text: Year 32
  
  You look for a seat on the palace balcony to watch Roldan's big parade celebration.
  
  Well actually it's supposed an anniversary of the Felkan Kingdom's demise, but due to Roldan's important role in the war and his popularity with the people he's certainly the major focus.
  
  Yes, Roldan's certainly made advances since the Felkan War ended. He got assigned to wipe out the rest of the gnoll tribes in the west. Something you figured you'd get assigned to do considering you did have something to do with beating back those mongrel men in the first place.
  
  Instead, the Emperor has been keeping you closer to home. With the recently acquired Felkan territory and the westward expansion, the Eyes are a little stretched so you've mostly been trying to eliminate the new bandit havens popping up in the old Felkan territory along with helping to fend off any desperate gnoll raids that attempt to sneak through. You're also supposed to be making sure the new "citizens" aren't planning to rebel, but given how badly they were beaten down, they're just glad that you're allowing them to live. So far no seditious activity has been detected.
  
  You're not jealous of Roldan, it's just that you figured you'd be something a lot more important after the Felkan War. You'd rather be out there conquering new lands for the Emperor and getting into the heat of battles rather than playing super sentinel. At least if you were in active battle it would keep your mind from wandering to thoughts of Alison. It seems like not a day goes by where you don't think about her.
  
  Even right now as you sit waiting for the parade she dwells in your thoughts, until you hear that old familiar and unwelcome voice... 
  
  "Hey lover, figured you'd be here. Jacob's been looking for you. He won't shut up about how proud he is of Roldan and how he's so happy about this farce of a celebration."
  
  You ignore Mistress, but she keeps talking.
  
  "He also has Roldan's wife Brenda with him. One of your old classmates as you know. She's aged horribly. I mean this is a celebration; the least she could do is attempt to fix herself up rather than stomping around in combat boots and inadequately polished armor like a common soldier. I mean just because you have a lowly status doesn't mean you always have to look the part. Oh well, I suppose if one doesn't know, one never will. But enough about her, how have you been?"
  
  Mistress sits down next to you and puts her arm around your shoulder. You continue to try to ignore her.
  
  "Oh come on, you can't still be mad at me. You enjoyed our time together. If you hadn't you wouldn't have wisely made your decision to split with that little shield maiden of yours. I mean I'll grant you that she had a certain rustic charm that you sometimes find in lesser creatures, but you knew deep down that she wasn't for you. Hey, I've got an idea why don't you and I go back to your private quarters and relive some old times? Has to be more appealing than watching this pointless exercise in patriotism. I'll even let you ejaculate in my mouth and swallow your sweet essence. Come on, I KNOW you'd enjoy that. Seeing me on my knees and debasing myself for you in such a manner. You'd be totally in control. Or maybe you could just bend me over raw and brutally penetrate my... "
  
  At this point you can't ignore her anymore and you brush her arm off of you and stand up.
  
  "Stay away from me. I'm only going to tell you once." You say, but Mistress just sits there and smiles.
  "And what if I don't? Will you promise to punish me long and hard?"
  
  Mistress says a few more vulgar things causing a bit of a scene for the other spectators. You don't know if you'll even be able to stick around for this celebration. You weren't in the best of moods before and Mistress' presence is making it worse.
  > stay for the celebration
  You aren't going to let her run you off, but you aren't going to put up with her either. You see a seat on the other side of the balcony and head to it. Mistress says a few more things, but eventually stops when you aren't responding to her anymore.
  
  You sit there in silence, attempting not to look in her direction, you almost feel glad when Jacob shows up with who you presume is Brenda, but he begins going on about how proud he is a of Roldan and other things you don't really care about right now.
  
  "Jacob, I'm in no mood to speak about anything, I'm only here out of formalities. No offense to you, Roldan or anyone. I just really don't want to be here right now and would like this over with as soon as possible."
  
  Jacob isn't sure how to react at first and then he looks over to his left and sees Mistress sitting over at the far end of the balcony. He gets it.
  
  "Apologies." He says and whispers to Brenda about something before turning his attention to the parade, which is just beginning to get underway.
  
  As you sit there watching you try to lose yourself in the moment, but it's difficult when you're fighting the urge to take Mistress up on her offer. Every once in a while you glance over at her and catch a glimpse of her legs. You think about how you'd love to have them wrapped around you while your hands are wrapped around her throat.
  
  While you successfully lose yourself in this violent fantasy you are suddenly snapped out of it when everyone starts cheering very loudly.
  
  General Roldan arrives on a giant extravagant platform carried by a dozen or so elven slaves. He stands there in very shiny ornamental armor with an equally ornamental weapon by his side. He waves to the crowds on both sides and accepts their cheers. Brenda and Jacob are both smiling and Jacob is shouting louder than anyone else on the balcony.
  
  Then something unexpected happens.
  
  A cloaked figure suddenly materializes right behind Roldan. From this distance you can't be sure, but it doesn't look entirely human. As the crowd's cheers become sounds of horror, you see this figure draw two curved blades and in one quick move decapitates Roldan before he even knows there is an attacker behind him.
  
  His body and head don't even hit the surface of the platform before the cloaked figure disappears again. The elven slaves at this point panic and drop the platform, this is soon followed by the rest of the citizens generally running all over the place and soldiers swarming the streets trying to maintain order. The city is in chaos.
  
  Jacob is just sitting there in shock. Alison has immediately ordered everyone on the balcony to get inside the palace. Brenda on the other hand has already left; you imagine she's taken to the streets to go find her husband's assassin herself.
  
  "That was a fucking shadow." You say to yourself and then you look over to Mistress and see her still sitting in her chair as well, but she's not in shock. You see a small smirk across her face. That same cruel smirk you've seen many times before.
  
  You KNOW she's behind this and she's gone too far this time.
  
  You push aside the panicking spectators and rush towards Mistress. She turns to your direction just in time for you to tackle her to the ground and begin punching her in the face. Nobody tries to stop you.
  
  "You fucking treacherous bitch! You did this! I'm putting an end to you once and for all!" you shout.
  
  Mistress' face is bloody and her nose is broken, but she isn't without fight left in her. She rakes her nails across your eyes, which is enough for her to wiggle out from under you.
  
  "I didn't have anything to do with this you crazy bastard!" she shouts, but you aren't listening to her lies. You don't even care that you're half blind, you continue to grab at her so she can't get away.
  
  "You're not talking your way out of this, you svelk cunt!" you say and stab her in the stomach with the dagger she gave you. She attempts to cast a spell at you, but you grab her hand and break it before she even gets a word out.
  
  You pick her up off the floor like a rag doll and slam her back against the balcony railing. Her upper half hangs vulnerably over the railing and your intention is to see that the other half soon follows.
  
  "And now I'm going to punish you. It might not take you LONG to fall, but when you hit the ground it will certainly be HARD." You remark as you hands grab both her legs to finish pushing her over, but Mistress still isn't done yet.
  
  "There you go, sweet talking me again." She says and with one last burst of energy and surprising strength she grabs your collar and pulls you forward and the pair of you go tumbling over the balcony.
  
  Your last thoughts before you hit the cold stone courtyard below are of the happier times with Alison followed by the happy thoughts that at least you got to see Mistress hit the ground a split second before you do.