The rising sun lit the sky of Ursulam with a deep orange color the next morning. The night before a hoarfrost had come, and the entirety of the forest that Axel and Ezmeralda were traveling through was covered in the beautiful crystals, which were themselves illuminated by the light of the sun.

“It is like the trees are glowing.’ Ezmeralda said, looking around her in awe. “As if they are burning.”

Axel nodded. “I’ve seen this once before, a couple years ago. It was the first time in my life that I had seen this sort of frost.”

“I think…I think I’ve seen it somewhere before.” Ezmeralda replied. She was lost in thought, her eyes filled with wonder and nostalgia. “When I was a child.”

“Really? Well then, perhaps you did once live in these lands.” He said, chuckling. It was meant as a joke, be he remembered all too well the music she had played the night before, and realized that he would have to at least respect the fact that this place was her home, where she had been born. He was the one that was the immigrant.

Ezmeralda let go of the reigns and pulled her coat tighter around herself, shivering. “Yes I guess I did, though I must admit that I think I’ve forgotten most of it. It is cold in Aruslam, but it is far colder here.”

“Well, at least you’re still at an advantage compared to me when I first traveled here. I lived in the south, close to Oramare, before coming to live here.” Axel explained. His mind wandered back to the place for a moment, picturing the orange sun rising over the ocean, just as it was now rising over the snowy coniferous forests and hills.

“Why here?” Ezmeralda asked, bringing him back.

“I came to the north fifteen years ago on a campaign with the Paladin. We were hunting brigands that terrorized the Veyorn people. It was here that I met my wife. She came back to the south with a train of refugees to work with the Silver Order. After she died in childbirth, I decided that I would return here to have solitude. I did not think about it as much as I should have. I did not think about raising her child here. It was unwise.” He explained, pausing for a moment. ”You told me that you were sixteen Ezmeralda? Is that correct?”

The young woman nodded. “Yes, though I will be seventeen this spring.”

“Then perhaps you were there. I would not imagine you have any memories of those events however.”

Ezmeralda shrugged. “I do have memories of when I was very young. They are usually frightening, holding to my father or mother in fear, and for a reason I do not remember. Perhaps those memories are related, but I do not recall any knights or bandits.”

“Ah, I would expect as much. I am amazed that you even remember that much.” He said, wondering about the likelihood that he had encountered Ezmeralda before. After all, he had traveled through many Veyorn villages. “May I ask about your family? Who your parents were?”

For a moment Ezmeralda seemed hesitant. Her brow furrowed and she looked downwards to the nigh invisible path that their horses were navigating. Nevertheless, she spoke after a few seconds of silence. “My father was a smith in our village. A skill I now understand was in short supply. My mother was a mage like I am.”

The revelation almost caused Axel to fall from his horse. He had known them. He remembered the couple, a pale skinned female alchemist and a tan brawny blacksmith. The father, Brokkr, had been the leader of their small village, and the between his skills and his wife’s they had been responsible for much of thriving village’s success in the Veyorn wastes. They had one child then, just a babe.

“Well then, we have met before, Ezmeralda, though you were far too young to remember me.” He said, smiling a little as he thought about how incredible the odds were. At that point, Ezmeralda looked back up to him, and her eyes filled with an innocent and expectant gaze that Axel did not understand at first. After a few moments, he understood. She was hoping to hear about them. To gain some little piece of knowledge, a story or a memory of some sort. It made his heart feel heavy when he realized that he didn’t have much to say. “I’m sorry to say that I did not know your parents well. They were skilled in their crafts, intelligent, and they governed the village well. The people there were happier than in other places we traveled, and I think they had those two to thank for it. I’m sorry, but that is all I know.”

“That’s fine.” She said, with a mixture of gratefulness and disappointment. “I’m glad to hear just that much. I remember some from my childhood, but it ended when I was about so young that there isn’t much. It is rather strange to think that we have met before. It is a small world.”

“No.” Axel said, as they crested a hill and gained a view of the mountains and forests stretching out before them. This great expanse was the end of human civilization, and the beginning of lands that had been the realm of wild beasts and mythical creatures since the dawn of time. “It is not.”

“Well, I for one would like to see it all someday.” Ezmeralda remarked. She was looking at the view before them with eagerness, her eyes wide with awe and excitement. Axel realized that she was not worried about the journey ahead of them in the slightest, despite the obvious risks, and this caused him to be concerned. Was she just that overconfident and naïve, or was there something he didn’t know? She had almost died just a week ago, had that not given her some sense?

“Perhaps you will. That is contingent on our success though, so we had best focus on that.” He replied, hoping to hint at the danger of their mission, but not to anger her pride. “You said you knew where this wizard was? And you’re certain your information is correct?”

Ezmeralda nodded. “Definitely. I got it from a reliable source I spoke with.”

“And who would that be, what connection do the two have?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, how should I put it…they’re…well they’re the wizard’s mother. Not their mother by blood, but adopted. She is so sickened with her child’s actions that even she wants her child stopped at this point.” Ezmeralda explained.

Axel shook his head. “Then this must be a terrible person, for their own mother to hate them so much. I know it may be a sensitive subject for you, but anything else about this wizard. Is it a her, a he? What powers do they possess?”

She shrugged. “I’m not sure. I believe it is a he, but if my information is correct they can change their form at will, so you may see anyone or anything. They command fire well, and have a very powerful soul.”

“And the latter is important…because?” he asked, wondering exactly what Ezmeralda even meant by a ‘powerful soul’.

“The soul is the reservoir of energy from which most users of magic draw presence, which is basically just magical energy. The details are a bit more complicated, but in short, your soul holds energy. Projecting that into the world makes magic. Some people have more powerful souls than others. Meditation, personality, and practice all affect this.” She rolled her eyes and sighed at his ignorance before getting back to the point. “What I mean to say is that they have a lot of presence to draw on, and can thus cast very powerful magic. An example would be the curse they sent after Raven. It was a small, tiny piece of their soul, broken off and infused with negative emotions and horrors. They are a great distance away. For it to travel that far without deviating from its path much, and to not die, is an example of how powerful their magic is.”

Axel listened to Ezmeralda’s words. It wasn’t an easy explanation to understand and felt too general to make any honest judgments from, but nevertheless it was important information. He had already known they were facing a powerful enemy though. Any user of magic was dangerous, and for them to be capable of killing Ezmeralda’s parents they would have had to be very strong.

“If I may ask, for the purpose of making tactical decisions, what about you? Would you have any measure to compare your power to this wizard’s? You mentioned that personality is a part of determining this, you are very self-assured, does that mean that you also have powerful magic?”

Ezmeralda paused, considering what he had said for a few seconds. Their horses were navigating the downward slope of the hill fairly well, and the birds were singing their morning songs in the trees. It was hard to believe that they were making plans for battle in such a peaceful moment. Axel reminded himself, however, that some of his most peaceful moments had come before terrible fights for his life.

“My power and theirs is comparable, yes.” She said. “But I wouldn’t say that my personality is necessarily a reflection of that. Not necessarily, anyway. I’m just determined to give back to them what they gave to me.”

“Vengeance may not be the best course of action here. Stopping them from causing more harm, hurting innocents like my daughter, that is a noble cause. Taking revenge though…Ezmeralda that will not lead to anything good.” He chided, realizing that he was scolding her like a child too late.

“Well I don’t care what you think is going to lead me to good things. I’ve waited years for this, planned for it, and I’m not going to stop just because you ask. I didn’t ask you to come along, for that matter.” She retorted, snorting.

Axel held up both hands in surrender. “Forget I said it.”

“Whatever.” She replied, rolling her eyes again. “Where are we going anyway? You said that you had a friend you wanted to bring along? Are we close to him now?”

“Yes, I did. He’s a skilled frontiersman, a ranger, and should be helpful in navigating. That way we don’t get lost in the snow, you for the second time.”

She glared at him for a few seconds in response to the comment, before she relented and.

“Well then, how close are we to finding him? I assume he lives somewhat close by to the village?”

Axel grinned. “We’ve just arrived.”

The knight stopped his horse and dismounted. He knew what was about to happen next, and he knew it was going to be a surprise even for a wizard, or mage, or whatever the child thought she was.

It didn’t take long. Ezmeralda opened her mouth to talk, and what was going to be words turned to a surprised shriek as she ran away from the shadow of a large tree behind her. She ran over to Axel and then turned around to look back at the tree. The young woman inched behind him slowly, her staff outstretched towards the tree. Axel laughed, and clapped his hands together.

“What is it? Frightened?”

“Something touched me.” She said, shuddering. “Something touched me on the shoulder!”

Axel eye the tree, then looked down at Ezmeralda, smiling. “You sure a squirrel didn’t drop a nut on you, or maybe it was bird droppings?”

“No, no, it was a finger, I’m sure. It was- “ she said, and then stopped mid-sentence when she looked up into the tree. Axel was already looking there.

Standing in the needled branches of the tree was a man who was barely visible. He was cloaked in brown and green. His hair was a nut-brown color, short and messy, and he had a toothy grin on his face. When Ezmeralda looked up at him, he jumped outward from the tree and then rolled onto the forest floor.

He stood up and walked towards Axel and Ezmeralda. Axel noticed that Ezmeralda had regained her composure at this point. She had moved past her fright and realized that this was the person they were going to meet, but was also no less perturbed by the newcomer. She glared at him.

“Rolf!” Axel said. He smiled and walked towards the young man. “How’ve you been out here this winter?”

“Still alive!” he said, returning the smile. “Nothing new to report though. The forests are peaceful in the winter.”

“I wouldn’t wish it to be anything else. But tell me, you’re not wanting for anything? If you need food, clothing, or even just a place to stay on the coldest nights, my offer still stands.” Axel said, a hint of pleading in his tone. He wished the young man would see reason, but then again, Rolf had survived as long as he had for a reason.

“I’ll be fine Axel.” Rolf replied. He smirked. “I’ve lived out here long enough not to have to worry about most of those things. I appreciate your offer, as always though.”

“So who is this?” Ezmeralda asked, looking Rolf up and down. “The friend you wanted to help us, I presume?”

“Yes. Lady Elefthera, this is Rolf. He is a ranger that helped me track down a troll sometime back. It had been bothering the village by killing cattle. He was unable kill it himself, due to its rock-hard skin, but once he lead me to it I helped with that part using a mace I’d brought up north with me.” Axel explained.

Rolf shook his head. “You make it sound so easy. If it’d just been the mace I’d have got one sometime. It was your martial skill that beat the creature, Axel.”

“’Martial’, hm, that’s an impressive word.” Ezmeralda chimed in. “Or at least I’d say so, for someone living like…well like you do.”

The young man laughed, then looked over at Ezmeralda. He examined her for a second, the expression of mirth on his face vanishing, to be slowly replaced with curiosity.

“Is that so?” he asked, looking smug. “You know, for someone ‘living like me’, I could quote the entirety of the Winternight poems to you, without missing a word! Is that not impressive?!”

Ezmeralda blushed, and Axel blinked in disbelief. “Rolf, I know you’ve been in the woods a while, but that is not appropriate beha- “

“Oh, I mean…did I just? I’m sorry.” Rolf replied. The young man began to go red in the face as well. It had just dawned on him what he’d said. “I - I didn’t mean it that way! I do know the type of poems they are, b-but it was just the first thing that came to mind and I just meant to point out that-“

“-that you were intelligent. I get it. Thank you for proving the opposite.” Ezmeralda said, trying to change the subject in the hurry. “Good to know then, you’re not just some kid that ran away from home when he was little and got raised by elves. Why are we bringing him again Axel?”

Axel smirked, chuckling at the two’s antics. Who knows, it might not have been such a bad pairing, though he was sure that Ezmeralda’s guardian would never accept it.

“We are bringing him because he knows this entire land like the back of his hand. He’s lived here for quite a while and explored almost every part of it.” The knight explained.

“But despite that, you’re educated?” she asked, directing the question at Rolf. She raised a questioning eyebrow.

Rolf nodded. “Yes. My father taught me to read. I collect books in my tree.”

“Which includes erotic poetry?” she asked, looking at him ever more oddly.

He went red again and sighed. “Yes, anything I can get up here. Please though, forget that. I know poems from Sukarram, the Sitaran Gift! Maybe the poems of Astra? Those are all-”

“So you like romantic poetry? Primarily, anyways.” she said, a grin appearing on her face. “Tell me, do you read anything else?”

“Well you clearly read them, can’t be that bad of material.” He shot back, catching her a bit off guard.

Axel grinned as he watched. Now it was Ezmeralda’s turn to be a bit stunned for a moment. However, she recovered quickly and picked up a reasonable excuse. “It is just standard education for someone of my status in Aruslam. It isn’t all I read though. I can name many other titles too! Ignatius’ Chronicles – a history. The Annals of Ursulam, by Earan. There’s also-“

“Those are histories though, and for that matter Winternights is Ursulan poetry. Why would an Aerician-“

Ezmeralda interrupted him. “The point is that your reading seems to consist entirely of-“

“Alright stop!” Axel said, interrupting. It was entertaining, but they had better business to attend to. Besides, the discussion could be had while they made distance for the day.

“If you don’t mind, Rolf, we’d like to enlist your aid in helping us solve a problem. I’ll warn you it could be dangerous.”

“I’m in.” Rolf replied, without asking for details. “Spring is beginning, and I’d like to have another adventure this year. Last time was fun, let’s do it again.”

Axel was taken aback by the eagerness. The last time he’d approached Rolf the young man had been quite a bit more standoffish. Perhaps this was a good change that had occurred over the past year., or maybe he was just smitten with Ezmeralda. Poor lad, he had been living in the woods for most of his teenage years, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he fell for the first girl he’d see, especially a somewhat pretty girl like Ezmeralda. Either way, it kept him from him from having to be persuasive, which was good.

“Well then, would you like to hear what the adventure is first?”

Rolf shrugged. “We can talk on the way back to my tree. I’ve got some things to gather. Are you both packed?”

Axel shook his head. “Yes. I’d planned on recruiting you today, then setting out. We’ll camp near your home this evening, then head out on the official start of the journey tomorrow morning.”