“Some say that you shouldn’t meet with your idols so as not to break your preconceptions about them. This is true in many ways.” - Saying attributed to the Silver Maiden.

“Got to admit that this is a rather rare occasion,” said the Silver Maiden as she greeted them inside her own simple hovel. The building most definitely did not fit anyone’s idea on where a living legend like the one before them would be staying at, being a simple circular wood-and-thatch hovel built around a fireplace, even if it was more spacious than most. “We don’t exactly get visitors often due to our location here, so this is kind of a first that someone specifically looked for me of all things.”

“We thank you for the audience, Milady,” replied Reinhardt as he gave the Silver Maiden a respecful bow. He had brought Astra and Elfriede with him. Ze’phane had agreed to let the girl meet the Silver Maiden first, since her request was one that Reinhardt and his mercenaries were officially hired for, whereas Ze’phane was a tagalong who would make her personal request later if the possibility existed. “And I would also like to extend my personal gratitude for having saved the lives and careers of me and mine back in Theodinaz a decade and a half ago.”

“Please, just Aideen will do,” replied the Silver Maiden with a shake of her head. She then looked at Reinhardt and the rest with more attention. The woman herself looked no different than when Reinhardt briefly saw her in Theodinaz two decades ago, but then again, age did not exactly affect the Unliving anyway. “Huh, I had thought that you looked rather familiar. I really should have remembered sooner, not many of your kind here in Alcidea,” she noted.

“I am honored that Milady Aideen even remembers us,” said Reinhardt sincerely. “It has been a long time, after all.”

“Time actually flows by quickly when you have as much of it as you want, but I digress. I heard that you brought the young lady here for an audience all the way from the former Empire? That’s a pretty long way to traverse, I would say,” noted Aideen with a bit of a smile. “Oh, no need to stand at attention like that, we don’t treat ourselves like nobles and kings here, just sit down and relax, though the stools might not be the most comfortable, I’m afraid.”

Said “stools” were in actuality just thick slices from a log of wood set up in a semi-circle to one side of the hovel. Reinhardt sat down on one, while Elfriede helped Astra as she sat down on another. The Silver Maiden herself took one look at Astra – or to be more precise, at her missing leg – and walked closer to the girl.

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“Hold still for a moment, okay?” said Aideen as she laid one hand on Astra’s shoulder and held the girl’s hand with her other hand. She seemed to check the girl’s condition for a brief moment before she looked the girl in the eye and asked further. “You’re healthy and well-fed, that’s good. Will make things easier. I presume you came here to get the leg treated, right?”

Astra nodded to the unexpectedly blunt question since she had yet to have the chance to plead for help at all. Then she gasped in surprise while both Reinhardt and Elfriede nodded as they noticed that a healthy leg had suddenly appeared where Astra’s missing leg used to be. The two were less surprised because they recalled their own experience with the Silver Maiden back in Theodinaz, where the woman similarly treated grievous injuries and missing limbs in mere moments.

“Now, you will want to take it easy for the next few days to a week. I’d actually recommend staying here for that period of time if you’re not in a hurry, just so I can check your condition to make sure later,” suggested Aideen as she lifted her hand from Astra’s shoulder. “You will likely have some difficulty controlling the limb properly until your body remembers how it’s done, so don’t rush things too much.”

“I- But- How-” stammered Astra who was clearly surprised at how the Silver Maiden had not even asked her about the injury but just directly healed it in mere seconds. In her mind the girl had already prepared herself to beg and grovel if she had to. She had not expected such an uneventful meeting where the crippling injury that had tormented her over the past year to just be done away like that without much preamble. “How could I ever thank you-”

“Think nothing of it, girl. If I happened to run across you in my wanderings I would have done the same, so is there any reason why I wouldn’t do this when you took the trouble and braved the dangers to come to my place?” replied Aideen with a lighthearted tone and a smile on her face. “To try to help everyone in the world is but a mere idealistic daydream, I am well aware of that, but that is no reason for me to stay my hand when people in need of help come to me.”

“I guess that’s a mission complete, then, Miss Astra,” noted Reinhardt with a smile from the side. “Whether you would like to return to Caroma immediately or wish to heed Miss Aideen’s suggestion to stay here for another week, we’ll be prepared to escort you as requested. Also, our congratulations on your successful recovery.”

“I- I’m still not entirely convinced I didn’t just dream this whole thing- Ouch!” Astra yelled out as Elfriede pinched the skin on her newly regenerated leg and twisted lightly.

“Now you know for certain that you’re not dreaming,” said Elfriede nonchalantly.

“I guess that works…” noted Astra as she sighed in relief. “I would like to stay here another week and recover properly as the Silver Maiden suggests if you don’t mind, Captain.”

“Your wish is our command, Young Miss,” replied Reinhardt.

“Right, you brought so many people here that it’s definitely overkill just for an escort, so I bet at least some of them asked to come along in case I could help them out, right?” asked Aideen suddenly. “I’ll come along, might as well see them at your camp, as my place can’t accommodate too many people.”