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War was loud. It was rough, and it was frightening. It was all anyone talked about nowadays; their worries, theories, and their ideas. At night, as Aminiah tried to sleep, all she could hear was war. Even if it was distant, or hardly happening, her mind taunted her with its sounds, making her relive its horror over, and over, till all she dreamt about was war, too. Aminiah had known of war’s weapons all her life, her father being a blacksmith, but they never caused her any bother till now. Playing with wooden swords as a child turned to hitting hay dummies with metal swords, training herself for the war. Helping her parents in the smithing process was normal now, with the overbearing demand of weapons and armour.
While she wasn’t helping her parents keep up with the business, or standing by a hospital tent as guard (a lowly position in an army, but she didn’t complain), she spent time in the forest with Nimue. The two of them spent their time looking for flowers or odd little bugs Nimue was fascinated in, or just simply talking with one another. Those talks now wholly surround the war. Aminiah now sat in the grass of the forest, watching Nimue as she flipped through a book on native plants in Meridiem, in search of the precise location bluebells grew in. They'd tried looking by themselves, but ended up in circles, and even as far as the Laeti Lake before digging Nimue's plant book out from under her bed. The book hadn't been much help either, with the two resting as the sun grew higher in the sky, no bluebells found.
"You sure they'd be around here? What if we're not close enough or.. or what if the book is old, and the bluebells changed spots?" Aminiah asked. Nimue sighed and dropped the book on the ground before flopping in the grass across from Aminiah. She groaned, smacking both hands on her face.
"This is pointless. I can't even remember why I wanted the flowers." Nimue cried. Aminiah fidgeted with the laces of her boots, unsure herself on why the bluebells were so needed. Nimue looked at her hands, and Aminiah stared at the shiny ring on her left middle finger. "You're sister," Nimue said after a moment, "Ayria wanted to see some. While she sits in Aurantiaco City, she wants us to risk our lives for some flowers."
"Oh stop it, she didn't mean it like that." Aminish said, unsure of why she felt the need to defend her sister to her best friend. "She loves them and they don't grow in the city."
"I know, sorry, I just wish the war wasn't happening. It's stupid, really, neither side wants to fight. Our general curses to La'Sinia every night for the horrors she gave him, which probably makes it worse, why curse to your god and not the enemy?"
Aminiah just shrugged, she couldn’t think of anything to say. Aminiah didn't want to think they were in the wrong, Meridiem was a peaceful nation, they weren't the bad guys.
* * *
Days went past with more war, posters stapled to polls urging others to join the fight, radio stations dedicated to talking about the war; Aminiah couldn't escape it. Maybe it was a stupid decision, volunteering for the war. She hated seeing others hurt, hated hearing the pained sounds from the hospitals, hated seeing the enemy. Part of her wished they were all gone, whether that be gone back to their nation, or just dead. Aminiah kicked the dirt, she also hated thinking like that. Nimue was off stitching wounds and wrapping cuts and breaks, while Aminiah was wishing death to those who were the ‘enemy’. The two of them like two sides of a coin, both trying to help their nation, both on one side of a cursed coin, where death is all that followed on each flip.
The sun was setting, with a few more hours till she could go home and hug her mother again. She was getting tired of it, honestly, fighting was not for her. She hated the screams, but causing them was even worse. She was horrible, while Nimue was a saint. Looking over the clearing of flower patches she saw a soldier crawling between the flattened flora. She moved her sword to her hand, ready if they tried anything. As it got darker and darker, it was hard to see the labels and colour of their uniform, they could be the enemy.
In the darkness she saw someone rushing towards them, their white apron telling Aminiah they were one of the nurses. Slowly stepping towards them, she caught sight of the shining ring on the nurse's middle finger. Nimue! Her steps quickened, but Aminiah made sure to keep her distance. She stopped by a tree, watching as Nimue lifted the soldier up and helped him walk, leading them to the hospital tent. The soldier had a sword in his hand, a large brown rope wound around its handle. Aminiah frowned at that, why one of their soldiers would have a sword decorated like the enemy’s confused her, until she realised. They weren’t Meridiem’s.
“Nimue! Nimue, come here!!” Aminiah called to her, waving to her as she hurried over to them. Nimue frowned at her, stopping with the soldier’s arm still around her shoulders. The soldier caught sight of Aminiah and she saw something of horror in his eyes. Frozen where she stood, Aminiah felt the world stop as the soldier lifted his sword and swung it down on Nimue’s side. The soldier dropped Nimue and started to run, though he didn’t get far before Aminiah struck him down with her own sword.
Leaving the man, she rushed to where Nimue laid, landing roughly in the dirt next to her. Tears welled in her eyes as she rested Nimue’s head on her lap, her arms protectively around her. Nimue reached up and brushed the tears off Aminiah's face, smiling a soft smile Aminiah didn’t want to lose. Harsh coughs from Nimue spat flecks of blood on Aminiah’s front as tears fell from Aminiah's face to Nimue's chest.
"Please- please don't go. I need you, Nimue please. I-I can't do it without you." Sobbed Aminiah. Her hands tightened around Nimue's arm, who was fidgeting with her fingers. Aminiah held her hands to stop the struggle, she didn't want Nimue to leave in a panic.
"My ring.. take it. Keep it- keep me in your heart," More blood splattered Aminiah from Nimue's mouth, "Promise me you won't forget me, promise." Nimue's tears washed the blood off her face, but each time her chest heaved more blood flowed. Aminiah couldn't handle it. Nurses surrounded them, keeping their distance though, for they too knew Nimue's fate. Taking the ring off her middle finger, Aminiah kissed her left hand, then the right. She slipped the ring on her right middle finger.
"I promise. I'll never forget you, Nimue. I- I love you. I'll look for you in the stars, I promise. They won't forget you. I won't, I won't forget," Aminiah promised over and over, desperate for Nimue to know, to hear her, as her eyes faded. "I won't forget you."
A sob racked Aminiah's body, and she screamed her voice hoarse till she was cursing their god for such a fate. The rest was a blur from her tears, the nurses taking Nimue, wrapping her in dark fabric that grew darker from the continuous blood flow. Someone tried to talk to Aminiah, but all she could do was repeat the promise. She won't forget her. How could she forget the best of them all; Nimue was the greatest thing that came out of Meridiem. And now she was gone, lost to the stars with the others passed on.
* * *
The scent of bluebells was so strong one might think it had become part of her blood; that perhaps if she cut herself the blood that flowed out would be blue too. No one had spoken to Aminiah since that day, nor had they seen her, except for her parents. Locked away in her room everyday was her life now it seemed. What purpose did life have if she couldn't live it with Nimue? From this horrid silence of her friend, she had forgotten the sounds that had haunted her, the screams of the enemy nothing more than a distant memory. The only thing she heard over and over was Nimue's pleas. She was failing at Nimue’s wish, she was sure others remembered her, but soon they would forget, just another number on the death count. She couldn't have that for Nimue.
A letter written by Nimue had sat on her desk for weeks, unread, the ring sat atop it. Aminiah couldn't get herself to read it yet, she didn't want to spiral deeper into the maddening feeling that she already knew so well. Reading the last sentence was all she could do, it made her smile in a way only Nimue’s words could, and she decided she would do just as it said once everything was better. It was as if Nimue knew she wouldn't make it, that by writing such a sentence she knew the future Aminiah would have for herself, if she just let herself have it. Reading it, Aminiah sighed. For Nimue she shall.
Never forget my love for you, my dearest Aminiah Moradi, my one and only. You'll do great things, I know it. Be the leader we should have had. I'll be cheering from the stars.
Your’s, forever more, Nimue Lacirme