I awoke the next morning to the sound of a bell as a soldier marched through the hall, alerting everyone that the shifts were changing. The clanging rang in my ears, rocking my head despite my unexpected well rest. Below me Rose groaned and tried to sleep again until the bell ringer spotted her and rang the bell as close as possible. She immediately swiped the bell out of his hand and grumbled as she sat up, insisting she was awake.

"What, didn't get a good night's sleep?" I joked from above.

"I can't exactly call it sleep, but yeah, it was good actually."

I opened my mouth to respond but was stopped as Cole entered the hall, walking towards me.

"Mortemer, Rose, I have news. Come eat with me," they said, beckoning me down.

Rose and Balfid trailed behind as we followed Cole to the mess hall, greeted by a fantastic scent. I had never experienced a similarly beautiful smell; even at many of the King's feasts the food's odor failed to meet this one. I was taken aback and stopped in my tracks, clutching at my chest, gasping for air as my mouth filled with drool.

"You think the smell is good? You haven't even tasted it yet." Cole gave me a smirk and guided me to a table, ordering one of the cooks to bring us some food.

"I am surprised this smell could exist, from a military's mess hall no doubt," I stammered, still out of breath from the magnificent smell.

"We have a lot of time to kill at this fort. A lot of the soldiers find some new hobbies and other creative ways to fill the time. A few chose to pursue cooking and have perfected their skills for years, luckily for the rest of us."

As if prompted, a proud scherthara dropped a full plate in front of each of us. A sizzling delight of vegetables touched every color I could imagine, glazed and spiced to perfection. Although I had not expected meat, given the scherthara vegan diet, I never expected something so complex!

“Uhh, where’s the meat?” Rose poked at it, disappointed.

“Rose—I—” Cole obviously couldn’t think up a response, shaking their head and biting into their food.

I did the same, melting in place by the pure magical flavor. Even though Rose was reluctant, I could see her eyes roll into the back of her head as well. When I looked back to my plate for another bite though, it was gone! I had finished the entire thing already!

"H-how could they make something like this?" I gasped.

"They've practiced for years. We have farmers and gatherers that catch fresh food once a week in the forest near here. Our cooks are always finding new ways to cook and prepare it. I’ve never had the exact same dish twice. They're very impressive."

"I'll say… Even the King's personal chefs cannot create food as delicious as this!"

"And I wouldn't expect them to. Now, I did need you beyond showing off the chefs here. I was up nearly all night and morning narrowing down the source of the magic, and I finally found it."

Cole pulled a map from their bag, leaning over in interest as they showed it to me.

"It's coming from this old keep right here, Fort Prairie. It used to be along a popular trading route, but once Bannon started to grow, the road redirected to that town and bypassed the fort entirely. It's been abandoned ever since, and has no real strategic importance anymore since the fort at Bannon serves that area now. I assumed whatever reader cast this magic would be holed up in a place like this but I had to make sure."

"When will we depart?"

"Today. I don't want to take the risk of waiting any longer. My troops are more than ready for a fight. That brings me to you though. I'll be reading spells most of the time and won't be able to defend myself from physical attacks. Given your title, I have no doubt of your capabilities, therefore I would like you to protect me as I read."

"Then I will do so with honor."

"Thank you Mortemer. One more thing, I received the original plans for the fort from one of our scholars, and we have a detailed map of the inside layout." Cole pulled out another map, drawn out on it were the blueprints for the abandoned fort.

"There is a small postern gate right here. It will be hard for all of our soldiers to get through, but maybe once we're inside we can open the main gate. I'll be quite honest however, I'm not sure what we're up against. I don't have time to send scouts and I fear for their safety if they were to get close to this magic alone. Therefore, a lot of our plans might have to adapt once we get there. Any questions?"

"No, I've heard all I need."

"Good. We'll depart in an hour, prepare yourself."

⧫

It had been a long march through the rain, but after riding through many hills and moist plains, the old fort came into view, obscured partly by mist while the walls shimmered with wet stone. Cole motioned for us to stop before riding ahead a bit to face us and give a small speech.

"Hi everyone! I’ll be taking point for this operation, so use my spells as cover. We're going to begin our attack on my command. We don't know who we're facing up against, so be on your toes. You're all like family to me, so watch each other like one! Let's begin this operation. Go wait by the gates. Mortemer and crew, you're with me."

With that Cole turned back around and led our force of around two hundred towards the castle. Most were to stay at the front gate as a distraction while a few of us discreetly went through the postern located in the rear. The plan had flaws, but we weren't sure what we'd find in the abandoned fort, so we were forced to follow the best plan Cole could come up with. As we reached the rear of the castle though, we realized the postern gate was open.

"That's odd…" Cole commented. "I was fully prepared to read some magic on the gate."

We proceeded slowly and cautiously. I gripped my polearm even tighter as we turned about, watching for any ambush or surprise. As we entered the bailey, the rest of our force met up with us through the main gate, their expressions just as confused as ours.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" a soldier asked.

"Shh, there is strong magic here…" Cole looked tense as they grasped at their scroll pack, ready for anything. The rest of us were dead quiet.

Suddenly, we heard a loud thump and turned to see a mass of shambling BONES breaking through the ground, ancient debris soaking the BONES along with the other dirt and grime. A single skull led the pack, magic runes carved into the forehead, and the rest of the skeleton whipped around in a cloud of gray magic, swirling about until its hands procured a sword made of BONES.

As more flurries of skeletons burst from the ground, every gate in the castle closed at once, startling many of our soldiers as they prepared for combat. Most were confused however, how the basement do you fight skeletons?

"Go for the runes! Break them!" Cole shouted, immediately rolling out a scroll and reading it off intensely. Exploding bursts of flame shot in all directions from the scroll, destroying several skeletons. There were hundreds however, and although their movements weren't advanced, they outnumbered us by many.

I gripped my polearm and whacked the nearest skull with it, hitting the runes straight on with the hammer end of the axe and causing the BONES to dissipate and fall to the ground. More spinning BONES produced a barely audible whoosh as I spun to strike another behind me. I turned again to see another skull shatter right by me, hearing an invisible Rose yell “You're welcome!” before I turned to the next skeleton in line. Balfid's arrows were accurately impacting the skulls, already thinning the force. We were holding up, despite my disappointment upon seeing a couple soldiers fall prey to the BONES.

"Mortemer! We can't keep this up!" Cole yelled, taking a brief break in their reading. "We need to find the source of this magic! Our soldiers can hold their own, let's get inside! Rose, come with us!"

They read another spell that cleared a path to the keep's entrance, blowing masses of BONES to the side which quickly reformed. I ran behind them, hearing Rose panting beside me as we both knocked away the skulls that came too close. With another swing of my poleaxe, I incapacitated the final shamble of BONES in front of the entrance and we all slipped inside.

Not taking a break, Cole began reading another spell, murmuring under their breath as I kept a lookout for more enemies. The keep wasn't terribly large and only seemed to be three stories tall. It was obviously built for a small garrison and my skin crawled in anticipation as I knew the mastermind must be close. Cole put away the scroll they were reading and extracted another, holding it open in front of them as we walked through the keep.

They guided us upstairs, from which I could hear a strange sound. It sounded of wind and a sort of twinkling, like glass falling onto stone. I assumed it was magic, though the sound was unlike anything I had ever heard before. As we reached the top of the stairs, I slowly opened the door, entering first to protect Cole who would be vulnerable.

Inside was a room lined with shelves, hundreds of scrolls stacked across them. A magical wind whirled about the room, centering around a large runestone, shaped like a cone and reaching the height of my chest. The magical words inscribed were still glowing, and at the end of the room next to a window was a large desk, sitting in it a man in black armor, jet black hair with red streaks flowing down his back. A mound of smoldering paper laid on the desk, slowly dissipating from a magic flame. On either side of him were two enormous women, their armor making their bulging muscles look even more massive than I suspected they were.

"You! Stop this!" Cole shouted, destroying the runestone with their scroll.

The man at the desk slowly chuckled. I stepped closer, ready for anything.

All three of them turned, slowly, almost as if they weren't surprised by our presence at all.

The man gave us a smirk, then emitted an aggressive "rawr." His allegiance dawned on me as I saw the insignia emblazoned on his waffenrock. He was a Lord of Edge.

Just then, chaos ensued as the Edge Lord whipped out a scroll and began reading it faster than I had ever heard. A bolt of fire shot at us but was deflected by Cole's own muttering, which had started moments before. The two enormous women unsheathed massive greatswords and charged at me, trying to get me away from Cole.

As one of the women swung, I caught it with my axe and moved her sword to the side, maneuvering my polearm around to hit her exposed side. She quickly deflected though, and moved to an upper guard before thrusting. I caught the sword with my poleaxe and quickly pushed it down to the side, taking her balance and striking her exposed armpit as she stumbled.

It was too soon to celebrate however as I felt a blow to my side landed by the second woman, my armor barely protecting me. As she moved in for another strike, I managed to step out of the way and knock her sword back, pointing my polearm again at the first woman. Though injured, she was attempting another swing to my left, so I poised my axe to catch her blow then thrusted at the second woman to the right. She deflected again and I prepared for another attack. The first woman poked at me while the second tried to hit my back. I stepped away from the first and hit aside the second's blade, bringing my axe around to hit her head, knocking her over.

As I turned to the second, I hit aside another attack and thrust forward, then feinted to the side to strike her left. She saw it coming though and knocked my swing off, replacing it with her own going for my exposed right. Not able to move quick enough, I stepped back, barely dodging the swing. As I took a moment to collect myself, I heard a stabbing noise and turned just in time to see blood spurt out of the first woman's eye slit. That distraction was just what I needed for the first woman who had looked momentarily in her follow up attack. As she swung, I wedged her sword in my axe, and sliding it up to her hilt, pushed the sword out of her hand. As it clanged to the ground I withdrew to thrust my weapon into the woman's eye slit. Not wasting a moment, I turned to see how Cole was doing.

They were still heartedly reading off spells and defenses, profusely furrowed as they battled the Lord of Edge. I heard Rose whisper "hels" as she reappeared behind the Lord, holding him in a headlock with a knife to his throat. The Edge Lord immediately stopped talking, a look of fear in his eyes as I too approached. He looked around to find his goons and his eyes grew even wider as he saw the two women dead on the floor.

"Now, let's have a civil conversation should we? Mortemer, destroy the skull on the desk," Cole said, pointing. I quickly carried out their orders. "You're the one responsible for the weather that's been plaguing Dolrin. What say you in your defense?"

"I was only carrying out my duties."

"Which are?"

"Weather studies. In Dolrin."

“Bullshit. Who ordered you here?"

"He's a Lord of Edge," I inputted.

"Really?"

"Yes, I recognize the insignia. I'll tell you more later."

"Thanks for the info. Now, scum, why'd they send you here?"

"I'll never tell you and you won't find out. All my orders were destroyed as soon as I sensed your presence. I've felt you scouring my magic for weeks, I knew you'd come here."

"You weren't terribly prepared then."

"Oh I definitely underestimated you… I didn't expect you to bring a Lord of your own."

"Wait, how do you know me? I have never interacted with your court directly," I inquired.

"Please, kill me or imprison me. I'm sure we all have better things to be doing."

Cole nodded and looked up. "Rose?"

Rose nodded back and slit the Lord's throat. He fell to the ground, limp.

"Well damn. At least we stopped the weather problem," Cole sighed. “I don't like that we're a target though. We'll talk more back at the fort. I need to relay a message to the Queen. Let's head out."

Outside, the bones had all fallen to the ground motionless, scattered among the few bodies. The living had sequestered themselves inside, waiting for Cole outside the rain. Among the gray sea of scherthara, I couldn't see the typical brown of a human.

"Balfid?" Nobody responded.

Cole had already begun looking through the bodies, and so I joined them. We spotted Balfid quickly, their face lifeless. They still held their bow, their body covered in BONES. Rose looked sadder than I expected, but not compared to me. Like a small child, I fell unto my knees and wept. I then collapsed on my side and cried even harder, even more saddened getting covered in mud.

I was a messy, smelly, gross, mess of a man, crying for my closest friend. Rose tried to squat down and give a consoling pat, a look of pain on her face. I unfortunately was writhing in the mud, splashing her and forcing her back. She exclaimed a quick "EW!" before wiping her fur clean.

Unable to transport the dead back, we buried them nearby the fort in a peaceful hill, the wet dirt making it easy with Cole's scrolls. Everyone was laid peacefully next to each other; ten buried, Balfid on the end. I didn't say anything as Cole moved the dirt back on top of them, the rain mixing with my tears.

⧫

We had just returned to the fort and Cole was away talking to the Queen, leaving the rest of us alone to relax after the battle. Luckily the rest of our casualties were low given our speed, but I definitely couldn't feel at peace. Regardless, I was relieved things went well and was trying to calm down after taking a bath. Rose had also just finished up. She looked sadly uncomfortable as she joined me at a bench, sinking in before speaking.

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"Hey, know I took my time, but that sucks. Balfid dying. How are you holding up?"

That was perhaps the worst way she could have phrased things to me, for I broke down into more uncontrollable weeping. Rose gave me a few awkward pats while waiting for me to come down, shaking and shivering, wailing and whimpering. When I stopped there were still a few sobs remaining.

"I'm fine."

"You're clearly not! No worries though, I liked them too. Wish I could have seen them grow."

"I thought you didn't like them... You two were always butting heads."

"I was messing around with them sure, but they came around. We uhhh... had sex a couple nights ago."

"WHAT?!"

"I was messing around with them sure, but they came around. We uh had sex a couple nights ago."

"No I heard you! I just didn't expect it, especially from such a Daddy fearing person."

"Oh is it sinful to fuck before marriage or something?"

"No, that's not the part. In order to have casual sex under G-Daddy's gaze, one must sacrifice their firstborn. And Balfid never had a kid."

"What? That's fucked! I'm glad I at least got them some action before... well..."

"Yeah, I hope G-Daddy didn't send them to the Bad Basement for that..."

"Dude, you've killed how many people and that's what you're worried about?"

"G-Daddy says nothing about cold blooded murder! There is that one time I ate cake before thanking him for it, shit! Lord G-Daddy, please forgive me, but I have eaten a cake! Smite me! Spite me! Anything to prove my loyalty! I would never eat again to meet your wishes, so please, bless this postmortem cake!"

"Meez what the hell was that?"

"A prayer."

"Hah! Well, I'm ready to get out of here. Dolrin that is. Honestly, this fort is really nice. I've made a couple friends," she said, smiling and waving at a scherthara girl on the far side of the room who waved back.

"That's good to hear. Do you want to join the military?"

"Hell no. If I'll be honest, that battle scared me a bit. I know I was invisible, but I hesitated for way too long, and you… well, you just dove straight in with the whacking and stuff and I didn't have time to react. I didn't even know how to. I'm sorry."

"There's no need to apologize, you were a great help. You're also not a trained soldier, don't be so hard on yourself. Any skill I have is from decades of training."

"Oh yeah, I forgot you're privileged. I do want to get better though."

"Was that your first time in a fight like that?"

"No, actually. Let's just say… sometimes people don't like it when I steal their precious stuff and they send people after me. Usually guards are too busy for petty stuff like that, so they pay some mercs to come and fuck me up. A lot of times I turned invisible and ran away, but I had to fight a few times. Once I forgot my amulet and I couldn't turn invisible, so I tried fighting back. I'd sorta practiced before because I wanted to know how to protect myself, but it still caught me off guard. I cut them up with my claws badly enough to where they ran off, but I was honestly in worse shape. I spent weeks in a temple getting healed."

"A temple?"

"Yeah? What's it to you? They always have healers in temples and apparently their daddy won't let them take money for it and I was a broke bitch at the time."

"You don't seem like the religious type."

"Oh I used to be. I didn't follow G-Daddy though, scherthara have a different religion. We're supposed to follow a spiritual matron god named Mum. I used to actually believe in her."

"What changed your mind?"

"The usual, I guess. Started pretty disillusioned anyhow, but then I had a friend who was a natural born seer. She could see into the future and would like to share what she saw with me. There were endless outcomes, and each week she could give me a synopsis of a whole different timeline based on only one different decision. It was kind of like a game we’d play. She'd ask me to name a possibility or choice or thing that could happen and she'd see the future based on that choice. Every single future she saw was filled with violence and inexplicable hardship, and most was caused by religion and imperialism justified by the religion.

“Every faith tries to teach us our god loves us, but then their followers use it to fuel their ego, justify their hate. Especially the several propaganda machines that are fueled by religious fanaticism. That, and it just never felt right. Religion doesn't have any kind of logical basis, it's just a bunch of old dudes telling you how to live and for what? Just to not go to the Bad Basement? That's a dumb reason to follow everything the church dictates."

"Don't let the church catch you saying any of that."

"They can catch me all they want. I'd love to see them try and do something. I know there's a lot of people who'd agree with me, there has to be. I mean fine, make me a martyr or whatever."

"What about your seer friend? Her power sounds amazing, I'm surprised the whole kingdom isn't seeking her vision."

"Well, the problem is that the future isn't set in stone. There are way too many variables and like I said before, one small difference can throw us into a completely different time line. It grants her incredible wisdom and foresight, but most people expected a gimmick out of her, like basic fake fortune teller shit. But she'd just spew off a number of possibilities and choices and people would be disappointed. It's like they don't want to make decisions for themselves. Maybe that's why I stopped following religion. I hated seeing them being controlled, I hated seeing my brother being controlled, all the religious zealots, and then I never got over being controlled by the Queen."

"The Queen?"

"Damn, just ignore me… I don't even know what I meant, that's not really how I feel. Nevermind."

Rose tried to laugh her slip up off but I only grew more suspicious. What had she done with the Queen, and was that why everyone knew her? I didn't want to press her though, so I tried to find a new subject despite my surrounding thoughts. I didn't have an opportunity, however, as Cole entered the room.

"Mortemer. We need to talk about the Lords of Edge. I want to know everything about them."

"I don't know a whole lot, just what I was taught in diplomacy to become a Lord."

"Anything you can tell me will be helpful. Also, the Queen has heard of them; she told me their headquarters is in Maegiira. I'll get to that later though."

"Okay. Well, apart from Virginia and Kansas, the Lords of Edge are the only humans independent from either empire. They've taken a neutral stance in the war, but that wasn't a surprise as they've done the same in past wars. They follow the same training as Lords from Virginia do, but I've heard their training is stricter and focuses on a different moral code. Although they're independent, they've never posed much significance and thus been ignored. That's why their involvement is so strange to me. They're usually quiet and keep to themselves. I also spotted one of their Lords in San Diego right before the attack. From eyewitness reports, he may have been the one leading the siege."

"Hmm, that is strange they'd be meddling in foreign affairs. And you said they're neutral in your human war?"

"Yes."

"Curious. This is a guess of course, but I question the validity of that claim. They may not be honest about their neutrality."

"I fear the same, but without proof Virginia won't listen. We have a treaty with the Lords of Edge."

"Well, if they are picking a side, a treaty won't matter too much. If they break it what will happen? They'll go to war? If they aren't trustworthy, I would be cautious about relying on that treaty."

"That is good advice. Anyways, you mentioned the Queen knows their center of operations?"

"Yes, they are located in Maegiira, I doubt the brestyrians would be fine if they were connected to this war. The Queen can explain more to you. She asks that you have a final council with her before you leave."

"I will return to Braetol then. I am eager to investigate these Lords…"

⧫

As Rose, Cole, and I approached Braetol, there was a murmur among the guards as they stared at us. For what reason I didn’t know, but I carried on to our audience with the Queen. As we passed, Cole was saluted by every soldier, an indifferently confident look on their face as they led us into the Queen’s greeting hall.

“My Leadership,” Cole bowed.

“I am very thankful, Cole, as always. And Mortemer, Cole tells me you were an invaluable asset. I extend my thanks to you as well,” the Queen stated, a small smile on her face.

“I am humbled, your Leadership,” I bowed.

“Now that the threat has been dealt with, I am more than willing to negotiate, my Lord. I can grant you the service of Cole along with their choice of soldiers to retake San Diego. I assume you two would continue to work well together. However, although the threat of the magic has been dealt with, the reason is still unclear. We know the Lords of Edge were involved, but we don’t know in what capacity. I imagine you also wish to investigate them for your own reasons, so it would seem that our goals align with each other. I’d therefore like your assistance in negating the threat against Dolrin from the Lords of Edge. Whether it would require your investigation, time, or combat, if the threat is neutralized I will grant you more than the troops you need to take back San Diego. Do you agree to these terms? I hope they are generous enough.”

“Your leadership, that is an offer I cannot refuse. You have my word that Dolrin will be safe from the Lords of Edge. After all, it seems they are a threat to many more than even ourselves.”

“Exactly, I’d hoped you’d see things that way. We have intelligence that the Lords of Edge lead from the underground city of Burmaise in Maegiira. Unfortunately, I do not know any more. That is all, my Lord.”

“Of course your Leadership, it will be done.” I bowed once again and turned to walk out, but was stopped as the Queen spoke again.

“Rose, I need to speak with you. In private.”

Rose’s already nervous face expanded in shock, her eyes flashing me a nervous glance. I told her I would wait outside and gave a short, hopefully reassuring, nod before exiting.

⧫

Rose stood still at the end of the hall, several meters away from the Queen. She gazed at Rose with a sad expression while the guards and court members filed out to give the two privacy.

“Rose… I—” the Queen stammered when they were finally alone. “What I put you through… I’ve lost countless nights for it. I can never forgive myself. It was wrong and I betrayed you. I’m so sorry.”

Rose was in shock, out of all the things she expected, an apology wasn’t one of them. She had moved past needing one many years ago. But also unexpected was the Queen dropping her formal facade. Her stoic, calm, collected, and pleasant face had broken and was now showing the strain of her emotions. Rose was taken aback as her defenses came down, seeing Daisy again as the woman she had once loved.

“I don’t expect forgiveness… I just want you to know I haven’t forgotten what I put you through.”

Rose opened her mouth but had forgotten to choose any words, and she struggled to find any. What was she supposed to say? The stress was becoming too much and she could feel years old emotions flowing back into her, the pain and the longing she had felt all surging back. As Rose began to cry, she muttered “hels” and turned invisible. She didn’t really have a reason to, but she just wanted to be as small as possible. Bringing back these feelings had been one of her greatest fears, yet now she had to face them again.

“Rose, Please!” Daisy broke down and bent over, sobbing.

As both their tears began to dry, Rose turned herself visible again, which seemed to surprise Daisy.

“Oh, you’re still here?”

“Yeah. I’m sorry, it was a gut reaction,” Rose replied, trying to smile as her eyes still watered.

“I understand, you probably weren’t expecting any of this… I just didn’t know when, or if I’d get to see you again.”

“I don’t really know what to say.”

“I understand. I know things are difficult between us. I don’t know if it’s even fixable. But could you grant me one wish please? I would like to at least keep in touch. I missed you.”

“I missed you too.”

Daisy looked like she was supposed to get excited but she appeared to grow even more nervous as she clambered around her person, searching her pockets until she found a small contact scroll.

“Here, take this. I want it to be your initiative whether you contact me or not.”

“Daisy, I… I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything, Rose. Just know, I still love you.”

“I don’t know how you can say that, but thanks. Bye.”

Rose was flustered as she turned and shuffled out, leaving Daisy to look wistfully after her.

⧫

I sat outside on a bench waiting until Rose finally emerged from the building, a shaken, if not disturbed look on her face. The few people that were surrounding the entrance fled as a result, cupping their ears to the door to listen in. Rose shook her head after them before turning to face me.

"Is everything okay?" I asked, concerned.

"No."

"What's wrong?"

"I… I don't really wanna talk about it if I'll be honest, I'm sorry."

"Don't worry, I won't force you. I'm here if you need to talk however."

I tried not to give a worried look at Rose, quite concerned about what she went through. The drama from the Queen hung over my head, and it seemed Rose’s as well. Although I didn’t know what animosity existed between them, I only hoped to make Rose feel better.

"Um, Mortemer? Have you ever been in a relationship? Like, a romantic one?" Rose asked as we began to exit the city, heading towards Maegiira.

"Once. It was far from successful though. The sexual machinations of people have always confused me and I'll admit, the whole thing felt rather forced. To say I didn't enjoy it is an understatement, but I did like zir and we’re still good pen pals."

"I see. So, we're going to Maegiira?"

"Yes. Have you been?"

"No, my brother wanted to go to Burmaise when we lived in Dolrin, but after we left he switched focus."

"On what?"

"Well, to be frank, money. We were poor and he thought money would fix our problems. Before he left he promised me he would become rich for us. You know, make us posh and everything. Instead he never returned and I became a thief in Ohio."

"That does indeed sound rough…"

"Oh you don't need to worry about me, that was years ago."

Her face turned sour and away from me as we rode away from Dolrin, a frown filling her lips. I questioned her again but she assured me she was fine, and so I dropped the subject, hoping I could be there in ways besides speech.

Although Rose confused me, and her intentions felt suspicious at first, she remained a solid companion. She easily filled the empty spot Balfid had once held. And although I still felt relatively distant to her, her personality was fresh and new. I was curious as to where she had procured her patterns of speech, but I felt asking would single her out to the point of discomfort. And so instead I rode in silence, reveling in our newfound companionship.

As the day began to subside, we found a secluded spot along the road and began to set up camp, starting a fire and roasting the eggplants we had bought in Dolrin. Rose remained unusually quiet, making me quite suspicious. I could tell she was troubled, but I didn't dare to pressure her into talking. Her baggage was hers to share. We ate in silence, and although she ate calmly, I could tell she was truly the one being eaten. But by what?

The plains of Dolrin darkened slowly, and before we knew it night had fallen. I extracted a candle and lit it, illuminating the both of us in such a dim light it was hard to find our packs and get to sleep. We managed it however, and the candle was extinguished, only the moonlight illuminating our camp through the trees.

As I laid down, I began to reflect on the past few days, finding it difficult to sleep as my mind buzzed, trying to process everything. As the time passed by however, I began to hear a faint crying coming from Rose. I thought at first I may have misheard, but one loud whimper made herself known and I slowly sat up.

"Rose? Are you alright?"

Her sobbing quieted down but she didn't reply. I could see her shaking slightly in the diffused moonlight. I stood up and walked over, offering to help her up to give her a fat hug. She seemed to know what I was doing as she stood up and we embraced as friends.

"I probably owe you an explanation, don't I," Rose finally said after a long hug, her voice broken.

"I am curious, but you don't owe me anything Rose. Only explain if you are comfortable doing so."

She silently nodded and sat down by the simmering fire, throwing some wood on it and bringing us light and warmth to talk in.

"Well," she began. "You know the Queen? Well, we used to have a thing, and we were actually really close…"

She told me a wild and tragic tale of her infatuation with the Queen and her betrayal, her voice cracking during the best and worst moments of her story. I even felt my own eyes water as she broke down again.

"And that's why every scherthara knows me. They think I'm a slut who took advantage of the Queen."

"I see. I'm terribly sorry, Rose. What you've been through, you surely don't deserve."

"Those are old wounds though. I got over all of this years ago… But after talking to her… I just feel so fucking stupid, like I know I shouldn't be feeling this way, I know it's dumb to be out here crying while she clearly moved on and didn't give a shit. Like, I was nothing to her until we came back, she probably never gave me a second thought… So why do I let her get into my head like this? Fucking mum…"

"Rose, there's nothing wrong with you. Healing doesn't have a set time frame. What you went through sounds traumatizing, it makes sense that those events would still concern you."

"Thanks Morty. I guess I'm just frustrated. I thought I got over all this already."

"Did seeing her bring those emotions back?"

"No, not at first. I thought I was angry, or upset at her, but that all just fell away and I felt weak around her, just like I always used to. All I wanted was her back in that moment."

There was only a single sob in that sentence; her tears began to clear up. But then her eyes spat out a fresh stream and she sat up, taking the hit with a whimper. I put an arm around her shoulder and a hand on her shoulder, patting them both in a really cool rhythm. I got too carried away though, and was beginning to strike Rose with more intensity, so I shyly stopped my movements.

"She apologized and gave me her contact scroll. I hate she put the decision in my hands."

"I can see how you'd be confused. She doesn't seem very direct."

"Exactly, I don't know what she's playing at. She's… she's a complete stranger to me now… I mean, she might still be the same, I don't know, but that's the problem; I don't know. What she did was horrible, and I know she apologized, but it almost made me feel worse. She's the Queen for fuck's sake, if she really felt bad and wanted to talk to me again, she could've found me or wrote me or something, not waited until she was basically forced to speak with me. I also feel like that's asking for too much though."

"Rose, that's a small task for someone in love."

"Yeah, but she doesn't love me and that's all I ever wanted from her."

She broke down again and wept even harder, her face scrunching up and the fur around her eyes matted. I hugged her again to hopefully comfort her. I hadn't expected to ever see Rose like that given her character, but listening to her made sense of her attributes. Once Rose stopped crying, she fell into silence, avoiding looking at me. She looked tired, mentally and physically, and so I suggested that we put out the fire and tried to sleep again.

"Mortemer, thanks for talking. I know I still look like a mess, but it really helped. Sorry you had to see me this way."

"There's nothing to apologize for, Rose. You're my friend after all."

"You're such a cheese, oh my mum. Goodnight Mortemer!"