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.Prologue.

There was fire.

He could feel the heat from it smothering him, and he clutched tighter to his mothers hand as she tried to lead them through the chaos that was the village.

The...the village. He looked around at the place he called home, hardly able to see through all the smoke, and just able to make out the violent light of the flames that were steadily, methodically, tearing his life to peices around him. He could hear screaming and sobbing all around, could hear the strangled cries of the confused and terrfied children left abandoned by panicked parents trying to save themselves, and a deafening crash as yet another home fell to the ground in burning, charred prices, unable to keep its own weight as the fire surged through it, burning through the thick timber foundation as easily as one could snap a twig underfoot.

The smoke. He couldn't think past the smoke. It filled his lungs, burned his eyes, and filled his mouth with a vile, ashy taste when he trued to take a gasping breath. He couldn't see. He couldn't breathe. He buried his face in his mothers skirts, trying to block out the choking mess, and the overwhelming noise and confusion. He felt her struggle to get a tighter grip on his hand, desperate to keep hold of her child in the midst of all this mess. She stumbled along the chipped cobblestone streets she had once known so well, keeping her son close and a strip of a fabric cloth pressed to her nose and mouth.

"Stop!" They heard the cry of a soldier from somewhere behind them, close. The whinnying of a panicked horse, momentarily startled by a sudden burst of flames, and then the fast clicking of metal horseshoes on the stone streets. The boys mother let out frustrated cry, hurrying them along ever faster to..where? Where was safe?

The boy allowed himself to cry, letting out a scared yelp when he heard the man and his horse. He clutched his small fists into his mother's dress, desperately trying to find something grounding to hold on to as they rushed on.

They raced forward through the twisting streets, horseman drawing in behind them, the fast clicking of the horseshoes getting closer and closer. He heard a sudden pained scream from his mother as the soldier caught up with her, grabbed a fistful of her hair, and yanked up from behind. The boy instinctually screamed along with her, dazed and terrified, unable to see or breathe past all the smoke. He screwed his eyes shut, hoping that if he couldn't see what was happening around him, it would all just stop.

She howled in pain for a few seconds, before the boy heard another surprised whinny from the horse, some more clicking from the metal shoes, and the loud smack of skin on rock as his mother fell hard onto the street. The soldier had finally dropped her, unable to keep hold of her or his horse as it sped away, startled by some noise. His mother laid there on the ground and groaned, clutching at her head, and the boy sank down with her, frantically trying to figure out what was wrong. Why wasn't the soldier helping them? Why was this happening? He couldn't fathom a reason for all this torture. They hadn't done anything wrong, had they?

Another house suddenly crashed to the ground to his right side, and he let out a startled scream, clutching his hands to his ears, falling backward away from his mother. It was so loud. He could feel the burning heat on his skin at the flames burst out from the house and continued to spread further through the village, paying the boy no mind. Hot tears were streaming down his face, leaving tracks through the ash and soot on his cheeks in their wake.

His mother frantically crawled over to him and clutched her hands to his face, trying desperately to reassure him, her nails digging into the skin of his jaw in her hurry. He couldn't find the strength to care about the pain.

"Blöthr, ietgen, theyna. Du fjandí eithr. Eka bidja sjon iet." Its alright, my child, be calm. They are gone. Please look at me.

He blinked his eyes open, looking blearily up at his mother, unable to see much else other than her blurry outline. He nodded his head at her words, more for her benefit, not understanding how her tone could be so calm while all this was happening.

He saw her head whip around, and his eyes went wide. No. Not again. Please not again. I cant take any more. He strained his ears past the commotion as the village burned, and he heard it. More horses. A large group of soldiers yelling. Pained, startled screams of the villagers caught in their path that cut off abruptly after a few seconds, and he suddenly knew what was happening.

The fire was started by the soldiers. The villagers were being slaughtered where they stood.

He felt a white hot bolt of fear shoot down his spine as he listened. The soldiers were coming for them. His mother frantically forced him to look back at her before he could start sobbing, fingers clawing trails in the ash that caked his face.

"Eka bidja ono eom hlaupa. " You must run away. Her tone was serious, fear just detectable below the surface. She pushed him to his feet, hand still on his cheek. She pulled herself to her knees and pressed a quick, calming kiss to his forehead.

"Eka ástar ono ilumaro, ietgen." I love you so much, my child.

The horses grew closer, the yelling turned to laughter as the soldiers saw him and his mother, and turned their course straight for them, racing down the street just a few dozen yards away.

His mother shoved him away, pushing him down the street as best as she could from her position, still on the ground where the first soldier had dropped her, unable to get up.

"Eka bidja ono eom eitha. Gánga aptr thornessa ília." You must go now. Get away from this place.

He shook his head and stumbled back to her, clutching at her dress and trying to pull her along with him, panicking at her words. Why would she want him to leave? What had he done wrong?

She shook her head and pried his hands off her, trying to keep her composure for his sake and giving his hands one last reassuring squeeze before pushing him away.

The soldiers were right behind them, and he let out a strangled sob, reaching out and trying to find her again through the smoke and failing.

He heard a laugh from a soldier as the group circled around his mother and a cry of pain from her.

"Bidja ono eitha eom du welden. GÁNGA!" You must get to the forest. GO!

Her voice broke into a scream at the last word, and he turned and fled, terrified for his mother but doing as she asked. He glanced back over his shoulder, but saw nothing, and tripped over a fault in the cobblestone. He just barely was able to right himself, and surged onwards, sobbing, toward the trees.