"I need a shower and real sleep", Meroa was crushed mentally and physically, "you will have to hold the fort for six hours until I come back"
"Easily done", unexpectedly came from the fairy boar, "I can hold this siege for six days without trouble"
Looking quizzically at Allen she finally sighed, "if you can't then it was immpossible anyway", seeming sad, "I was ready to give up and despawn when you charged down the pass", frustrated, "if you came in yesterday before that damn Player frost giant showed up we could fly away", shrugging she settled down against a wall and logged off.
Caught in her father's arms as he helped remove the rig, then princess carried her in silence to an already filled bath where her mother and sister helped her take the sweaty suit off and gently floated her down the tub.
The hot water covering every part of her body soaked her strained muscles as she slowly relaxed into the floating bliss of sleep.
Waking up to Hatula holding her was a childhood comfort she snuggled into, "you are awesome", the words warming her heart, "I was so scared but you just stood there against all odds and kicked ass"
Smiling at the complements Meroa thrned to her sister, "it seems I wrecked your legacy avatar", with sadness, "you deserve it much more than me", adding, "I almost had it disintegrated twice", finishing, "even if I do get out of that siege alive it's yours"
Eyes sparkling, "I understand", Hatula finally said, "and I really am sorry", pulling her sister in and holding her tight.
"What time is it?" The knowlege popping from her implant, "why didn't you wake me up four hours ago?" Jumping out of the bed she ran to her VR room but the door didn't accept her handprint.
As tears started welling up in her eyes from anger and frustration her father came into the hallway, "you need to eat", he beckoned for her to follow, "I will remove the parental lock after you finish dressing up and eat a full breakfast", smiling mischievously, "late lunch for us"
Blushing she ran back to her room and burst open the closet, quickly picking a simple summer dress, Hatula brought her slippers and they went to the dining room together but Hatula diverted their path toward the official dining hall reserved for hollydays, birthdays and other special occasions.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
The huge room was packed with family and guildmembers, seeing the holograms replaying the second day of the siege when a wave of direwolf riding Goliaths streamed down from her less defended flank and she had to create the inner keep even higher so they couldn't jump over it while her elementals were breaking their legs, it was a sadist tactic but killing the beasts took too much effort when a simpler though inhumane solution got results.
Then came the last time she logged off for a real meal and she noticed the silence in the room and everyone staring at her, starting with a single clap the noise washed over her so loud she fell into a chair, claps and hollers emboldened by shrill lilting cries and whistles accompanied by "well done" from her uncle and "that was epic" by a distant cousin, the congratulations kept pouring out and at some point her niece settled on Meroa's knees when she brought her a flower bouquet leading to more children vying for her attention and then being swept away as the food was brought out.
Eating in a pocket of silent close family members that gave her the space needed she still heard the arguments from down the table by enthusiastic guilders and uncles going through her battles in minute detail and arguing about every decision she made, aprreciating uncle Kavod's stalwart defense of her every action knowing in her heart she made more than a few mistakes.
One of the guilders shouted "collapsing the ledge to the north on the first armored nightmare was a mistake that an amateur wouldn't make", bringing the whole room to a halt.
"You can't judge the woman on the scene", Kavod broke the silence, "she couldn't know he was a lone scout and there wasn't time to fend off a cavalry charge with Goliath rock slingers pecking the wall on the other side", bringing back the talks to a very blushed guildman Freddy.
"What now?" Her father asked when she finished eating and the room went silent again as he loaded the last schematics of the castle with enlarged avatars of her three companions and the frost giant that had turned the tide.
"What is that pig monster?" One of the younger cousins asks only to be rebuked by "NO! This is a war council and we don't have time to start explaining every tiny detail either stay quiet or leave" which brough a hubbub of protest followed by older guilders escorting their younger family members out of the room with little protest.
"We need current intel", guild woman Tihara said, "why dont you pop in and out so we know what is going on?"
"I am already late", Meroa answerd in frustration, "if I log in and start helping I will be drawn into the fight", looking gloom, "and if I don't help they might think I gave up on them".
"Then it doesn't matter and you will just have to log in and do your best now that you are fed and rested", Tihara was right and all Meroa could do was sigh and hope she didn't need their advice for the next hour or so, and if she did then like Tihara said, it didn't matter.