Once this village was ashes. All she needed was to close her eyes and she could see it again. Charred buildings moments away from toppling. That is what lived in her memory.
She gripped the sword at her side to remind herself she was in the now. She was here and the village was whole and should something come out of the darkness wielding fire she would be able to take action. She had her sword so she knew it to be true.
A passing miller gave her a nod of greeting as he continued on his way. He did not know her nor did he know her roots to this place. Why should he? That was decades ago, before the fire and devore the rebuilding. She had not taken part in that after all. How could she? She had needed to escape the grief and the reminders of what could have been.
She had travelled the land in the intervening years and had saved more villages than she had lost, but none of the other lost haunted her like this one.
She would not stay long. She had just needed to see that something had had bloomed where there was once only ash.
If only all things were so.
If only children were able to bring back as easy as villages.
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