Even before she reached the outskirts of the town, and the first houses had could be seen, there were the smell of death, fire and destruction. A sweet smell... as human-beings meat do. In the trees hang still the cries of pain and agony. Carefully she swung down from her horse Catul and bind him at an oak. As she tightened the rope her fingers glided at inscriptions at the tree's bark... "Dear Melinda, at this date I swear to you my Love... Your Tommy"... "My beauty Love, we will stay ever together, in bad times and in good ones. Your Love Jemail". As she turned around, from a distance there came the sounds of fast horses and the muffling sounds of commands, a group chased another group into the opposite direction, it seemed.

With the crossbow ready at her hand she went slowly into the town.

It was not the sight she remembered from her last visit, but one she would never able to forget. The once so nice lawn had went into mud. The door of the Owl's Eye Tavern swung with a shrieking noise in the wind. From the roof of the little, but so fine, Embassy licked still tongues of fire, seeking for further fed. Broken glass, still burning wood and all kinds of interior were shattered at the ground near the houses. But where were the inhabitants of the town? Had they could fled? Were they still in the wood, waiting for the call, that the city was save again?

As Flora turned around the corner of the Tavern to the Art School, she saw that not just unliving things had suffered. Here, near the Chapel, the two huge groups of armed Deepwater Guards with their allies had met the Orcs. Flora put her crossbow back at her shoulder... here was no harm to fear anymore. Slowly she continued her walk. Bodies laid all around. There a Sirrah in the finest armour... but he was not prepared to face the axe which sticked still at his back. Here a body, probably an Orc, due his clothes, struck by a mage's lightning... the face was badly burned black and looked more as a mask then a once smirking, but living, face.

At a corps, pierced with arrows all at its back, she kneeled down. The face of this woman laid in the mud. Somehow the hair, still looking fine brushed, was familiar to her. With her hands she turned the head around... Flora's fear came true, it was Retaw Peed. Once a Lady, skilled in the art of the sword and bow, now she would never could laugh or sing again. The eyes which looked at her, captured the last moments of this woman's live... a surprised look... asking "Why? Why I?". With slightly shaking hands she closed the eyes, which would never open again to see the sun raising at a warm summer day's morning.

Suddenly Flora heard a whimpering voice. Laying gently the head down, she stood up. There, a few steps to her left was the source. The man sat more then he laid at the ground. His hands gasped at the ground. As he heard the steps of Flora he turned his faze to her up. This eyes would not needed to be closed, cause there were no left. The cut of a blade left nothing with which one could see. With a voice, uncertain and frighten, he spoke.

"Who... is... is there anyone?"
Flora kneeled down and took the hands "Don't fear Sirrah..."
"Melinda, is it you?"
Flora shivered slightly... hadn't she read that name lately? "Nay, Tommy, I'm not your Love Melinda...my name is Flora"

The voice of the man got calmer, but sad. "Ooh...but you know my name". Suddenly he begun to cough... blood came out of his mouth...with a very sad voice "Will never see her .. then again". As she tried to help him up, she felt an arrow, attached to his back... at the left side of his lung. "Nay, Lady... there is no help for me anymore"... His coughs went stronger, more red liquid drained his clothes. "I'm getting cold Lady...". First with a slight resistance she tried to huge him... never had seen him before, but knowing that at such a moment no-one want to be alone. "I... won't... die, Flora... .Can... can. you imagine that?" She nodded slightly and spoke very quiet "I know, Tommy, I know it" A teardrop dropped from her eye. Now he coughed more and the body shivered by the pain... "Tell..... Melinda.... that she shall take.... care of our daughter... I would had liked... to see her grown...". With a fading voice he took all his power, which was left in that body... "I loved my wife... please....te..." The body jerked once more... then it relaxed suddenly. "I will tell it her... and I'm certain that you will meet her again. Take care at your long journey, Tommy, and may Majicou lead you safety at it."

Slowly she laid the body down at the ground again. As she wanted to stand up again, she saw the gaze of an orc out of her eyecorner. She turned around and looked down at the orc. His torso with a bad cut, blood spilled out of his mouth. Unabled to speak, but to hear. His eyes were wide open... as it seemed he recognised what was done to this town, the citizens and to themselves during the last years. Also to him Flora sat down. "Orc, don't fear... I won't do any harm to you" The orc's look relieved a bit, but there was something else... maybe... a plea for forgiveness? She shook her head slightly..."There I can't help you...But you may meet the ones who can forgive you."... With a strange sound out of his mouth he passed the border of the both realms. She stood up, looked around... all went quiet and the ravens at the trees waited patiently... With a grief face Flora walked back to Catul. As she untighted the mount, the chaser came out of the forest, looking tired but proud.

"They won't come back that soon again!"
"Aye, there are you right, Mate. They learned their lesson."
"You can be proud... we won another great battle."
Their voices faded as they entered the town. Flora shook slightly her head and mumbled to herself "Not only Love can blur the look, as well War can do. But it's a fog of black and cold."

As she swung on Catul's back, four horses with their raiders came out of the forest. One of them had an armour of the finest metal and a huge sword, another looked as he had not eaten for years, the third as he would fall just the next moment from his mount, that ill and sick. And the last one was wearing a black robe, at his left hand a sandclock and at his right a huge scythe, the blade blinking even if there wasn't any light.

Their voices hollowed in the head. "HA, HERE WE ARE. SAW THE BODIES AT THE FOREST?"
"AYE, COMRAD! AND THEIR FACES... A PLEASURE TO SEE THAT!"
The other said: "NOW MY PART WILL COME...THEIR FIELDS ARE DESTROYED...NOTHING TO EAT THEY HAVE!" The fourth one just nodded and spoke more to himself: "THEY WILL NEVER LEARN IT... WE ARENT THE ONES WHICH YOU ARE PLAYING WITH, NOR ARE WE A PLEASURE TO MEET WITH."

As suddenly as they came out of the forest they vanished behind the next house. Were they just hallucinations? The wind got stronger again, and the rain begun once more. Sunshine wouldn't be there at the next days. With the sad but melodic tune "The town I loved once" Flora left into the wood. They would build up the town again, the windows would get new glass and the roofs would be renewed. The people would come out of the forest again, where they had hidden themselves. But some had lost something, most valuable, though not knowing it by that moment.