"Wake up, pretty princess!" Dareth chirped, giving Thomas a not-so-gentle kick. "Lady Rhaine wants us on the march."
Thomas groaned, wishing for just a few more minutes of sleep—but a second kick made it clear that wasn’t happening.
"Alright, alright! I'm up!" he muttered, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and reaching for his gear. "Why are you always so damn happy in the morning?"
Dareth grinned. "When we were kids, I used to wake up early and raid the kitchen before anyone else. My favorite was the ham."
Thomas paused mid-motion, blinking as a memory surfaced. "That was you?" he asked, wide-eyed. "Do you know how many kids had to kneel on rice because of that?" He broke into laughter. "If anyone had known, you would’ve been lynched!"
Dareth nodded, chuckling. "Exactly why I kept my mouth shut. I saw what happened to the others. No way I was confessing to that."
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Thomas shook his head. "I can't blame you there. Lady Margaret was as mean as any viper. I still remember her yelling about our beds every morning."
Dareth joined in with a grin, and together they recited, "Your first service to the Creator is to fix your bed. Your second is to fix the world."
They both laughed as they gathered the last of their supplies. The moment brought a welcome bit of lightness after all that had happened in River Hallow.
"When she died, they put an iron fence around her tomb—no doubt to keep the kids from messing with it," Thomas said.
Dareth nodded. "I always thought they built that fence in case she ever rose from the dead. At least then she’d be contained."
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Thomas nodded in agreement. "I like yours better. I’ll write that down later." He grinned as he slung his backpack over his shoulder.
"So, tell me something, Copper Thomas," Dareth said, glancing toward the commander's tent. "What do you think of Lady Rhaine?"
Thomas shrugged. "I don’t know. I’m just glad she’s leading us instead of Douglas, I can tell you that."
Dareth nodded. "I agree with you there. I just can’t help but wonder—do you think she’s up for it?"
Thomas reached over and punched Dareth’s arm. "You told me to watch my mouth, and here you are doubting the commander right before we’re set to go after the Harbinger. Did you already forget what she did to Douglas?"
Dareth looked down at the spot where Thomas had struck him. "Not bad, Copper!" He chuckled. "But I’m not worried about us. I know we’ll do fine. I’m just saying, I hope she’s ready."
He paused, his smile growing faint as he looked into the distance. "She did look mighty pretty in that armor yesterday."
Thomas rolled his eyes. "I’ll be sure to write about your secret love affair with the commander one day."
Then he smirked, "But yeah… she’s a lot better looking than Douglas."
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Later that day, Melissa came to check on Orion. “How are you doing?” she asked. She was relieved to see he was still there, but the worry in her eyes lingered. The infection still hadn’t broken.
Orion slowly opened his eyes and smiled. “Good morning, Melissa. That’s a pretty bow you’ve got in your hair.”
Melissa blinked in confusion. “What are you talking about, Orion?” she asked, instinctively reaching up. Her fingers brushed against a ribbon…tied neatly into a bow. She hadn’t put anything in her hair that morning.
“I didn’t…” she started to say, when a soft giggle echoed from Katherine’s doorway.
Elle stood there, barely hiding her amusement.
Melissa narrowed her eyes playfully, now certain.. there was more to Elle than she let on. She turned her attention back to Orion and gently repeated, “How are you feeling today?”
“I’ll be fine,” Orion replied, his voice weak and cracked, but steady. “You don’t need to worry about me.”
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"He's been moaning all night, I could barely get any sleep." The other occupant of the wagon said. It was Brother Douglas. He's been forced to sleep out in the wagon, an extra punishment to be paid for his forced housing. "You should leave him to die. I'd be shocked if he survived the trip, let alone the council."
Melissa narrowed her eyes. “Haven’t you done enough? Why do you always have to be like this?” she said, her voice laced with scorn.
“Sorry I’m not some love-struck fool like you,” Douglas snapped. “I see the world for what it is. The forces of Darkness don’t give a damn about your sweet little prayers or that ribbon you wear.”
He scoffed. “I swear, all you women are the same.”
Melissa turned away from him, focusing on Orion. She closed her eyes and whispered, “Lady of the Evening Grace… please, heal this man.”
Before she could finish the prayer, Douglas sneered, “They should burn all of you heretics.”
The healing faltered again. Orion stirred but remained badly wounded. Melissa’s shoulders dropped in quiet frustration.
“Typical,” Douglas muttered with a smirk. “Can’t even get that right.”
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“Is that what you thought when Rhaine humiliated you in front of the entire Army?” Melissa said, glaring over her shoulder.
Douglas’s face twisted with rage. “How dare you!” he shouted. “That wasn’t a fair fight!”
“Enough back there!” snapped one of the guards Rhaine had posted. He turned to Melissa. “Ma’am, I’m going to need you to step out of the wagon. You can come back later. Seems like someone needs a nap,” he added, motioning toward Douglas.
“I am still a ranking commander!” Douglas barked, offended. “I will be treated with the respect that position demands!”
The guard didn’t flinch. “Hate to break it to you, but Lady Rhaine issued a Field Demotion, conduct detrimental to the Church. You’re not in command of anything.”
A brief silence followed—then the second guard started to chuckle. Melissa joined in, her laughter cold and biting.
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Douglas went silent. The insults he had been forced to endure because of that woman boiled inside him. He clenched his jaw, ready to spit something venomous.
But another voice interrupted.
“You’re a mean person for a priest,” Elle said softly. She had come over to see what the commotion was about. She didn’t find Douglas amusing at all.
Douglas rolled his eyes. “Now a brat. What, you here to have a few laughs at my expense too?” He had had enough of people poking at him.
Elle stepped closer to the wagon, her head tilted to the side. “Would it hurt you to be nice?” she asked, concern creeping into her voice. “You don’t have to be like this.”
Melissa climbed out of the wagon. “I’ll come back with some food later,” she said to Orion before turning to Elle. “Come on, let’s see if Katherine has anything to keep us entertained.”
Elle took Melissa’s hand. “Okay,” she said, though her eyes stayed locked on Douglas.
As they walked away, Elle whispered a single word under her breath..
“Justice.”
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Once they were out of sight, Orion leaned in and spoke quietly to one of the guards.
"I don't think I'm going to make it much longer. I don't want Melissa to see me die. I need you to take us to Trendell."
The guard hesitated. "But Lady Rhaine gave us direct orders to wait for her return."
Orion's breathing grew ragged. He coughed, hard—some of it genuine, some of it forced.
"Would you rather face.. cough, cough.. her wrath if I die right here?"
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