Horseshoe's Tall Tale

"Lingering Scars"

Chapter six: Lingering Scars.

  Ursula stood in horror, as she witnessed the buildings in her beloved home of Ironwill envelope in fiery clouds of black smoke. Everywhere she looked, there was fire and screaming villagers. They were all crying out for help, crying out to her in desperation. Ursula wanted so much to rescue them but her body was frozen in fear. Their voices echoed all around her, their screams sent chills down her spine. She kept trying to break free of the panic that rendered her motionless, powerless to help any of her friends. Despite her best efforts, she could only watch the carnage unfold before her. Out from the endless fires whipping out of the buildings, Ursula saw Commander White charging towards her. He was waving his hands and screaming at her.
“Ursula! We need your help!” He pleaded with her. “Please do something, soon there won’t be anything left of the village.” Ursula felt her body fill with fear and doubt. Doubt in herself and her abilities. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a mire beast appear and charge towards the commander.
“Commander, behind you!” She was able to blurt out from behind her barrier of panic. It was too late though, and the beast jumped on top of Commander White and began to claw him to death. Ursula felt so much fear, all she could think about was getting away. She was no warrior, all of her confidence left her and what remained was a quivering little girl looking for somewhere to hide. She turned and began to run away. The images around her began to blur and distort which only added to her panic and made her run faster. Behind her she could still hear the villagers calling out her name, begging her to come back and help them, for her to save them. She ran and ran, not caring where she was going just as long as it was away from where she was. Suddenly she was standing in the village graveyard. Inside her head, she could hear the voices of the dead calling out to her from inside their graves. They cried out to her, asking why she was not there to save them. One grave marker stood taller than all the others, it was the one she had made for her father.
“Ursula, why did you not help me?” She heard her fathers voice call to her. “You could have saved me, but your didn’t. Why, why did you let me die?” Ursula fell to her knees with tears flooding out of her eyes.
“I tried to father! I wanted to, I would give anything to have been able to.” She yelled.
“You are too afraid, too scared. Deep down you are nothing but a helpless child.” The voice said, but it wasn’t her father anymore. The voice morphed into a deep resounding roar. Just then, she saw a large foot stomp down on top of her father’s grave. She looked up to see Nightmane standing over her. Ursula fell backwards in shock, and attempted to crawl away from the menacing dark figure.
“You are nothing but a helpless child! I will kill you and peel the skin from your bones!” It laughed.
“No, please.” Ursula begged. “Don’t hurt me, please!” She continued to back away from the towering beast laughing at her. It raised it’s fist to her and she threw her arms over her face. In a flash it was all over, Ursula jumped up and found she was in her bed. Desperately she looked around her tiny room for any sign of the monster. She fell back onto her bed with her head landing with a thud on her pillow.
“I was a dream, just a dream.” She told herself. But the impact of the dream would stay with her long after she awoke. Her confidence, which up till now had been one of the strongest bricks in her foundation, had been cracked. Doubt had crept into those cracks and began to eat away at her from the inside. The monster Nightmane was so powerful, how would she be able to defend against it should it come back to her village, she wondered. The morning sun shined through the window just above her bed and down over her face. She rose to her feet and slowly began to get dressed. The tiny blacksmithing hut was one of the few building that had not been burned down from the fires of a month ago. It was, for the most part, just as it was when she had lived there before. But now she was alone in the house. Everything around her made her think about her father, and in turn made the hurt of losing him that much more painful. Ursula exited her room and walked out into the cold, chilly morning air. Snow was gently falling outside in choreographed twirling patterns of white dancing flakes. She wiped the sleep from her eyes that squinted from the bright sunlight shining inside the hut. Suddenly a voice came from in front of her.
“About time you woke up.” Ursula looked and saw Ace Talon leaning up against one of the beam supports of the hut ceiling. Ace was probably the last person she wanted to talk to at this moment.
“Please Ace, I don’t need your ramblings this early in the morning. And especially not this morning.” Ursula groaned. She walked past him and out into the village.
“What are you going to do Horseshoe, just walk away?” Ace said to her as she walked by him.
“Don’t call me Horseshoe, my name is Ursula.” She said as she kept walking.
“Wait.” Ace called out to her. “Just hear me out, please.” Ursula begrudgingly stopped in her tracks, and spun around to face him.
“I did a lot of thinking last night, after I managed to sober up that is. I think I might have a way to fight that monster should it come back.” Ace said. Ursula stared at him, she knew she would probably regret asking but she felt compelled to.
“What do you have in mind?” She asked. Ace began to walk towards her as he spoke.
“Let me train you in the art of the Blue Blade, it’s an ancient fighting style that I learned many years ago. It will tap power from inside you that you never knew was there.” Ace then laughed. “That is of course if you can survive the training process.” Ursula scoffed.
“You? Train me?” She said. “No thanks, I can barely stand just talking to you.” Ursula twisted around and began to march away once again.
“I know you don’t like me. I don‘t much care for you either.” Ace yelled out to her. “But I’m willing to put aside my feelings and do this for the betterment of Ironwill.”
“Your sacrifice is commendable Ace, but the answer is no. I don’t need your help.” Ursula yelled back to him.
“Very well, if your not up to the challenge of training to be a Blue Blade champion then there isn’t a point in me teaching you. Your obviously too weak to master it.” Ace chuckled. Ursula stopped after she heard him say this. Ace continued when he saw her take notice of his insult.
“Your just a child anyways, too scared to face the rigors of real warrior training.” Ursula’s face began to turn red, his words were angering her just as Ace had intended. “Just go back to playing with dolls and leave the fighting to us real warriors.” He continued. This was the last straw for Ursula’s patience. She turned and charged towards Ace like a bolt of lightening. She lunged forward pulling back her fist to deliver a punch aimed right at his face. Ace put up his hand and barely managed to catch her punch before it landed. The sheer magnitude of the power behind her punch pushed Ace backwards. His feet slid along the ground and dug into the snow as he tried to absorbed the impact. Ursula just stood there sneering at him, her fist still buried in his hand.
“Good.” Ace said. “Good, get angry.” Ursula swung her other fist around to try and hit him, but Ace saw it and caught that on as well. The two warriors stood toe to toe, locked together by their hands. Ace marveled at the power she had, he could barely manage to hold his ground against her. “You are very strong Ursula. But neither you nor I am strong enough to fight that monster. However if we train together we might be able to find a way to unleash the power deep inside. Our hatred of one another will fuel our desire to get stronger than we can possibly imagine.” Ace said as he strained to hold off her attacks. Ursula hated to admit it, but she agreed with him. She ceased her attacks against Ace and pulled back, bowing her head in resignation. Ace rubbed his hands together. Both of his palms ached from the pressure put on them by the girl’s strength. He walked up to her, as she stood motionless looking down at the ground.
“So, do we have a deal? We will both train together and find a way to make ourselves stronger.” Ursula sighed to herself. Then she looked up and held out her hand.
“It’s a deal.” She said. Ace shook her hand and with that the two made their way towards Ace’s sparring room. The large sparring room was where Ace and his men came to train in their off hours. The floor was lined with protective padding that would soften the impact of falls onto it. Various weapons lined the walls of the room to satisfy many different fighting styles. Ace collected a set of sparring armor and tossed them in front of Ursula. They landed with a heavy thump on the padded floors.
“Put these on.” He said. Ursula grabbed the chest piece and attempted to lift it. But she found that it weighed much more than it appeared. “You may notice that those armor pieces are not like most armor you have ever seen. They are made for the special purpose of increasing your strength and speed. If you can fight while under the weight of that armor, you’ll be that much stronger without them.” Ace told her. Ursula readied herself, and once again attempted to lift the chest piece. With a great deal of effort, she managed to lift it up and over her head. When she let go and the full weight of the armor rested solely on her tiny shoulders, it nearly brought her body to the ground.
“Don’t Worry.” Ace said as he watched her struggle with the armor. “It will get easier with time.” Ursula stood and tried to hold herself up under the massive weight of the chest piece draped over her shoulders. She then donned the two gauntlets, which also weighed about as much as the chest piece. An emblem on both of the gauntlets showed the symbol of the Blue Blade Academy, a blue sword pierced through the chest of a dying dragon. The next piece of armor was the helmet. Two dragon wings adorned this impressive piece of headgear on either side of it’s shiny surface. Ursula strained her muscles to lift it up and unto her head. The weight of all this gear forced the girl to her knees. It was more weight then she had ever lifted before, and it made every movement a difficult chore. Slowly, Ursula managed to put on the shoulder guards and knee guards that completed the sparring armor outfit. All of this weight would probably put any normal person through the floor, but the determined, hard headed Ursula forced her body to stand under the enormous strain. Ursula was used to carrying heavy wood and metal during the chores her father had asked of her, But this armor made her use muscles she had never had to use before. Ace clapped his hands after watching her complete the first test of her training, the very simple task of being able to don the training armor. He walked away to a large wooden chest at the front of the room. He opened it and pulled out a long shimmering blue sword. It was a thing of beauty, crafted out of such a magnificent blue metal that glinted in the sunlight. The sword was etched with the picture of a dragon that extended along the entire length of it’s long blade.
“To even be able to wield the honorable sword of the Blue Blade, you must be of great strength. But to be able to master the sword as a weapon in combat, you must conquer the weaknesses of you own body.” With that said, Ace placed the sword in front of Ursula. “Lift it.” He ordered. In order for her to lift it, Ursula had to bend down to the ground. A simple task normally but with this heavy armor it placed extensive stress on her body. She struggled mightily but eventually managed to reach down and grab hold of the sword’s handle. For starters, this sword was longer than she was tall, making it quite cumbersome to manage. But the incredible weight of it’s blade, easily two times as heavy as the pieces of armor that she wore, made it nearly impossible to lift. But Ursula didn’t give up, and after a few minutes of trying she managed to lift it off the ground. The girl toppled forward under it’s amazing mass, nearly bringing her to the ground. Before that could happen, she righted herself and stood proudly having accomplished this most difficult of tasks.
“Very good. I’m impressed. Most of my defenders here can’t even wear the armor, let alone lift the blade as well.” Ace said, clapping his hands in approval. He walked over to one of the walls and grabbed a sword off of it. He came back to Ursula who stood like an iron statue, and raised his sword to her.
“Now, attack me.” He ordered. Ursula griped the handle of the Blue Blade, and attempted to lift it in the air to take a swing. But as she got it halfway up in the air, she stumbled under it’s weight and was forced to just keep herself from falling. Ace shook his head.
“Not good enough, try again Horseshoe.” He said with a mocking tone. Ursula growled under her headgear.
“Don’t call me Horseshoe.” She said angrily. Ace smiled down at her, admittedly he enjoyed watching the young girl struggle to get used to the weight of the armor.
“What was that you said Horseshoe? I couldn’t hear you.” He teased her. Ursula grew enraged at Ace’s humiliating name calling. She disliked anyone calling her Horseshoe, but the way Ace said it threw her into a spitting fit.
“Stop calling me that! My name is Ursula!” She yelled.
“Well if you want me to stop saying it, you’ll have to make me. So you’d better lift that sword and start attacking.” Ace laughed. The tiny girl’s face grew red with rage, now determined more ever to lift the sword and shut Ace’s mouth. She strained with all her might and lifted the sword off the ground. Once she had it upright, Ursula swung it forward in a downwards arc towards Ace. She screamed under the mighty weight of the sword and armor as she swung the blade. Ace swung his sword down and parried her attack. He then used his sword to push her backwards. Ursula stumbled as she tried to regain her balance. Ace then countered with his own attack. Ursula fell back to the ground, managing to put her gauntlet up and over her face to deflect his sword’s blow. She once again lifted herself off of the ground and swung the heavy blade up and over in a wide slow arc, which Ace easily dodged. He swung his sword back at her forcing her to recover fast and lift the sword back up. The two swords clashed with a loud clang. Ace withdrew his sword and came at her again from the opposite angle. Ursula managed to twist her sword to the other side to deflect Ace’s attack once again. But this time, after she blocked Ursula countered by swinging her sword low towards Ace’s feet. Ace had to jump up to avoid the sweeping strike. When he came down, he sliced his sword downwards in an overhead chop. Ursula dodged out of the way and rolled across the floor. The mighty weight of the armor made this barrel roll an extremely painful one. She came to a rest on her back with her muscled bruised and battered. Even though her body was racked with pain, she forced herself to sit up. Ace stood and laughed. This was a priceless sight, the mighty Ursula struggling to get to her feet.
“Come on Horseshoe! Get to your feet and fight me.” He once again mocked her. Ursula’s body hurt everywhere there was a nerve ending to feel pain. She slowly rose back to her feet, using all of her energy and strength to maintain her balance. She stared back at Ace, who was enjoying every moment of her struggle. Ursula lurched forward in her heavy cumbersome armor. She headed straight for Ace, who just stood and watched her run towards him. Steadily she gained momentum and managed to start running. As she drew close, Ursula let loose with a bellowing scream from deep inside her aching body. She swung her sword forward, which sliced through the air with a glimmering arc. Ace waited till the last moment, then merely sidestepped her attack. Ursula’s sword struck the padded floor and cut a slice into it. Her body staggered forward as she tried to stop her momentum.
“Try again Horseshoe, you’ll have to be a lot faster than that.” Ace teased her. Ursula growled, this exercise was frustrating her to no end. She turned and pulled her sword out of the floor padding. Once again she ran forward and swung with another slow arcing swing towards her tormentor. Ace dodged the attack and pushed her to the ground as she went by. Her body collapsed onto the floor in a crumpled heap. She attempted to heave her weakened body off the ground only to fall back in complete exhaustion.  Ace walked up to where she lie face first on the floor.
“Is that all you have? Is the legendary Ursula Wellington ready to admit defeat?” Ursula strained her sore muscles beyond their breaking point. She fought her body’s desire to just stay down on the mat and surrender. With great effort, she managed to get herself up an onto her knees. Sweat poured down from her face and formed a pool below her on the floor. She panted and gasped for air, unable to find enough strength to stand up on her feet. After a moment of trying, she gave in. Ursula removed her helmet and dropped it too the ground beside her.
“Enough.” She uttered under her heavy breaths. “I can’t do it.” Her head lowered in shame as she said this. She took off her gauntlets and tossed them to the ground along side the helmet.
“I see. If you can’t endure the very basics of the Blue Blade training then it’s pointless to move on.” Ace said. “Remove the rest of the armor and then leave, this session is over. Come back when you are serious about pushing yourself past your limits.” Ace turned and walked away from her, exiting the sparring room through another door leading into an adjoining room. Ursula was left alone to contemplate her failure. She freed herself from the remaining pieces of heavy armor and stood up on her feet. Without the massive burden placed on her by the sparring armor, she felt as though she weighed one hundred pounds lighter. However, her body ached all over from the exercise. Ursula staggered out of the sparring room and back into the cold wintry air. She retrieved her horse from the stables and rode out of the village. She didn’t quite know where she was going, but it didn’t matter. She just had to get away, far away from her problems. She yanked on the reigns and her horse went into full gallop. Ursula bobbed and weaved through the tall pines, slicing through the snow with ever increasing speed. The thoughts raced through her head, much like the pine trees that flashed by her as she went. It was almost too painful to bear. Over and over again, the scenes of her failures played out in her mind. She boiled over, she could take no more of it. Ursula halted her horse’s gallop and came to a stop in the middle of nowhere. After a long pause, she let loose with a thundering scream that radiated out through the forest. Animals scurried out from all corners of the forest to hide from this intense emotional outburst. She screamed her heart out, to rid herself of the burning pain that was welling up inside her. Afterwards, her body grew weak. She had released all she had and now she was empty inside. Her head clouded over making her almost faint. Ursula kept her wits about her, then pulled on the horse’s reigns once again. This time she knew where she was going. Soon she arrived at the wolvren camp. The guards at the entrance called out to her in their language. Ursula responded to them with similar grunts and growls. They bowed down to the ground, as she rode her horse into the camp. Once inside, she was approached by Amber, the head officer she had appointed to run things while she was gone. It bowed it’s large head down to it’s queen and grunted.
“Welcome back, my queen. I’m glad to see you’ve returned.” It said in translation.
“Thank you Amber. Will you please take my horse to our stable area, I will be staying the night.” She responded. Amber looked back up at it’s queen with it’s big black eyes.
“As you wish your Highness.” Ursula hopped off of her horse, and landed on the ground with a thump against the snow covered ground.
“Please, just call me Ursula. My name is just Ursula.” She said as she walked away. Ursula ascended the large set of stairs that led to her room inside the cave cut into the cliff facing. The same cave that Mane had ruled the beasts from not long ago. Inside the cave, there was a musty room filled with furniture crafted out of wood and rock. For these creatures, this was luxury. Ursula made her way over to the fireplace cut into the rock walls. She placed some dry twigs over the firewood inside the fireplace, and then grabbed the iron horseshoe she kept hung by the mantle place. she struck it a few times with a flint stone fragment until it’s sparks set the wood ablaze. Ursula rubbed her hands together over the fire as she felt the cold chilly air warm up. Beside the fireplace, A large bed graced one side of the oval living space. It was built to accommodate the massive bulk of it’s previous owner. To Ursula, it was ridiculously oversized. She climbed up and into the large bed covered in animal fur and pillows full of down. Ursula lay down on her back, and decided to rest her exhausted body. The bed was quite comforting to her weary muscles, and very soon she began to drift off. Before she could fall asleep however, there came a knocking that brought her up out of her bed. Back towards the entrance, Ursula saw the wolvren she called Slumber, for the potions and dusts it created from ordinary plants and trees. These potions helped to ease the suffering of pain, or just calm the nerves to allow for the body to rest. It dressed itself very strangely, in a coat of feathers and twigs that made it stand out from most every other wolvren. Ursula found it to be quite eccentric, acting very differently than the rest of it’s kind. It cared around a staff adorned with green and white feathers. At the end of it there was a small hallow sphere with acorns inside to create a rattling noise as it walked. It was this cane that was making the knocking sound, as Slumber rapped it on the side of the rock wall. Ursula fall back onto her bed and let out a sigh.
“I want to be alone, please just leave me be.” She groaned. Slumber hissed in a high squeaky tone. It spoke the wolvren language quite differently then other wolvren, almost so that it was hard to understand it.
“I hear that you want to be alone, but I feel that you do not.” It said. Slowly it approached Ursula. “I feel you are deeply troubled by something my queen, what is the matter?” Ursula rolled over on her side facing away from it, once again she reintegrated her previous statement.
“I told you, I want to be alone. Just go away.” Ursula closed her eyes and attempted to fall asleep. But she felt Slumber’s presence still behind her. She lie there trying to ignore it, but eventually it became to much of a distraction. She lifted up and turned back towards the beast just staring at her.
“You’re still here.” She commented as she grew increasingly more impatient. The wolvren looked around as if genuinely surprised itself.
“So I am.” It said.
“You aren’t going to leave are you?” She asked. Slumber smiled and shook it’s head no. Ursula sighed a heavy sigh and then moved to sit on the edge of her bed. She covered her face in her hands and groaned, obviously irritated by the situation.
“Look, what do you want from me?”
“Just to let me help you get rid of the burden you are carrying. Whatever it is that is causing so much inner turmoil inside you.” Slumber lumbered over to the blazing fireplace beside Ursula’s bed. It tossed in a handful of dust that it had pinched from one of many pouches hung over it’s shoulder. This dust produced a very potent smoke as it burned in the fire. It billowed out of the fireplace and filled the large cave.
“Now, just relax and clear your mind my queen.” Slumber said. “Breathe in the smoke and let it fill your lungs.” Ursula shook her head.
“This isn’t necessary, I’m fine I promise you.” She told him. Slumber placed a finger over Ursula’s mouth as if to silence her.
“Don’t talk, don’t think. The Vision dust will look inside you and bring out whatever it is that is troubling your soul.” The beast lowered itself to a sitting position in front of the fireplace. It closed it’s eyes and began to meditate. Ursula shrugged her shoulders and decided to humor her odd wolvren friend. She closed her eyes and attempted to clear her mind of thoughts. Her nostrils breathed in the light blue mist that was swirling about the room. It didn’t take long before Ursula felt herself fall into a trance. For a moment it felt as though her body was falling backwards through endless space. It was such an odd and confusing feeling to the young warrior. Lights flashed around her like streaking comets in the heavens. She became aware of voices floating about around her, she struggled to understand what they were saying. They were all scrambled and mixed up, overlapping themselves in a jumble of disconnected gibberish. The voices became louder and louder, but try as she might Ursula could not make them out. It felt as if her sanity was slipping away as she tumbled slowly backwards into nothing. Suddenly a voice rang out that was perfectly clear.
“Ursula, wake up.” It said. She didn‘t know who‘s voice it was, but somehow it seemed familiar. Her mind seemed to fight against her, to force her to forget. But the voice came out again, like a hand out of the abyss to catch her from falling.
“Ursula, open your eyes and wake up.” Then, as if being struck by a bolt of lightning, Ursula woke up. Her vision was blinded by a brilliant light shining down on her. As her eyes adjusted, she saw a figure standing before her. A young man in grand soldier’s armor looked back at her with intense blue eyes. He stood a little under five feet tall, with long wavy green hair and a prominent beard draped over his  strong chin. An aura of strength and power seemed to radiate off of him, just looking at him, Ursula felt the need to bow in respect.
“Hello sir, might I ask your name?” She said. The figure smiled and laughed loudly, in a bold deep voice it responded.
“My name? Why I am the one and only Andreas Wellington, the great champion of First Dawn.” Ursula’s eyes grew wide in disbelief.
“But it can’t be, you are…” She stammered. Andreas interrupted to finish her sentence.
“Dead?” He laughed once again. “My body maybe, but my spirit is immortal. It lives on inside the very blood in your veins.” Andreas reached out and proudly patted Ursula on her shoulder. “I had been sleeping for such a long time. But through you I now feel the thrill of combat once again. You and I are much alike young Ursula, we both live for the honor of charging into a battle. We are both warriors through and through.” Ursula lowered her head, as if ashamed to look such a distinguished and honorable warrior in the eyes.
“Andreas, I am not like you. I am no great warrior. I have failed, I am not strong enough to stand up to my enemy.” She said in a low, defeated voice. Andreas looked at the young girl, and shook his head.
“Nonsense!” He barked. “You obviously have no idea what great strength lies within you. If you did you would not be able to utter in good conscience such ridiculous words.” Ursula looked up at him, her eyes showed a glimmer of the fear and doubt under her brave surface.
“But…” She started.
“But nothing!” Andreas interrupted. “You have the strength of all the Wellington warriors that have ever wielded a sword against the evils of the world.” Andreas swung his hand around to point behind him. As he did, Ursula saw what seemed like hundreds of men and women standing in the distance looking at her. Some of them wielded swords and some carried primitive axes and maces. Some were adorned in beautiful shiny armor, while others stood in mere rags of clothing. But one thing they all had was the same intense stare, the eyes of a warrior.
“You see how proudly they all look on at you? They are all a part of you, for you came from them. Every minute particle in your body is crafted towards the single goal of carrying on the Wellington line of warriors. And you sit there and tell me you are not strong enough!” Andreas shouted. “Preposterous! Maybe you believe you are weak, but that does not make it so.” Ursula gazed over the incredible sight of all the warriors that had came before her. Their spirits did indeed flow through her, she had felt it before. She looked back at Andreas.
“How do I proceed? How do I reach the potential that I have inside me?: She asked.
“You start by remembering my words, and letting go of your doubt. You have but one person to prove yourself to, and that’s to yourself. Believe in your abilities and have faith that they will lead you on the right path. Beyond that there is nothing else I can say.” Ursula smiled back at Andreas, after hearing these inspiring words. She raised her hand and saluted him.
“Thank you sir, I will do my best to honor our proud heritage.” She said.
“I know you will Ursula. Before you go I believe there is someone else here that would like to speak with you.” Andreas said as he turned and motioned to someone off in the distance. Ursula looked and saw her father walk out of the bright curtain of light. He stopped and smiled at her.
“Father!” Ursula shouted. She ran forward and jumped into his arms, something she had never done when he was alive. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him. Somewhat surprised, Tiller put his arms around her and held her tight.
“Well now, I don’t remember you ever being this happy to see me Ursa.” He chuckled. She pulled back and looked him in the eyes.
“Is it you, is it really you?” She asked, her eyes began to glass over with tears.
“It is me, Ursa, I’m still here with you. I never left.” Tiller replied proudly. “I am very proud of you, Ursa. You have grown up to be such a great young woman.” Tiller rubbed away a tear that had began to fall down the girl’s chubby, freckled cheek. Ursula smiled.
“I love you father, I’m sorry that I never told you that before. I just…” Tiller hushed her with a finger over her mouth.
“I know Ursa, I always knew.” He told her. Once again she laid her head on his shoulder and hugged him tight.
“When you left, it hurt so much.” Ursula cried out. “I wanted to save you, but I couldn’t. Why did you have to go and fight alone, why did you have to die?” Tiller ran his hand through his daughter’s tangled and disheveled green hair.
“It wasn’t your fault Ursa. It was just meant to be. Whatever resentment and sadness you have about my death, you have to let it go. You have to make peace with it.” Ursula continued to sob lightly on her father’s shoulder. It wasn’t because of sadness however, it was out of joy. For the first time since her father’s death, she felt her soul calm. The bitter pain that had been locked up tight inside her, finally stopped bleeding and began to heal. Her father’s reassuring words helped Ursula to accept the tragic events of the past, and allowed her to focus on what needed to be done.
“You have to go now Ursa, it’s time for you to go back to your life.” Her father said as he placed her back down on the ground. “It’s time for you to put all the past behind you, and move on. There is a lot riding on your brave shoulders Ursa, but you have more than enough courage and heart to face the challenges of the present. Just remember, I believe in you. And I will always be proud that you are my daughter.” Tiller swept the stray hairs away from the young girl’s face. She looked up at her father and smiled happily.
“Thank you father. Goodbye I will miss you.” She said.
“I will always be here, inside of you Ursa. So I will never be far away. Goodbye my beautiful daughter. The surroundings suddenly went all white, forcing Ursula to cover her eyes. When she opened her eyes, she was back in her cave bedroom. Slumber was staring her dead in the face, and the sight of his odd face being the first thing she saw, made her jump back in surprise.
“Ah! You are awake again. Welcome back my queen.” It hissed in it’s usual high pitched tone. Ursula took a moment to recover her senses, it felt as if she had just came back from another planet.
“And I feel as though something good has happened. Your pain and burden is receded. How do you feel now?” It asked. Ursula wiped her eyes with the palm of her hands.
“I feel fine. No, I feel better than fine.” A smile shot across her face. “I feel great.” She said with a laugh. “Thank you, Slumber. Your vision dust worked.” Slumber smiled an odd quirky smile, and then turned to walk away.
“My pleasure your Highness, I’m pleased that it could help you find comfort.” The large beast lumbered out of the cave. Using it’s cane to guide it along.
“Wait.” Ursula called out. Slumber stopped and turned back towards her. “Can I ask you something?”
“What is your question?” It responded. Ursula paused for a brief moment to try and find the right words.
“Do you believe that one can be a great warrior, and still feel fear over upcoming battles?” Slumber stared back at the girl and nodded it’s head.
“It is not whether a warrior feels fear that matters, it is what the warrior does with that fear that is the important thing.” It said before turning back and leaving the room. Ursula sat alone with her own thoughts. She felt more determined than ever to meet the new challenges of her life and overcome them. Her fear of failure washed away, and what was left was a shining resolute warrior that was eager to face her future with an indomitable spirit.

End of Chapter six.