A Mint-Flavored Rebellion [Part 3]

A Mint-Flavored Rebellion [Part 3]

The moist, salty air whipped her long, green hair behind her. It was exhilarating, standing on the bow of a ship as it raced through the sea. The low whistle of the steam and the soft, humming groan of the gears turning were like the babbling rants of some long-lost and missed friend.
Still, she felt unease and tension in her muscles, and she knew she wasn’t as brave as she had hoped. As she stared off onto the horizon of never-ending blue, knowing what awaited her ashore, she just couldn’t help it. Though she had studied and practiced and waited two long years, Mint knew what waited ahead, and it was just too much.
She suddenly remembered the words of an old friend “If you want to get it done right, you have to do it yourself. You just can’t wait for some other hero to step up, you have to be a hero yourself.”
She sighed, also remembering who had said it. Alyssa used to be so carefree until she heard the legends of Mitsue and how she ran off, chasing a man she loved and ended up getting killed for it, leaving the girls all alone. She perfectly remembered the shade of red her friend’s face had turned, and how she had thrown a little, seven year-old hissy fit.
After that, she had started to play war games, but the changes going on inside of her heart weren’t apparent at the time, until that one day by the creek. Mint had never dreamt it would have gone this far. Especially not far enough to break their friendship.
Mint and Alyssa had been the best of friends, practically sisters. They rarely ever even disagreed… until that day in the ruins. The power had gone to her head, and Mint was determined to get Alyssa back, not this monster who now inhabited her body, no matter what the cost
Even if that cost was pretending to be a boy for two months. Or three. Possibly more; it would be however long it took. Which could be a while.
However, Mint was still shocked that she could come up with as good a plan as she did; Alyssa had always been the tactical one, the one who thought ahead. And it had showed.
Mint had left her own people to suffer under the wrath of a horrible, monstrous dictator. Still, she couldn’t have taken on Alyssa; even with a sneak attack. Not only could she not bring herself to do it, but she knew that Alyssa was trained to be a quick and snake-like assassin. Had worse come to worse, it would have been over before Mint even knew it had begun.
“We need a hero that won’t look at death like it’s nothing and leave us all with a half-free land and an unstable government. We need one that’ll finish the job.” Even the monstrous Alyssa said some things right; dieing wouldn’t have helped her people. She had done the right thing. The only problem was that, at the time, she had had a much more selfish reason in mind.
To get away, to start again, to run away to somewhere where she wouldn’t have to be the hero, the one who made the hard decisions, who decided what was right and wrong. To get back into her comfort zone. And much, much more selfish reasons on top of that.
She sighed and shook her head, trying to clear it. As if such strong thoughts would just disappear. Though they could be overshadowed.
The top of a towering brick structure peaked over the edge of the water, and Mint froze. With fear, remembrance, and disgust. It must have been at least twenty stories tall and made entirely of black bricks. Small black dots circled around it; Alyssa’s “personal guard.”
They were freaks, barely even human. Most of them were men who had dared to rebel against her and women who violated “the code.” Their soul was sucked clean out of their body, then it was replaced with the soul of a raven. Thusly, they had coal black wings and blood red eyes. They only listened to those with a magical prowess, mostly Alyssa because of her power.
Mint had picked up that much from the traders, and the thought of some of the other things she had heard made her want to puke. However, she took a gulp and a deep breath, letting it out in a long, slow sigh.
She turned around without casting a second glance and the slowly approaching water-side city and walked to her quarters. No one was ever going to believe she was a boy with such long green hair and a long, flowing purple gown.