Destiny Whispers P2

This follows "Destiny Whispers P1"

Edith continued through the streets of Avonar heading towards the tall and imposing walls that encircled the city. She found her way there easily, she had enjoyed coming up to the walls as a child to look over the city and out towards the golden fields of wheat that filled the countryside.

She climbed the stone steps to the top of the wall, each step feeling heavier with the weight of her thoughts. As she reached the summit, she took a deep breath, letting the crisp, post-storm air fill her lungs. The view was as breathtaking as ever, the city sprawling below her, the river glistening in the sunlight, and the distant hills standing sentinel on the horizon. The city itself was bustling with activity, the clothing, stalls and wares made for a wonderful array of colours within the city. Outside the wall the golden fields and the green trees against the blue of the sky above speckled with white fluffy clouds were equally stunning.

This was the land of her family, their city and their people, so soon to be snatched by the thieving Koraki lords of the South, sycophants to the to the conniving dryads that had clung to their homes here even as their mighty empire abroad collapsed in ruins. She would need to defend this legacy of hers. As much as she disliked the notion, she was aware that her father had been right that the best way to do this was in marriage with the enemy. To work within their ranks to free her people and maintain their way of life in this land for future generations.

Lost in her thoughts, she almost didn’t notice the guard standing a few paces away, his back to her as he surveyed the landscape. He was older than she remembered, his face weathered and etched with lines of fatigue and sorrow. His armor, though well-maintained, bore the marks of recent battle.

“Harold?”

The guard turned, surprise flickering in his tired eyes. “My lady. I didn’t expect to see you up here.”

She replied, a soft smile touching her lips. “I needed some air and a moment to think.”

Harold nodded, his gaze returning to the horizon. “I have often found that this has always been a good place for contemplation. I’ve spent many nights up here.” He managed a smile and a side look, "Not always by choice mind you." he said gesturing to his uniform.

Edith moved to stand beside him, her eyes drifting from him back towards the interior of the city, and the people going about their lives. “It must be difficult, to see the land you fought to protect soon to be under foreign rule.”

Harold sighed deeply, his shoulders slumping slightly. “What is done is done my lady. I for one am simply glad that it has ended. ”

The sadness and resignation in Harold's voice cut at Edith. She was surprised to hear anything like this from her people. Her father's soldiers in particular were the kind of men she had expected to be more resilient in the face of adversity than most. She had always looked up to them as pillars of strength when she was young. Imposing and rigid in their duty to defend the city and be a sword of justice to the unruly.

Harold looked to her when she said nothing, and something of her thoughts must have leaked through onto her face, because he seemed to bristle a little. "My lady, one must know when one is beaten. Right now, I know it."

Edith looked at him, seeing the exhaustion and resignation in his eyes. She felt she could understand him, but it didn't lessen the feeling of dissapointment she felt to hear him speak so. She responded, not unkindly, “Perhaps your war is done Harold, but mine has just begun.”

Harold just nodded. She had stung his pride Edith knew, but he was smart enough not to lose his temper with the princess of Avonar. "I wish you better luck with yours than I had with mine. Because I am done." He looked past her, "If you will excuse me my lady, I have to finish my rounds.

Edith stood aside and let him pass. When he had gone she moved to stand by the parapet and look out into the land beyond the walls. She did not know what she would do. There was not much she could do. She knew that simply looking at her situation she was just a powerless pawn, a final desperate move in a lost game. But at the same time, in her heart, she knew that she was not done. There was something more that she had to do, more than simply being a fine trophy to decorate Rickards triumph and pacify her people. But she could not see the path.

With a sigh, Edith pushed off the walls and headed back into the city and along the roads that would lead her back up the hill and to her father's manor.

What was her purpose?