The next day, Daisy found she was to be one of those representing the army. They'd be meeting the enemy at the top of the hill where they'd met last night. She marched up with the others who had been chosen. Rast was there, looking as confident as ever. She kept her eyes ahead and rested her hand on her shield. The hammer remained at rest. She still wore her armor, just to be safe.

They approached the Lioral army. There was no shouting or screaming, no one rushing in towards each other to attack. They had their leaders, coming much as Daisy's side, champions of their army. Daisy saw the one she had dueled with, clearly restored from that defeat. He looked up at her and nodded respectfully, a gesture she returned without thought.

Rast stepped forward. "We are here. Let us talk." He waved his hand towards those gathered on their side. "I know what we want, and I know you do as well. The only reason we're here is to see where it'll happen, but not if it'll happen."

A large, burly man stepped out from the other group, pointing at them all. "You may have won a scrap or two, but that doesn't mean we'll just bend over and let you have your way with us. Our people are strong, we'll not lay down for you."

Daisy frowned softly. She didn't want to say anything, not sure if it was her place. She wanted to scream. It felt like she should say something, but words kept falling from her, unsaid, thought at best.

Rast folded his arms across his chest. "I think we've all had enough of this. No need for any more fighting."

A woman laughed. Daisy looked back to see her own commander there, the female she had seen several times. "No need for more fighting? Have you forgotten how much we have lost? You say we've won some scraps, we're not here just because we won a fight or two. We're here because we're going to keep winning." She gestured towards Daisy. "We have a brood mouse on our side, and she's already gathering an army of her own. She can scrap, as you've seen, heal herself, and keep going all at once. You've heard of brood mice, haven't you? If you haven't, you've seen her on the field."

She gestured to Daisy, who felt more than a little uncomfortable with the gesture. "What are you—"

The woman went on. "Brood mice are legendary, able to form whole armies out of their own children, able to defeat even the strongest foes, and keep going. You think she can't turn the tables on you?" She raised her head. "Or what about the rest of us?"

The other side whispered and grumbled, eyeing Daisy harshly. She felt herself wanting to sink into her armor to hide.

Rast rubbed between his ears. "You're not helping."

"I'm not here for that," she hissed back, clearing her throat before trying louder towards the other side, "I don't want to fight. There, I said it. I don't want to. Don't make me."

A man in dark armor walked forward, his eyes hard. "We are the proud people of Lioral. You can't scare us with words of what you will do if we don't listen."

Daisy examined him, willing his statistics to snap into being floating beside him.

─ Name: Lord Rardao

─ Race: Human

─ Class: Fighter

She smiled at the name. "I didn't expect their lord to come out in this. I'm honored, seriously." She looked between her own side and the other, taking a deep breath and stepping forward. "I am not one for games of war and battle, but I've done what I had to. I don't want to fight, but I hate losing even worse, especially given the price of failure."

Rardao leveled a finger with her. "How did you recognize me? Never mind that. Clever little mouse. I have heard of your kind. It's why my forces were ordered to take you alive, despite what we thought was your reluctance to hurt us."

Daisy glared at him. "I have a job to do, but I also know the value of a life, something this world doesn't seem to share. Either way, taking me alive or dead hasn't worked out for anyone thus far. Enough people have suffered, and died. Can this end, please?"

"If we say no?" Rardao folded his arms. "Are you going to try and bring down all our armies alone? Is that what the legendary power of brood mice is capable of?"

"I don't need to do that." She spread her hands out. "I have them all with me. Say you're done and I will personally stand in the way of anyone that wants to take advantage of the situation."

She saw Rast start to say something. She glared at him. "Get in my way, and I'll knock you down as well. You've seen me fight, but you've also seen me heal myself with ease. There isn't—" She lurched, an arrow catching her in the throat. She couldn't breathe, the world spun dangerously.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Falling, she focused on her healing magic. She could distantly hear others moving, shouting. She couldn't make any of it out and just focused on her magic. She could feel the arrow going back out of her, inch by painful inch. It popped free and she gasped for regained breath, then grumbled low in her chest as the wound slowly closed up.

When Daisy looked around, there were a half dozen dead on her side, several more on the other side. Both had fallen back, leaving only herself and Rardao still standing at the top of the hill. She scrambled to her feet, but Rardao wasn't coming after her. He looked tired, and let out a weary laugh. "I guess this is the end. We both fought well." He drew his blade and leveled it towards her. "This may be the first fight I am willing to surrender."

Daisy flattened her ears back. "I don't want to fight you."

"You were just assassinated. Unsuccessfully, clearly. You still don't want to fight?" He kept his blade up, moving in a slow circle about her. "I know I'm not a threat to you, not alone. I saw what you did to my champion." He sighed softly. "But I have to do something, or I'll never be able to sleep at night."

"Then let's do something." She let her hands fall. "Let's end this. Neither of our people want to fight or die for this. But they'll keep going if you tell them to." She gestured towards her side. "I will make sure they stand down, but please, don't force those that you've got with you to die for you."

Rardao watched her in silence for a pregnant moment. He let his blade tilt down. "You are as soft as you are deadly." He considered a moment. "You are true to your form, come to think."

He sheathed the sword. Daisy watched him. He was just standing there.

"It is over," he said.

The words were barely out of his mouth before the armies on either side of them began to cheer. Daisy whirled to face those on her side. "None are to take advantage of theirs unless they want to fight me first. Gather our wounded and lets get the hell home. That goes for them, too."

She turned to look towards Rardao, but the other lord was gone, likely returned to his side.

Daisy walked down among the crowd, gently moving through them to get back to where she had camped with her little troop of kids. The soldiers on her side seemed to avoid her, skirting aside long before she came close to them. "I suppose they have heard what I did." No one wanted to get into a fight with her, and that was fine by her. She still didn't want to fight anyone.

Daisy smiled as she found Cedric, Selena, and the children all there and waiting for her. She opened her arms and soon had far too much to hug at once, much as she tried. "The fighting is over." She squeezed them gently. "It's over. We're going to gather the injured from both sides, then we're going home."

She paused, noting her family number was higher. She counted the children present. "Where did more of you come from?" There were some new faces, and two adults. They both held out their hands in greeting. "Oh. Hello. I'm Daisy." She shook the woman's hand, then the man's. "I expect the little kids, but what are you two doing here?"

The woman laughed and leaned back against her mate. "We were supposed to fight you. But when we saw how kind you were with the children, we knew we couldn't attack you."

Daisy blinked rapidly. "That's good, and I'm glad, but why are you here, with the kids, and me?"

"Oh!" The woman smiled at Daisy. "We'd like to join your family."

Daisy gaped at the two of them for a moment before Cedric stepped forward, putting a hand on her shoulder. "They seem to be serious, but I don't know them."

"Me neither." Selena crossed her arms under her slender chest. "I told them the family's not open to any random passersby, but they insisted to at least talk to you about it."

Daisy looked the two over carefully. "It's a little soon, isn't it?" She shrugged. "I don't even know you two."

"I am Kailana," the woman said with a gesture over herself. "And I think there's a misunderstanding. We don't want to be part of your, um, romantic family."

The man shook his name. "Name's Bellin. Pleased to meet you. We mean more of the, uh, outter family. You'll need a second set of hands to watch after all these kids, wontcha?"

Daisy looked the two over. She was somewhat inclined to say no. But she had a lot of kids already. And they'd shown that they were willing to help out. "Okay. Let me just—" She turned her stats on, focusing on Kailana first.

─ Name: Kailana

─ Race: Human

─ Class: Mage

"You're a mage?"

Kailana started. "How did you, oh, you did spot the lord despite his disguise. Brood mice really are wondrous things, aren't they? I am a mage, yes. I can keep them entertained and under control with little spells. Nothing dangerous, but if you were to let us, we could join the family and help you keep them in check."

Daisy nodded slowly, turning her gaze on Bellin.

─ Name: Bellin

─ Race: Human

─ Class: Fighter (specialize in shields)

"Shields," she said. She couldn't help but smile at that. "I think you're right, I could use some backup with all these children. If you're offering to join us as a helpers for the kids, I see no particular harm in that." She looked to Cedric and Selena. "Your thoughts?"

Cedric nodded. "We could use someone to watch them while we're out doing other things. Like, getting food and the like. You have been the best mother you can be, but it's a lot for one person."

Selena shrugged. "As long as they understand I'm not above kicking them out if they try anything stupid with the little ones. But yeah, more hands to help raise the family, I guess."

Kailana and Bellin shared a look, then both bowed towards Daisy. Daisy pat both of them on a shoulder each. "Welcome aboard then. I don't think we're going home just yet, but hopefully tomorrow. It'll take us a few days to get home, but we'll get there."