In the northern region of Fiore
The village of Frost Perch was one of few settlements in the snow covered region. Life wasn't easy, but those who survived here thrived and naturally stubborn enough to endure. It wasn't luxurious, but it was fulfilling all the same. All the settlements, though they intially struggled over resources, now worked together with trade.
Though life was definitely more challenging as opposed to life in the rest of Fiore, there was always a certain peaceful charm to the north.
Currently, outside one of the sturdily built houses in the village of Frost Perch, a young girl of seventeen sat in a meditative position. She had dark violet hair, obsidian blue eyes, and fair skin. Currently she was dressed in a white long sleeved tunic, thick gray pants tucked into fur trimmed boots, and a heavy coat was casually laying in her lap.
Her eyes were closed as she enjoyed the tranquility of the morning, listening to the soft wind and faint sounds of others starting their day in the village. However one eye cracked upon hearing a loud crashing sound. She frowned, realizing it was coming from inside the house, and climbed to her feet.
"Raul?" she opened the door and poked her head inside, only to sigh seeing the sight before her.
Her mentor and adoptive father was currently sprawled face down on the floor, miraculously not having landed in the fire pit in the center of the home. Her nose twitched as she smelled stew cooking in the pot hanging over the pit but she ignored it as she scurried over to Raul. She knelt down and shook him slightly.
"Raul? Are you okay?"
The older man groaned, rolled onto his back and slung an arm over his eyes. "Ugh…sorry Freya, I didn't mean to worry you. It's just that-" he suddenly shot up and gripped her shoulders. "You're leaving today! My little student, it seems like just yesterday you were chasing a snow fox because it stole your boot!"
"…Raul that was yesterday."
"Oh." He grew quiet for a moment before groaning again. "Only fifty-six, but old age is catching up to me. Why?" Freya rolled her eyes and gently removed his larger hands off her shoulders and helped him up.
Despite him being in his fifties, Raul still towered over her at the impressive height of 6'6, exactly one foot taller than her. He still was muscular, something you tell despite the thick furs he wore due to the north's cold. His hair was black with gray streaks, and gray-green eyes that remind her of a hawk stared down at her with a friendly warmth to them. He held his hair in a short ponytail with a few messy strands falling out. He also had a faded goatee and some stubble.
There was a faded scar on his left jaw, it looked like a bear had caused it in his younger days but it was likely it had been during a fight with a mage.
"You're not that old Raul. You're just retired." Freya grabbed the ladle and stirred the stew in the pot. He sighed and dusted himself off, before wandering to her backpack. She had packed everything neatly the night before. Some spare clothes, rations needed for the journey, and a few spare things she wanted to bring for sentimental reasons. He glanced over it, and ignored the hard feeling in his chest.
Freya wasn't just a student to him. She was like his daughter. He's raised her since she was ten years old, a hunting party having found her alone in the icy tundra. It was oddly funny to him, that after he retired he found someone to keep him company and to well…be his family. He always wanted the apple pie life, marriage and then children, but it just never happened. Perhaps he just focused on work too much, or was recovering from his young days when he was a little bit of a playboy. Pfft, glad I joined the Rune Knights back then. I needed the discipline Raul snorted. In any case though, he would miss his student.
"Freya, come here a sec." He headed to the corner of the room where there was a sheet covered what must have been a stand. The girl set the ladle down and walked over. He slung an arm around her shoulders and yanked the sheet off the stand to reveal an armor display. A faded white cloak was over a light blue jacket with a hood. The jacket had a large dark blue belt with side pockets fastened over it, dark blue straps crossing over his chest and back (where there was a small backpack), and then the sleeves of jacket were tucked into fingerless black gloves with metal plating fitted over them and then running to halfway up the forearms. There was also elbow pads, and white cargo pants on the display. Black boots completed the look. The sigil of the Rune Knights was stitched onto the back of the jacket, but also on the right bicep too.
"I know I was a Rune Knight, but that doesn't mean you have to be one too. I want you to follow your own path."
Freya shook her head with a smile. "I know. But we discussed this before. I know that I can easily join a mage guild because of my magic, but I want to do something else with it. I think my mother would be proud of me…and I want you to be proud of me."
He felt a swell of emotion, and squeezed her in a one armed hug. "I'll always be proud of you….but enough about me! You're going to be a Rune Knight! Come on, let's eat and have one last meditation session before you got to get going."
"Is that code for get some peace before Samantha and Alexis get here and start arguing?"
"Yes it is."
She snorted at how nonchalantly he answered that, grabbing three bowls from the cupboard. Raul, seeing the bowls, raised an eyebrow. "That reminds me…where is Lulu?"
"She's out flying around outside. She's really excited to go on an 'adventure', you know?" Freya answered, grabbing the ladle and filling the bowls up. He shrugged, and helped her take the bowls to the table. As if on cue, a yellow blur raced in through the open kitchen window, flying straight to one of the chairs.
The blur was a hyperactive little Exceed named Lulu. Lulu had yellow fur, with it being a bit spiky around her larger than average ears and her tail. A little white coat was buttoned up on her. Freya found her egg two years ago and had hatched her. While it was weird seeing a cat of all things come from an egg, she was still delighted that she got the egg to hatch. Raul surprisingly wasn't too fazed, but considering his status as an ex-Rune Knight he probably has seen stranger things.
"I'm here-" Lulu started before dodging a light swipe from Raul with a squeak.
"And late for breakfast!"
Freya rolled her eyes as the Exceed pouted at Raul and placed her bowl in front of her. "Eat up, we've got a long journey ahead of us Lulu."
"Are you sure you want to be a Rune Knight? Your big butt might get in the way!"
"I can't help it that I'm more developed than you! Besides, at least I don't charge into a fight like a maniac."
Raul let out a deep groan while Freya held back her snickers. "Oh, Supreme Commander is going to have a lot of fun with this new generation." He grumbled underneath his breath before walking out. Freya slung her bag over her shoulders and followed.
They were greeted by the sight of two girls Freya's age. The girl who had first spoken was Samantha Kuroushi. She had blonde hair kept in a ponytail and brown eyes, and was tall for a girl. She had a body type that screamed Amazonian and while she wore the typical furs of the north, she had a horned helmet tucked underneath her arm. A shield was slung across her back and on her belt was hanging a mace, from which you could see a slight shimmer indicating there was enchantments on it. The top of the mace even appeared to be made of ice.
The next girl was Alexis Shiverpeak, who had flowing white hair, clear blue eyes, lush lips, and a very voluptuous pear-shaped body. An impressive looking bow and quiver was slung over her back. Her cheeks right now were currently flustered due to the nature of her argument with Samantha.
Freya knew Samantha for a while now, but had only met Alexis a few days ago. The two girls, like Freya, had desired to join the Rune Knights so had previously come to speak with Raul. He gave them advice, and also asked that the three girls travel together since it was a long way from Frost Perch to Era, the town that served as home to the Magic Council. The only problem was that Alexis and Samantha butted heads in the short time they knew each other. It most likely had to do with their different fighting styles, and how their villages worked. Samantha's village was harsher and had one of the toughest lifestyles, so the girl tended to be head on unlike Alexis who hunted from a distance with her archery.
"Morning you two."
The girls stopped their arguing and quickly bowed their heads in respect. "Good morning Raul, Freya."
Rau crossed his arms, and frowned as he looked around. He turned his head to his student. "Freya, where is Lulu? Again?" The Exceed must have disappeared again. Yet before Freya could say or do anything in response, Lulu flew in with Aera, making Alexis jump. Right, she had never seen the cat's wings before. Lulu had her own little backpack, red with bright white polka dots, and hovered right next to Raul.
"I'm here!" she chirped enthusiastically. Raul sweat-dropped while Alexis still tried to process that the talking cat she met a few days ago…had wings. What.
"You girls ready to go?" Raul asked. They all nodded, making him sigh deeply. He was really starting to feel his age, having to see off a new, young generation of Rune Knights. "Alright, I'll walk you to the border of Frost Perch…but first." He faced Freya, a stern expression on his face. His hawk eye gaze actually made Freya freeze momentarily.
"Um…Raul-" Before she could ask what was wrong, he immediately crushed her in a bear hug. She squeaked rather adorably making Samantha laugh while Alexis held back a snicker behind her hand.
Raul squeezed her tightly. "Listen, I know you're going to do well. But I just want you to know…don't be afraid to come home every now and then." Her flushed face dropped, and she closed her eyes to hold back gathering tears. Home…
"I will." And she meant it.
The trek started out quiet enough. Lulu had claimed Freya's shoulder as her sitting place, Alexis's blue eyes were scanning the area like a hawk as if looking for any possible threat, while Samantha trudged on with vigilant eyes and ears as well. Freya took a sniff and let her ears do most of the work, knowing she could trust those two senses the most. Alexis paused for a moment, looking over the violet haired girl, and sighed.
"I have to ask, what is your magic?" Alexis spoke up finally. "You don't have a weapon on you, unlike me and Sammy." The blonde gave Alexis a glare for that nickname which the white haired beauty clearly ignored.
Freya's hand immediately shot up to cover Lulu's mouth before the Exceed could say it out loud. "Just ice magic. Not Ice-Make mind you, but ice magic." She clarified. Samantha gave her an odd look but didn't say anything as Alexis nodded, satisfied with this for now.
"I see, thank you for telling me. I'm sure it's obvious, but I use a magic bow and arrow to compliment the ice and archery magic I developed through hunting." She gestured to the bow and quiver on her back. Freya nodded.
Not wanting to be left out, Samantha spoke up as well. "My shield is enchanted, and this mace uses ice magic too. I like getting up close when I fight, so I can bash things when I needed to." She spoke with a hint of pride in her voice. She liked being a warrior, and the adrenaline she got from a good battle. She then made a funny face. "Huh."
"Huh what?"
"We all use ice magic. That's…kind of cool." Lulu giggled at the unintentional pun but Alexis and Freya shared looks.
Before anything could be said, they heard shouting. The three girls and Exceed exchanged glances before quickly racing towards the shouting. The closer they got, the more they realized they were getting closer to what sounded like a rough fight going on.
"Back off!" A girl's voice shouted only to be followed by another crash. Samantha didn't hesitate to yank her mace off her belt and grab her shield, while Alexis quickly did the same with her bow. Freya's eyes simply narrowed and she ran in. Lulu's wings from her Aera came out as she quickly flew ahead to see what was going on.
"You need to back down girly, we just want your jewels and whatever supplies you have!"
Lulu flew and hovered over the snowy field, clearly the center of some damage, and gasped seeing a girl around Freya's age step backwards. She had bob cut blue hair, green eyes, and a petite body clad in furs clearly originating from one of the villages up north. She was in a defensive stance holding two long daggers, and her eyes kept flickering back and forth to try and keep all of the bandits in her sight.
The bandits were a group of men that were clearly outsiders due to the clothes they wore. "Just leave me alone, and I'll forget this happened." The girl tried bargaining. It was obvious she knew how to fight, but she was severely outnumbered and not to mention, alone.
The bandits laughed. "Oh, I'm shaking in my boots!" One of them mocked stepping forward. The girl's eyes narrowed and just as she went to say something, an arrow sliced through the air and landed right in front of the man's foot. They all gasped, and turned their heads to see Alexis already nocking another arrow.
"I'm not surprised you're shaking in your boots, you're clearly not dressed warm enough." Freya spoke up, coming around Alexis. She stood a few feet away from the blue haired girl and gave the bandits a raised eyebrow.
Samantha then walked up, banging her mace on her shield, making some of the bandits jump. "Greenlanders." She snorted making Alexis smirk. Ah, finally something they agree on!
"Who are you calling greenlanders? We still outnumber you!" The leader called out, gesturing to the twelve men and then the four girls they were facing.
"Three for each of us!" Samantha answered with a grin. The blue haired girl looked confused but was grateful nonetheless the girls had come to her aide despite being strangers.
"I want one too!" Lulu cried from above. The Exceed didn't want to be left out!
"Wait- IS THAT A CAT WITH WINGS?!"
"No, it's clearly a Vulcan." Freya remarked sarcastically before looking at her companions. The bandits seemed pretty insulted how she dismissed them much to everyone's amusement. "So…I'll take the ones on the left?"
Samantha nodded. "I'll take the middle."
Alexis fired an arrow and they all heard a yelp. "I'll take the three thinking they're being clever, sneaking around us."
Freya nodded and looked at the blue haired girl. "You okay with the ones on the right then?" The girl didn't look unharmed.
After a moment of taking it all in, the girl gave a slight nod. "I'll take the right."
That was all it took for all hell to break loose. Samantha, helmet on, gave a fierce battle cry as she lifted her shield and charged. The three bandits in the middle looked wide-eyed before quickly regaining their composure. Two of the bandits held weapons, but one of them had a form of lightning magic. He quickly raised his hands, electricity dancing around his fingertips, before firing off several rapid bolts at Samantha. She lifted her shield and much to his surprise, the lightning was absorbed into the shield. The two bandits with swords attacked at her from the sides to try and take her by surprise, but she merely spun and slammed her mace into the man's sword. Since it was clearly not high quality, the sword broke in two.
The other man however got a more painful fate. Samantha slammed her shield into his rib-cage and suddenly, the man was electrocuted as the absorbed magic was finally released. She didn't stay in one place for long though, as she quickly used the edge of her shield to slam into the head of the disarmed bandit. He crumbled to the ground with his friend. The lightning mage's jaw dropped as he was met with predatory brown eyes. "You're next."
Alexis fired off an arrow, knocking one of her three targets down but the other two kept coming. One bandit came faster than the other and went to swing at her. Before he could, Alexis took the end of her bow and jabbed into his stomach before ducking under him and shooting her elbow up into his jaw. She then grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and shoved him face first into the snow. Before he fully fell however, she rolled over his back nocking an arrow and fired an ice arrow at her remaining enemy. It struck him, and quickly it encased his chest in ice. The weight forced him to drop down.
The blue haired girl twirled her daggers in her hands, making the blades clash together as she circled her opponents. Her eyes narrowed, and a white magic circle activated beneath her. "Ice Body!" Her whole body suddenly turned into hard ice, giving her an armor sorts as she quickly ran forward. The key to wielding daggers was to get in close, and fast. Due to her small size and her defense from her magic, she was able to get in closer much easier than most. The big spiked club the largest of the three wielded swung out at her but she managed to slide under it. He then brought it downwards at her, fully intending to crush her underneath the club. The girl waited until the very last second before jumping back. The spiked club crashed into the ground and due to the spikes, it got stuck in the thick snow. The girl then used the club as a spring board to deliver a harsh kick to the man's chin, knocking him back. She landed on his chest, and used the hilt of one of her daggers to strike across his temple, knocking him out. Another bandit with an ax ran forward and brought his ax down on the girl but to his surprise, the ax simply glanced off the ice coating her skin.
"I'm impervious to little attacks like that." The girl informed before swiping out with her two daggers, engaging him and her other remaining opponent with her blades. One of them tried to sneak up on her from behind, but all he got was a mouthful of snow. He shook his head rapidly only to see Lulu flying around the area, several snowballs gathered in her little arms.
"Take that you losers!" she cried, launching more at him. The blue haired girl almost giggled at the Exceed as she deflected an attack and promptly head-butted the guy, before twirling around like a dancer and hitting her final opponent, blinded by snowballs, with her daggers. He fell on top of his already fallen comrades.
Freya couldn't help but smile seeing Lulu fly around throwing snowballs at the bandits, before focusing on her opponents again. "Ice Warpath!" she flung her hand outwards, a path of ice spikes forming and speeding straight towards the bandits. Two of them flung themselves to the left, while only one threw himself to the right to avoid the harsh spikes.
She advanced on the one by himself and jumped up, doing a flying kick to his face as he tried standing up. She rolled to the ground, getting to her feet and sending an ice spike at one man. He managed to dodge it, but was unprepared when Freya lifted her hands. "Ice Tomb!" Similar to Ice Warpath, a path of ice shot out but once it hit the man's legs, it began to crawl up him, encasing him in layers of ice.
The remaining bandit gritted his teeth. "Don't get cocky, you're not the only one who knows ice!" he then equipped what appeared to be brass knuckles, however they were colored silver with light blue tint. Etched into the metal work were snowflakes. He ran at her, launching a punch at her. It emitted frost and Freya jerked to the side, eyes narrowing. A magic item that emitted ice magic huh?
She kept moving back and forth, evading every punch until the bandit eventually got fed up and stopped moving, instead clashing his fists together. "Dodge this!" A light blue magic circle formed in front of his joined fists, before shooting out a blast of ice that headed straight towards her. Instead of moving, she merely stood still and let the attack engulf her.
Alexis gasped. "Freya!" She and the blue haired girl made a move to help but an arm stopped them. Samantha had a knowing look in her eyes as Lulu flew next to them. The Exceed gave a cheerful smile at the girls.
"Ice magic doesn't work on Freya." She assured them.
The bandit peered at the storm, smirking triumphantly as the ice swirled around the violet haired girl. He went to turn around before hearing a crunching noise. He faced her again, only to grow pale in shock seeing Freya…
Eating the ice.
"W-What the hell?!" he exclaimed. Alexis and the other girl's jaw dropped, watching as Freya wiped her mouth.
"Not bad. Next time you attack someone though…make sure they're actually down for the count." Freya advised.
The bandit quickly snapped out of his shock and lunged at her, fists frosted over due to his brass knuckles. If ice doesn't hurt her, then I'll just overpower her with my fists! He let out a war cry bringing his fists down at her. Freya's eyes narrowed before bringing back her fist. A frosty aura gathered around it. "Ice Dragon's…" Her pupils slit and her obsidian blue eyes flashed icy blue. "Frozen Claw!" She swiped at him, ice-like claws digging into the man's fists and knocking the brass knuckles off him.
She didn't even give him a moment to recover, inhaling the cold air around her. "Ice Dragon's Roar!" A storm of snow and ice erupted from her mouth, colliding with the final bandit and sending him flying.
With all the bandits now down for the count, Freya turned to look at her group only to sweat-drop seeing the flabbergasted looks on two of their faces. Samantha simply walked over, picked up a bandit by the scruff of the neck, and shook him around. "Hey! Tell us where your camp is!"
His eyes opened, only for him to squeak in fear seeing the tall girl holding him like a rag doll. "O-Our camp is west of here!" he held up his arms trying to shield his face, making her snort.
"Adorable." She then slammed her shield right into his face knocking him out again. "Alexis, can you fire off a signal arrow or something?"
The archer nodded, quickly doing that despite wanting answers for what just happened and nocked an arrow marked with a red arrowhead. She fired it into the air, and as the arrow flew up high it emitted a smoking red light. One of the people from the closest village would spot it and send out some hunters to investigate, so the bandits would be taken care of.
Freya sighed as Lulu flew to her, wings disappearing as she dropped into her arms. She already felt the questioning stares. "I'll…explain. Let's just tie these guys up, and head to their camp." She spotted the brass knuckles sitting in a pile of snow on the ground however, and plucked them up. Maybe Lulu could have them, even if they were too big for her tiny paws. Era might have a blacksmith or something.
After tying the bandits up and leaving them there for the authorities to collect, the group of girls made their way to camp. Of course, they all couldn't help but talk about the fight they all just won.
"Dumb greenlanders, that's what they get for attacking northerners. We're not pushovers!"
"I never thought it be so satisfying to head-butt someone like that!"
The camp was empty, but in no time the girls occupied it while getting the campfire going. They all sat around it, some of the food the bandits had cooking over the fire.
"Um, thank you all for stepping in when you did. I don't think I would have been able to fight them all off on my own." The blue haired girl started, her voice now soft since they weren't in a combat situation anymore. "My name is Lissa Glaive."
"It's nice to meet you Lissa." Freya greeted with a smile, the other girls doing the same. "I'm Freya Icewing."
"Alexis Shiverpeak."
"Samantha Kuroushi."
"And," Lulu started, the Exceed's tail flicking as she climbed up Freya and laid over her head. "I'm Lulu!" They all chuckled at the Exceed's dramatics, before Alexis looked at Freya.
"You told me you had just ice magic."
Freya scratched the back of her head, sighing. "I apologize for lying, but please believe me when I tell you I have my reasons." She clasped her hands together. "When I was ten years old, a hunting party from the village of Frost Perch found me by myself. When they brought me back, Raul, my mentor and adoptive father, took me in." Samantha already knew this story, and sipped at her canteen.
"However, before that…I was raised by the ice dragon Frosteria."
"The Ice Queen Frosteria raised you?!" Lissa jumped, Alexis's jaw dropping slightly. In the north, the people had a history of worshiping the ice dragon known as Frosteria as she had been the guardian of the north in the time of dragons similar to how the Sun Village worshiped Atlas Flame. Though like all dragons that have disappeared over time and now are considered to be mere myths, the memory of the dragon was passed down.
"Yeah…Frosteria taught me everything. Education, how to take care of myself, and magic…then she disappeared seven years ago." Freya remembered how upset she was to wake up one morning and realize her mother wasn't there anymore.
Alexis moved to where she was sitting next to Freya. "I'm sorry, that sounds terrible." She rested a hand on her shoulder in a comforting way. "We only know Frosteria as the guardian, I can't imagine what it must have been like to lose her as a mother…"
"I do plan on finding her one day." Freya announced. "But, I have to get stronger first and make my own path."
"I'll help you Freya!" Lulu chimed in, raising a paw. Freya smiled in appreciation, hugging her dear friend, before looking at the other girls. "I understand the significance of my mother, but please don't think any different of me. The reason I want to conceal my true magic for now is because-"
"Dragon-slaying magic is a Lost Magic." Lissa blurted, blushing once realizing everyone was staring at her. "S-Sorry!"
"Don't be sorry." Everyone assured, smiles on their faces. "You're right. Raul advised me to try and not fling it about, since it might draw unwanted attention."
"Your secret is safe with us." Alexis assured before looking at Samantha. "You knew?"
Samantha sighed and leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "Yeah, I knew." She stared into the fire, the flickering flames lighting up her brown eyes. "I've known Freya for a few years now. My home village used to be a very toxic place. The weak were weeded out and left to die, as they followed a 'only the strong survive the cold' viewpoint. We had a 'be strong no matter what' mentality." She closed her eyes, not liking the memories that resurfaced.
"I almost was killed because of this way of life. I wasn't very strong as a little girl. Thankfully, word got around to the few villages in this region, which meant word got to Raul, a former Major General for the Rune Knights. He practically stormed into the village hearing what was going on." Raul did not take the endangerment of a child's life lightly. He had Samantha stay with Freya while he had 'words' with the elders of that village. In the end, he gave them all a choice. They both change their ways and stop weeding out the so-called weak, or he would have them all…taken care of.
"After that, my village changed for the better. We still tend to be overbearing when it comes to strength, but now we're willing to work with other villages and don't leave anyone to die. I decided though that I needed to leave my village, and find…well my own path. Be a warrior in my own right." Samantha owed Raul a lot, but seeing as the man didn't want any kind of payment she settled for helping his student. The two girls were friends now anyways.
Alexis felt a bit bad for her insults earlier, now understanding why Samantha tended to be a bit harsher. Things grew a quiet, unsure of how to continue on after hearing all of this. Lissa eventually decided to break the ice, and cleared her throat. "I understand why Freya and Samantha want to join the Rune Knights. I myself want to join to have a purpose, if that makes sense. I…I don't talk much usually, I actually never say much unless spoken to. I was labeled as creepy in my village."
"You're not creepy." Lulu immediately insisted, looking up at the girl with large eyes. "You're pretty!"
"T-Thank you." Lissa blushed. She shyly looked over at Alexis. "Um…how about you?"
The archer smiled in an assuring way at her, trying to make her feel more comfortable, before sitting up. "Pretty basic. I want to prove my worth as a huntress, and I have no interest in mage guilds. I also prefer to work as a unit. After all, no one can survive the winter all on their own." Suddenly a light bulb went off in her head, and Alexis stood up. "I just thought of something." She looked at Freya, Samantha, and Lissa. "We all use some form of ice magic and weaponry, right? And we're all from the north, and seeking to join the Rune Knights."
She blew a piece of white hair out of her face. "So what if we decided to all join together as a team?"
"Like an Ice Legion of sorts?" Freya mused out loud, making Alexis nod.
"Exactly! Think about it."
Samantha snorted, but a grin did make it's way on her face. "I'm in." Freya nodded and stood up. She looked at Lissa, who looked down for a moment before looking back up with a tiny smile forming on her face.
"I'm in."
"Well, I guess that makes it official. We're all going to be a team." Freya looked at the girls surrounding her, a smile working its way on her face as well.
"Yay!" Lulu cheered, flying circles around the group.
And this is when the Ice Legion was formed.
In a library in Era
"More paperwork Lahar?" A young woman asked, adjusting her glasses while holding a stack of books with one arm. The woman had brown hair styled in a messy bob, with misty grey eyes. She was dressed like a cute librarian, wearing a medium length yellow skirt, white button up blouse, a thin brown belt, and simple brown flats. Her wedding ring glinted gently in the light, and the small purple running wolf tattoo on her wrist stuck out against her pale skin.
Lahar, Captain of the Fourth Custody Unit for the Magic Council, nodded grimly staring at his paperwork. He had been trying to take a break inside the library, but the itch to get back to work hit him and he just decided to resume it here. The library was peacefully quiet anyways, so it wouldn't be too bad of a place to get work done.
"Unfortunately. I apologize if I am bothering you Esme." The woman laughed, waving her hand.
"Oh don't worry, I'm used to people coming here for peace."
"Hopefully that's all they come for." A smooth voice sounded, and Lahar quickly stood up detecting the presence of the Supreme Commander.
The Supreme Commander of the Rune Knight military, Vangelis Roth, had a certain presence around him. His teal eyes, long silver hair, and pensive expression seemed typical of a man who seemed cold, but he really wasn't. He was fair despite giving off an intimidating aura. He wore a long dark blue trench coat with armor pieces on his shoulders. He also wore black form fitting pants and military boots, with matching gloves. The Rune Knight symbol was carved on a metallic piece in the front of his belt, and was also present on the back of his coat.
He simply waved Lahar's salute off, wordlessly telling him formalities weren't needed.
Esme seemed amused. "Vangelis dear, you know I won't let anyone cause trouble." A hint of smile flashed on the commander's face as he gently grabbed her free hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. A wedding band resting on a thin chain around his neck glinted. He usually didn't wear it on his hand when on duty due to his gloves and his close combat fighting style.
Vangelis let go of his wife's hand as he looked at Lahar. "Lahar, I understand you're going to overlook a part of the training for the new batch of recruits coming in soon?" The captain nodded.
"Yes Supreme Commander. Along with Major Zhen Lung, Major Nolana Alionae, Major General Tyson Hammer, and Colonel Amber Celadon." Vangelis nodded, creasing his brow in thought. "We'll be overseeing training, and see who should go where."
"Don't show any leniency. We're not a magic guild or a group of pencil pushers for the Council, we're a military." Vangelis ordered with a hard voice. Again, he was a generally a fair man but he wanted every recruit to know that the Rune Knights aren't a bunch of freelancers who spend their time causing trouble and drinking unlike certain… guilds.
Lahar nodded. "Understood." He watched Vangelis for a moment, seeing how he relaxed as he headed off with Esme at his side. He then turned back to his paperwork, and sighed.
Well, if any recruits decided to act up, he had no qualms forcing stacks of paperwork on them.
Though it raises the question, I wonder what kind of recruits we'll get this year.
a/n: This will be a Rune Knight focused story. If you have read Frozen Rose Duo, then you know who Freya, Raul, and Lulu are already. Due to Raul's history with the Rune Knights, I thought about a 'What If' story where instead of joining Blue Pegasus, Freya joins the Rune Knights. I liked the idea of a dragon-slayer going for the Rune Knights instead of a guild, so this is my take on it!
The OCs Samantha, Alexis, Lissa, and the mentioned Tyson Hammer and Amber Celadon belong to Warmachine375 who is letting me borrow a few of his Rune Knight characters. He's helping with the story, so if you haven't already I highly suggest reading his own Fairy Tail works. The other OCs are mine.