[center][h2]Anne Mayer[/h2][h3]Aventon — Hunter's Lodge[/h3][/center]
[i]"Does that mean you're super strong, like those heroes in the stories Papa told us?"[/i]

Again with that question. Anne had to consciously keep herself from reacting when the girl mentioned her father, though the strained smile she put up could barely mask her discomfort. "Ah, that's..." How was she even supposed to answer this time? Offer Millie false hope and let her down after the fact, or hit her with a reality check before she even had a chance to get her bearings? 

The Knight glanced away, hesitant. [i]Is there really no way out?[/i] It was the same with Alvin, with those kids back on Garion—asking her to fight for them, [i]needing[/i] her to be strong for them. Even when, according to every medical professional she'd seen, that was sheer impossibility.

Then again, this was a new world, with entirely different rules to it. Anne thought back on what she'd seen of the Heralds, of the destruction they'd wrought upon the village. Horrible, yes, but still minuscule in scale compared to the Beast invasions she'd faced down in the past. She'd spent her career throwing herself into close combat against planet-killing alien superweapons, but those attackers at the church had been so badly equipped they shouldn't even have qualified as cannon fodder. [i]Even if I'm not at my best... If it's just a bunch of primitive thugs, then maybe I can still...[/i]

No, that was the wrong question.

If the children needed her to do the impossible, then she simply needed to try. Even if it brought her body, her life, and all her ambitions to ruin.

"...Well, I don't like to brag too much." She met Millie's eyes now, her smile a little firmer than it had been. "So I won't say I'm the strongest, or anything like that. But I am strong enough to protect you—and I won't let any harm come to you now that I'm here." With a steady hand, she reached out to gently pat the young girl's hair. "So rest up now, and do what you need to feel better. I have friends looking after the village, and I can stay by your side for as long as you need."

[@PKMNB0Y]