“Separations with those you have become close to was but a part of life, when you live longer than others, and yet, it never stopped hurting when you separate from people you care, with the knowledge that it may well be the last time you ever saw them again. To many of us, however, we never wanted it to feel lighter, either.” - Aideen deVreys, the Silver Maiden, circa 448 FP.

“Will we be seeing you again?” asked Rodolfo de Guzman, senior Knight-Captain in the Duchy of Dvergarder when he met Aideen once more as she went around to bid her farewells. The old knight was still active in his liege’s service, even with his age approaching his seventh decade.

“I can’t say. Hard to tell how long this trip will take me, or even if I would pass by here on the return trip,” said Aideen honestly. She had pretty much wrapped up what business she had left in the Duchies, passed the lecture over to Asclepius and a few others, and already packed up for her imminent departure. “For all I know I might not even pass by before the next century.”

“I guess this is farewell, then,” said Graciela who came over as they chatted, as she placed one hand in the crook of Rodolfo’s arm. The two veteran knights, a widower and a widow, had grown even closer after the escapades the three of them had been through, and they had tied the knot of marriage - with the support of their respective children and grandchildren - just a year ago. “We owe you many thanks… Aideen.”

“It’s never a bad thing to find happiness once more,” said Aideen with a smile to the knight couple. In quite a few ways, her barging into their lives had helped the two to become more honest with their feelings for each other, which she was all too happy to play matchmaker for. “I’m happy for you two, and a little envious as well. Hope you both have pleasant years to come.”

“Thanks, Aideen,” replied Rodolfo as he gently took her hand in his own hand and planted a kiss on the back of her palm. It was a gesture of respect knights generally only gave to their liege’s wives or mothers, but he showed no hesitation to do it regardless. “For everything.”

“Farewell then,” she said with a smile in return as she gave the couple one last hug. They parted after a few more pleasantries, and both sides waved their hands as Aideen walked away. Just before she left their sight, she turned around and said one last sentence to them. “And live happily, for my sake too!”

******************************

With her farewells said and done, Aideen departed from the Border Duchies of Posuin. She left from Jonkver, and headed straight to the east, to the infamous Forest of Despair. It was a very short trek, as the fort city of Jonkver itself was first built to guard against the times when wild beasts and monsters would stampede out of the forests, usually because of overpopulation which led to them being driven away.

Such stampedes varied in danger, as at times they were mostly harmless, and only served to deliver fresh meat to the citizens and villagers who lived near the village. At other times, however, when herds of predatory beasts were driven out of the forest because they could not compete for hunting grounds and territory, they became a real threat for the locals.

History even recorded one stampede, approximately three centuries ago, where multiple herds were driven out of the forest for some unknown reason, speculated to be the arrival of an apex predator that claimed large swaths of territory as its own. That stampede came close to breaking through even the walls of the fort city, and many villages and smaller towns were flattened in their wake, with the casualties reaching the tens of thousands.

The implication was not lost on the people who lived close to the forest either. The beasts that were driven out of the forest and caused stampedes were ones who were too weak to compete in the harsh environment. That meant the inhabitants of the forest would be even stronger beasts, which was ascertained by several expeditions into the forest, most of which returned with barely a few survivors and tales of the horrors within.

Despite the lack of hostile nations to its east, the Duchy of Jonkver was militaristic and kept a strong army because of the stampedes from the Forest of Despair, the threat of which was equivalent to having a hostile nation next door which would randomly attack at unknown intervals. The locals were similarly honed to a cautious wariness, as they lived on the edge of disaster.

Many had speculated that should the inhabitants of the forest stampede out as a whole, let along Posuin, probably the great Clangeddin Empire would be unable to hold them back. Fortunately, no such accidents had ever occurred in history, as most beasts seemed content to remain in the forest rather than venture out to civilized lands.

The confluence of no less than four mana veins within the forest meant that beasts and monsters from elsewhere found the region alluring, which resulted in a constant influx to the forest’s inhabitants. The weaker creatures that arrived in the forest would become prey, while the strong would carve out a space for themselves.

Migrations of such creatures was no odd sight for the people who lived near the forest, as they saw such sights on a regular basis. Spring was generally considered the season where the Forest of Despair was the most dangerous, as many of its inhabitants awoke from hibernation, and ravenously feasted on others in their hunger.

And on that early spring day, when the chill of winter still pervaded the air, a single person walked past the outermost villages - which doubled as watch posts for stampedes - and headed straight to the forests from which so few returned alive. Her silvery-gray hair fluttered in the wind, while her simple clothes of a similar shade of color seemed to shine under the light of the afternoon sun.