Jessica sat at the large feast supplied for her men, a small grin on her face. She sat in her nice gold armor. It was a gift from a town that had developed 5 years before and she had saved 2 years before. A red cloak was tied around her neck, lined with purple. She wore her Black family ring on her right hand, as well as a thumb finger that was in the shape of a snake. On her left hand she wore a large ring with a black stone, signifying her status as warrior. Her thumb contained a band with a protection spell carved into it, an emerald flashing inside of it. She wore a necklace that contained a dragon holding a sword, its eyes rubies. The helmet she was forced to wear was that of a king or knights, all gold and full of many rubies. Red feathers were spiked out from the top. She ate the meal slowly and spoke to the leaders and fellow commanders with ease.

"More wine?" a servant girl smiled.

"Please," she laughed, offering up her fancy silver goblet.

"Where do you plan to attack next?" the king of this town asked, meat falling out of his over stuffed mouth.

"I plan to leave the families of my men here, gather some more men, and attack a fortress that has been growing in the mountains. To gather, train, and march the men will take 3 months. Who knows how long the battle will last. I suppose time will tell."

"Attack? You haven't been so bold as to attack a fortress."

"Let's just say I am beginning to long for the real world," she laughed, swirling the wine.

"I don't miss it too much. This world is much easier."

She managed to avoid laughter by biting into a roll. She washed the large bite down with a large gulp of wine. Standing, she smiled. "I would like to visit with my men."

"Of course," he laughed, waving her off.

Jessica quickly made her way out, her generals leaving with her. When they reached the camp where food was being spread out, she turned to them and gave them a sorry look. "You didn't have to leave with me."

"We are just as disgusted at his behavior as you," one with a grin.

"I am going to walk around for a while. Enjoy the food and get some rest."

They broke away from each other and she walked over to her tent, quickly taking off the fancy armor and helmet. Throwing them in, she turned to walk without her armor. Even a devoted soldier longed to wear normal clothes once in a while. She wore thick riding pants, no shoes, and a thin shirt that she normally wore under her armor. The air was already cool and progressively getting colder. The only rich items on her were her jewelry, which were in fact hers. She leisurely walked through the sand away from camp. Her face was troubled as she looked up at the moon.

"Do you often travel away from camp at night when your men are drinking and feasting?" a cool, silky voice broke her silence.

She turned her head to see Snape standing awkwardly a few feet away, dressed much like she was. He shifted as the nipping wind ran through his pulled back hair, loose strands falling into his red face. It appeared as though the sun could affect her pale Professor's skin. She suppressed a grin and motioned for him to sit. "No. It is calming to be alone or with quiet company."

"Not one for large men talking with their mouths open?" he sarcastically responded, sitting down.

"Not particularly," she chuckled.

"Your men can be extremely pushing. Is that based off of their leader?"

She noted how loaded the question was and pierced it directly. "Of course. I push people to their potential, as I told you your first day. If you are going to live here I would rather you be broken then built back up to survive rather than slowly adapt. How is your body coping?"

"The burns feel like hell and make a lot of movements painful, but other than that I am perfectly fine."

"Oh? Not stiff?"

"I can deal with stiff and aches. I can't deal with something I haven't experienced."

She nodded and looked up at the moon. Something made her feel uneasy.

"Why do you frown when you look at the moon?"

She cocked and eyebrow and looked at him from the side of her eyes. "I know it isn't real."

"Oh."

Sensing something once more, she quickly stood and shielded him from the darkness of the open desert. "Get back to camp."

"What?"

She pushed him and they began to make their way back quickly. She hushed him every time he tried to speak. They both saw the glint of metal, but Jessica was faster and threw herself in front of him. She hit the ground with a grunt and he followed suit.

"What the hell was that for?" he hissed.

"Attack!" she screamed to the camp. "Attack!"

She stood and pulled Snape up, dragging him with her. She threw him in her tent and followed. It was then that he noticed the arrow sticking out of her right shoulder.

"You were hit!" he cried out.

She ignored him, sitting down and snapping the tail off. "I need you to pull it through."

"What?"

She glared and grabbed the end, pushing it through her skin. "Grab the point and pull it out quickly."

He did just that, knowing that in times like these one did not need any unnecessary pauses. "What next?"

She waved her hand and a bowl of hot water appeared. She took off her shirt with one hand and placed it into the bowl. He watched in shock as she remained in only a bra, her golden skin rippling under the movement of each muscle as she twisted to clean the wound. It was direct and obviously shot toward his heart. Her right shoulder had slammed into his left. He would be dead if she hadn't sacrificed herself. He ran his eyes over the body, shocked to find scars, burns, and tattoos. Roses and dragons claimed her back and arms. But on her abs she had the sign of a phoenix. The tattoo that stuck out most was the Dark Mark on her left arm. Burns surrounded the tattoo, proving that she had tried to remove it.

She finished cleaning the wound and quickly tied the offending area with her wet, torn shirt. Blood quickly stained it, but she had no time to worry. Instead she stood and grabbed her armor, throwing it on. Her two short swords went onto her back with the large quiver and she grabbed her long bow last. Seeing him still sitting there, she gave him a small grin before running out the door, already pulling out an arrow.

The command had been silent, but he recognized the look in her eyes. She wanted him to stay in the tent. He looked around with interest. Outside Jessica was shooting any unfriendly figure. It didn't take long to destroy their attack and force them to retreat. But the damage had been done. Some men were dead, others wounded, and everyone else no longer willing to enjoy the night. It would be sleepless for many of them.