Maren Thornwick-Ashvane died in her sleep during the absolute darkest, coldest stretch of deep winter.
She was ninety-five years old, and her body had simply reached the absolute limit of its mechanical endurance. She did not die dramatically, as so many of the Dominion's previous leaders had. She did not collapse while delivering a soaring, historic speech to the Council of Ministers, nor did she fall to an assassin's blade in a shadowy Ministry corridor. She died quietly in her private quarters, lying in a narrow, unadorned bed that looked more suited to a monastery than a palace. The room was freezing, the hearth fire having burned down to pale embers hours ago.
