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[color=lightgray]Charlotte’s first week in Dawnhaven had been nothing shy of boring. It truly did feel like the punishment it was intended to be. Being the lowest ranking member of the newest arrivals, she was given the [i]woefully exciting[/i] tasks like cleaning up the stables, and all of the bitterly cold and isolated assignments at the outer edges of town. 

She couldn’t say that it didn’t give her experience however. The recruit learned very quickly that the Lunarian sections had warm clothing figured out and adapted their practices quickly. These practices were likely the only reason she survived her posts throughout the week-long blizzard, where she spent most of her time huddled around a campfire at the northern edge of town. There were more travellers than she’d expected for such a storm, but most of the days involved staring off into the vast wall of white while using her tower shield as a windblock. 

Charlotte hadn’t really made any friends either. She got partnered with someone new almost daily after rumors spread around that she’d--albeit indirectly--caused the death of a civilian back home. Not one had seemed impressed about being assigned as her training partner.

[color=A54343][i]So much for my fellow guards having my back,[/i][/color] she made a mental note, [color=A54343][i]I guess the only person I can rely on is me.[/i][/color]

Her tired eyes opened, the interior of a dimly lit guard-tower filling her vision. The dying remnants of what used to be a fire glowed gently before her in the brazier, barely providing relief from the biting cold. 

[color=A54343][i]F-f-f-f-ffuuuuuck I’m c-c-cold… … … G-great, I can even hear m-my t-thoughts shivering.[/i][/color]

Desperate to keep warm, Charlotte drew her legs up to her chest as she sat on the bench. The wind slipped through every crack between the brick walls, relentless no matter where she moved. She pulled her fur cloak tightly around herself and enveloped her now much smaller figure. There was no longer a care in her mind about getting in trouble on the job. [color=A54343][i]Really, how much worse can it get? My own partner fucked-off like an hour ago, what am I supposed to do, really? Leaving my post will just get me more shit with the commander.[/i][/color]

She shook her head in an attempt to rid herself of the annoyance before tucking it tightly into the soft fur of her cloak. Her eyelids fluttered with increasing difficulty, and though she fought it, the pull of sleep quickly became stronger. The cold had sapped away much of her energy and, combined with a shift now bordering on ten hours, made the lull of rest all too tempting.

[color=A54343][i]No one’s gonna die if I nap for a few minutes.[/i][/color]

And with that thought, she surrendered herself to the intoxicating darkness as her eyelids fell shut. 

[center][h3]*   *   *[/h3][/center]

For a few moments, Charlotte could almost feel the warmth of the Aurelian summer sun on her face. The scents of the city, both pleasant and vile, were just out of reach. She could almost hear the hum of the bustling streets, the cheers of revelry from tipsy patrons, and the occasional cries of merchant’s haggling just down the road. 

A part of her longed to be home again, away from this desolate place that seemed to hate her. She could walk back in the front doors to a hero’s welcome and a round of drinks, before heading upstairs and embracing her parents once more. Sure they would question why she was home so early. They may even be a bit upset to see her giving up on her dream so quickly. But there would always be a place for her there.

Maybe being a guard wasn’t what she was destined for. 

She’d imagined something much different when she’d first signed up--the joys of comradery with fellow guards, respect and admiration from the townsfolk and perhaps even getting a bit tipsy after her shift had finished. Instead, her days had been filled by frost nipped fingers, aching feet and the feeling that she was a worthless addition to the guard force.

The excitement she’d once dreamed of was gone, replaced by pangs of regret and self-disdain. Back home, her friends had jokingly laughed when they found out she’d been recruited. Too many restrictions and too much trouble for a comparably meager pay, they claimed. Now she wondered if they’d been right all along. She missed their daily lunch-time conversations when the tavern slowed down, and the evenings spent playing cards by lantern-light.

Charlotte’s mind wandered back to Dawnhaven in her slumber. The warmth and light of the capitol faded away to the hollowness of the wind whistling through lifeless trees.

The faint ring of a bell filled her mind as the imagery before her wilted away, replaced by an inky void. Something felt wrong. A sickening feeling began to weave its way into her dreams as she saw flashes of a merchant bleeding out in front of her. In the distance, a hooded individual ran off, coin purse in hand. The scene was all-too familiar to her--it was the very reason she was assigned to Dawnhaven. 

But why had her mind suddenly wandered to death?

Another chime of a bell, much more clearly audible and at the center of her attention.

And then it all came racing back to her. Guard post near the alchemy laboratory. Trying to keep warm. Falling asleep under her cloak. Three chimes of a bell.

[color=A54343][i]I fell asleep. Three chimes of the bell.[/i][/color]

Charlotte’s piercing blue eyes shot open like a bolt of lightning had struck her.

[color=A54343][i]Oh fuck.[/i][/color][/color]