Chapter 2 - Chapter Two

A Few Days Later

Every day in the quiet barracks was more anxious than the last. Layla’s only company was a skeleton crew left behind to guard the base, and they were too busy to spare more than a nod or a glance in the roegadyn’s way. If anything, they seemed to be going out of their way to avoid her. Even when she struck up conversations in the mess hall each evening. It was so very different from the quiet camaraderie she enjoyed when the barracks were fuller or when she was on the front lines.

So most of her days were spent lounging somewhere near her quarters. She’d often catch herself curled up where the sunlight was warmest against her skin and where the chilly autumn winds weren’t much of a problem. She’d have a book in one hand and another resting on a bar of rations or scratching the itch she felt along her thigh. And her nights were spent staring at nothing at all until she dreamt of nothing in particular. Then she’d wake up to do it all over again.

It didn’t take long for the routine to wear thin. The peace she felt on the first few days was soon replaced with a tension that started at her fingers and ran all the way to her toes. The indulgent warmth of sleeping bundled in blankets was soon replaced with a strange chill that made her shiver. And the refreshing morning air became choking and thick like so much smog from the blacksmith’s shop. She had even lost the pleasure in watching her comrades train in the yard just as the sun peeked up over the distant horizon.

Why do I feel this way? Layla wondered.

Perhaps her superior officer’s words had gotten to her. Perhaps her superior officer was right all along. Though that didn’t change anything for the quiet lonely woman. She truly had no one nearby to visit and she didn’t know anyone this far from home. The roegadyn never considered herself a sociable sort and had no idea where to go.

The answer wouldn’t be found in the barracks. That much was quite clear by that point. If anything, staying at the barracks would have made the feelings even worse. And two weeks seemed entirely too long a time to sit and cope with that unease and longing. No, Layla had to get away…at least for a time.

But the roegadyn couldn’t just leave as is. After all, who would talk with her unless she was as radiant as could be?

So Layla put on her cleanest outfit one particularly breezy morning. She found a skirt that ran down her long tight runner’s legs and paired it with a blouse that was a shade or few brighter than eggnog with shining buttons colored like cream. Her hands were covered in simple black gloves and her hair was brushed until the red locks and blonde highlights shone like a campfire.

Layla’s mood was much brighter by the time she was done. Her heart felt warm and her spirit soared with confidence. So much so that there was no doubt that her malaise would end before the night was through.

The shy roegadyn waved at the skeleton crew on her way out towards the gate. She didn’t notice the warmth they had as they waved back.