[Turadis]

A trio of lilies, laid before a trio of graves at a dilapidated and forgotten cabin in a lonely, misty wood.

A bellflower, laid before an unassuming grave behind an unassuming structure.

And a single rose, laid before one grave among several in a hidden grove.

 

A cultured young lady stood upon the balcony of her borrowed abode, staring up into the sky with a single cigarette rolling unlit between her fingers.

"Now what?" She asks the clouds overhead, they give no answer.
 

Three, four years? Somehow it felt like no time at all, and yet at the same time, it felt like her entire life had been devoted to this conflict since the beginning. More had died than she had taken the time out of her schedule to mourn. Now, the yawning abyss of possibility that lay before her in her newfound freedom was more confusing than welcoming.
 

War becomes a part of people who dive too deeply into it. She pinched the cigarette between her fingers. She remembered giving her word to stop fighting when it was all over. But those she gave her word to never made it to the end of the conflict. In her heart of hearts, she was keenly aware that violence was now at the very center of her nature. Yet the future ahead was not paved by obvious conflict. It confused the noble girl.
 

A smirk tugged at the corner of her lips. She could at least be proud of who she was at long last. Her accomplishments were nothing short of extraordinary. Her forbearers and family name would know the honor of her great battles and deeds. Despite how proud she was of herself when it all started, that naïve girl was nothing but an embarrassing memory now. No longer was there a need to hide her face behind a helm. Furthermore, in amusing irony...The large profile of those who had tormented her granted her the means to save her family in their defeat. It was just a matter of making sense of taking action without bloodshed.
 

The unlit cigarette was flicked over her shoulder, down into a nearby bin. After everything else that was thrown her way, she could handle that. She was a Mercalan, a noble, a sibling. She had a responsibility to.