Cauldenvale

Fire of Change

From the City of Lanis, a message was sent out, a message that had come from the North. A message that would change the world forever. Every notice board in the kingdom held this message: "The Kingdom is at War! Your Country Needs your Service! Join Her Majesty's Army now." underneath of which showed a terrible countenance of Sarai pointing towards the North. Underneath this terrible poster, a different message was posted: "In The North! The Sky has Fallen! A Star, all the way from Space, has Come to our Earth. Be the First to Discover it's Mysteries and President Shainen will Grant Rewards Beyond your Wildest Dreams!!"

"Hmmph, as if the sky was actually falling." Sarai muttered under her breath, reading the sign as they rode into Ghol.

Ghol was not a nice little village, With Respect to Raven, Ghol was tiny, it was only slightly nicer than a pigsty, it's roads were mud, and it's residences were small wooden structures, hardly better than twigs, bound together with hemp fibers. No wonder a small child's accidental firestarting abilities had destroyed it.

The three travelers recieved strange looks as they rode through Ghol. Adults would curse after they passed by, and children would stop and stare at the strangers. It was only once that they were asked their names, and that was by an old blind woman, probably a beggar, though that didn't really distinguish her from any of the other residents of the village.

"Ignore her." Raven said, urging Golgotha ahead. At The young man's voice, the old woman shuddered, as though remembering something terrible, but then muttered "No, he ran off. The Firestarter wouldn't come back here."

Sarai and Dara followed behind Raven, eyes darting around suspiciously, Sarai even went so far as to rest her hand on her sword, ready to draw it at any moment. Even Reinhardt appeared uneasy, whinnying whenever he looked around.

"Are you sure we should be here, Raven?" Dara asked

"Do Not Speak My Name, not here, and Yes, I need to be here, I need to fix something, something long broken." He replied

It wasn't long before the three stopped, Sarai and Dara followed Raven's lead, dismounting in front of the Manor house at the far end of Ghol. Raven hesitated for a moment, and then knocked on the door. Inside they could hear someone shuffling around, and then footsteps headed towards the door. After about two minutes, the door opened to reveal a woman, her hair was long and greying, but it looked as though it had been black originally. Her eyes were dull, a sort of blue, once bright, and shining, but now greyish, as though decaying, her face wasn't really much to behold, a working-woman's face, she had to earn her place in this Manor house, it wasn't handed to her on a platter.

"Who are you?" She asked, her voice gruff, soinding like she had smoked a pipe for her entire life

Instead of answering, Raven simply unbelted his cow-skin gloves and showed her his hands. At the sight of that familiar, charred skin, the woman's eyes widened, and her heart began to beat faster than ever.

"It can't be... You ran, you left.... You Destroyed Our Lives!! Your Father and I nearly straved because of You! Get away! All you do is take from Me!" She shouted

"Speak Ye Not of That Which You know Nothing! My Life was as hard as anything you could've experienced! And I've become a better person because of my trials! You have lived here your entire life, stuck in this shithole, living the same day, over and over again, and it has taught you Nothing! Still, You can't even love your own son! I was meant to be the light of your life, but you claim that all I've done is take from you? Perhaps that's what you deserve, woman! The fates have not been cruel to you, as witnessed by your enlarged gullet, but I have lived these last three years among the wilds, surviving on my own will, my own skills. So now, I show you, I show you that I have grown, in my anger, and hatred, I have seen the light, and become the better person." Raven said, and as he finished, he held up his ungloved hand, holding it as though offering her something, and he summoned The Fire. The Blue flames tried to escape, tried to fall to the ground, to set the manor house alight, but he didn't allow them to leave his palm.

"What now dost thou believe in mother? Dost thou believe in your wrathful gods, or the truth presented here? I am more than just destruction, I am Change, and I no longer need an unloving mother."

Raven extinguished his Flames, and turned away from the woman. Beginning to mount Golgotha, he heard her voice one last time, quiet in her shame, she said "I'm sorry."

"Do Not Apologise, Change your ways, then, maybe, I will accept your sorrow."

After Raven scaled Golgotha's massive side, he led the two women away from Ghol, they continued west for some time, before turning South, turning towrad the capitol.

"Fourty Leagues South, lies our doom. Mason will never allow me entrance to the capitol, the Royal Guard will have been told to arrest me for treason... The Capitol Must be Retaken, if we are to succeed." Sarai said, standing in her stirrups.

"We Will Succed. Cauldenvale relies on us now." Dara replied, taking the Queen's hand

"I never cared much for my own home, but I will fight to return yours to you." Raven said behind them.

Meanwhile: Lanis, The Queen's Quarters
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Mason Terrace paced, back and forth, his heavy, leather boots leaving marks in the soft, brightly coloured carpet. As he ran his hands through his long, blonde hair, recently stained by the blood of an innocent man, he stared out at the Capitol, he watched as the masses rejected his leadership, crying out for their Queen, he watched as His city devolved into chaos, there weren't enough guards to keep watch for the Queen and keep the citizens in check, and of course there was The Queen's Guard, a group of rebel guards who were Loyal to the Queen, and refused to fight for the Regent. Instead of protecting the Capitol, they were attacking any guards they could without major risk, and soon Gared's Army would be approaching.

"Perhaps I've bitten off a bit more than I can chew." Mason whispered, biting his lip

Just then, a counsel entered the Queen's chambers, saying "My Regent, The Queen's Guard is attacking the Southern Gate."

At this, Mason thought back, back to merely a month ago, when he had entered these chambers with much the same look on his face, and the exact same tone of voice, and he thought to how the Queen ran away, how she ran from her home, and disappeared

"Maybe she had the right idea..." he muttered

"What should I tell them, Sir?" The counsel asked

"Ah, send any available troops to the Southern Gate, capturing The Queen's Guard is Priority One at this point, We can't have them insighting a greater Rebellion, not now."

"Of Course, Sir."