I awoke comfortably.

It made me snap up in the bed I was in, suspicion immediately settling in. My fingers clenched around the sheets, eyes darting around the pale room. I took in all the details in a moment, blooming terror on the verges of devolving into panic. Open window, sunlight pouring in, the familiar smell of the sea on the air. A desk with a mirror atop it, a simple rug set on the middle of the floor, and a plain blue and green tapestry hanging over the wall. Set on the nightstand beside the bed was a folded piece of paper, a glass of clear water, and some folded clothes.

I blinked the sleep out of my eyes and cautiously left the bed. I was still in the clothing I was in last night, and-

Last night…

Shaking off the memories, I gently took the note and examined it.

The clothing is yours. Food is to the left, down the hall, one level below in the large room if you need it.

I felt my stomach gurgle and begrudgingly decided to follow the advice. I walked through the large building’s halls. There were other rooms placed neatly along the walls, all leading to the stairway that I followed down to a busy room. A wide open space with tall glass windows allowing the morning light to pour in. There were dozens of tables, serving dozens of people, with a host of workers in blue and white uniforms moving through the throngs of people, carrying trays of food and drink.

Despite the blunted confusion I felt, the smell in the room practically dragged me to an empty table.

“Wait,” a woman commanded.

I turned to find a practical giantess staring down at me. She was taller than Halfor… was, and nearly as muscular to boot. Yet where he had been bloated, this woman was refined like a statue. Fair-skinned, pale braided hair lined with iron grey, and a simple but functional uniform. Her features were sharp and angular, practically hawkish, and her eyes stared down at me with an unknown intent.

“What is your name, child?” she questioned.

“E-Eir,” I replied shakily, feeling utterly dwarfed by the towering figure of the woman with me.

“Arnja,” the woman called out. “Bring a plate to my office. I’ll be taking Eir with me.”

“You… will?” I asked meekly.

The steely gaze of the clear leader of this place nodded. The other woman, Arnja, quickly rushed over to me. She was shorter, almost my height, but was clearly older, with kind eyes, curly hair pulled back into a bun, a faint freckles across her cheeks. “Do you have any allergies, anything we should be aware of that could cause you harm?”

“N-no?” I replied, as shocked by the question as the kindness.

“Preferences?”

“Arnja,” the taller woman snapped, though with a note of clear affection. “The child looks half starved to death. I imagine the full plate selection will do for now. Anything left over can be given over to the transmuters.”

“Yes, Bergunn,” Arnja smiled, clearly unfazed by her leader, and moved off to follow the instructions.

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“You,” the giant, Bergunn, said. “Follow.”

Too afraid to resist, and maybe just a bit too hungry, I followed. She lead me into a large, square room, the centrepiece of which was a massive wooden desk. On the wall behind the armchair hung a shield with two crossed spears behind it. There were similar decorations and other weapons placed on spots around the room, but those took my attention the most. She had me sit down on one of the chairs opposite the main one, and she took her seat as well.

“So, Eir,” Bergunn began, “who are you, and how did you come to find yourself here?”

I sat there quietly for a few long moments, unsure of how to respond. Where did I start? My flight from Halfor’s last night? How everything had collapsed after my father’s death and my mother’s descent into madness? The single question broke the damn that I had been trying to keep up since awakening to keep myself together. But I didn’t have the strength anymore, and I broke down into tears.

I wasn’t certain for how long I sobbed there, elbows of my knees, face in my hands. Long enough for me to barely notice that Bergunn’s face softened somewhat, and for Arnja to come in bearing food. She left quietly, without any fuss, and the sound of the door closing drew my eyes to the plates she had left behind. A whole selection of fruits, breads, cheeses and fish all there just lying before me.

“Go on, girl,” Bergunn said with almost reluctant softness. “Eat what you want.”

I found myself diving in, almost laughing at how absurd I must’ve looked. A skinny kid, tears and snot streaming down her face, mousy brown hair likely a mess, stuffing my face. Shame alone might have been enough to stop me, but I hadn’t eaten beyond the slop that Halfor had allowed me for months, so the first bite was enough to send me into a ravenous frenzy. The energy from the veritable feast drove me past my fear and shame to look up at Bergunn’s patient expression and barely manage a question.

“Didya efer ussh dose?” I asked in between bites of food.

Bergunn raised a patient but amused eyebrow. “I beg your pardon?”

“Sorry,” I squeaked after swallowing my mouthful. “Did you ever use those?”

I was gesturing at her weapons.

Something like a wistful smile etched its way onto Bergunn’s face. “A few years ago, aye. I was a bodyguard captain in the Liberation War.” Her grin turned rueful. “Alas, my charge was a pain in the ass to deal with.”

I laughed somewhat, the feeling strangely unfamiliar in my throat. “He gave you trouble?”

Bergunn rolled her eyes and leaned back in her seat. “Oh, you have no idea. Always rushing off, barely eating or sleeping, constantly sneaking out of his room to avoid our watch so he could confer with the other knights to plan his campaigns. It was like babysitting a rebellious teenager.”

I found myself delighting in the humorous reminiscing behind her harsh exterior. “What happened to him? Your charge.”

Her expression didn’t necessarily harden, but it did become more focused. “That’s precisely what I wanted to talk to you about.” She leaned forwards across the desk. “He’s the one who brought you here.”

I blinked. “He did?”

“Arnja confirmed it to me,” she answered. “She was on duty when he arrived here. He hurriedly worked with her to bring you to a room, made sure you were resting comfortably, then departed.” She scowled, her annoyance plain. “Without so much as a goodbye.”

“How… how long has he been gone for?” I asked, utterly curious about my saviour.

“A year,” she replied grimly. “Supposedly Uherion and two of the other councillors saw him not two months past, but they haven’t done us the courtesy of confirming the rumours. Which is why everyone here is so very interested in you.”

I nodded, suddenly feeling like an intruder. There was so much history here, not just with Bergunn and my saviour, but an entire army who may well have followed that man. Now here I was, the only link to their missing comrade. It wasn’t my fault, since I had been dropped here without any true option, but it still layered a sense of awkwardness on me. So, I decided I would help.

I explained everything, at least, what I deemed appropriate. I only hinted at what the conditions that Halfor had kept me, which caused a dark look to manifest on Bergunn’s face. I told her of my flight, running through the alleys of White Ridge and-

“Did you say White Ridge?” Bergunn interrupted, her fury restrained by intense curiosity.

“Isn’t… that where we are?” I asked sheepishly.

Bergunn shook her head, utter bewilderment on her face. “Child, we’re in the new city of Valadonia, on the other side of the continent from your hometown. You were brought across the world to get here.”