Edited by: Flubbykin

Giselle kept talking while smiling gently at the grave. A single tear appeared in her eyes, yet refused to fall down. All this time her lower lip was trembling, yet her voice remained cheerful, as if she was commenting her recent adventurers to the closest friend on a picnic party. She was trying so desperately to appear even happier that she actually was in front of her mother.

Only now I realized how burdened she actually was. To live and take care of pretty much disabled person, being her sunshine in times of need. Seeing her struggling actually caused a suffocating pain in my chest. I wanted to embrace her and hold her in my arms till the last sorrow would leave her body.

But, I couldn’t. It was her time. I wanted her to come here so she could deal with her past, but not so she could forgive the villagers. I wanted her to forgive herself.

Eventually she stopped. Only then those single tears rolled their way down her cheeks creating glistering paths which sparkled with light of the sunset. She became quiet, and continued to just stand there, staring at the beautiful stone monument.

An hour passed. For a moment there I actually started wondering if she forgot about me in her melancholy. It didn’t really matter nor bothered me. I kept standing behind her, waiting for the time she would be able to move on.

The cold breeze – the herald of approaching dusk – gently brushed our bodies causing a minor temperature shock. Because of that, Giselle snapped out from her mind-numbing state.

- “You know what…” she eventually asked “… I am furious. At everything. At them. At the divines. I am furious that… nobody seem to care. Nobody seem to notice. Nobody… paid the price…”

I moved closer and sat by her side. I opened the buttons of my traveling coat and threw its edge on her arm, right now, the two of us were sharing that single piece of cloth seeking our warmth – the protection from the coldness.

The usually proud dragoness, which would normally punch me in the guts for such act of protectiveness toward her (because, you know, we were out in the open field, on the plain sight where people could see us and she posed to be an independent, brute hero) actually titled her head to the side resting it on my shoulder.

- “I… Have lost everything. I was just a child… all I wanted was to live a happy life with my mother… They killed her… I killed her… don’t you dare saying otherwise! I wasn’t strong enough to protect her… Yet look at them now. Deep in my heart I wanted them to suffer. I wanted monsters to tear it to the pieces, I wanted a plague to decimate them, I wanted misery and famine to… Yet nothing happened. No goddess punished them for their cruelty. No king nor lord threw them in jail. No other villages decided to shatter bonds with them. Noone gossiped about it in taverns… As if nothing happened. As if they didn’t do anything wrong.”

We were holding our hands, her grip suddenly became much, much stronger.

- “Even more, they look richer than before, since Jericho killed my father… let’s just say the farmland grow twice as big far and wide. And… after what they did… they are… ? They are fucking sorry?! How… how do they even dare to dare to say it in my face? If… if you and Lana weren’t with me I would actually wipe them all out. I hate them THIS much… This much… this…”

I wanted to hug her back ten times stronger, I wanted to tell her sweetest words or even offer my own help in bringing justice upon the guilty. Yet I said nothing. My throat was burning with need of speaking, my lips were trembling in anticipation. Yet I remained silent.

- “What… what do I do, Zari?” she looked at me with Glistening eyes.

Only a sad smile bloomed on my lips in answer. I patted her head.

- “Giselle, I cannot tell you what to do. I can’t tell you to forgive them and move on, and I can’t tell you kill them all. For no matter what I would say, if it would be against your desires, it would be pointless. You are a berserker, Gis. Your emotions are the drivers which make you who you really are. Not everything in this world is black or white as we wish to see it. The world is a cascade of shades of grey which appear more or less dark depending on the perspective… and frankly speaking, I don’t care about these people. Please. Look deep into yourself, try seeing yourself with eyes of another. Try guessing how different people will see you after your action and how you would feel about it. And then, scream. In frustration. In pain. In anger. In wrath and hate. Scream it out, scream so loud that banshees will flee in terror. Only then you would know what to do.”

- “You… are not helping at all!”

A punch out of nowhere caused me to roll on the grass. Giselle was looking at me furiously, then seriously, then confused, till she eventually burst into loud laughter.

- “You bastard! You did that on purpose!” she jumped on her feet and helped me to get up, as she was lifting me by my hand she pulled me into her embrace “…and… that actually did help. A little. Thanks.”

- “Of course it did, helping a damsel in distress is what prince charming does, isn’t it?”

- “You? A prince charming? Standing next to be you are much more fit to be a damsel yourself.”

- “Only because your muscles make you look like a man…”

- “BASTARD!”

- “…or even a bear…”

- “Now you overdid it! Take this! Charge!”

She pushed me away and I stumbled two or three steps back, she pounced at me causing both of us to fall and roll down to the bottom of the hill. Thankfully, there wasn’t many stones. Or at least not too many, which allowed us to get down only tickled by the blades of grass. We ended our journey panting with dragoness sitting atop of me.

- “Now, I have conquered you! Lawfully you belong to me!” she cheered

- “I am pretty much sure it’s called rape and you are going to spend next 5 to 12 years in prison.” I said with all-knowing tone looking her seriously in the eyes.

- “Shh. In the depth of the forest no one will hear you scream.” She chuckled

- “G-Giselle! Did you actually joke about bondage sado-maso sex? I-I have corrupted you! HURRAY!... no, wait, it means I will no longer be able to tease you with that… Oh-naaay…”

- “What an idiot you are.” She lowered resting her head on my chest “… complete and total idiot. A moron, I would say. An imbecile… My imbecile…”

We just lied there - in a bit humid grass.

- “It’s getting dark.” I eventually whispered.

- “I know.” She responded quietly

- “We should be moving and get some rest at the inn. Tomorrow we are moving out.”

- “I understand, I just really don’t wanna…”

- “Come on, or I will carry you in there.”

- “I… actually would love you to try.”

A playful sparkles once again started dancing in her eyes. She thought I was joking. Well, I was not.

Using my inhuman strengths I managed to get up with Gis in my arms. All this time she was chuckling and snorting commenting on “how hard” for me it is to carry “such a frail and light” damsel like herself. Until I started to walk.

- “Wait…” she asked “…what are you doing?”

- “I have literally just told you! I am carrying you to the inn.”

- “Don’t be stupid. We will look hilarious!”

- “Me hear you. Me not care!” I yelled

- “Oi. Put me down.” The last playful grimace disappeared from the corners of her lips

- “Not happening.”

- “I can walk on my own!”

- “Treat it as your punishment!”

- “PUT ME DOWN GOT DAMN IT!”

She started to push and twist her body in every possible direction while waving her arms and legs furiously.

- “God damn it! Stop shaking woman!”

- “PUT! ME! DOWN! MORON!”

- “Resistance is futile!”

She actually hit me with an elbow

- “THIS IS HOW YOU WANNA PLAY!?” I got carried away a little “… NOW, MISS, YOU DID IT!”

We started battling in our arms – she was hitting me with arms and legs, I was grappling her back in position.

- “Just put me down, damn it! I have the advantage! You are doom to fail!” a knee to the side followed her words.

- “I know, you have a high ground, General Kenobi, but the dark side of the force is a pathway to many abilities – some considered to be unnatural!” I yelled back pinching her side.

- “Did I… Did I actually kick you in the head? For the goddesses, you are talking nonsense again!... Where was I… ah, right, PUT ME DOWN DAMN IT! I HAVE ALREADY SUFFERED ENOUGH IN THIS VILLAGE! I WILL STAND NO MORE HUMILIATION!”

In the end , I throw her over my shoulder changing my grip from to She didn’t like it and resumed her attacks with doubled ferocity.

- “Just hundred or so steps more. We are almost there sunsh… OUCH! Are you serious!? Biting me?” her head was hanging from the other side so – “… even more, you are biting my butt? Not that I mind but at least wait till we are alone in our room…”

- “IT STOPPED BEING FUNNY!”

- “Not to me. Also, it’s a service.”

- “What service?”

- “A fan service.” I said paying no attention to what I just said

- “What?”

- “I mean, your butt is displayed, you remember you are wearing a combat dress? When I changed my grip bits of your skin could be a little bit revealed on the sunshine. Ah, is that a sun reflection on you left cheek…”

That’s the last thing I said before she decided to hit me in the head with her tail.