Long ago, when the land was still young and the gods roamed among their creations, a special human child was born. He had the mark of majyk in his eyes, and the stars all gathered at his birth to foretell his remarkable fate. However, misfortune quickly befell the boy when his parents were eaten by the Daemon King, Belial, who desired to eat the child and gain his powers. He himself only survived because his mother hid her infant in a hollow tree. Luckily for him several faeries found him and informed their mistress, the Wolf Goddess. The Wolf Goddess was a large brown wolf with golden eyes, guardian of all the wild things in the world; her name is yet unknown to humans. She found the special child and raised him among her own, far away from other humans, and named him Romulus.

As Romulus grew from boy to man he became strong in various ways. The Wolf Goddess commissioned her fellow gods to help educate her human cub in all areas he might need as an adult. Sekhmet the Champion trained him in the arts of hand to hand combat and how to wield all manner of weapons. Delphe the Wise trained his mental abilities, teaching him to read, write, perform arithmetic, and to think for himself. Lastly, Gullveig the Mage taught him the art of majyk and how to use his powers responsibly. He was well known and well liked by all the gods. Even the sun god, Tonatiuh, who normally disliked humans found something to like about him.

Romulus' true potential was not revealed until his eighteenth year, when his first true test of courage came to pass. As he was wandering the vast forests with his lupine siblings, Belial suddenly appeared before them, vowing that he would not fail to eat Romulus again. "Go to our mother!" Romulus yelled to his brothers and sisters. They all did so except for Reama, the oldest.

"I will stand with you, little brother," she said.

The battle that followed was cataclysmic. Tonatiuh above and Yama below felt the conflict shake the foundation of their realms. Blade and fang clashed against poisoned claws. A valley formed around the fighters as Belial or Reama were thrown against the ground. Though Romulus had naught but a sword, it was he who struck the killing blow, driving the blade deep into the heart of Belial and destroying forever the king of daemons.

The victory, unfortunately, was bought dearly. When the Wolf Goddess arrived she found Romulus cradling the dead body of Reama, who was from then on known as Beloved Reama, and weeping bitterly.

Here we go again, Lovina thought grumpily as she looked at Elizaveta trying to hold back tears. Goodbyes were bad enough without having to repeat them. "We'll miss you so much!" the innkeeper's wife blubbered, pulling Lovina into a crushing hug.

Roderich smiled wanly. "It's nice to know you won't be alone this time." He shook hands with Feliciano, who was just walking out the door with his pack over one shoulder.

Lovina had to admit that Roderich was right. Traveling with her brother again reminded her of happier, simpler times. Not to mention he was one of the few people she'd ever grown to trust in her abnormally long life. She, being naturally distrustful, couldn't make friends easily. She could pretend, of course, but true friendship often took her decades to make. Since she traveled so often it was almost impossible to make friends. And not practical, she scolded herself. Any friends you make will die long before you. Damn… to think I have to leave the one town where I actually made friends so quickly.

Gilbert wrapped his arms around Lovina's leg. "Don't go…" he begged, his voice wobbling.

"Gil-... Gilbert." Lovina swallowed, trying to stop her own voice from trembling. She gently pried his arms away, holding his hands as she knelt down to his level. "Gilbert," she tried again. "I need you to do me a big favor." Gilbert looked at her, his curiosity besting his sadness. "I need you to look after your parents. I won't be around to help them if they mess up." Gilbert nodded so seriously that Lovina was glad he couldn't see the wide grins on his parents' faces.

"We should go before the hottest part of the day comes," Feliciano reminded her gently. Lovina nodded and hugged the boy in front of her long and hard, almost crying when she felt Gilbert's fingers cling tightly to the back of her dress. What a silly thing to be sad about.

After a lifetime, more or less, the sorceress and innkeeper's son released each other.

Standing quickly, Lovina turned away, away from all she loved, and faced the road. They'd be going south for a couple miles until they reached a crossroads where they would turn west. She grabbed her bags, grateful her brother had offered to carry most of the food supplies. Feliciano packed enough rations for an army.

"Goodbye, everyone, thank you for being so hospitable," she heard Feliciano say. He walked over to her and lightly touched her arm. Understanding his meaning instantly, she looped her arm with his and looked at him nervously, sadly. "It'll be alright, it always is…" he murmured.

Yes… The ache would fade, though never completely disappear. She was so glad that he hadn't been well enough to say goodbye to them, that he'd ended up sleeping in as he recovered from an injury she'd caused. Saying goodbye to him would be almost impossi-

"Wait!"

…The gods hated her, didn't they? Then again, that wasn't unusual.

Turning slowly, Lovina watched Antonio rush past the startled, small family, not stopping until he was directly in front of her. She eyed him up and down in confusion. He didn't look sickly except for a weariness under his eyes but even that was offset by the fire that burned in them. He was wearing a sturdy-looking shirt and breeches with well worn boots. He carried a pack over his shoulder. His chest heaved but he looked triumphant as he grinned down at her.

"Antonio… what the hell are you doing?" Lovina asked bluntly. No need for him to realize how out of control her heartbeat was right now.

The blacksmith grinned ever more and shrugged one shoulder, gesturing to his pack. "I'm going with you."

"Really?" Feliciano asked excitedly, finally speaking up. "Wow, it's been a while since-"

"WHAT?!" Lovina shoved her brother away and trembled, though whether from sheer joy or rage even she couldn't tell. "What. The. Hell. ...No, you are not coming with us." She jabbed him in the chest but he didn't budge.

"I am coming," he repeated, albeit more seriously. "Who will protect you if I don't? No offense." He addressed this last part to Feliciano, who shrugged indifferently.

"Protect me?!" Lovina half shrieked. "Protect me?! You're the one who needs looking after, idiot!"

Antonio grinned cheekily. "I suppose so. In that case, who better to do that than you?"

"I…" her voice died. A sudden realization brought it back though. "You have a job here, Antonio. Friends and… well, I don't know about family, but your life is here! You can't just leave it and for m-... us." She ended up whispering this sadly, looking down at his feet. Warm, calloused hands cupped her cheeks and gently urged her to look up.

"Lovina," Antonio breathed, totally and fervently serious now. "If you go now and leave me behind I will have to watch my life walk away. I know-" his voice choked for a second but he continued bravely"-that I'm not nearly worthy enough for you. I want to be with you, though. I'll pull my weight and help out with whatever you need. I'll-"

Lovina blinked back tears and pounded a fist against his chest lightly. "Shut up, just shut up, Toni!" Leaning up on her toes she kissed him fiercely. The adorable, wide-eyed expression on his face made her smirk into the kiss and wrap a hand around his neck. He placed a tentative hand on her waist and suddenly they were kissing like there was no tomorrow. They ignored whistles from other early-rising townsfolk and Feliciano's smothered laughter. Elizaveta made no noise but covered Gilbert's eyes with one hand while fanning herself with the other. Roderich snorted and looked away, the only one with enough decency to give them some privacy.

Unfortunately, since they both required air they had to end the kiss and obtain the pesky thing. Breathing hard, Lovina leaned her forehead against Antonio's. "You know what this means, right?" she asked. Antonio looked at her questioningly. Lovina pecked his lips and looked away, a little flustered.

"I am never letting you go, dammit."

Welp, it's done. Unless... well, depending on your reviews, I might write an epilogue for this. Who knows? ;)

But for now I thank all of you who have read, commented, followed, or, heck, even favorited this story. Your support means a lot to me.