Silence was only heard as their bare feet caressed the carefully kept grass. A labyrinth of rose bushes, perfectly trimmed to hide their ever-present thorns, surrounded the three womenn, hundreds of crimson buds watching every step.

The bushes opened before the trio, revealing the true garden of The Queen.

Dozens of white, marbled statues of martyrs frozen in their last moment, adorned the clearing. Each statue masterfully carved, their faces blank and bare.

A fountain in the center depicted a solemn-faced mann, who cleaved his own chest with his claymore. From his wounds, the sprouting fluid filled the basin, the water licking the rim where his words had been carved: "My life for your eternity" -Valdemar Darkholm.

The first womann spoke, her short hair fluttering in the whispering wind that dried her now moist, yellow eyes. 'We are Blood, we honor your Life. We live because of your sacrifice, we live because of you, for you, and for those who will come after us. We, the living, thank you every day and every night, and with every breath. We are Blood, We remember...' With a slight wave of her hand she let seeds fall on the basin, each from the most common tree in each of the Kingdom's duchies.

After her, the second womann's velvet gloved hands flipped through the pages of the libram she carried. The womann stopped for a single moment to slide a hand through her hair, placing it behind an ear to avoid interrupting her reading. 'We are Blood, we honor your Death. You who have given yourself for your dream and for ours. Your death has not been in vain and will never be, for we have grown strong and become wiser thanks to your sacrifice. We are Blood, We remember...' As her hand passed over the water, she let ashes fall.

The crimson lips of the third one, who held the crown, parted, her voice but a whisper. 'We are Blood. Our lives are a precious gift given by all of you who have passed before us. It is a gift we must pay back by giving the best of us, in turn. Your sacrifice has not been, and will not be in vain. Your passing nourishes us and strengthens us. We honor you, and those who have passed in and from every other land. We thank you.' She then drops a blood red rose on the water.

'We are Blood, We remember...'

-In honor of those who have given their lives for each and every one of us.