Monsters and Maidens

She was fighting a Valkyrie, and with every move she made, she had to remind herself that the maiden with blond hair and light gray wings was not Pan. No, Pan’s memory was leading her blade as she weaved and swung at the winged maiden.

Kajou was an Amazoness, and her power let her pull at that sensation. Of Pan swinging her sword, fighting until she could not move at all. Kajou would never be able to fight like her, she knew, but her opponent was a Valkyrie just like Pan. And for all the good her experiences should have given her, every time she tried to strike, she’d hesitate.

Because the best way to fight a Valkyrie was to only ever aim for severe blows, something that would disable or kill. Anything less they could ignore.

Kajou dodged the spear thrust, pushing herself closer to the leather-armored maiden she saw the chance to cut away at her thigh. And yet her body would not move, she barely tapped the leg, too shallow, she could only jump back and fight against her own doubt.

Pan was dead. Pan was dead.

Why did she see Pan’s face in a Valkyrie she clearly did not know and had never met? She had to focus on her goal, her objective, but her eyes could not move away from the spear-wielding maiden. Kajou felt as if under a spell, her mind a twister of scenes and thoughts.

Suddenly it was as if she was back in Coven, training in a dirt-covered field. Her sword rushed up to meet the spear, deflecting it. The maiden’s movements were precise but predictable. Someone who lacked experience against maidens who knew how to fight.

No!

She had to do this, she had to end it, she had a mission, she had a goal. She had to get a human and take them to Coven. She had to put a stop to this maiden or else the fight would turn too much in the knight’s favor.

Kajou grasped at the spear with her free hand and used it to yank the Valkyrie off balance at the right moment. Her blade swung, she would cut the maiden’s throat out, simple, direct, immediate.

And then she was back in that practice ring. Pan laughed and danced around her, and Kajou’s feet rooted on the spot, her eyes wide. Her attack slowed, slow enough for the Valkyrie that existed outside her memories to let go of the weapon and step back. She said something, but the Amazoness recovered, shifting her stance to hold the spear and the blade at the same time.

Her abilities kicked in, familiarity coming to Kajou while holding the spear. A weapon the previous owner had trained with plenty. That same owner now stood before her without weapons, wings dripping with blood, body covered in slowly healing lacerations. The fight should have been over, Kajou had the advantage, she-.

She was not alone.

The ringing in Kajou’s ears cleared up enough for her to hear the sign of retreat.

No, something didn’t make sense, they’d been winning,they’d been…

Kajou’s head snapped sideways. Some of the Court’s fighters were running, but the others were trying to stop them, pointing. Pointing at a knight that held the horn meant to signal retreat. The maiden carrying it had fallen, her blood staining the ground.

A diversion, to sow confusion.

Embla? Embla was too busy with too many knights, she’d downed three of them, the only real loss the knights had suffered so far, and it did not look like their advantage was dwindling fast. That snapped Kajou out of the memory, her eyes tore away from the Valkyrie and to the toppled carriage.

She should have kept her eyes on the blond maiden.

Kajou felt rather than saw the Valkyrie tackle her away from the carriage. There was a scream, but all the Amazoness heard was a ringing in her ears and the sensation of fists raining down on her face as if she’d entered a brawl.

Pan’s voice rang in her ears. The words were blurred but the meaning clear. She’d lost, she had to acknowledge Pan as the stronger of the two. The fighter, the one who got to use the sword during their journey to the Court.

Dropping the weapons, Kajou raised her arms, trying to protect her face. The punches were hard. She needed to break free, she had to-.

Kajou screamed. Her arm pierced by the golden blade, Pan glared at her, chiding. What had she done wrong? What had been her mistake? Her sister didn’t answer, not at first, merely waiting until she stopped grimacing before speaking up, pointing at the torn supplies.

Kajou blinked through sweat, heaving air, fists raised and glaring at the blond Valkyrie that glared right back. There wasn’t much of a chance to wonder what was going on, how she’d stood up, how they were now in a fist-fight. Her body was moving on its own, punching into the exposed gut and getting an elbow to the temple as retribution.

Pan sang a tune her adoptive mother loved. A tune about kings that fell and humans that bled. It was her favorite, and Kajou would often sing the lyrics. What were the words again?

Her ears were ringing, vision blurring. She didn’t want this, she didn’t want to fight Pan. She’d lost her sister. Lost her to a monster that pretended to be merciful but strict. Barry… The bond. Something was off. Kajou felt like her head and heart were tearing apart. The pain wasn’t going away and she’d betrayed Pan. Staying with Barry, staying with the Court, it had been a betrayal.

Something was screaming inside her and Kajou realized it wasn’t just inside herself. She was screaming and punching at Pan. The blond maiden was trying to defend herself but Kajou kept punching. Why couldn’t Pan have swallowed her pride for once? Why couldn’t she see past the fact that Barry was a human? Pan had made them fail their mission.

But…

But…

Kajou panted and heaved, exhausted, too tired, something was wrong. She shouldn’t be this tired, not this soon, not this quickly. Or had she been throwing out every bit of energy she had?

Something moved quickly, approaching the carriage with a gigantic ax. Pan moved to intercept, arms wide, prepared to take the blow for the carriage instead. And Kajou moved in tandem, trying desperately to protect her sister. It was a split-second decision, the spear had returned to her hands and she’d thrust it at the attacker.

She barely felt the weapon as it tore through the metal, biting into her flesh and bone.

The world rang, a bell that thundered all around her. Was it her imagination? Kajou couldn’t tell, she found herself on the ground, bleeding. Her eyes were unfocused, but she could tell Pan had survived.

There was screaming, all was chaos.

But Pan was alive.

The tearing sensation inside Kajou’s heart snapped like a twig.

The… bond… broke?

It didn’t make sense. Nothing did.

Pan knelt next to her. Soft glowing hands making the pain go away, leaving her numb and tired. Where were the others? Kajou’s thoughts were slow to form, even as her eyes focused on Pan.

The face that met hers was angry and unfamiliar.

It wasn’t Pan. But she’d known that.

The realization brought Kajou’s attention back to their surroundings. The Court had retreated.

She’d failed.