Heart of Fire, Soul of Light
By The One True Koneko
Prologue: Spark of Firelight
Thomas Saberlin walked closely behind his now ten-year-old daughter Kia. It was her tenth birthday and he wanted it to be something special. "Don't stray to far now, Kia," he said as they neared Ashford.
"Don't worry Papa, I won't," the girl said, darting across the bridge. Several Skale looked at the child quizzically before returning to the task of catching fish. Kia ran down to the river's edge and stuck her bare feet into the chilled water. "Ah! Cold feet!" she squealed, running back to her father.
Tom smiled and took Kia's hand, leading her to his friend, Pitney. "Hey Pitney, do you have the present for Kia?"
The man smiled underneath his ragged straw hat. "Yep, I've got the perfect little surprise for her." The three went to the back of Pitney's house, where the peeping of hungry Strider chicks caught their ears. "They're hungry again? I'll tell you Tom; these little guys eat more that horses…"
Tom laughed as Pitney grabbed a bag of feed and dumped it into the small pen. Kia peered into it, staring at the pinkish-red balls of fluff. "I get one, Papa?" she asked, touching the nearest one.
"Yes you do, Kia; you get to name it too," he said as his daughter lifted a chick out of the pen. It struggled in her arms, trying to reach the food that was still on the ground.
Kia smiled as her chosen chick calmed down in her hands. "I want this one. Is it a boy or a girl, Mister Pitney?"
Pitney took the chick and checked it. "This one here… is a female!" he exclaimed, holding the chirping Strider chick high above his head before giving her to Kia.
Kia giggled. "I'll name her Rosie!" she said, spinning around on her toes as Rosie cheeped in delight.
"Happy birthday sweetheart," her father said, hugging his little girl.
The cake for her party was in Ascalon City so they headed there next. Pitney had held onto Rosie because pets were not allowed in the city. Once there, they saw a huge crowd of people at the front gates. "Kia, let's avoid the crowds, shall we?" Tom said, taking her hand as they headed towards the baker's shop.
As they neared the shop, Thomas noticed the sign on the door. "He's out? That's odd… I could have sworn that he said he'd be in right now…" Suddenly, a piteous, animal-like roar rose from the center of the crowd. Tom whirled around, just in time to see its source.
In the center of the raging mass of people, an adolescent Charr was chained to a wooden post. His cry was cut short by one of the guards, who took a wooden club and hit him in the chest. This triggered a hail of rocks and garbage at the Charr. A few "braver" members of the crowd would run up and hit him with various objects. The Charr cringed beneath their blows, huddling into a tightly packed ball of rust-colored fur.
Tom gritted his teeth and began heading into the crowd. His elder brother, Armin, was standing behind the Charr. He was well within striking range, but the Charr seemed more interested in protecting himself then lashing out at his captors. "Armin!" Thomas shouted, getting his brother's attention. "Armin, what is the meaning of this!?"
"Tom?" his brother replied, seeming slightly shocked that his little brother was there. The shock didn't last long though. "Come on; join in the fun!" Thomas looked at Armin with disgust.
"It is my daughter's birthday, for Melandru's sake," he hissed. "Can't your bloody savagery wait for one day? Just one?"
The crowd was confused, and for a while seemed to calm down, their voices humming dully. Suddenly one of the women cried out, "Oh someone get that child away from it!" Tom and Armin whirled around, and saw Kia standing in front of the quivering Charr. She was petting it like one would a housecat. The beast recoiled at her touch at first, but then it reached towards her with its clawed hand.
"Kia!" Armin shouted. He drew his sword and began moving towards the Charr, but Tom blocked him with his body.
"Wait…" he said. "I want to see what he will do." The Charr didn't harm Kia; in fact it mimicked her, stroking her hair in a petting motion. Kia giggled, and there was a flicker of a smile on the young Charr's face.
"Papa, why is the kitty tied up?" asked Kia innocently. Thomas smiled and walked over to her, picking her up. The Charr followed them with its head, turning its back to the crowd. He winced as he did so, and Kia noticed. "They hurt him, Papa! Why?"
Tom looked back at the Charr. Its left leg was splayed out at an odd angle, broken. "Who did that?" he asked his brother, fury blazing in his eyes.
"One of the guards," Armin said, as if he didn't have a care in the world. "I don't see what's getting you so riled up, Tom. It's just a Charr."
Tom glared at him. "You will tell the crowd to disperse. There will be no more bloodshed today…" He set Kia down. "Why don't you go play with your cousin Deeter? I'm sure he's around here somewhere."
Kia smiled brightly and hugged her father. She then ran off to find her cousin. "Deeter! Yay!"
"Armin," Tom said, glaring at his brother. "What did this cub do to deserve all of this pain?" Armin looked taken aback. "Where did your men find him?"
"We found him north of the wall, hunting Warthogs."
"And did he even once try hurting you or your men?"
Armin looked at his younger brother. "Why does it matter to you? It's a Charr!" He pointed at the cub. "We're in the middle of a war, and you're being concerned for the welfare of this… beast?!"
"Armin, if you continue this you will be no different from them. Nay, you will be worse than the Charr." At this, Armin grabbed the collar of Thomas' shirt, lifting him into the air.
"Don't you dare compare me with one of those monsters!" he shouted, shaking him roughly. "I'm nothing like them!"
Thomas frowned. "Then you will allow me to treat his wounds. When he is well, we will release him back into the North lands…"
Armin sighed, and set his brother down. "It is the King's decision, not mine, whether the Charr will be released. But you can fix him up…"
"Thank you brother…" Tom said, turning to the Charr cub. He said something in a strange language, and the cub's four long ears perked. The ranger smiled. "You know brother, to this day I do not regret keeping out of this war."
"You changed when you met Risa, you know?" replied Armin, referring to Thomas' wife. The fact was that Tom had once been an eager cadet in the army of Ascalon, itching to face the Charr in battle. When he met Risa though… "Sometimes I think that woman was raised by the Charr."
Thomas laughed. "We'll never know. I am grateful she taught me their tongue before she left though." He pulled out a bottle of ointment and began rubbing it on the young Charr's cuts and bruises.
"Are you planning on teaching it to Kia?" asked the warrior.
Tom grinned. "I think that'd be the best thing to do. The more people know their tongue, the better we'll be able to understand their plans…"
Armin reluctantly nodded his head. "It would be easier, but how many soldiers would be willing to learn it?" Tom smiled. "If you keep going the way you are, they'll start saying you're a Charr spy," Armin joked.
His brother smirked. "I don't see why… I merely show mercy to worthy adversaries." It was true; Tom always had held a certain respect for the Charr, and as things seemed, they held a similar respect for him. "They have a name for me you know… 'Traeh Thgil'."
"And that means?" Armin asked, raising an eyebrow. The cub's ears perked again. He opened his mouth, but immediately closed it again.
Tom chuckled. "It means Heart of Light; it means that to them I have a pure heart." He smiled at his elder brother. "What do you think?"
"I think this whole thing is a crock, but if that's what they call you…"
000
Later that week, the cub sat alone in the town square. The people had grown tired of beating him, and now would simply walk by as if he wasn't even there. His more minor wounds had been healed nicely, and his leg had been set. He was still lonely though, and wanted to go home… He also missed the little human girl from before; how soft her touch had been… He'd felt like he could endure even more pain, if only to feel the child's gentle hand stroking his fur again. What had she called him? He wracked his brain for the answer. "Kitty"? Yes, that was it.
"Ki-kit-ki…" he sputtered, attempting the foreign word. "Kittay, Keetay, Kity, Kitty," he said, finally getting it right. He smiled at himself, then sneezed as a wagon rolled by. "Kitty…" he pondered. What did it mean? His thoughts were cut short by another sharp sneeze. It had rained the night before… Perhaps he'd caught a cold?
He knew his rescuer… the human who'd treated his wounds and would bring him food when the guards forgot. "Light Heart…" he muttered in his tongue. He'd heard tale of this wondrous being. A human who'd fought his people and not only would win, but would spare his opponents. The man simply refused to kill a Charr. "Why? I must ask him…" he said to himself as aforementioned "Light Heart" drew near.
"Well, Raska, it looks like the guards forgot you again," the Light Heart said, grinning. He produced a large slab of fresh meat, which Raska eyed hungrily. "I hope you like pork."
"From warthog?" Raska asked. He took the meat gingerly from the Light Heart and took a bite, tearing a small chunk away from the slab.
Light Heart smiled. "I have spoken with the Prince…" he said off hand. "He has decided to release you…"
Raska looked up at the man. "Really? They really and truly have?"
"They have," he replied. "You are to be escorted to the northern side of the wall and released. I will be going with you to ensure nothing goes wrong."
"Wrong?" Raska asked, worried. The Light Heart laughed.
"Do not worry, I assure you that nothing bad will happen," Light Heart said.
"Will the child be there?" he asked. "The little girl from before…"
"Little girl?" For a moment, Light Heart seemed confused. "Oh, Kia. She is my daughter." Raska's eyes widened. "I was not planning on taking her, but if it would make you more comfortable…"
"Yes please!" Raska said, leaning closer. He'd had no idea that the Light Heart had a cub of his own. It would be wonderful news to give the others of his tribe. "She has the eyes of my people." Tom nodded. "Kiaa… That is a Charr name."
"The name is for a human or Charr," the Light Heart replied. "I do not believe that there are names specifically for humans or your kind." Raska grinned at this. The Light Heart turned to go. "You are to be released at dawn tomorrow. Be ready."
000
The next morning, shortly before dawn, Tom and Kia made their way to Ascalon City. Kia yawned sleepily. "Papa, why are we going to the city?" she asked, not being used to being up this early. It was still dark out.
Tom smiled as he held his daughter's hand. "Your friend from before is going home today."
"The kitty?" she asked, ever curious. They reached the city gates, and Tom picked Kia up into his arms. Raska was still chained in the center of town. Kia smiled. "He's sleeping, Papa…"
Raska was indeed asleep. They approached, and watched as he slowly awoke to the world around him. His ears twitched, his tail flicked, and he yawned and stretched in the rising sun. "Good morning, Raska," Tom said.
"More ring…" the Charr said, attempting human speech. Tom smiled.
The guards showed up shortly, and unchained Raska. The cub stood, wobbling a bit on his leg. It hadn't fully healed, and Tom knew that even when it did Raska would still have a limp. The group made their way out of the city and to the gate in the wall.
Tom watched as the guards opened the gate. The three then walked through the gate and into the Northlands. Once they were far enough away, Raska turned around and bowed to them. Tom returned the favor, and little Kia reached up and gave the Charr one last hug. Raska smiled, and then turned to go. Kia waved energetically as he broke into a slow run.
Tom picked her up, "Goodbye, young Raska," he said. "Bear humanity no hatred, and go in peace… May our paths cross again," he said softly.
"Papa, where is the kitty going?" Kia asked as Raska disappeared behind a hill.
"He's going home sweetheart… He's going home…" he said, holding her close. He walked back though the gate, his little girl on his shoulders…