Skylar had not expected to be in any real danger today.
She had volunteered again for border duty, that morning, wanting desperately to find an ambush and show that she could defend her people.
Instead, she found this boy.
He had sandy blonde hair that fell into his bright blue eyes. She had stared into them when she had nocked an arrow and was aiming it at his face. Those eyes are what made her stop. They looked like a bright afternoon sky, and were filled with so much fear that Skylar forgot that he had even gotten close to her people, and she should've reported him.
They say the eyes are the windows to the soul, and Skylar didn't know why, but she thought that surely these eyes could not be of the son of a killer. He was not the one she had been desperately hoping to find for the past few years.
Now Skylar stood there, back to back with this boy whom she'd just met, and they were defending each other against Dueglesteiners. She had recognized the uniforms, the colors which had brought fear upon her people for decades.
When the Dueglesteiner had put his two fingers up to his mouth, Skylar recognized the symbol, one which she'd found in the library one time on a book of signals. It meant for the surrounding people to get ready for an ambush.
So that was why Skylar was prepared for this ambush. She was always prepared.
One of the Dueglesteiners stepped forward, raising his sword towards her. He had a grin on his face, and Skylar glared a response. She easily blocked his blow, the weight of it sending vibrations down her bo staff. It would be fine, though, Skylar told herself, it was made from moonwood, from a tree that had been blessed by Luna, the goddess of the moon herself.
Skylar turned her bo staff in her hands, confusing the soldier as it pushed the sword out of his hands. Then she whacked him across the face with her bo staff, and watched as he crumpled to the ground.
Another one came running at her, yelling "Come here, little girly."
His stance was horrible, Skylar noticed, and the moment he came closer to her she swooped her staff in a downward motion at his legs, knocking them out from under him. He fell to the ground, and Skylar hit him across the head to make sure he stayed knocked out as well.
As more came, Skylar stole a glance at the boy. He fought well, but it seemed like he didn't have any formal training, rather he taught himself.
It was because of this glance, that made a Dueglesteiner run towards her out of her peripheral vision, and she turned around just in time to block his attacks. But they played dirty. Because as she blocked his blow, another Dueglesteiner snuck up behind her and hit her across the back of the head with his sword hilt.
As she faded into unconsciousness, she saw the boy become overpowered and unarmed, then the Dueglesteiners seized him.
"No," Skylar said to herself as she hit the ground, just before everything went black...
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