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Howdy! This story has been bouncing around my head for a while now. I thought about having a better writer than I do the writing for me, but no! How will I develop skills if I don't put myself out there! As always, please let me know if you find any obvious typos! What follows will be a story about what it means to be a hero, the weight of the world as it crushes you, and the joy in discovering just who you are when no one asks you to be anything but yourself. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chapter 1 The snow fell heavy around Alexander as he walked through the frozen ever winter of the Northlands. The crunch of snow with each step and the rattle of his armor were the only things keeping him company. Not that he had much room to complain about the dismal conditions, even without a companion on the road. After all, he had volunteered for this quest. A quest to find the greatest hero the world had ever known. A man who vanished in his prime. Joseph, The Slayer of Timmeas, the Weilder of the Faded Blade, the Binder of the Treaty of Merchants, the Ender of the Fell Curse, etc. While Alexander had won a title through his deeds in the diamond skirmishes, he was but a single man. He was far from the Hero of a Thousand Stories. With unrest brewing in the southern alliance, Joesph was the only one the three counties involved would listen to in their rising concerns. Which naturally brings us back to scouring the frozen wastes for any sign of life. Based on what Alaxander was able to find, this was where Joseph's trail went cold. The hero was too well known to have not been recognized anywhere else. As far as Alexander was concerned, he had to be somewhere around here. Alas, even through his enchanted armor, he was getting cold. He'd already been out for hours today, and the snowfall was only getting worse. Soon there'd be nothing to see but a wall of white. While he'd been trained to handle such environments, the best survival techniques was to return to the inn at the Kindling and get back out here in the morning. Just as Alex was to begin his trip back to town though, he saw something other than ice and snow. Just barely, in an indeterminate distance away, was a glitter. A shine that cut through the snow in a Brilliant green light. Alex couldn't tell what it was, but it was something. Considering he'd been searching hours upon hours each day since his arrival, it was more than he had in a long time. The would be hero took off for the shinning green symbol of hope at what counted as a sprint in this part of the world. In truth, it was more of a brisk waddle through the thickening snow, but close enough. Besides, it took only a scant few minutes to reach a destination that Alexander swore wasn't there before. A mound rose out of the snow. The only thing that marked it as something special were a few glittering emeralds that had been uncovered. While Alexander had friends who liked to gather such things, it was something he ever had the patience for. Still, standing around this pile of dirt taller than him, Alexander felt more than saw what was before him. "Magic," he whispered, his voice raw from lack of use. Still, even for someone who's training in such mostly revolved around giving his sword some spice now and then, the ambient magic here was a constant, calming pressure. He pulled out a small aetherialmeter to check what his body was telling him, and the tool agreed: this place was saturated in magic. Almost in acknowledgement of being found, snow began to fall off of the mound to reveal an opening large enough for the average person to fit through. Alexander's eyes widened in excitement. Of Course! This had to be some sort of secret hideaway! The young adventurer eagerly entered the cavern and followed the gentle slope into the earth. More glittering emeralds lit the way as the air warmes from what Alexander assumed were natural vents. If nothing else, this would be a fantastic place to wait out the storm. Following a few minutes of walking, Alexander came upon a peculiar sight. A Door. Even more peculiar, he felt nothing magical about this door. Nor did it appear to be anything special. It was, for the most part, the same as any other door. It lacked the extravagance of the doors found in the upper class of the City of Gold, lacked the charm of the Oceanview fishing huts, lacked the polish of the Stoneworkers Mills even. It was simply a door, like those found upon the homes of the most common of men. Alexander stared at the door for a minute or two, mostly simply wondering whether to knock or not. Ultimately, the question was taken out of his hands as the door began to open inwards on it's own. Inside was a carpeted entry hall, with a stand for Boots next to the door (though none were currently upon it). Stone cavern gave way to wooden walls that were lit inside with lamps that seemed to be state of the art. An expanse could be seen just beyond the entryway. "Hello? I don't mean to be rude, but the door opened itself. May I come in?" Alexander had dined with a few of the more mystical sort in his adventures, and knew that the best option when unfamiliar circumstances arose was to be polite. Alexander was just about to call out again when someone inside answered in response. "Kay," said a young voice from the larger room. Feminine, likely a little girl. What was someone like that doing in a place like this? The adventurer cautiously entered the house. Once at the end of the entry way, the open area he only glimpsed at spread out a considerable amount. A few doors leading to what he assumed were other rooms could be seen against the walls. The ceiling was near transparent, letting in enough light through the snow to comfortable vs able to sed with only minimal help from the lanterns. An entire corner of the room was dedicated to a kitchen that would make even the most skilled chefs envious. However, that was not what caught his eye the most. That would be the little girl, sitting in a playpen, playing out who knew what scenes inside her head with the dolls in her hand and spread around her. Judging by her size, she appeared to be around seven or eight, though parts of her outfit implied younger. She wore a short, simple dress that was sunflower yellow and stopped just above her knees. Her hair was tied up in two ponytails that stopped just before her shoulders. Attached by a string to her collar was an infant's soother, and the way the girl was sitting did another to hide what appeared to be a diaper from being visible under her dress. Alexander thought it possible she was just a tall toddler or a really late bloomer. Still, there didnt seem to be anyone else around. "Hello there, what's your name?" He asked softly, approaching the playpen and squatting down so he could better talk to her. The girl was quiet for a moment, and Alexander briefly thought her too young to answer. Such fears were laid to the wayside as the girl spoke. "Fina," she said quietly, never taking her eyes off the dolls she was posing. "That's a pretty name," Alexander commented, noting the small smile that brought to the girl's face. "Are your parents home Fina?" The girl seemed to think for a moment, the dolls in her hand pausing in their own adventures as she did. "I don't have parents," she said softly, "but my family is watching us now; so it's okay." Alexander couldn't hide the heartbreak he felt as she said that. This poor orphan. At least it sounded like she had someone. "Well, can I talk to them? I'm looking for someone important you see, and maybe they could help," Alexander explained. Though he quickly realized that may not have been the best thing to say. The slight smile the girl wore quickly faded with a sigh, as she set the dolls on the ground. For the first time, she looked the adventurer in the eyes. Eyes of the brightest crimson Alexander had ever seen bored into him, and he had the strangest sense of danger course through him. He stamped it down, after all this was just a little girl. "They're all around you Alexander, haven't you noticed." A chill flew up his spine as Fina said that. His eyes widened as he touch of magic around him suddenly flared. His balance was instantly lost as he found himself matching Fina's position on the floor. "It's okay, he's nice. He won't hurt me, right Alex?" Was she speaking to someone? Hesitantly, Alexander nodded, at had to ask himself just what he wandered into. Almost instantly, the pressure around him disappeared as the pressure faded into nothing but background noise. "You're looking for him, aren't you?" Fina asked, and the question of who 'he' was only had one answer. "Yes. The last anyone saw of Joseph was around this area." He carefully explained. Clearly this was no ordinary little girl. Alexander wondered if he had inadvertently stumbled upon some fae creature. She obviously knew something though, and this was is first real lead since he arrived in this wasteland. He couldn't just leave now. Eventually, after either a handful of seconds or an entire hour, Alexander couldn't tell which, Fina finally looked away from him and once more picked up her little dolls. One of which, Alexander finally noticed, bore a disturbing similarity to the armor he wore. "Come Back tomorrow morning. Joseph will be here then," the girl stated; her sentence punctuated by the front door slamming open, causing Alex to jump. "Kindling is about ten minutes walk due south. If you hurry, they'll still be serving dinner in the Inn." That was... well that was frankly impossible without some incredibly strong magics. Just what was this place. "Thank you," Alexander said, before standing and walking to his door. Finally, after nearly a year of searching, he'd finally found the hero he was looking for. "Wait," the girl spoke as Alexander stood outside the door. He turned to find the Fina standing just inside the home's entrance. Despite his limited interaction with children, he couldn't help but notice her diaper was sagging out from under this dress. It was a fact that confused him more than anything, as clearly this young girl commanded some form of powerful magic. He couldn't fathom why she would willingly wear or use such infantile garb. Of course, these thoughts were not enough to steal his attention away from what ever she had to say. "Tell anyone about the meeting tomorrow, and you'll never find this place again." The door slammed shut without her moving an inch, leaving Alexander in the dark with more questions than answers. Still, he left the cavern with cheer in his heart and a smile on his face. He'd done it! He'd found Joseph (or will tomorrow) Soon the greatest hero in all of history will be back to continue saving them all! He never noticed that he never told Fina his name. ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ A little girl cried softly as a familiar hand ran through her hair. "I don hafta grow up forever right?" As always, there was no response back. Still, as she was lifted into the air and cradled, she could feel the love of those that cared for her. It was where she felt the safest. Where she could cry without fear. "Please don't let me go back out there. I can't do it again. Please..." her words faded from mind as the soother was lifted to her lips, and she gleefully took it for comfort. She sobbed into it as she was carried back to her nursery for a much needed change.