"So you were here." The woman said, annoyance in her expression. She was fifty five years old, yet she looked much younger, her long hair, completely white, her eyes like amber. Her skin was so pale she could have been a statue. Her slender and tall figure judges at the one in front of her even when nothing has happened yet. Her right hand holds a long and light sword, the tip hanging just a couple of inches above the ground. Her clothes were completely white, light robes decorated with a gold colored belt around her waist. "What a lucky rat you turned out to be."
She adds, muttering those words like they were more for herself than the woman in front of her. Frowning, she directs the tip of her sword to the other. "Punishment shall befall on you now, we all have to pay for our sins eventually, and this is your time."
Blue eyes look back at her, hiding the pain those words inflict. The girl looks at the ground for a moment, her own sword barely touching it, the grip on her weapon loosening slightly. She doesn't really get it. Why is she facing this woman again? The pale skin of her cheeks get colored by a faint red, but not as a sign of embarrassment.
"My sins?" She asks quietly, the grip on the rapier she holds tightening again. The question itself gives her energy, it makes her blood boil. Her pale blonde hair falls gently over her tense shoulders. She bites her lower lip, looking back at the older woman. She knows she is not a saint and even at such age as thirty three years old can be, she has done things she is not proud of, mostly though, because there was not much else to choose from. She diverts her sight to make a question. "... Did you pay for yours?"
Such words only trigger surprise on the older woman, at least at first, only to be replaced by turbulent rage afterwards. She frowns deeply, showing her teeth.
"Insolent brat, who do you think you are to talk to me like that? Do you think having an important role now gives you the right to ask such a thing?!" She snaps, taking one step forward. "You betrayed me and yet you dare to call on my mistakes to make yours look less severe on God's eyes?! Do you think you can lead His army when your soul is such an impure monstrosity?!" She continues, taking even another step forward, though, the younger one is frozen in place, her blue eyes open as much as possible. She is barely breathing, like she was just stabbed in the chest. After a few seconds she reacts, her lips pressing tightly only to try and hold her emotions inside. Her eyes burn, hot tears forming threatening to fall down her cheeks.
It was true, her body and soul were both impure. Nobody would be able to stay pure after being manipulated, dragged, used and abused by so many people. But was that her choice? Of course not, it wasn't, all she wanted was a calm life like most people do, but she was too young to understand, and those key decisions, the ones that would twist her future years were made by someone else.
And that someone, was the woman in front of her.
Her heart beats violently inside her chest, she can hear it like it's inside her head. Deep breathing is just an unfruitful attempt to keep herself calm, but there is no way such a trivial method could work when the wound cuts so deep.
"You --!" She starts, lacking of breathe to continue, having to pause her words for a second before resuming her words "You betrayed me! You left me alone when I needed you the most! And yet you're saying I'm the traitor! How blind can you be by your own selfishness to leave your own daughter behind like it's just a rag?! Is really the money you got more valuable than the life of your own blood?!" She asks, her voice wavering to then stop. She needs a moment to breathe, agitated. To mentally recover. She makes the mistake of closing her eyes, only for a few seconds to then feel the burning pain the impact on her left cheek left behind. Her head, slightly turned to the side stays like that. The older woman also remains in the same position, rage in her expression, but even when she could have landed a lethal blow with her sword, she doesn't. She only looks at the younger woman, her golden eyes bright. Her right hand, the one that hit the other, remains in the air, suspended. Like time just stopped.
"You're right, you're worth much less than all that gold." She says and a soft smirk appears on her face "Because you're worth nothing at all" she adds. The other feels like a hole just opened in her chest. She just looks at the woman in front of her, disbelief on her face even though she could have expected such sharp words to come at her. But... Did she really do something as bad as to deserve such treatment?
The woman lowers her hand, looking at her daughter with disdain.
"You have his eyes." She says, like she just spat poison on a prey. "You dare to use my beauty at your advantage, and yet you have those disgusting eyes."
After such words she turns around to start walking.
"I'll spare your life, but only once, take it as charity towards an orphan." She says and stops only to look at the young girl over her shoulder "Get out of my way. If you keep meddling in this war, I'll take your life away myself."
She finishes and starts walking again.
The younger woman freezes in anger, paralyzed by the intensity of the feeling. Clenching her jaw, she turns her hands into fists, so tight her nails hurt pressing against her skin.
"If I had your eyes, I would have popped them out of my face myself." She says, such words making the older woman stop in her tracks. The young one cries silently, abundant tears falling down her cheeks. Warm, it's the only source of warmth she can feel right now.
"I'D RATHER BE BLIND THAN HAVING TO SEE YOU EVERYTIME I LOOK IN A MIRROR!!" She states and pauses only to come back with more strength, rage driving her forward, giving her strength "I won't rest, I won't rest until I win this war, and see you, you and only you, kneeling in front of me, begging for your life."