《Fall of the Queen of Shadows》


 C1 (1098 AW)

    Lynn sat on the roof of their little home. She brushed her long, crimson hair away from her face. She stared at the bloody moon, hanging in the pitch black sky. A drop of blood fell off the moon, landing beyond the horizon. What fun, a new Fallen was born.


    She turned around, when she heard soft footsteps. Her wife, Enna, stood behind her, also staring at the bloody moon.


    ¡°The moon is beautiful tonight,¡± she heard Enna mutter.


    Another drop fell from the moon. ¡°Seems there is quite a battle beyond the horizon¡± Enna said aloud.


    Lynn nodded sadly, already back to staring at the moon. Enna sat down next to Lynn, resting her head on the other¡¯s shoulder. A few more drops fell throughout the night before something else happened. The bloody moon cracked down the middle, blackness revealed within.


    ¡°And a paladin Falls to temptation¡± Lynn said. It wasn¡¯t a battle anymore, it was probably a massacre.


    An hour before dawn the moon returned to a light orange. That massacre must have decided the fate of a large part of the world, or the moon would have stayed unchanged. Hopefully the influence stays away, thought Lynn.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get some sleep, we need to wake up early¡± Enna pulled Lynn upwards, leading her to their bedroom. Lynn gave a small blissful smile.


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    The midday sun shone through the opened curtains. Lynn groaned. The light did nothing to her, as she was born of light, but she hated it nonetheless.


    She looked around. Enna was busy dressing herself, seeming in a hurry. It took a few seconds to process why, as she was distracted. She turned her eyes to the light. With the angle it was, they were probably almost late.


    She sat upright, stretching her pitch black, immaterial wings. The aesthetics without any of the demerits, they were the best type of wings. She felt a hand pass through one of her wings, coming to rest on her bare back.


    ¡°Get dressed, we¡¯re going to be late¡± Enna whispered in her ear. She traced her hands across Lynn¡¯s back, sending a shiver down her spine. She pulled back and left the room.


    Lynn dressed in the clothes Enna had put out for her. It was her only set of ¡®formal¡¯ clothing. She wore long, tight pants, a set of chainmail over a loose shirt, all of which was underneath a leather jacket and finally a pair of black, hardened leather boots. She didn¡¯t have gauntlets, so it probably wasn¡¯t a formal ¡®murder¡¯ occasion.


    She hurried after Enna. When she came to the front door she was stunned. Enna stood before her. She had her pale silver hair tied into a ponytail. She wore her special chain shirt, and tight leather pants and lastly a pair of thick leather boots, with metallic plating.


    In front of Lynn stood the woman she had fallen in love with, dressed the same as the day they met, just with less blood covering her. Of course Lynn was also different, missing her gauntlets, and not drenched in crimson liquids.


    She grabbed Enna¡¯s hand. She pulled Enna closer. She placed her lips on the surprised Half-Elf¡¯s.


    ¡°My lady, I fell for you at first sight. Covered in blood as you are, you are more beautiful than any I have seen before. Would you do me the honours of battling by my side?¡± Lynn recited what she said to Enna the first time they met.


    A blush grew over Enna¡¯s pale grey skin, as she lightly slapped Lynn. ¡°Stop fooling around, we¡¯re already late.¡±


    Lynn released her captive with a sly grin.

 C2 (1098 AW)

    The barrier protected the lives of the people. When you walked passed it, you would die. Beyond the encirclement of flowers were the wastes. In this land the cursed spirits of the dead roam. The eternal flowers repel the Wraiths, stopping them from entering and wiping out those who lived inside.


    Yet all was not happy and peaceful. Even though the flowers could never wilt, without outside assistance, they were being killed. The Wraiths slowly sucked the life from the flowers at the outer edges, enclosing the encirclement.


    Men and women were sent regularly to clear some Wraiths and replant the flowers, to enlarge the encirclement. But Wraiths would tempt all who came near with sweet words and even sweeter promises. Those who fall prey to their words are called the Tempted. When someone falls but did not fall for the sweet lies, they are the Fallen.


    The Tempted exit the barrier and are killed by the Wraiths. But like all children know, they will rise the next cycle as Spectres, unless they bare the curse of the Wraiths. Those who bore the curse will become Wraiths upon their deaths.


    The curse is given when one survives the attacks of a Wraith. Wraiths don¡¯t like leaving things unfinished, it is why they exist. They will hunt down the bearers of the curse, even if they themselves did not place it on the bearer.


    Lynn was bored out of her mind. They were in a very ¡®important¡¯ meeting. It consisted of the news of the Tempted, and the fact that it were paladins who were tempted. The priesthood had already fled the frontlines; paladins were the only remaining warriors of the gods who fought. And there were already paladins following after the priesthood, those that stayed were mostly the useless or the idiots.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    But without the support of the gods they could only rely on the mercy of the nature druids, but they were just as fickle as the one they served. Meaning they would need more fodder for the frontlines, or they would have to live with a much shorter time limit than they already had.


    The meeting came to an end. It was decided that they would send a few men to scout, to see if the frontlines needed more manpower or if they could last.


    Lynn stood before a kiln, waiting for the bread to reach perfection. Enna was out hunting. Of the two of them, she was the most qualified, being a hunter since young. Whereas Lynn was more of the ¡®get in your face and butcher you¡¯ type. She had no patience to track and sneak after prey; she much preferred the open battlefield.


    She acted quickly, the bread was near perfection. She grabbed her large wooden shovel. In a clean stabbing motion the bread was on the shovel. She, with hurried patience, pulled the shovel from the kiln. She quickly placed the bread on a cutting board and covered it with a thin cloth to keep it away from flies. A cursory inspection made her proud, they looked perfect.


    Lynn placed some more dough on the shovel and stuck it in the kiln once more. With a quick twist of the wrist the dough was off the shovel and in seconds the shovel was again next to the kiln. Time to wait once more.


    ¡°I¡¯m home!¡± Enna exclaimed as she swung open the front door.


    Lynn poked her head from a back room into the hallway that lead straight to the front door. She smiled but quickly noticed the lack of any animal. ¡°Didn¡¯t go well?¡±


    Enna stripped her heavy and sweaty clothes, she sighed. ¡°No, the flowers are too close to safely hunt.¡±


    That brought a frown to Lynn¡¯s face. They would have to exterminate some Wraiths to give the local druids some time to regrow the circle of flowers a bit further in. And she hated getting close to the things. Their whispers were annoying.


    ¡°Go take a bath; I can smell you from here.¡±


    Enna flinched. She never liked the smell of sweat, especially not when she was the one sweating. She hurried out of the hallway into one of the side doors, stripping the rest of her clothes as she went.


    Lynn gave a sigh and walked into the hallway. She picked up the clothes and took them to one of the back rooms, where it would stay till someone took the time to wash them.

 C3 (1032 AW)

    A girl danced among corpses, her bright red hair twirling in the wind. She was too happy. A Zweih?nder in one hand, the lives of others in the other hand. Truly she couldn¡¯t be happier.


    A small groan drew her attention. One of her victims was still alive. She swung her sword and disconnected a head from its body. Her happy mood lost, she wiped a bit of blood from her face. She glanced at the rest of the battlefield only to smile from happiness once more.


    They had lost, meaning, she could kill everyone around her. She lived for the thrill and spilt blood. Truly you weren¡¯t living until you were covered in the blood of others. She dashed to the closest enemy and sunk her blade into their chest. Blood splashed, as another corpse joined her small pile.


    The rest noticed her and charged as one. They too, were soon added to the pile. She would have laughed and cackled in delight if she didn¡¯t need to focus on dodging damned arrows and spells that were slung her way.


    She was slowly losing her rationality to the rage as the ranged combatants were ruining her fun. Her hair ignited in a ghastly blue flame as her body was wrapped in shadows. Her crimson eyes stared at her prey, furiously. She vanished only to reappear near the backline. The backline didn¡¯t even last long enough for her to want to add these disgraces to her pile.


    She butchered the rest of the frontlines in short order. Truly they couldn¡¯t even give her a challenge, which was quite saddening.


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    She stood atop her hill of corpses and surveyed the area for more targets. There was only one left, from which side she didn¡¯t know, nor did she care. She placed her blade on her back, in its scabbard. She walked to the only one left and noticed the small piles of corpses that surrounded her. Maybe this one can give her a good time.


    The twang of a bow was followed by an arrow piercing her shoulder. She had reacted quickly to the danger and dodged at the last second, any later and she would be dead. She unsheathed her blade, she was furious. How dare the final enemy be one of those ranged bastards.


    She vanished and appeared in short order next to her target. It was a woman with long, blood covered silver hair. She swung her blade to decapitate the weakling. Yet she was not there when her sword was to meet flesh, instead she herself had an arrow in her thigh. She gave the largest smile since the whole war started, this could actually be fun.


    Her sword rested on the neck of her greatest foe. Yet she did not sink it into the flesh of her target. No, she was too entranced by the beauty that lay before her, exhausted and calm. The woman was, like her, covered in blood from her enemies. She couldn¡¯t take it any longer and dropped her blade, taking the woman¡¯s hand in her own.


    ¡°My lady, I fell for you at first sight. Covered in blood as you are, you are more beautiful than any I have seen before. Would you do me the honours of battling by my side?¡±


    This had stunned the silver-haired woman for a bit, thinking it was a trick. But the sincerity with which it was said and the calm look in the girl¡¯s eyes told her it was no trick, and the fact that she should have been killed. She gave her foe the same once over she had just received. The girl was a bit shorter than her, and had long fiery hair. She wore a mix of leather, padded cloth and metal as her protection, with the only pieces of skin showing being her face and hands, which was all covered in more blood than she had on herself. The girl had an innocent appearance, if you were to meet her while she was not covered in blood.


    The woman gave a small smile and replied.

 C4 (1045 AW)

    ¡°Enna!¡± a girl with long crimson hair yelled through her home.


    There was some shuffling and a few crashing sounds as someone rushed into the room the girl yelled from. ¡°What? What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    The girl had woken from a full night¡¯s rest, alone, in her queen sized bed. ¡°Why did you leave me alone?¡± she gave the woman that stood in the doorway a little pout.


    The woman, Enna, sighed, brushing her silver hair out of her line of sight, before scolding the girl. ¡°You can¡¯t just yell for me, I almost thought you were attacked.¡±


    ¡°But you were supposed to give me a good morning kiss when I woke up.¡±


    ¡°And where did you get that idea?¡±


    The girl blushed as she began twiddling her fingers. ¡°I read it in a book Old Lady Marry gave me.¡±


    Enna gave a short laugh before calmly approaching the bed, and embracing the girl. ¡°Lynn, if you wanted a kiss, you could just ask.¡± She placed her lips on the girl, Lynn¡¯s, and enjoyed how her eyes widened and closed in bliss. Enna pulled away after a few seconds, a strand of saliva connecting the two. Lynn mouthed something but no sounds came out.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The book said to do it twice¡± she whispered. Enna smiled as she hooked their lips once more. As she pulled away she heard Lynn say, ¡°Or was it thrice?¡±Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    She giggled and held Lynn to her longer. This time when she pulled away, Lynn was the one to reengage with only the word, ¡°again¡±.


    ¡°Well, that took an unnecessarily long amount of time¡± Enna scolded Lynn who had a very bright smile on her lips.


    Lynn spun a happily. ¡°What can I say? I love you?¡±


    Enna coughed a bit as she went red, ¡°That would work¡­ In any case we still have a lot to do before the end of today, and you¡¯ll have to do quite a lot to make up for the time we used.¡±


    Lynn just nodded along, still as happy as ever.


    ¡°That should be the last of them.¡± Lynn huffed as she placed a large, heavy box in their living room, which was currently filled with boxes of all shapes and sizes.


    Enna came in with a smaller, lighter box. ¡°Did I mention how glad I am that you were strong?¡±


    Lynn glared at Enna. ¡°Quite a few times.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that,¡± Enna put down the box and hugged Lynn from behind, ¡°maybe you don¡¯t want the reward?¡±


    Lynn¡¯s face went red as she said nothing; instead she began to unpack some of the boxes. Enna smiled and helped with a bit of the unpacking. Lynn pulled out all sorts of items that either confused her as to their purpose, or confused her as to why Enna had so many mundane items.


    When she opened the fifth box and it had the same type of bag that the previous boxes were filled with, she had enough. ¡°What is this thing, and why do you have like twenty of them?¡±


    Enna glanced over, having already peeled a few tables and desks from their coverings. ¡°It¡¯s a bag of holding.¡±


    ¡°A what?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s bigger on the inside.¡± Enna sighed, remembering Lynn had very little interaction with any magical item that did not exist to simply kill better.


    Lynn gazed at the small bag in wonder. Bigger on the insides? What wonders. Maybe she should have taken more interest in the nifty magic items. But then again, that would take time from her killing. She sighed as she placed it on the pile of similar bags, choices.

 C5 (1047 AW)

    ¡°I think I¡¯m going to retire.¡± Lynn mused aloud as she dropped a book she was reading on the small table between her and Enna.


    Enna sharply lifted her head from her book. ¡°What, why?¡±


    Lynn leaned back in her comfy chair by the fireplace, and stared at the ceiling. ¡°I wanna be a baker, make bread and cakes and things.¡±


    Enna eyed the book Lynn had just read, ¡®Their love for baking¡¯. She had read the book before. It was about a couple that were from competing bakeries. One day the one was fed up and stormed the other bakery, only to be met with love at first sight. They tried to woo the other with every method they could think of, until the end when they tried their baking skills. It worked, and the two became a couple and merged their bakeries.


    Enna was happy that Lynn actually finished the whole book for once, but to have given her the desire to bake, was her lover that easily manipulated? Enna sighed as she placed her book on the table, next to the other. This was going to be bothersome, she thought.


    The damage was mitigated. Lynn only destroyed one wall in her pursuit for creating an oven to bake her bread. And Enna had succeeded in stopping Lynn from retiring, and rather bake bread as a hobby until she was certain she wanted to bake as her job.


    ¡°I¡¯m going out to buy some ingredients.¡± Lynn announced. She was already dressed for the cold outside weather this far up north.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Enna yelled back from the other side of the house, ¡°Bring me back some tea leaves!¡±


    Lynn nodded, not that anyone could see, as she headed out. She passed quite a few people that greeted her, local she had become acquaintances with. She had made one friend in this town, though, the town¡¯s blacksmith.


    The blacksmith was a grumpy old dwarf, but he was nice enough when they showed they know something about the quality of tools and metals. But she wasn¡¯t going to the blacksmith today. Today she was going to buy ingredients to bake her first bread, and buy tea leaves for Enna, can¡¯t forget that.


    She came upon a large gathering of merchants. How lucky. It was the time of month when the merchants wound pass through their little town on their way to the big cities. If she didn¡¯t get some premium tea leaves for Enna, she would have to sleep alone, again. She dug through her pouch and counted her coins, hopefully she had enough for everything she wanted.


    A sigh escaped her lips, she had more than enough. Maybe if she bought some of the more exotic tea leaves Enna might reward her? With a stupid smile on her face she approached the gathering, ready to haggle them all to death.


    ¡°Where did you get these?¡± Enna asked. She was delighted by what Lynn had bought for her. And this time she had not forgotten to buy her, her regular leaves either.


    Lynn gave a sheepish smile. ¡°The merchants were in town,¡± she began twiddling with her finger as a blush grew on her face, ¡°I thought you might like to try some new teas, and might want to,¡± her face went red as she began to avoid eye contact, ¡°to r-reward me, if I br-brought some back.¡±


    Enna chuckled. She stashed the small bag of exotic tea leaves in one of her bags of holding and pulled Lynn closer to her. ¡°You want a reward?¡± she asked with a sweet voice. Lynn pressed her head into Enna¡¯s shoulder as she nodded. ¡°I guess you do deserve one¡± Enna pulled picked Lynn up in a princess carry and she went to their bedroom.

 C6 (1098 AW)

    The scouts had returned with bad news. The wall of flowers has been breached, and it was quite close to this town. But the druids were quick to act and made a temporary smaller barrier to contain the breach. It wouldn¡¯t last long, probably only a week.


    They needed reinforcements as there was no word from the churches offering support. Everyone was suspicious, usually the church would step in when something like this happened, or they would lose all their followers. Yet this time was different, only silence greeted the masses.


    But the silence of the churches did little more than upset the military officers; they had already made plans for when the churches failed them. They had a special unit of warlocks and druids trained to battle against the Wraiths; they just needed some strong physical fighters to protect the squishy unit.


    ¡°And that is where we come in.¡± The mayor of the town finished as he stared at the ¡®strongest¡¯ in the room. The mayor was a seasoned veteran, and had been through mortal wars and on the frontlines against the Wraiths. Most in this meeting room had been on the frontlines against the Wraiths.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I¡¯m retired, I¡¯m only here to give the wisdom of a veteran.¡± Lynn spoke, leaning back in her chair, as she noticed the mayor staring at her. ¡°And in any case, we need to push back the barrier in the woods near us; it¡¯s too close for the hunters to safely hunt.¡±Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    This caught their attention. No one goes too deep in the forest as there are quite a few dangerous beasts using it as their home. If hunting was not safe, it meant the beasts had approached closer to the edge of the forest, fleeing the approaching Wraiths.


    Almost everyone agreed with Lynn. If they went to reinforce the weakened defences then they would leave their families without a safe way to gather food. And if the speed of decay sped up, then their families could be in true danger, without even involving the Wraiths, as the beasts would enter the area controlled by the town.


    The mayor nodded his head, dismissing everyone. He would need to think up a way to support the frontlines and ensure the safety of their families. And as Lynn had said, most here are, just like her, retired. None of them had any desire to fight on the frontlines, in this life, or the next.


    Lynn sighed as she laid her head on Enna¡¯s lap. ¡°Are we going to have to fight, again?¡±


    ¡°Probably. But it would be for the safety of our family.¡± Enna stroked Lynn¡¯s hair, the soft feeling calming her nerves. They haven¡¯t been in a battle for a few years now; she didn¡¯t know how rusty she was. She knew Lynn had the obvious advantage with battling being in her blood, an instinct of sorts. Even when she was baking bread, she was training her battle skills, even if she herself did not notice.


    Lynn stared into her wife¡¯s eyes. ¡°Are you saying what I think you are?¡±


    Enna nodded. ¡°I would like to do it, as soon as we can assure our own safety.¡±


    Lynn smiled brightly before it turned into a sly grin as she pounced on Enna, pushing her down. ¡°You probably shouldn¡¯t have said that.¡± She carried her prey to her lair.


    Enna was exasperated. When had she lost control of their bedroom activities? Where had her shy wife gone? She could only fume for a few seconds before a smile leaked out.

 C7 (1047 AW)

    ¡°I¡¯m sure¡± Lynn gave a resolute nod at the person in front of her, an administrator of the mercenary guild and the master of this branch. The administrator made a few notes in a book before excusing her.


    Lynn smiled brightly as she ran home. She had some news for her lover.


    Enna wasn¡¯t at home at the moment, so Lynn just went to work. She mixed a few ingredients into dough and started up her oven. She placed the newly made dough on a drying rack and took an already expanded piece of dough from the rack. She made quick work of the dough and by the end she had right bun shapes. She stuck them into her oven with her wooden shovel, and began to whip up some more dough. She had no patience for hunting, but she had patience for baking.


    Enna returned early afternoon, covered in dirt, sweat and blood.


    Lynn gazed at Enna¡¯s blood covered hands and face and immediately said, ¡°Go wash, and meet me in the bedroom.¡±


    Enna was stunned for but a moment until she remembered blood was a huge turn on, on her lover. She kind of regretted not washing it off before returning home. She sighed and quickly drew a bath, already hearing her lover pack away her baking equipment. She hurriedly scrubbed herself clean and just as fast made her way upstairs, to their bedroom, dressed in only a towel.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Lynn was already waiting for her, dressed in only a white buttoned shirt. Enna might have been too tired to want anything other than sleep when she was washing herself, but not now, now she wanted nothing else than to touch her lover, skin against skin.


    Enna gazed at the naked, defenceless back of her lover. It was so beautiful, even though it was scarred. Her lover¡¯s back was covered in light grey scars, not a single piece of her back was her signature pale skin. The scars were more aesthetic than real, as when she touched them she would only feel unblemished, smooth skin.


    She placed a hand on her lover¡¯s back, enjoying the way Lynn flinched from her touch, not having expected it. Lynn lay motionless as Enna began to move her hand, drawing shapes and feeling when Lynn twitches, to find all her sensitive spots.


    The next morning they both woke up earlier than usual. It was still dark out. They must have fallen asleep quite early last night.


    ¡°How were your battles yesterday?¡± Lynn asked as she stared into Enna¡¯s eyes, enjoying their beauty.


    Enna grabbed one of Lynn¡¯s hands and brought it to her mouth, kissing it. ¡°Boring, I think I¡¯ll retire soon. No one wants to fight me anymore.¡±


    Lynn perked up at that. With all that happened yesterday, she had forgotten to mention she had already retired. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m already retired.¡±


    Enna paused. ¡°What, when?¡±


    ¡°Yesterday, I wanted to tell you. But then you came back, covered in blood, and you know what happened next.¡±


    Enna was confused before clarity set in. Right, she immediately went to bath then the whole bedroom thing happened, they didn¡¯t even have time to chat through it all. She blushed hard; hopefully the neighbours didn¡¯t hear anything. Enna pulled Lynn closer and hid her face in her lover¡¯s chest.


    Enna mumbled from within her ¡®cushions¡¯, ¡°Congratulations miss baker.¡±

 C8 (1049 AW)

    Lynn stood next to Enna, both soaked in blood. It was Enna¡¯s last mission. She would be retiring after this. She had wanted her last one to be special, so she had convinced Lynn to join her.


    ¡°I missed this, but it sucks they were monsters.¡± Lynn sighed as she gazed at all the corpses in the field. There were about a hundred of them, from wolves and predatory birds to displacement beasts and even a few small dragons.


    Enna fiddled with one of her pockets, nervous about something, but she did not show her nervousness in her voice. ¡°It¡¯s because the barrier has rapidly shrunk the past few years. And the monsters are being forced from their territories.¡±


    Lynn looked into the horizon, where she could see the reflection of the barrier. It was really close. Too close for her liking. She hated those things beyond the barrier, as much as she hated certain people.


    Enna took a deep breath, attracting Lynn¡¯s attention. Enna pulled a small box from her pocket and kneeled before Lynn. She presented the box, and peeled back the top. ¡°Lynn Yue, would you marry me?¡±


    Lynn was stunned. Her beautiful, blood soaked lover had proposed. Usually she did things like this, and Enna would just go with the flow. This had caught her off guard, but perhaps that was planned. She didn¡¯t even have to think as tears streamed down her face, and she gave a radiant smile. She pulled Enna up into a hug. ¡°Yes¡­ yes, yes.¡±Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    ¡°My commitment to you is one I give willingly, absolutely, and without hesitation. I am yours utterly and have been since the moment we met. We were married before this day, and will always be.¡±


    Lynn was dressed in a black suit. The most formal set of clothing she had ever worn. She didn¡¯t mind though, it was for Enna she wore it. She was even happier when she didn¡¯t have to dress like Enna.


    Enna was dressed in a white, flowing, wedding gown. She was gorgeous and Lynn couldn¡¯t wait for what came after the wedding. Not that either of them needed a honeymoon, seeing as they are now both retired.


    Enna kissed Lynn, who was daydreaming which was followed by a cheer. Their old mercenary friends were here, and a few of their friends and acquaintances that lived in town. It was a small wedding, held under the moon. There was no priest at the wedding, merely the leader of the mercenary guild; in fact Lynn had said she would kill any of the priesthood if they dared come.


    Enna held her arms to Lynn, the signal Lynn had been waiting for. She picked up her bride and spun to face the crowd of friends. ¡°Have fun at the party, but if you¡¯ll excuse me and my lovely wife, we have to do what all newlyweds do the night of their wedding.¡±


    They laughed and cheered as Lynn launched them through the darkness of the sky, towards their home.

 C9 (1049 AW)

    Lynn curled into a ball, pulling all the blankets closer. She was searching for the heat that was missing next to her. And the damned light of the sun that was cooking her face didn¡¯t help any.


    She sighed; Enna had probably already woken up and went on with her day. She could faintly remember a kiss on her cheek, but she wasn¡¯t sure if it was a dream or if she was just totally out of it when Enna gave her a morning kiss.


    She sat up, pulling her cocoon of blankets with her, only her face poked through the sheets. She gazed around the room. Well this was strange, this wasn¡¯t their room. It had a more ordinary, clean look to it. Oh yes, she remembered, they were on their honeymoon. They didn¡¯t need one, true, but who could deny them?


    They had come to the most romantic city they could think of, the Dwarven Fortress of Iron and Steel, Carrinal. The city was home to the highest quality and most exotic weapons ever created.


    Lynn untangled herself from the bundle of fuzziness. She enjoyed the cool wind accompanied by the toasty heat from the sun on her bare body. The room contained something she kept her eyes from at all time, a mirror. A full wall sized mirror. And yet as she relaxed in the sun, as a cat would, she couldn¡¯t help but stare at herself.


    Depression and anger overwhelmed her as she stared at the scars covering her body. They were not battle scars, no; any wounds she gained from battle would heal perfectly and leave no scar. No, these scars that coloured her pale skin a shade of grey were with her from birth. And she hated them.


    Having enough of looking at the cursed scars she closed her eyes and basked in the sunlight peacefully, until she remembered why she had even untangled herself to begin with. She groaned as she rolled off the bed. She caught herself and immediately began to dress herself. Time to find her darling wife, and request a proper morning kiss.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Lynn wiped away the saliva that had dripped from the kiss and took the hand of her wife who had done the same.


    ¡°Now that that is done, let¡¯s explore!¡± Lynn exclaimed in excitement.


    Enna sighed and tagged along as Lynn pulled them to different weapon shops and more¡­ exotic shops. She was just as interested as Lynn in weapons, but Lynn had an almost childlike glee, where she had a more mature appreciation.


    They each found a few weapons they liked and bought them. Enna had herself some new bows and daggers, and quite the few arrows. Her new profession was that of a hunter, she would need them to slay her quarry.


    Lynn on the other hand had bought over fifty weapons, each of a different type, from spears to swords and even a few quarterstaves. And she would probably not even use them. She was a baker now, not a warrior.


    The day came to a peaceful end with the two in a park at the edges of the town. The industrial noise and toxins but a fleeting dream while in here. They cuddled on a picnic blanket, staring at the setting sun.


    ¡°I could get used to this peace and comfort.¡± Enna said as she ran a hand through Lynn¡¯s hair.


    Lynn nodded and snuggled deeper into Enna¡¯s embrace. She didn¡¯t want to say anything, just enjoy the moment. Moments like these don¡¯t come often, best to grab hold of them while you can. And that she did.


    The sun had set, and the moon had peaked out from some clouds that began to disperse. It was a full moon tonight, and only one of the three moons decorated the sky. It was the rarest of nights, one said to grant the heartfelt wish of those who desired.


    The town was abnormally quiet and the soft drones of other couples speaking had vanished. Everyone knew what this moon meant, and they all wished. They wished with all their heart, whether for power, wealth, or happiness, everyone made a wish, even the tiniest of children.


    Lynn wished with her whole being, to be with Enna forever more.


    Enna wished to always be able to embrace Lynn.

 C10 (1098 AW)

    Their forces were to be split. With the backup from other villages and towns they needn¡¯t worry too much on the frontlines. What they needed to be worried about was the proximity of the forest barrier to their town.


    Enna had volunteered herself and Lynn to help with the barrier in the forest. Almost all the retired veterans had volunteered for the forest. Those that would go to the front were the young and inexperienced, eager to prove themselves, and a few veterans to ensure the young ones didn¡¯t get themselves killed.


    ¡°There goes two weeks of baking¡± Lynn sighed. She didn¡¯t want to go anywhere close to a barrier, in this life or the next. She was perfectly fine staying at home and baking her bread. No need for those bastards that fucked with your mind.


    They lay face to face in bed. A blanket draped over their heads. Their breath warm against each other¡¯s skin. Their limbs entangled in a mess.


    Enna tried to comfort her sweetheart. ¡°Come on, it¡¯ll be fun. Getting some exercise and polishing your rusty skills.¡±


    Lynn snorted and said, ¡°My skills are as rusty as your aim with a bow.¡±


    Enna looked thoughtful. ¡°True, I could use some target practice.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Lynn was mildly surprised; she meant her skills were not rusty at all, just like Enna¡¯s aim has never been off the mark.


    Enna gazed at her lovely wife¡¯s eyes. ¡°I could use some practice, only hunting animals and dumb monsters have done nothing other than degrade my skills.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Lynn nodded in understanding, moving the blanket a bit. She could understand that. Fighting against a dumb beast was much easier than a thinking, calculating opponent.


    Instead of continuing this conversation she was obviously losing, she hugged Enna and softly kissed her skin. The soft kisses of Lynn were enough to stop any protests from Enna, her mind not in the right place for this conversation anymore.


    ¡°Wakey wakey, sleepy head.¡± Lynn was woken up at an ungodly time of day, morning. Enna stood in her battle gear, ready to go murdering. She wore her special chain shirt, tight leather pants and a pair of thick leather boots with metallic plating.


    Lynn groaned as she forced herself up. Truly mornings were made to be slept through.


    Enna handed Lynn all her armour and clothing she would need. ¡°Get dressed or we¡¯re going to be late.¡±


    Lynn nodded, groggily. She began to dress as Enna left the room to do other things. Lynn slipped into a loose shirt and covered it in a set of chainmail. She pulled long, tight pants over her legs and pulled her black, hardened leather boots on and stood from the bed. She turned back to what was left. A leather jacket and her murder gauntlets. The gauntlets were covered in scales of ancient dragons she had descaled herself. The gauntlets were colourful; their scales consisted of all the colours, chromatic and metallic.


    Seems like today was to be a formal ¡®murder¡¯ occasion. Lynn smiled a bloodthirsty smile.


    Lynn gazed around the room to see if she missed anything. Nope, nothing. She left the room just as Enna had. Outside the bedroom door, against one of the walls, laid her oldest friend. Her Zweih?nder. After all these years, the blade was still the colour of blood and stank just like the spilled liquid.


    She grabbed the hilt and felt the familiar thrum of power coursing through her. The power whispered to her, it wanted, needed, blood. She simply squeezed a bit and glared at the blade for the whispers to stop. She hated anything that whispered into her mind.


    Attaching the blade to the back of her leather jacket, she walked downstairs, to get this shit over with, as soon as possible.

 C11 (1049 AW)

    Lynn glared hatefully at the barrier. The things were too far to affect her mind. But they had all stopped floating aimlessly; they were all staring at her. Those damned smoke monsters. How she hated them.


    A cough from behind brought her attention back to her wife. Happiness replaced the hate and she gave her wife a beautiful smile. They were on their way home from their wonderful honeymoon, and had decided they would take the long way back.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at them,¡± Enna caressed Lynn¡¯s cheeks and stared into her eyes, ¡°Just look at me, give me all your attention.¡±


    Lynn¡¯s smile widened as she brought her face closer to Enna¡¯s. They shared a kiss, blowing away all Lynn¡¯s residual anger. Breaking the kiss she gave a content sigh and laid her head on her wife¡¯s thighs. She closed her eyes in bliss as Enna began stroking her head.


    Enna gazed at the barrier as she continued to stroke her loved one. She could see the shadows that had stopped dancing to stare at her wife. She knew the reason, Lynn had told her the first time she had seen the scars.


    The carriage shook a bit but did nothing to the two. Enna herself had told Lynn about her past, and the reason she fought in wars, when Lynn had revealed her own story.


    She had fled from her home when the churches came to take her. She had no wish to be caged, she sought freedom. She joined the mercenaries for the coin and the thrill, and the opportunity to stay far from any churches.


    She sighed softly. Lynn twitched, hearing the sadness in the sigh, but remained silent. Enna revealed a small smile at her wife¡¯s actions. She leaned over and gave Lynn a kiss on the forehead before she went back to stroking her head.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°Finally home,¡± Lynn exclaimed as she crashed into their fluffy bed. It was probably not as good as the one where they had stayed, but it was theirs.


    Enna gave a lukewarm gaze at Lynn who was busy wrapping herself in as much blankets as she could get a hold of. ¡°You were the one who wanted to go on a honeymoon. We even left the night of the wedding.¡±


    Lynn¡¯s head peaked out of her cocoon, looking at the currently stripping Enna. She flinched at the gaze of her wife. ¡°W-well, nothing beats home. As they say, home is where the heart is, and all that.¡± She started unsure, but became more confident the more she spoke.


    Enna gave a heavy sigh and said, ¡°You could at least have taken off your socks as well.¡±


    Lynn shook her head, a faint blush covering her face. ¡°No way! I need some protection or you¡¯ll eat me right up!¡± Was the cocoon too warm? Why was she acting like this? She felt lightheaded, and not the good kind.


    ¡°Then why are you wearing just socks?¡± Enna was exasperated. Her wife had almost torn her clothing off, except for her socks before she made her cocoon. Enna stormed the bed and pulled the cocoon from Lynn. She only noticed it after she had removed all the blankets, but Lynn¡¯s face was completely scarlet.


    ¡°Ooh, my head¡¯s all fuzzy.¡± Lynn moaned out.


    Then it all clicked. ¡°Lynn, honey, did you eat some of the sweets I placed on the kitchen counter?¡±


    Lynn nodded. ¡°Yesh, they were so jummy¡­ Enna~ I¡¯m hot~¡± she flailed her limbs weakly, the scarlet blush spreading to the rest of her body.


    Enna sighed. She¡¯d been doing that a lot today. But then again, her wife was a bit much to handle on days like these. ¡°Those were special candies meant as a gift for that young couple that recently moved here.¡±


    Lynn just moaned as her limbs stopped flailing. Enna stared at her wife, there was no helping it. When the effects came this far there was no stopping it, and the best way to calm her down would be to do what she wanted.


    Enna leaned in and placed a kiss on Lynn¡¯s collarbone. ¡°Enna~¡± Lynn moaned as she tried to wrap her arms around Enna, failing horribly.


    Enna whispered, ¡°What am I going to do with you¡­¡± as she wrapped Lynn¡¯s arms around her.

 C12 (1050 AW)

    Enna blushed. She didn¡¯t think Lynn had it in her. Usually it was she who would do the little things, planning out dates, proposing. But this time Lynn had done something.


    They were on a small blanket on the roof of their home. Lynn had held her tightly the whole night, as they stared at the fireworks that coloured the sky. It was the annual celebration of¡­ something¡­ she couldn¡¯t really remember what. They just usually called the day, the Day of the Crown. It probably had something to do with the Mystery, Lost.


    Lynn nuzzled into Enna¡¯s neck, her breath causing her silver haired wife to blush harder. She spoke, her breath ticklish on Enna¡¯s nape, ¡°Happy anniversary, Love.¡±


    Enna took a moment to realise what she was talking about; they had met for the first time, all those years ago, on this day. They had started dating, on this day. Their wedding was off by a few months, but that couldn¡¯t be helped. No one would marry them on this day; it was too ¡®sacred¡¯ of a day.


    She suddenly felt a bit ashamed, and happy. She might have forgotten about the anniversary of when they first met, but she was glad, glad that her wife took such importance to that day.


    ¡°Happy anniversary, my Lynn.¡± She mumbled into the arms of her wife.


    Lynn stood before her kiln once more. She had already made a few batches of dough. Thus her only objective was to wait, to switch the baked bread with new dough. She gave a quick scan of the bread inside, almost time. She quickly brought her wooden shovel to bear.


    With a quick thrust she scooped the bread. She pulled it out and placed it on a cutting board. She stacked dough on the shovel and thrust in once more into the kiln. With a quick twist of the wrist it plummeted from the shovel.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    She placed the shovel next to the kiln and turned to inspect her bread. She cut it and placed a piece of the extremely hot bread in her mouth. The taste was great, the texture, not so much. She probably didn¡¯t mix it well enough, or maybe too much, she couldn¡¯t remember which batch this one came from. But it was not perfect, and that is all that matters. She would just have to start keeping notes of the batches, and practice some more. In any case, it was good enough to sell to the people of the town.


    She set the loaves aside and went to search for a writing utensil and some parchment.


    Lynn moved another disappointing loaf away. That was the last batch for today. She heard the creak of a door. Had to get that fixed. She peered down the hallway to the front door from a side room.


    ¡°I¡¯m home¡± Enna said tiredly as she saw the head of her wife peek out from a doorway.


    ¡°You¡¯re late.¡±


    Enna flinched. She had promised to be back by early afternoon for a date around town, and it was already early evening. She held her head down, knowing she had done bad.


    Lynn sighed seeing her downcast lover. She didn¡¯t mean it harshly, it was just stating of a simple fact. And seeing as Enna was tired, she probably fought something dangerous. Hunting had become more dangerous these past few months as the barrier crawled closer.


    ¡°Go take a bath; I can smell you from here.¡± Enna nodded, and sulked her way to the bathroom, though that didn¡¯t last long as Lynn continued to say, ¡°And meet me in the bedroom after.¡± A smile blossomed on Enna¡¯s tired face as she hurried.


    Enna cleaned all the sweat and dirt from her, wrapping her body in towels. She hurriedly stumbled her way to their bedroom. Entering she saw a few blankets and towels spread over the bed. Lynn stood next to the bed with a bright smile on her face and a few bottles of oils in her arms.


    Lynn placed the oils on the floor and pulled the stunned Enna towards the bed. ¡°Come on, lay down.¡±


    ¡°What is all this?¡± Enna asked as she did what she was told. Lynn helped her lay down on her stomach, taking her towels from her.


    Enna yelped as a cold liquid splashed on her back, followed shortly by a pair of warm, soft hands. ¡°I¡¯m giving my tired, exhausted wife a relaxing and nourishing massage.¡±


    Enna whimpered in pleasure as her wife rubbed out all the stress her body had been accumulating these past few weeks.

 C13 (1051 AW)

    Lynn sighed in bliss as Enna¡¯s hands roamed her back. It was payment for missing their date and having delayed for a few months. She got to have a whole day of being pampered and touched by her beautiful wife, what could be better.


    Enna watched as Lynn shivered under her touch. She was quite proud to be able to make her wife feel good with but a single touch. She had practised for months to get the right technique before she made it up to her wife, and now it had all paid off.


    Enna reminisced while she let her hands roam where they wished. The massage Lynn had given her that day when she was exhausted, the day after their anniversary, had been the most relaxed she had felt in a long time, and it had given her the desire to return the favour to her beautiful wife. Definitely not because it gave her an excuse to touch her wife¡¯s supple, soft skin, not that she needed one to begin with.


    Lynn wore an oversized button shirt as she cuddled into Enna, who wore much the same. This was another request Lynn had made, and Enna was happy to oblige. Enna wrapped a blanket around them as she hummed a tune and Lynn added lyrics in a soft, sleepy voice.


    ¡°in dreamland...


    the sky is white¡­


    and the sun is black¡­This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    the lands are grey¡­


    and she danced and played¡­¡±


    They watched the sun sink beneath the horizon and darkness taking over the sky. In the darkened sky hung three moons and thousands, millions of stars.


    Soft snores woke Enna from her thoughts. She took a glance at Lynn to see she was asleep, the slow pace of her breathing being the biggest clue, other than the occasional soft snore.


    Enna turned and picked Lynn up as one would to one¡¯s bride. She slipped off the couch they had occupied and carried Lynn to their bedroom. A mumble escaping the dreaming Lynn, ¡°shadows come¡­ play¡­¡±


    Enna stood before an elder dragon. It had fled, like the rest. It would cause trouble if a beast such as this stormed their town. She could leave it. She wasn¡¯t a merc anymore. But she did have a desire to kill it. It was the first beast in a while that could probably give her some challenge.


    She put an arrow on the string and pulled. She took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. Target in line she released. With a thunderous twang, the arrow flew. It screeched as it tore the wind in front of it apart. It pierced through the surprised beast¡¯s scales on the top of its head.


    Enna let out a disappointed sigh while walking out of the woods and into the beast¡¯s line of sight. Yet it did nothing. It was already dead, its scales too young to protect against her arrows.


    She pulled out a large knife and began descaling and skinning the dragon. She collected all the scales, claws and teeth in one bag of holding. The rest of the beast was placed into different bags, all seemingly bottomless.


    She stared at the sky, working out what time it was now. At the position the sun was at currently, she would have enough time to hunt a few more beasts on the way back. She definitely did not have enough time to go any deeper.


    She stored her bow, sheathed her knife and pulled out a vial of green liquid. She downed the liquid and put the empty vial back. Her scent vanished and her form turned hazy. She began to jog back home.

 C14 (1012 AW)

    In the midst of dancing shadows was a little girl, dancing with the shadows. There was no noise in this grey world but the girl¡¯s feet pattering on grass.


    Reaching the end of her dance, the girl spun and spun and spun, her black hair a whirlpool, until she fell on her back, giggling. She stared at the white sky, searching, searching for the sun she knew was somewhere up there. There, the black spot in the unblemished white sky. Yet she couldn¡¯t focus on it, her world was spinning.


    She blinked and found a ¡®face¡¯ in front of her. It was more of a darkness within the hood of a cape. Atop its cape-head sat a rusty iron crown. She knew this one, it was mom. She smiled happily as she felt it lifting her, her world almost instantly stopped spinning. It was probably bed time, hence why mom came.


    She felt so free floating along. Even if she was being carried, there was no greater sense of freedom than ¡®flying¡¯. Her eyes felt heavy. No, not yet. She hadn¡¯t even played ¡®birdy¡¯. She tried to resist but it was futile, her eyes closed, and she fell asleep in the arms of mom.


    She opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. She sighed. She was in her ¡®house¡¯, the place she was born. It was little more than walls and a roof, but it was better than sleeping in the rain. The only real problem she had with this place was the rotting corpse of a bigger her. Mom seemed to know who it belonged to, or who it was, as she usually floated near it.


    The little girl sat upright as quick as she could. She was too tired to ¡®fly¡¯ the last cycle, but now she was rested and ready to fly! Of course, mom would only carry her near the end of the cycle, bringing her home. So, she had to go find another like mom, or just use a few of her shadow friends. Whichever was the fastest and easiest would be the one she picked.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    The girl ran out the house, watching where the sun was. It seemed she had the sun to enjoy for a while, before it went to sleep, its cycle completed. She focused her eyes on the shadows moving here and there. There were a few, not too many, but enough.


    She stuck her arms in the air. Up, she wanted up. The shadows around converged on her. They formed a more solid humanoid form. Its limbs hooked her armpits and lifted. She squealed and giggled as she ¡®flew¡¯ through the sky. Her giggles caused shockwaves on the shadow¡¯s form, making it more solid, more humanoid, more detailed, just, more.


    She lowered her arms. The shadow lowered her to the ground. Her face was flushed, too much excitement. She placed her hands on her cheeks, feeling their heat. She was happy.


    She sighed happily. She took another look around her. Her shadow ¡®plane¡¯ had vanished, probably gone back to work. There were now more shadows around her. She turned her eyes to another place, the place where she would always dance with the shadows.


    She ran to the place, her playground. She arrived to find the shadows already dancing. She pouted at that. They didn¡¯t even wait for her. Her pout did not last long as she heard a hum fill the air. She was just in time.


    She jumped into the centre of the dancing shadows. She took a deep breath and sang the song she made.


    ¡°We live in a world of dreams.


    Where shadows dance and mommies sleep.


    In dreamland we play all cycle long.


    Where the sky is white and the sun is black we all dance and sing and play.


    Here, where the lands are grey, a little girl lives and calls home.


    This morning she woke, and she danced and played with all her shadowy friends.


    Come shadows, come and play.¡±