"They had known each other since they were children, and their families had been close. There was no surprise between the two families that when the carpenter girl reached womanhood and was due to be matched that the locksmith was the first candidate chosen. The date was set quickly and they celebrated their marriage on the first of spring. The two families came together and built a small but comfortable home for them and joined their two properties. The village was small and hidden in the woods, and was secluded from other races and strangers."

"The couple lived happily and combined their skills. It took time but eventually they began designing custom built doors, cabinets, crates and chests. After displaying them in the family homes they began gaining popularity and soon the entire village was sporting beautiful entryways and all the goods shipped out of the city were secure in sturdy but elegant containers. Business began booming and soon the couple saved enough that they went for a vacation to go camping up in the mountains. They came back a few days later and 9 months after a beautiful baby girl was born. Her name was Amelia. "

"It was a bit out of the ordinary, but instead of letting the older cousins babysit Amelia, her parents would take turns during the day to play and take care of her at home and in the shop. When she was old enough they gave her some toy tools and pieces to build with to keep her busy. When she built a fully functional chest at the age of five they were impressed. Soon she showed skill with locks as well. For fun her dad would build little chests and fill them with toys or sweets and let her practice on them. "

"Through her teen years she grew wild and restless and soon left playing with her toys to hanging out with her older distant cousin and his so called gang. They had been the cause for all sorts of trouble but the village passed it off as childish pranks. When Amelia joined their harmless pranks turned into crimes as she was picking locks into people's homes or opening the tavern owner's wine cupboard. One day after sneaking in and getting too drunk her cousin sent most of the gang home and when they were alone and he tried to kiss her. When she struggled and fought back he hit her until she stopped and had his way with her until he passed out drunk."

"The next morning the tavern owner slapped her roughly awake and beat her for a few minutes before dragging her to her parents' house and yelling at them for not controlling their child. They were forced to apologize and they sent her to her room. She waited a few hours scared and alone before they came in and held her and told her everything was all right. Her mother took her to get her cleaned up and her father fixed her room and made her comfort food. They gave her some tea that made her sick and then she slept for the rest of the day."

"When she awoke the next day and went down for breakfast, they were sitting at the table waiting for her with her cousin's father who was the current head of the family. She sat down and ate in silence before they started talking. Her uncle mentioned her age and how it was unusual to be unwed at her age. He said her cousin was a nice boy, and maybe they had a bit too much to drink, and that even though he was related, they were far enough it wouldn't be a scandal. She sat there shocked before yelling and begging her parents to reconsider, he had taken her against her will and she would absolutely not be married to him. Her parents agreed with her and said they would defend their daughter even if it meant ruining the family name. They argued for a few more minutes before her uncle slammed his fists on the table and stormed out. They held each other and continued their work for the day."

"She woke up in the middle of the night coughing and choking and opened her eyes to the sight of smoke coming from under her door. She dumped a pitcher of water over her blanket and wrapped herself in it before opening the door and witnessing the house in flames. She heard her parents banging on their door and she tried to open it but found it blocked and damaged. They yelled at her to get out of the house and she refused saying she wouldn't leave without them. She tried for several minutes to break down the door with no success and when she stopped hearing their voices she ran out of the house. Before she blacked out she thought she saw her cousin snarling and running down the street."

"She awoke in the jail the next day and was informed that due to her criminal history she was the main suspect for the murder of her parents and the destruction of her home. She asked to see her family but was informed that her uncle forbade anyone from coming to see her. She sat in silence until the sheriff left before making quick work of the locks holding her and snatching a large crossbow, and some loose fitting armor from the closet."

" She made her way to her uncle's house and confronted him about the fire and her being accused instead of her cousin. He acted surprised and called in his son to question him about it. His son smirked and admitted that he was responsible but had a partner. She pointed her crossbow at his neck struggling to support its weight and demanded to know who his partner was. Her cousin smirked and pointed at her uncle who shrugged and said it was for the good of the family. She cried and turned, shooting him through the chest and pinning him to the wall before her cousin grabber her and pinned her down. She fought back remembering what he had done to her and kicked him hard in the groin and shoved him off of her. As he lay there gasping in pain she picked up the crossbow and lifted over her head and brought it down hard on his head. She kept going until he stopped whimpering and the blood stained her and the room around her. She grabbed what she could and made her way out of the village with tears in her eyes vowing never to return."