Post by Lady Masquerade on Apr 29, 2012 14:48:03 GMT -5
Tears rolled silently down her cheeks as she pulled the blanket over the last child's eyes. She asked herself why, but knew in her heart that there was no reason for such tragedy. Even if the gods frowned upon the land, there was no need for such young lives to be so violently taken.
The keep was in shambles. The last of the beastmen had finally been slain and now it was time to tend to the wounded and the dead. Rosalyn helped carry the bodies outside to where family or friends could claim them. Her heart sank a little more as she knew that these children would have no one come for them. Even wrapped in blankets, they looked so tiny next to the men who had given their lives defending their home. Her mind flashed back to only moments ago, when the children's faces had turned from being terrified to ones of defiant bravery as they armed themselves with spears and stood together against the enemy.
The sound of soft sobbing turned her attention to those children who had survived who were now emerging from the keep. Those who had homes broke off and started running in various directions, calling for their loved ones. Those who had nowhere to go shuffled slowly behind the orphanage matron, weeping as they mourned the loss of their friends.
She was one of them, their elder by only a few years and just old enough to be considered a woman and no longer a child. Rosalyn had come to Burden's Rest only months ago when the dragon's army had left her village in a similar state, only with more losses. To be honest, Burden's Rest was the third town she'd come to following the same attacks in other villages. She'd seen the sorrow and heartache in each place and each time she'd left, hoping to put it all behind her. But it seemed that fate was toying with her, keeping her only a few steps ahead of the onslaught.
"Why me? Of all the suffering and loss, why have I been spared so many times?", she pondered. "Whatever be the reason, fates be damned, I'm done running away."
Tear streaks drying on her dirty face, she strode to the smithy to use the last bit of coin she'd managed to save for a couple pieces of manageable armor and sharp blade of any kind. After that, she'd head to the tavern to see if there was anyone willing to let her travel with them. She was done running.
The keep was in shambles. The last of the beastmen had finally been slain and now it was time to tend to the wounded and the dead. Rosalyn helped carry the bodies outside to where family or friends could claim them. Her heart sank a little more as she knew that these children would have no one come for them. Even wrapped in blankets, they looked so tiny next to the men who had given their lives defending their home. Her mind flashed back to only moments ago, when the children's faces had turned from being terrified to ones of defiant bravery as they armed themselves with spears and stood together against the enemy.
The sound of soft sobbing turned her attention to those children who had survived who were now emerging from the keep. Those who had homes broke off and started running in various directions, calling for their loved ones. Those who had nowhere to go shuffled slowly behind the orphanage matron, weeping as they mourned the loss of their friends.
She was one of them, their elder by only a few years and just old enough to be considered a woman and no longer a child. Rosalyn had come to Burden's Rest only months ago when the dragon's army had left her village in a similar state, only with more losses. To be honest, Burden's Rest was the third town she'd come to following the same attacks in other villages. She'd seen the sorrow and heartache in each place and each time she'd left, hoping to put it all behind her. But it seemed that fate was toying with her, keeping her only a few steps ahead of the onslaught.
"Why me? Of all the suffering and loss, why have I been spared so many times?", she pondered. "Whatever be the reason, fates be damned, I'm done running away."
Tear streaks drying on her dirty face, she strode to the smithy to use the last bit of coin she'd managed to save for a couple pieces of manageable armor and sharp blade of any kind. After that, she'd head to the tavern to see if there was anyone willing to let her travel with them. She was done running.