Epilogue

Slowly, Elise Redd opened her eyes. In a few moments she realized that she was somewhere vastly different from where she had been seemingly moments before. Instead of cold stone walls, above her was a curved roof made from sheets of fan-leaf grass held together with dried clay and mud. She could feel the warmth of sunlight permeating the roof and walls around her, and the tone of the roof materials gave the room around her a distinct coloring. She could feel that she was in a bed of some sort, covered by a thickly woven mat. For a moment she pondered her situation, then attempted to get up. Unfortunately, her body gave her a very sharp response when she tried to do so. Eliciting a sound of pain, she returned to just breathing. Noticing the sound, someone beside her stirred.

"Hmm? Elise?" Tigerclaw said. Elise looked to her side and was greeted by a familiar face. The General's face lit up at her Lieutenant's response and got up from her seat. "Everyone, she's awake!" Tigerclaw called out. Elise heard a jumble of rustling as the other Soldiers of Resistance entered to greet her. Theodore, DeFrain, Blackbeak, Ehud, and Skythropos gathered around Elise's bed and at once displayed their joy at their comrade being awake, except for Skythropos who retained his usual demeanor.

"Elise!" Ted exclaimed. "We were so worried about you!"

"It's good to know you won't be trying to kill us any time soon," DeFrain joked.

"Wawk!" Blackbeak chimed in.

"You guys," Elise said as she took the time to appreciate once again being surrounded by close friends. They all looked just as she remembered them, with the exception being DeFrain, who was covered by bandages in various places. "It's good to see you, too. I take it we all got out of Xaos's castle?"

"We certainly did," DeFrain said. "Although some of us took a few more wounds with us than others."

"Wawk wawk wawk wawk," Blackbeak commented.

"Quiet, you," DeFrain murmured.

"From what I could see," Ehud added, "you were giving Xaos a run for his money before I got there. You might be even tougher than I thought."

"You know it," Elise replied.

"How are you feeling?" Ted asked.

Elise closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. "Ted," she began, "my whole body is transforming back without any magical aid." Elise opened her eyes to look at the group for a moment. The area around her right cheek twitched slightly. "It hurts like hell."

"T-then let me help you out!" Ted proposed.

"No!" Elise shot back. "I… I need to get through this on my own."

"Consider, Elise Redd," Skythropos interposed, "that we are both joyous to see that you have returned to us, yet we are also worried that you have not." Skythropos's statement was true, Elise realized. She knew that not all of her body had changed back yet, her feet being just one area that remained incomplete in its transformation. Her skin tone was also still reddish in places. While thinking on this she realized how Skythropos had worded his statement and the look of a sigh came across her face.

"Skyth," she asked, "would you please stop talking in riddles?"

At this the room fell silent. Most blinked absentmindedly until, after a very long moment, DeFrain turned to Ehud. "Ehud," he said, "I think you got the wrong Fallen." At this Ted stifled a chuckle, and Tigerclaw rolled her eyes.

"Yeah," Ehud replied, "I mean, when was the last time you heard Elise say 'please?' Especially when talking to Skythropos?"

"I can't rightly remember," DeFrain answered.

"Maybe she's changed," the warrior hypothesized.

"Or," DeFrain mused, his hand coming up to rub his chin thoughtfully, "maybe Elise had a kind twin sister she never told us about that also had a run-in with Xaos."

"Wawk wawk?" Blackbeak repeated. "Wawk."
"Guys…" Elise interrupted, their attention turning back to her. "I'm right here. And don't worry," she assured them as her eyes narrowed just slightly, "I haven't changed that much." Another awkward silence hung in the room as Ehud, Blackbeak, and DeFrain looked to each other. They knew what they were in for later. Breaking the moment, Tigerclaw turned to her soldiers.

"All right, everyone," she said, "I think the Lieutenant needs her rest." Catching her drift, the group turned to exit.

"Skyth," Elise called out. "Later, I want to talk to you about something."

"Of course, Elise Redd," Skythropos said.

"And Ted," Elise continued, "if I need your help I'll ask for you, all right?"

"Right," Ted replied.

With that the men left the room, and Tigerclaw returned to her seat beside Elise. Looking in the direction where they had excused themselves, Tigerclaw couldn't help but let out a laugh. Turning to face Elise, she proclaimed, "They're still a bunch of characters, aren't they?"

"Yeah," Elise replied, chuckling to herself a little.

"Elise," Tigerclaw asked, "do you know where you are?"

"I have an idea," Elise answered. Rummaging through her memories, she recalled the distinct features of a certain village she had become quite familiar with. "This is Ravanda, isn't it? They still burn too much damn incense in this place." After her last statement, Elise's eyes strained to look downward. "Hey," she said, "I have a nose again."

"That's right, Lieutenant," Tigerclaw confirmed. "It's a bit ironic, seeing as this is where we first met."

"Oh, yeah," Elise exclaimed in a quiet way.

"Remember how we met on the battlefield, protecting the village from Xaos's army?"

"I remember," Elise replied.

"Xaos had already overrun both our homelands, and turned his attention to the southern lands. We met here by chance, and helped the matron to formulate a defense. But we weren't a match for Xaos's troops in terms of sheer numbers. After we went into hiding with the villagers, we ended up arguing just about every day about what to do."

"Yeah," mused Elise.

"Until you told me the one piece of strategic advice I'll never forget. Remember? You said, 'Now that they're just sitting there in the village, now's the perfect time to kick their…' well, you know," Tigerclaw concluded.

"I was surprised that I actually ended up being right," laughed Elise. Both General and Lieutenant took a moment to laugh to themselves, lost in their memories. After their laughter subsided, Elise took a moment to look closely at Tigerclaw. "General," she asked, "why'd you go to the trouble of rescuing me? How did you know?"

Tigerclaw looked away from Elise slightly. "I didn't know. Looking back on it, it was a bit selfish of me to put my men into such danger for something so uncertain. But…"

"But, what?"

"Elise, ever since you left us things have been even tougher than usual for the Resistance. Everyone seemed to carry around a sense of loss on their shoulders, and I felt that pain as well. After we lost both you and the Avriem, I was left with nearly no one to look to for companionship. So, when the opportunity presented itself, I came back here, to Ravanda. Ever since I set foot in here, it's been like a second home to me; you know that. But, when I did come back, the village was practically falling apart at the seams. Everyone was sick, the matron's son was dead…"

"I'm sorry," Elise interrupted, also looking away.

"Don't be," Tigerclaw replied. "It wasn't really your fault. But, after that, it seemed like everything was falling down around me, and I could do nothing to stop it. I thought that there would be nothing left of what I once had held dear. So, when we found you inside Xaos's castle, I couldn't help but try and get you back, because you mean so much to me; to everyone…" As Tigerclaw's words trailed off Elise looked to the General. To her surprise, tears were slowly travelling down her fur-lined face. "I'm so very glad… that you're back, Elise."

"Hey," Elise complained, tears forming in her eyes as well, "don't do that…"

Outside, the Ravandan villagers were concluding the rites necessary for burying the son of their matron. As the final words were spoken, a great cheer went up through the crowd and a celebration began. According to their beliefs, one who dies for the tribe earns a special seat of honor in the world beyond. However, this was not the only reason for their happiness. With the retrieval of the salve, the village was on its way back to health, and they had the Soldiers of Resistance to thank for that. The festivities continued until after sundown as the village began to sleep, everyone inside awaiting a new dawn more brilliant than the last.

The End