Xafira’s mouth was still twisted in an ever present frown as she finally stayed tensely silent along with the rest of the girls. The Maidens Of The Sands were known to be very talkative amongst themselves but on that boiling hot day, there was a heavy silence back-dropping everything. Even back at base, the caves full of girls had been echoing and ominous.

Today was the first time the North King called without sending a box of explosives or bottles of poison gas along with the message. Everyone knew this wasn’t going to end in ideal circumstances. It wasn’t going to end with the Maidens getting allowed to enter The North without having to worry that the royal guards had orders to shoot with intent to kill. It wasn’t going to end with the North declaring peace with the South after 20 years of a cold war. And it definitely wasn’t going to end with everyone going home in one piece.