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Chapter Text

The Scarlatts first appeared as a nameless mass in the untamed forests of Guin. Most Baltonians are said to be descended from giants, but the Scarlatts, before they were Scarlatts, looked nothing like other Baltonians. For one, they were smaller and more refined in their bone structure, their skin was darker,  eyes with an oddness to their color. Their affinity for the woods kept them hidden from most of the world, traveling in the shadows of the woods. Some believed that they were created from stone and trees of the forest by elves to serve as protectors of the land, meant to keep the giants and monsters that threatened them at bay. But long after the elves of the land had vanished and Guin became a part of Balto, Scarlatts continued to roam from forest to forest

It was the woods of the east where King Heimdall I first laid eyes upon Aiysamor, twin sister to Granmor, the head of these curious beings. But when King Heimdall spied her bathing in the lake in the forest he favored for hunting, the King only knew that she was the most beautiful woman he had seen. His wife long ago passed in childbirth to his 3rd child. Heimdall I saw an end to his loneliness in the violet eyes and brown skin of Aiysamor under the soft moonlight. Aiysamor looked like no one Heimdell had seen before, incandescent eyes more precious than the foreign gold he pilfered from the frail crown-prince.

Heimdall I abandoned the hunt and instead returned to his camp to order the royal knights to bring him the violet-eyed nymph with wild, dark hair; she was to be the queen of the freshly united land. By all accounts, Aiysamor did her best to run and hide from the knights, but was overpowered and brought back to their king. The entire journey back to his castle, Aiysamor wailed and screamed in words unintelligible to the King and his knights. However, despite her violent protests provoking the concern of his knights, Heimdall I could not be swayed to release her.

For weeks, Heimdall attempted to thaw Aiysamor’s feelings towards him, but all effort was met with visceral disdain. Every jewel he gifted her, she would throw across the room, every fine garment ripped to shreds, and his sweet words screamed over. If Heimdall I or anyone got too close, Aiysamor would spit, scream, and hit. Once she even found a metal plate to fling at the King’s head, which narrowly missed.

Every night when she was locked in the private chambers provided to her, Aiysamor would scream out the window, unleashing ghastly noises until the sun would rise again. King Heimdall was advised by many to abandon this woman to the forest where he found her. It seemed her only purpose was to torment their liege until he released her. The King would not be swayed.

Unbeknownst to the inhabitants of the royal castle, the clan of proto-Scarlats was who Aiysamor called to. For weeks, Granmor and his clan searched for his beloved sister, leaving a trail of fire and destruction upon every village and farm they passed. Villagers spoke of men, women, and even children covered in furs who marched through Balto with their direwolves in tow, attacking at night without any sign of weakness or mercy, speaking a language to each other that none understood. Aiysamor’s absence had left the clan with a bloodlust nothing but her return could quell. Many of Heimdall I’s advisors attempted to tell him that there was chaos brewing in the newly formed Balto, but he would not be pulled from his quest to win Aiysamor’s heart, unaware that his love’s clan was the reason for all the destruction being wrought. Every day, Aiysamor’s heart hardened toward King Heimdall, and every day, Granmor grew closer and closer to his castle.

Granmor sent scouts to help cover more ground in his tireless search, and of the many he sent to scour the land, only one found himself within the sound of Aisymor’s cries. Once he was able to corner one of Heimdall I’s strongest knights, he warned him. He warned the knight that Granmore would be at the castle in a fortnight, and if he wanted to live through it, he would deliver a message to Aiysamor. To tell Aiysamor, to bide her time. The knight, realizing the danger and eager to save himself, told Aiysamor her brother’s message, and so she stopped. And that filled the King with hope.

Finally, Aiysamor was silent and docile. When the servants brought her to Heimdall to break fast, she did not fight the ties on her wrist or spit at them. When she was made to sit in her chair, she did not try to run. This delighted the King, who had grown despondent over Aiysamor’s repeated rejection. Now, King Heimdall celebrated what he believed was the beginning of his new life with the nymph he had come to love.

In a moment of pure joy, the King reached his hand to Aiysamor’s face and cupped her cheek, and Aiysamor, at the feel of her kidnapper’s fingers against her face, forgot her brother’s words. Aiysamor turned her head and bit off King Heimdall’s thumb.

Within three days,  Heimdall’s wound worsened to the point of sickness, and even still, he refused to have any harm come to Aiysamor. Blinded by his love, the King believed that when he healed, she would soon be queen. Within 5 days, the King was confined to his bed. After 8 days, his mind was cloudy from infection, and after 12 days, King Heimdall I was no more, leaving his eldest son, Heimdall II, to rule a nation that was coming apart. In no small part due to the ravaging of a mysterious clan that seemed impervious to all injury.

Where the father saw full, luscious lips, the son saw past her lips to her pointed teeth. Where the father saw eyes that enraptured, the son saw eyes that entrapped. Where Heimdall I saw a precious jewel, Heimdall II saw a witch who entranced his father and cursed Balto and the house of Heimdall. Eager to save his new Kingdom, King Heimdall II ordered Aiysamor to be executed.

But, no more than a day after the King’s decree, Granmor and his clansmen were at the door of the castle, demanding Aiysamor’s release and promising the destruction of all that had been built in Balto, as retribution. Recognizing the precariousness the new country was facing and eager to avoid more bloodshed, Heimdall II offered Granmor and his clansmen a deal. He would release Aiysamor and give them land to rule over. In return, they would maintain Southern Balto much as they had before. Keeping a tenuous North Balto and former Guin. With the prospect of his dear sister’s return and land for his people to own and live on, Granmor agreed.

The citizens gave the new house the name Scarlatt to honor their temperament and remember the blood they had spilled. Their Coat of Arms an oak tree guarded by a wolf and a bear, and below, their motto "Penedhrim, Govannas, Budhodrîth". “Wanderers, Warriors, Victors”.

Aiysamor married the knight who had delivered her brother’s message, but many soon came to understand that though the marriage was meant to assuage the doubts of Heimdall II, the knight spent the rest of his days under the oppressive thumb of Aiysamor. A woman who would bend to no one, much like all the women before her, and all the Scarlatt women who would come after her.

It was a begrudging peace between the two houses. As long as the Scarlats maintained the peace between the Northern and Southern regions in the name of the crown, the crown would largely leave the Scarlatts in relative solitude. 

Chapter Text

Despite the exhausting 4 days and a minor near-death experience, Ulyseon felt quite good. The goblin horde had been eliminated, so the expedition was a success without any real injury and a tale of glory to tell his superiors. Particularly Sir Ursuline and later, hopefully, if he could, the Commander.

Uyseon regaled Sir Ursuline and the remaining group of junior and senior knights with his evasion of the small horde that had separated and surrounded him on the first day. Though the others seemed to have their eyes cast downward, focused on the food and alcohol that had been placed in front of them, Sir Ursuline left his wine untouched. Sir Ursuline’s eyes were closed, and his arms crossed over his chest. The fingers of his right hand lightly thrummed the armored bicep of the left. Seeing how concentrated his superior was on his story, Ulyseon made sure to emulate Sir Gabel’s way of speaking with poetic flourishes and small jokes thrown in. But amid his tale, he felt himself trail off into mumbling.

A warm, beckoning glow, unlike anything Ulyseon had ever known, pulled his attention to the base of the inn’s steps and led him to the frame of a young woman he had never seen before. Her clothes and cloak were neutral and dark, rejecting all light and definition, but the deep chestnut hair braided down her back was almost iridescent, seeming to drink in the warmth of the fire and hold it. The luster of her hair was in direct contradiction with her drab clothes; in fact, she seemed to be awash with dissension. The girl was tall for her gender, but her manner was dainty and restrained as she slowly looked about the jovial tavern. Her attire was humble and worn like most other common women, but her back remained straight, and her violet eyes bright and focused like a high-born lady.

The young woman continued to stand in the spot at the bottom of the stairs, oblivious to the young knight who watched her from across the room with thoughts spinning through his head. Instead, her eyes focused on the opposite corner of the tavern. Ulyseon watched a line in her brow appear and deepen.

“Uly.”

Ulyseon started and looked to Sir Ursuline, his eyes now opened and narrowed in his direction. Sir Ursuline began to turn in the direction of the girl, but before the senior knight could catch a glimpse of her, a man’s scream of pain cut through the air of the tavern. Ursuline’s head snapped to attention, and the knights stood all at once looking in the direction of the scream, just in time to witness a man fall to the floor with a young boy’s foot firmly planted on his neck. Quickly, the boy pulled a dagger from the man’s leg, eliciting another scream, and stabbed it through the foot of a man in the corner. A third man with short dark hair attempted to stop the boy when a tankard of ale flew through the air over the knights and hit the man firmly in the back of the head, causing him to turn and realize his predicament.

The man’s eyes darted to the Remdragon symbol on Ursuline’s armor, and immediately, he ran to exit the tavern. Seeing the man run, the young boy stopped his pummeling of the man he had pinned to the floor and pulled his dagger out of the other man’s foot to give chase to the third.

“Ulyseon, Morrow, come with me, the rest of you deal with this!” Ursuline gestured towards the men groaning in the corner.

“Halt!” Ursuline bellowed as they exited the tavern and onto the busy streets.

Villagers turned to look in their direction, wondering what would cause the Remdragon knights to make such a commotion, and their faces twisted in confusion when they saw a large man being chased by a dirty boy and the boy being chased by three knights.

“I said halt!” Ursuline bellowed again. If the boy heard him, he had chosen to ignore Ursuline as he only quickened his pursuit of the man. Ulyseon saw the boy grab a clay pot from a merchant they passed, and before the knights could close the gap between themselves and the boy, the boy lobbed the pot with all his might at the back of the third man's head.

It connected with a loud shatter, and the man collapsed onto the ground, his body curling in pain as blood began to drip from his head to the cobbled street below. But only a second later the boy was upon him, grabbing the man by his long, grubby hair now streaked with red, and dragging him in the direction of the docs. The man’s feeble kicks failed to free him from the boy’s firm grip.

He’s damned fast

Ulyseon slowed slightly, confused at what the boy planned to do. But Sir Ursuline seemed to realize what the boy intended for the downed man and raced forward until he was directly in front of them.

Ulyseon whispered to Morrow, “Get the mage here as soon as possible.” Morrow nodded and slipped away while the boy’s focus remained on Ursuline, his grip still firmly on the hair of the groaning man.

“Enough,” Ursuline’s voice was firm, “ Release him. All four of you are now in the custody of the Remdragon knights for this disturbance. Drop your weapon and come quietly.”

The boy merely stared back at Ursuline, his right hand locked on the man's hair and a dagger in his left. Being this close, Ulyseon could see the young boy’s face had no sign of facial hair despite his height, a full head shorter than Uly, he was tall for his age, of what must have been 13. The boy’s clothes were worn and covered in cheap, ill-fitting leather armor. Infinite flecks of dirt disguised the freckles on his brown skin. And the same dirt spotted throughout short, mussy, dirty blond hair with bangs that stuck out wildly. He hadn’t bathed in days, and the long-dried blood stains on his clothes suggested they were violent ones.

Is this boy a mercenary?

The boy's breathing was heavy, but he remained silent, his oddly familiar violet eyes sharp and studying.

His voice was a raspy tenor when he finally spoke, “And who are you supposed to be, eh?”

“Ursuline Rikaydo, 2nd in command of the Remdragon Knights. And you are?” he spoke, letting his irritation seep through.

“No one important, Sir Second in Command. Just a mercenary settling a simple financial dispute with other mercenaries. Surely not an uncommon occurrence? There’s no need for anyone to be in custody; it's a simple dispute, nearly resolved.” The boy tugged on the man’s hair again, causing him to groan anew. He looked back at Ursuline and smiled.

“However, you may feel about it, Anatol has laws that must be abided by, and you and your friends are in violation-”

The boy scoffed, “Is this what you call friends?”

Ulyseon reached the limit of his patience. “Enough! Lay down your weapon!” The fact that this street urchin turned mercenary thought he could speak to a Remdragon Knight like this was appalling.

The boy’s smile dropped, his eyes flitting from Ulyseon to Ursuline before he stilled. And then, like a statue come to life, his mouth cracked wide across his face, both rows of his teeth exposed, his lips curling in slightly. If not for the slight upturn at the corners of his mouth, it would be impossible to call it a smile.

“I thought there were three of you?’

Before anything more could be said, an explosion sounded in the direction of the tavern. Ulyseon turned just in time to catch the junior knights they had left behind sprawled out into the street, surrounded by splintered wood and glass.

“What in the name of…” he heard Ursuline mutter to himself. Quickly, they looked to each other, and then back towards the boy, but only found the third man out cold, and a space where the urchin once stood.

***************************************

The ale at this Inn was bad. Certainly worse than anything Winnie had stolen from her father's cellar. Once, she would’ve spit something like this out onto the floor and demanded wine, but it had been so long since then. Now, all she did was wince. Since Winnie and Lida’s stranding in the village of Anatol over a year ago, there had been no luxuries or rest, just work and bad ale. Truly terrible ale.

The Inn was relatively clean and usually quite uneventful. With decent enough food, and owners uninterested in asking their patrons many questions. Despite being effectively trapped there, Anatol was not a bad town. From her dark corner of the common area, Winnie could see the happy patrons, drinking and conversing with little animosity, engulfed in the inn’s warm candlelight. She thought of the banquets her father held for the clan. Back then, Winnie would drink as much mead as she pleased and pile her plate high with fine meats and bread. Back then, her face probably resembled that of the Anatolian villagers now. Winnie took another gulp of ale and grimaced, but before she could take a bite of bread, she caught sight of gray armor and blue capes entering the Inn, lulling the patrons into an awed silence for a moment.

Winnie scowled. She had seen the Remdragon knights from afar before when she and Lida were first stranded in Anatol. They had been drunk and rowdy, courting the local women; no better than the crude mercenaries she was forced to work with, heroes of the continent be damned. Winnie ripped off a piece of bread to scoop stew into her mouth as she observed the knights, curious as to the reason for this rare appearance. An absurdly clean blonde, blue-eyed knight motioned for the barmaid to bring drinks. They seemed tired. Perhaps a bit beat up as well. Her gaze darted to his left side, where a silver-haired knight with long hair tied back spoke emphatically to the other five knights around him, slumped in their chairs. Curious, Winnie strained herself to try and hear the conversation when a large, dark figure suddenly blocked her, speaking in an abrasive tone,

“Wynne. Didn’t think we’d catch you here, boy.”

When they first arrived in Anatol, Lida had been so ill that Winnie worried her sister might die. In fear, she left the boat to take Lida to a healer. Using some of the money that Finn had given them, she paid a mercenary mage they found for herbs and advice. By the time Lida’s health improved, the boat had long departed, and the girls had used the last of their money to rent a room. Forcing Winnie to find a way to make money fast. Per her command, Lida cut Winnie's hair until it was barely past her ears, and Winnie took on the task of helping them survive through the only work she could do.

Winnie looked up through her hair at the three mercenaries in front of her. With different mercenary groups, some were more respectful than others. But all under the impression that she was a young boy they could push around.

These men in front of her were large, but they were sloppy. Nothing to be concerned about. Winnie put her head back down and focused on dunking bread into her stew.

“Novak.” She stuffed the broth-covered bread into her mouth and wiped her chin clean. Thinking that ignoring him would make him and his cronies leave.

Instead, Winnie heard a chair scrape against the floor and internally grimaced, but didn’t lift her eyes from her meal. Winnie dipped her bread back into her stew, but paused when she saw Novak’s hand reach over towards her tankard. Shelooked into Novak’s ruddy dirt-covered face, his broken teeth fully on display in a broad twisted smile.

“You don’t mind.” His dark, empty eyes never broke contact with hers as he took several gulps of her ale and then set the tankard down.

Winnie knew reacting too quickly could be trouble, being so outnumbered. Novak’s grimy underlings were still standing, flanking his sides, waiting for Winnie to give them a reason to attack. She slowly moved her right hand under the table and onto her knee, and rested her cheek onto her closed left fist. She smiled.

“To what do I owe this pleasure, Novak?” Winnie’s grin forced wide.

He leaned forward slightly, and the stale stench of alcohol wafted off his person. He had been drinking for days. Winnie felt her grin widen.

“ Just wanted to congratulate you. Heard you had a pretty fruitful excursion. How lucky…”  Novak lifted the tankard back to his cracked mouth, but not before fumbling a bit first.

Winnie’s smile grew even wider.

“Is that what you’re here for then?”

“Seems only fair. Seeing as Novak here was the first to take you on, brat.” One of the minions finally spoke in a low, slurred voice. Winnie’s cheeks tingled in pain, her grin at its limits. After the day she had, this would be an easy way to let off steam. Easier than she originally thought.  She almost felt pity for these three drunkards.

There were several beats of silence, both sides waiting to see who would make the first move, staring each other down. Novak’s sinister grin and drunk goons against Winnie’s face-splitting smile.

“How’s your sister Wynne?”

Winnie stabbed Novak’s outstretched leg underneath the table and laughed.

Chapter Text

Everything blurred as Winnie weaved through the chaos of Anatolians running in every direction. The air rushed past her face as she ran, hearing only the sound of breathing and her feet hitting the ground. Despite all that was happening around her… what had just happened… she couldn’t help but laugh. 

Moments like this, like when she was in the Anatolian mountains running from and killing monsters, she could almost trick herself into believing she was still in Balto, if only for a minute or two, hunting in Gredham forest with her father and brother again. Something Lida didn’t do, instead, she would study.

“Thank god she did!”

Winnie had no idea Lida even knew a spell like that, but when she saw the wall of the inn burst open with flame and wind, she knew her sister was the reason. All that was left to do was to meet her sister at the agreed-upon spot at the edge of the town and the forest behind the brewer’s cottage, knowing Lida, she had likely already made it there. And Winnie would make sure they wouldn’t end up cornered by those knights again, Lida wouldn’t have enough manna to save them again if they did.

“I’m coming, Lida!” Winnie yelled into the air before bubbling over with exhilarated laughter, She couldn’t stop until she heard a man’s voice bellowing behind her.

“Halt! Halt immediately!” Winnie glanced behind and at once recognized the silver-haired Remdragon behind her, one of his hands on the hilt of his sword while the other was up and out, trying to keep the frantic villagers out of the way.

“Dammit, just give up!” Winnie yelled back at him. Once she and Lida met up, they would be lying low for several months until everything got back to normal. If she were a knight, she would already be back at another tavern drinking wine, not running after some young mercenary over a minor explosion.

But the knight only kept up his pursuit. 

Winnie looked back in front of her for a way to escape his line of sight, and once she spotted a low-hung sign for one of the shops, she didn’t think twice before running towards it and clinging onto its metal. Almost frantic, she scrambled up the side of the building until she was standing atop it. Then, she pulled herself up to the roof of the shop, running across the village rooftops to try and reach the meeting spot.

Despite the height and the uneven footing of the rooftops, Winnie still pushed herself to run as fast as she could. If the knight followed her to her sister, they might arrest them both, or worse. She knew how the knights were in Balto, and a young woman like Lida against them was not a risk Winnie was willing to take. Hearing fewer villagers running about, Winnie looked down towards the street to still find the knight below, looking back at her as he tried to keep pace.

Winnie scowled before taking a series of unexpected detours until finally she couldn’t hear the clanking of armor. Once she was sure there was no sight of the Remdragon pest, Winnie continued back the direction of the meeting spot, slowing down to a jog and remaining close to the shadows, just in case the knight caught back up. But luckily, she seemed to have lost him completely. Winnie breathed a sigh of relief, the air finally returning to her lungs in full before she came to a stop when she could see the brewer’s home and the forest’s edge, but no Lida. At least, not at first.

Initially, Winnie couldn’t see the figures in grey armor, but when she heard the clanging of metal, she looked further right to see at least 5 Remdragon knights and three werewolves amid combat. At that very moment, Winnie felt the sinking feeling of defeat, or what would have been defeat, when she realized the silver-haired knight was merely a distraction while the rest of his company was to cut her off from the other direction.

Bastards!

For a moment, she watched the way they fought in unison, one parrying while the other slashed, others guarding the back of the other. If they weren’t so annoying, Winnie would be impressed with how in sync they were. But once they had downed another werewolf, Winnie scoffed and began to turn away from the scene and to search for Lida. She was almost onto the next rooftop when she heard a voice call out,

“Ulyseon, guard her!”

Winnie turned again and looked closer.

Her?

She scanned the ground around the knights,  catching sight of werewolf corpses she had not seen before. And now, in the shadow of a lone tree, she saw the silver-haired knight standing with his sword drawn, and behind him a brown haired girl with her hands behind her back seated against the trunk.

Winnie leapt down from the rooftop and towards the brewer’s house to pull his axe from the tree stump in front of it, running towards Lida without a pause. 

          ***************************************************

Just as Morrow fell to the ground by Ulyseon’s feet, clutching his ribcage, the boy appeared by his side. Ulyseon looked into the boy’s eyes and made a decision instantly.

“Guard them! And do not move from this spot!”

When the boy merely nodded, Ulyseon waited for no further response before running to the aid of his comrades. Usually, werewolves were quickly dealt with, but after days of campaigning and fewer numbers, it was taking everything that they had. Ulyseon reached Sir Ursuline’s side to guard the senior knight’s back as he moved forward and cut the head of he last werewolf. When he heard one of the junior knights call out,

“On the left!”

When Ulyseon turned to see teeth and red eyes snarling and barreling down on him, he put his feet in position and placed both hands on the hilt of his sword, bracing for the creature. When it leapt forward, Ulyseon swung his blade back, ready to bring it back forward to gut the beast, but as its large body cut through the air, suddenly every muscle in its humanoid form spasmed violently. Letting a guttural yelp, the werewolf twitched for only a second more before going limp, its body crashing into the ground with a loud thump in front of Ulyseon, the boy close behind it.

They were all silent for a moment, gawking at this dirty boy who seemed oblivious to the shock on the knights’ faces as he pulled an axe from the back of the werewolf’s head and wiped the blood against the sparse grass below them. Blood spurted forward from the back of the monster’s skull, and the stench of it made the boy wince. Grumbling to himself, the boy used his left hand to try and dust off his clothes and hair. Ulyseon scoffed at the uselessness of the action, which seemed to snap the boy back to attention. Their eyes met briefly before they both looked in the direction of the girl who had been untied and was silently backing away, before everyone’s eyes had turned towards her. When Ulyseon looked back at the boy, his eyes were firmly on Sir Ursuline, his hand tight on the hilt of the axe

**************************************************

Winnie readied herself against the blonde knight whom she gleaned to be the leader of this small group, slowing her breathing and her muscles tensing until she felt like a human spring. 

The blonde knight still had his sword in hand, but his grip was loose, and the blade pointed toward the earth below.

“Wait…” he cautioned, his blue eyes cold, but not as stern as they had been when they were in front of the tavern.

Winnie wasted no time in hearing what the pompous man wanted to say before charging toward him. If she took him on first, an injury severe enough to make his comrades worry about him, but not enough to cause lasting harm, then it would give Winnie and Lida a window, or at least Lida. Winnie raised her axe, ready to bury it into the knight’s armor-covered left shoulder, when a bright light obscured her sight. After several seconds, when she could see again, the world was tilted towards her, and the edges of her vision blurred. Winnie’s legs were heavy and dragged despite her best efforts. 

When her legs finally gave out, Winnie tried to push off the ground but only crumpled further into it, dirt flying into her mouth. Sound had muffled around her, but not enough to block out the sound of Lida screaming forward, causing Winnie to renew her efforts to crawl her way to the blond knight, but while she could see the knight in front of her, he got no closer. An unfamiliar sound spoke above her head.

“Dammit, he’s persistent isn’t he?”

“It took you long enough.” The pompous bastard scolded.

The voice retorted, indignant, “Well, apologize that I rightly assumed you lot would merely get a drink and then leave for the castle, as I was told. Who the devil is this boy? He’s still awake!”

Throughout their exchange, Winnie had continued to try and continue to fail to get back on her feet, but her body just grew heavier and heavier. Now her hearing was too fuzzy to even hear Lida.

The voice was closer now, it seemed like whoever this person was, they were kneeling beside her.

“Well, let’s try this again,” their tone exasperated.

When a bright light flashed again, Winnie didn’t even feel her head meet the ground as everything went completely dark.

Chapter Text

Winnie wouldn’t go back until nightfall.

Though the day was nearly half over, she had caught nothing, and how angry Lida had been over Winnie’s disobedience; all that awaited her was Tegrynne’s nagging when she returned, so she stayed rooted to where she was crouched. And if Winnie heard one more word about “the duties of a lady,” her brother would come home to a dead wife. Surely, Loccran would prefer she disobey his orders to stay in the castle than negotiate yet another fight between his sister and the mother of his firstborn son.

Gredham Forest was unusually quiet that day. Many times she had gone to the forest and leaned against an old tree just to listen to the animals scurry about as if she didn’t exist. The overgrown, dark green foliage and moss-covered limbs usually brought Winnie a strange comfort, but that day, all her usual hiding nooks felt strangely exposed, like there were eyes she couldn’t see watching her. The only sound she had heard by that point was what sounded like a distant scream, and it unsettled her enough to make her venture further North than usual.

Even if this trip was a ploy to get out from under sister-in-law’s thumb, Winnie still had no intention of going back home empty-handed. Up until that day, she never had. 

Winnie bit her lip in frustration and relieved herself from crouching behind the oak. She stretched one leg out, briefly rubbing her thigh before setting her bow and quiver down at her side. Once she readjusted her sword, she put her full weight against the moss-ridden trunk of the oak and used her teeth to rip a piece of the jerky she had brought. When she pulled out her dagger and began carving patterns into the raised root of the tree, she sighed. Now the only sounds in the forest were her open-mouthed chewing and metal scraping, moisture softened wood.

“I should go back….”

Winnie hunched her shoulders and signed again, digging the heavy silver dagger deeper into the root. Its engravings were mostly obscured by the shadows of the forest, but every so often the elaborate “S” on the base of the hilt would catch the light and wink at her as she carved, leaving Winnie with a sick, guilty feeling.

The dagger was one of the birthday gifts Loccran had gotten her. It was a gift she loved very much, and all he asked in return was that she remain in the castle… Loccran could’ve just given Winnie the locket he had given Lida and be done with it. She was supposed to be a lady after all, that’s what Tegrynne was always nagging about, she was supposed to be a Lady, and real Ladies didn’t need daggers. Just a year from the majority, and she was still… like this. But Loccran still had this dagger made for her because he knew she would value it more than any locket. Hell, as expensive as books are, he got Lida one of those giant tomes she was always facing over..

 Carving nonsense symbols was not tempering her guilt..

“Why couldn’t I just stay in the damned castle..” Pouting, Winnie was about to ready herself to leave when what sounded like the same scream from earlier ripped through the forest air. 

Winnie hurried back into a crouch and glanced about, her dagger firmly in hand. When she noticed how forcefully she was breathing through her nose, she deepened her breathing until it went quiet. But still, she could hear nothing further, and nothing came into view.

Winnie moved in the direction of the scream, putting her weight on the front soles of her boots, avoiding every root and stick that littered the ground. Whatever it was, she would get to it before it got to her. 

As she approached, Winnie began to hear a noise, like a whispering or murmuring, but nothing intelligible. For a moment, she paused, wondering if she should turn around, but when she thought back on how the day went, the hunt, she continued forward. Winnie continued to draw close, and the sounds got louder, but still too difficult for her to understand. 

Quicker now, Winnie was just a couple of steps away, and a shadowy figure became visible from behind the depths of the trees. Her muscles tensed, ready to jump upon the neck of whatever it was. The whispering grew louder still, and yet it was still impossible for Winnie to understand. But before Winnie could launch herself forward, the sound of a stuttering whistle made her stand straight up. It was shaky and harsh, but once she heard it, Winnie knew who the creature was.

Winnie loosened her grip on the dagger and walked through the last bit of foliage that separated her from the large figure. The leaves parted to reveal a young woman, in a plain grey dress and thick grey cloak with long, rich brown hair in a single braid, seated upon a horse. A young woman almost exactly like herself.

“Lida? What the hell are you doing here?

Her sister snapped her head back to look at her. Her eyes were red from the tears that streaked down her face, and her pink mouth quivered so much that it made Winnie laugh a little.

“Why  are you dressed like that?”  Winnie gave a brief look at Lida’s drab, grey clothes, clothes she didn’t know her sister even possessed.“Did Tegrynne make you? Something like, ‘ a lady must-”

“W-w—Winn-“  Lida broke off in a sob and all at once leapt off her horse to catch her twin in a tight embrace.

“L-loccran.. he’s dead, Winnie. It was Rhys and then….n-now it’s us and we have to leave, leave Batlo!”

Lida gripped her tighter and continued to sob, and struggled through a story that Winnie couldn’t even hear over the ringing in her ears. Lida’s hug turned suffocating as Winnie’s body got hot and still with a feeling she knew all too well. Not even six months ago, it had been her father, and now…

Winnie looked down at her sister for a moment, and for a moment, she thought, just maybe this was a lesson. That Lida was mad enough about her running off that this was her way of making her sorry, but that suspicion left as soon as it arrived. Adelida Scarlett was a lot of things, but never so petty as to play with death. Winnie felt guilty for even considering it, and that guilt combined with the other was crushing. 

Winnie gently pried her sister away from herself, keeping her hands firmly on her shoulders and looking her tear-filled eyes, and for the first time looked past her sister’s sadness and saw fear. It’s why she came to find Winnie instead of leaving with Tegrynne and Wyott. Lida needed her to he strong. Lida used her thumbs to wipe the tears from her sister’s face and finally hugged her back. As they embraced, Winnie could feel Lida begin to quiet, her shaking dying down as she buried her face into Winnie’s shoulder. 

When Winnie felt that she had calmed down enough, she ran back to where she had left her items and gave Lida the bow, quiver, and small ration of food, keeping the sword and dagger for herself. Winnie grabbed Lida by the arm and took her to the horse, placing her on the saddle and jumping on behind her. Once settled, she grabbed the reins and took them in the direction of Cardan territory.

Chapter Text

Winnie struggled to open her eyes when she felt the sunlight on her face. Her eyelids had never felt so heavy, and she had soreness in places she never even thought about, groaning in pain as she shifted. After a couple of seconds of struggle, she was able to open her eyes just enough to see an oak door that looked nothing like the one at the inn, which made Winnie’s eyes widen instantly. She moved to sit up but found that both of her wrists were bound behind her back and to the cot beneath. Winnie looked down at her body and saw she was still in the same clothes she remembered wearing, though the sheath on her thigh was woefully empty, and found her ankles tied together as well. It was when she caught a glimpse of her locket that she began to panic.

Lida

 Winnie could remember returning to the town, going into the tavern, and waiting for Lida, but..

“Better to escape now and ask the rest later.”

But when she tried to lift herself from the unfamiliar cot, almost immediately she could feel her head get heavy and every muscle in her body alight with pain, sending her back down to the cot.

When she turned her head to look at the other side of the room, Winnie saw a line of beds and a desk with papers and various glass vials scattered across it, but besides the desk, the space was relatively clean and organized. And it gave no clue to where she was or how. 

Winnie closed her eyes and strained to listen.

There were distant sounds of metal clanging and human voices, but no words she could make out. Occasionally, she could hear footsteps going by the structure, but that was all. Winnie growled in frustration and resolved to ignore her searing pains and focus again on breaking her restraints. She rubbed her hands together and tried to pry her ankles apart, but nothing broke or shifted. She tried again, and again, until she heard voices and froze,

Voices and footsteps were getting closer and louder.

She renewed her efforts and tried to break free, but soon enough the door creaked open to reveal a frail white white-haired man in a robe and a pompous-looking blonde knight in a simple black tunic and light armor. Winnie’s jaw tensed at the sight of the blonde, and all at once, what had happened last night flooded back to her.

“Sir Second-in-command”

“So you are awake?” 

The knight’s voice was calm and proper, like he spoke to furious imprisoned people all the time. 

“  Though I see you haven’t settled down much from the incident three days ago.”

“Three days?!” 

Winnie pulled against her restraints while the knight perched himself on the bed opposite to her, crossing his ankles and arms in front of himself, while the white-haired man went behind the desk. Her eyes darted between the two.

What the hell are they planning?!

“You and your sister caused quite the commotion in town. The inn-owners said they need the whole front of the building replaced from that little stunt she pulled.”

Winnie couldn’t fight her grin.

The knight frowned, “ Funny, is it?”

“I said nothing, Sir Second in Command.”

A line appeared on the man’s forehead, “Sir Ursuline Rikaydo, is preferred.”

Winnie scoffed, “ Matters not to me. Where's my sister?”

“She’s nearby. You are both currently being held at Sir Riftan Calypse’s castle. In his generosity, he had your sister examined for injury, and when she refused to let our mage here examine you,” he gestured his head towards the white haired man, “he let her do it herself.”

“I would like to be released and see her, Sir Ursuline Riakydo.” 

Sir Ursuline held back what appeared to be a scoff. “All things considered, you are too much of a menace to release without consequence, boy. That much is clear.”

Winnie turned her back to the man, instead facing the desk where the mage sat, looking quite bored by Winnie's attempt to glare him down. Until Lida was presented, she had no intention of this conversation continuing any further. 

“ Do you have a name, boy? Family, besides that sister of yours?”

Winnie remained silent, keeping her face as impassive as possible. If he was asking these questions, then her sister clearly hadn’t said anything to them.

The mage spoke up in a tired drawl, “Sir Ursuline, perhaps a new method is needed. Maybe we have Sir Herbaron come in and talk to the boy? It seems he might be better able to speak with this kind of person.”  

Winnie turned to lie flat on her back to look at the ceiling, maintaining her silence.

After a pause, Sir Rikaydo spoke again. 

“What do you believe we hope to gain through holding you like this, boy, hm? Money? We have that, likely much more than you could offer. We clearly won’t be imprisoning you, yet. What do you think you’re here for?”

“I couldn’t care less,” she spat, “Whatever you idiots plan to do with me, it does not matter. Though I am shocked that knights would hold an innocent girl like my sister-”

“Innocent?” the mage guffawed, “She blew up an inn! Is that what young maidens do now? Destroy property?” Winnie clenched her jaw shut again. Another tense silence held the air.

Sir Ursuline spoke again, his tone much calmer, “ The fact of the matter is, there was damage done because of actions taken by you and your sister. Upon further investigation, we realized that you are both unable to compensate those affected properly. The owners of the Inn say you and your sister have been living there for a little over a year and a half now, is that true?”

Winnie’s fists clenched at her side, but she kept her gaze on the ceiling and remained silent.

Sir Ursuline continued, “They say they’ve even been charging you and your sister a lower rate to be able to afford living there. Knowing that, it is not in our practice to imprison two children for not having money, but we also can not allow what happened to pass without consequence. So we have come up with a solution that should be amenable to everybody.”

A chill went through Winnie’s body in fear of what these men would suggest, and knowing that she was in no position to stop anything. She turned to study Sir Ursuline in a futile attempt to read his thoughts, but he merely looked down at her with an impassive expression and blue eyes that held no warmth. She gave up on reining in her emotions. Winnie glared at the knight, willing a response from him, but he remained still, and Winnie did the same until the Wizard spoke.

“You can work here and pay off your debts,” clearly frustrated by the stalemate between the two.

Winnie burst into laughter at the absurd notion, “Work how? As a stable boy?!” Winnie did her best to fight through her laughter, “I’d pay it off faster killing monsters over shoveling horse shit, I’ll pay off some of the damage done now and,-”

“You’d rather be a mercenary than a knight?”

Winnie’s laughter died in her throat.

Chapter Text

“…What?” Winnie’s response was muted and hoarse

Sir Ursuline continued, “ Of course, you would not be a knight first, but a squire. And with your skill, you would be a good squire, and presuming you grew and proved yourself, you could be a great knight too. And, you would not be able to run off without paying your debt.

“When we spoke to your sister, she seemed to feel that you joining our ranks would be for the best.” The man was still at the desk, rifling through various papers throughout the conversation.

Winnie tensed, ”And she is?”

“They will bring her down to the infirmary any moment now. Which means there is still time for you to make a decision.” Sir Ursuline looked at the shoulder of his tunic and flicked at something with his thumb and middle finger.  “What is your sister’s name, boy?

Winnie thought about saying nothing, but remembered that nothing had deterred their incessant talking; instead, she sighed, “Lida.”

“And how old is she?”

Winnie paused again, her mind rushing for a safe response. “She is… not yet 15.” That gave them time. Almost 2 years before they tried to marry her off, and by then, maybe, they could find Tegrynne and Wyatt. Maybe, by then, they could go back…

Ursuline’s voice broke through her thoughts, “Well, that gives you time, does it not?” Winnie’s breathing hitched,

“You join us, and take some years to save for your sister’s dowry. Until then, she will have someplace safer to stay.”

“Here?”

Sir Ursuline nodded. 

Winnie studied the man again and tried to understand the man’s motives, but though his demeanor seemed cold, it wasn’t dishonest. Answer frustrated her. 

“Why are you all putting so much effort into me joining your ranks? The money can’t be the only reason.”

The knight looked over Winnie and to the Mage, prompting the white-haired man to speak,

“How old are you?”

“Oh god, enough! Answer-”

“You look no older than 14. Am I right? And you’ve been a mercenary for almost 2 years, according to the innkeeper and his wife.”

Winnie cursed the gossiping couple under her breath, but they made continued.

Lord Calypso was once like you. Joined mercenary ranks at a young age but showed such promise that he became a Remdragon knight, and now, he’s one of the heroes of this land. I’m sure even you have heard his name.” He gave Winnie a pointed look, “ So, he knows better than most how you and your sister have lived until now.  I was a mercenary myself and know it’s not an easy life.” The mage crossed his arms over his chest and leaned forward slightly, “Can you honestly say you’d rather live in an inn and fight with fellow mercenaries for the rest of what could be a short existence, than see if you can make a home for yourself and your sister in this castle?”

His speech left Winnie with no thoughts on how to respond, and so for several moments, everyone in the infirmary sat in silence. Winnie noted the sunlight streaming through the window and thought to herself of all the duties these men should be attending to, not speaking with some teenage vagrant. But they remained in their same spots. Looking at her as if there were no other pressing errands.

The silence was broken when the sound of footsteps and an opening door broke the three-way staring contest. Two maidservants and a large orange-haired knight entered the room with Lida in tow. Lida’s hair was escaping her braid, and she seemed a bit nervous, but otherwise, she was unharmed. When her eyes landed on Winnie tied to the infirmary bed, she gasped and started to dart towards her, but was stopped by the knight’s burly hand grabbing her shoulder.

His voice was loud and jovial. “Have we come to a decision here?” The easy smile on his face was in direct contrast to the overall mood of the room.

Sir Ursuline turned to Winnie, “I believe we are about to find out Sir Herbaria.”

Just once more, Winnie scanned the space for a possible escape, but it was just as fruitless as it had been before. But this time, when she stopped looking for an exit, her eyes found Lida’s, and she could see the dark circles under her sister’s eyes. She was reminded of how much weight her sister had lost since they had first arrived in Anatol, and it all felt like a knife to her heart. There was no better option.

“My sister is my mage and goes where I go. If she can stay here, I’ll agree to your terms.”

“I’m sure we can find a place for her here, right Ruth?” Sir Herbaria gave a knowing smile to the mage.

The mage only shrugged in response.

“Excellent!” Sir Herbaria boomed, “Well, let’s get these two settled, and then the lad can join training with the rest of the squires by tomorrow. What’s your name, boy?”

Winnie’s gaze moved back to Lida before she answered, “Wynne. Just Wynne”