Forged by Fire

Prologue

The only sounds that could be heard in the dark forest were the whistling of wind through the limbs of the bare trees and the crackling of a fire. Sitting as close as I dared to the dancing flames, I held my hands up to warm them, but the cold still seeped into my thin dress and sent chills down my spine. Every creak and crunch of the forest about knocked me off the log I was perched atop.

A green coat was draped around my shoulders from behind me, the material thick and scratchy. Clutching at it, I pulled it tighter until the too large coat seemed to swallow me whole. "What about you," I asked without turning around.

The guard sat down next to me wrapping his arm around my shoulders to draw me flush against his side. "Don't worry 'bout me. I'll be fine."

Leaning into him I closed my eyes as I soaked in his warmth. I was exhausted from hiking through the woods the past three days. After filling my belly with nuts and dried meat my eyes seemed to grow more and more heavy. Now that I was feeling safe in Leroy's arms sleep dragged me under.

Darkness plagued my dreams, swirling around me, suffocating me. I woke with a gasp and found Leroy standing over me, his grey eyes wide.

"You must wake up," He instructed as he shook my shoulders gently. I tried to blink away the last dregs of sleepiness and focused on him. "They're comin'. You must get up and run."

"Wha-," I mumbled, my brain still foggy. "Are you coming?"

"No, you must go alone. I'll stay here and hold 'em off. Don't ya worry; it's not much farther now."

He pulled me to my feet and wrapped the coat tight around my shoulders, his eyes held mine sadly. My lips and hands trembled, but not from the cold this time.

Leroy turned my body, pointing me towards the trees behind me. "Run straight that way. Don't stop no matter what."

Shouting sounded in the distance drawing my attention. Leroy gripped my face, his rough hands encompassing my entire head.

"Don't look back. Be brave princess." He turned me again and then shoved me towards the trees.

I stumbled slightly but took off running as soon as I righted myself. Searching the woods uncertainly, colorful lights seemed to pop into existence and bobbed along ahead me, each one a different size and color. I followed them like a moth to a flame. The lights were too bright in the darkness to clearly see what they were, but they seemed to know where to go better than I.

The shouts grew louder but I did as I was told and didn't look back. Tears streamed down my face as I wondered if I'd ever see Leroy again. Eventually the shouts became too distant for me to hear, so I slowed to a walk, my chest burning and exhaustion weighing me down. The lights stayed dutifully ahead bobbing and weaving through the trees even as the sun began to light up the forest.

Despite the heavy coat I still had on, I shivered uncontrollably, the bottom half of me soaked through from the snow covering the ground. My eyes drooped and after forcing them open for the fourth time, I looked up to find the lights gone. Did I lose them? As I circled around in search of them, dread pitted at the bottom of my stomach. Which way had I been going?

Everything looked the same, just bare trees and frost. Fog curled around me making it hard to see in the distance. I began to cry, hard sobs wracking my body. The cold burned my lungs as I dragged in gulps of air. I couldn't be lost, not after everything that happened. Not after what Leroy had sacrificed to save me.

A snap had me whirling around so fast I tripped over my own feet and fell. My whole body froze in fear as a dark figure approached me. I couldn't see his face, his coat made of thick fur and the hood up blocking his features. The man was a lot larger than Leroy and for a moment I wondered if it was a man at all. Tales of strange creatures living in these woods kept most people from entering them. Maybe this was some kind of beast.

The figure stopped in front of me and pulled his hood back as he crouched. I let out the air I had been holding in when the scraggly face of a man was revealed. His blue eyes shone brightly at me, concern swirling in the depths.

"What are you doing out here, lass," he asked, his voice deep but soft. "This forest ain't no place for a little girl. Where are your parents?"

"I have no parents and I'm lost," I replied, saying the words Leroy had rehearsed with me in case we got separated. "Can you help me?"

His expression softened. "Come with me dearie, I've got my own little girl at home who would love to play with you. What's your name?"

I took his offered hand and let him pull me up. "Elaine," I told him.

He fingered my green jacket, looking over it closely. "Elaine what? Where you from?"

"Just Elaine," I replied, not offering anything else. The man didn't ask any more questions after that and I was grateful. Leroy's instructions were simple enough. 'Don't tell 'em where you come from. Don't tell 'em who you are. From now on you're just Elaine. Whatever happened befor' now ain't never happened. Understand?'

I hadn't really understood, but I always did as I was told.