This is the third spin off story to Elemental Wizardess (Heart) for a Luca x OC pairing. It will make a lot more sense if you read that story, as well as the spin off for my Elias x OC pairing, Taming a Wizardess (Heart). There's character information on my account page thing, as well as a lot of background information for the story that doesn't directly involve Marelda (mostly) and Luca (not as much but kind of). Please let me know if you have any questions, though, okay? I'd be happy to answer them.

Okay, so this prologue is going to be in third person, but the rest of the chapters will alternate between Marelda and Luca in first person, mostly Luca's POV, though, from what I can see.

And I wrote this while I was sick and pretty out of it, so it's a bit depressing, particularly towards the end...sorry...not really...moving on...

Prologue—

"Ma! Ma!" Marelda ran up to her mother, who stood just inside the kitchen door, at the counter as she kneaded bread, "Look what I got with my sling!" The six year old held up a fat grey-white rabbit to her mom. "We can make it into a soup, can't we? Please please pleeeeeease?"

The mother shook her head in defeat, "I guess we can. But I do with you'd stop trying to hunt. That's a man or a boy's job. You, young lady, are neither."

"But Ma! Parker said it's just fine for girls to hunt and fight!" Marelda insisted.

"I did, didn't I?" laughed the auburn-haired youth as he walked into the house. He kissed his mother on the cheek, "Hello, Ma. Wonderful midday, ain't it? Is lunch ready? I'm half starved after being out all mornin' on the hunt."

"It's on the table, waitin'. And please stop taking your sister with you when you hunt. She doesn't need to be learning these things." Their mother, a woman by the name of Leandra, was a stout woman of forty years and a mother of five, ages two to fifteen. "It's bad enough that she's started showin' signs of magic. There hasn't been magic in this family for three generations now, not since my granmama. Magic just makes things difficult, and you aren't making them easier by teachin' her how to hunt, young man."

"I try, I swear I do, but she sneaks along. Mara's a hunter, Ma, and she's got the talent for sneakin' around without makin' a sound." Parker scooped up the little girl, now sans rabbit, and put her on his back as she squealed.

"Parker! I'm a big girl! I don't need to be carried!" Marelda pouted.

"So? Just 'cause you don't need to be, doesn't mean I can't or I won't!"

Marelda squealed and laughed as Parker took off running to the table, only to circle it a few times before putting the out-of-breath girl into her chair, "Now eat up, Mara! A good warrior can't train when she's hungry."

…. …. ….

Parker, aged fifteen, was a happy, cheerful lad who liked to hunt and play with his younger siblings, whom he cared for and guarded zealously. His dearest ambition was to become an official warrior, and be able to aid in the protection of his hometown, Elston, which was located in the most western part of the country of Gedonelune, surrounded by the largest forest in the country, Elwood.

While he loved all his siblings, and he'd be hard pressed to admit it, he did somewhat favor his oldest younger sister, Marelda. The girl was like him, and wanted to be a warrior as well. He guess it was partially due to the fact that he wanted to be one, but the girl also had some natural tendencies. He was no expert at fighting, but he was at hunting, and the six year old was already taking down quick game—as showed by the rabbit.

He often went hunting in the early morning, rising earlier than even the farmers in their small town. Marelda was up at the same time every morning. Parker wasn't sure how she did it, but she did. He often found her waiting, bright-eyed and bushy-haired, with her sling and breakfast, when he stumbled out of his room half-dressed and half-awake.

In the afternoons, he did stretches and runs and practiced drills that he thought warriors would do to train. In less than a year he'd be sixteen. Sixteen was the age young men were allowed to join into the country's non-magical warriors training program. He was excited that he was almost old enough, and being a warrior would make his father very proud, because his own father had been one, and Parker's father had very much respected his father.

Marelda and Parker's father was often out of the town, traveling. Manley Krammer was a traveling merchant. Speaking of being often gone, he was to be home soon, just in time for Marelda's seventh birthday.

Marelda and Parker had always taken after their father in looks more than their mother. Where her mother had pale cornflower-yellow hair and cornflower-blue eyes, which had been received by the three youngest children, the older two had darker auburn hair and green-blue-brown hazel eyes. They'd also received their father's skin tone, which was a handful of shades darker than their mother's fair complexion.

But Marelda was the only child who had received her great-grandmother's magic. It was only showing hints, but her mother recognized those signs. The first had been when she had fallen out of a thirty-foot tree with only a few scratches that healed at a much faster than normal rate. The second had been when she had healed the broken wing of a fledgeling bird. Just like Leandra's granmama, her daughter was a healer wizardess. And she far more approved of that than Marelda's dreams of becoming a warrior. Hopefully that would fade with age.

…. …. ….

It was the night of Marelda's seventh birthday. She'd never been happier. Her father was home, her mother made a wonderful dinner of all her favorite foods, and best of all, her brother had given her the most amazing present—her own set hunting knives, a total of three knives. While they had simple leather handles, they had fine, sharp blades made by the apprentice of the town blacksmith, Jakob, a good friend of Parker's.

Her mother frowned at the gift but said nothing against it. Her motherly instincts were telling her it was a bad idea to give such a young child—a girl, at that—knives, but her logic knew that Marelda could handle them, even at the mere age of seven. She used her brother's knives often enough.

Far too soon, though, it was time for bed. But the youngest three were already falling asleep sitting up, and Marelda knew that if she didn't get to sleep soon, she might sleep in and miss hunting the next morning. And that just wouldn't do.

…. …. ….

Marelda woke to the loud chiming of a bell—the large church bell. She was confused. The only times they ever used it were for funerals and weddings. But who in their right minds would hold those in the middle of the night? But then she remembered a story her father had told. The only other time the bell was rung was when Elston was under attack.

Raiders.

The last time they had attacked her mother had been a little girl. And her mother's best friend and her older sister had been killed.

She stumbled out of her bed and started shoving her two sisters into coats and shoes before yanking on a pair herself. Parker rushed in, over to his sister, "Marelda, you need to take mom and the kids to the hunting hideout. Can you do that?"

"A-aren't you coming with us?" She looked, wide-eyed, at her big brother.

"Pa and I have to try and protect the house. Don't worry. We'll be fine. Promise. Now, go!" He shuffled the three girls out the door and out to the back of the house, which faced the woods. Their mother was waiting with the youngest sibling, a little boy only two years of age. "They're coming from the west. Marelda, take everyone east to the hideout. Hurry! I'll come and get you all when it's safe!"

Marelda nodded, taking a hand of each of her sisters. She pulled them along, with her mother close behind, about a mile into the woods. Even though it was dark she knew these woods far better than she could draw them on a map. She didn't need much light to know exactly where she was. She led her sisters and mother to the little hut-type thing where her and Parker would clean bigger game, for when he took down some thing like a deer. Even though it was rare, it happened. Mostly, though, they used it as a base for their hunting trips, and as a meet-up place for if they got separated.

She sat her sister's on the bench with their mother. "Ma, I'm goin' to go and help them! Stay here!" She darted out of the little hut before her mother could grab her.

"No! Marelda, get back here! It's not safe!" her mother cried. But Leandra knew that she couldn't follow her oldest daughter—not only did she not know the woods very well, but it would mean she'd have to leave the other three there, and she couldn't do that. She could only sit and fret and worry about her husband and oldest children.

…. …. ….

The noise of fighting grew as Marelda got closer to the town. She could see light from fires, large ones. And the stench of smoke was so strong and foul that she knew that something—or rather, someone—had set fire to houses.

Her house seemed to be fine. She darted into her room and grabbed her belt with her new knives, tying it around her waist before running out the front and towards the center of town, where most of the fighting was.

She spotted her brother at the edges, fighting a man with a large hammer. Jakob was nearby, in a fight of his own, and had his own matching hammer. Marelda watched as her brother felled the man and turned slightly. He stumbled, noticing her. He rushed over to her and dragged her into the shadows.

"What are you doin' here?!" he hissed, "Run! Get back to Ma and the rest! You'll get yourself killed, and not help at all!"

"But Parker!" Marelda whined, "I don't wanna wait and fret like Ma! I wanna help!"

"You're still not big enough Marelda. One day, I promise you. But today isn't that one day. Now go!"

Marelda suddenly felt something warm hit her cheek and front. Her eyes widened as she saw an object sticking out of his stomach. Parker made a pained gurgling sound and slid to the ground. Marelda was frozen as she looked at the man behind him.

The man grinned as he saw Marelda. "What do we have here? A little girl, just right for the taking!" He reached for her and she snapped out of her trance. There was a flash and the man yanked his hand back. A line of blood appeared and began to drip from the palm of his hand. "A feisty little girl, with a knife. Ha. All the more fun to break." He lunged for her, but was suddenly yanked back and thrown on the ground. A large hammer swung down and dented his skull.

Jakob ran up to Marelda, "Help me get Parker out of here." The two, mostly Jakob, dragged a groaning Parker away from the fight. He was laid down on the edge of town, by the road leading south. "Stay with him! He's not going to...make it." Jakob's voice cracked, "Just stay with him until the end, please."

Marelda nodded, tears already slipping down her cheeks as she turned to her big brother. "P-parker...I'm sorry...it's all my fault! If I had just l-listened and s-stayed with M-ma you'd be okay!"

Parker lifted his hand to her face with a wince, "Don't cry, Mara. You need to be strong. You're my tough as nails little sister, aren't you? I'm not scared, and so you shouldn't be either, 'kay? It's not your fault. It's mine. I should've paid better attention. A good warrior never turns their back on the enemy. I love you, and I don't blame you. Promise. Can you promise me you'll be strong, Mara? For Ma. She'll need you to be strong. Can you do that?"

Marelda nodded.

"Good, good. Now that you'll take care a Ma and the littles, I can rest easy. Thanks, Mara. Give Ma a hug for me, will you?" His speech was becoming more slurred, and fainter by the second.

His hand dropped from Marelda's cheek and she caught it, holding it to her chest, "Parker! Parker!" Sobs began to wrack her frame.

A few minutes later, thought it seemed like ages to Marelda, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She jumped, and jerked around, lashing out with a knife. The person backed up quickly, narrowly missing the blade. "Woah there. I mean no harm, lass. My sister and I were traveling to here—this is came to help the town and saw you sitting here. Are you a local?"

The accent was one from the eastern side of the country. Marelda took a closer look at the man. He wore simple traveling clothes, with a bag on their back and a sword sheath strapped to his belt.

"Y-you're a warrior…!" Marelda gasped, "The r-raiders are in the s-squ-square!"

He nodded solemnly, and stood up before taking off in the direction of the square. Marelda noticed a woman who was standing a little ways away from where the man had been. "W-who are you?"

The woman walked up, looking a bit surprised, "It seems you have magic, little one, otherwise you wouldn't have been able to see me. Is that your brother?" She motioned to where Parker lay.

Marelda nodded, "His name was Parker. He got s-stabbed because he was trying to tell me to go back to Ma and stay safe."

The woman knelt beside her and put a hand on her head, "Well, I guess I'm going to get to avenge him this early morning. You stay here, okay? I'm going to go and make sure my hot-headed idiot of a brother doesn't get himself killed. He may be the one with magic, but he's not good at using it when he's riled up." She stood up, brushing off her pants. She pulled a large knife from her belt and handed it to Marelda, "Seeing as you nearly sliced my brother's hand off with the little knife of yours, I think you can handle this. Keep yourself safe. I'll come and get you when it's over." She turned to run off to the fight, but hesitated, "Before I go, what's your name, lass?"

"M-Marelda."

"Well, Marelda, I'm Elma." Then the woman broke into a run,heading to the fight.

…. …. ….

"Are you sure about this Marelda?" Leandra asked her oldest child.

"Yes, Ma. I'm entirely sure. This is what I want. I promise." She glanced at the tracks. The train that would take her to Stargate, the town nearest Gedonlune Royal Magic Academy. She had received the acceptance letter a few weeks ago, and was ready. This was the place where she could live up to her goal of being a warrior. She's not only doing it for herself—no, she's also doing it for Parker. His dream got cut short, hers would not.

The only thing she worried about was leaving her mother and three little siblings behind. That one night almost seven years ago had left her family without a father and an older brother. Parker and Manley Krammer will killed in an attack on the town. Since then, the capital had fortified the near-border town and provided it with a little more security. Even so, Marelda couldn't help but worry about her family. Her mother had, in fact, remarried the previous year, and that had helped alleviate her fears, if only a little.

"Elda! Don't go!" cried Willie, clinging to his sister's leg. Willie was the youngest, now eight. He didn't really remember his father or brother, but he adored his oldest sister. "Who's gonna hunt with me? And play with me? And show me cool things?"

Marelda smiled at him, and leaned over to give him a hug. "You can take the other boys in the village with you when you hunt. I'm sure Jakob's younger brother, Marren, will go with you. He does it half the time already. And he likes you, even if he is a year or so older. And there are plenty of other kids to play with."

"But none of them are as amazing as you!" Willie insisted.

Marelda fought back the sudden burst of near-tears that rose to her eyes and hugged him again. She hadn't cried in seven years, and she wasn't about to do so now. "I'll come and visit on the holidays, and the summer vacation is three months long."

"But those are so far away!"

"Willie, calm down." Anna, the younger of Marelda's twin sisters, pried him off of her.

"Hey, maybe she'll come back with a new older brother for you at some point." Chelse, the older twin, younger than Marelda by a year and a half, aged 12-going-on-13, winked at her big sister.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Willie whined as Marelda turned red. Anna leaned down and whispered in his ear, and he gasped, "Yes! Marelda! Go and find an awesome big brother! One who'll play with me when you can't! Now go! Go!" The train was about to pull up to the station.

"Hush up, Anna!" Marelda scowled, "I'm sorry, Willie, but I'm not going to have time to have, much less find, a boyfriend. I'll be training."

"Still, you never know." Leandra input, smiling at her red-faced oldest. "I believe it's time for you to get on the train. I love you, Marelda. Be safe and don't overwork yourself, please." She hugged her daughter, and got a hug in return.

And with one last group hug from her siblings, Marelda got on the train, ready for what was coming next in her life.

Getting herself comfortably situated in a compartment, she ghosted her hand over the belt tied around her waist, containing three old and well-loved knives.

I'm doing it, Parker. For both of us.

In Elemental, I have an ender. In Taming, I have fun facts. In Cursed, there'll be song lyrics at the beginning. Here, I'll have a description of a new weapon. :)

Marelda's three hunting knives are all different sizes. The largest has a blade about six inches long, and is shaped a bit like a leaf, and is wider in the middle, about an inch and a half at it's widest. It tapers to a point at the end. It's good for throwing, as well. It's a sturdy one.