Written for the Tamora Pierce Experiment BINGO Challenge, Daffodil prompt.
Disclaimer – Clearly I do not own any of the characters or the books.
What a wasteland had the land become, the bodies had been buried and the troops were going home. Alanna looked over the remnants of the Scanran war and sighed. When she became a knight she had known there would be battle, known there would be death. But she had never truly understood war, never figured out why humans chose to do this to each other. The injuries, the fear, the all-consuming destruction.
She heard gentle footsteps pad up to her and saw out of the corner of her eye a wolf like shape change into that of a woman. Daine touched her shoulder lightly. "It's over Lioness; it's time to go home."
Alanna looked at her, how Daine had changed since she first met her so many years ago. A scared girl with a gift with animals, now she was powerful, confident, a mother and an adult who had seen a lot.
"Daine, do you ever wonder why this happens? All the wars: there was Tusaine, the Immortals War, this and even over in the Copper Isles my daughter is helping direct a revolution. Why is there so much battle and death?"
Daine looked at her carefully. "I will take it as a compliment that you respect me enough to ask me that. I honestly don't know, it's something I think about a lot. Animals hunt and will fight if they stray into another's territory. We do that too but animals never have wars. Where the scale is just too large. You know there are a lot of knights who enjoy battle..."
"Knights enjoy protecting their honour, kingdom and king. No knight enjoys war, no one really wins, everyone just loses people they care about, loses crops, and loses resources. War has no winners, everyone loses. "
"And yet there will be more." Daine murmured.
"Indeed there will and we will keep on fighting simply because we have to. It's so pointless." Sighed Alanna.
"This is too bleak." Said Daine softly and took two steps forward before jumping into the air. She shifted into a hawk as she did so and flew to the East. Alanna leaned down and touched the soil.
"Goddess bless this land and those who now rest within it, having payed the ultimate sacrifice."
She felt a rush through her body and a haunting whisper, "It shall be done Daughter. Blessings."
She heard birds calling and looked to the East; Daine flew with a number of other birds. As Alanna watched they flew over the battlefield dropping what looked like seeds.
Daine then landed with a slight squelch on the damp ground. "Flower seeds, the land needs colour as a memorial."
Alanna knelt and placed her hands upon the soil again and concentrated. Violet fire flowed through them into the ground. There was a slight humming sound and as the women watched flowers began to wind up from the soil, growing from the seeds the birds continued to drop.
Daine crouched and traced the petals of a nearby flower without plucking it. "A daffodil, the symbol of new beginnings."
Alanna rose and smiled. "Perfect, may it bless this place with a new peaceful beginning."
"Now let's go home."