Vision

It had been several hours since the end of the battle, and there was not a living soul left on the grounds, yet fire continued to burn, smoke to billow, and the stench of iron lay heavy over the bloodied grounds. It was in this setting that Brianne stepped onto the muddy ground, witching staff held in hand, and looked passively over the carnage. She had long since foretold of these events, and having now seen the truth of her sight, it would be difficult for the king to deny her a second time. But when she went to him, she would need a message. She was not one to let others witness her process.

She clenched her cloak in one hand, pulling it tight to her side as the wind began to swirl around her. The broken land around her began to fade in her vision, the browns, reds, and grays melting together as she looked into the future. Though none would witness it, a purple eye sigil formed on her forehead, pulling visions of the future into her inner mind's eye. Her own eyes remained open, but the color faded from them, her pupils going grey as her vision of the present was temporarily lost.

She found herself standing on a similar field, painted with blood, but one man still standing in the center. It was the king, his sword stuck in the ground before him, his off hand holding his severed dominant arm, his crown bent, broken, and crooked on his head, blood running down his head and over his swelled shut eye. He looked blindly off into the distance, and Brianne slowly turned to look in the direction he was gazing.

In the distant sky, there was a small silhouette, at first hard to make out. Over time it grew larger, appearing first as a bird, but slowly growing larger and sharper. Far too large to be a bird. A dragon, it was evident. But from where? And why?

It landed hard on the ground before the king, the impact releasing a shockwave of wind that blew the king onto his back. The dragon glared down at him, but waited, as the king slowly stood and walked back to his sword, still stuck in the ground. Without a word, the king dropped his disembodied arm on the ground between them and gripped the hilt of his sword, slowly drawing it forth to point at the monster before him.

The dragon scoffed at him, slapping the sword away with his nostril. The king did not have the strength to hold on, and the sword flew uselessly away, like a leaf in the wind. But the king's eyes did not falter. He glared back at the dragon, and watched as it reached down, took his arm, and devoured it.

The dragon's mouth loomed towards the king as the vision suddenly snapped away, and Brianne was back on the deserted battlefield. This was not a good message to carry.