Underestimate Me

She saw two silhouettes coming closer through the darkness. Meredith knew who the figures were, nearing her with a slow pace. She could not only tell from their posture, but she had sent for them. Meredith had sent the girl to fetch Rowen. She saw the harshness displayed on Emma’s face as the girl reached her. A little smile crept on Meredith’s face, the stern look in Emma’s eyes pleased her. Although it’d be a blessing to go through life with innocence and ignorance; she knew that the girl would not survive with it, neither with the sisters or in the village. Emma could not weather this world thinking only of the good in it. She could not go through life, ignoring the shadows surrounding her. To survive she needed to know the cruelty of this world and Josselyn had just displayed a piece of it.

The bareness of her left breast, the engraved scar that ran upon it, it made Meredith shudder. Although she had seen it countless times, she had helped Josselyn accept her scars; she would never cease to flinch when they presented themselves. Josselyn undressing, even though a body so exquisite, was a fight against herself. Meredith could always see Josselyn's hesitation. She noticed as her hands lingered on the straps of her bust, their reluctance to loosen the strings that knotted her bodice tight to her skin. Tonight she had seen how the innocence of Emma had drove her to radically tear up her tunic, displaying such a vulnerable piece of herself, just to help this girl.

“I got him sister,” Emma’s words were cold but they did not reach the freezing point that Meredith’s did.

“Hand him over,” The girl gave the chain that connected to his collar to Meredith. The man had stumbled after the girl. His proud posture had diminished somewhat, his spine not as straight as it had been on horseback. Something had broken in him and Meredith was determined to break what was left. Just thinking of that scar, running deep in Josselyn’s skin and ending just above her nipple. Just that image was enough to boil up the rage she kept restricted all this time.

She yanked at his collar made him stumble farther forwards. She kept shortening the leash pulling him closer and closer. Every stumbling step he got closer caused the dark smile on her face to widen. She felt the cold chains slipping through her fingers as the length of the chain between her and Rowen decreased. He was close; she could smell his scent and taste it on her lips.

“I am going to enjoy this severely,” she whispered in his ear before grabbing him at his shoulders and shoving him towards the entrance of the tent .Rowen found the balance on his feet again and straightened his back. He turned his head and Meredith faced his eyes. They were strong eyes. They were men’s eyes. “We shall see about that,” He said with a boldness she almost admired. His words however, she did not care for and before he knew it her hand flew out and made his head snap back around.

“You’d be smart to not use such a tone before my leader, she might have me do worse,” Meredith implied and her hands connected with his shoulders again before thrusting him forward again. Emma followed them, refraining from any words. The girl had learned her place and she would learn a lot more in the next passing moments. The last shove Meredith gave him made him trip and Rowen entered the tent falling on his knees. She thought it only appropriate.

Josselyn was sitting in the corner. Darkness surrounded her and only the flicker of fire reflected of her blue eyes. She had veiled herself again and dressed in her war gear. Knives were gracing her legs and her hood covered her hair. The only thing that revealed her as being a human and not a malignant spirit where her hands. They grasped the arms of her chair, and the white around her fingertips declared her in state of anxiousness.

Meredith grabbed Rowen’s tunic by the fabric around his neck and hitched him upwards. “Stand up, you have sat down in the dirt long enough,” she said, her voice clear and crisp as a winter’s morning. She did not bring him straight before her leader; for Josselyn had told her she did not care to look him in the eye. She would not interact with him much. Meredith would do the talking. Meredith would swing Josselyn’s punches, and she was more than glad doing so. Nights she had dreamt of doing just this. Revenging her sister. Every time she glimpsed those scars she had fantasised of etching the same scars into the men responsible. She had visualized faceless men, surrounding her. She would stand against them, with only a knife in hand. She would butcher them, one for one.

A voice came from the corner, just as chilling and strong: “Let’s see if you can stand like a man.” The words of Josselyn were enough encouragement for Meredith to start.

“Tie him up,” She said to Emma, throwing the chain towards the girl. This man, this monster, would feel how it was to be abused when constrained. What it was to be helpless and alone. He could never pay for what Josselyn had felt, because it had been more than physical abuse that had pained her. Josselyn had never spoken of it, but Meredith had seen it in her eyes. Those men had taken something from her that had not healed with scars. Something that had changed her indefinitely.

Emma had pushed Rowen on a chair; he had let her not connecting with the eyes of the young girl. She was busy tying his hand behind his back. The movement of his right shoulder still made him grimace somewhat. Meredith had found his weak spot, one they had created themselves.

She heard the clattering of steel as she circled the man that seemed to be the leader of the troops that were dying around him. Her senses were heightened; she could see every twitch in his muscles. She could anticipate his every move for his muscles betrayed him just before his actions did. He stepped forward stabbing his sword her way, she averted his attack and let her steel connect with his. He was fighting left handed and she noticed it was not his favored hand. The way he held his right arm close to his body she deducted he was hit with their help from above. She blessed her sisters hiding on the branches above them. They had saved her more than once in this battle. Sweat was dripping down his temples as she forced him back and to the ground. He was not match for her as she swung up her sword to strike down on him. She would put him out of his suffering, once and for all. She would send him to his Balor, if this false God did reveal himself to this man.

“Spare him!” The words cut through the air as the shriek was that of a woman she held dear. Her arms stiffened and the man looked back up to her, relief of his spared life in his eyes. In hers he would only find regret.

Tonight Josselyn spoke different words. She spoke words that pleased Meredith’s ears: “Maa, please show this man that your cruelty does not remain on the battle field. Show him your power of seduction and make him talk.”

At those words Meredith’s fist flung out and with all her strength she struck his face, snapping his head to the side and a little crack revealed a broken cheekbone. Her hand was aching, glowing from the impact. Emma gasped as she had hit Rowen. She had not been able to control herself from reacting. Josselyn remained silent though. Her eyes urged Meredith on, who was not sure if she was able to control herself if she did. Revenge was sweet and Meredith licked her lips tasting Josselyn on them.