[b]Foreword[/b] [quote]Hey all. This is my second attempt at a Halo fanfiction. A larger novel, with a lot more pages and hopefully, a lot more better than what I had before, entitled 'Believe'. I had a lot of fun writing this, and I still am having a lot of fun writing it. I just hope you guys have the patience to slog through my paragraphs and have fun as well! Thanks to everyone who helped me along the way! Enjoy PS: Just to let you know, if you don't read it, I know where you live.[/quote] [b] The Second Matron [/b] [i]This is no war, but a game of statecraft. A game of lies and deceit, treachery and betrayal[/i] - Aristocrat Qaetha Roliemai, Light of Sanghelios, First Blade of Roliem [quote][b]Prelude[/b] The headstone was a simple one. A single, inscribed block, planted into the cold rock of the peaks, where the air was thin. He would've liked that. Nothing ornate, nothing ostentatious. Raw and blunt, that's what he wanted. She brushed dirt off the freshly cut granite. Loss welled inside her. The pain of loss, and the pain of grief. Her fingers traced the clear etching on the gravestone. The embossing formed into letters, and the letters formed into a name. His name. The earth around the headstone was smooth and undisturbed, the surrounding granite natural and whole. There was no body. No body could be found. No body would be left. She lingered over the headstone, water stinging her eyes. For the first time, and the only time. She hesitated, taking in the cold, cold air. She left without a word. --[/quote] [Edited on 07.24.2012 12:51 AM PDT]