The merchant stayed hidden with his goods in the forest.
He did not want his wares and himself destroyed and stolen admist the chaos.
He smelled the smoky air with disdain.
The Kingdom of Rós was burning with flames and revenge.
The people killing, and burning down high houses for their own reasons whether it was hunger, greed, so called freedom, and power.
You could hear the chilling howls of lycan tribes who had slowly snaked into the kingdom like a virus.
If it wasn't for those animals who caused unrest in the people little by little with their talk of having no king.
He would still be have a thriving buisness with the king and high houses for his rare wares.
As the man ate his rations of bread and soup made from the edible leaves in the cold forest.
He mumbled and grumbled
He was used to the comfort of Inns that held wine and meats.
A wail pierced his ears making him cringe.
"Probably a dying animal." He muttered.
He patted his sword and dagger to acknowledge where they were in case the cause of that scream were to come by.
His plan was to go to the south towards the warmer seas to set up shop and begin again to capture the eyes of rich folk or adventures.
The wailing continued and sounded less like an animal and more human.
The merchant thought for a moment as he stared at his wares and then towards the direction of the cry.
He looked back and forth, back and forth.
"I shouldn't risk my life and livelyhood.
The man felt a fierce chilly wind after his response. Fear and guilt began to gnaw at him.
If the Gods were watching him he could be punished for his lack of empathy as the kingdom was punished for theirs.
"Have mercy with my hesitation." He whispered and followed the sound of the wails.
Through the trees he saw a glow of a flame.
The cry getting louder as he approached.
The wails sounded like a baby.
God have mercy that the family wasn't massacred by the lycan.
He couldn't face a lycan.
He made his way cautiously closer and came into a clearing the leaves and plant life were scorched from a ball of fire on the ground.
The wails came again directly from the flames. It wasn't an abandoned encampant, but a baby emanating golden flames.
He took a step back.
There were never any stories of creatures that could hold flames unless from they were from the underworld.
"Is God rewarding my empathy with a demon." He scoffed.
Although the flames of demons were said to be dark and blue.
He heard of humans with the power to affect ice and water, but flames were unheard of.
The merchant mused for a second.
He couldn't touch the child with its raging flames.
Maybe the flames will never go out.
How could he care for this thing without burning himself or his wares?
The child could also be useful for a pretty coin or two.
Might as well profit off this Divine burden.
He didn't know if a bucket of water would kill the wailing thing either.
"Don't strike me down All mother of women and children I'm getting a tool for this predicament." He looked at the moon warily.
The merchant left and came back to the babe with green and azure dragon scale gloves and a cape meant for an adventurer.
He picked up the wailing child with his gloves.
The wailing stopped as the man looked at the thing.
It's eyes watching him.
He wrapped the scaled cape around the baby.
And the flames begin to dim, but not out.
"What do I do All Mother?"
The merchant barely had any experience when it came to children.
He decided to sing an out of tune lullaby that his own mother would hum.
"Sleep sleep little one.
The sun has fallen
and the stars just begun.
Sleep sleep little one."
He hummed the rest only remembering the beginning of the lullaby.
The flames disapeared and the tired babe had closed her eyes.
"How to feed you when you cry out flames will be the challenge." He whispered as he took her to the encampment for the night.