Eclipse

Prologue

I am dying. 

Not right at this moment, of course, but I know my time is coming soon. 

I am standing on a cliff, overlooking our village in the valley where we have been exiled. 

From here, I can see everything. The houses, the training grounds, the armory. 

I can also see Asha. 

No one knows where she came from. She just appeared one day, bleeding and disoriented. 

She was scared at first. After all, we were strangers. But she warmed up to us. We became like her new family. 

After that, she did everything she could to please us. Helping out with everything from hunting to guarding the village at night. 

She wasn't very good. Her prey often got away, and animals got into our village when she was on duty. 

But I took pity on her, and so did General Luna. The General took Asha under her wing and trained her to become a soldier.

Asha was delighted to receive her training and focused all her time and energy on becoming the best soldier she could be. 

She trained hard, fought hard, and studied hard, and eventually achieved her goal.

She became better than the General herself. 

So when the General left us to go work for the enemy, Asha was heartbroken. She cried the most, more than anyone else.  It was a depressing time for her, and receiving the rank of General only made it worse.

Nine months passed. Asha appeared better, but I could tell she wasn't. She overworked her soldiers, and herself. 

Eventually, I asked her about it. She said she didn't want to tell me, but I insisted she did. 

Her hand went to the car across her eye. She said that she had been betrayed by someone before. Someone very close to her. 

I asked her to share more, but that was all she would say. 

I told her that she deserved to be General. That the people loved her and were proud of her. 

She smiled. She had wanted so badly to be one of us since her own people didn't want her. She did everything she could to make us proud.

And she did. 

Now, as I look upon our village, I know the right person to lead my people.

 Asha, you will take the throne when I'm gone.