Garrett stood with his axe; his grip was tight, and the flames burned bright.
David and Garrett stood close to each other, a silent trust between them that spoke through the sound of weapons clashing.
The monster was glaring at them. The villagers stood together; they were looking at Garrett and David. They knew if there was any chance of them surviving, it was only because of these two.
---
David's PoV
With Garrett here, we might be able to pull it off. They didn't call him Wyvern Eater for nothing.
I still remember the day I was just transferred to the private troops of the County of Haroth.
The Count of Haroth was Porius Haroth, a man drunk in power—a classic example of a rotten noble.
He had two children: a son and a daughter—well, two officially.
He had several mistresses, and with them, he had several children, some used as tools for his children, some for his own entertainment.
The children of the mistresses were nothing more than toys for him and his family.
But it wasn't my business. If I let my anger take over me again, this time, I'd be sent to some baron, making me nothing more than a gatekeeper.
I joined the troop and saw what nobility without curtained elegance was like. The people of the county lived in misery—high taxes, low resources, and a young lord who did whatever he wished.
I've lost count of how many women he attacked.
This was the usual thing until one day...
The young lord was too drunk and assaulted the daughter of the barkeeper. The girl struck the son with a bottle, sending him into a coma.
The count burned that bar and girl the same day.
That was the day I realized there was no justice—until I met him.
A new man came into the troop.
Huge as a bear, a clean face—neatly done, like a proper knight.
It was a young Garrett.
He was different from anyone there, like me, who was transferred because I wasn't able to save the life of the child of a marquess's friend.
I went to the dungeon but I didn't enter it.
Why should I?
Why should I throw my life for some brat?
Angered, he sent me here. He tried punishing me but I got saved because of my relative in the royal court.
Whereas Garrett was a man of code.
He lived by his rules and did what he thought was right. But did anyone question him?
Nope. His glare was enough to silence men.
One day, the count tried to hurt his own daughter, but Garrett saved her. Angered, the count captured Garrett, but then she saved him.
They ran away from the county, and the angered count asked for their blood.
The count sent a wyvern at them, but lo and behold, Garrett sliced it in half too.
That was the time I realized sometimes will turns a man into something greater. I didn't know where they ended up until I heard he was here.
I wasn't surprised when I found out he married his daughter.
I changed that day. I tried to free as many of his children as I could until I was found out. Before I was about to be executed, I was pardoned by the royal court.
The one that got me a pardon was none other than the official daughter of the count, Lady Calla.
With that, she told me to come here. If I had known that I would face that monster here, I would've chosen to die there instead.
The monster limped towards me, and then its horns grew once again. They came out of the snow like thorns sprouting out of the earth.
Garrett struck the earth with his axe, and the ground shook. The horns shattered, and the men attacked in unison again.
Every time the monster targeted a man, Garrett jumped in between, swaying the monster's attention.
Meanwhile, I was preparing for the opening for Garrett.
(OH GREAT HIGH ONES OF HEAVEN,
I SEEK YOUR BLESSING...)
I chanted and started preparing for an all-out attack. I'd use all of my aura in one go. If it hit, it was bound to lose a limb or two.
That'd be enough for Garrett to finish it off.
So I acted upon it. I prepared for the attack; the monster sensed the danger and tried attacking, but Garrett stopped it.
Finally, the winds were blowing to our sails.
I launched the attack.
(HOLY FLAMES!)
A large wave of fire struck down the beast and burned it. It wasn't much, but enough to blind it and make it disoriented.
"Garrett, now!" I yelled, and Garrett pulled his axe over his head.
The monster rushed at Garrett in full speed with its horn at the front. Then I saw something—something struck Garrett in the ribs in a flash, something that came from the forest.
(EARTHEN PURGATORY!) Garrett swung his axe, and a large cloud of fog and steam covered the ground.
The fog slowly thinned; we saw the beast on the ground, and Garrett held its horn away from his body.
His body was impaled by the horns at several places, gouging out muscles and bones.
It missed the vital points, but it wasn't much of good news.
The monster fell to the ground and cried out. The men closed their ears in agony.
Along with the monster, Garrett fell down too; he was bleeding out.
I cried for a healer, but those were already dead.
Then suddenly, two men appeared out of nowhere.
They were the two men appointed to guard the house of Garrett.
"Leave him to us," they said and took Garrett away.
---
Meanwhile, Maria took Violet to the cellar and kept her close to her chest.
She prayed for Garrett's safety; her eyes were filled with tears, but she didn't cry.
It was her duty to comfort Violet. If she showed fear, then what would happen to Violet, she thought.
"Mama?" Violet looked at Maria with innocent eyes.
"What, little bird?" Maria rubbed her cheek with a warm smile.
"Where is Papa?" Violet maybe was little, but she was quick to understand the situation; sometimes she learned from Garrett.
"He is out there patrolling. Some wild animal rushed into the village," Maria sighed. She didn't open her eyes, fearing Violet would read them.
Violet, who understood that Maria's answers carried more worry than hope, hugged her tightly to tell her that she wasn't alone.
They waited there, silently praying and hoping, until there was a knock on the door.
"Maria!" The chief's voice echoed through the cottage.
Maria's eyes gaped open. She didn't know what happened, but that desperation in the voice was palpable.
"Maria! Garrett! Garrett!" the chief yelled out.
Sitting in the dark cellar, hearing his name, Maria's heart wrenched in agony, and she came out.
There she saw...
Something that changed their life forever.
---
A few months went by. The guards returned to the capital. The villagers returned to their routine. Some lost their husbands, some their fathers, some their brothers, some their sons.
The situation became dire for Greyhollow Village, but they strived to make it better.
The women formed a small group that went out to hunt. They had lost the men they relied on for that.
"Hey! Check the trap you set!" a woman called and pointed at the crevice.
"I saw a deer. It vanished into the forest a while ago!" another woman climbed up the hill.
There was Maria too; she had a bow and arrow on her shoulder.
"Maria! What do you think we should do?" the woman asked, and the other women turned to her.
Maria let out a deep breath and then looked at them straight.
"We'll follow the trails. If there is one deer, then there must be a whole herd," Maria sighed.
Maria slowly kneeled and checked the trail. It was fresh. She followed with the rest of the group.
"Maria, are you okay?" one woman who observed her silence spoke.
"No, but this isn't the time to ponder. My family is waiting." Maria's eyes caught something, and she pulled out an arrow.
She nocked it and aimed.
Her hands were trembling, but she took a deep breath and then released it.
The arrow flew and struck a deer's neck.
The deer fell down, and the herd scattered.
"These animals," Maria's face had a faint smile.
"They are returning. They are coming back." She stood up, and the other women followed her.
They skinned and distributed meat among them and then returned.
She thanked the animal and slowly walked back to her home. Along the way, she checked the trap she had laid yesterday.
There was a small rabbit in the trap.
Maria looked at the rabbit struggling for life. It kicked and kicked but couldn't budge.
When it saw Maria, it stopped. Maybe... it wanted relief in whatever way it came.
Ironic, she thought.
"Forgive me. This is for my family." She slit its throat and filled a bottle with its blood.
She returned back to the cottage and saw the snow upon the door fall down.
Summer was around, but snowfall never stopped here. She rushed, thinking the worst.
She entered the home in a hurry, pulling out her dagger.
"What's with this nervousness, sister?"
The door closed, and there stood the thread that bound Maria's neck—with nectar on her lips.
"Calla..." Maria spoke.