The Campaign dragged on, Esmeralda had lost count of how many soldiers who met their creator by her hand assisted by her sword...
...she was a marvel with the sword, quite q swordsman, no a Swords-woman mighty and skilled enough to fit in the Valhalla Valkyria regiments...
...There was just one thing, she couldn´t enjoy the so called: "Art of war!" she was sick of it, she hated seeing the fear in young boys eyes as she finished their lives... she hated the blood an spatter and she hated that the poor animals were dragged in to these violent humans nasty wars, war horses, dog and more...
...Esmeralda felt empty inside, she dreamed about gardens she was gonna make when the war war over, that is when it happened yet again a deep cut in her abdomen, not lethal or even threatening but a deep cut all the same...
when she killed her opponent after the cut, a Knight rushed to her side, Madam, My Ledge! I saw that! don´t pretend you weren´t wounded...
She was sent to the field-medic´s tent under loads of protesting...
When Dr. Oakwillow tended her bleeding wound and stopped the bleeding, she rose up and said:
- Dr. Oakwillow! that is the thing, that is the point, I ask you will these wars even end? will I ever be able to be a gardener again?
- My dear most honoured queen, Please sit down while I patch you up... I would recommend that you didn´t visit the battlefield more today you have lost a lot of blood and you should rest in your tent and use these healing herbs on the would, avoid alcohol, since it might ease the pain it will also make the wound bleed more...
Later on Esmeralda was in her tent, it was almost night and she could hear her troops returning from the battle field outside another victory, they were jolly and happy even though they had lost a far too high number of men for far too a small patch of land...
Then all the sudden she heard a voice she hadn´t heard for years, not since she was a kid, before she became Queen consort to Henry...
She rose, far to fast, the stitched wound hurt and she fell over, only to rise again a bit slower...
She replied to the mysterious call: M-m-mum is that you?
- Yes my dear, you have done so well I am so proud of you!
she followed the voice in to a small forest close by, this forest was very thick and a mist made it even more hard to orientate around in... she called out:
- Mum! Mum! I am so tired, I miss you sooo! I am so tired, I am so empty inside, I want to build, create, plant, but the whole world just want war! I have to fight, because my people needs me...
Now some of the mist had cleared away, a giant cat started to follow her, she had never ever seen a cat this size, it was so beautiful she petted the beautiful feline and it purred and stroke her legs and then lead her further in to the wood, Here it was almost daylight and a woman stood there among different animals, she was standing in front of a dreamy transparent wall...
The Queen said out loud:
- Mum it is you, oh with such joy I remembered my childhood, you passed away far too early...
- My darling daughter, I wish I could have stayed longer but faith had it otherwise, perhaps some greater power wanted that? not even we know the truth of everything...
- Mum, Darling Mum can I hug you? Esmeralda tried to hug his mum, but he spectral form just passed through her solid body...
- Oh Darling Essie! I am a ghost in your world, we cannot interact much...
- But Mum, why are you here?
- I am here to offer you something my dear, I know that you have fought hard to try to do what you think is right, but it has left you dead inside, I am offering you eternal Gardens, fluffy animals. a place where there is no war and not death!
- Yes, Mum I would want it, but my people need me, I can´t give up, that is if I have a choice!
- Yes my beautiful Daughter, you have a choice, you are how should I say it "on the borderland" you can choose either to live on or to give mortal life up... the choice is yours...!!!
- But mum I can´t fail my people, I want to give them, peace, heavenly architecture, Education, dreamlike gardens and safety...
- I am so proud of you my darling daughter, you are so pure to your heart, so uncorrupted despite all your power... I am also here to warn you, that if you choice life, there is a risk that you actually will fail you people and your cause, you have used up all your energy and I know that you have prepared this for how to run your kingdom after your passing... Darling Essie, I think it is time for you to care about yourself for a while, tend our heavenly gardens, talk to the wise ancient Oak, Yes he is in our garden too, I bet you he can tell you a lot...
...and also, when you have refilled your reserves who knows perhaps you can opt for a rebirth..
- Mum, you are right I have used up all my energy I am empty I will come with you, Mum I have missed you so much...
- So dear Essie! you have made your choice, I am so happy, I have missed you too so much, we have so much to catch up with...
---
That was the last night anyone mortal ever saw Queen Esmeralda! no one ever found her body, but many think that she had mistakenly wandered in the the woods and gotten lost since a few troops had seen her staggering towards the woods...
but still today no one really knows what happened that night!
