Midwinter

After leaving Sylvan a month ago, though, it was hard to imagine any place more beautiful. Sylvan during Firstcome was a sight to behold. With the coating of dirty snow gone, the city had come once more into its own. The mists were lifted and the valley was cleansed by the rains of Firstcome that poured over the temple and the city below, washing away the grime of the cold season that had passed, washing away the ashes and the bloodstains of last year's bitter struggle. All was still not well in the west and perhaps never would be. One battle would not solve anything, and the rancor between the Arcadians and the nobility there would not be washed away as easily as the remains of the battle.

And yet, strides had been made. Eloquet had, at Mauritane's relentless urging, consented to join the Royal Guard. He'd risen quickly in the ranks over the last year, thanks in part to his reputation from the Battle of Sylvan, and in greater measure to his skills as a leader and his love of country. He would someday make a fine replacement. An Arcadian as Captain of the Guard. That would be something.

Looking ahead, Mauritane could see a figure kneeling in a garden outside one of the houses. He changed his course and left the road, angling toward the lone gardener.

At the temple in Sylvan, he'd shared a bottle of wine with Satterly and Silverdun. They'd spent a few languorous hours renewing their acquaintance. They told stories from their days at Crete Sulace and talked about their lives now and how things had changed. They compared scars and relived old wounds. They remembered lost friends. It had been good.

Mauritane crunched through a litter of leaves from the oak trees overhead. A small field of wheat was all that separated him from the village now. The woman kneeling in her garden looked up at him and froze. She stood, slowly, dusting her hands off on her long dress. Shading her eyes with her hand, she looked across the swaying stalks of grain and called out his name. She leaped out of the garden and sprinted toward him.

The sky overhead was so blue; Mauritane thought his heart might break. Across the river, the bright sun of Avalon began to angle downward toward the mountains. Mauritane let his pack fall to the ground and ran across the field to meet her.