Lady in Shining Armor

Ellen dropped her mace to the ground and trudged forward. Her heart sank and her eyes filled with the sting of tears forthcoming. This couldn’t be real. This couldn’t happen. Not now. Not when she needed him the most.

And yet he vanished. That all changed when the winged Hussars arrived. Now it’s worse. They were intent on burning the countryside, the peasants, the people, thatched roofs and cottages — in the night. Everyone scrambled to hide their kids, wives and husbands.

Frieda knew that none were safe from certain burnination, but her motherly impulse drove her to go and gather up all her family and do the one thing she shouldn’t have done: put them all in one place, and hope they ignored her cottage somehow.

Luckily the hero arrived just in the nick of time. She wielded her ice sword as she rode her battle bear. It was touch and go, but eventually she defeated the fearsome beast. Her reward? A date with Frieda’s oldest daughter, Helga the lovely.