2 Introduction

Preface

War. So many have lost so much because of it. Homes, friends, family, lives. Such a terrible thing it is.

Many years ago, a war broke out between two nations. It started out small but got bigger very quickly. Their allies did not hesitate to jump in and they just made matters worse. There were many fatalities from innocent lives. Jero Wischtara's nephew was one of them. He was only ten years old when their ship was attacked.

However, one good thing came out of that war. A girl. When general Radulo DiMero and his men came across the fresh ruins of a city, he found a little girl, barely a year old, still alive in the rubble. She was the only survivor and was labeled as the miracle child. Not having any children of their own, he brought the girl home to Jero.

He was astounded at the fact that the girl survived while her entire city was burned down. Radulo believed that him finding this child was destiny. Jero never believed in destiny, however, he did not complain since the two men were both ecstatic to raise the child together.

They have been very close since childhood. Radulo's family never approved of Jero since he was born into nobility and Jero was from the wrong side of the tracks. After Radulo joined the military, the two men decided to share a home together. Even though Radulo and Jero were madly in love, they never married.

While Radulo was at his base, Jero would travel to distant lands to find mystical things and fight horrendous beasts. He was able to make a good living off of selling my findings to curious nobles and greedy merchants. Jero was very well known in certain parts of the land, however, Radulo was famous almost everywhere due to his noble background and high military status.

After they adopted their new daughter, the two men agreed to give her the last name DiMero so that everyone would associate her with Radulo's fame. Jero always thought that having the right name could open so many doors for their child. When she got older, however, Jero later found out that the last name hardly meant anything and just made her more of a trophy to be won by eager boys. Both Jero and the girl became fed up with this and decided to take action. Their lives were then changed forever.

First Day

The cloudless sky was a golden color as the sun rose slowly from the horizon. Birds were chirping and tweeting gleefully for several hours now as the carriage rode through the village. Saphrin gazed out the window of her carriage with her elbow on the sill and chin in her palm, hardly paying attention to the things she passed by. There were many shops, both big and small, that were run by the local peasants. The air smelled like a mixture of freshly baked goods, leather and roasted mutton. The sound of the carriage wheels rolling across the cobblestone road drowned out the noises made by the working class folk as they began their busy day.

A middle-aged man sitting across from Saphrin smiled, "Excited to meet the family?"

The young lass sat up, removing her elbow from the sill and hand from her face, before shifting her gaze to the man. Saphrin let out a soft sigh as she slowly shook her head, "I'm feeling a lot of things at the moment, but excitement is not one of them."

The man frowned, "I understand. Moving to a new land is hard. Especially working for another family while your own is miles away."

Saphrin nodded as she looked down, resting her elbows on her thighs, "I'm not used to working for nobles, especially ones as famous as this family."

The man gave her a soft smile, "Cheer up, dear! You're one of the best mercenaries in the land. Not only that, but you're also of honorable descent."

Saphrin just sighed as she continued looking out the window.

Jero frowned for a moment before speaking in a soft tone, "No matter what happens," he slowly leaned forward and put his hand on the window sill, "Your father and I will always love you."

Saphrin turned her head to look at him and smiled before replying in an equally soft voice, "Thank you, dad! I will always love you two as well."

After some time had passed, the carriage stopped and the door opened. An older man in a well-tailored suit was on the other side of the door. He was balding on the top of his head and short dark grey hair was growing on the sides.

The suited man smiled, "Nice to see you again, sir Jero."

The other man smiled back at him and he carefully stepped out of the vehicle. "You as well, Hario."

Hario attempted to bow to the middle-aged gentleman before Jero stopped him by offering his hand. The two men shook hands and conversed with one another while Saphrin stayed in the carriage. She looked at her greatsword, still in its sheath, and observed the crest engraved into the cross guard. "What would father think of me now?" She whispered to herself. The young lass then hopped out of the carriage while holding onto her sword. The thud from her dirty leather boots hitting the solid ground was loud enough to make the two men stop talking to each other and quickly turn to her.

Saphrin's dusty beige gambeson and pale grey slacks made her look like a peasant compared to the two men. Hario had a thick grey mustache while Jero had a dark brown beard that reached all the way down to his collarbone. Saphrin's lack of facial hair allowed her sharp jawline and prominent cheekbones to stand out. Hario's ivory skin tone and Jero's sandy beige skin both looked pale in comparison to Saphrin's warm olive complexion. As the wind blew some of her dirty blonde hair out of her face, Saphrin's stern gaze and the bags under her green eyes could be noticed. Her lips were flat and formed an expression of indifference as the two men observed the lass. Despite being much younger than them, Saphrin stood tall and appeared to be a little over six feet.

Hario stared at the lass in curiosity. *Who is this filthy lad?* He wondered, *Why did Jero bring him here?*

Jero placed his hand on Hario's shoulder while facing Saphrin, "This, my boy, is Hario," said Jero, "He is Lord Ferdim's butler and has been working for the family for over two decades now."

"Hario," Jero pointed his hand to the lass as he faced the other man, "This is Saphrin DiMero, first born son of general Radulo DiMero of Ounfraz."

Hario raised his eyebrows in a mix of shock and amazement as he continued to stare at her. He could not believe his eyes. *How can the descendent of a noble general look so filthy? How can a grown man known for slaying the most notorious beasts look like such a fresh-faced youngling?* After the introduction, Saphrin and Hario slowly stepped forward and shook hands.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Sir DiMero." Greeted the butler in a cheerful tone and with a big smile.

"Nice to meet you too, Hario. But just call me Saphrin." She replied with a firm grip and slight smile.

Jero smirked, "You two better get along now since my boy here is going to be Madam Ferdim's new bodyguard."