The Harder Path
By Lillian Herington
The colossal brazier flared to life, its flames reaching high into the air. In times past, the gathered tribes would use this as the mark of the festival's beginning.
Ashe and the Avarosans celebrate a yearly festival with their newfound families. But a disturbance amidst the festivities calls her attention.
- Bait-and-Switch: At first, Ashe was prepared for Hildhur and her tribe to attack her and the guests at the festival. But instead, Hildhur, believing Ashe to be the true successor of Avarosa, kneels to her in surrender for past misdeeds.
- Forgiven, but Not Forgotten: Ashe is willing to give a second chance to the Snow Followers, a group of warriors that had previously killed her fellow Avarosans, but it's made clear that she still feels the pain of her tribe's losses, and that her forgiveness is more an obligation as a leader rather than a personal desire.As she turned from them and walked away, she was careful to keep her grief in check. Her heart still burned, but her people needed her to walk a different path than that of revenge. She played her fingers along the bowstring, seeking comfort in its chill.
