A girl was sparring with her father. Her lavender colored hair was pulled back into a ponytail, as to keep it from her face. Though a few strands did fall loose. Her slightly dark skin sticky with sweat. They'd been training for nearly two hours, and there hadn't been a break yet.
"Lazuli, raise your fist higher sweetie!" The girl heard her mother call.
Without missing a beat, she raised her fist just high enough to block her father's next attack. Then she fell into a crouch, and kicked out her leg at her father's ankles. He jumped back, but did stumble a bit.
"Great job." Her father complimented.
Lazuli nodded in appreciation, but didn't speak because she was panting. She didn't have the endurance of her father, not worth a damn. But according to them, she was getting better. So much so, that they had two training sessions now. One, hand to hand combat. The other, weapon training. She had sort sessions with all kinds of weapons. Now she had to make a choice as what to become her own.
"Okay. Lazuli, you have to choose your weapon base now. A sword, polearm, anything really." Her father crouched down next to her.
"Anything?" She looked up at her father with her blue eyes.
"Anything." He repeated back to her.
"I want something, but still with some distance." She frowned in thought. Then it came to her. "I've got it!"
Lazuli ran inside her home, with a new found energy. She barely registered her parents following her. She ran around until she had a pencil and a paper in hand. She began to sketch as quickly as she could. Finally finished, she showed her parents.
It was sword, but it would extend sideways to a fan like design. Her mother slowly smiled, her father was still somewhat surprised. He looked at his young daughter curiously.
"Are you sure?" He asked her.
"One hundred percent." Lazuli nodded, and smiled a bit more like her mother.
"Well, I know just who can make this." Her mother said.
Before Lazuli or her father could question it, there were loud screams from outside. Some were surprise, panic, and pain. Lazuli looked to her parents, but all they did was frown. Her father ran to his bedroom, then ran back out holding a pair of long barreled pistols. He ran outside with this since of purpose on his face. His blue eyes holding an intensity that Lazuli had never seen before.
"Sweetheart." Lazuli turned to her mother's voice. "I'm going to give you some instructions. If me and your father don't come back, you are to follow these instructions to the 'T', do you understand?" Lazuli had no choice but to nod.
"But what-"
"You're going to go to the basement, hide there until you don't hear anything. Even after that, wait for another ten minutes. During that time, think about the best times in your life. Things that make you happiest. When that's done, go to this place." Her mother scribbled quickly on the back of the paper. Without another word, she handed her the paper and shoved her toward the basement door.
"B-but-"
"Lazuli! Go. NOW!" Her mother yelled at her, and with that, Lazuli went to the basement.
The young girl found a place where a bunch of useless junk was piled up, and hid and fell quiet. She closed her eyes and began to think of things that made her happy. Her father's cooking. Sparring with him. Her mother's stories. Her laughter.
Everything that made her happy. Even when the screams died down, and there was rustling upstairs, she continued to think happy thoughts. Mom's songs. Dad's return after a job.
Lazuli suddenly realized that she'd been hiding for a good few hours now. Getting to her feet, she looked at the back of the paper where her mother wrote.
Lazuli, go to the village just North of here. There will be a blacksmith who can make your weapon, just say that me and your father sent you. Take the metal from some of the old weapons we have. Take my shield, I'd have made sure it was by the door. I love you.
Lazuli felt tears begin to sting her eyes, but she forced them down as hard as she could. Now was not the time to cry. She folded up the paper and slipped it into her pocket. She went and grabbed a backpack, she walked around the house picking up some of the training weapons. When she finally stepped outside, she saw that her beloved home was nothing but ashes. Before she break down in tears, she grabbed her mother's shield and ran as fast as she could.