The scream of an unfamiliar voice rang in her ears as she watched Osk push Alisaie out of the way of her own blade. Blood sprayed across her white coat as she collapsed into Alisaie's arms.

"Robyn!"

Diving towards her own body. Giving all she had left just to push it—him away from her family.

"Robyn, can you hear me?"

She blinked, the sound of Y'shtola's voice tugging her back to the present.

"It's alright, I've got you. Just breathe."

She tried to focus. Hands on her face, the cold wind biting her skin, the bright sunlight gleaming off the snow. It was all too much, and yet not enough.

"Feel your body, can you move your hands? Your fingers? Your toes?"

She closed her eyes to just feel as she balled her hands into fists, and rolled her ankles. The weight of her armor was a comfort in its familiarity, as was the feeling of Y'shtola's fingers in her hair.

"Breathe. Just breathe."

Squinting against the sunlight, she opened her eyes. Y'shtola was kneeling in front of her, and most of the Scions stood around them with worried looks on their faces.

"Osk?" Her tongue felt thick in her mouth.

"She is being looked after. Alisaie and Elio took her to the infirmary, where it is safe and warm."

Her eyes were drawn to the road behind them, where she could see her sword laying where it had fallen. Blood stained the blade and the snow.

"Osk is going to be alright, I promise."

She pulled away from Y'shtola as tears began to fill her eyes, and struggled to stand. "I'm sorry." She pushed away Alphinaud's steadying hand as she swayed on her feet. "I'm so sorry."

Once the world stopped spinning, she pushed through the crowd and took off towards the infirmary, their objections falling on deaf ears.

Your mother is there; she is always there. She twirls on her toes while Papa plays his fiddle. She claps and sings and then you're spinning too, round and round to sailor's songs. You’re happy, you think. This will last, you think You were wrong.

"It's surprisingly flavorful, and does quite the good job at warming you up…or at least warming me up. You seem plenty cozy over here."

Robyn chuckled, "Well, join us, then. The company would be welcome."

"I take it she's not one for talking in her sleep, is she?" Osk laughed as she settled in next to her sister, thankful for the warmth of the nearby fire.

"Only when she's working through a particularly difficult problem," Robyn joked back.

They sat in companionable silence for a while, drinking their soup and watching the bustle of activity around them. After the excitement of the last few days, a moment of rest was a blessing, and they could see that many shared the same thought throughout the camp.

"Are you alright?" Osk's voice was hushed, like she was afraid to disturb what peace they had found. "I know it hasn't been easy and you've taken the brunt of it."

Robyn took a moment to respond. "I don't know how I expected people to react to us being here…to me being here. Perhaps I thought they would be more openly hostile, want to attack me directly. At least then I would know how to respond. For so many to just…give up. To just wait to freeze or starve or… with us here reaching out our hands to help."

"Hope is a powerful thing. It keeps people going far longer than they reasonably should and helps them overcome unimaginable odds. But when it is lost, when hope dies it is neigh impossible to get it back. And without it...the fear is paralyzing."

"It almost sounds like you are speaking from experience."

Osk shook her head, "I've always had too many relying on me to be able to give into despair."

Robyn humphed in agreement.

Bumping her shoulder against Robyn's, she continued, "Whatever happens, promise me you will never lose your hope. That you will find a way forward."

"Don't worry, I have all the motivation I need right here." She bumped Osk's shoulder back and looked down an Y'shtola. "With you both here, there is nothing I can't get through."

A moment worth remembering, indeed 😉

As for me, another year has come and gone and I couldn't be more grateful for all of you. You truly bring so much joy into my life. Thank you for indulging me and my stories, and thank you for sharing your creativity and love. 💙