man who would value a title more than love?"

Sheryl started to speak, started to say something but then she remembered. This conversation happened the day before the soldiers, Amber included, marched out to confront the enemy army on the battlefield. It hadn't dawned on Sheryl until much later that nowhere in this conversation did she mention him wanting the title. At first she had choked it up to Amber only assuming as much but worry over the battle had soon pushed the memory out of her mind.

Sheryl now found herself staring into the battlefield as the arrows flew through the air. One was bound to strike her in the chest and either because she was so distracted with her thoughts or because the arrow head had cut through nerves, she hadn't felt it enter her body.

Sheryl laid on the ground and watched as once more, her sister, Amber Julian threw her helmet and with the resulting explosion, for the first time since birth, Sheryl had realized her twin sister was a mage. As Sheryl lay on the ground, certain that death would take her soon, a voice echoed in the pressing silence. A voice that tore through the darkness and once more brought Sheryl to life.