Gray ash fell like soiled snow from the heavens. On a freezing winter morning in 1374, the Kingdom of Northern Luxon wasn't just falling; it was burning along with everything it possessed. Emily, a sixteen-year-old palace servant, stumbled on the courtyard stones slicked with blood, but she didn't dare slow down. She clutched the heavy bundle in her arms as if it were her own soul.
As she passed through the shattered palace gates, she forced her eyes away. Her heart couldn't bear to look at Queen Beatrice's lifeless body, slumped in a heap upon the marble steps where she had once glided with such grace. Only minutes ago, those cold, desperate hands had thrust this baby into Emily's arms. "Run, Emily. Hide him." It hadn't been a royal decree; it was the final plea of a dying mother.
By the time she reached the stables, her lungs were searing from the smoke and soot. Black plumes rose from the thatched roofs, and the terrified whinnies of the horses inside clashed with the roar of the flames. Between fits of coughing, Emily grabbed the reins of a dapple-gray horse rearing in panic.
"Please, steady!" she hissed. Her legs shook as she tried to scramble into the saddle, failing three times before she finally hauled herself up. The baby was squeezed tight between her chest and the leather of the saddle. She cast one last, blurred look at the only home she had ever known—now a looted ruin—dug in her heels, and drove the horse toward the endless, snow-blanketed plains.
"Do not fear, little prince," she whispered against the whistling wind, pulling the infant closer to her chest to shield him from the bone-chilling cold. "I will protect you."
A pouch of gold snatched from the palace vaults at the last second was now her only shield in this world. After hours of a journey that froze her to the marrow, she reached a small village buried in snow. On the verge of collapse, she knocked on the door of a local guild hall and rented a modest room for a single night.
The silence of the room was deafening after the screams of the massacre. Emily slumped into a chair and stared at the baby on the bed. A sharp, ugly flash of resentment flared in her chest. Why me? I was just a servant. I'm only sixteen. She felt crushed under the weight of this colossal responsibility. Yet, when the last member of the royal bloodline whimpered, his tiny hands grasping at the empty air, that resentment dissolved into a suffocating sense of loyalty.
She wiped her tears with soot-stained hands. A bittersweet smile touched her lips. "It seems difficult times await us, little man," she whispered.
Yielding to the exhaustion that had hollowed her out, she finally fell into a deep sleep.
By the time the first rays of sunlight seeped into the room, Emily was already awake. Like every palace servant who had served the king and queen, her life had been shaped by strict rules and discipline. The very first thing she did upon opening her eyes was check on Prince Hyoga.
She quickly grabbed a few bites to eat for herself, but the true dilemma gnawing at her mind was something else entirely. How was a newborn baby going to be fed? The answer was simple, yet impossible for Emily.
In despair, she looked first at her own chest, then at the baby stirring in the bed. She bowed her head in shame. "I am so sorry, Prince Hyoga. How I wish I could give you the milk you need myself... Please forgive me for being so useless."
But this was no time for weeping and despair. She was no longer just a servant; she was a protector. Taking a deep breath, she gathered herself. Lifting the baby into her arms, she left the inn.
Following a long and arduous walk, she arrived at a neighboring village that appeared much quieter. As her eyes scanned the surroundings, she spotted a young woman holding a baby. It was evident she had recently given birth. Knowing she had to conceal the child's true identity, Emily bowed respectfully before her.
"Please, my lady," she said, her voice trembling. "This poor infant is the last keepsake of my older sister, who was killed by raiders. He has been starving for days; I beg of you, give him just a little milk."
The woman smiled with compassion. "Of course, young girl. I would gladly nurse this little one."
Just then, several children gathered around them, asking excitedly, "Hey, what do you want from Archmage Lola?"
When the woman raised her hand to calm the children, Emily froze in place. She stared at the woman in sheer shock. "You... You are an Archmage?"
The woman nodded slightly. "Yes, dear. I am Archmage Lola."
Trying to comprehend where fate had dragged her, Emily stammered, "W-where exactly are we?"
Lola let out a soft laugh. "It seems your sense of direction is a bit lacking, child. You are currently in the Kingdom of Aethelgrad. The lands where magical power takes root and flourishes most fiercely."
Shortly after, they arrived at a peaceful wooden cabin on the edge of the forest. Once Lola made sure her own baby was asleep, she gently took the small prince from Emily's arms. But the moment her hands touched the baby's skin, the air in the cabin suddenly grew heavy. An indescribable wave of power surged through Lola's veins.
Her eyes widened in astonishment as she turned to Emily. "This is truly incredible... There is a deep, ancient, and dormant power within this child. Tell me, were your sister or her husband gifted in the magical arts?"
Emily hesitated for a moment. The majestic and fearsome figures of King Andre and Queen Beatrice on the battlefield flashed before her eyes. She swallowed hard. "Yes," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. "My sister wielded the water element. Her husband possessed the ability to control fire."
Lola was shaken by what she heard. She looked down at the baby she was nursing with absolute awe, as if gazing upon a priceless treasure. "So you come from a lineage that carries both water and fire in its veins... You are a miraculous child."
After gently stroking the baby's cheek, she finished feeding him and handed him back to Emily. Then, looking straight into the young girl's eyes, she made an offer that was impossible to refuse.
"Listen to me, child. I will be honest with you. It is obvious you have nowhere left to go, and this baby needs nourishment. A young girl like you cannot survive carrying such a burden alone. Therefore... you and this little one will stay with me." Lola's voice was both compassionate and authoritative. "This cabin will be a home to you both. And when the time comes, I will personally teach this child how to wield the massive magical power sleeping within him."
Emily knew this was the most critical turning point of her life. Since the terrifying moment she fled the palace, she had had only one goal: to keep Prince Hyoga safe.
Taking a deep breath, she nodded. "I accept," she said, her voice full of gratitude. "I have no other choice, and I cannot thank you enough, Archmage Lola. I promise I will help you with every chore around the house."
Lola smiled warmly. "I am glad to hear that. I am certain this little one will get along perfectly with my daughter."
Just then, Lola's baby woke up and began to cry. Hearing the sound, Hyoga immediately joined in, and the sharp cries of the two infants echoed in every corner of the small cabin. With utter calm, Lola snapped her fingers. A faint shimmer drifted through the air, and within seconds, both babies fell into a deep sleep. When they gently laid them down in the same bed, a peaceful silence finally settled over the home.
Seeing Hyoga sleeping so securely, Emily felt the immense weight lift from her shoulders. She collapsed into an empty chair. The relentless flight of the past few days and the horrifying stress she had endured had entirely depleted her body. Her eyelids grew heavy, and she fell into a deep sleep right where she sat.
Noticing the young girl's exhausted state, Lola picked up a blanket from beside the fireplace and gently draped it over Emily. "After all, she is still just a child herself," she murmured. "The things she has endured at this age are truly horrific. It seems I now have three little children to look after."