“Other than the few heartless bastards out there, people are still people even if they are put into high positions of power. They still have others they care about, be it family or other loved ones, and would act accordingly, often even using their position to their advantage if they have to.” - Saying attributed to the Silver Maiden.

“This… is quite a princely sum, Marshal Barca,” noted Reinhardt after he counted the contents of the pouch the Lady Marshal handed to him. The pouch was full of gold coins, to the tune that the amount would be enough to hire the Free Lances in their entirety for a good month or so. “I would say that this is excessive for the request you ask of us, even.”

“I know, Captain,” replied the Lady Marshal brusquely. From the dour look on her usually carefree features, it was clear that she was rather frustrated and stressed over the past while, likely due to her daughter’s injury. “You can consider the extra as a bonus for bringing my daughter safe and sound from the journey, regardless of how it went.”

“Hm, I guess I am in no position to say no. My people will be staying in Zephirous while we search for a new contract anyway, from there it’s not too far a trek to the city of the Unliving,” muttered Reinhardt thoughtfully. The Lady Marshal had offered him the princely sum of gold to escort her daughter to the city of the Unliving, in the hope that the renowned Silver Maiden might be able to do something about Astra’s leg.

Astra injured her leg very badly during the final moments of the decisive battle a year ago, and apparently not even the efforts of the best healers and physicians in Caroma were able to save the leg. The leg ended up infected and gangrene started to grow, so they were forced to resort to amputation to save Astra’s life.

The girl herself seemed to have taken her crippling injury in stride, given how she still walked around rather energetically even on crutches and talked with Reinhardt’s girls as if nothing happened, but there was something missing about her compared to how she was when they met her the first time. Some light that went missing from her eyes. She had clearly not taken the injury very well, even if she put up a strong front that proclaimed otherwise.

What Marshal Anni-Al-Bagh Barca asked of Reinhardt was for him to bring Astra along when he left Levain and then escort her through the Forest of Despair to the city that the Unliving built for themselves in its center. While the Unliving had cleared a path to their city, it was still a rather perilous trip, so Anni wouldn’t settle for anything short of the best escort she could get.

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The Marshals were unwilling to abuse their position to send their people to such risks for what amounted to a personal matter, but that did not stop them from using their own considerable personal wealth to hire mercenaries they knew they could trust to do the job. All that led to the current meeting between Reinhardt and Anni, while Scipius took his crippled sister around the camp to say hello to those mercenaries they were acquainted with.

“I am well aware that the Silver Maiden might not be more than a legend, Captain, or that she might not even consider my daughter’s request,” said the Lady Marshal once more, looking more forlorn than before. “All I want is for my daughter to at least have a chance to be whole again, to return to her old self, if that isn’t asking too much of the Deities.”

“Oh, I can at least assuage your worries on one of those concerns, Marshal,” replied Reinhardt with a nod. The worry that the Marshal spoke of happened to be one he knew to be unnecessary from experience. “The Silver Maiden from the legends is most decidedly very real. I have met her in person before, during the Theodinaz campaign over a decade ago. In fact, the Free Lances might well have disbanded back then if it were not for her aid.”

“I have also seen her heal injuries far worse than what your daughter suffered, so her healing prowess is not an issue to worry about either. She healed thousands of people in a single night back then, many of which had missing limbs or were paralyzed, or even worse off,” he continued. “I guess the question is whether we could find her in the city or not, since she is known to wander about at times, and whether she would be willing to help or not.”

“I believe I am paying enough to have you and yours escort my daughter for at least a month or two in their city, no, Captain? I assume you would not send your whole company to their city just for this, of course,” asked the Marshal, to which Reinhardt nodded in affirmation. “As for the request, just let Astra pledge her case on her own. That way at least she would be the one who had made the effort to ask.”

“Understood, Marshal. We will take her to the city of the Unliving and back to Caroma safely then,” said Reinhardt as he rose from his seat and shook the Lady Marshal’s hand. The request was not a difficult one, even if the trip through the Forest of Despair is a bit dangerous. The money was good, and he saw no reason to refuse the request from desperate parents who were clearly prepared to do anything for their children’s well-being.

He could definitely sympathize with that.

“My thanks, Captain. Do send us a message when you bring Astra back to Caroma. We will prepare a welcome by our border,” replied the Marshal as she gave the first smile Reinhardt saw since she arrived. “And many thanks for listening to this mother’s selfishness, from one parent to another.”