The room was lit, made of polished timber and finely furnished, with a cupboard, a dressing table, and with bookshelves and framed artwork lining the walls. What a beautiful room.

It took me a moment to recall the events of last night. Clearly it had been some time since then, from the sunlight streaming in through the blinds. A clock on the wall told me it was almost evening—I had slept for nearly a day. My stomach rumbled to confirm the fact.

A whole day! That bartender did offer me this room for free, but not for me to be a freeloader! How embarrassing. I’d better leave as soon as I can. I think it might be best if I left this town for a while. Without a better disguise, I’m likely to draw attention wherever I go.

I stepped towards the door and fumbled with the lock. Just as I managed to unlatch it, a thunderous slam came from the other side. The unlocked door flew open and into my forehead, knocking me off my feet.

“Goddess! You’ve got to hear—no, see this! You’ll never believe it! Huh—what are you doing on the floor? And say, shouldn’t you keep your door locked at night? Well, I suppose a goddess like you has other ways of keeping intruders out. Anyway, get up!”

The bartender stood in front of me, occupying the entire doorframe. Ow, ow, ow… you fool! My forehead throbbed, but it wasn’t bleeding. My butt had taken quite the impact, but the floor was a little creaky and had softened my landing a little. I lurched unsteadily to my feet. Before the world stopped spinning in front of me, the bartender yanked my arm and rushed me out and down the stairs.

“Look! They’re all here—and not a single scratch on ‘em!”

“It’s her! The goddess! She of eternal life—her blessings held true!”

Boisterous cheers and laughter filled the air. They were shouts of not just victor’s pride but also amusement and disbelief. A miracle must have happened. Something beyond imagination—something beyond the reach of mortal men.

Their faces slowly stopped spinning, and I realised the truth of what the bartender had exclaimed. They were all here. Not a single face was missing. Not only were they present—they were unharmed.

“What… What happened? Was the operation called off?”

“No! Well, perhaps yes, if you ask the enemy! Hahaha!” a soldier exclaimed.

“No, you fool, they were there too! Although you couldn’t call them much of an enemy!”

They howled with laughter. However, I stood there, even more confused than before.

The bartender, with a smile of pity on his face, stepped towards me. “She’s a goddess! Show some respect and tell her what happened.”

“Respect? Please—I step out of the bathroom, hardly done zipping my trousers and the first thing I see is you slamming the door into her face! She of eternal life she may be, but I wouldn’t be surprised if you knocked a few years off her with that!”

They roared with laughter once more, clearly too drunk on victory (and ale) to care. They had changed completely from last night.

“Ah…” the bartender smiled sheepishly and leaned towards me. “Alright, well, here’s what happened. They were meant to assault a town we’d been sieging for a while last night. I say sieging, but it was more of just restricting the enemy’s supplies for a while, intercepting trade mules and cutting off water lines and such. Anyway, they marched up to the walls—and it seems there’d been a plague! Nearly everyone there was half-dead, swaying about like drunkards, some barely able to sit upright. Even so, they sent a handful of stragglers out with swords, their eyes rolling in their sockets. Naturally, we slaughtered and burned them all. Can’t take any risks with the sick—don’t even want them as prisoners. Either way, it was a total victory—frontal assaults are usually the bloodiest, and you can’t imagine how glad these men were to come home alive—unscathed, even!”

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

“So… nobody died?”

“Right. Nobody died. And it’s all thanks to you.”

“Me?”

“Don’t tell me you don’t remember—that was just a wee sip of draught you had. The blessings! You said you’d pray for them, and you did. You watched over them. Thank you. Thank you. And thank you. None of us expected something like this. Perhaps Lady Luck was on our side, and with your grace, led us to a perfect outcome. Who knows. All I can say is that—”

The wizened man from yesterday flopped onto the floor before me, but this time with his face turned upright.

“Thank you! Oh… oh my… you have no idea… I’ll kiss the earth you walk on from now on… and I’d gladly die tomorrow if I had to… Thank you for letting me live just a day longer… Thank you… There’s really nothing I can do to repay you, but I swear! I’ll visit the chapel daily! I’ll drag my sister out of bed too with me if I have to! Everything I save after buying her medicine, I’ll donate as tithes! Oh…” His words soon devolved into shameless bawling, and he had to be carried away by his subordinates, smiling sheepishly on his behalf.

“Well, he said everything I wanted to say, and perhaps a bit more. So that’s that.”

“I… see.”

“I know what you’re thinking. Or, well, maybe I don’t—you’re a deity, after all. But I talked to them before you woke up. Don’t worry—they won’t be hounding you for blessings or prayers or anything like that. In fact, they should be going to the priestess at the chapel for this stuff, but to be frank, a lot of them weren’t the god-fearing type till last night, and would have rather spent their coin on whores than tithes.

“But after the miracle you wrought last night, things have changed. We’ve blasphemed, but we’re changing. We’ve changed. And we’ll never lose sight of you and your generosity. We won’t be bothering you anymore, but…”

I eyed him curiously. Another favour?

“Perhaps… you could stay with us a little longer? This inn isn’t a place befitting your stature—the chapel would be honoured to have you. Your mere presence in this town is working wonders. The news has already spread, and the town seems happier for it. Full of hope—I can see it in their eyes. Imagine how they’d feel to know that you—the goddess herself—is present in the flesh at the very chapel they pray at! I know how insolent it is to demand this of you, but—please stay with us!”

The chapel. I had walked past it at some point; it was a cathedral of sorts, ornate and extravagant in its architecture. From a brief peek through its windows its furnishings and interior had seemed almost palatial. The clergy must live a lavish life here. Me, a cave dweller sleeping first on rock, then a mat in my cottage, then a featherbed in an inn, and now a chapel fit for royalty? What a joke.

I was undeserving. What had I done? Nothing. All I offered were empty words and promises. The plague was pure coincidence. I had nothing to do with it. The effect was there, but the cause lay elsewhere. Bad luck, perhaps. Or poor outbreak control. Either way, there was no reason why I should be offered a home for free in exchange. What if the plague hadn’t happened? They’d have been massacred. What then? What would they have thought of the supposed goddess that had led them all to their deaths? I shivered at the thought.

That being said, my heart was one that had been ripped to shreds and ground to dust by time. I could not find room in it for guilt or conscience. Forgive me, a goddess for such material thoughts, but the night I spent in that featherbed had nearly brought me to tears. It had felt so warm, so safe, so intoxicatingly secure. I could not pass up the opportunity for more luxury. Had I not struggled enough? All this time I never considered reward or compensation for my suffering, but here it was being offered to me on a platter just for a few kind words. Is this okay?

“I accept. Please guide me to the chapel.”