The sharp sound of fists connecting with flesh echoed across the bloodstained snow as Aric and Yrsa clashed, their breaths forming misty clouds in the cold air. Aric's eyes were narrowed, focused, as he dodged and weaved through Yrsa's blows.
His body moved with the precision of a seasoned martial artist, his footwork agile, fluid, each strike calculated. But for every punch he landed, Yrsa retaliated with force tenfold. Her raw power was overwhelming, and each time her fist met his body, the impact rattled his bones, sending sharp jolts of pain through his limbs.
"How dare your kingdom harm our people and trick us," Yrsa spat, her voice seething with rage as she swung her arm, her fist aimed at Aric's ribs.
Aric barely managed to block it, the force of the blow still driving him back several feet, his boots dragging through the snow. His arm trembled from the impact, but he grit his teeth, refusing to falter.
"That is not my kingdom," Aric said, his voice strained but resolute. He shot forward, delivering a swift punch to Yrsa's side, but she barely flinched.
"Oh, you denounce them now?" Yrsa sneered, effortlessly catching his next strike with one hand. Her grip was like iron. "The very people you've gone to war with?"
"I told you," Aric grunted as he struggled to free his hand, "I did this solely for my revenge."
Yrsa's eyes flashed with fury. She twisted her hand, pulling Aric off balance before slamming her knee into his abdomen.
Aric gasped, doubling over as the air was knocked from his lungs. He stumbled backward, blood spraying from his mouth, splattering across the already crimson-streaked snow.
"And you expect me to believe you have nothing to do with this?" Yrsa's voice was laced with disbelief as she advanced on him, her fists raised. "That you are innocent in all of this?"
Aric wiped the blood from his mouth, his vision blurring for a moment. His body screamed in pain, every muscle aching from the blows he had taken. Still, he stood tall, defiant. "I can't force you to believe me," he said, his voice softer now but no less determined.
"No," Aric replied, his voice firm despite the pain wracking his body. "I planned to betray that coward from the start. But now I can do it faster. If he has indeed cheated and robbed your people, then isn't it best we kill him? When I take his crown and his kingdom, I promise you fair trade with the north, lowered prices, and the land of the settlements we've taken. Just as I promised."
He paused, his body swaying on the spot, his bloodied face contorting with pain, but his voice remained steady. "I will tell my empire that I killed him for his rebellion. Then we can regroup and attempt to take Valeria another day."
Yrsa was silent for a moment, her breaths coming heavy, her chest rising and falling as she regarded Aric.
His entire face was covered in blood, which dripped steadily from a deep gash on his head. His vision was failing, and he could barely see through the crimson haze clouding his eyes. In contrast, Yrsa looked nearly untouched, her body barely bearing any signs of the fight.
They stood there, staring at each other for what felt like an eternity, the battlefield eerily quiet around them.
Then, in the Northrender language, Yrsa spoke. "I will trust you again, prince," she said, her voice low and dangerous, "but if that trust is broken, I will make you pray for death."
Aric's body finally gave in. Exhausted and wracked with pain, he fell back into the snow, his arms spread out at his sides as he stared up at the pale, gray sky above. His chest heaved with every ragged breath, and the cold snow beneath him soaked into his clothes, numbing the pain only slightly. But he was still alive. That was all that mattered.
He watched as Yrsa turned to the soldiers, her voice booming across the battlefield. "Prepare to march," she ordered, her tone commanding, "we depart soon."
As the soldiers prepared, Aric's vision began to blur, the sounds around him growing distant. The crimson snow beneath him felt almost comforting now as exhaustion pulled him deeper into unconsciousness.
But even as the darkness closed in, a faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
Everything was going according to plan.