Despite it being morning, it felt as cold as the night before. There weren't always so many people roaming about, at least not without homes. Innocents like these children would have been plumper five years ago. That would have been helped by the amber waves of grain that used to flow throughout the entire region. Ashes. Every time she closed her eyes in the field, her memory was replaced by the image of an all-consuming phoenix leaving ash in its wake.

Midday. She roams the fallow fields surrounding her cottage, a few acres of soil mingled with old ash. Down empty rows dirt, she walked under a high sun highlighting the fallow ground stretching far and terminating near sparse areas of tree. Then... hills. She looked down; her leather shoes matched the soil. All of a sudden, her head felt heavy, although she still lifted her laden gaze. But once she did, barren land in all directions. She loathed the immediate lack of life befalling her home.

Afternoon. Sencis revisit's the graves, passes the time meditating, then returns home before the tears can return. Arriving, she grabs the pot again, fills it with water, lighting it to resituate her meal. Finishing what's left of the porridge, she gently takes the wooden bowl and stashes it away. She does the same with all the amenities that will serve the next day. When she hangs her mother's cloak, she notices the sword still protruding from the wall. She grabs hold of the weapon. "What can I do with this?" she asked herself, swinging and rotating the grip with one hand. Father, she thought, why did you leave this? I have no skill nor want in handling such a thing.

***

The moonlight spills into the cabin, igniting every vestige of her bed before fading into the darkness that manifests everywhere else.

Sencis removed the covers of her bed and sat upright. Then, she lays herself back under the covers, eyes open and awake by the light of the full moon... It's no use. Barred from sleep, twisting and turning, again she sat upright then tread toward the window, removing the flap and exposing her skin to the midnight breeze.

From the window, she looked upward before fitting her slender torso to begin a climb up the roof. And effortlessly, she reached the top.

The layer of thatch successfully held her bare feet even as she stood upright and stared into the seemingly eternal night. Her eyes carried her beyond the realm of the familiar. To the left and right of her gaze - east and west, she can make out the groves by their near blackness relative to the areas of open grass directly underneath the bright moon. Only the white of moonlit night could caress the glades of green into blue. Turning, she stared back into the lake glistening with the moon's reflection. It is a sweet irony in how night delivers clarity. Why does the full moon reveal an otherworldly serenity that never visits during day?

Dawn arrives a fresh light. Sencis chose right on the road fork, where the dirt casually transitions into stone, a path granting a clear view of her destination: yonder lay a large town with the bell tower's cone rising over the evergreen hill in front of everything else.

There stands a white wall enveloping a stone tower apart in a square. From the road, it materialized on her left. Undoubtedly, the law's building.

Against the white tower and azure sky, she picks out the hue of common red roofs rising with her advance. She beholds the rows of houses uniformly defined by square symmetry; made of the common plaster, its primary clay granted the majority of the town's white color. And they were built with their walls nearly touching, one after another in the town's long-winding, stone paved roads. And their red roofs of slate were diminished by the sharp contours of cathedral spires near the road's end and market's entry.

She stood just before the busy market district, where the road opened to a wide square of wooden stands and canvas tarps surrounded by mortar - stone-encompassed smithies and merchant shops outlining the vicinity and accessible via arcing pillars along the deep.

Sencis exposed herself to the public marketplace for the first time in a long time, boisterous citizens passing her to and fro. There are families walking about, men courting and women being courted not far from the prying eyes of parents. She can tell the bachelor's apart from their clothing, always glossy doubloons, those who willingly walk with mushrooms for shoulders. The more ornate their clothing pattern the more confident the man's grin. The manner of the grin was yet another giveaway.

As for the women, it was their shyness or their timidity or their anxious faces that made a statement, whether feigned or earnest. But there was a typical discomfort apparent in a woman's affectation even after courtship. Meanwhile, some keep to their children, holding them near or in arm while the urchins roam and run freely away from the armed guards in scarlet attire.

Today was a time of opportunity. Some differences between the children in cities versus those outside lay immediately apparent. One boy, in particular, dressed in rags, skipped right past her. So she outstretched her arm and seized him by the collar.

"Return it!" she ejected.

Solemnly staring up at her, the boy opened his hand and revealed the coin he pickpocketed.

A guard lugging a halberd over his shoulder came forward; apparently, he had been watching everything. He tapped his haft beside the boy, the boy flinching and upturning his grimy eyes at the intimidating body of metal.

"Is that a little thief we have?" he interrogated, turning to Sencis. "Caught 'em in the act, quick lass. Why don't I relive y' and show 'm some manners?"

Sencis let go the boy and pushed him on his way. And away he went, running.

"Ey!"

"Y' ought to quit waving that pole around and worry about something worthwhile," she told him.

The guard snarled. "Better that y' were tight-lipped and by the law, arrogant woman. Your husband must 'ave his hands full." And away he walked.

She could hear a laugh coming from the food seller just steps away to her left. "Got a jolly good 'un outta that, I did." She turned to see his flamboyant demeanor, hairy arms, and magnificent sideburns. As soon as their eyes met, he greeted, "Welcome, young lass. What doth y' seek this day?"

"The harvest wasn't grand this year," she replied. "I'm looking to work for coin."

"A farming lass are y'? I see..." He scanned her intently, taking his time until she felt awkward. "Well I can't offer you anything, but there is bound to be carpenters, smiths, or other guildsmen offering apprenticeship. Y' can always try them mercantile fellows." And so he silently waited while she pondered the idea. "But I must say, it will be limited for you. Most desire a man's girth."

"Thank you. I'll be going, kind sir." Waving goodbye, she departed down the street.

***

Afternoon. "Your word must mean something elsewhere," said a round and flower-covered fellow. "Here, we rely on what we see, lass. A fit thou art not."

"Yet I haven't been put to any test!" Sencis expostulated, but was nevertheless dismissed by the baker.

Wary of searching for coin, she wound up finding respite outside a local tavern. On the brink of idly sulking, her gaze was lured by the curious characters entering to and fro the nearby establishment. Thus, she looked up at the overhead sign, Poslednje Mesto. A vague recollection interrupted her thoughts, mention of such a name when she was young...too young. After giving up trying to remember, she entered in her wonderful manner, curious as to what lay behind the double doors.

Upon entering, she found an overwhelming array of the opposite sex. Many of them sleeping, gambling, drinking, and very few lolling at the counter. There were a few sparse maidens escorting these men, laughing as they laughed, dancing, and warming up to those who could gorge down their drinks with gusto.

"What a unique place," she sighed and, without realizing, started toward the counter, eyes tantalized to the foamy steins served atop said counter. Done gawking, however, she casually took a seat at the nearest stool. That's when a man two stools away from her took notice. She felt his eyes as she distinguished his tan complexion, black goatee, and a wrapped sword strapped to his back. Like many men in these parts, he wore a black padded jacket for protection, like the one concealed underneath her own cloak. However, his sword was apparent and distinguishable by the large crossguard and handle rising above his head of ragged hair.

"Not many lasses would whimsically rest themselves here," the stranger began, a voice all too like his appearance: stout and heavy.

"I could be surprised by that remark, yet I am not," she replied, glancing around.

"Mhmm," he burped.

Sencis glared, fully turning her body and revealing her gambeson. "Vague memories tell me my father brought me here or near this place as a child. Yet I cannot fathom the reason. Even as I sit here, witness to these...revels, I am at a loss. So now I must think, is it a man's query?" So she stared at waited for her conversation partner to make eye contact. "Perhaps you, being a man, might help me understand said visits which my memory might return vivid."

And so the man rolled his bedraggled blue eyes at this peculiar woman. "Woman!" he started, "wherein lies the mystery? Everything a man loves lies in this room. And gestured his stein at the gambling tables, then the dancing women, then the food and drink. "Most men come here to drink,"—he began consuming from the mug of ale in his hand, setting it down only after a prolonged gulp—"and be merry. A fool who claims otherwise, well, he simply seeks to bed you, be it the long way."

To her, he appeared more sorry than merry. "Speaking for yourself?"

"I am simple, lass. Not in the same manner, mind you, but simple through what I seek."

"Then would you tell me, pray, what else does a simple man seek?"

"Purpose."

She watched him drink more of what she presumed to be ale. However, grew more curious about him with every tap and lift of the stein. Every extra dent in his expression and nuance in his poise made her mull over him. "Well, the longer I stay, the more I may learn," she said. "Experimentation is not a terrible thing. Sir!" Responding to her call, the barkeep turned his attention from the rack. "May I receive a lesser fill of what he has?"

The barkeep stared at her cock-eyed. "Of course. Seven-eighths of one-eighth shall you receive." And he fetched another stein from the rack.

Inquisitively, Sencis returned her gaze to the stranger. "What is your name, if I might ask?"

At last, the armed stranger rotated his demeanor and delivered Sencis his undivided attention. "I answer, anticipating that you shall deign to tell yours. Mine is Allister of Cowpell."

"Sencis of Zelenia."

"Well met."

"What are you drinking?"

"It be fresh brewed 'Srebernale.'"

"Silver Ale?"

"One of the finest brews this side of the Calum."

"How so?"

"Here you are, lass!" the bartender returned, setting down a stein of silver sparkling foam. Sencis would cautiously wrap her hand around the potentially volatile contents.

"Drink!" exclaimed Allister.

Cautiously, she took a sip, tasting the smooth foam precipitate the yet smoother liquid passed her lips. Then, suddenly, set it down. "This reveals nothing!"

"What? Y' don't fancy ale?" Allister questioned.

"Nay... I say, nay."

"Well. Never seen a woman drink one of this strength before. No doubt, 'tis a man's preferred ale."

Slowly, Sencis pushed back her seat and stood up. "I'll be leaving now."

"Lass," the barkeep beckoned, "you wouldn't be lookin' fer work, would y'?"

Subtle surprise possessed Sencis's expression as she stopped midway to the door; Thus, turning back to the counter, stared inquisitively. "Why?" she inquired.

"Y'd fit ravishingly in this abode."

Prompted, she took another gander around the tavern, eagerly absorbing its atmosphere and society: the merry men, wenches, and revelry. Simple things. The fake smiles of the wenches informed her decision. She mimicked those smiles in her remark to the barkeep. "Generous, your proposal. Generous you are. But a fit for thy abode, I am not."

The barkeep said nothing, made no protest or offering as she somberly made her way to the door. Before she could reach it, however, a brash stranger jumped in her path.

"My mates and I would invite you to our table for a shared drink!" he exclaimed. "At our expense, naturally." He was a young man in a red doublet and feather cap who spoke sweetly, and he gestured to a table in the center of the room, where three other men in doublets sat waiting. Without even a moment to fully absorb the man before her, she peered over at the other three; even from a distance, she translated the sincerity of their grins into dubiousness. They all irked her...

"I'm sorry, but I must turn down your generosity," she answered, renewing her smile. "I was just leaving."

"Oh. Why such haste? Sit and claim anything to your fancy!" he insisted. "Your society is much welcome!"

"Nay, kind sir. My thanks, but if you would kindly step aside."

"Listen! If thou simply refuseth to solicit with us three, then—"

Crash. The slam of the door alarmed the tavern to its broken hinges. On the other side, the entire room witnessed several dark figures blocking any view of what lay outside. But, even from deep within the tavern, the patrons could hear a large commotion outside.

The unknown figures entered to reveal their metallic frames, at which point Sencis guessed that these were not a friendly lot; their faces were concealed by chainmail collars, and they were more imposing for their cone helmets hollow in the eyes.

"What are mercenaries doing here?" someone whispered.

With barely even a survey of the room, the front and declared, "Let it burn and crumble."

No one heard. Sencis heard, but everyone else was too calm for her to wait and let them react. And only she would witness the next act, as another mercenary revealed a curious contraption in his hand. All the hairs on her skin thus sprung as fast as she did. As the woman closest to the intruders, she compulsively kicked the front man's midriff with enough force to knock him back into the others. "Scatter!" she cried.