I open my eyes and stare at the stone wall as I lay in bed. Even with my back to the door, I can feel something watching me. I slowly look over my shoulder and see a familiar figure decked out in darkened brown leather.

“Lieutenant Termin. I’m assuming Hurrand sent you?” Termin leans against the wall with her arms crossed.

“Yes...he did.” She says with a sad whisper. For a moment, the idea that I was still alive was a good sign. Of course, she could have wanted to say goodbye first. I might be poisoned for all I knew. There was no harm in asking at this point. I didn’t have my armor or weapon nearby and she was behind me in her full gear. Combat was out of the question. Even if I had everything I needed, Termin was renowned for her craftiness. She might even be better than me with a sword. I act as lethargic as possible. I’d rather die as a stone-cold badass anyways.

“...well?” I ask with an annoyed, impatient tone. I hear her swallow and shift in place.

“He said you had changed sides, that you betrayed your kingdom.” I let out a quiet scoff.

“You know as well as I do that our kingdom died a long time ago. Do we even have any honor? I haven’t seen our kingdom do anything honorable until we got here.” I turn over and sit up. Termin reaches for a dagger but pauses halfway once she sees me lean against the headboard of the bedframe.

“I don’t know what Hurrand is, but I fight every day to preserve what Taraska really is. We have been in several fights that would determine whether we fade into history or not. No matter what, we never left these ponies to die. That is what Taraska really is, not this backstabbing torture-hungry monster our throne has become. There’s nothing wrong with Taraska, it’s just the pig who rules it and you know it.” Termin looks to the left and right in turmoil.

“You think I have a choice in this? It’s who I am! Serving my king is the only thing I’m good for! Every step I take, every arrow I release is to protect us from villains...villains like you!” I let out a loud, condescending laugh.

“A villain?! You think that because he drilled it into your head. Tell me Termin, you’re a reasonable lady, what have I ever done that was monstrous? Can you even actually name anything yourself?!” Termin opens her mouth to speak, but all that comes out is a single letter, followed by silence. I roll my eyes and cross my arms.

“Who’s the one who ordered his own captains to be tortured?! Who’s the one who never orders mercy? You probably know him better than I do. Can you name one good thing he’s done that wasn’t some fake act to get in good with someone he plans to have you cut the throat of? Who’s the real villain here?” Termin stops leaning against the wall and her arms hang by her sides.

She has a bit more ferocity in her now. Clearly convincing her that Hurrand was the enemy wasn’t working. I’d have to figure out what really drives her if I was going to live. She balls her hands into fists.

“He said you’d twist everything around on me! He said you’d manipulate me!” I blink at her, trying to stay mellow.

“Whenever he calls someone a manipulator, what’s the first two things you do? You assume that person is evil, and you can’t be wrong because if part of you starts to believe them, you dismiss it as them just playing you. Amazing defense isn’t it?” Termin looks off to the side at the floor and slowly tosses her head back and forth. She says nothing, but I can tell there’s something stirring. If I was going to survive this, I’d have to figure out where her turmoil is coming from and defeat it. Now I need a general question to start with, but it has to be somewhat neutral. I can’t risk her getting angry and lashing out.

“Termin...where do you see yourself in all this?” She squints her eyes and tilts her head to the right in confusion.

“Wh...what do you mean by all of this?!” I look straight ahead, pretending we’re having a nice civil discussion.

“Equestria, Taraska, the war. All of it. What do you see?” Her eyes dart back and forth in a wild state of dismay.

“I...I don’t know! I...I see myself fighting for my country! What else do you think I’d do?!” And in that reply, lay my answer. She doesn’t know what she’d do without Taraska. I’d have to reassure her there would be a place for her without focusing on her directly or she’ll think I’m deceiving her.

“I’m fighting for the innocent. When I’m done, I think I might be a chef with CY. He seems to have warmed up to it nicely.” I turn and face her.

“Did you know he’s getting married soon? I’m actually taking him out for his bachelor party today.” A knife falls out of Termin’s wrist-cover as she gawks at me.

“You...wait...Cy did what?! Are you telling me he went inactive?!” I give her a slow nod and smile. She blinks rapidly, and her eyes go back to darting.

“They just...let you do that?! You can just...stop being a warrior, just like that?! What...what do you...do?!” I let out a quiet chuckle then recline back in my bed.

“Well Cy knows there’s still a war that has to be fought and Taraska doesn’t exactly have an army. Officially he’s not under anyone’s command anymore. If we ask him though, he’ll put on his armor and fight. We try to leave him be with his new sweetheart. Honestly this wedding is extremely sudden, but hey it’s their call.” Termin shakes her head while stepping back, then jumps when she collides with the wall. She looks down and slowly pulls out her knife. My eyes can’t help but snap in her direction, but I don’t move a muscle. I continue to sit there, resting against the headboard, with my fingers folded across my stomach. She examines her blade as if it was the very first time seeing it.

“What...what do you do when you put down your steel? How...can anyone choose that?!” I slowly nod my head, as if her question was new to me.

“Well...it takes a lot of getting used to, but it’s easier than you’d think. The hard part is trying. It works if you let it.” Termin looks at me as if I wasn’t even there. I was a stranger to her now.

“You...I can’t do that. Hurrand...he has plans.” I give a condescending exhale through my nose.

“Yeah I figured.“ Termin looks up at me and pulls off her leather face cover. A long, nasty scar runs straight down from the top left of her lips. Her blue eyes reflect the light of the candle.

“No...you don’t understand. Hurrand has some weird technology, it has to be magic. I hear him talk to himself a lot, to a creature who isn’t there. He did that before we got here. In front of everyone, he’s a monster and a manipulator. When he’s alone, he becomes a scared child. He keeps telling something that he’s trying. Over and over as if his life depended on it. When you were...punished, I heard him talking to this thing a day before hand. I don’t know what they threatened him with, but it was enough to make him torture you. When he was alone, he sobbed his eyes out over you.” If I had been holding an object, it would have rolled out of my hands in shock. All I can do is stare at her with eyes so wide, you’d think I was trying to see in complete darkness.

“No...no. Hurrand is a monster he-” Termin shakes her head very slowly.

“Hurrand is a prisoner, just like you. The orange marble he gave you, is it still here?” I point to my armor on its stand by the door, with my mouth still hanging open. Termin searches the tiny inside satchels near the waist. The fishes out the tiny object and holds it up between her thumb and index finger.

“This thing? He gave it to you when you first got here, right as you left with the princesses correct? It allows him to hear everything. I only know because I heard your voice coming from his room a few times, followed by the princesses, when I knew full-well you all had left. I never stuck around long enough to hear it, but one night I got curious. I peeked in and saw Hurrand holding up this other marble that was purple. It projected some kind of...ongoing image on the wall. I could not only hear you all, I could see you in what I assume was real time.” That was it. That’s why the 4th Battalion showed up just in time to save us when we held Canterlot at our hand-made ramp. Was Zaran also using it? Was Zaran the one behind...everything? There were so many questions now, but there was no way Termin knew. I blink a few times and snap out of my daze. Termin is at the window, holding the curtains open just enough to peer out. Her face is solemn, and her eyes stare ahead as if she was in a different place. Her gaze goes to the ground, still staring through the floor.

“I...had a daughter once.” I nod slowly, keeping an eye on the dagger on her hip.

“What was her name?” Termin turns to me and smiles. She opens the curtains all the way and the sunlight reflects off her red hair, casting a mystical glow around the room. A few freckles litter her cheeks. Her face is astonishingly beautiful. I had never seen her full face before.

“Her name was Carol. I...I was so happy when she was born.” Termin rests her hands on the windowsill and stares across the land.

“I...gave her up. I knew I couldn’t be a mom. There would be times where I’d be away for months and she’d be constantly on my mind. I let her father keep her. He told her I died fighting...like a warrior, not some backstabbing cutthroat.” Termin gently places both her hands on her stomach.

“I was a fool. I still thought of her. I’d watch her play with the other kids sometimes, but from too far for her to see. I even screwed up a few missions wondering what she was drawing in school.” Termin’s eyes bulge and run with tears as her smile disappears instantly.

“I...guess she’s dead now. If we’re the only ones who made it. Funny...I never thought of it until now. I guess...he’s gone too. Richard...father to my sweet sweet Carol.” Termin looks back at me with that dead stare only a Taraskan gives. She puts her back to the window and a breeze drags some of her hair across her face.

“I know you’re not evil Raiden. I wish you luck with everything, especially Luna. It’s about time you’re happy.” Her mouth curves up in a gentle smile, as she closes her eyes and leans back out the window. I leap from my bed with a scream and grab her ankle as her body dangles outside. Her boots dig into my collar bone and it makes me groan in agony. I can barely hear her bellows with her head being so far down.

“It’s okay Raiden, this is what I want. I’m ready to go.” She yells it just enough for me to hear her. I try to reach down and grab more of her, but the slippery steel makes it impossible. Instead of pulling her up, she slips an inch. My hands quickly scramble to get another hold on her. I grit my teeth and my head recoils in pain from the strain.

“Termin…you can’t! There’s…there’s another way!” I get interrupted by my own loud groans.

I hear Termin’s pitiful tears as her upper body clanks with her sobs.

“You said you’d never stop us from choosing the easy way out. You let Jabins and Meruvo do it, why not me?! I have nothing left! Nothing to look forward to! Why bother?!?!” I have to lean forward to get a better angle, making all the effort go to my back.

“Termin...I’m...I’m not that man anymore! At the time, we had no hope!” My eyes roll back as I let out high-pitched gasps of pain.

“I...I can give it all to you! You can have a new life here! Anyone can!” I hug her boots harder as she slips a few more inches now. Her feet are touching my forearm. Sharp pins and needles start dancing around my lower back.

“I don’t know...what you’ll do or how long it will take! But you have to give it a chance!” I slam my knees into the wall to stop her from pulling me out as well.

“You...you can have more daughters! Another husband! Whatever you want! Think...what would you name your other daughters?! Tell me! If you didn’t have to give them up, what would...there names be?!” I let out a blood curdling shriek as her boots slip from my hands and slam their heels into my chest. Termin tuckers her legs and essentially does a vertical sit up, so she's facing me, The flats of her boots are now firmly against my chest while I struggle to support her weight. She reaches forward, grabs my arms and brings her face right to mine. I glance down at the ground below, knowing one slip and I’ll drop her, even though she wasn’t dangling helplessly anymore.

“J...Julie...and Kara...I’ve always liked those names…” She grabs the window and pulls herself in. I fall back to the floor. She lands and rolls forward to her feet effortlessly. She stands with her arms to her sides. I lay on the ground panting and keeping my eyes closed, gasping desperately to recover. She looks down at me.

“You...you really think I can have more children?” I nod and take in several deep breaths.

“You have...to give...it a try though.”

She nods quietly.
"I'll keep you to your word, Raiden. Don't break it. In time, you'll need to prove it to me."

I open my eyes and roll over to all fours. I look around the empty room then to the open door. She had a good point though, what does an assassin do after a war?