Forum Thread

Eric's hair and clothes were still damp. Though, he had to admit that he was expecting that, considering that it had only seemed like a few hours since he had woken to the sounds of his family's voices. Though the sounds of the morning broke him from his trance, and he was quickly up. The routine of the morning was what he lived for. It brought a real sense of normalcy since it was no secret that Telmar hardly ever had real peace. At least, that was what Eric heard. Truth be told he hardly remembered anything beyond his childhood. It was all just...blank. When Eric first joined Telmar's army, it had cost him days of sleep, and he had finally managed to move past it when he collapsed from exhaustion and almost died. Today, however, it seemed, was the exception. But as he prepared for morning patrols, his exhaustion was put aside. This was Eric's favorite part of being a soldier, though it wasn't the best job. Being up early in the morning helped him forget about things. And it was becoming just as routinely to see nothing at all.

He arrived with the rest of the soldiers, bringing in the reports from his group. Nothing. No invasion, nothing important. The most eventful thing that had happened was a rabbit running over the path that had fallen prey to a passing animal, too fast for them to see. Morning announcements. Somehow, Eric had a feeling that General Gwen wouldn't be there to give them. He knew little of what had gone on during the battle, but he had hardly seen her since he joined the army. Most said she was mourning. That made sense, most everyone had lost someone. But why this long? Eric supposed he'd never know.

---

It was almost as if Eric's inner thoughts had summoned her. By accident, Gwen had come across the patrol on horseback. She quietly looks at them for a moment, although she seems to be looking straight through them. After an uncomfortable moment of silence, she speaks:
"Do you guys have anything to report?" Her eyes were focused now and she was looking at Eric. Even though she was addressing the group, it was obvious that the question was directed to Eric. The last thing she needed was for Sage to be at her throat. In order to do that she had to at least make an effort to look busy.

....

Sage hung close to the room that Maddy is sleeping in. She had work to do, but couldn't bring herself to focus on it while knowing that Maddy would be alone. Gwen's paranoia seemed to rub off on Sage. It most likely had something to do with the time Maddy had been captured by the Cloaks.
Sage's jaw tightens in the usual way it does when she thinks of the Cloaks. They had been quiet for awhile now. Gwen had assured her that her patrols had yet to find evidence of the Cloaks, that there were no moles within her army. But Sage couldn't bring herself to believe her, not with Gwen giving nothing but the bear minium. Fortunately, Morgan had proved to be a reliable messenger. She had confirmed everything that Gwen has stated. At times, Sage considered retiring Gwen, but she couldn't bring herself to do that. Not when she had witnessed Gwen's strength countless times. I need your strength, you and Maddy Sage thinks to herself with a sigh.
Speaking of which... Morgan was due to arrive shortly. She hoped her news would still remain the same as what Gwen continued to tell her.

Morgan : sorry i am late! *morgan rushed thru the door tripping in the process*
No signs of knvasiin that i noticed but gwen seems crushed by an incident if you were to talk to her i think it would be a great help.

Eric froze in an almost comedic way. He certainly hadn't been expecting her to show up, or to speak to him directly. He turned quickly, straightening up. He may have had a lack of sleep, but he sure as hell wasn't about to show it in front of the general. "No, General. Everything seems to be going smoothly, no disturbances spotted." Was that the best way to say it? He sure hoped so. But now that he was seeing her for the first time, it was rather obvious that she had been mourning. Whoever she had lost, they had been close to her. Family, maybe? A lover? Whatever it was, it had taken its toll on her. One thing they had in common. Still, he gripped the reins of his horse tightly, unsure if she was going to take the conversation further or continue on.

---

Sage watches Morgan burst through her door and nearly fall on her face. Sage opens her mouth to ask if Morgan was alright, but closes it when Morgan starts talking. This was exactly what Sage had been talking about. Morgan was incredibly useful. She had mistakingly given her critical information. "I'm fine! You don't need to constantly watch me!" Gwen's words drift in Sage's head. This was only a few days ago. Sage assumed it was a lie. But the confirmation was nice.
"I see, thank you for bringing this to my attention Morgan, I'll be sure to talk with her." What was she supposed to do now? Sage had tried everything, the only option left was to be cruel and ignore Gwen's problems. "Is there anything else that I need to be aware of?"

....

Gwen nods, she seemed to quite satisfied with his answer. Were the Cloaks truly gone? Knowing Talla, she doubted it. Still, their silence was quite odd to her. Maybe there was a chance that Talla forgot about them?
"Keep your eyes open. Trouble can lurk anywhere, even within our own ranks." There it was, the haunted look in her eyes. Her own army had once turned on her. She chose to be ignorant of the fact that her army wasn't actually her army, rather, secretly members of the Cloaks.
She may not have anymore motivation to fight, but she was determined to ensure that, that would never happen again. If she could say anything, it was that she was keeping a close eye on the people in her army. Without another word, she rides away from the patrol group and heads towards the barracks. These days, she hung back and watched her army train. They had yet to learn any new fighting tactics from her.

Yes sage*Morgan began to walk away*

"Trouble can lurk anywhere, even within our own ranks". Those words made Eric shiver slightly, but he shrugged it off. He couldn't let something so small shake him so much. "You heard her," he said lightly, raising his voice to the soldiers around him. "Eyes open, boys." They continued on, reaching the end of the patrol. It was odd, seeing General Gwen for the first time. Seeing her look so...haggard. Eric may have lost his memories but he knew the stories. Knew of what she had done for the kingdom. Would she ever become that woman again or would she remain broken? He sure hoped not. The rain didn't bother him as much, as he had already been drenched before. And, he could see their endpoint as the line of trees broke. Almost there.

---

*Maddy woke up as she heard Morgan fall outside her room. She slowly got out of bed and lowered herself into her wheelchair where she sat for a brief moment, staring at her legs. She slowly began to wheel herself out of the room and opened the door to see Sage and Morgan.* Sage, who the hell is this?

Jumping in surprise from the sudden voice behind her, Sage turns around to notice Maddy behind her. "This is Morgan" Sage replies simply. "She has been keeping me up to date on Gwen and her army" she explains.

Leaf headed out the morning with her bag to check in on Maddy again, hoping that this time Maddy would be in a better mood then yesterday, though Leaf couldn't solely blame Maddy for the sudden aggression. Nightmares and PTSD does that to a person.

Star had gotten up early to work on making more swords at her sword smithing station. The metal started to heat on one sword as she banged a hammer on a second to shape it. This one was less brittle than the other, but it wouldn't hold an edge as well as the other.

Blossom was back at home working on re-stocking the shelves with medical supplies.

---

Luke was having a nightmare again. He was being burned alive, watching the fire absorb him in. It felt so real to him. He wakes up quickly, and realizes it was a dream. He sighs in relief, getting out of bed. After he gets dressed, he grabs some food, eats it quickly, and goes out of the house. He hoped everyone was doing okay, but for what had been happening, he didn’t think that was happening. Tani and Maddy had been in a rough patch lately, and everyone, including him, was still sad about the losses from the war. He started walking to Maddy’s house. He wanted to check up and see how she was doing.

Barry was excited for the day. He had become a lot friendlier, waving at people who he walked by and trying to help out as best he can. He did still feel sadness down inside of him though, from all the people that were lost during the war. He doesn’t know exactly what he should be doing at the time, so he walks around the Kingdom, looking to see if anyone needs help with anything.

why do you gotta problem with me I don't even know you and if you hate me without us ever meeting for no reason there will be problems and why did you care that i was talking to sage you know the sage who we have meetings with she is my friend ish thing so leave me alone if you bave a problem!
Morgan confused herself with that and got very toung tied and panicked more then she should have just out of habit.

*Maddy looked at Morgan and squinted slightly. From the corner of her eye, she saw Sage shaking her head at Morgan as if to warn her but it was too late.* Let's get one thing straight, kid, I just asked a question. I've never seen you around before so I merely asked who you were and you threaten me. *Maddy's eyes began to turn black as she scolded Morgan, causing Sage to step in between the two.*

you scared the sage and think im gonna be nice to you if i felt like it could take your head off your shoulders you know that right idiot? And problems isnt always a threatening thing i saw a threat and treated it as one!

"Enough you two!" Sage spits out. "There is no need for the two of you to bite off eachother's heads! Especially now!" She grabs ahold of Morgan's arm, her grip was much tighter than she intended. "Let's all just calm down, let's go Morgan. I'll escort you to the barracks. I need to talk with Gwen anyway." She turns back to Maddy. "Leaf will be here soon, I'll trust that you'll be okay on your own until then." With that final note, she leads Morgan away from Maddy and towards the barracks.

*Maddy's eyes began to change from the dark grey to their normal shade and she wheeled herself back into her room and waited for Leaf. She tried to collect herself and calm herself down. She never use to get that angry. She hated herself every time she did. She then began to have a quick flashback. She saw Talla sucking the life out of Maddy as she was helpless to stop Talla. Maddy began to shake her head rapidly to stop the flashback, but it wouldn't leave. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder and fearfully looked up to see Leaf right there*

Glancing behind her, Gwen noticed that the patrol group that she passed seemed to be far behind her. Yet, for some unknown reason, she felt as if someone was watching her. A shiver runs down her spine at the thought of some invisible boogyman watching her. Nobody is here her logical side assured her, although her assurance was no help. The feeling didn't leave.

Just ahead of her was a building, which sat close to the border of their kingdom. It was old and beaten down. To her knowledge, nobody seemed to live there. Sometimes she questioned why it hasn't been repurposed yet. She eyes the building carefully, noticing that it was already half torn down. Large logs poked out towards the pathway. She gently nudges her horse's side so that it could pick up speed. She didn't like the look of this...

She catches movement on the corner of her eye, a figure seemed to be lifting itself upon the nearest log. But before she can properly see the figure it suddenly jumps forward and slams into her. The two fall off the startled horse, which takes off running.

Whenever it was instinctive or just dumb luck, Gwen had managed to wrestle the figure off of her. She slowly rises to her feet and places a hand on the hilt of her sword. The figure slowly rises to his feet and with a horrified gasp, Gwen realizes that she recognizes this man.

"Miss me, princess?" Winters asks. "I told you I would be back. Miss Talla ordered me to properly finish the job." Gwen notices a small twitch in his left shoulder, so she quickly draws out her sword at the same time he draws his. "Interesting" Winters whispers under his breath before charging towards her. Right away, Gwen realizes that she is at a serious disadvantage. Miraculously, her reflexes were still sharp, but her strength and endurance had grown weaker. It didn't take long for her to be winded. Winters seemed to pick up on this quickly, so he continued to force her back. Fighting him brought back old terrifying memories. The Cloaks were dangerous fighters. Oftentimes, they had numbers, so they could risk using almost all of their energy in one fight. They won by overwhelming their opponent. It also didn't help that they were lead by fearless leaders. To them, no opponent was too strong to face.

It wasn't until her back was pressed against a wall that Gwen realizes that she was in trouble. Her bow was on her horse. But even if she had her bow, it would do her no good. He was too close for her to actually do any damage. She barely had enough energy to defend herself, much less, put him on the offensive. She hated to say it, but there weren't many options left. It was either fight, and hope for a miracle, or run, and hope she could somehow outrun him.

"This was very disheartening, I was hoping for an actual fight. No matter, hold still princess, Talla requested that I cleanly cut off your head." He suddenly pales, seemingly hearing something that Gwen can't "Lucky you... help is on the way. We'll finish this another day." He takes a step away from her but pauses by the treeline. "You better be prepared" he warns before running away. It wasn't until he was completely out of sight that Gwen is able to recognize the tremble in her hands. She had been frozen in shock. How far had she fallen from grace? It dawns on her that she is no longer the same fearless woman she once was.

That's when she hears it, the sound of oncoming horses. Her heart stops for a split second at the realization that it was most likely another invasion. She shoves herself off the wall and takes off running. Meeting her horse about halfway to the barracks and riding the rest of the way back.

"Prepare for battle!" She calls. To her credit, she manages to hide the fear in her voice. She doesn't explain further, she turns her horse around and rides straight towards the approaching army. Horns go off behind her, signaling to the army and the kingdom about the approaching threat.

Leaf gave Maddy a small smile and gently squeezed Maddy's shoulder for comfort. "Hello Maddy, how are you doing today?" She parted from Maddy's side to put her bag on the table and unpacking some of her supplies from the bag onto the table.

Star pulled the second sword from the burner and put the first one in its place to heat up again as she worked on the second. The loud CLANG of metal on metal echoed as she worked, bringing the hammer down over and over as she shaped this sword. . .for. . .oh what the heck was the name? Mr. Fox wasn't it? Sighing she shoved the sword into a vat of water making the heated metal of the sword give a distinct HISSS against the cold water.

---

*Maddy looked at her and sighed. She chose not to share what had happened the night before or just now* Fine I guess, Leaf... *Maddy sighed and began to speak* Look, Leaf, about last night- *Leaf interrupted Maddy*

"I know," her voice wasn't rude or even mean upon any account, it was rather motherly and consoling. "Sometime after a huge rough patch, we have a hard time returning to normalcy." Leaf set out some apple blossom incense on a plate and lit one end, as she finished setting up for Maddy's exercises a wonderful aroma wafted into the room. She watched as Maddy relaxed a little in her wheelchair. "I figured we'd take a bit of time for you to relax before we start. I wasn't sure if you'd like apple blossoms or not so I brought a few extra other incenses just in case."

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