Stay in Bog Land with her

The wanderer discovered, to his sorrow, that in the swamp kingdom most of his old friends had vanished. Some had fled across borders to distant lands; others had been forced back to the wastelands of their ruined homeland. Only the young woman remained, and with her, he built a life in secrecy.

For many years, they lived together quietly, hidden beneath the dripping willows and among the foggy marshes. The wanderer became skilled at avoiding the eyes of the guards who hunted down refugees from the forest kingdom. And though it was a life of shadows and whispers, the warmth of her presence gave him strength.

But the madness of the old king did not end. Having crushed every last spark of resistance in his own lands, and having laid waste to the once-fertile kingdom of golden fields until it too was nothing but barren earth, the king’s armies marched upon the swamp kingdom.

War spread through the wetlands like fire racing across dry grass. The skies turned black with smoke, and the reeds bent beneath the trampling boots of soldiers. Villages drowned in violence, and the wanderer’s fragile peace shattered.

In the chaos of the invasion, tragedy struck. The young woman was slain, and the wanderer’s world collapsed into grief.

Ending 3