>>5860180You spend the next several days lying in your plush bed, drifting in and out of consciousness. Ashe stays by your side the entire time, keeping you company as well as updating you on the ongoing occupation in Enbarr. Each day you are visited by a revolving rotation of healers, who each spend a significant amount of time on you with their staves. Thanks to the combined efforts of Kayla, Elizabeth, and Corrine, you can feel your strength gradually beginning to return to you. And while you won’t be running off to battle anytime soon, at the very least you’re able to stand on your own two feet and take a walk. Shaking out some of the numbness in your legs, you decide to take a stroll around Damian’s manse. As you step out of your room, you already have a stop in mind.
“Commander Blair!” The guard outside Winona’s door had been slacking off. When you’d found him, he was leaning back against the door, eyes closed and dozing off. Waking up to find his boss in-front of him though, he’s turned into the picturesque soldier, standing at attention, and giving you a firm salute. “I’m glad to see you’re well, ma’am! How can I help you!”
>“At ease, friend. I’m here to see our guest. Please step aside.”The guard opens the door, allowing you to step into Winona’s room. If a part of you was worried that Corrine and the others had thrown the pregnant Hellwing tactician into a dingy, dark dungeon, you’re relieved to find that her accommodation is almost as nice as your own. Winona is being kept under something closer to house arrest, rather than being treated as a prisoner of war that was responsible for the deaths of several of the soldiers under your command. You find her sitting by a window, hands cusped on her stomach.
“Blair.” She smiles, turning your way. “It’s good to see you walking again. That was quite the scare we had back there.”
>“I have you to thank for that. I’m told that you kept me from bleeding out after Kate stabbed me. Thank you. I’m sure it would have been tempting to leave me there to suffer and die after all that I’ve done to you.”“What did you do?” Winona asks. Despite her present condition and everything that’s happened, she radiates strength and confidence. Her shoulders are tall and straight, and she’s able to lift her head high. “Rex attacked you first, did he not? It would hardly make any sense to harbor a grudge against you for defending yourself.”
>“You seem to be taking his death well.”“I loved him with all my heart and consider myself the luckiest woman in the world to be able to carry his child. But I knew him better than anyone. I know he didn’t envision himself growing old, bouncing babes on his lap by the fire. He wanted to die in ‘glorious’ battle, and he did just that. I’m sure he was glad that in the end, it was you that killed him, and not some Agarthan.”
