>>5759363>>5758283Isolde stared into the fire with blank, glossy eyes. People change after witnessing and doing the things she did. Different people cope differently, some hardened into monsters or broke down into empty shells forever changed by the fires of war. The young noblewoman was no different. Her plans were simply to stay near the rear and support those in the front but more often than not she found herself too close to the vanguard in the effort to keep them alive.
She’d fought in the frontlines, firing her pistol wildly while the veteran retainers of her household died keeping her alive. She had become hardened after the battle of Kobberhus Castle, Stoic during Operation Nacht Tag and clung desperately for survival during these last few moments of escape. Some would consider Isolde Von Bern a completely different woman from the previous soft-hearted girl running to the front lines to save whoever she could but they were wrong.
A sob escaped her lips, choked and quiet at first. Then a single wet tear ran down her face. Von Bern tried her best to keep it in but overwhelming emotion flowed through her as wails of sorrow filled the camp. In many ways, the young daughter of the Von Bern household had changed but the soft-hearted woman was always there. Always desperate to save any life she could.
After a few minutes of crying, she composed herself until her sadness was more manageable.
“The Grand Council has failed its soldiers.”
She said in a soft, almost fragile voice.
“It tossed under equipped men to blunt the Twaryian’s tide of steel while the higher-ups debated on what to do. They watched as their fortresses fell, confused at the idea that a foreign enemy might actually be a threat.”