Where am I? Ed’s body ached all over as he opened his weary eyes to look upon the wooden roof. His head throbbed and his vision blurred, but he felt a sense of familiarity, like he had woken up to this roof hundreds of times before.

“Thank the Lord you’re awake.” A soft voice called to him from his side.

Miriam. He struggled to turn his head to face her, his neck creaked with the strain, but he smiled when he saw his wife’s face.

Miriam was a slightly plump woman with long, mousey brown hair. She had a small nose, thin lips, and narrow, hazel eyes. She was dressed in a simple floor length brown dress and an apron covered in flour.

She worked as the castle baker for Lord Ingvar and had met Ed a few years ago when he first started working as a guard.

The two quickly grew fond of each other, spending their spare time together. Whenever Ed was exhausted from training, she would be there to comfort him with a fresh loaf of bread.

The two had been married for over a year now, with their parents eagerly pushing them to give them grandchildren.

“Stop moving, you need to rest.” Miriam said.

“What happened?” Ed’s voice was hoarse, and he suddenly was aware of just how dry his mouth and throat was.

Miriam brought a mug of water to his lips to help him drink.

He greedily quenched his thirst, causing water to dribble out the sides of his mouth. He groaned in satisfaction as he drained the mug of its contents. He tried to sit up, but he felt his entire body fight against him. “Ow. What happened?”

“You got hurt in battle. Elder Bratha did his best, but he said that you’ll still have to rest for a while.” Miriam explained, sitting down on the bed next to him and gently cupping his hand.

Elder Bratha healed me? How nice of him. Ed had seen the elder many times when he was on duty in the castle, but he had never expected to be healed by him. Especially after witnessing him cast such a large fireball. He must be exhausted.

“How is he doing?” Ed asked.

“He’s doing fine. A little tired after clearing up the battlefield, but he’s resting in his wizard tower now.” She said.

Her words brought his mind back to the battle. The sweat, the heat, the constant clanging of metal on metal. “Did we win?” He asked, only to immediately feel foolish for asking such a stupid question.

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Miriam didn’t belittle him however. She squeezed his hand gently and smiled kindly at him. “Yes. We won.”

Comforted by her smile, he fell asleep.

~

“What do you mean you failed?” Zara slammed a heavy, gauntleted fist down onto the table, causing her mug of ale to spill onto the large map. “Idiots!” She swept the mug off in frustration, and stared at the general standing in front of her with a cold glare.

“They had a wizard. He was too powerful.” The general withered under her gaze, barely able to get his words out.

“Do our scouting reports mean nothing to you?” She shouted, tossing a stack of papers at him. “We already knew about the wizard. How did you still fail?”

“Well I-I" The general stuttered, scrambling over his words.

“Get out!” Zara roared.

The general ran through the tent flaps like his life depended on it.

Left alone, Zara slunk back into her chair with a sigh. “Do I have to do everything around here? Useless morons.” She muttered. She reached for where the mug was on the table, only for her hand to come up empty. “Right.”

“Are you feeling okay Zara? You seem frustrated.” A hauntingly enchanting voice called out as a woman dressed in a sheer black ceremonial robe and carrying a lit censer entered the command tent. Smoke drifted through the air, filling the tent with a faint, floral scent.

Zara took in a whiff of the smoke, and immediately felt calmer. “Madam Astoria, how grateful I am to see you.”

“I take it things didn’t go well?” She asked, sauntering over to sit seductively on the table facing Zara. The smoke continued to fill the air.

Zara’s gaze trailed up Astoria’s body before stopping at her flawless, bewitching face. “My soldiers failed to take the castle.” Zara breathed in more smoke with each breath she took, falling deeper under Astoria’s spell.

Astoria’s eyes were as enchanting as the night sky and as bottomless as the ocean. She gripped Zara’s chin gently with her long, talon like nails, making her stare deep into her eyes. “Then you know what you must do.” She whispered, her words echoing in Zara’s mind.

“Yes milady.” Zara said slowly, her mind covered in a thick haze as she lost herself in Astoria’s eyes. There was nothing left in her world but Astoria.

The smoke filled the tent, replacing the air itself and making it impossible for anyone to see what was happening. Despite the clear openings, the smoke seemed to have a mind of its own, remaining inside the tent and not seeping out at all.

“Take the keep.”

“Kill them all.”

“Show them why you should be feared.”

Astoria’s voice echoed throughout the smoke. Caressing Zara’s cheek, Astoria faded away with the smoke, as the command post quickly returned to normal.

Zara sat there for a few minutes before she became lucid again. She shook herself off and grabbed her helmet and battleaxe before leaving the tent. “Get someone to clean up the mess in there.” She said to one of the guards standing at the entrance as she walked over to the general from before.

The guard stepped into the tent behind Zara to get it done quickly.

The general flinched as he saw Zara walking towards him.

“Ready my horse.” She said.

“Of course.” He forced a smile. “Where are you going milady?”

“To finish things myself.”