Sheep don’t understand war. They just wander around, eating grass and making dumb noises, not a care in the world. They’re lucky they’re cute and covered in wool. Humans aren’t so lucky. We suffer. We watch our fathers and brothers go off to war, only to return crippled and scarred. And those are the ones lucky enough to return at all. Still, at least they get to do something when the armies of The Wicked come to pillage the countryside. I, however, am stuck tending to the sheep and helping my mother with the farmhouse chores and looking after my younger cousins. Why? Because I am a girl, of course. Not that The Wicked discriminate when they attack. We will all fall victim to their savagery should they continue their rampage through the Kingdom of Auster.

These were the troubles plaguing my mind when, out by the road, I spotted an oaf. A blond-haired young man of perfect inscription age had stumbled to the ground and was playing tug of war with a sheep over his shoe.

“Please give it back! Please!” He was pleading to the sheep, who didn’t seem to care in the slightest, promptly taking the boy’s shoe and trotting off on her way. I approached the sheep and held out my hand. She reluctantly gave me the shoe, which I returned to the boy.

“There must be something wrong with you if you let a sheep beat you.” I said to him.

“Oh, thank you! You’re a kind soul.” The boy said, taking the shoe and looking over, puzzled. “Um… It goes… on my hand? No, that’s not right… where’s the other one?”

“Did you hit your head or something?”

“Oh, that’s it!” He placed the shoe atop his head and smiled at me from the ground as the shoe fell off.

“No.”

“Well, darn it. Oh well, I guess I don’t need it then.” He tossed the shoe out into the field. The sheep quickly reclaimed her treasure. Despite myself, I laughed at him, just a little. I extended a hand toward him.

“Come on, to your feet. Clearly, you need some rest and medical attention.” He took my hand and stood, shaking his head.

“Oh no, I’m quite alright. I’m just not used to… certain things around here.”

“Like wearing shoes?”

“Is that what it’s called? Ha ha.” What an odd fellow. Mother warned me about men like him. He was probably a highwayman or a spy. A sheep bleated from behind him and he jumped as if a monster had just taken a swipe at him. Naturally, the other shoe fell off, and he was back on the ground. Probably not a highwayman.

“Where are you traveling? You should know the fighting is drawing near to this area.”

“Right, the fighting.” The boy’s face turned serious. “I’m going to stop it. It’s God’s will that I stop it.” He truly was mad.

“Alright, well, good luck with that. You’re sure your head doesn’t hurt?”

“You may not trust me, but I see good in your heart. Most wouldn’t approach a fool like me. I mean, they didn’t have to throw rubbish at me in the last village. All I did was knock over a cart!” The poor fool was hopeless. “I’ll prove it to you, in due time, Marianne.” That got my attention.

“How do you know my name?” Rather than answer me, the boy smiled, bowed, and walked off down the road, barefoot and looking lost as ever. I shook my head and went back to the flock.

He must’ve overheard it somewhere. I thought. Still, there was something about him… God’s will. The thought made me laugh, it was so absurd. If the boy was lucky, he’d get some help in the next village, and I’d never see him again, a fleeting memory of a poor boy who lost his shoes to sheep.

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I opened my eyes and sat up in bed. The moon shone brightly that night. Obstructing the moon, however, was a certain blonde buffoon tapping at my window. I flung the window open, knocking him over.

“What are you doing here? Get away!”

“Sorry, but I need to talk to you!”

“I said go! You pervert!”

“Pervert? That’s one slight I won’t stand for…” I shut the window and locked it. And yet, there he was, standing in my room, having gone from one place to another in an instant. He was no longer dressed in peasant clothes, but in white cloth. And he had wings.

“What… are you?”

“I am an angel of God, and you, Marianne, have been chosen to lead the armies of Auster to victory over The Wicked of Boreas. Oh, my name’s Gabriel, by the way. Not the archangel, though.”

“This is a dream. That explains it. I’m going back to sleep, figment of my imagination.”

“I bestow upon thee, the power to fell armies.”

When he uttered the words, I began to float. The world around me seemed to fall away in a mix of color. I could feel energy course through my body and my clothes changed into an outfit of lace and armor.

My room returned to me, and Gabriel held out a sword toward me.

“Your weapon, milady. You and I shall stop The Wicked and save your country.”

“What if I don’t want this? What if I refuse to believe it?” A scream in the distance sounded, followed by a flurry of shouts and screams. I threw open the window to the suffocating scent of smoke and ash. The Wicked were upon the village.

“You know what you must do, Marianne.” I looked into his eyes—he was serious and genuine. The clumsy, odd boy I’d met the day before was an angel, offering me the only power that could save my people, my home. I picked up the sword, and he led me out into battle.

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The Wicked—their twisted, inhuman bodies brought decay where they tread. They couldn’t be reasoned with, the mere mindless monsters they were. Their only goal was to destroy, and they were unrivaled in that.

“Fly over to them!” Gabriel said, flapping his magnificent wings, lifting him into the air.

“Fly?! How? I have no wings.”

“You’re magical now, duh.” I leapt into the air, and to my amazement, I floated. Awkward at first, I stepped through the air, higher and higher until I was beside Gabriel.

“Alright, what now?”

“Point your sword at The Wicked. You’ll know what to do.” When I pointed the sword, I could see their weak points—lines showing me where to strike guided my path. I moved faster than I thought possible. It was… incredible. I spun through the air, slaying the creatures that brought my country to ruin, who took my father and uncles, who cause such suffering.

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With each strike, The Wicked collapsed under themselves, turning to a steaming mass of goo before returning to the earth whence they came. Soon, the marauding band of creatures had been disposed of and the people of my village cheered. I could feel my energy strengthen with their elation.

“There’s one more!” Gabriel shouted. An enormous, winged Wicked rose from the ashes—its teeth razor sharp, it’s soulless eyes the thing of nightmares.

“I don’t see its weakness. What should I…?” I looked into those eyes, those depths of evil and malice. I charged toward it without thinking. It swiped at me, and I took swings at it with my sword. We flew in a spiral through the clouds, far above the village, far enough to see the distant sea on the horizon. The beast reared up to strike at me. My body moved on its own, raising the sword toward it. No dodging, no running away. Energy coursed through my entire body, channeling into the sword—then it released in a brilliant explosion of light. It cut through The Wicked and its remnants burned away in multicolored flame. The smoke cleared, and the villagers came out of their hiding places, cheering and singing.

Tents lined the front lines, rows of men armored up with spears in hand. The Wicked marched forth on the other side of the battlefield. Their numbers were massive—the army stood no chance alone. Yet, I was being prevented from aiding their defense.

“I don’t care what your outfit looks like or how well-made your sword is, you’ve no place on the battlefield. Now leave!” The general said.

“But your men will be wiped out if I don’t help. You must believe me!”

“I’ll hear no more of it, girl!”

“Make her show you…” a voice said. It was Gabriel, disguised as a cat of all things, whispering to the general from around his ankles.

“If you’re so certain in these so-called powers of yours, let’s have a demonstration, then.” He said. Well done, Gabe. He wasn’t so hopeless, after all.

I stepped through the front lines, standing atop a grassy hill, the hoards of The Wicked moving toward me at an increasing pace. I raised my sword, and fired a blast of magic. Light traced across the field, illuminating the world in brilliant color for a glorious moment before culminating in a grand burst of heavenly light. The entire Wicked army was erased by that single shot.

The soldiers looked on in stunned silence before erupting in cheers and celebration.

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While the generals and nobility weren’t fond of a random woman from the country coming in and single-handedly dominating their war, winning the favor of both the army and public, they allowed me to go from town to town, battlefield to battlefield, ridding the kingdom of The Wicked’s blight.

“I hear she’s a witch.”

“An unholy presence, a threat indeed.”

Whispers and rumors such as these became more common as the campaign forged on. The people celebrated me and threw festivals in my honor, but aside from The Wicked, I was haunted by another enemy.

“Gabriel, look behind me.” I said as I went through a market, dressed in peasant clothes, my head covered. He glanced behind us, in his cat form.

“That man looks familiar…”

“He’s following me, an agent of the nobility.”

“But why? You’re doing such a service to this country…” I was stopped by a group of townspeople before I could answer him.

“You’re Marianne, the magical girl sent from heaven, aren’t you?” An old woman said, placing an apple in my hands.

“Praise Marianne! Long live the magical girl, Marianne!” The crowd cheered. The man who had been following me stared daggers at me.

“This is why.” I whispered to Gabriel. “I challenge their power.” It was days like this I missed the farm. I missed our sheep and my mother’s cooking. But I fought to protect those things. I couldn’t return there until my work was done.

“Well… pay them no mind. They can’t hurt you, not with your power.”

“You’re always the optimist. And would you stop using that silly cat form of yours?”

“It uses less magic. If I use too much, I might not be able to get back to heaven. Besides, I like it. People pet me and give me treats.”

“Hopeless as ever.” I took a bite from the apple with a grin. As we spoke, a crashing sound rang through the village. In the sky appeared the dark figures of The Wicked. “A surprise attack?”

I transformed into my magical form and sprang into the air. The Wicked swarmed around me, casting their magical attacks against me. As I had fought them over the course of the campaign, The Wicked had adapted and grown stronger, making each battle more and more of a struggle.

I repelled their attack and slashed at them with my sword, but as I did, my vision blurred and my head turned foggy.

“Gabriel… I need your wings.” I felt myself fall. I felt Gabriel catch me. And I glimpsed him get overrun by the swarm of Wicked as the world turned black.

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I came to atop a tower overlooking the mountains and countryside of Auster. I was tied to a wooden stake while Gabriel was chained to the floor, his wings bound.

“Marianne, you’re awake!” He said. “They took your sword!”

“Who?” Footsteps rising from within the tower answered my question. The top generals and noblemen of the kingdom were present, looking upon me in contempt. The general held a sword, rusted and dull.

“You slayed all of those Wicked with this thing? How curious.” He tossed it away, off the tower.

“How could you do this? Think of our kingdom?”

“We are. The kingdom needs order and strength. We learned there were other ways to deal with the Wicked, that they don’t need to be our enemies. We are united against you, witch.”

“You’ve been corrupted into Wicked yourselves.”

“Perhaps…” His eyes glowed red as a Wicked’s. “A necessary evil.” Their soldiers set fire to the tinder at my feet so that I would burn. “May you serve as an example to the people.”

“Marianne…” Gabriel struggled to break free.

“Gabriel… thank you for the chance to help my people, even if it’s come to this… meow.”

“What?”

“Meow.”

“Oh. Right.” He transformed himself into a cat once more and sprinted to my stake, turning into an angle again and spreading his wings wide to douse the fire. Below the tower, the sound of crowds chanting and yelling rose louder.

“It appears…” My ropes were unbound, and I stepped away from the stake. “That the people have spoken.”

“You witch…” The general’s skin turned gray and blotched, as did the noblemen’s. “You’re powerless without that damned sword. No one shall challenge our power!” They’d all lost their humanity—transforming into grotesque Wicked, screeching incoherently. I looked to my angel.

“Do you have enough magic for one last battle, Gabriel?”

“Of course, my maiden. Use it all.” He placed his hand on me. I could feel his power running through me. The chants of the people amplified his power. The Wicked pounced at us. With a wave of a hand, I created a barrier against them. I manifested wings and swords of magical energy and went to blows with the creatures, cutting each in kaleidoscopic blizzards of colors beyond imagination. The people stormed the tower—the intensity of their power, their hope, their faith, drove me further. The last Wicked, a hulking amalgamation of greed and corruption, swept me into its grasp.

It flew me over the mountains, its touch burning me. I struggled to get free, to use the remains of my power.

“Give up…” the creature said, distorted and strained.

“You sound like you’re in pain.” I managed to say, feeling my strength sap away. “You don’t need to fight anymore. What were you fighting for in the first place?”

“I must… claim what is mine. My power…” Its grip was loosening. My strength was returning. It would have to be enough…

“And I never wanted power, not really. I want to fulfill my mission and return to my sheep and my mother’s cooking. And I want my angel to be know he chose well!” With one last burst of my power, I escaped the creature’s clutches.

I could see one weak point, in its heart. With all the magic I had, I fired my shot.

The creature fell, dispelling into a million shards of light. I fell, completely out of magic. A fitting, noble death. Only a certain angel swooped in at the last moment and broke my fall, his wings falling away as we landed.

“Gabriel… thank—” He embraced me, sobbing.

“I was so afraid you wouldn’t return…” I embraced him back and we returned to the countryside together.

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Sheep don’t understand war or heroes. They don’t know when there’s peace, aside from the feed being more plentiful, and the people more cheerful. I had detested my lack of adventure, my place in life in our little village in the middle of nowhere. But tending the flock with a full stomach, a peaceful world, and a companion who couldn’t quite decide if he was a man or cat, I supposed it was a worthwhile life after all.

“Marianne, the sheep are being mean to me again!” Gabriel whined, his cat ears twitching. His magic had gone, leaving him mortal and wingless. You wouldn’t know he was anything out of the ordinary if not for his ears.

“You’re hopeless as ever. Come on, I’ll get your shoe back. Hopefully, we won’t be late for dinner.” We were hopeless together, and that fact made me hopeful for the bright future we’d secured together for everyone.