'That's a fool's mission.' she told herself, picking up her speed, 'They're dead now. It would do no good to die as well…'

But still, the woman could not keep herself from stopping the second she had entered into the forest beyond the village. She turned her dark eyes back on the flames shooting up from the houses, and her hand instinctively gripped the hilt of her sword.

No one else was coming. Hannah's eyes widened, how could she be the only one to escape…?

'Vilrance and the others are all dead…but there had to have been more survivors.'

She waited even longer, and still no one came. The warrior from the Grasslands was getting anxious, if she didn't keep moving…then Toto Village's attackers would come for her.

There was no telling how long the siege would last, but Hannah was reluctant to move from her spot. If there were survivors, she had to give them some sort of protection. It was the least she could do, since she had stayed at the village for so long.

Three weeks. She silently cursed herself for going into the forest a few days ago for some training and not being able to return until just tonight. If she had gotten here earlier, then…

The sounds of footsteps caught her attention and Hannah could see the metal glint of armor coming near the forest. She bit her lip and headed deeper into the brush. The attackers were combing the area for people who had tried to escape and there were to many of them for her to deal with on her own.

"Forgive me." she whispered, as much to her own conscious that pleaded for her to go back as to the villagers who may have still been alive.

Her father had often taken Hannah outside of their village in the Grasslands for training, and she remembered that as being one of her happiest moments in childhood. There the young girl and her father would often crouch in the bushes and behind trees for hours on end, trying to surprise the other. They would spar and, afterwards, she would climb into his lap and tug on his brown beard as he told her stories near a small fire.

The only fires that came now were from the smoldering buildings of Toto Village nearby and there was no beard to tug and no gentle voice telling her of a legendary ancestor. Hannah's muscles cramped as she pulled herself from the crouching position she'd been in all night.

"It's quiet now." she muttered, not sure whether or not she liked the stillness of the place at the moment. It would have been almost relaxing, if not for the fact that the village should have been bustling with life.

No movement. No sounds of the enemy could be heard, but the woman kept her grip on her sword tight as she stepped through the brush. The instincts of survival were telling her not to go back, but something pulled her towards Toto Village.

She had to see the damage that was done. She had to know if there were any survivors…

The smell that invaded her nostrils as she headed back informed her of the worst. The smell was one of death…and of spilled blood and smoke. Hannah swallowed down bile and her heart was stabbed with sorrow.

Toto had been so peaceful and the villagers had been nothing but kind to her. Why did this have to happen…?

It was no longer a peaceful looking place, but a ruin to war. The smoke that filled the air blanketed most of the village from view, but Hannah did not need to see it to know that, most likely, no one had survived. She could already tell from the stillness around her and the silence that covered the rubble.

Movement came from in front of her: a flash of light brown in her eyes. Instinctively, she brought her sword up. If it was one of the attackers she'd make them pay.

A small whimper informed her otherwise and she slowly lowered her weapon.

Limping over to her was a dog, a scrawny looking animal with fur that was crimson matted. His dark eyes almost looked sad and he touched its nose against her free palm. A small wag came to the creature's tail.

'Vilrance's dog.' she thought, frowning.

The building he had been standing near was what once had been Toto's inn. It, like all of the buildings in Toto Village, was a pile of rubble now. Splotches of blood covered the area outside of its doorway and the pale body of a woman laid on the ground. She was Yila, Vilrance's wife. A huge gash ran down from her neck to her stomach, and her eyes were opened wide with shock.

Such a kind woman…

Hannah knelt down beside her and gazed at the body for a long moment. Vilrance had been so upset by her death that she practically had to drag him outside of the inn to find safety. And even still…he had been cut down by the arrows. Him and the other survivors she had promised to protect.

The dog sat down next to Yila's body and looked up at Hannah with imploring eyes. He knew that something was wrong with his mistress (the smell of death frightened dogs) and he seemed to think she could help.

Another pang in her heart. Hannah looked away, silently wishing that there was something she COULD do to help Yila.

"I'm sorry," she finally said, in a quiet voice to herself, "I couldn't save them."