Aura opened her eyes to see a wooden ceiling overhead, leaving her completely confused. The last thing she remembered was an icy chill and numb pain in her body. She still felt weak and cold, but she was warmer than before. Where was she? She was bundled so tight that she could barely move on what she thought was a cot. Aura tried to wiggle but stopped from the ache that filled her body.

"I wouldn't move much if I were you, sweetie. You have some nasty injuries." Rhys said as she stoked the fire. Aura nearly jumped at her words. "I apologize for the rude awakening, sweetie. There were two men eager to see what new woman strolled into town, and I didn't think you would be ready for that now." Rhys walked over and sat next to her house guest. "I don't want to push, but it would be easier if I knew a bit about you. My name's Rhys by the way."

Aura nodded, trying to sit up, but failing. Her mouth was dry as she tried to speak. "Wa...wat...er," she managed to mutter.

Rhys tilted Aura's head and held it up, bringing a cup of water to Aura's lips. Aura slurped down her drink, quenching her raw throat. Rhys gave an appropriate expression as moved to put the cup away.

"My name…is…Aura." Aura said to the best of her ability.

"Well, Aura, it's nice to meet you. You have a lovely name, much better than 'naked woman.' So much better!" Rhys gave a hearty chuckle.

"Naked woman?" Aura asked, confused by Rhys' words.

"That's what I called you. I didn't know your name, and you were completely naked when they pulled you out of the stream. How did you end up that way? You must have quite the story." Rhys blathering on, telling Aura all her thoughts and theories about Aura's identity.

Aura slowly remembered the events of that night and forced her exhausted body to reach the Village of Lilies. "Is this the Village of Lilies?" Aura hoped she had made it there. She could only imagine Dax tearing apart the forest looking for her, or perhaps she hoped he would.

"Yes, you made it here. Is there someone here who would know you? Like the eager Captain or the brutish elf?" Rhys exaggerated.

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"If you mean Dax of the Knights of the Land and Jalen, an elf from Le'Anisa, then yes. Those people know me." Aura said sarcastically, knowing Rhys had indeed met them.

"You must be quite the catch to have those two try to beat down my door to see you." Rhys laughed.

"For Jalen, no. He was my mentor before, so he's just a platonic kind of love. Dax though, I don't know. Maybe…" Aura blushed, making Rhys laugh harder.

"Aren't you brave going after the Captain!" Rhys nudged Aura, playfully. "I think I like you already!"

"Thank you, Rhys, for everything. How long until I can move again?" Aura questioned knowing her body was already healing faster than a human's pace. She needed to try to fake her injuries long enough to match the time frame.

Rhys pondered her question. Why would Aura be in such a hurry to recover? "Your wounds will probably be four weeks, but your ribs and swollen thigh could be six or more weeks." Rhys paused. She wondered if Aura would share her story or not. "Can you tell me how you got this way?"

Aura wasn't sure what to say. Jalen could have said any number of things. She opted for continuing her back story. "It started with me gathering herbs when some mercenaries grabbed me. I fought. Got away. Found my friend the 'brutish elf' in the hideout. We were ambushed in the forest again. I fought back until they ran away from the fire. The stream was my only escape until I got back here."

"Are you a guild member or a knight? Or a private guard? How did you get so skilled?" Rhys said with excitement. It wasn't often that she ran into other warrior women.

"I was a private guard of sorts. Now, I freely roam around Lunaris, helping anyone who needs it. There are many in need of protection, resources, and just general care. That's why I came in the first place to help the plagued villages." Aura shrugged. Her role in the world changed with each mission, so this blanket statement covers almost everything.

"That's awesome! We are similar in how we live our lives. Wait… Why are people after you?" Rhys questioned.

Aura shook her head laughing. "Let's just say who I guarded was not well-liked." Another half-truth Aura spun together based on her last mission working for a sleazy dark elf that had enslaved beast shifters as entertainment. Once the dark elf was dead, Aura helped the beast shifters leave Lunaris to Harenae, which has its own beast shifter country. Aura's clan had made the connection with the country of shifters when the last war ended. Her clan vowed to stay and protect the beast shifters after they received the polymorphic rings to disguise themselves as other races.

"That bad?" Rhys wondered.

"He had a collection of slaves. Some were races that I had not seen before like sprites and sirens. I firmly believe that he belonged in Exilium with the way he treated them." Aura clenched her fist, remembering what she had seen.

"Exilium?" Rhys scrunched her face trying to remember. She vaguely remembered it from a children's tale. "The birthplace of dragons?"

"Indeed, but many call it the place of the banished. Some say it has become the place of evil where many are tortured by the last dragon king. His minions are known as demons who find gruesome souls to feed to the dragon king." Aura said in her spooky voice.

Rhys sighed. "Okay. Enough storytelling for you. Time for some herbal tea and rest. You will have visitors in the morning."

Aura grinned. "Yes, ma'am. I believe it's your turn to tell me your life story anyway." Aura inclined a little to drink some tea.

"I guess that's fair. Get comfortable as I tell you how I lost a bet forcing me to become a guild master." Rhys said, exaggerating her story with her hands. "It started with this giant named Phil…"