Mortance: Summer's Snow

Lily Ⅲ

I arrived at Stonewood Keep in a fever dream. The castle fit between my fingers, and then it was suddenly thirty times taller than every tree in the forest. I saw banners: a red scythe on a green background. Or was it a spear? Brown on blue? The world swirled. Then we stopped beneath the great stone gateway.

"We require medical assistance," somebody said.

"Find yourselves a village healer," a guard replied. "Stonewood Keep is no peasant's refuge."

"I am no peasant," Liz told him.

There was more arguing. I groaned in pain. The nasty gash on my back hadn't gotten any better, nor had the scratch marks down my front. It was lucky those were shallow. Burns were scattered about my body, sensitive to every touch. It hurt to move. At least I didn't have to move while they argued.

"You will tell my father-"

"You'll have to remind me which bar or whorehouse he'll be at."

"You shouldn't be insulting your lord like that."

"I didn't know Elizabeth Huller, but I've seen enough of Lord John's living daughters to know she wouldn't look like you. House Huller would never breed such a savage witch."

"You speak as though you know my own blood better than me."

I groaned again from the pain. A tear slid involuntarily from my cheek. The world turned black for a moment. You shan't die here, the spider told me. The assurance did nothing for the pain. I would've laughed and scoffed at it if it didn't hurt so much.

"What's all this?" some voice cut through the arguing. It sounded like a boy, and he sounded like he was underwater.

"Naught to you, bastard," someone replied.

"I'm still your lord's son."

"Jeffrey?" Liz said. The voices were fuzzy, but this one had to be her.

"That's Ser Jeffrey to... you..." he trailed off.

"Leave us, Ser Jeffrey. These peasants will be expelled momentarily."

"Would you remind these guards who I am, my dear half brother?" Liz said.

Her words echoed around my skull as the world turned blurry again. It was loud. Overwhelmingly loud. I wanted to scream, but there was no telling if I did. The sky turned black.

There is a girl. Human. Broken. She is healing, then she is dying. She is whole for a moment, then shattered the next. Silver... then gone.

There is a golden man with a white sword miles away from the battle he means to fight. He fell for a deception, and only a glimmer of moonlight keeps his mistake from being fully fatal.

Then there is the ocean, at war with itself. Waves crash against each other. Some are salt water, others blood of the slain. I see ships crash into each other and sink, some catching fire. It is strange to see, because I've never seen an ocean vessel in my life. I know them to be ships all the same.

Then a horde of savages charges a castle, held back by one man and his sister.

A voice commands a race and bends it to a witch's will.

The Silver Girl dies alone.

The Silver Girl claims victory and ascends the throne of the world.

The Silver Girl is nobody.

The Silver Girl is everybody.

Who is the Silver Girl? I don't know her.