Three years later…

Aster was hiking through the cool desert night, in the vast sands of eastern Shem. The winds whipped around her, her form wrapped in cloaks to protect from the grating sand. She was doing her best to make good time and maintain balance atop the unstable dunes. At the very least, it was a beautiful night, the skies clear and stars shining brightly. She loved the stars. She remembered now that her home-world lacked stars. She would dearly miss them should she ever manage to return.

For the past three years she and Conan had journeyed across the known world, trying to find a way to restore her memories. In that time they had fought many foes, seen many wonders, and gained much knowledge. But still her mind eluded her. She had changed much as a person over the years. She had gained near mastery over her light-magic, and it had saved hers and Conan's lives many times. She and the Cimmerian had grown close. Very close. But it was not to last.

Three months ago they had heard from some men in a tavern in Nemedia about a strange mystic in the mountains. This mystic was said to have great knowledge, especially of sorcery and magic. What had really gained their attention, however, was that said mystic apparently knew of the Outer Dark, and what beings dwelled there. Given she knew she had fallen from the sky, Aster had thought it worth a look. So they had climbed into the mountains of Nemedia for days, until they came to the mystic's cave.

What neither of them had anticipated was that said mystic was already quite familiar with Conan. The cloaked figure had revealed himself as a great, winged elephantine being. He introduced himself as Yag Kosha, of the planet Yag. The Cimmerian had apparently rescued him from captivity from a sorceror in a magical tower. She had remembered Conan telling her the tale, but she hadn't entirely believed it until she had met Yag in the flesh!

After explaining her plight, Yag was more than willing to aid them. He after all had never gotten a chance to repay Conan for his kindness, and of course was always willing to aid others. So he reached out with his trunk, and touched it to her head. Then a flood of memories struck her like a tidal wave. She had hardly been able to process it all. She had been a Queen, a sorceress-Queen, on another world. She had wings then, and flew through the skies. She had a Kingdom, and a daughter. She had family. It was all too much.

Yag explained that though he could retrieve many of her memories, others were still lost. He said that there were "pieces of the soul" missing, scattered across the world. In order to remember who she was, she would have to find them. So that was what she swore to do. But she had to do it alone, she knew. Conan was the one person who had always been there for her, the one who she loved. But deep in her heart her longing for home was the far greater feeling. She knew that she could not fully love someone, know someone, when she did not fully know herself. They had parted ways, on good terms, for he understood her heart. They would see each other again, she was sure of that much.

Back in the present, she spotted an oasis ahead, a welcome respite in the sands. But judging from the fires it was not unoccupied. Suddenly the night was split by a loud and unearthly cackle. Aster knew the cries of many beasts, and this was a sound no simple animal could produce. She made her ways forward carefully and silently. As she approached, she saw great furry figures loping about the fires. All around were strewn the remains of people and animals. It seemed she had stumbled onto a massacre.

It's perpetrators lounged about, stuffing their horrific fanged maws with flesh and bone. She recognized their spotted, humanoid forms. They were Were-Hyenas, vicious creatures which roamed the savannas and deserts of the world. They were said to be the children of Jhebbal Sag, God of Beasts. She had fought a pack with Conan two years ago in Stygia. They were stealthy creatures, and had likely ambushed a group of travelers resting at the oasis. It may just be safer for her to move on.

But something else drew her attention. While the larger beasts were stuffing their faces, a few scrawnier ones were snarling and growling at a large crack in a rock. Aster knew that the larger ones had forced the smaller ones off their meals, and now they had found new prey. And she knew that only one thing got Were-Hyenas as ravenous as this: human flesh. There was a survivor in there, and she was not the type of person to leave another to their fate.

She got as close as she could, keeping to the shadows cast by the fires of the now-deceased travelers. She knew that the Weres had excellent dark vision, but the fires would interfere with this. She crept as close to the rock as possible, and that was when a sound reached her ears. The sound of weak crying, coming from the stone. She knew that she had to strike now. She reached out her hand at the beasts baying at the stone, and summoned forth a torrent of LIGHT. It washed over them, blinding and burning them, for this was no common light. It was a pure light, and would drive out all the dark and evil things it touched.

After just a few moments, the three beasts lay dying, their fur burnt away and skin scorched beyond recognition. The magic had winded her, and she likely couldn't use it again for at least a day, but she knew it wasn't over. Snarls of rage came from across the oasis, and she looked to see four more of the Weres approaching. These were the larger ones, and would not be as easily dispatched as their sickly brethren. One lunged at Aster head on, leaping into the air. This proved to be something of a mistake on its part. Magic was not the only thing which she could deftly wield.

She unsheathed her sword, the blade burning red in the firelight, and plunged it into the beast's jaw, through the top of its head. She deftly flicked her blade, and it cleaved its skull in two, freeing it. The sword had been a gift from Conan. He had forged it himself. It was a simple blade, largely unadorned, save for the Aster flowers engraved in the hilt. It was the greatest thing she owned. She had no time to appreciate its beauty, nor relish her victory. The creature had been consumed by bloodlust, and was far too hasty in its attack. It's kin would not make the same mistake.

They circled around her, their eyes glowing sickly yellow with a baleful light. She kept her eyes on them, making sure they couldn't get the drop on her. Then suddenly two of them charged from opposite sides. She knew the maneuver was meant to throw her off balance, but she had seen similar tactics before. She simply ducked and dodged back at the last second, allowing the Weres to crash headlong into each other. It didn't exactly injure them, but it did distract them for a moment. And a moment was all she needed.

She swept back in like a burning desert wind, a horizontal swipe leaving a large gash in the sides of both beasts. The monsters leapt back, then forward a moment later. One was pouncing high, while the other attempted to strike low. She managed to sidestep the attack, but not without taking a swipe to the side from the lower Were. That would be a couple nasty gashes, but nothing she hadn't endured before. Suddenly, she saw something glimmering in the sand, and she smirked under her hood. The two beasts looked confident, their noses twitching as they smelled her blood. They reared back, likely for another run.

They struck again, performing the same maneuver as before. But Aster just kept on smiling. As the leaping Were was about to strike, she kicked up her foot from the sand. The spear flew up and into her hands, angled directly at the beast's abdomen. It was too late for it to change trajectory, and it's momentum drove the spear directly through its heart. Then, as it's companion tried striking low, she drove the spear through its back, using the weight of its cousin's corpse to push it deep into the sand. Neither beast would last long, not with a punctured heart and split spine.

She had been so caught up in the fight there, she never realized she had lost track of the last one. She realized this too late as she was tackled to the desert floor, dropping her sword. The wind driven from her lungs she rolled over to see a massive, scarred Were-Hyena standing over her. It's mouth a vicious snarl, it growled low. This must have been the matriarch, and her burning eyes spoke of terrible fury. With a clawed hand, she grabbed the magician's neck, hoisting her up to eye level. Then it began to squeeze, ever so slowly. She realized that the beast wanted revenge for its pack, and that it would make her suffer for it.

As it's grip grew tighter and tighter, she began to think there may be no way out of this, as her throat began to close. That is until it's grip loosened as the matriarch gave a pained yelp. Looking down, both Aster and the matriarch saw a small girl, holding a tiny knife, driven deep into the Were's ankle. It wouldn't do any lasting damage, but it was a distraction. And a distraction was all she needed. She finally managed to reach her hand to her hip, and draw her dagger. She raised it up, and brought it down with all her strength into the matriarch's head. It's eyes rolled back, and it fell into the sands, staining the grains crimson with its blood.

Aster fell as well, and lie on her back for a while. Her side was still bleeding, though not profusely, and her throat was likely severely bruised. But she had had worse. She managed to force herself up to her feet, pressing her side as it flared with pain. She looked over to the rock, and saw the little girl huddled up beside it. She was such a small thing, doing her best to look even smaller. She couldn't have been older then five or six. She realized that the girl's family must have been killed by the Were-Hyena pack, her distant eyes wordlessly telling her tale.

Aster quickly bandaged her wound, wrapping it in linen straps she kept for such an emergency. It was a hasty bandage, but it was meant to be temporary anyway. She then made her way over to the girl. She approached slowly, so as not to frighten her. She could tell the girl's skin was a light tan, and her glossy black hair shone in the firelight. She was likely a Shemite, one of the nomadic groups of these deserts, the sorcerer surmised. As she approached, the girl seemed to jump out of her skin. She turned to look up at her with wide, terrified amber eyes. The poor thing's face had two cuts running along her left cheek, likely from the rock as she crawled into her hiding spot.

"Hello." Aster said, quietly and gently. She crouched down to the girl's level, looking her in the eye. The girl seemed terrified still, pressing herself against the stone. She thought for a moment, then removed her wrappings, showing her whole face. She gave the girl a small smile. "Thank you for helping me. That was very brave of you." She said as gently as possible. The girl seemed stunned and confused for a moment, then launched herself forward. As soon as Aster had her in her arms, she started sobbing uncontrollably.

"Oh sweetie. You're safe now. You're safe." Aster said as she wrapped the girl in a caring embrace. She may not remember everything about herself, but she remembers that she is a mother. And a mother is something this poor girl is in sore need of right now. She carried the poor girl over to the fire furthest from the carnage. She sat there with her for a while, until the little thing cried herself to sleep. She wrapped the girl in her cloak, and laid her down on her own bedroll. Then she set herself to the solemn task of caring for the dead.

She began with the dead Weres and animals, the dead goats and camels. Those she dragged into the desert, leaving them for the scavengers. Then she returned, and began digging graves for the dead. Theirs would not be any kind of grand burial, but there was little at hand. At the very least they deserved to be laid to rest. She dug their graves in the soil of the oasis, rather than the shifting sands of the dunes. She had little knowledge of funeral traditions in Shem, but she did her best. She wrapped each body in a cloak before burial, a pile of which she found by the pool, likely goods for trade.

She buried them with their things, but she wasn't certain which of the scattered objects and goods, tossed about in the chaos, belonged to who. She opted to leave it where it was. She took nothing except food. She had only packed enough for herself, and she needed more if she was going to care for the girl. She wasn't just going to leave her in the desert, that much was for certain. Once all the dead had been buried the mage was exhausted. Her wounds hadn't made the process any easier, but she had managed to wash and properly dress the gashes in her side. They would surely scar, but that didn't particularly matter to her.

She made her way back over to the girl. She was tossing and turning, her sleep restless. She was likely haunted by what she had seen, what she had lost. She had nothing, but Aster remembered a time years ago when she had nothing either. This girl needed someone to take care of her, and that was what she intended to do. At the very least until she could find a good home for her. She still had her quest, after all, and a life of constant travel and danger was not a life she imagined the girl should have. Nevertheless, that was an issue for later.

For now, she sat beside the girl, and softly rubbed her back. As she did so, she began gently humming a tune which she never learned. She just knew it, as if it were a primordial part of her. As she did the girl slowly stopped moving, settling into a deeper, more restful sleep. Aster herself remained awake for just a while longer, then allowed sleep to take her as well. She awoke early in the morning to the dawning sun and a series of guttural grunts. Her eyes quickly opened, to see three camels drinking around the oasis.

This was exactly what she had been hoping to find when she had decided to head for the oasis. Her own camel had dropped dead three days ago, stung by a particularly venomous scorpion. She got up from where she had slept sitting up against the rock, and slowly crept forward. She did not want to startle the creatures. It seemed she had little to worry about, though, as one simply lazily stared at her then when right back to drinking. It seemed they may once have been domesticated, as she was easily able to saddle and bridle one without it giving much fuss.

After she had succeeded in harnessing the animal, Aster turned to see the girl crawling out from the rock she had been hiding in the night before. She then slowly walked over to the mounds of sand where the dead were buried, and stood there for a while, unmoving. After a time the magician walked over to the girl, but said nothing. She did not want to disturb her mourning. She saw that the girl was holding a figure of a wooden horse. It was no masterpiece, but she could tell that great love must have gone into its creation if the girl treasured it so. Across the girl's shoulders there was an amazingly intricate scarf. It's geometric designs of blues and pinks and white matched the girl's own simple blue dress, her long sleeves adorned with a similar pattern of white diamonds.

Aster stood there beside the girl for a while, until the sun had entirely crested the horizon. She set her hand on the girl's shoulder, and the little one raised her tear stained eyes to meet her soft gaze. "We should go, dear. It won't be safe here for long." She said. The sun would begin the decay of the bodies, their scent drawing dozens scavengers from miles around. Not all of them would be quite content with just the dead. The girl seemed hesitant for a moment, then stared down at her feet. The mage had never seen someone look so broken, and to see it on someone so young pained her deeply.

She scooped up the girl in her arms, the little one not making a peep as she carried her over and set her on the camel. She got on behind her, making sure she could hold the girl steady as they rode. With a quick flick of the reigns, her mount was off. Through much of the day there was little trouble, until she spotted a dark cloud on the horizon. Far off was a wall of sand, miles wide. There would be no escaping it once it hit. Fortunately, Aster was an experienced traveler, and she had passed through these deserts before with Conan. She continued on her path, reaching a large outcrop of rock just as the sun was setting.

There was cave a short way up. Being on the leeward side of the rock, it would shield them perfectly from the storm. Taking her supplies and the girl, the camel settled down to rest beneath the cave mouth, unconcerned with the storm he was supremely adapted to survive. She climbed up as best she could, and made her way into the cave. Shortly after she got a fire going from a few sticks, the sandstorm began howling outside. She cooked up some quail, but she had a feeling the girl wouldn't be very hungry. She had eaten nothing all day, and had only drank water when Aster had poured it into her mouth for her.

The little one was seated across the fire from her, staring into it blankly. She wished she could do something to help the poor thing. She looked at the girl from across the fire, her blank stare reflecting the light. "I am Aster." She said, placing her hand over her chest, "Aster. What is your name?" She asked gently. As she feared, the girl didn't respond. She sighed in disappointment, and simply continued to cook over the fire. After a while sitting in silence, with nothing but the howling of the winds outside to hear, she swore she heard a faint whisper. She looked up at the girl, who was now looking intently at her. "Sarah…" the girl said again, her voice louder than before but still a soft whisper.

Aster was surprised for a moment, but then gave a soft smile. "It's very nice to meet you, Sarah. Would you like something to eat?" She offered. Sarah seemed uncertain for a moment, but then nodded. The mage handed the girl some of the quail she was cooking. Though she still seemed quite despondent, she did eat a little. That was a victory in the sorceress' eyes, however small. They both ate in silence for a while. After she had finished her food, Sarah's eyes began to droop a little.

To Aster's surprise, she got up with her horse and her scarf, walked around the fire, and sat beside her. The girl laid her head on her side, and slowly closed her eyes. The magician was surprised for a moment, then softly smiled. She laid her arm around the girl's shoulders, and began humming that same mysterious tune. She had a feeling there were words to it. She believed that she'd sung it so someone else long ago, another little girl who needed her mother's love. Sitting in the cave, humming a tune as Sarah slowly fell asleep by her side. This felt right. "I'll remember soon. Then I'll come home. I promise." She vowed as she, too, drifted off. That night her dreams were filled with palace halls, the tap of little feet, and a tiny girl with purple hair and a bright smile.

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Well, I hope you guys enjoyed that chapter! A lot more emotional than the last ones, but what can I say? I'm a sucker for the found family trope. If you think Angella's doing anything except adopting another daughter you're dead wrong.

Anyway, I figure I'll finally include some more She Ra characters next chapter. It'll be a much larger time skip, but don't worry! I'll reveal many of her adventures with Conan and her own solo quest in the best form known to episodic formats: flashbacks! Unrelated, I also like flashbacks.