The fields are alive with the colors and smells of spring. White and yellow flowers dapple the green fields. Their aroma wafts in the breeze as it rustles the unruly strands of hair that have escaped my braid. Birds sing their songs as they glide from tree to tree. It really is beautiful. 

It’s hard to believe that not so far from here, the country lay barren and burned. A war-torn wasteland is all that remains of places that once looked just like this one. The memory of the stench of burned flesh and agonizing screams invades me again. Any good person would feel nothing but hatred for whoever was responsible for such atrocities. I am not a good person, though. Maybe I was at some point in my youth. Before becoming an orphan maybe. Before seeing my mother beaten to death for stealing food. Food that she had stolen so she could feed ME. Before I was covered in the blood of others. I can’t be sure though. Maybe my morals always were lacking. 

I did want to kill my enemy when I first saw him on the battlefield. Even though it was my first time seeing him, I knew exactly who he was. General Ironside. He fit the descriptions I’d heard of him in stories over the years. Tall, with long, black hair that flowed down his back, tied in leather straps, arms covered in black inked markings. The telltale piece was his weapon. A large sword forged in shiny, black metal. The blade gleamed red in the sun from the blood that streaked it. Our eyes met and time stood still for a moment. Then we both charged for each other, and began a sword fight that became almost like a dance. I had an opportunity to kill him, but I couldn’t in that moment. That was where my weakness for him began. From all the stories I’d heard of his fighting abilities, I know that he could’ve killed a lowly foot soldier like me. He didn’t though, and during a ceasefire that night we crossed paths again. I was walking through the woods looking for a creek. The drinking water at the war camp was potable, but it definitely was not fresh. I went in search of a drink and stumbled upon him. I still remember the way his eyes looked in the moonlight that night. For a little while we weren’t sworn enemies. We were just two people in our own fleeting escape from the carnage that was our existence. War was all our lives had been for years, and to be free of it for just a little while was addictive. Maybe that’s why we can’t stop seeing each other in secret. If anyone found out we’d surely both be dead. I’m sure it would be seen as nothing short of treason to be laid up with the enemy. 

Still, we are meeting again tonight, and I cannot find it in myself to worry about the consequences. Because not going is not an option. No matter how dangerous it may be, I don’t think I could NOT see him. If I’m going to die in this war, it may as well be on my terms, and not just as another casualty of battle. 

It’s even more dark than usual tonight. There’s heavy cloud cover blocking out the moon and stars. I can barely see, and for a moment I’m not sure if I’m going the right way, but then I find the spot where we are to meet. The ruins of an old fountain lie in the woods nearby. This is where we have been coming to see each other. 

When I reach the fountain I see his large, silhouette leaning against a stone pillar. He pushes off and approaches me.

“I’ve been growing anxious waiting on you.” 

He smiles at me, and even though it’s dark I can still see the brilliant white of his teeth. 

“Hmmm, never thought I’d have a general of the Warenburg army waiting on me. A girl could get used to it.”

He pulls me close and closes the distance of our lips. His soft, plush mouth is a stark contrast form his strong, muscular frame, and I melt into his kiss every time. He brushes a hand around my waist, up my back, and into my hair. Everywhere he touches is scorching my skin, but I still need more. I open my mouth for him to deepen the kiss and a soft moan escapes me when his tongue tangles with mine. 

Then there’s a noise. It came from the woods. We both freeze and look in the direction the sound came from. 

We’re not alone.