Blood

Sophia gazed into the rising night sky from her balcony as she stood alone. She leaned against the cool stone rail and closed her eyes, feeling the breeze against her cheek as it ruffled her hair. It was soft and gentle, much unlike the violent storm that had passed overhead just last week. She shifted slightly, snagging her gown on a rose thorn. Years ago, Sofia had planted a small rosebush beneath her window. Although she was three stories up, the bush grew rapidly, racing towards her balcony edge. Now in its prime, it wrapped itself around the stone rail to create a lush garden than slowly began to creep inside Sophia’s room. Many people commented on the strangeness of Sophia’s roses in one fact alone; they bloomed year-round.

Sophia freed her gown as gleeful laughter sounded below from the ball room from the event Sophia’s parents were hosting in honour of Sophia’s seventeenth birthday and her becoming of marring age. The music was slow and soothing, but it felt like daggers to Sophia’s ears as she imagined the rash and arrogant fools that feasted on the backs of elven servants and starving peasants all to live their comfortable lives. However, there was little Sophia could comment on the matter. She herself was daughter to the Duke of Magiline and also feasted from those elves and peasants. There was little she could do. She had joined the rebellion once, and was been an active member along its ranks. Daniel, her brother and heir to the Duke’s fortune, had created the rebellion. He spent years collecting the small, pathetic army of peasants and elves to go against the King and even their own father. Sophia found out one day, and instead of arresting him for treason as he expected his youngest sister as a proper lady to do, she begged for him to let her join. Here Sophia learned how to fight and how to protect what she believed in.

All was well in those days, that is, until Daniel was drafted for the King’s army. With this, Sophia fled back to the castle in fear for her own life. For a while Daniel secretly sent letters to Sophia weekly. She would wait all day and night for them. One day, the letters stopped coming and Daniel’s location was unknown. Sophia was devastated.

Suddenly there was a soft knock on the chamber door. “Come in,” Sophia said over her shoulder, breaking from her daydream. The door opened and a tall, slender elf with raven hair stepped inside carrying a silver tray.

“Are you feel better, my Lady?” the elf asked softly.

“Hmmm? Oh yes, I am,” Sophia responded absent mindedly. She picked up a rose and snapped its stem between her fingers. Returning into her chamber, Sophia sat on the bed stroking the velvet petals of the pink rose.

The elf deposited the try on the table, watched Sophia for a moment, and put her hands on her hips. “You are not sick, Are you?” she asked with a raised brow.

Sophia lifted the rose and tucked it behind her ear. She raised her green eyes to the elf and frowned fiercely. “I could not stand another gathering with those fools,” she spat. “They only worry about themselves those loathsome, vial creatures. Crystal, I swear, if I am forced to marry one of those-“

“Leah was asking about you again.”

Sophia turned towards Crystal, her heart aching at the name of her old friend. “She.. She was?”

The elf nodded. “You should come back; we need all the support we can get.” Crystal was also a member of Daniel’s rebellion.

Sophia sighed and shook her head. “The only way I can hope to find Daniel is by listening in on the conversations here. Did they say anything while I was gone?”

“No, nothing,” Crystal said with a shake of her head. She glanced towards the door quickly. “I should be going, my Lady. They will notice my absence.”

Sophia nodded and smoothed her green gown. As the elf turned to leave, Sophia shouted, “Crystal, wait! How many times must I ask this? Please, call me Sophia.”

The elf bowed as she left the room, a soft smile on her face. “You know I cannot do that, my Lady.”

Sophia groaned and returned to her balcony. Crystal was right; it would be death for her if anyone heard her referring to Sophia in a familiar tone. Even with their few words in Sophia’s room, the young elf could be tried, and committed, to treason or some other false accusation. The punishment would be death.

Suddenly Sophia blinked, not once, but twice to test if her eyes were honest in what they saw. Four orbs of light fell from the heavens, one red, one blue, one white, one… green. Sophia felt drawn to that one, focusing solely on it as it loomed nearer. The breeze shifted and Sophia’s gown whirled around her ankles violently. And yet, she did not notice. The four orbs suddenly divulged from each other, flinging into new paths separate from the others. Still Sophia watched the green one. It sped closer until at last, it hovered before the balcony. Sophia watched it carefully, awe filling from her. A strange, yet oddly familiar voice filled her head. Our saviours have come. Daughters of the Moon and Earth, Sons of the Flame and Air, Sophia reached forward and snatched the orb. Warmth exploded from its core. Blinding green light erupted from it. Will set us free.

Sophia gazed at the orb, feeling a rush from inside. She looked into the night sky where the other orbs had fallen. Go, find them. Sophia looked around in confusion for the source of the new voice. They need your help. The voice continued to speak, but it sounded of more than one voice. But come back to us when you have finished.

With this voice Sophia looked up. It sounded as if it had come from just above her ear. And suddenly it dawned on her. Gently, Sophia lifted the rose she wore and gazed at it. “Was that you?” She looked to the rose bush lush with blossoms. “Was that all of you?”

Go, they need you, Sophia. You will know the way.

Sophia looked back at her door, wishing for Crystal to come back. To her answer, footsteps approached. However, they did not belong to an elf. “Sophia, are you better yet? There is someone I want you to meet,” Sophia’s mother called from behind the door.

Sophia panicked. She opened her mouth to answer, but one word from the roses entered her mind. Go. Sophia ran to her desk and snatched a purse filled with gold and silver coins. Without hesitating or bothering to change from her extravagant green gown, she flung herself over the balcony’s edge. Quickly she clambered down in the cover of darkness. Suddenly, her foot slipped. Before she could scream, a strange event occurred. The branch of the rosebush wrapped itself around Sophia’s wrist, easing her back to the wall. She paused in terror for a moment, clinging to the bush before continuing her descent her mother barged into her room and began to hysterically scream for her youngest daughter. And in this darkness, Sophia fled from her home with only a purse of coins and the strange orb into the forest to live a seventeen year old prophecy that she was unaware of.

Leah dove into the cold water of the lake inside the cave near her village. The water seemed to always glow with a mysterious light. In a small hole in the top of the cave, the full moon was visible.

She felt the water around her fill her with a strange warmth as she swam to the rocky bottom of the lake. There she sat for a while, thinking. For whatever reason, she had this strange impulse to look up at the moon. But she refrained from it. A small glowing blue fish swam around her hand, then swam up over her head, she watched the fish swim, only to see four orbs gathered in front of the moon. One green, one blue, one red, and one white.

What on Earth are those? She thought, she felt a strange attraction to the blue one. Some sort of a pull inside her, like the moon pulling the tides of the ocean. I...I want it. Leah thought greedily, holding her hand out as if the grab it. She was so entranced by the blue orb, that she didn't even notice the green one disappear. Suddenly, the blue orb shot towards her. She covered her head and squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for impact, but she didn't feel it.

Open your eyes young one. She heard a voice speak, then, she realized the orb was right in front of her. Take what is yours. Unconsciously, she reached out and took the orb. She felt this warm rush inside her, it felt like being hit by a wave, but different. Her body was surrounded in bubbles, and all she could see through them was the glow of the orb and the blue fish.

Our saviours have come. Daughters of the Moon and Earth, Sons of the Flame and Air, The voice sang, Will set us free.

The bubbles were suddenly gone, but the orb and the fish were still there. I must be hallucinating. She thought, resurfacing out of the water, she climbed onto the dry rocks and lay there, staring at the orb, the fish swam around her feet that were still draped in the water. "But, the orb is here, so did I really?"

She heard a gasp behind her. She turned to see an elf. "Leah!" Elf exclaimed, "you! You must find the others!" The elf shook weather it was in happiness or terror, she'll never know.

The others? "The others what?"

The elf looked up out of the opening, and Leah follow her gaze, the three other orbs were gone. "Them! You must find them, they need you!"

Leah looked down to the elf, but she was gone. And for some reason, she stood up, laced on her sandals, wrapped her belt with her dagger, poison, and healing liquid on it around her waist, and took off. The orb seemed to lead her, and the water that still drenched her white dress, seemed to glow like the lake, and pull her along. Strangely, as she ran, the water soaking her dress started to glow more until her whole white dress was the same glowing blue color as the lake. But she had no time to worry about the strangeness of her dress changing colors, for she had to find the others, no matter what the cost.

Maxence sat by his mother's bedside in the small hovel they called home. Max's mther was in a very ill state enough for the town's doctor to say without the medicine she needs she shall pass away. She was everything Max had left, he father was drafted into the army of the king long ago and Max has not seen him in many years. Max was also an only child making it all the more difficult to keep his mother alive.

Today was Max's 17th birthday and he had some sense hope for a miracle to happen to his mother. It was already past dusk and to no avail, nothing had happened. It was just another day of agonizing pain for his mother, and more labor work for Max to do for the money to keep her fed.

With a big sigh of disapointment Max left his mother's room as she fell asleep. "Goodnight, and don't worry, I will keep looking for a cure", was the last thing Max said to his mother that night as he closed the door. Max walked out of the one room house and headed for his favorite place since he was a child. Not to far from his house he climbed the tallest oak tree around until he had gotten to a comfortable area at the top. There he looked into the starry night and was thinking about what's going to happen next. Will he ever find an elf with strong enough magic to save his mother, or shall she pass away leaving Max by himself?

While Max was hard in thought he noticed something that broke his concentration. Up in the sky it had seemed like four shooting stars were falling from the heavens. Like anyone would Max began to make a wish, but then he realized that he was not watching falling stars. The stars seemed to have a color to them. They were all different colors, one red, one blue, one white, and one green and there were orb shaped. Out of nowhere they all seemed to have split into different directions from each other. The one that caught Max's eye the most was the white orb, and then he suddenly realized that it was heading straight for him!

Max flinched as it came so close to him as if it would have flew into him, but the opposite happened. The orb just floated in front of him almost pleading for him to reach out for it. As if in a trance he stretched out his arm to grab hold of it, and as he did a flash of light erupted from it making Max lose his balance. He started plummeting torward the ground from a fatal height, so he braced for the hard ground below him. Instead of feeling shattered bones he felt a flurry of wind below him. Max opened his eye and realized he was levitating a few feet from the ground, and he was unharmed.

Before he had time to figure out in his head what was going on a gust of wind blew past him that also carried a voice, "Our saviours have come. Daughters of the Moon and Earth, Sons of the Flame and Air. You must find the others. Find the others and a new way will open."

Max felt the urge to do what the wind had told him, so he quickly rushed home and left a note for his mother saying that he is out working again. After this was done he headed torward the direction the wind came from.

It has been over a year since Kenthe was drafted into the King's army. Though it was against his will, he had no choice but to comply. The months of harsh training were not kind to him, nor any of the other new recruits that joined around the time he did. Every initiate was treated the same way: like dirt and fodder not deserving of life. Kenthe did not like this one bit and there were even times when he could have lost his life for expressing his views, but the officers took note of his abilities and so most of the time he was punished for insubordination. Despite being a rebellious child within the ranks of the army, he saw through the training given to him with the proficiency of a fine warrior. He hated to admit that the ones he held contempt for most were providing him with abilities that were advantageous to him. Ironic as it was, his combat ability, and more, would serve him well very soon...

Earlier that day.

"Get up ladies! It's time to get your asses kicked!" The training officer opened the door to the bunkhouse, yelling at all the sleeping recruits, as a young elven servant was repeatedly hitting a gong.

The noise was loud enough to puncture anyone's ear, and the recruits groggily rose from their sleeping positions, yawning and groaning due to their sleep being interrupted as well as their knowledge of yet another grueling day of training was about to begin. Kenthe wasn't any different. He slowly rose from his bed, yawning loudly, and got up. His muscles still ached from yesterday's regimen, but those who weren't up when called were immediately whipped and he wasn't looking forward to getting beaten any time soon.

Not long after the entire bunkhouse was cleared and the recruits were ready for their day to start. First, Kenthe washed up and got into his issued uniform, which consisted of a leather jerkin and pants tied together with a belt. Along the belt were satchels and pouches for him to store some items as well as a close-quarters-combat knife strapped to it. Over his uniform he had a set of metal-plated arm-guards which he strapped over his forearms and a metal-plated shoulder-guard which was worn over his left shoulder. Topping everything off, he wore a pair of leather boots which were comfortable for any environment. Once he was all dressed he set out and took a deep breath, preparing himself for the long day ahead.

"Alright, today we're going to put everything you've learned this week to the test! It's sparring day!" The training officer yelled to the line of recruits. "Each of you will be facing off against each other. You are not aloud to use any weapons, only your hand-to-hand combat skills. Is this clear!" He yelled again, earning a unison salute from the recruits. Hand-to-hand combat was basic, so Kenthe got the hang of it fairly quickly. He may not be as strong or as fast as some of the other recruits, but he should be able to deal with them fine. What bothered him more were that on sparring days, many of the commanding officers within the army liked to watch the recruits fight it out, and bet on them like they were caged animals. This angered him, but there was nothing he could do about it. Protesting would only get him whipped and he was definitely no match for the more experienced officers.

"You two, you're up first!" The training officer yelled to two of the recruits. The two recruits stepped out of the line and stood at the ready, preparing themselves for the match to start. Other officers were watching eagerly, each voicing their bets on who would come out victorious. Kenthe examined the two combatants. One was far larger and more aggressive looking, while the other was about average size and cowering in fear. This match would be one-sided without a doubt. Once the training officer gave the signal, the two recruits began to fight.

The larger man through his fist first and the other one tried his best to block, but was easily overwhelmed by the sheer force of the attack and was thrown back. The assailant didn't stop there and ran forward, throwing another punch. The defender wasn't quick enough to react and was hit square in the face, falling back and hitting the ground below him. The moment he hit the ground he lay there, not wanting to get up and just wanting to surrender at that moment. "Finish him, show no mercy!" The training officer yelled and the man was all too eager to deliver a final blow. Kenthe couldn't stand to see what was about to unfold and got out of line, standing in between the fallen man and the larger on.

"The match is over, this guy's out so cut him some slack." Kenthe said defiantly, staying his ground. "Move aside Draek, unless you want to be pounded too." The larger man said, cracking his knuckles. The training officer was annoyed by the sudden disruption and yelled out, "If you don't get out of the way recruit you'll be punished severely, get back in line NOW!" Kenthe wasn't fazed and continued to stay his ground, he wasn't going to let this slide. "Give me your best shot." He grunted, preparing for the large man's assault. Without any hesitation, the man lunged forward, throwing a punch directly towards Kenthe's face. Kenthe was quick on his feet and anticipated the attack. He quickly moved to the side just as the fist was about to catch contact with his face and quickly grabbed the man's arm. He then used the force of his momentum and flipped the man over, throwing him down on his back.

Some of the officers were surprised by this sudden turn of events. One soldier in particular took note of Kenthe's foolishness, as well as his bravery in defending a helpless recruit. The soldier made a mental note to himself to speak to Kenthe after the sparring exercise was over. The training officer however, was not impressed by Kenthe's interruption. Before Kenthe could react farther, the training officer swiftly delivered a fist right to the back of Kenthe's head, immediately knocking him unconscious. Kenthe, not anticipating the attack and its force, was knocked to the ground.

Later that night.

Kenthe slowly regained consciousness. His sight was still blurry so he couldn't tell where he was, but the ground below him felt cold and not at all comfortable. He also felt that his hands were tied together, to his annoyance. Struggling a bit, he was able to sit up against the wall, letting out a deep sigh. While he was unconscious, the other soldiers must've bound him and transported him to the disciplinary prison stationed at the training post. Misbehaving soldiers, prisoners, and criminals that somehow found their way to the training post were kept here. Prisoners and criminals were often kept until they can be transported to larger prisons as soon as an opportunity to ship them was present. Miscreant soldiers on the other hand were kept there for as long as the commander of the post deemed fit. Kenthe deduced that his punishment wasn't going to be that bad. This wasn't the first time he disrupted a training session after all.

The cell he was in was dark, with barely any light visible. From what he could tell, no one else was with him there. He was alone, being the sole prisoner in a disciplinary penitentiary that burrowed cells beneath the ground. I guess it could be worse. He thought to himself, relaxing against the wall. At least this gave him a break from the training, which relieved him.

Suddenly, he heard the door creak open. Some light filled the prison cells, but not enough for him to really see. Kenthe looked in the direction of the entrance and saw a soldier entering. The soldier was holding a lamp, most likely to help him see, and walked up to Kenthe's cell, holding the lamp in a way so Kenthe was able to see him.

"Kenthe Draek, is that your name?" The soldier asked him. Kenthe was not quick to trust this man. In fact he didn't trust anyone in the army, despite himself being a part of it. "Who wants to know? And unless you're here to get me out we have nothing to talk about." Kenthe replied, malice in his voice. The soldier didn't seem bothered by his statement and continued. "I'm Daniel Magiline. You might have heard of my father, the Duke of Magiline. I was impressed by your courage earlier, but you must learn to control your emotions."

Kenthe listened to Daniel with lack of interest. Now knowing that he was the son of a noble did not make Kenthe like him any more than he would otherwise. "A noble's son, supporting the King's army and lecturing me on how I should act. I would rather be burned alive than heed some noble basterd's advice." Kenthe spat, hate evident in his voice.

"Look, I need someone like you. Someone who has the skills to fight, but most importantly, someone who is willing to stand up for others in need and his beliefs." Daniel replied to him, seeming to ignore his statement. Now this intrigued Kenthe, why would anyone, especially a noble's son, need him? "I'm just a farmer boy who got looted by the Royal Army. There are better candidates out there. What would you want with me?" He asked Daniel. "I'm trying to start a-" Daniel began to say when he was cut short. Another soldier entered the area and called out to Daniel. "Magiline, we're all set to move out. Our squad is to transfer the recruits to the next training post and then resume our march to the east. Our commander's outside so I suggest you hurry up and leave this scum behind for the rest of the soldiers that are staying to deal with." The soldier spoke, then left.

Kenthe could tell that Daniel was annoyed by this, seeing the disappointment on his face. "I'm afraid I have to take my leave now Draek, but when ever you are able to finish your training and become a full-fledged soldier, seek me out." Daniel told him, and then left.

"Hey! Don't leave me on a cliffhanger!" Kenthe yelled after Daniel as he was leaving. Unfortunately Daniel didn't spare Kenthe any words and just left, closing the door behind him and leaving Kenthe in the dark. He let out a deep sigh, leaning back against the stone-cold walls and closed his eyes, annoyed by the strange turn of events and the fact that he was stuck in the prison cell for who knows how long.

Little did he know, four orbs were shining in the night sky. The orbs all flew in different directions, the green, blue, red, and white orbs all flying towards different parts of the land. The red one however, was heading to a spot much closer than he expected...

---

The soldiers that were still left at the training post saw the bright red orb flying right towards them. "What is that thing?" One soldier spoke, pointing at it. Before others could react, the orb darted right past them, effectively incinerating them. It wasn't only the soldiers that the orb incinerated, but also the rest of the training post as it flew by. Chaos ensued throughout the training post. Soldiers panicked as they were set on fire and witnessing the area burning before them. In all the destruction, the orb bursted through the disciplinary prison, and blasted its way through the door that led to the underground prison cells right into...

"OW!" Kenthe yelped in shock and slight pain, the orb hitting him square in the face. He shook his head and opened his eyes, "What the hell-" He tried to voice his discontent, then noticed the glowing red orb in front of him. "What's...this?" His voice drifted off as he gazed into the orb. He wanted to know what this object was, but at the same time, something was tugging at him, drawing him to the orb. Our saviours have come. Daughters of the Moon and Earth, Sons of the Flame and Air, He heard a voice sound from all over. "What? Who?" He asked unconsciously, looking around to find the source of the voice. Will set us free. With the final statement of the voice, Kenthe felt the ropes that tied his hand together burn off of him. Strangely, he did not feel pain to this.

Now that his hands were free, he took heed of the feeling within him, reaching out towards the orb. There was a slight fear within him as he was doing this. Fear of any pain that would ensue, and fear of what may happen if he would touch it.

The moment he touched the glowing red orb, the entire area around him engulfed in flames. "What's...happening?" Kenthe stood up from where he was, looking around and seeing the prison around him burn. Instinctively, he knew he had to escape unless he wanted to be burnt to a crisp. Oddly enough though, he didn't feel the searing heat of the flames. He wasn't thinking straight enough to realize this though, and made a dash for the exit.

Outside, his eyes widened even more, as he witnessed the entire training post in flames and several singed corpses of the soldiers on the ground. What happened here...? He wondered, slowly walking out into the open. By now nearly the entire training post was burnt to the ground and all of the soldiers dead...except for one. Kenthe looked in front of him and saw the training officer run up to him. "You...I should have known!" The training officer yelled, drawing the long, two-handed sword from his back and pointing it at Kenthe. "I don't know what sorcery this is, but you will pay for the deaths of my comrades!" He yelled, and charged forward.

Kenthe didn't know what it was, but the sight of the training officer and what he did to the recruit and Kenthe earlier that day angered him, beyond bounds. The training officer seemed to have noticed this and stopped his approach, standing still in fear, as he saw black flames begin to protrude around Kenthe's form. Kenthe was unable to see the training officer's fearful expression beneath his full-faced helm though, but he could feel the heat of his body, feeling his heart rate rise faster in fear. As if something possessed him, Kenthe stuck his right hand forward, and then unleashing a blast of black flames right at the training officer.

The black flames instantly incinerated the training officer, not leaving him any time to suffer and killing him instantly. Kenthe then broke from his possessed state and realized what he had just done. The moment he broke from his tranced state the flames that engulfed the training officer as well a the rest of the training post disappeared.

"Did I...just do that?" Kenthe spoke quietly, anger washing away and serenity returning to him. He looked down at the dead body of the training officer and walked over to him. He felt empowered, standing over the dead body of the man who wronged him and the other recruits. "I...did this..." He said to himself, gazing down at the dead body and then at his hands. A grim smile slowly spread across his face, as he looked up at the moon, shining ever so brightly in the sky. "With this power...I can bring the Kingdom to ruin!" He said viciously, clenching his fist which glowed with a crimson red flame this time.

Reaching down, he picked up the full-faced helmet that the training officer wore, which had a black char on the front due to his burning blast from earlier, and placed it on his head. He then picked up the sword, which was also held by the training officer, and rested it across his back. "Beware Maedil, your kingdom will be purged by the flames of...Dragoon!"

And with those final words, Kenthe began to follow the feeling that the orb directed him towards. He was unsure of where it led him, but he knew that it would lead him to other parts of the kingdom, and his war against the King will begin.

Sophia traveled deep into the woods, farther than she had ever been allowed to with guards present. Before long, Sophia's feet began to ache. She pause and rested under a willow, slipping her feet free from the shoes royal woman tormented themselves with. She never understood why it was expected for women to be inches taller than their natural height. Her green eyes flashed mischievously as she wiggled her escaped toes into the damp soil before leaping from her perch and continuing on. Her own gleeful laughter echoed through the forest as she darted between trees and leapt over streams. She had felt like this once before; when Daniel would take her out alone past bed time.

The more rush Sophia felt, the brighter her orb glowed. She also noticed that the trees appeared to shift from her way and let her pass easily. And, she could not overlook how she fled the castle. Throughout the entire descent of the rose bush, she had not been picked once by a thorn. In fact, the single pink rose was still threaded throughout Sophia's hair, although its voice appeared dormant for now. Finally, a barefoot Sophia found herself in a clearing not far from the elven boarders. In the center of the clearing resided an ancient oak. Vines wrapped around its massive trunk. As Sophia stepped closer to it, she held her breath in awe. It was most likely the tallest tree in the forest. Suddenly Sophia knew; this was where she was meant to meet the others.

She circled the tree in search for a place to reside her tired body. In her life, she had not done so much walking. Her search came upon nothing besides a broken branch. Sophia tested the branch, dismayed to find it just heavier than her strength would allow her to lift. Sophia's eyes raised to what she believed was someone calling her name. Hanging from the branches above, vines looped down and about. Slowly but carefully, the girl lifted her hand forward towards the vine and, as if they heard her calling, they began to grow longer and thicken until they draped low enough for Sophia tie the branch up. Stepping back, Sophia admired her work. She would be a fool to not be fearful of the nights encounters, but she felt a rush of excitement at the unknown. And so, the young duchess clambered up upon the swing that was formed and softly floated in the air with the orb resting in her lap as she awaited for more arrivals.

Leah found herself always staying beside a stream or something with water, and for some odd reason, fish would leap out of the water, and cross her path into another body of water near her. It was strange, but it filled her with joy. She jumped about and laughed and celebrated, though she knew not why. It was as if she was about to see an old friend again.
The fish seemed to be celebrating too, as was the orb. It was so questionable, yet she didn't question it. She leapt over a creek, and fish danced around her.

The orb glowed, almost happily, and so did her dress. Eventually, Leah found her way to a clearing. An amazingly tall tree stood mightily in the middle of it, and for some reason, she felt as if she was supposed to be there. She circled the tree only to almost run head first into a girl on a swing. She gasped and fell backwards.

But her surprise turned to laughter when she realized who the girl was. "S-Sophia!" She exclaimed excitedly. Leah's orb seemed to share her joy as it circled around Leah's blue dress. "Sophia! It's really you!" She stood up and jumped into her friends arms, "I've missed you so much, y-you don't know how worried I was about you!"

Calithea stood before the king in a small dress that showed her long legs and her long blonde hair was pulled into a pony tail, with wisps of honey-blonde hair slightly touching her creamy silk colored face. She carried her small sack full of bread that she was hoping to bring to her family.

They were starving, having nothing to eat but stale bread that they stole, but at least it would temporarily sate their hunger. Seeing her mother like that was more than she could take. That is if she could get past the King. First she had to come with some sort of excuse.

She bowed before him, hating every minute of it. It wasn't right that she was to bow in front of a man like him.

"Your Highness, might I request to do some sort of delivery?" She put on a fake smile, she hoped he would buy. "I enjoy doing the work for you, my King." It took everything in her to keep a completely straight face, what person would enjoy working for him?

But for the sake of her family and friends she was willing to do it.

After accepting the king's approval, she ran into the Forrest greeting everyone. Her mother gave her a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes and hugged her. A tear went down Calithea's cheek as she hugged her mother. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair, that she had to see the pain in her mother's eyes, the pain in everyone's eyes. It wasn't fair that they were treated like animals. Her and her mother stepped back from each other, her mother smiled with her own tears filling her eyes. "It's all right. All will be as it once was. I know it will."

Looking down and looking up at her mother she nodded her head, wiping away her tears. "I know, mother they're coming. An old woman at the castle told me, they're supposed to be the one's to save us. Do you believe that mother?"

Her mother closed her eyes for a moment as if saying a prayer. "Well, bless their souls." Calithea took her sack and handed her mother a peace of stale bread she'd gotten from the castle. She'd stolen enough for only a couple more people. Next time she had to do better. Her mother smiled taking a bite of the bread. "Thank you dear, be sure to give some to the others."

Calithea nodded her head before giving her mother a hug. She went over to some other elves that were around. One of them was a little boy. He look tired and weak sitting on a rock with his brother. Calithea stood before them smiling. "Hello, what might your names be?"

The older one snapped at her. "We're fine." The younger one, looked as if he was about to say something but didn't want to go against his brother. Calithea smiled a t them, and took out two peaces of bread from the sack.

She handed one to the older brother. "Here, it may not be much but I know we're all hungry." She handed one to the younger brother also, all while keeping a friendly smile on her face. The older brother looked away as if mad."Our names are Nick and Grell." Calithea smiled. "Well, sorry Nick and Grell but I really must go, I wish you well. Calithea ran off, trying to head back to the castle

Sophia looked at the girl in disgust and held her chin high. "And who are you?" she said bitterly. Leah paused, confusion and hurt washing over her face. Sophia often forgot the humor of the royals was much different, and crueler, than human the peasants knew. After a moment's pause, Sophia smiled and embraced her. "I'm kidding, Leah. How could I forget you?" She laughed giddily and hugged her old friend again. "I have just been wonderful. I'm sorry for not being able to see you. It's just that," Sophia paused and shivered slightly. "Things have been difficult since Daniel left for war. They have begun to suspect that the rebellion stated from inside the castles. If blame falls on me... I will never be able to find Daniel. I need to make sure he is safe. He stopped writing letters to me for my own safety."

Sophia slipped from the swing and sighed. Slowly she once again painted her face with the smile a young duchess was known for. "It is wonderful to see you again. In all this strangeness, it is good to see a friend. I am still unsure what I am doing here and," Sophia paused with a sly smile, "The plants can talk with me. They grow with a command. And you, and your blue orb, what abilities have you been given?" Stopped and slowly Sophia looked at her friend, finally seeing the dress she wore. It was much simpler that Sophia's own lush gown. Sophia frowned slightly, remembering the difficulty of life outside her castle walls. "How have times been for you and your family?"

Victoria sat outside her family's house and watched her parents leave for work. When they turned, she gave them a little smile and waved. But right when they started going again, Victoria's face pulled back into a frown. She knew it wasn't their fault that they were gone all day, but Victoria still felt a sense of injustice on her part. Most girls her age didn't have to worry about taking care of younger siblings all day. Oh well, that was life.

The sound of voices on the road made Victoria stand up and go back inside. She quietly closed the door, keeping it open a crack. Her parents had drilled into her head not to talk to stranger when they weren't home- which was always- but they hadn't said anything about eavesdropping on them. Unfortunately, it was only a pair of houswives complaining about the laziness of their husbands. Victoria closed the door fully with a sigh.

"Tori? I'm hungry!" Victoria turned to see her younger sister, Lilly, standing there and rubbing her eyes. Victoria bit her lip worriedly. Her parents had said they were running dangerously low on food. But she kept her voice cheerful as she answered, "Well, let's see what we're having for breakfast today! Since you're the first one up, you get to help me today," Luckily it wasn't William or Samuel that had woken up first. They were old enough to see through her charade. Lilly, being only seven, wasn't that talented yet.

Victoria opened the pantry with bated breath before letting out a small sigh of relief. There was one loaf of bread left, enough for each child to have two slices. She also knew of a berry plant in the woods that might have ripened by now, too. "Lilly, wake up William and tell him to cut the bread. We're going for a little walk," Lilly ran off obediently, appearing soon after with a sleepy-eyed William right behind. "I know, I know," he grumbled before taking out the bread knife. Victoria grinned before taking a basket and Lilly's hand.

The walk into the forest wasn't as bad as Victoria had feared. Lilly was in a good mood today, which accounted for more than half of it. They quickly reached the blackberries and Lilly tried to grab a handful, but Victoria stopped her. "Wait. Let me make sure they're ripe," She studied the bush for a few seconds before nodding. "Okay, we're good." The basket was filled, along with Lilly's mouth, and they started back towards the house. Lilly was slightly ahead, skipping, and Victoria let her. The forest was their second home; Lilly wasn't going to get into any trouble, especially since Victoria could still see her.

Maxence was carefully walking through the forest making almost no sound at a all. He felt as if he was as light as air and his feet seemed like they were a feather on the forest floor. Max progressed carefully because in all honesty he had no idea what was going on. Up ahead he heard two voices being carried by the wind, but it would seem impossible that he could hear them so clearly. It's as if the wind brought the voices right to his ears.

Max looked down at the white orb he was carrying, and still could not figure out what was going on. Somehow these orbs have gone to three other people, that he knew. He also knew that they would have to meet somewhere, but for what purpose? Max had so many questions and he had hoped the voices up ahead would have some answers. As Max was still lost in thought he had stumbled upon some sort of grove with a single tree in the middle. The tree was alot taller than the others, and oh how Max wanted to climb it! With that height he could touch the clouds!

Under the tree stood two women conversing with each other. Were these the people he was supposed to meet? Where was the third person? After looking at them Max noticed something they all had in common. They each possesed an orb, one green, one green, and Max's own orb, the white one. After standing there awhile he decided to make himself present.

"Ummmm. I hope I wasn't interupting anyone here, but I noticed that both of you have these things too", Max said while showing his white orb. "Does anybody know what's going on?", Max concluded.

"Water." Leah said with a huge smile, "I got the orb when I was underwater in a cave near my village. I was under the water for almost a 15 minutes. And, get this, a fish talked to me, and water seemed to move if I willed it to do so!" She grinned happily, but noticed Sophia get a lot more serious as she asked about life in the village.
"As you know, many of the men from the village have been drafted leaving the women widows and the children fatherless and brotherless. I myself have had that happen within my own family, my brothers and father were taken long before I joined the rebellion, but it has gotten much worse since. Of the 25 men (husbands, fathers, sons) who were in the village, now there are only 5. The women and children are going hungry with no one to feed them. Some of the other teenage girls and I have been going out with the men to hunt, but we haven't had much luck. I don't know how much longer the village can take it. I've been sacrificing my meals for my mother and sister lately, but..."
Just then, they were interrupted. A boy came in the clearing with a white orb. One of the orbs that was with her blue one. He asked if they knew what was going on. Leah shrugged, "I have no idea." She said, "by the way, my name is Leah--water." She pointed to her orb.

The road that Kenthe traveled was scarce, with no one else in sight but himself. He wasn't sure where the road would lead him, but something inside him told him that it was the right way. The destination didn't concern him much though. What was really on his mind was this orb and the new found powers that it granted him. Fire, bending to his will at any command he chose, it was incredible. The possibilities that he can do with these powers were endless, but most of all, he can finally carry out his vendetta against the kingdom.

For years the king's treatment of the people disgusted him. Kenthe swore that one day he would make the King and all of those who were devout followers suffer. They all took advantage of the good people of the kingdom to farther their own gain and should be punished for doing so. Before Kenthe was just a young boy who held no power, no social standing, nothing. Being forced to fight in the King's army was only another slap to his face. Now, things are going to change drastically, under the guise of Dragoon.

Dragoon...kinda corny, but it'll work. He thought to himself, lightly touching the helmet that covered his face. With this persona, he planned on becoming a symbol of hope for the common folk. To show them that not all is lost and that there is one strong enough to stand up to the King's oppression.

The road finally led to a town at the edge of the forest. Kenthe looked ahead and saw it was a fairly occupied town. The guard garrison looked to be at its peak, perfect for the Dragoon's first appearance.

Taking off the helmet, Kenthe rested it at his side and entered the town. Many of the townsfolk eyed him with suspicion upon seeing him enter. The guards even were a little suspicious of his arrival. He saw that some were whispering to each other, wondering what a boy clad in the army's uniform was doing alone. Some of the townsfolk wondered if he was conducting a draft, and the guards deduced by the poor-look of his uniform that he was just a messenger. He didn't care what they thought, especially the opinions of the guards. They'll all be dead anyway...

Kenthe spotted the first tailoring shop he saw and entered. The storekeeper noticed his arrival and greeted him. "Good morrow sir, how can I help you?" The storekeeper asked. "Let's see...I require some blue dye and a red cloak. All under..." Kenthe paused for a moment, checking his money pouch. "...One gold."

The storekeeper raised a brow at the boy and was about to ask him why he would want these items but then decided against it. Any person in the service of the king held more power than he definitely did, and he wasn't looking to be punished for refusing a soldier. He grabbed the items then handed them to Kenthe, "All of this for one gold sir."

Kenthe thanked the man and left the shop, examining the merchandise he just acquired. The cloak was a deep crimson color and was long and old. Several rips and tears were evident at the end of it. The blue dye was pretty dark and was just the amount he needed. Perfect, now judgment will reign upon this place.

He went to an isolated area in the town and got to work. First, he applied the die to all parts of his uniform. Not long after, his entire uniform lost its tanned color and was replaced by a dark blue. He then tied the cloak around him, over his uniform and sword, and put his helmet on. "And Dragoon is complete!" He said to no one in particular, looking himself over. And now, to add some flair. He thought, closing his eyes and concentrating the powers given to him by the orb.

By his command, a blue, fiery aura emanated around his body. Some of the blue flames formed tendril-like appearances at his back. In a way, it looked like he had wings made of fire. "Now...the kingdom's first town...will witness Dragoon." He muttered to himself, and stepped out of the isolated area and into the open.

The guards caught sight of the blue-flamed abomination and immediately shifted their attention towards him. "What kind of freak are you?" One guard yelled, pointing his sword at him. "I am Dragoon, and these blue flames will cleanse this land of Maedil's tyranny!" Kenthe spoke, making a gesture of his palm in the direction of the guard, and then shot a ball of blue fire at him. The guard was immediately incinerated and his comrades caught on quickly. "Attack! Get rid of that demon!" All of the guards then drew their weapons and charged at Kenthe.

That's right dogs of Maedil, come to your deaths. Kenthe gritted his teeth under the helmet, and unleashed another wave of flames at the guards.

He wasn't fully in control of his powers however, and in the blindness of his attacks some of the flames went loose and caught onto the buildings of the town.

Sophia smiled at the boy. "I am Sophia, and I have the green orb. Earth. It appears we are only missing one. We have Earth, water, air... Where is Fire?" Suddenly a piercing screeched entered Sophia's head. She crouched down and held her head. "Something is happening," she said looking around. "I know this sounds strange, but the forest is in danger." She looked around the clearing before walking to the center tree. Slowly she lifted her hand and touched its ancient bark. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes. Violent visions filled hear head. Blue flames lapped at the forest edge, burning an entire village down. People screamed for help but none came.

Sophia gasped and staggered back, her eyes adjusting to the forest light once again. She looked around, letting her pulse return to normal. She had felt the forest's fear of being burned alive. Sophia blinked and then frowned fiercely. "I think I know where he is. We must hurry," Sophia said quickly before running through the forest, letting the tree's fear and emotions lead her way to the village.

She staggered to a stop, horrified by the sight. In the center of the village stood a boy encased in blue flames with a cape. Anger encased Sophia. She knew he was too out of control to move in on him. Instead, she reverted back to the first weapon Daniel taught her to use. Picking up a stone, she tossed it up gently to feel its weight. After a moment's pause, she flung the rock aimed precisely at the boy's head. It hit with a sold thud before deflecting off his helmet. "Stop it you twit!" she said, stamping her foot. “What idiot made our counterpart?”

Kenthe was too engulfed in killing the guards in order to register what was happening around him. The people that he was fighting for were panicking, their homes burning and the place that they have so long sustained being destroyed by someone who claimed to be their savior.

"Burn dogs of Maedil!" Kenthe yelled, utilizing his flames to incinerate another handful of guards trying to take him down. "The people will no longer be oppressed by his wretched rule! Dragoon will be a symbol of their freedom, and he will burn for his sins!" He yelled once more, drawing the sword from his back this time, channeling some of his blue flames into it, and striking a few oncoming guards. This power was euphoric and he enjoyed every moment that he could to make the guards suffer.

Suddenly, he felt the pang of a stone hit the back of his helmet. What!? Kenthe thought. Though he wasn't harmed by the stone, the distraction was annoying enough for him. He turned around to see who it was that threw the stone at him and his eyes rested upon a girl wearing a green dress.

"Stop it you twit!" She yelled at him. He could see the anger in her eyes as she spoke. “What idiot made our counterpart?”

Her disruption annoyed him. Was she one of them? Or was she one of the people he was trying to "help?"

"The damned servants of Maedil deserve to burn! Each and every one of them!" He yelled back, pointing his sword at her, "I don't know who you are, but if you're one of his sympathizers then you too will be judged by Dragoon!" He grunted, channeling the flames from his sword and got ready to blast a stream of flames at her.

But before he could, something within him stopped him from doing so. What...one of...us? He then noticed the green orb that she held with her and the red orb that he had tucked away seemed to pulse, as if telling him not to attack her.

This sudden distraction however rendered him vulnerable. One guard took advantage of this and made a precise shot with his bow, spearing the arrow right through Kenthe's body. "Argh!" He grunted in pain, but before he could recover from that hit, several more arrows flew at him, piercing both of his legs, then his arms, and some more in his body. The force of the arrows staggered him a bit and he fell to his knees, struggling to keep himself stabilized with his hands. Damn...she...caught me off guard...

He desperately tried to hold on, knowing that any farther wrong moves would mean his death. Although being in his current state now, death was pretty much inevitable. "We got him men! Now finish him off!" He heard a guard yell, then saw five of them readying their bows for the coup de grace. "You...BASTERDS!" Kenthe yelled at them, and the blue flames that engulfed his body suddenly erupted, changing their color to black and protruding even farther from him. The flames then traveled from the ground and eventually made their way to the guards, effectively incinerating them in the process.

The threats were now eliminated. Kenthe tried his best to stand up. But the pain from the arrows in his body were persistent and his wounds were grave. Was this...the end...? Unable to get up, he fell forward. I can't...go yet...they...need...me...

Sophia's eyes widened in fear as he pointed the sword toward her. Her orb began to pulsate lightly. Confusion entered Dragoon's face. Sophia saw what was unraveling. Before she could call out to warn the boy, the first arrow pierced him. Sophia stood helpless as his body was assaulted. As the black flames erupted from his body, Sophia coward with Leah while Max remained on his own. The flames darted dangerously close to the trio, and then disappeared as if there was some sort of invisible wall. The orbs were glowing and remained lit until the fire dyed out. Sophia stepped away from Leah, horrified by the site. Only ashes remained of the guards.

Her orb began to pulsate again as the boy fell forward. Even with the arrows burned away, no one could survive the impact of so many. As if on cue, Sophia walked forward. No, she stomped forward, fury burning in her deep green eyes. The boy was unconscious by the time she reached him. "He won't survive much longer," Sophia said to the other two, her eyes becoming gentle. She opened his armor and hesitated slightly. Not from the fear of blood, but from what was underneath the blue dye. "He is a soldier," Sophia said in shock. She knew that uniform well from when Daniel was allowed to come home once. She shook her head free of the thought and looked at his wounds. There were serious and deadly. As if by instinct, Sophia raised her hands above his chest where the most serious would occurred. She scolded herself for the foolish motion until something occurred. Her hands began to glow a faint golden. Before their eyes, the wound began to close. She moved on to the next one and the next until the boy was completely healed. She looked first to her hands and then the Leah's and Max's faces. "This will be useful, I suspect." Suddenly there was a mumble below her. Dragoon was beginning to wake up. Fury flashed again in Sophia's eyes. She waited patiently for him to regain full consciousness so he could see her face once more. He looked up confused at her, still in a daze. Just before he could speak, Sophia lifted her soft hand. "You idiotic twit!" she shouted at him, slapping him across the face causing him to black out again. She huffed loudly to herself and stood up while crossing her arms. "We need to get somewhere safe for the night. His wounds may be gone, but he still needs to recover." Sophia smiled to herself as she looked at the unconscious boy. "He will be easier to move if he isn't protesting."



[[OOC: The "safe place" is Victoria's house just outside the village, if everyone agrees.]]

Victoria and Lilly were almost out of the forest when they heard screaming. Lots of screaming, in fact. She snatched Lilly's hand and ran fully out of the woods. Victoria gasped and felt her knees go weak. Almost half of the buildings in the village were on fire. The sight of so many houses on fire suddenly snapped her to her senses. "William, Samuel, Bethany!" Victoria shrieked before sprinting towards their house. Lilly attempted to run up, but Victoria shook her head impatiently. "Get somewhere safe, Lilly!" She didn't want Lilly to see if their house was burnt.

Luckily, it wasn't actually a part of the village. It was too far away to get caught by any of the flames. Wait, were those flames blue?! Victoria tossed the thought away; She'd deal with that later. "Guys? Are you in here?" Victoria wasn't as worried anymore, now that everyone was safe. She found them in the kitchen, huddled together. Bethany was bawling, while William and Samuel were staring at her with wide eyes. Victoria smiled slightly and picked Bethany up. "Come on guys. Lilly's right outside,"

It was getting harder to see hold the whimpering Bethany, but Victoria managed to push her siblings in the right direction. They stumbled against the doorstop before managing to make it outside. She quickly herded them towards Lilly, who was standing a short distance away. Victoria laughed before rubbing Bethany soothingly. "There there," she murmured. "It's okay, you guys are fine," Samuel shook his head. "You didn't see what happened," He nodded his head towards the remains of the situation.

Soldiers were racing towards a boy. A boy who was shooting flames at them. "YOU!" She stood up and started marching towards him furiously. He was the one who had set so many houses on fire! What if he had hit theirs?! It was then that she noticed the arrows sticking out of him. As he slumped over, Victoria saw the red orb near him. And the other three with orbs as well. She continued to walk up but addressed the girl who had just slapped him. Victoria bit her lip before saying anything. "Do you think you could tell me what just happened?" That was probably a good start.

"Uh..." Leah watched all the events unfold and was shocked at Sophia's reaction after healing the boy, to slap him in the face and knock him unconscious...again. She smiled and muttered, "Same old Sophie." She walked over to her friend and put her hand on her shoulder, "I'll get some water from the lake nearby and put out as many fires as I can, I'll find you guys when you're done."
She turned to Max, "help Sophia carry the kid's body, okay?"
And then last to the random girl who had just showed up, "this is kind of a bad time but, after Sophie finds a safe place to stay, I'm sure she'll tell you." And then she smiled at the girl and walked into the forest to the lake. She dove in and a small colony of fish gathered around her.
I'm sorry to have to ask this of you, She began. But there was an attack, and the forest might burn down, please, may I use some of the water from your lake to heal the forest before it burns.
She could tell there was some tension between the fish as they conversed amongst themselves, but finally, a chorus of little fish sing song voices chimed, Yes, for you are the Mistress of the Moon, come to save us all. And then, the fish all swam off.
Grinning, Leah resurfaced and closed her eyes, focusing on the movement of the water, the pull of the current, the splashing of the fish, and slowly, she felt a strong weight on her shoulders, and a tugging in her gut, and she opened her eyes to see nearly half of the lake's water swirling around her like a hurricane. Instinctively, she pulled her arms in, so they would not get caught in the rushing water, but the water came in with her arms. She almost screamed, as the water nipped at her bare skin, cutting her open. Then, she felt the orb pulsate, and she knew what to do. She threw her arms up and flicked her wrist and spread open her fingers, the water flew into the air and spread apart.
"This'll do." She muttered, smiling. She moved her arms so that the water was directly above the burning village and the parts of the village that were burning as well, and let the weight of the water go. "Sorry villagers, but the forecast now calls for a downpour." She whispered weakly. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her. The water was so heavy that holding so much of it up for so long had drained her. Leah's arms ached and felt raw from being scratched open, and it was all that she could do to drag herself into the village and collapse in Sophia's arms."

Max listened to the girl as she explained that she has water powers given to her by the orb. Leah was her name, and after she had introduced herself the other girl jumped in. Her name was Sophia and she had earth powers also given to her by the orb. After hearing her talk to herself Max realized they eached represented the elements and his was apparently air.

Max's mind opened up to the possibilities. Will he be able to fly, and what else cool stuff he could do with it. He then remembered that the air abilities could help him work to earn more money for more food for his mother. Before Max could introduce himself it seemes that the girl Sophia was connected with the trees and she could find where he was. Withen a few minutes he realized she was actually listening to the tree talk about the fire. As they trudged closer to the village Max could feel the heat from the fire and he could hear small whispers of the of the wind telling everything around them to stay away from the fire.

When they had entered the village there was a boy there and it was as if he were controlling the fire. Another thing was that the fire was blue. Immediatly Max felt like he had to do something and he noticed some of the flames beginning to reach out for the trees. On instinct Max thrust out his fists causeing a gust of wind to go the direction his fists were pointing to and it pushed the flames away from the trees.

Sophia, the girl with the earth ob, flung a rock at the guy controlling the fire. Because of this distraction he was then shot by multiple arrows and he looked almost dead. The pain in his eyes reminded Max of his mother. The guy wasn't finished yet he let out black flames from his body and had incinerated the guards that assaulted him. After this Sophia went over to him and began to miraculously heal his wounds. Once he became consciouse, Sophia scolded him and knocked him unconscious again.

There was another girl there with her siblings, but Leah had told him to carry the fire guy's body. Before Max could say anything she runned off.

"Here, let me take him", Max said as he lifted his hand as if using the force causing the winds below the boy's body to push him into the air and onto Max's back. Max now had the boys body draped over his neck and shoulders when water came from almost nowhere and drenched the town causing all of the fires to go out.

"So where to now? Because this guy is getting a little heavy... and hot.", Max said while realizing what he last said. "I mean hot as in fire! Because he literally does feel really warm and not in a feverish way", he said trying to cover up his mistake. At that moment Leah and came over and passed out. "Ok, I'm not carrying her too".

Sophia could not help but smile at the boy Max. "I can take Leah," she said wil a smile, remembering the days in the rebellion where the two girls had often passed out from exhaustion. She looked to the new girl and shook hear head softly. "I am afraid I cannot tell you much on the situation. I am rather confused on it myself. All I am aware of is that these orbs," Sophia said showing hers to the girl, "enable us to manipulate an element of nature. For its purpose, I do not know." Sophia looked to the girl and at the boy who was unconscious. Infact, everyone looked like they needed a Good night's rest. "Would you have room for us to stay with you for the night? I promise that Dragoon will behave," she growled. Sophia blinked and moved her hand to her purse. "Your service would not go unappreciated, I have coins for rent."

Victoria watched breathlessly as one girl walked into the forest and sent out a mountain of water. Well, it helped stop the strange fire, at least. She was getting more and more confused, but a small stone of anger remained in the back of her mind. It would probably stay that way until the one boy had left. Eventually, the other girl- that must be Sophia- turned and seemed to be trying to explain. When she held out an orb, Victoria felt an overwhelming urge to stroke it, but knew that would be a bad idea. It obviously belonged to Sophia, and if it had given her powers, then Victoria wanted no part of that.

Of course, that didn't mean she would deny them a place to stay. Victoria smiled before biting her lip. Dragoon must be flame boy. "As long as you can guarantee he won't do anything, then by all means welcome," However, she regretfully shook her head at the coins. "You guys stopped the fires. If you hadn't done that, nearly the whole village would be ashes. That should be payment enough," She still glanced at the purse sadly for a moment. Money, that precious thing so scarce nowadays, would help her family a lot. They would have enough food, warmer clothes, maybe a few luxuries... Victoria shook her head to dispell the thought and abruptly turned around to call her siblings over. They had been sitting down and watching everything warily, but now they raced over to cling to Victoria.

She grinned and faced everyone else again. "Just to warn you now, it might get a little crowded. These are my siblings William, Samuel, Lilly, and Bethany," Victoria pointed to each of them in turn. "And I'm Victoria," She faced her siblings once again. "These nice people might be staying with us tonight, alright?" She was met with a few nods before they scampered towards the house. Victoria rolled her eyes and gestured in their direction. "If you can't tell the house is that way. It'll be a little... cozy, but we can work it all out."

Sophia smiled at Victoria, seeing her hungry gaze at the coins she offered. Sophia understood Victoria's hesitation to accept the coins, but she also saw the thin children with dark circles under their eyes. And, Sophia thought with a bitter look at the self-proclaimed Dragoon, There would have been no fire without him. Still, Sophia would need to talk with the boy once he awoke, he was in the army. Of anyone here, he would be the most likely to know of Daniel's location.

Sophia shifted Leah's weight and followed Victoria to the house. "It is.... quant," she said at last, eyes lingering on the simple furnishings. It was much different than her own home. Sophia rested Leah as Max did the same for Kenthe. She glanced to the unconscious boy, wondering how hard she actually hit him. Temper was a trait that Sophia often was unable to control much to her mother's dismay as it was not 'Lady like.' Sophia looked to the other two awake members in the room. She curtsied slightly in a formal greeting. "I thank you deeply, Victoria. I am Sophia Magiline, daughter to the Duke of Magiline." Sophia held her chin high, waiting for the others to respond in greeting. She did not bother to conceal her royal upbringings. Her ravish clothing and other traits would have given herself away eventually. Bedsides, Sophia was well accustomed to this mistrust due her royal title from the peasants who feared her to turn on them.

Ugh...what happened. Kenthe slowly opened his eyes. Last he remembered he was punctured by several arrows, enough to put him out of commission. If so...then why was he still alive? He tried moving his body to see if everything was intact, and sure enough his wounds were closed. Somehow his prayers were answered. Could it be...the orb? He thought to himself, looking at the red orb in his pouch. The orb seemed to have reacted to his thoughts, letting out a pulse. He wasn't sure how, but he was able to understand the orb's message, telling him that it did not close his wounds.

The helmet, as well as his uniform, cloak, armor, and sword were still on him. That was all familiar. What wasn't though was his location. Looking around, Kenthe took notice of the girl that threw the stone at him earlier, along with two other girls and another boy. The red orb pulsed as he laid eyes on the girl in green, the girl in blue, and the boy who held a white orb, telling him that they were Elemental children like himself and that they weren't enemies. He also noticed that he was in a house of some sort. It was an old house, with half of it nearly burnt to ashes. Did I...do this? Kenthe did not remember focusing his attacks on any of the buildings. So...how did this one get hit? He wasn't sure how this happened.

He didn't have time to think about that at this moment. Others were suffering across the land and sitting around wasn't going to get things done. Not feeling the pain in his body anymore, he stood up and faced the company before him, gazing mainly at the girl in green. "I don't know who you are...but your distraction basically killed me out there." He said to her coldly.

"I can tell, that you..." He then looked over at the fainted girl in blue and the other boy, "And you, and you, have the same powers I do...sort of." He said, focusing his gaze back on the girl with the green orb. "If you didn't disrupt me like that I would've taken them all out without a problem." He grunted, fixing his helmet. "Anyway, I don't know which one of you patched me up...but thanks."

"Anyway, I don't know which one of you patched me up...but thanks."

Sophia scoffed at the boy and crossed her arms. "That would be me, Sophia Magiline at your service" she said with a smirk and false curtsy. Obviously he was fine, hr healing at worked all too well. "And you did take them out. All of them. Innocents who did not do anything besides live their lives in their quiet town." Sophia glared back at the boy, challenging him to make a move. "Look at all the destruction you did. Look at this house! What did these people ever do to you? And now we are stuck with you to do whatever it is we were given these abilities for. I mean, you look like a jester with your poorly dyed outfit and cape. And what, Dragoon? Nothing more original that that, Sparky?" Sophia felt no pity for this boy. "No matter how noble your cause, this is not the way to achieve it. You must learn to control your emotions."

Who did this girl think she was? First she throws a stone at him, pretty much gets him killed in the process, then claims to have healed him, and now she decides to lecture him!? Not only that, she dare insult him after all he's done!? He FREED this town from the grasps of the King! She should be thanking him if anything! Or is she one of those blessed by Maedil and is angry that he disrupted a royal foundation?

His temper rose the more she spoke. He had enough shit being in the King's army and he wasn't going to take some from a spoiled princess' foul mouth. "And you're so special that I should pay any heed to you? Your majesty." He replied to her in a mocking tone, "Why don't you go back to daddy and learn some manners. You noble types disgust me." He spat. He had enough of this and proceeded out of the house, shrugging past her and ignoring the other two people in the area.

Just because he had an orb like the other three, doesn't mean he has to travel with them. Strange enough something within him told him that he shouldn't separate from them, but the anger within him overtook the feeling. Why should he even be in their company if they were gonna treat him like the army did. He was free now: free to do what ever he wished and free to burn the kingdom to the ground.

As he was leaving though, one thing she said rang clear in his mind. "Look at all the destruction you did. Look at this house! What did these people ever do to you? Did he...really do this? Was he that out of control? He wasn't even aware that he was harming anyone but the enemies before him. The reality though, was much harsher than he realized.

The moment he stepped out of the house he saw it. Nearly the entire town was burnt to the ground with barely any foundation left. The anger within him for that girl suddenly turned to terror and shame. I...did this... He thought, taking notice of the charred remains of the buildings as well as some townsfolk tending to the wounded.

He walked through the town, shocked by all the damage he caused. Those that were still outside looked at him with hatred and defiance, not gratefulness and adoration. Why...why did this happen? He was disgusted with himself. What possessed him to harm the townsfolk, was he even conscious of this?

Questions flowed into his mind while he made his way to a deserted part of the town. This part was just as destroyed as any other part, but no one inhabited this part in the first place. He was alone...just as it should be. Dropping to his knees, he took off his helmet and looked down at the charred face of the visor, "I was suppose to be their savior...Dragoon, the symbol of freedom." He said to himself quietly. Feeling even more disgusted with himself, he gripped onto the helmet tightly and threw it against a building nearby. Seeing the metal helmet hit against the wall and fall to the ground, he then balled his hand up into a fist and punched the ground hard, some black flames bursting from his body as he does so, but they quickly disappeared as they came. "Instead I'm more of a menace than the King ever was...What...What is wrong with me..."