Time Rolls On

[Margrett]

It always surprised her how fast things developed. Just a few years ago Wistvale was a sleepy little frontier town, barely hanging on to whatever it could scrape off the rocks or out of the inland sea. But with a few creative trade agreements, exploitation of one or two nearby mines, and sheer luck, it was starting to become a bustling center of trade. Nothing big, certainly. Nothing like Grayell had feared.

She was still just the Watch captain, but they looked up to her. God knows why. It had always escaped her how that had happened. She absentmindedly fingered the hilt of her hammer, thinking of Williamsburg. Maybe some things just worked out that way.

The barge lazily rolled over the waves towards the docks where she stood. She knew it carried good from cities around the far edges of the sea, but part of her wished it was the Catalina, which waited some distance away, bobbing in the water, kept ready.

She took in a deep breath, and tried to relax.

[Margrett]

The paperwork piled up. People came to her for advice or guidance, or just to look at the new batch of guardspeople. Every so often she got her hands dirty, and that was enough. Enough to keep tabs on the rampant criminal element that prosperity had brought with it. She watched the inside, he watched the outside. That was the arrangement, and with the gradual dissolution of the Council it had worked. For now, she was the closest thing to an official leader they had. Mostly they governed themselves. It would work for now, but it wouldn't last long...and that growth would cause friction, she knew.

She sighed, opening her eyes again to watch the sunset. Now that she had found someplace to be, it was time to find someone to be with. Maybe.

[Margrett]

Or maybe not.

The steel trap closed a little more, and she looked to the sunset as a sort of challenge. There was work to be done. Lots of work. Seven or eight years since she'd moved to town had gone fast, and a lot had been done. But not enough. Not ever enough to rest.

She was stronger than that. Had to be.

[Margrett]

She left the docks, heading to the barracks. The building was one of the tallest in town, and she could make it there with her eyes closed. The city spoke to her, and she listened through the thumping of her boots on the cobblestones.