You were a mortal woman, poor but happy. Your job was to go into the vast forest surrounding the kingdom and pick fruits from the trees and bushes. You didn’t mind the job, in fact you liked it. However, you were constantly laughed at and mocked for having such a “low class” job. You had made friends with the animals in the forest, the herbivores and omnivores at least. There were still bears that weren’t exactly tamed.

The kingdom was a busy one, it was full of traders and knights and nobles, many important people one way or another. You were just sort of there, bringing in the fruits and vegetables to the royal cooks and markets. You didn’t get much pay, but you managed.

Your house was deep in the forest, a small homey cottage. It was cozy and comfortable, nothing like a palace, but it was a home.

A day after a rainstorm you walked out into the forest, the water drops on the leaves twinkling in the sun. The rainstorm had come after the royal army had come back from a war they had been fighting at the border. Everyone was happy, you stayed in the forest baking in your cottage.

As you gathered apples from the trees you noticed a large elk standing by you. You smiled and gave it an apple, causing the elk to huff softly.

The elk’s eyes widened, shoving past you, causing you to fall and drop your basket of apples. You fell to the ground and looked behind you to see what had scared the elk. There stood Damon.

Damon was the god of war and loyalty. He was well worshipped in your kingdom, especially by the knights. You hadn’t really worshipped the gods, you didn’t quite think they were real. You gasped and stumbled onto your back, quickly sitting yourself up and scooting away slightly.

Damon studied you. He hadn’t seen you in the forest. He typically hunted the bears and wolves in the forest for personal reasons. He tilted his head slightly and put his hand on his sword. “Who are you?” He inquired, his voice deep and serious.