Wilder

Buy time, Wilder needed to buy time until-

A scream pierced the air. A clash of metal came from further in the palace. A roar of fighting men echoed through the halls. Zavier and Quinn with their soldiers were here!

The reassurance was all Wilder needed. He broke from the soldier's grasp, drew out his sword as the Lorian soldiers around him did the same. Wilder bounded to the throne, leapt, and swung his blade at the King's neck.

Titus widened his eyes in surprise and a flicker of fear before steel met steel, Slade blocking Wilder's.

Behind him, the throne room erupted into chaos. Kristoff shouted and the Lorain soldiers attacked King Titus's guards. Yells and battle cries exploded as Lorian steel met North Isles blades.

"Deal with him," Titus said to Slade while coldly looking at Wilder.

Slade kicked out at Wilder, hitting him in the stomach. Wilder crashed to the floor and rolled to the side, barely missing Slade's downward stroke. Rising to his feet, Wilder spared a single glance to Lydia, who held her sword at the ready as soldiers created a barrier around her and Kristoff.

Slade charged Wilder and he brought his sword up. With hard, ferocious strokes, Slade battled Wilder. Wilder gave more and more ground, his focus solely on Slade and his relentless attacks. Victory gleamed in Slade's eyes as he backed Wilder into a corner.

But in an instant, Wilder rushed forward. Slade parried Wilder's fierce blow but gasped sharply as Wilder buried his dagger into Slade's ribs.

"You don't deserve to stand where my father stood," Wilder hissed at him, then ripped the blade out.

Slade choked on his breath and crumpled to the floor, clutching his stomach. Wilder raced back to the heart of the battle, searching for Lydia. The scene was a blur of Lorian's courageously fighting despite being outnumbered by North Isles soldiers.

A guard cut into Wilder's path, his sword slicing towards Wilder. Wilder deflected the attack and punched the soldier in the face. His blow was backed by the hilt of the dagger still in his hand. The guard fell back and Wilder pierced the guard's chest with his blade.

Before the man even fell, Wilder looked for Lydia. He found her fighting off a guard. But as he ran towards her, he saw the trajectory of the guard's swing and the angle of Lydia's sword and knew this wasn't a fight she was going to win.

Wilder felt his heart jerk inside his chest as the guard swept Lydia's sword from her grasp. She staggered back and more North Isles guards swarmed around her. They seized her arms and Titus shouted for them to bring her. As Lydia was dragged from the throne room, a flood of new guards appeared from an archway.

"Men to me!" Titus shouted.

The contingent of new guards rushed to their King's side, forming a blockade between Wilder and Lydia. Wilder didn't hesitate, barreling after them. The first guard fell with Wilder's dagger in his throat. The next died from a slash across his chest. Wilder bent low and yanked his dagger out of the guard's throat threw it again, impaling a guard in the heart.

Protect Lydia. Protect Lydia.

He saw as Lydia struggled against the men holding her. She kicked one guard in the knee, making him falter. She wrenched her arm from his grip and yanked against the other guard's hold. But a new guard quickly caught her. Trapping her again.

Two guards plowed towards Wilder. He dropped to his knee, ducking under one's blade while cutting into the leg of the other with his sword. Spinning on the tile, he thrust his sword into the first guard's stomach. He leapt to his feet and sprinted to the archway Titus and his men with Lydia had vanished through.

As he rounded into the passageway, Titus spotted him.

"Kill him then return to me!" he yelled furiously.

The only two guards stayed with Titus, the ones holding Lydia. The rest of the guards broke away from their King and stampeded towards Wilder. Wilder pivoted out of one guard's slash and met the blade of a second. A third attack came from the side, but Wilder evaded his strike by jumping back. He quickly retreated up to a wall, not giving any of the guards a chance to surround him.

Disabling a guard on his right with a fatal cut to his chest, Wilder stole the man's sword. Now armed with two blades, Wilder fought like a caged animal, lashing out with deadly accuracy. Sweat dripped down his temples and back. He gritted his teeth as every attack cost him a bit of his strength and energy. Adrenaline kept his heartbeat roaring in his ears and helped him ignore the nicks and cuts he received.

Wilder didn't register the first crippling wound until his leg buckled underneath him. Fire shot up his thigh and he bit back a cry of pain. He swung violently at the offender, severing his hand from his arm.

Dropping one sword, Wilder pressed his hand against the wall, pushing himself up, his injured leg barely handling his weight. He raised his sword to block another, but he felt his whole body shudder under the blow.

When the next wound came, Wilder stared into the eyes of men with the blade that cut into his body. Triumph in the man's gaze told Wilder what he felt a breath later as searing pain shot through him.

He fell to the floor.

The last two remaining guards rushed off to return to their King, they knew their task there was finished. Wilder was finished.

Wilder touch his wound, his hand coming away slick with warm blood. He sucked in a breath as he pressed his hand to the wound, trying to stop the flow.

Get up. Get up, you blasted fool, Lydia needs you.

Wilder struggled to his knees. His sword lay discarded next to him. He stared at it.

Pick it up, pick it up. Get to your damn feet and go after Lydia.

Wilder wanted to reach for it but didn't have a hand to spare.

Forget the sword, go after her. Protect Lydia. Protect Lydia.

With a growl of anger and desperation, Wilder forced himself up. The world whirled and tilted around him and he found himself on the floor, not knowing how he got there.

Crawl, damn you, crawl after her. You have to do this. You promised your father....Father, help. Please.

Wilder stretched out his arm to drag himself forward, but he couldn't find purchase on the bloody tile. Clutching at the arm of a dead guard, Wilder heaved himself forward an inch, but no more. He fought for each breath, his body shaking with exhaustion.

Protect Lydia. Get up, protect Lydia. You must...

He curled his fingers around the guard's shirt, but that was all.

Made a promise. Must get up. Get up.

Protect Lydia. Made promise...

Get... Up... Protect...

Lydia...

Wilder raised his eyes to where Lydia disappeared. I'm sorry, father, I failed you. I failed to protect her.

Wilder closed his eyes, his grip loosening as the world slowly faded.

**********************************************************************

Ummm...so yeah...

I'll give you a minute...

I'm sorry, I know that will not make it better but still...

Do you have any thoughts? You can rant at me, or just issue creative death threats if you want to. I won't mind. 🏹⚔️🛡

...honestly not sure what to say.

I mean I could make jokes or try to talk to the characters but...I'm pretty sure they would rant at me as well.

You could share your favorite Wilder moments! That could be...something.

The one that surprised me was when he shot the captain of the ship that was going to attack. I never saw it coming and in the moment I fell in love with him.

*hands you tissues* sorry.

I'm gonna go now.

Felt like this was more fitting to the chapter than trying to make you laugh.