The Other Side: A Second Chance

We trudged through mud and trampled grass as we made our way to the far western side of the camp, just a few hundred feet away from the trenches. A row of tents was where Easy Company was stationed—at least the ones not on the front keeping watch. It was only Captain Weller and I. Alexander had stated that he needed to tend to something of his and left before telling me to seek him out when Weller was finished with me.

The walk was awkward. I was receiving glances and looks from every direction. I tried not to pay any attention to it, yet when you're admittedly insecure like me, it's almost impossible not to notice. Yet I tried to keep a level head, focused on the man leading me. Weller was a neat-looking guy; if I had to stereotype him, he was a Hollywood action star like my father. Short dark hair, pale skin, rugged facial hair, and a body built like a truck. Even his voice sounded gruff and robust, like rough sandpaper. Despite his rough outward appearance, he was kind. Maybe that was because I'm a child, so he treated me as such, but honestly, I was okay with it.

"I don't mean to be rude," he said as we neared the outer tents. "But how did you get roped up into this? I know your familial situation, but... you're a kid."

I took a deep breath. I feel like I will be answering this exact question a hundred times. It'd be best if I prepared a script now.

"It's like the Colonel said," I told him. "I was the one that shot off that big fireball into the sky the other day. I'm, uh, a good wizard, I think." I chuckled nervously.

"You think?" The captain responded gruffly.

I nodded. "Ye-yeah, yesterday I healed everyone in the hospital!"

The captain stopped in his tracks, and I noticed up ahead a few men and women of various races sitting around an open fire, their heads turning to see us while others crawled from their tents. Captain Weller turned to face me; his eyes were focused on mine, and I gulped. Did I do something wrong? I thought the man looked furious, but then his face softened.

"That was you?" He asked.

I nodded. "Yep, a-all me! Partially. Well, uh, some of them were mostly patched up. I-I just helped them get a speedy recovery!" I smiled widely, doing my best to put on a cute look.

Weller's brown eyes scanned me up and down a bit before finally he gave me a wide smirk and said, "Well then. I ought to thank you; you healed a couple of my boys."

I blinked as I looked up at him. "I did?" I asked as I glanced back at the group of soldiers standing up and facing our way at attention.

Weller nodded. "Aye, you did. C'mon, I think a few of them would want to thank you again." He motioned for me to follow.

I trailed behind the captain as he took me over to the soldiers, and he said, "At ease, everyone." All at once, the soldiers relaxed and began mumbling amongst themselves, many of their eyes trained on me.

"Oi, Cap," Said a dark-haired halfling stepping out from behind a large orc. He pointed to me. "Nobody said it's bring ya daughter to work day; what's the little lass doin' here?"

A few chuckles echoed around us, and I blushed faintly as Weller crossed his arms, yet before he could say anything, another man spoke, "Hold on a second. Isn't that the little miracle girl?" I glanced toward the voice and saw a young, half-elven man, his small yet pointed ears twitching.

The little halfling raised a bushy eyebrow. "Miracle, what?"

"Aye, it is!" Said a young woman. "She fixed my arm the other day? The blasted thing was dust, and she mended it."

My blush was burning even brighter now, and I nodded. "Ye-yep, that's me, haha…haaa…" I laughed nervously as I felt horribly on the spot and rubbed the back of my neck.

Weller nodded. "Her name is Luna Ashflow, and like Talon, she'll be joining our company."

A shocked silence fell over the entire group around us; at first, nothing was said, and all we could hear was the faint buzzing of flies before, suddenly, a collective. "What?" came from everyone.

Immediately, questions began to bombard us, and Weller held his arms out and shouted, "Silence!" Everyone shut up. "Yes. I, and everyone else, are aware she is only a child. However," he held a finger out. "She is not an ordinary kid."

Okay, rude. I thought.

Weller continued. "Many of you may recall that abrupt awakening we all had the other day when the sky exploded, right?" A few people nodded. "That was her."

The halfling laughed and pointed towards me. "You mean, this little elf can not only heal the wounded; she can blow up the sky?"

I frowned. I don't like this guy's tone at all. "Yeah!" I blurted out. "And I can do it again!"

"Hey!" Weller held a hand out to me. "Save it for the enemy. And you, Drach, if it wasn't for her, Baxter wouldn't have been sent on leave."

The halfling, named Drach, eyes widened. "Excuse me?"

Yeah, what is he talking about? I looked up at Weller and tried to think back until I eventually remembered the older halfling I had healed the other day. My eyes widened as a big grin appeared, and I nodded.

"Yep, that was me!" I spoke again. "He was the one who got hit by artillery, right? All full of shrapnel?" Drach nodded, and I jutted a thumb toward myself. "I healed him; no scroll was needed." I boasted.

The halfling eyed me again, then took a deep breath and crossed his arms. "Well then, you have my thanks," he said softly.

A handful of more soldiers began to form around us as Weller nodded and said, "Luna here will be acting as our combat medic and support mage. Again, don't let her young age fool you; from the mouth of the Colonel herself and the mage Alexander Mihaljević, they both vouch that she is powerful."

Another round of murmurs began to fill the silence as a young akumari woman with dark red skin covered in bony ridges along her neck and collarbone stepped forth. She wore a drab gray cloak over her uniform and held a pristine white staff with a red crystal sphere embedded in the top. Her pupil-less red eyes stared directly at me as she frowned, and I could see the tips of her fangs pointing out the gaps between her lips.

She released one hand from her staff and reached down to what appeared to be a grimoire strapped to her side. "How much combat experience do you have?" She asked me directly, her voice low and smooth as she patted her book before brushing her short, dark hair behind her sharpened, curled horns with her clawed fingers.

I gulped. "N-Not much; I-I fought a timberwolf once, but, uh… never fought the Rusivites," I admitted.

The fiendish woman took a deep breath. "How well are you at performing the arcane arts under duress?" She asked, and I fidgeted.

"I-I think I do well enough. I saved my mentor and I once when we were stranded in Lake Kenchala," I said as the other mage scrutinized me.

"She speaks the truth," I heard a familiar voice say from the crowd, and I looked to see as the sea of soldiers parted, Isa standing amongst them, and my eyes widened.

"I-Isa?!" I gasped. "Wh-what are you doing here? Why aren't you back at the camp?"

Isa, who now wore a drab gray tank top and matching form-fitting pants, had a black belt and holster around her waist that carried the same pistol we had found previously and strapped across her chest. I saw one of those lever action rifles the army used, and over her shoulder was what looked to be a gray coat.

"I told you, Luna," She said, "If you're going to stay and do this, so will I. So yesterday, I went and spoke with the Colonel and told her who I was, and she recognized me. She asked me if I wanted to fight, and I said, "I will, but only to protect you."

I sputtered and shook my head. "This is stupid—"

"Do not start, Little One," Isa growled. "We are in this for the long haul." She glanced at the captain, who nodded.

The akumari woman took a deep breath. "So Talon was your mentor?" She glanced at Isa, who nodded and then looked back at me. "I'll take her by her word then. Captain," she said, looking at Weller. "May I request that she join my platoon as well?"

Weller nodded. "Aye, that's what I was about to get to, Lieutenant." Weller turned to me. "Luna, this is Lieutenant Zora; like yourself, she is a powerful mage. I feel the two of you will work great together."

Without a question, I nodded my head and said, "Okay. I'll do my best." I looked at Zora, whose expression was flat and lifeless. With her blank eyes, I couldn't tell if she was looking at me or behind me. I stepped forward and held out a little hand for her to shake.

"I'm Luna, Luna Ashflow, daughter of Cailynn Ashflow." Zora's head shifted to look at my hand and then back up at me. She took my hand and put it in hers. It was rough and rugged, and her grip was firm as she shook my hand.

"Lieutenant Zora Ashes, it is a pleasure to meet you," She said stiffly, and I could tell by her tone and posture that there was an air of skepticism.

This is to be expected, Luna. I thought to myself. To them, I'm just some little kid, let alone a child soldier, which, even in this world, is taboo. Don't let it get to you.

I stepped back after Zora released my hand, and Weller cleared his throat. "Alright. I need all the officers with me. I'll give you a breakdown of what's to come tomorrow. After that, split off with your platoons and explain the deal." Weller waved a hand for those called to step forward, and with that, I took a deep breath and glanced over at Isa nervously, who was also eyeing me.

Goddammit.

 

---

 

After Weller had spoken to the other platoon leaders, Zora returned to our group. There were about forty of us in total. I had yet to get the names of everyone in this platoon I was part of, except for that halfling Drach and Isa or Talon, as the others were calling her.

Is that the name she went by when traveling with Mother and Father? I wondered.

A few soldiers came over to introduce themselves to me, though. There was this cute girl who looked out of place as a frontline soldier and went by the name Mara. She was a half-elf with short black hair with pink highlights.

I then met a large Orc man with arms the size of canons and sharp tusks who went by the name of Gord. Despite his intimidating stature, he was very soft-spoken and kind.

Even Drach approached me, his arms crossed and eyes glancing off as he said, "Hey, kid." He said that and looked at me. The two of us were about the same height; I was a tiny bit taller than him. "Sorry for singling you out like that. It was just jokes, y'know?" He clapped my side playfully.

"Uh, yeah… I get it." I nodded. "I understand you're all weirded out by my being here." I chuckled nervously. "Even I'm surprised the colonel is letting me in on this," I admitted.

The halfling raised a bushy eyebrow and asked, "So why are you here?"

I took a deep breath and saw Zora ordering a few others to roll some logs over to act as benches. "I think you're going to hear soon, but..." I took a deep breath. "I'm looking for my mother."

"That Moonweaver bitch—I mean, lady?" He corrected himself, and I glared. "So-sorry got a bit of a sailor's mouth."

"Yes," I said bluntly. "She's my mother. She was taken, and I want to save her."

Drach blushed a bit and rubbed the back of his neck. "Y-yeah, sorry again." He clapped his hands together just as Zora called us all over for the briefing, which I had already heard.

Though a constant refresher would be alright.

"Well, I'm sure we'll find her," Drach said, motioning for me to follow. "Let's go see what the boss has to say."

As we went over to the rest of the thirty-eight or so troops gathering around Zora, I noticed Isa joining in. Take it; she's part of this group. I thought. It makes sense since she wants to be near me. Ugh, I just don't want anything to happen to her.

"So do your best to protect her in turn," the voice said. "But also try not to let that distract you. Stretching yourself thin will lead to mistakes."

I understand; it's just hard. I sighed as I chose to move by Isa and stand beside her. Without a word, she reached out and pulled me against her side, my head resting just below her breast. I felt my heart flutter slightly, and I took a deep breath and glanced up at her to see she was focused on Zora.

The briefing was what I've already heard. Tomorrow, artillery would slam strategic points where fighting machines were hiding. Two teams were going to cross the river on the north and south sides in an encircling maneuver to lure out the enemy, while the group I'm in, Easy Company, was going to strike up the middle directly at the facility to take over the prison and secure those who are captured.

Of course, it wouldn't just be us forty or so people; we were only one platoon out of four others. Making us about a hundred and sixty or so strong. Still, it's not a lot, but hopefully, if the diverging strategy works, we can draw away most of the fighting machines. We'll also have those artillery trucks with us.

I just hope those trucks can drive off-road. But we wouldn't be using them if they couldn't, right? I hoped so.

"Luna, Ansel, Meril, and I," Zora said as I snapped my attention back to her. "The four of us will provide magical assistance and protection; Luna and Ansel will also be our primary medics. If you're injured, seek them out if you can, and when possible, try to reach Luna first. I've been informed she can use the healing arts without needing a scroll or any other components."

I blushed deeply as I felt put on the spot yet again. The eyes of everyone around me turned in my direction, and I gulped. Like you said, Luna, I thought, It's your job to keep these folk alive. All of them. We're all going to make it out.

"This is true," I confirmed with a nod. "I'll do my best to keep you all in the fight."

"Adda girl!" Said a gruff-looking man in the front. "You hear that, lads; she'll keep us up; we keep her safe." A few other men and women nodded.

"Any questions?" Zora asked the rest of the platoon. A brief silence fell over us, yet no one said a thing. "Excellent. Make sure to review the plans thoroughly and get some rest. We're going over the river tomorrow, so be up at 0500. Dismissed!"

"Hoorah!" The group shouted, and I felt a nervous lump in my throat as I swallowed hard.

"Having second thoughts?" The voice asked me, and I flinched beside Isa.

No-No—uh… a little…

"Do not be concerned if you can save them all, Luna," The voice said, referring to the soldiers I watched while they happily chatted away and discussed topics such as "payback" and the like.

I know, but these people are going to be relying on me. What if shit goes wild?

"Then you flee; care for yourself. Do not let the lives of those around you drag you down."

Oh, here we go with that cold-hearted shit again.

"I mean it." The voice said it bluntly. "I understand your desire to save your family and protect Isa. But these are people you just met; they mean little to us aside from helping us achieve our goals."

They're still living, breathing people, you asshole.

"Perhaps, but remember that you need to keep a level head, and worrying about every little aspect will cause your magic, which you need to use to survive, to not function as needed."

Yeah, yeah, I get it. I sighed and shook my head as Isa gazed down at me.

"Is something wrong?" She asked me as she lightly tugged me away from the group. We walked a few feet from everyone, and I took a deep breath.

"It's the voice again," I muttered quietly, knowing no one else could hear us except Isa and her unique feline ears.

"What about him?" She asked me.

"Being a jerk as per usual. There is nothing that we should worry about." Yet here I am worrying about it.

Isa nodded and said, "Well. Try to focus, Luna. When you have a moment, we need to talk."

"About what?" I glanced up at her.

"Our plans," Isa said, taking my hand. "Come. Weller was kind enough to give me a tent we can use."

Before I could say anything else, I felt Isa tugging me along and stumbled a little before keeping pace behind her. After a minute of moving around tents and soldiers, we came across a much smaller, gray tent than the one we stayed in previously, Isa dipped inside, and I followed.

I gulped nervously, afraid Isa would chew me out again like she did the other day. Yet as she sat down on a bedroll, she patted the spot beside her. I crawled over and sat down.

"Wh-what's up?" I asked her.

Isa took a deep breath. "Luna… I'm going to come out and say it. I love you."

Oi, what? My heart nearly did a backflip.

My eyes widened. "As a family member," she clarified and smiled a little. "Like I said, I see you as if you were one of my kittens." She purred softly, and I blushed deeply.

"Isa, please," I said softly, knowing she was talking like this would make me emotional.

"I want to let you know I'm not upset about our little fight the other day. I understand how you must feel. I-I've been in your shoes once, Luna. I told you how the Rusivites came to my home. How they lured my elder into falling under their thumb, yet I never told you about the atrocities. The rebellion. Things were different back then, though—no fighting machines or the like—but still. It was awful. I've been in skirmishes and seen horrific things, but not to this scale."

I gulped nervously and said, my voice wavering, "Isa, I-I'm not b-backing down."

She looked at me, her eyes tearing up, and shook her head. 'I'm not asking you to, Luna," she said with a sniff, her voice also shaking. "I-I just want you to know what's going to happen." She reached out and pulled me into a tight hug. "We've seen how ruthless these monsters are," she whispered. "If things go south, I want you to run. Run away. Use your magic, do whatever, but get away."

I bit my lower lip, my chest tightened, and my emotions grew. I did my best to hold them back, but it was hard. My vision became blurry as the tears rose, and I cursed softly. "Fi-fine, dammit, I will." I sniffed.

Isa rubbed the top of my head, her other hand scratching my back gently. "Thank you," she said softly, pulling away after a moment, her hands gripping my shoulder.

I sniffed, embarrassed for letting my emotions get to me again. "So…" I squeaked out. "Talon, eh?" I smiled as I tried to lighten the mood.

Isa blushed and said, "Yeah, that was my old adventuring name back when I traveled with Poni and your parents." She chuckled. "It's a bit, uh, weird, but people are familiar with it." She smiled sheepishly.

"I think it's badass," I said with a smirk; Isa's blush darkened, and she giggled before tussling my hair.

"Is that so?" She hummed. "Have you come up with a cool hero name?" She asked.

I blinked. I never thought about it.

I shook my head. "N-no."

Isa sat back and said, "Well, maybe you should come up with one. I heard around camp about a little miracle girl, and the only girl I know who can heal people is you." She tapped the center of my chest between my budding breasts with her clawed finger. "You should pick a name soon, or people will call you just that."

I shifted nervously. "I, uh, don't care... I'm not good at getting all the attention."

While true, that doesn't mean I don't like it. I'm just too embarrassed to admit it.

Isa seemed to sniff me on the bullshit and said, "Well, your wiggling ears say otherwise." She blinked.

My face burned brightly, and my hands gripped at my skirt, as now that she mentioned it, my ears were flapping! Dammit, fuck these elven ears!

As I squirmed and stewed in my embarrassment, Isa seemed to notice something and said, "What's that ring on your finger?" I stopped squirming and looked at the finger holding the protection ring.

I glanced up and saw Isa smiling wide enough that her fangs showed. "My, my, is Luna already getting engaged?" She teased, and now my ears were nearly about to take me to space.

I reached up and gripped them, then yanked them down to my side and shook my head. "N-No!" I squeaked. "I-It was given to me by Master Alexander, the old fart."

"Alexander Mihaljević?" She asked, and I nodded.

"He... has taken a liking to me... Wait—" Isa snorted and began to laugh. "Not like that!" I blurted. "It's a ring of protection! To help me out in the field. He wants to train me more, so he gave me this to help me live."

Isa giggled, wiped her eyes, and said, "Thank you for clarifying. I was about to do something horrendous if it was the other case."

I rolled my eyes. "You're gross." I sighed.

"Perhaps your father has rubbed off on me as well," Isa said.

"Ew." I fake-gagged, and Isa bopped me on the head.

"You call me gross!" She huffed as I whined and rubbed the top of my head.

Yet, after a few moments of silence, we both giggled. I took a deep breath and straightened up. "Do you know what's going to happen to the others?" I asked. "Dr. Kegan, the Tenorahns, Oscar, and Anne?"

Isa took a deep breath. "Last I saw, Dr. Kegan was going to travel with the Tenorahns to Johaneson; I think Oscar and Anne were going to." She took a deep breath, and I deflated.

I wanted to see Anne one last time. I'm going to miss her, I thought. I hope she'll still be in the city when Isa and I get there if we do.

"She seems to like you," Isa said, and I looked up at her, confused. "Anne. She could sense it…" She tapped her nose. "Serelli is good at reading emotions. She wanted to be your friend."

I gulped. "We are friends!" I said.

Isa smiled. "You are? Little Luna, finally making friends... Oh, your mother is going to be so proud."

I blushed deeply and whined. "We played with dolls yesterday; we played couples."

"Couples?" Isa's eyes widened, and a big smile appeared on her face. "Did you play, husband?"

I shook my head. "No, I was the wife, and she was the wife too."

Isa's eyes widened. "Two wives?" She smiled gently. "That's very sweet; I wish I saw it."

Why did she look surprised about two wives? Is that stuff not ordinary here, either? I wondered. I never really researched that topic yet.

"Well, maybe you will someday," I said, getting up. "Well… I need to go find Master Alexander. He wanted to do some final training with me today before tomorrow."

Isa looked at me and frowned, her eyes downcast; she seemed to enjoy having me around. I frowned as well. "I'll be back soon," I told her, and as I began to dip out of the tent, I stopped as my heart fluttered a little.

"And Isa…" I said it over my shoulder.

"Yes, Luna?" She responded.

I turned my head to look back at her. "I love you too," I said softly, my voice shaking slightly.

Isa's eyes widened, and I saw tears glistening as she smiled widely and nodded.

I won't let anything happen to her or anyone else. I swear by it.