Elia knelt before the throne, axe brandished across her thigh, allowing the faintest of smiles to tug at the corner of her mouth as the thunderous applause washed over her. She had returned a hero, not just to this minor royal family and their petty-kingdom in the northlands, but also to herself. Adventuring had been scarce as of late, with many of the fey beasts and creatures retreating into their caves and wooded dells for the winter. The cold months were always the hardest, loitering in half frozen inns and public houses looking for work, stretching each penny to its fullest extent.
Yet now a fortune awaited her, as the slayer of a hill troll that had tainted the lands for years. Elia’s eyes gleamed with the prospect of hot food every day for the next few months, and even a feather bed here or there when she felt like it.
“Now,” a booming voice called out, quelling the applause. “You shall have your reward as well, shieldmaiden!”