1 Prologue

The sound of snow crunching beneath my boots filled my ears with each step I took as the bitterly cold wind howled throughout these dark woods. My left hand held sack slung over my shoulder, holding it in place as I trudged through the thick snow. My gaze shifted upwards towards the night sky as my right hand held my scarf to my face protecting me from the powerful blizzard raging around me. The light of the moon, let alone its trailing stars and those which shone down stagnantly barely managed to pierce through the harsh blizzard, just enough for me to navigate these gods-forsaken woods.

Aside from the constant foraging in the forest just to survive, needing to trudge through a blizzard whenever I do find myself doing said foraging and having to live in a damp, dark cave in the middle of nowhere.. you'd think I'd be complaining. Well, knowing me, I would be complaining, if I wasn't the one causing the blizzard in the first place. However.. that doesn't make this routine any less... unpleasant.

Finally reaching the top of a small hill overlooking the mouth of the cave we were using as a makeshift campsite I felt myself sigh in relief, icy cold air escaping my mouth and freezing part of my scarf as I did so. I was finally getting close.

I clawed my right hand and twirled my index finger, my eyes began to shift from their natural warm Auburn to deathly cold blue as the blizzard began growing in intensity. I made my way down the slope.

As I entered the cave, I turned back, my eyes darting left to right, barely able to make out the basic outline of trees surrounding our little hideout through the snow. After I was certain that I wasn't followed, I turned back bringing my scarf to my neck, I closed my eyes as I let out a bitter sigh. Freezing cold air escaped my lips, freezing the nearby cave wall as my eyes returned to their natural color.

"Sometimes I forget... I forget what it is I am still fighting for.." I thought out loud as I made my way down the cave.

"All this running.. and hiding.. for what..?" Clenching my fists, I carried on. "All I've lost.. all that was taken... still I-" my train of thought all but vanished as the surprising warmth washed over me. The ice on my frost-bitten coat began to melt as I made my way deeper into the cave.

The soothing hum of a familiar tune filled my ears, echoing throughout the cave. Then it hit me, the aroma.. a scent so savory it almost made me feel right at home. Nothing like the slop we'd have to cobble together just to survive.

I pushed back some hanging cave moss to the side as I entered our dwelling. Except.. it wasn't cold, or damp or.. anything of the sort.

Today it was different, the first thing I noticed were the flowers that dotted the cave floor, the walls were bathed in warm orange, the flickering light radiating from a few makeshift braziers that dotted the corners. Fireflies seemed to dance about this section of the cave.

Then I searched for the source of the melody, a beautiful woman dressed in a dark red dress and black leather boots stood, her back turned to me as she stirred a pot over an open flame.

Sensing my presence, she turned around, a smile warm enough to melt the coldest of hearts greeted me as our eyes met. Her gorgeous brunette hair rested till just below her shoulders, swaying slightly as she made her way towards me.

"What's all this?" I asked her, a smile finding its place on my lips as my right hand cupped her cheek.

My wife smiled at me and took my hand, a laugh so sweet the candied apples I used to make would be put to shame."Come now, dear. Don't tell me my sweet Flynn forgot what today is." She smiled at me expectantly.

"O-oh... uh of course I didn't forget what today is, Madi!" I stammered, holding up my hands defensively, trying to recall what today was. "Today is uh... its-" she cut me off. I was expecting the worst, I never wanted to incur the wrath of my Madisson. She could switch from a loving nymph to a venomous viper with just the wrong words. Luckily.. she stayed the former.

"Our 20th anniversary" she smiled, wrapping her arms around me in a tight embrace as the flickers of flame moved from the braziers and formed "Happy 20th anniversary!" For a moment behind her before dissipating.

"20 years? It's really been that long huh..?" I asked my wife, running a hand through my dark raven hair, resting the other on a large stone behind me.

"Yes, and it took you that long to get us kids." She joked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Hey! It isn't for a lack of trying." I shot back.

"Really? I hardly noticed." She smirked, raising a brow.

"Hey! Ouch." I faked a pained look.

"Oh Flynn, don't look like that." She touched my cheek, planting a quick kiss on my lips. Pulling back, a warm smile on her's "You know I love you just the way you are."

I smiled back.

"Now come on," she began, taking the sack of mixed berries, nuts, and the odd bit of small game I was carrying, placing it in the corner. "I didn't do all this for nothing" She smiled and walked towards the stew pot

"How are they?" I said, trailing behind her before cutting off to the right, a secluded part of the cave we always kept warm. Parting some hanging cave moss, my eyes rested on their cradle. Our little bundles of joy.

"They're fine, Flynn. I fed them a bit before I arrived." My wife called out, I could hear her taking the pot off the fire, and carrying it by the handle to the stone table.

I smiled at them, bending down. "How're my two little angels?" I said, as I reached down into the cradle, tickling their bellies. Leo and Ashley giggled, both grabbed my finger with their tiny hands, pulling on it with all the might their tiny arms could muster.

"Wow.. you're both so strong.. and you're both less than a year old" I smiled, my eyes felt softer as I watched my two kids.

"How're the three most important people in my life doing?" My wife asked, parting the moss and leaning against the cave wall, her arms over her chest.

Now I remember. I remember why I fight, why we still do the things we do. I do it for home and family. That's why I always wear this locket.. a reminder of me, my wife, the life we chose to live, and why we chose to live it.

I stood back up, I was about to wrap my wife in a warm embrace when I heard the crackle and saw the flash of lightning.

"GET DOWN!" I shouted as I pushed my wife behind me, moving my arms in a fluid motion just barely in time to create a barrier of ice.

In an instant, the ear-piercing cries of our two children filled the cave.

"Oh, gods.. they've found us.." I muttered as our assailants rushed into the cavern, knocking over the stew pot, and stomping on the flowers. The fireflies seemed to move in a panic.

"And now those bastards are going to wish they hadn't." Maddison spat, as she moved her arms outwards and snapped her fingers in one fluid motion. Her eyes turning a fiery orange in an instant as serpents of flame began dancing around her arms.

"Keep them safe!" She demanded as she leaped over my barrier in a burst of flames, leaving the cave floor scorched.

"Damn it.." I cursed, hurriedly wrapping our son and our daughter in a gray tempered cloth as the screams of our attackers began to compete with the cries of our children.

I could hear the hiss of my wife's fire serpents, followed by the distinct sound of agonized screams and the distinct smell of.. barbeque(?) as she made the skin of those who dared ruin her handiwork and endanger her family sizzle.

I took in a deep breath and touched the frozen barrier, exhaling I opened my eyes, icy blue replaced the warm auburn in my eyes I willed the barrier to shatter, sending shards of frosty ice at the assailants impaling and killing a great number of them, wounding a great many more.

My eyes darted left to right, looking for Madisson in the chaos of battle, thank the gods I found her, raising her arms over her head while twisting her wrist in a circular motion, creating a pillar of flame burning a group of them to Cinders.

With one hand holding our children, I extended the other and created a path of frost, I leaped on it and propelled myself forward, guiding the path of ice.

"Madi! Grab on!" I called out to her, and not a second later she grabbed onto my back and held on sending continuous gout of flames around us, intense enough to send them running as I focused, forming path of frost up into an arch before sending us with more than enough speed out of the cave and back into the woods.

The blizzard I conjured was still raging around us as we launched through the air, holding onto Leo and Ashley tightly, Madi and I landed with an audible thud as we hit the snow.

"W-we.. we made it..." I said, panting hard as I rose to my feet. Checking on our children, before I made any more moves. "Safe..." I muttered, thank gods the blanket they were wrapped in was tempered.

"Not quite, husband." Madisson said, already on her feet. The frozen ground giving way underneath her, erupting in flames.

A worried look took over my face as my eyes rose, looking around.. we were surrounded. Smiths, tongues, scribes, and soul-swords all around us.

"Out of the frying pan.." I began

"And into flame!" My wife yelled out, stretching out her hands sending a massive burst of flame in all directions.

"Get them out of here!" She demanded, she radiated fury but despite that... I could see at that moment she was afraid, she was already near her limit. Maybe she was afraid.. after everything we've been through.. we'd finally meet the end of our journey and lose each other, fail our hard-fought mission, lose the family we've always dreamed off.. the family we just got. My eyes lowered to the two innocent and defenseless babies I held close to my chest, feeling a burning fury I willed the blizzard to intensify and batter our assailants with hail and shards of ice. By the gods, I wasn't going to let that happen.

"HOLD THEM BACK!" I demanded, I had to get our children out of here... I HAD to keep them safe.

My eyes began to glow a deathly cold blue as I slowly raised my hands, I focused all I had left in me to create a nigh impenetrable dome around our children, I then proceeded to bury them in snow, holding them in stasis. I pray to the gods she'll find them in time...

"Are they safe?!" My wife called out, the flames began to nip at the tips of her hair. Not a good sign.

"Yes! Now let's keep them that way" I suggested as I pulled my arms to my sides, encasing a group in ice before freezing their blood solid.

"Agreed." Madisson said, ignoring the pain she must be enduring from all the battering she had already taken.

"Good. Now, how about we show these bastards what we're made off?" I stated more than asked as we began to fight as one, every movement they made felt like a question, our response, be it in frost or flame was our answer as we took part in the deadly dance of combat... Given.. we made a few mistakes. I groaned in pain as I narrowly dodged a soul render's blades, only the tip cutting me on the cheek.. to that question, in particular, Madison gave quite the answer.

Our masterful displays of fire and frost filled the forest, bathing it in an icy blue and fiery orange hue.

"W-we.. we might actually make it out... heh.." I chuckled out, I could feel the frost begin to creep near my eyes and up my arm. We couldn't take much more of this.

*BOOM*

The booming sound echoed throughout the woods before my wife shrieked in pain, collapsing to the ground beneath her, the fire around us began to wane.

"IIIAAHHHHHHGGGHHHH" she began writhing in pain.

"NO! Madi!" I shouted, I took one step forward but could not take another. Frost had crept all over my body.

"NO. NOT YET!" I demanded. This shouldn't be happening, not yet!

"Heh. They always forget a bullet in the kneecap is just as good as any of your fancy spells." A raspy voice called out, as a man I don't recognize walked over to me, a smoking revolver at his grip.

"Sometimes better." He smirked twirling it around his finger before cocking it at me.

"Y-you! YOU DID THIS!" I shouted at him as I heard my wife writhing in pain, tears welled up in my eyes.

"Heh. Yup. And now, I'm about to do this." He smirked, pulling out a machete from the sheath on his back. I knew that look in his eyes. He wanted to cut me down. My eyes darted around us as I saw those bastards begin to close around us.

"Stop!" An all too familiar voice called out, all of them around us immediately froze.

"Mmmn.. the Everettes are good friends." The man said, I'd sooner bend my knee before the headsman's axe than utter his name. "I won't have you harm them..." the man sighed, rubbing his eyes "any more than we have to."

"Were good friends, you son of a bitch! I swear once I get out here I'm going to make you- AGGGHHH!!" I felt the frost creep closer to my core.

"Now now.. let's not make this any.. more unpleasant than it already is." He said, his hand outstretched, eyes locked on me as he mimicked my powers using me as a vessel. Bending the ice and forcing me to my knees.

"Please Flynn.. I want to help, don't let Madi die like this.." He knelt down and whispered to me.

"You know we can save her.." he said his eyes darting off to her then back to me "both of you... it's not too late to pick the right side." He touched my cheek, forcing me to look at my wife's crumpled.. dying form as he whispered into my ear"both of you... it's not too late to pick the right side." He touched my cheek, forcing me to look at my wife's crumpled.. dying form as he whispered into my ear.

"N-no... No. I won't."

"Haven't you two suffered enough? Save her, Flynn.. save yourself." He whispered once more.

"Come now.. don't be difficult. Here, let me take the first step." He said, standing up and dusting himself off.

The man smiled, and clenched his fist, the ice around me shattered. I collapsed to the ground.

"All you need do.. is take my hand.. then all is forgiven. I'll make sure Madi's taken care off.. save her Flynn. It's what she would have wanted." He asked, extending his hand to me.

I almost entertained the notion of taking his hand.. then something caught my eye. My locket. Our picture, me and Madi, the emblem of our Order carved onto the front and back had fallen off my neck and now lay in front of me.

No. This is the life we chose, this is the life we decided to live. We live and die by the spell, for the Order, in the name of hope.

I took his hand.

"No."

A look of confusion took hold on his face."No?"

"No, this isn't what she would want." I said as my eyes began to shift back to an icy blue. "Enough running from you, this mission is at its end. I live and die by the spell. I spill my own blood for the Order and the innocent and for hope. You don't scare me you sick son of bi- Hhrkk- ehk-." I felt myself being lifted up off my feet, chilling cold hands gripped at my neck, a cold more intense than anything I've ever felt, more intense than anything I've ever casted.

The man sighed, as he looked up at me. "Why..?" He asked with.. sadness(?) in his eyes.

I struggled to think.. and breath... let alone speak but with little I had left I spoke: "For love... for family..." I heaved a heavy breath, I would not go quietly into the night. "FOR THE ORDER!" I shouted, sending out jets of frost in all directions just as I felt my neck get crushed.

My body hit the frost-bitten forest ground with an audible thud, I can feel myself slipping away... getting weaker.. and colder, I can't move anymore... I can't breathe anymore... that's when my vision began to fade. The last thing I saw were the trees.. a single raven.. perched on an icy branch seemed to watch us... then the sense of touch started to fade.. as all my other senses began to fade.. my thoughts rushed to me.. my wife.. everything we've fought for.. everything we've lost.. then they rushed to my children.. our son and daughter.. by the gods.. I uttered a short prayer with my dying breath... and as if an answer from the gods.. the last thing I heard were the caws of the raven, flying overhead... then finally.. as individual snowflakes fall around me, joining countless others on the ground so too does my soul join the innumerable others in the hands of Lady Death.