Back home, it was a crime for women to carry weapons, but that hadn't stopped Esme from doing it. She was training for the Annual Duel, where she would make her debut and prove to the townspeople that they should change the law, until she was caught in the forest practicing.

Now there was no going back, she had to keep going. She had to move forwards.

Think I lost them, she thought, quickly glancing behind her to check. Looking up, the ground was covered in autumn leaves for miles and there was a stone path that lead through them.

Trudging onwards, Esme decided to figure out where this path would take her, the further away from where she came from the better, she thought.

The sunset spilled through the trees, making the sword on her hip glisten with a bright light. She looked down and smiled, after everything that had happened, it was still worth it. This was her passion, and she was going to follow it.

Esme's emerald-green hat and dark bown hair luckily created shade from the light, and her trusty leather boots making this journey somewhat easier. She had no idea where she would end up, or what the next chapter of her life would hold, but she knew that she had to keep fighting, that was all that mattered to her. Her courage was what got her here, and it's what will keep her story going.