The Wolf and the Flame

Prologue

    "Dont get distracted, Rosa!" Helia Lykos shouted towards her daughter, the six year old girl holding hands with an undead , dancing with it with a smile as a necromancer street artist played a flute. The man smiled as he played, an exciting melody escaping from his silver flute.
    Rosa turned her head at her mother, her dark blue eyes locking with her mothers'. She giggled and stopped to pat the monkeys head, its black fur feeling fuzzy yet ice cold. She reached down into her black leather boot and pulled out a single gold coin, handing it to the man, who took it with a smile
    "Why thank you, Rosa. Baro looks like he enjoyed the dance. Baro! We earned a gold coin! Come and rest!" The handler chuckled as the chimp screechef happily before walking over and wrapped his arms around the man, its black fur turned slowly into mist until it was only a skeleton.
    Rosa giggled again as she patted the monkeys skull. "Thank you, Baro" She giggled ans stpped back, forming a fist with her right hand and placing it over her heart in a Skian salute. The man chuckled and returned the salute before Rosa turned and ran to her mother.
    Helia smiled down at her daughter as she ran to her side, ruffling her black hair. "Rosa. It is fine to have fun but today is very important" She smiled before picking Rosa up, the little girl wrapping her arms around her mothers neck, nodding at her
    "I know, mommy. Is Daddy going to meet us at the boat?" Rosa knew he wasnt going to be. Her father, Leonidas Lykos, king of Skios, never payed attention to her. As far as Rosa knew, all he did was argue with her aunt and uncle, and always stayed in his war room. Still, she had her hopes up.
    Helia turned her head to avoid the childs hopeful gaze, sighing as she kissed her forehead "Your father is busy but he told me to tell you that he is proud of you, and he will wait eagerly for your training to be complete" She lied, her husband only saying he hoped Rosa returned a strong warrior.
    Rosa looked down sadly, knowing her mother was lying. Helia bit her bottom lip, not knowing what to say to cheer the child up. All she could do was carry the girl, hugging her all she could before being unable to hug her for the next four years.
    As they approached the crowd gathered around the docks, families seeing their children off for training, a male voice laughed before shouting towards the girls.
    "A sad Rosa? This wont do at all! Helia! Why is there no smile on this childs face?" Aetos Lykos laughed as he approached his niece and sister in law, Hestia putting Rosa down so the little girl could run to her uncle, a smile wide on her face.
    Aetos picked her up and tossed her into the air, the both of them laughing as he caught and hugged her, Helia crossing her arms with a smile"She's dowm because of your brother" She sighed before shrugging"You know how he is"
    Aetos looked at Helia, a flash of anger appearing in his grey blue eyes."That idiot. I told him a thousand times that today was important" He looked as Rosa began frowning, sighing before smiling at her"Dont worry, Rosa. I know how to make you happy" He smiled and looked around"PYTHIA!" He shouted into the crowd.
    After waiting for several moments, Helia sighed "How is it she can follow someone through a crowded Shamunran market for several hours and yet a decent crowd here and she's lost?" She shook her head before beginning to walk into the crowd"Aetos! Let's go find her!"
    Aetos nodded and set Rosa down, scratching his short black beard, not wanting to bring Rosa into the crowd in case she somehow got separated from them and got lost herself"Rosa. You stay here while we look for my sister. If you see her, let her know we're looking for her" He smiled as Rosa nodded"Okay, uncle." The small girl sat down as Aetos walked into the crowd
    As she waited, the crowd grew larger, and she had no sign from anyone where her family members were at. She hoped that her mother and uncle hadnt gotten lost in the crowd themselves, but she took her mind off of it by looking around at the kids and adults around her, her eyes settling on a familiar boy her age, his black hair tied back into a ponytail. She got up and walked to greet him
    "Hey, Takizawa!" She smiled, knowing the boy well from his constant visits to the palace with his father, a prominent general in the Skian military
    The boy shifted nervously, looking at Rosa with a flustered look, avoiding her gaze as he mumbled"My name is Khubalai..." He sighed, always annoyed that nobody called him by his first name and only by his family name.
    Rosa giggled and poked his forehead"Takizawa is more fun to say. Where's your mommy and daddy, Takizawa?" She questioned, getting really close to him.
    Khubalais cheeks turned red, Rosa often bothered him when she could, being one of the only friends the girl had"Th-They're talking to a soldier. I got bored so Im taking a walk around the crowd." The boy spoke softly and nervously. He looked around before whispering to Rosa"That soldiers daughter has been following me around." They both looked behind him to see a red headed girl watching them, trying to blend in with the crowd.
    Rosa looked at the girl and then at Khubalai before marching right towards the girl, whos arms were bandaged and there were bruises on her face. This was not uncommon, soldiers beginning their childrens training early. Spars often ended in wounds and bruises, so Rosa thought nothing of it as she got close to the girl and pointed her finger into her face
    "Why are you following Takizawa? He's too weird for a girl to be interested in" She looked into the girls bored  light green eyes, Khubalais eyes widening "Rosa! Dont say mean things like that!" He whined as his gaze shifted between the two.
    The girl looked at Rosas finger for a few moments before she shrugged "I want to fight him." She said blankly, as if it was a normal request. Khubalais eyes widened as he swallowed nervously. He opened his mouth to speak but Rosa beat him to it.
    "Takizawa? Really? You have a better opponent with a dragon egg!" She shouted, putting her hands on her hips. Takizawa sighed, tugging on the sleeve of Rosas grey shirt "Rosa. Stop saying mean things like that!" He whined again in a futile attempt to get her to leave the girl alone.
    The redhead looked at Rosa before putting a finger on her chest "I am Hestia Fotia. If he cannot fight me, you will. When training begins, you and I will be sparring partners" She looked at both of them before running away before Rosa could respond.
   "She's weird" Khubalai frowned as he watched her run away before turning towards Rosa "Are you going to listen to her?"
    Rosa watched the girl run, finding her odd yet interesting. She looked at Takizawa and nodded, poking his forehead "We'll  fight eachother! The theee of us! We'll get big and strong together!" She giggled.
    Takizawa rubbed his forehead, not even bothering to argue with Rosa "A-alright, Rosa..." He sighed, looking up as he spotted Helia and Aetos coming with a hooded woman.
    As they neared, he gave a Skian salute towards them, Aetos laughing and returning the salute "Hello, Takizawa. Keeping our little Rosa company?" He chuckled and turned to the hooded woman "Soon they'll  be honeymooning in the southern seas, eh, Pythia" He smirked and rested his arm on the womans shoulder.
    Both children blushed and turned away from eachother before Rosa approached Pythia, hugging her aunt "Aunt Pythia. You make potions. Can you make a potion to make Takizawa ugly so we dont have to honeymoon?"
    The adults laughed as Khubalai ran up to Rosa and tugged on her arm "Rosa! Stop saying mean things!" He whined as Rosa laughed and poked his forehead yet again "And stop doing that! It hurts my forehead!"
    Helia laughed and knelt down to Takizawa "Your father's  looking for you. Join him before Ajax arrives." She patted the boys head, turning towards Rosa "So. What were you up to while we were away?"
    Takizawa nodded before giving Rosa a hug and running into the crowd. Rosa looked at her mother, Pythia picking the girl up and putting her on her shoulders.
    Rosa placed her hand on Pythias head, playing with her hood "Takizawa and I talked and then this girl, Hestia, came and said she wanted me to be her sparring partners. She was weird" She frowned, thinking about the girl.
    Pythia chuckled "The daughter of Korus. He's one of Yisus best captains so of course his daughter is going to try to live up to expectations. Especially with how strict he is..." She yawned and pressed her thumb on her index finger, cracking it.
    Helia nodded "Not uncommon for  children to establish sparring partners within the first few days of training." She smiled and pinched Rosas cheek "You're already making us proud, Rosa"
    Aetos chuckled and kissed Rosas forehead "These next years will be hard, Rosa. Make friends. Remember your family. Whatever happens, you should never face your trials alone" He smiled and rustled her hair
     Rosa tried to move her head back from her mother and uncles hands, the three adults laughing. Pythia let Rosa down from her shoulders, flicking the girls forehead "Its okay to cry and its okay to be afraid. We all love you and we will miss you"
    Rosa nodded to all of them "I love you all too and I'll  miss you" She wiped a few tears from her eyes, the impact of what was coming finally hitting her.
    Before they could say another word, a loud horn blew, families giving their final goodbyes to their kids before they ran to the front of the crowd.
    Rosa turned back to her mother and hugged her tightly, repeating the same with her aunt and uncle. As she hugged her uncle, she saw a man on a black horse stare at them far from the crowd, more tears falling from her eyes as the rider turned and galloped off into the city.
    Aetos smiled and reached into a bag on his belt, pulling something from it and putting it in her hands "A final gift. Treat it well and it will grow to be a great friend" Rosas eyes widened as she looked at the egg in her hands. It was too small to be a dragon egg but it was still a fairly big egg, needing both of her small hands to hold it carefully.
     Helia smiled and kissed Rosas forehead "Take care of it. Now. Go. Dont be late" She chuckled and wiped tears from her own eyes
    Rosa looked at the egg, nodding at it as she listened to her mother "Thank you, Uncle. I wish I could see you soon" She smiled at them all  before running to the crowd, looking back at her family, and running through, squeezing through the adults around her, holding the egg close to her chest
    As she got to the front, she joined the children lined up, facing forward. Many were crying, some were stone faced, covered in bruises, those who's parents began their training early. She spotted Takizawa, rubbing tears from his eyes, afraid of leaving his father.
   She also spotted Hestia, with the same blank face she had when she approached the two, anticipating what was to come.
   As soon as all the children were in front and in line, a man in a black robe walked in front of them, turning at both the children and the crowd. He banged his black wooden staff on the ground to signal for silence, laughing as everyone quieted down.
    "Today!" He began, his voice booming across the crowd "We send more children of Skios to be warriors! As tradition keeper and Arch priest of the patron god Thanatos, I, Ajax Grisius, bless these children, wishing for the protection of Siasmus and Thanatos upon these brave souls! For the next twelve years, they shall endure grueling training! At the age of ten, they will return home from the island of Kambos, and begin active military service, aiding in ridding our seas of the pirate menace."
    He paused and examined the children, stroking his red beard. As he saw two boys poking at an elvish child , he approached them and smacked the boys hands witb his staff. He turned away as the boys rubbed their hands, one starting to cry. Elves were rare in Skios, only a small percentage of the population sharing elvish blood. Despite their rarity, it was always expected for elves in Skian training to be targetted by their peers. It was up to the childrens instructors and elders to remove this prejudice.
    Ajax shook his head before turning back to the crowd. "At the age of twelve, they shall choose their futures, beginning their studies and training into other occupations. At the age of sixteen, they will choose how they shall end their youth training. Whether it be simple guard duty or active pirate hunting, it shall be their choice. Finally, at the age of eighteen, they shall choose between becoming civillians, or remaining in military service, risking their lives in the Rite!" He turned back to the boys who were picking on the elf boy "In which you must rely on your brothers and sisters in arms in order to survice. A warrior who cannot see an ally where one stands, is doomed to fall"
    He chuckled, pausing as he looked to the rest of the children in front of him, scratching his beard, his booming voice softening as he tapped his staff on the ground. "The journey ahead will be hard. It will be painful. May the gods bless you all for what is to come! Children of Skios! Your training begins now!" He stepped aside, pointing his staff at the ship behind him.
    A horn blew, soldiers began guiding the children onboard the ship. Rosa held her egg close as she stepped onto the ship, waiting on the deck as the ship departed, children waving to their distancing families.
    She stared at the smoke billowing from the volcano in the center of the island, the multi layered city of Parmillos built into the side. It would be a long time before she saw her home again.
    As the island vanished from view entirely, Rosa sat down on the deck, closing her eyes, taking a nap before the hell that was to come.