Recovery

The sound of the waves rolling in gave the beach a soothing background noise, the rhythmic pulse of the water interrupted only occasionally by the distant call of a seabird hunting over the ocean. The hidden cove was covered with beautiful white sand, the pristine and untouched surface containing not a single set of footprints in it other than those made by crabs as they scurried in and out of the shallows.

The sun slanted down through the few puffy white clouds floating in the sky above, golden rays kissing dusky skin as Rosellina reclined in the lounge chair that had been set up on the beach. Relaxing in nothing more than a bikini with her eyes shaded by thick sunglasses, she sighed contentedly, watching the clouds as they drifted past. One of the chair's arm rests contained a cup holder that was currently occupied by some fruity alcoholic beverage that Rosellina had never tried before, the pink liquid shaded by a little miniature umbrella and chilled with ice made by a mage in the nearby town of Booty Bay.

Although the town had been devastated by the Cataclysm, the goblins there were not known for their lack of effort when it came to making money. The private beach that Rosellina currently reclined on had been cleared of any debris from the disaster long ago and returned to the condition that she now enjoyed. Rented out only to exclusive customers, it was occupied by only one patron and their guests at a time, with all of the amenities one could want brought directly to the vacationing sunbathers as desired.

Rosellina sighed again, stretching out and letting the tension in her muscles relax away. Although she was still bruised here and there and her left arm was wrapped tight with bandages at the bicep, she was starting to feel quite a bit better. Just as she was about to drift off to sleep, a shadow fell over her and a voice spoke softly, "That still hurt, Rose?"

Rosellina opened her eyes, turning her head to see Lord Gregory Warten standing nearby, looking out over the ocean. She smiled and shook her head, happy to have him there, "No, it's much better thank you. The healers at the Cathedral really are experts. The only reason it's even still wrapped is because they were hoping the herbs they applied will help reduce the potential for scars."

"Ha, as if a little poke from a foil would actually leave more than a tiny circle," Lord Warten said in a joking fashion. He looked down at her, smiling warmly. "Still, I'm glad to hear you are feeling better. You gave me quite a scare there at the end. I'm glad it turned out the way it did and that we're here to have this conversation."

"You and me both," Rosellina said with some mirth. "Next time can we infiltrate something a little less dangerous and a little more obvious, like perhaps an ogre den or some such?"

Lord Warten chuckled, looking down at her with a smile, "Perhaps, perhaps..."

His expression became more serious and he studied her closely, looking at her wounds keenly, "You did good work there Rose, better than I'd have imagined for your first assignment. Some senior agents that I've handled wouldn't have come out of that alive. I've put in a commendation for your file for what you've done."

Rosellina smiled at him, shaking her head, "And is anyone ever going to see that file?"

"Nope! Not even a peep. Not ever," Lord Warten said with a smirk. Rosellina laughed and shook her head, sighing and shifting to get herself more comfortable.

"That's pretty much what I thought. That's all part of the job I suppose," she said.

Lord Warten looked away again, studying the distant horizon, his graying hair blowing in the warm breeze coming in off the ocean. "Many agents retire after what you've been through Rose. They lose their nerve, or get too badly hurt to continue. It's a waste of resources, but sometimes that is the way it is in this game. It's why I'm always training new operatives. Someone has to step up and take their place."

"Well you're not through with me yet," Rosellina replied with some conviction in her voice.

Lord Warten looked down at her, trying to peer past her sunglasses, "Are you sure Rose? No one would blame you for getting out now. You could even claim a medical excuse due to your injuries."

Rosellina sat up, pushing her sunglasses up so she could look him in the eyes, her tone confident, "I'm absolutely sure, sir. You didn't spend all of that time training me so that I could do a single mission and then quit. The King's coin fed me for my entire life, you and your training turned my entire future around. Do you remember what happened the first week after you picked me up for training?"

Lord Warten snorted, nodding, "You stole about three week's worth of rations from the pantry and horded them under your bunk. It was impressive that you weren't caught doing that."

"And you punished me for a month after," Rosellina said. "I remember being so mad. No one had ever disciplined me before, not at the orphanage anyway. They could barely keep track of the children they had there. And here you were, telling me I couldn't take food of all things. But you kept at it. You didn't let my attitude or my little tricks stop you from teaching me, from helping me to become more than a street rat with no parents and no future."

"It...wasn't easy," Lord Warten said with amusement in his voice. "It never is though."

"I owe you more than I can ever repay for that," Rosellina said, her tone firm. "Without you, without SI:7, I wouldn't have had a life, a purpose. Who knows how I would have ended up. Maybe I'd be dead like that Death Knight I told you about. Maybe I'd be in the Stocks right now. The fact is, I'm here and able to make a difference because of the trust you and the King have placed in me. I won't renege on my duties now. You gave me a life to live, and I will live that life doing what I can so that others have that same chance, sir. That's just the way it is."

Lord Warten smiled at her, nodding, "You make me proud Rose. I have a feeling this will not be the last time I say that to you. Very well then, I believe I have your answer to my question. Get better fast, there are many more assignments in your future Rosellina Cooke. The King's blades can never be still and all that."

Rosellina laughed and nodded, sliding her sunglasses back into place, "Understood sir. Another day or two on the beach and I will be fine."

Lord Warten didn't answer, and when Rosellina turned to look he was no longer standing beside her. She was alone again on the beach. She pushed her sunglasses up, looking around before she shrugged. As she was about to lay down, she paused, spying something sticking out of the sand beside her chair.

It was a black folder sealed with a wax seal that had no emblem on it.

Rosellina smiled, picking the secret mission folder up and tucking it under her body before she reclined and closed her eyes again, basking in the sun. Work would never be done, not so long as enemies waited in the dark to strike against her King and country.

Rosellina Cooke would be there waiting for them, a blade to part the darkness.