There was a patch of land in Hemwick Charnel Lane, close to the precipice of the bridge leading to Cainhurst Castle, whose grounds were littered with countless tombstones. It was here where most of Cainhurst's dead were put to rest, as what little land the castle was built on was simply not suitable for burial. Those who were exalted in life received a grand ceremony honoring their accomplishments, before being entombed in one of many cathedrals on the castle grounds. But these ceremonies were far and few between, seeing as they were reserved for members of nobility and the most decorated of knights.

And it was because of this that Maria found herself standing alone on the hillside, her garb blowing in the bitter wind as she looked down at a collection of sparsely labeled tombstones, on which the names of her men were inscribed.

The process of burying them had been long and lacking in ceremony. Though their fellow knights had aided in retrieving their bodies and putting them to rest, they did not linger long and returned to the castle soon after their duty was complete. Adrian stayed with her the longest, standing on the foot of the hill on which they were buried and looking after her, as if to make sure that no-one disturbed her. But he must've realized that she had no intention of leaving them, as after a time, he silently mounted his horse and left her be, all while she didn't so much as turn to look over her shoulder.

Maria didn't know how long she'd been standing there; minutes or perhaps hours. But no matter how much time went by, the cloud of grief looming over her only grew. Any apologies or consolations she would have offered them would ring hollow, because nothing could change the fact that she had led them to their doom. They followed her unwaveringly, their hearts singing with loyalty…and what had it brought them?

After an untold amount of time had gone by, Maria chose to get down on one knee, lowering her head and clasping her hands together in front of it. "O fleeting will of the ancients," she whispered. "Let these fallen souls rest. Let them find peace in death that they could not find in life. And let not their noble deeds – their sacrifice – be lost to time. So that they were not lost in vain."

After concluding her prayer, she remained in that position for a few more fleeting moments, hoping that by some miracle it would be heard. Maria very rarely invoked the Great Ones and it was unlikely she would've done so then had it not been for Lobsang's ominous words. She had never stopped to consider what came after death, but the thought of her men languishing in a state of limbo terrified her. Perhaps she shouldn't have put this much confidence in his words, but she knew better than to dismiss them outright. She had bore witness to far less conceivable things.

After rising to her feet and solemnly glancing at their graves one last time, the captain finally turned to leave, finding Siegward grazing at the spot she had hitched him. After affectionately placing her hand on his neck, Maria freed him and once again hoisted herself up onto his saddle, guiding her steed into a slow trot as she led him back towards the bridge. Despite knowing she had no choice, it pained her to leave her men behind like this, but at the very least, she had made it so they were buried close to their home rather than under the bitter sands of Loran.

It was the only source of comfort she had now, aside from a single, nebulous promise.

…

Upon her return to Cainhurst Castle, Maria finally returned Siegward to the stables, allowing him to rejoin the rest of his herd. As the mutilated bodies of her men were laid out in preparation for burial, she had seen a few of their horses investigating the scene, even gently nudging their heads with their snouts, as if they were trying to rouse them awake. They would find new riders in time, but judging from their visibly despondent behavior, it would not be an easy process for them.

Maria spent a fair bit of time in the stables, offering receptive horses comforting touches before she finally decided to depart. She would happen upon several more of her fellow knights on her journey through the castle, who all seemed to know that something was wrong. Yet in spite of this, none of them tried to confront her about it, something that she suspected was more the result of a sweeping command rather than respect or pity, for out of every knight she encountered, Adrian was not one of them.

In time, she would find herself back in her quarters. But what should've been a relieving end to an arduous journey proved to be anything but.

After removing the sheathes for her weapons, she held them both out before her. She had neglected cleaning them after that fateful encounter in the chamber, allowing the dark, corrupted blood of her adversary to dry on her blades, leaving countless stains. Yet for all her efforts, she had found herself helpless, unable to do anything to stop the senseless slaughter that followed.

Maria's hands tightened around the grips of her weapons, but ultimately, she merely reconnected them and placed the Rakuyo back on its display stand. After spending more time than was necessary simply looking back at her reflection in the blade, she finally turned away, but she did so not knowing what to do next.

Left with little other choice, she settled into a chair by her windowsill, watching as torrents of snow continued to swirl outside. At times, her window would rattle from the force of the winds, but Maria remained almost entirely motionless, resting her cheek on her palm as she rested her elbow on the wooden joist. And once again, the passage of time was completely lost on her, even as the skies outside grew darker before her eyes.

The sound of roaring winds would finally be interrupted by a knock on her door, but even this wasn't enough to break her almost blank gaze away. After a couple more knocks, she heard a calm, but still clearly concerned voice. "Maria? Maria, are you there?"

With a quiet sigh, she finally chose to reply. "Yes, father."

Soon after, the door to her quarters was opened, though Maria's attention remained on her window. Only after she heard the door being closed did she turn to face her sudden, but not entirely unexpected visitor, who simply stood in place and furrowed his brow, as if he couldn't decide on what to say.

"Maria…" he stopped for a moment, letting out a sigh before continuing. "Her Majesty informed me of what happened. I cannot express how relieved I am to see you safe."

No matter how genuine his words sounded, they did not provide the assurance he might've wished they would. "A small comfort for the ones who died in my place," she said as she turned to look back out the window.

"You mourn?" her father observed, but he by no means sounded surprised. Rather, he sounded disappointed.

"My men…they are the reason I find myself before you now," she replied, once again looking towards him, but not quite meeting his eyes. "Surely, Her Majesty informed you of that as well."

"She did," her father acknowledged. "As well as your ground-breaking discovery. She wanted me to tell you that she's already started making preparations for a ceremony dedicated to unveiling it, as well as honoring your acc…your company's accomplishment."

His blunder did not go unnoticed, assuming it was one at all. "Then she means to honor our agreement?" said Maria.

"The Queen always keeps her word, Maria. You should know that by now," he replied.

"Indeed," she replied. "So why tell me what I already know?"

This question seemed to catch him off guard, if just a little. He must've known that her and Queen Annalise had already discussed these matters at length, so she doubted that he was only here to inform her of this upcoming event, especially if he chose to do so in this setting. And from the looks of things, her suspicion was correct.

"My daughter, I understand why you chose to walk this path, but it was never meant for someone like you. What happened in Loran, it was…"

"It was what?!" Maria bitterly demanded, finally rising from her seat. "Expected? Acceptable? Necessary?"

"You knew how perilous your mission was," was all he said in response.

"Of course, I did. All of us did. Yet clearly, that didn't matter. After all, what did we really stand to lose?" She did not even attempt to conceal her frustration, firmly marching towards her father, who didn't so much as budge.

"You, Maria. By your own account, you nearly lost your life," he reminded him.

"And what of my men?!" she yelled. "Did their lives not matter? They served our kingdom with distinction and you sent them to their deaths!"

"That wasn't my decision!" he reminded her, finally raising his voice.

"And who would Her Majesty listen to if not you?!" Maria demanded. "You've had her ear for decades, yet not once have I seen you challenge her! Not even to protect…"

Suddenly, her father's hand shot up, pointing a finger directly in front of her face. "Do not…mention her…" His voice was quiet, but laced with an undeniable sense of anger, as well as grief. Though she hadn't even blinked when he raised his hand on her, Maria heeded his warning, holding his eyes until he finally relented, solemnly lowering his head and clenching his fist as he brought it back down.

"Maria, who…what your mother was doesn't matter. You are of royal blood; you and Adrian both. As a result, there are certain expectations you have to fulfill and if you do not, it will be used against you. Against those who matter most to you."

Upon concluding this thinly-disguised warning, her father finally met her eyes again, putting his regret on full display. But that mattered little to Maria, for what she heard wasn't wisdom or care, but cowardice.

"Then I should value my standing above the lives of others?" she asked, bringing what he had said to its logical conclusion. And as expected, he had no answer to give.

A few more tense moments ticked by before Maria's father turned his back on her, leaving her to watch as he walked towards the door. But rather than slamming it shut behind him, he suddenly paused and looked back at her one more time.

"Consider your actions carefully, Maria. If you don't, I fear there may be no coming back from them," he said just before he calmly closed the door, leaving her alone with her thoughts once more.

Turning away from the door, she once again lowered her head in mourning, just as the tears she'd been suppressing that entire day finally started to flow. But of the mess of emotions that finally broke her down, regret for what she'd said to her father wasn't one of them. Perhaps he'd realized he won't be able to get through to her or perhaps he believed it was better to bide his time, thinking that she would be more receptive later. But whatever the case may be, Maria had no intention of ever forgiving him, not after what he did. He was her father in name only.

Yet above all else, she found herself consumed by anger and frustration. All of this could've been avoided if they had simply chosen to leave the Tombs of the Gods behind for good; allowing the past to remain buried. But history is only as effective a teacher as one lets it be and clearly, Queen Annalise, as well as her counterpart in Byrgenwerth believed that they had nothing left to learn.

Byrgenwerth…

Maria raised her chin, looking at her disgruntled reflection on her window as the storm continued to rage outside. Her men didn't need to die. That she still lived was proof enough of that. Her "savior" wanted her to think he tried to save them as well and that he had simply arrived too late, but she knew better. With their deaths, she would be more malleable to his master's suggestions, not just emotionally, but physically as well. They thought they could control her…tame her…

And she would soon show them what a mistake that is.

...