Chapter one: Within the Storm

The night had been a cold one, when they meet. She could recall, with clarity, the harsh winds, blinding flurries, and deep snow. There hadn't been life within view, not that she had been able to see much, regardless. A young soldier, lost, after having strayed too far, delighted by the presence of a strong opponent and following them without hesitation, only the legacy of her people kept her conscious as she trudged forth.

Though young, Esdese was known by many for her strength, her limitless power, and, someday, she had smiled, glaring forward into the flurry, all would know of it.

Still, the journey had been a long one, and even she wasn't exempt from the tiresome needs of the human body. It was only after great effort, hours, perhaps days, of walking, that lead the young soldier to her much needed slumber, form falling forward, finally, before a closed gate.

"Is she alright?"

"…a soldier…?"

"…hair…?"

"Why is she….?"

The words, upon her awakening, were lost, sentences turned to mere phrases. The voices ranged from calm to panicked, but the place was warm, and she could hear the sound of a fire cackling by her feet. Esdese was no stranger to the tricks of man, for she would play them oft enough herself, but the bandages carefully—and needlessly, she sniffed—wrapped around her arm, the bedding in which she lay, and her sword, carefully placed by the door, signified a naivety, of which she would milk with pleasure.

Feigning sleep, she laid still as the door creaked open, revealing a burly man, perhaps in his late thirties, early forties. The man sighed, softly, at the sight of her sword, and moved it outside the room, ignoring the protests of the women behind him.

"I know you're awake, girl." He spoke, gruffly, folding his arms before him, eyes narrowed.

"Now, Seppo, that is no way to treat a young lady!" scolded the women, moving into the room and standing between him and Esdese, "she obviously needs her sleep, she's been injured, for goodness sake! Let her rest!"

"She's rested enough, six hours, in fact."

Six hours? Esdese inwardly frowned, not good, to think she was still so weak.

"You mean, only six. I've seen grown men twice her size nap for at least two days, while recovering from such conditions! She nearly froze to death!"

"Well, I have this feeling she's more like a beast."

"Seppo!"

The man paused, sighing softly, "girl, I tire of this."

Laughing, softly, Esdese allowed herself to rise, pushing her long blue locks back from her face, she smirked, coyly, at the man, "oh? And here I thought you'd enjoy the attention."

The women, startled, had jumped, quickly clutching the man's arm. "Oh, dear me, you are awake, I'll…I'll go prepare you something to drink, Seppo, would you like anything to drink Ms….?"

"Esdese," the young soldier supplied, "and, yes, something hot would do nicely." The couple appeared far too poor to have any of her usual beverage.

The man made no move as the women left, brown eyes staring at her in challenge. An old soldier, she presumed, smirking, oh, this was going to be fun. "Girl," he began, after some time, "why did you become a soldier?"

What a curious question, she inwardly blinked, before deciding to play along, "to fight strong opponents."

Although the man raised an eyebrow in disbelief, he continued on, "and why are you here?"

With a shrug she replied, "the enemy I chased was stronger than most, sadly, he only lasted a minute, still more than enough time for a storm to set in."

Nodding, the man said no more.

"Where are we?" Esdese asked the women, upon her return.

Smiling before settling down before the young soldier, much to Seppo's displeasure, the women cheerfully chatted away, telling her about the village, the people, gossip, and some other things Esdese could truly care naught for.

Somehow, she had strayed a great distance from her original goal, and was far too close to Camelot for her liking, still, she could make up for that distance in no time, with her speed, and the flurry steadily dying. The villagers themselves appeared dull, at least, from their descriptions, and the gossip that followed. Mr. Williams was cheating on the Mrs. with their daughter, and Mrs. Davidson was suddenly having no luck with her piglets, each one lasting a mere day after birth, like some sort of curse, the women breathed.

As oft as she rambled about nothing of interest, she would ask many questions.

Where did Esdese hail from?

How old was she?

And a few others she ignored. Still, playing along, Esdese declared that she belonged to the Empire, far to the west, and that she was a mere eighteen years of age.

Which made the women ecstatic, for some odd reason or another. But before she could continue in her ramblings Seppo reminded her of the much needed rest Esdese didn't need. With a sigh, the women called it a night, gathering all of the dishes and wishing her quest a pleasant rest before closing the door, dragging the man out behind her.

The young soldier waited a few hours, awaiting the silence of sleep, before soundlessly exiting the home, grabbing her sword as she passed.

As she walked through the humble abode, she noted the two, tucked away in a corner of the only other room, playing multiple roles as bedroom, kitchen, and dining room, before she silently closed the front door behind her.

The snow had long since settled, and would not pick up any time soon, she confirmed, looking up into the clouds, nearly blocking out the moon. From the cold sensation, stinging her bare feet, she became painfully aware that, perhaps, just a bit, the army's attire had caused her to become slightly spoiled, which would slow her down significantly, should she attempt the trek as she was.

"Um, aren't you cold, lady?" called out a voice, small but sure.

Her heart nearly stopped when she caught sight of the child's emerald eyes, her sword mere centimeters from taking his head off. Oh, the sight of his beautiful red blood trailing down that small neck was tantalizing, and the obvious fear reflected in his eyes was delectable. But her fear was greater.

I almost lost him again.

Never again.

No more.

He's mine!

This time, nothing will take him away! Nothing!

The strong impulse to possess the boy confused her, but she moved forward and dragged him into a hug, relishing in his scent and drinking in the sound of his confused words. "You're mine," she whispered, huskily, into his ear, before lapping up his blood, smirking as he shivered.

"I'm not yours," the boy managed, after some time, before softly attempting to push her away. A futile effort, as her grip tightened, trapping his hands awkwardly between them and smashing his face into her breasts.

"Oh, so defiant, I love that part of you," she muttered, still confused by her actions, by her very own words, but going with it regardless, "but you are mine, there is nothing that could change that, just as I am yours."

"'ont know 'ou!" the boy managed, continuing his fruitless struggle in her arms.

"But you will," she sighed into his neck, snuggling close.

"'an't 'eath!" the boy tried, pushing with all his might, only for Esdese to lean forward, causing them to fall into the snow, her larger form trapping his beneath, pinning his arms up above his head, "now this won't do, it won't do at all," she cooed, cupping his check, "you're much to weak."

"And you're much too hungry," the boy muttered, as her stomach growled, causing her to flush. With a sigh, the boy settled down, relaxing in her grip, he stared up at her, "would you like something to eat miss?"

"Esdese," she declared, staring into his enchanting eyes, "and you?"

"…Tatsumi."

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A/N:

Alrighty, so the story begins! Admitably, Esdese is OOC and so is Tatsumi, but, to clarify a few things, he's only ten while she's sixteen. Not only that, but you may have noticed we mentioned Camelot, yes, they will be going there…eventually. However, that will be awhile from now. However, Merlin and Arthur will appear before then, so worry naught.

Beyond that, Esdese may seem docile right now, but that's because she can't just kill people at random, well, she could, but she'd get in trouble, which would then lead to some troublesome repercussions when she reports back in. However, here is the true question, how did she wind up all the way over in that village, so far away from her platoons goal? She hadn't consciously meant for that to happen, but it did, you'll find out why latter.

Anyhow, I would greatly appreciate any feedback, be they good or bad, questions are good too.