The Other Side: A Second Chance

I pulled Varis outside by the hand and ran out into the middle of the backyard as the door clattered shut behind me. Varis looked at me with wide eyes.

"Y-you're n-not mad at me?" He stuttered.

Well, you did punch the shit out of my chest. But once again, I know you're just a dumb kid. That was what I wanted to say to him, but I shook my head and smiled.

"Nope! It hurts a little, but it'll go away." I then pointed towards the distant road that wrapped around my home. "Look! You can kind of see the soldiers downhill from here." I winked at Varis.

My brother's eyes widened; he then quickly shook out of my grasp and ran forward to get a clearer view. "Whoa! There's so many!" He exclaimed as I approached him and watched the gray-uniformed army march eastward along the dirt highway. We could hear the distant shouts of the superiors and the singing of the soldiers as they trudged further and farther away from us.

My eyes narrowed as I tried to make out extra details. From what I could see, every soldier carried large packs of supplies on their backs. To be expected, I guess, I thought.

Yet what I noticed that made me bite my lower lip were the large siege armaments that the dorrogans, the massive quadruped dragons, were pulling. These massive creatures were the size of elephants, and strapped to them were cannons nearly the size of them alone, which were tugged at the center of this fighting force.

I vaguely recall the memories of the Frostland march I attended five years ago. Part of me wished we stayed for the one this year, so I had a more recent comparison. Yet it was obvious this wasn't a celebratory march.

Not to mention that tent city I saw from my room. My mind wandered; if there's one thing I was kind of grateful for from my past life, and that was my obsession with the First World War, right now I was seeing a lot of parallels.

"I wonder where they're going?" Varis asked as I heard the sound of the back door to the house opening.

I glanced over my shoulder and saw Isa coming outside wearing a nice red dress and a comfy brown jacket. Turning to Varis and the marching forces, I said, "If I remember right, Isa told us over the eastland mountains is Rusimia." I pointed to the far-off purple mountains; at least they looked purple in the sun's light.

I could hear Isa coming towards us as Varis, who was oblivious to her presence, said, "Why are they going to Rusimia? That's the place with the bear people, right?"

"They're called Ursans," Isa said as Varis jerked and turned around. "Despite being the natives of the land, they're no longer the majority."

"What happened to them?" I asked, and Isa took a breath.

"Settlers outnumber them."

Colonialization—even this world isn't safe from imperial powers.

"So, a lot of new folks moved in? Guess it got crowded," Varis said unknowingly as I simply gulped.

"That's awful," I said as I shared a solemn look with Isa.

Her eyebrow raised as we made eye contact. For a second, she seemed a bit surprised that I caught onto what she was referring to, and soon she nodded.

"It is. The land the Heinn's Guard is marching towards is now controlled by the Rusivite people. Ruled over by Empress Natasha Tarasovna." Isa snarled the last bit.

I bit my lower lip; this is not looking good at all.

"Is she a bad person?" I asked.

Isa clenched her fist and said, "She is one of the vilest monsters to exist on this planet. The monster hides behind the face of a beautiful half-elven woman; in their culture, it is said that she is the avatar of Igor, Lord of the Frost Wind. With that, she was able to secure absolute power. Behind her facade, she is a power-hungry witch."

Varis glanced up at Isa and said, "You really don't like her? She sounds cool!"

"Varis," I hissed, and I dismissed him with a hand.

Yet Isa seemed too lost in her thoughts as she clenched her teeth. "The vile witch and her people were the ones who came to my lands. They offered my people trade, wealth, and protection. All these gifts, yet it was a trap. They enslaved us and imprisoned us." She stopped herself, took a deep breath, and said, "My apologies."

"No reason to be sorry," I said softly.

I can kind of see why she doesn't like talking about her stories.

Isa smiled at me, placed her clawed hand on my head, and lightly patted me. "Thank you, little one. Now, let us not get distracted. Weren't you going to play tag?"

 

---

 

"Kids!" My mother shouted as she slammed a wooden serving spoon against a pot. The clanging sound alerted Varis and me to the fact that the day was drawing to an end.

The two of us and Isa sat upon the decline of the hill in our backyard behind the cabin. The game of tag had grown stale after about an hour or so, and we had decided to sit and relax. Mostly just cloud gazing as Isa told us random facts and some other tales she knew, not praising herself.

Whenever the topic of the marching army came up or about what was happening in town, she always sidestepped the question. Varis seemed oblivious and didn't seem to care, yet I think I had an idea of what was going on.

Something's brewing, and it's something big. I gave Isa the side eye as we got up and began to head towards our mother.

"It's dinner time!" My mother called out again as she continued to slam the spoon against the pot, though she stopped when we came over the edge. Varis, excited and hungry, ran forward, leaving Isa and me alone as we walked.

"Something bad is about to happen." I said it bluntly.

Isa's head perked up, and she glanced down at me.

"Mr. Blaxen told Mom and Dad something that scared them; Dad now wants to move, and I'm going to be sent a way. A large army is here in town and is sending troops to the border, and I heard Mom and Dad talking about 'running out of time'." I looked at Isa and stopped. "There's a war coming, isn't there?"

Isa stopped as well. Knowing something was up, Mother stepped onto the back porch and shut the door.

"Is something wrong?" Mother asked as Isa, and I shared a long stare.

After a few moments, Isa sighed and shook her head. "You are a very, very smart girl." She dropped the facade as Mother came over. Isa looked at my mother and said, "The little genius here figured it out."

"Figured what out."

"There's a potential conflict." I crossed my arms, and my mother stopped and stared at me wide-eyed.

"You are smart," she said softly.

I shrugged. "It wasn't hard to figure out, Mother, Isa."

Mother bit her lower lip and looked to Isa, whose ears were also flattened, and she sighed.

I blinked and glanced at them. Why do they look so sad? What's wrong with me knowing? Why would they hide this anyway?

"I'm sorry, Luna." Mother sighed heavily. "I'm so sorry."

Isa placed a hand on Mother's shoulder and said, "There's trouble brewing on the border." She looked at me. "Rumor has it that a government official was slain in Aeilhart last week."

I blinked. "Wait what?" That was the country south of here. "I never heard anything about that."

Mother placed a hand on her chest; she seemed to be getting anxious. "Isa has a lot of friends, sweetie. She knows a lot."

"I can pull many strings when need be." The serelli nodded. "After Mr. Blaxen spoke with your family, Slyran asked me to reach out to those who owe me favors."

"Why would a tutor be owed a lot of favors?" I asked wide-eyed.

Isa gave a small shrug. "I teach a lot of important people, but I wasn't always a tutor." She winked.

Mother got onto her knees beside me and placed both her hands on my shoulders. "Luna, please, do not say anything about this to your brother or anyone else."

I blinked. What… why—oh, I think I know why. It makes sense now; they're trying to protect me. That's why they look so down.

If I told Varis this, he probably wouldn't understand. He's a kid; he thinks of war; he thinks of pretending or those cool story books. Yet I knew what war was like. I never served in my old life, no. So, I don't know it on a personal level. But as a spectator, I've seen cursed shit on the internet or in the local news. One of my uncles even served in Iraq during the Desert Storm; he told us stories of the horrible shit he saw.

I nodded my head slowly as I felt my chest tighten. I kind of wish I didn't know now. If there's going to be a conflict, then that means everyone's in danger. Is this why they wanted to send me away? Is this why they wanted to move?

"Ar-are we in danger?" I asked, and my anxiety was starting to bubble out.

My mother smiled and nodded. "No, we're safe. Your father and I are working on a plan to get us all someplace safe; we still have time. Your father made a request before the trip to get a wagon made and requested a strider from Mr. Harold. We've also been storing supplies off to the side."

"But I heard you and Papa say there's not much time." I said softly as my mother squeezed my shoulders, and I saw very briefly in her eyes. Fear.

"We're working on it. Just don't worry. For the next while, just… stay near the house, within earshot. Don't go far and try to keep your brother close; don't tell him. If he asks, tell him we're going on another vacation."

"You want me to lie?" I began to nervously tug at my skirt.

Mother bit her lower lip and nodded. "Yes. Just this once."

"Why don't we leave sooner?" I asked her. "If war is coming, we need to move away."

Mother sighed. "We will, but we don't have the capacity to carry everything with us. As said, Father is trying to get us a strider, but… he told me Harold is having a hard time procuring them."

"Most likely the army is buying them up," Isa muttered softly, and Mother nodded.

Mother stood up took my little hand in hers and said, "Come. Let's go eat dinner and get you and your brother settled for tonight. I'll read you both a bedtime story." She tried to smile to calm my nerves, yet now that I saw it, I couldn't unsee the fear and anxiety behind that smile of hers.

 

---

 

A few days had passed since the arrival of the brigade of soldiers, and a strange sense of normalcy returned to the town as we adapted to the vast increase in population. The day after, I learned the truth. Father came home absolutely livid. I had never seen the man so angry as he cursed and swore. I had heard from Isa on the side that Mr. Henderson, the carpenter working on our wagon, had run into numerous delays with the military in town. They had confiscated much of his wagon. Ours he still had, thankfully, yet he told Father it'd take another week for him to finish it. To make matters even more anxiety-inducing, Mr. Harold had received word that he'd be getting new striders from his niece who were en route. Yet they won't arrive until tomorrow morning. The problem is, that the military is also snatching up every creature they can get their hands on.

Ever since I learned the truth, I have been accosted by multiple night terrors and visions of faceless soldiers and mages barging into my home and slaughtering us as they pillaged Oren for all its worth.

On one such night, as I jolted awake in my sleep, I thankfully stifled a scream so as not to wake anyone in the house, and I rolled out of bed. I felt a sudden urge to use the restroom and wash my face and stumbled out of my room.

Yet as I made my way to the bathroom atop the stairs late that night, I heard voices, and I saw the lights downstairs were lit. Surprised that anyone was awake at this hour, curiosity got the better of me.

After relieving myself and washing my hands, I carefully pretended to go back to bed before sneakily moving to the top of the steps. I could hear people talking downstairs. More importantly, I heard the familiar guttural tone of Mr. Blaxen.

"The Rusivites tricked us. Having rerouted some of their supply routes and hidden them, we had originally estimated about a year or more of preparation. Yet we were fooled. In fact, much of the recent merchant shipments were actually disguised vessels, and after our contact got back in touch with us, we learned the horrible truth that the Rusivites are more than ready, hence why there has been a mass buildup on the borders along here."

My eyes widened.

"How long before they'll attack?" I heard my mother's voice.

There was a brief silence before Mr. Blaxen said, "If I had to guess, any day. Our contact last said before going quiet that the parliament was drafting up an ultimatum."

"Were you able to get any information as to what the demands are?" I heard my father ask gruffly; he sounded pissed.

"Not as of yet, but in the coming days, we may know." Mr. Blaxen spoke slowly.

"What about the other members of the Warriors of Light? Any news on them?" Mother asked.

"Not much, unfortunately. The Sovereign Right has been having issues infiltrating the eastern nations. The last thing we learned was that the Defender of Order Fleet departed from port Nangshi and were making their way to the Pelongshi Strait near the nation of Napon."

"They could be planning a naval invasion," Father grumbled as I heard glass cups clanging, followed by a pop of a cork as it sounded like he was pouring them drinks.

Mr. Blaxen grunted and said, "That's what we're thinking. It'd make logical sense. Napon, Yankston, and Vinland control much of the Atlurian Ocean. If Xing and Kossaton can wipe out the Naponi, their closest rival, that'll make the war of the sea on Enora much easier."

"Not to mention, it'll make a great staging area to take on the wall," Mother said.

"Doing that would be suicide," my father said as I heard a cup slam on the table. "'An attack on the wall is an attack on all.' If they do that, the entire world would be against them."

"The entire world would be against them if they attacked anyway." Mother sighed.

An attack on the wall is an attack on all. I repeated it to myself. What is he referring to? Wall… wall… wall… I dug through my sleepy mind, until suddenly it hit me. The wall encasing the southern continent! The ancient empire of the dark lord! Soza taught us that the Warriors of Light wish to destroy the Dark Lord. Yet that wouldn't work; she told us that gods cannot be killed, not by traditional means. She said you cannot destroy a concept. If they destroy the wall, they could release him…

"Aye," Mr. Blaxen agreed. "I apologize for the false information." He said it after a moment of silence.

"No need to be sorry, Lorzio," Father said as I heard him pour another glass. "Whatever these religious nuts are planning, they fooled all of us."

"I know; I just hope that you and your family can get somewhere safe." Mr. Blaxen said as I heard glasses clinking together as if making a toast. "How are your plans for escape?"

"I've sent a letter to my brother in Johannson alerting him of our coming arrival," Mother said before they all went silent to take a drink. With a deep sigh, she continued, "Even if he can't shelter us, he can point us to some place that can. Slyran is currently trying to get a wagon and a strider off of Harold and Henderson, yet we're hitting some irritating road blocks."

"Fucking bullshit!" Father growled. "He told me two months; it's nearly been three now."

Blaxen sighed. "Supplies have been tight with the military eating up everything, but you said you're aiming for Johannson?" Blaxen grumbled. "Excellent choice. Governor Sven has a mysterious construction project going on there."

"Mysterious? What're they building?" Father asked as I heard him take another drink and place his cup down.

"Admittedly, I do not know, though the city has been buying mountains of magrite and the soldiers have been fortifying the metropolis to the point it looks like an impenetrable castle. If you're looking for a safe place and don't want to go far, you could go there. Though personally, I would suggest leaving the country altogether."

Another moment of silence went by, and Mother sighed. "That is the plan. If things are going to kick off as soon as you think, it's best to at least get ahead."

"Agreed," Father said. "Herbert Hautchkins told me his family is leaving with Mr. Olson. It seems like some of the townspeople are catching whiff of what's happening."

"If Henderson and Harold don't pull through, do you have any other means of transportation?" Mr. Blaxen asked them. "Johanneson is far, about a two and a half-week walk on foot."

"Unfortunately not." I heard my father's voice becoming louder as he went into the living room. "The only other thing I could think of is the Hautchkins; they have a wagon that could probably fit all of us, but I'd have to speak with him."

I heard my father take a deep breath. "Come sunrise, I'm going down into Oren and seeing if I can scrounge up a mount. Harold said his niece had a shipment of striders coming in; if I can beat the soldiers to them, we can maybe scrounge some up, and I'm going to see if I can try to convince Henderson to finish that goddamn wagon." I heard him snarl. "How much gold do we have, Cailynn?" Father asked.

"About two hundred pieces."

"Good, I'll take a hundred."

"What?!"

I heard Father's voice getting louder as he neared the steps, and I squeaked and began to step back.

"Look around, Love, soldiers in the streets; the people know something is up, and I can guarantee you. Mr. Harold, the stableman, isn't going to be selling his striders cheap, and I bet the snake Henderson is going to milk us for what we got." I heard my father reach the steps, and I quickly turned and scurried back to my room. Just as my father reached the top of the stairs, my bedroom door clicked shut.

I pressed my back against the door and took a couple of deep breaths. That mad dash got my heart racing.

So, I was right. Mr. Blaxen told them everything. War is coming, for fuck's sake. We should've left far, far sooner!

I glanced around my bedroom—my new bedroom. I haven't even been in this place that long. I haven't even been in this world for that long. For seven years, I've been the happiest I've ever been. Part of me now would rather be sent off to some school, knowing that my home was about to plunge into chaos.

Why? Why me?! I thought this was supposed to be a good life—a second chance.

I'm scared. What if something awful happens? I don't want to lose anyone. I don't want anyone to die. I don't want to die.

A faint knock came on my door, and I gasped. "Luna, are you alright?" I heard my father's voice come through the door.

I turned to face the door and stepped back into the center of the room. It was here that I noticed my cheeks were wet, and I reached up to my face. I'd been crying.

I hiccuped and said, "I-I'm fine." In a tone that betrayed what I said.

"Can I come in?" he asked.

A moment of silence fell, and I took a deep breath and mumbled out, "Y-Yes."

With a creak and a click, the door to my room swung open as Father came in and stopped when he saw me standing in the middle room. He looked for a few moments before taking a deep breath and kneeling.

"Your mother and Isa told me you know what's happening." He said this as I slowly nodded. "Did you hear what we were talking about? I heard someone go into the bathroom."

I hesitated, though it was my hesitation that gave me away, and my father sighed. Though he didn't seem angry, he pulled me into a hug before I could react.

"It's okay to be scared," My father said it in a hushed voice, and in a rare moment of vulnerability, I could hear his voice waver. "I'm scared too, as are your mother and everyone else. But it's okay; it's natural."

"Why did Mr. Blaxen tell us?" I asked and sniffed. A childish notion that if we hadn't heard of this, this would've never happened came to mind. I knew it in hindsight; this was dumb, yet as I trembled in my father's arms, I didn't care.

My father stroked my hair as he whispered in my ear, "Because we are very lucky; we didn't know it, but someone out there cared for us, and he decided to come and warn us."

I sniffed and nodded as my father continued, "Luna, I know it's hard. But you need to go rest. Come sunrise, why don't we go together into town? I was able to get off duty for today, and we can go see about finding a new strider and pick up our wagon."

I cleared my throat, looked up at my father, and nodded. "O-Okay."

Father smiled, patted me on the head, pulled away, and gripped my shoulders. "Whatever happens, just know that your mother and I will be there to protect you and Varis. Come the hells or high water, I will fight, scream, and run to get to you. Do you understand?"

I nodded, but that wasn't good enough.

"I need to hear you, Luna; do you understand?"

I gulped and nodded. "Yessir."

My father smiled and kissed my forehead, his mustache tickling my skin and forcing a smile on me as he pulled away.

"I love you, star."

I hiccuped, and my heart twitched as I nodded. "I-I love you too!"

 

---

 

The next morning, Varis stayed behind at home with Mother and Isa. Ever since the arrival of the third brigade, news got out that my mother was a renowned baker, and traffic of soldiers constantly flooded our home. Even higher-ranking officers stopped by to put orders in for certain baked goods. Which my parents had commented was welcome, yet also tedious. The pay was good, but as Father told me, it made preparations to leave Oren stagnate.

Father and I had gotten dressed and left together when the sun rose. Father was wearing brown khaki suspenders with a white button, along with a matching jacket and vest. I was wearing a simple dark blue dress and stockings with a cute button-up vest to go over it.

We were walking down the highway, my hand holding his as he briskly led the way to town. A cool, still air hung over us, and an eerie silence made my hair stand on end. Something didn't feel right as we walked towards the massive, sprawling tent city that was now the Third Brigade's forward operating base.

"Stay close to me," Father said from over his shoulder as we walked. "Don't look at the soldiers or provoke them; if they speak to you, just refer them to me. We don't need any interruptions."

"Okay," I said softly as we entered the campsite.

Around us, we could hear the sounds of laughter and chatter coming from the soldiers as they crawled out of their tents and gathered around fires. I could see many of them digging into their mess kits and boiling water. A few of them—an akumai woman and a human man—were hastily dashed out of their tent, half-naked, the halfling officer who flushed them out yelling obscenities.

Not too far off, I heard the sound of a bugle blaring, followed by a booming voice I knew was magically amplified. "Rise and shine! Another glorious day for Heinmarr! Wake up and report to your duties in fifteen! Heil to the republic!"

Around us, those who hadn't awakened from their tents came crawling out in mass, and suddenly the entire area was dense with activity. Father yanked me close so as not to lose me, and we quickly pushed our way through the camp. A few soldiers who spotted us helped by shouting for others to make room, for which their father thanked them with a curt nod.

Yet as we were nearing the edge of the camp and the start of town, another shrill voice of a man shouted. "It's happening! It's happening!"

A loud bang, bang, bang made us stop and turn to see a large, gray-skinned, orc-like man, standing nearly eight feet tall, slamming bone against a trash can lid. Beside him was a small, tiny man in an officer's uniform.

A gnome? I thought.

The little gnome ran towards the center of the camp we were just passing through, a newspaper in hand. "It's happening!"

"Out with it!" Shouted an elven woman beside a campfire. She spat into the fire and sat her ration tin to the side. "What's it saying?"

I looked up at Father, who was watching the gnome intently.

The gnome cleared its throat as the orc man bent over and lifted the little guy off the ground so everyone could see.

"Ahem!" The gnome coughed. "The Blizzard of War! Rusimia issues Ultimatum!"

My heart ran cold, and my eyes widened.

"On the 14th of Cirrus, tensions between the sovereign nations of Rusimia and Heinmarr have reached a perilous crossroads as Rusimian Empress Natasha Tarasovna delivers a grave ultimatum to the Kaiser of Heinmarr, Brikur Lirner, just days after the assassination of his cousin Erlin Dommletel. The demands, bordering on the unprecedented, include an immediate surrender of Heinmarr's sovereignty and an unimpeded passage for Rusimian forces through its territories.

The ultimatum gives Heinmarr a mere 21 days to acquiesce to Rusimia's demands or face the ominous threat of total annihilation. In a move that has sent shockwaves through diplomatic circles, Empress Natasha aims to bypass the potential intervention of the Global Allied Nations, presenting a stark choice for Heinmarr: surrender or suffer the catastrophic consequences.

International observers, caught off guard by the audacity of the ultimatum, now turn their attention to the Kaiser's response. The clock is ticking, and the Heinmarr Republic is faced with an unenviable decision that could reshape the geopolitical landscape of the known world.

As the global community holds its collective breath, speculation abounds regarding the motivations behind Rusimia's bold move. Some experts posit that this ultimatum is an attempt to redraw borders and consolidate power, while others fear it could ignite a conflagration that engulfs neighboring nations.

Yet no matter what it is, in a swift and resolute response to Rusimia's audacious ultimatum to Heinmarr, the Global Allied Nations have united in condemnation of the aggressive maneuver, denouncing the actions of Empress Natasha Tarasovna. The Chief of Global Security, Ronald Dower, delivered a stern rebuke, categorically rejecting Rusimia's attempts to circumvent the established norms of diplomacy.

Chief Dower, a seasoned diplomat known for his measured approach, expressed deep concern over Rusimia's blatant disregard for international protocols. In a press conference held at the Global Allied Nations headquarters minutes after the ultimatum was issued, he stated, 'The actions of Rusimia are not only a threat to the sovereign rights of Heinmarr but an affront to the principles of peace and cooperation that the Global Allied Nations stand for.'—"

The gnome continued, but Father squeezed my hand gently and said, "Let's get going. We're running out of time."

I hadn't realized it, but I was trembling as Father pulled me along the streets of Oren. The town was bustling with activity as people who had heard the news from the papers on every corner rushed to shops to stock up. While others stood around and listened to one of the newsboys.

"'We will not stand idly by while the specter of aggression looms. The Global Allied Nations stand united against any attempts to disrupt the delicate balance of world affairs,' declares Chief Dower. ' Read all about it!"

I gripped my father's hand tightly as we turned onto Main Street and continued our brisk walk towards the opposite end of town, where the stables were. As we passed by another newsboy, I heard him shout, "Global Allied Fleet on High Alert: Yankston Dreadnoughts Dispatched to Reinforce the Naponi Islands!"

I took a deep breath as my father began to walk faster, yet my little legs couldn't keep up I gasped and nearly tripped. Seeing this, my father mumbled an apology, and I yelped as he hoisted me off the ground and began to carry me.

Within his arms, my father began to walk as fast as he could, and I clung to him tightly as I watched the commotion in the streets. I could see constables, my father's comrades, blowing whistles to stop those getting riled up as confused citizens began to shout and argue over the news.

"Who the fuck do they think they are?! Rusivite bastards!" An older, rotund man shouted to those around him. "If any one of those bear-fuckin' snow-eating bastards comes near my farm, I'll put one in them!" The crowd around him cheered.

As I went by, I noticed coming towards a crowd was a soldier carrying a ton of fliers, which he quickly began handing out just as I heard, "If you wanna shoot some bear-loving bastards—"

Damn recruiters.

We reached Harold's stable just early that morning, and news of the ultimatum spread like wildfire throughout the town. All around, citizens were rushing to shops to stock up, and I saw many young men and women making their way to the city hall, where Father told me the recruiters were stationed.

When we arrived at the stable, my father sat me down, and we noticed an old man putting up a sign outside his window. Which read, "Sold out, date till restock, unknown."

"You have got to be fucking kidding me." Father grumbled as the old, hunched-over human turned to face us. The man was wearing faded denim jeans and a white polo, with a fraying straw hat.

"Oh, Mr. Ashflow…" The old man sighed and glanced at the sign. "Afraid ye just missed the last of my striders being picked up."

"Harold, what the fuck?!" My father snarled at the man. "I fucking told you yesterday that my family needed a goddamn strider!" He shouted at the old man, and I flinched and stepped away.

The old man gasped and stumbled back into the wall as my father jammed a finger into his chest. "Who took them, and how much?" Father asked sternly.

"Eh, fraid, it was the army!" The old man sputtered and sank against the wall, his mouth quivering open as he stuttered. "P-paid m-me well too! I-I'm sorry, M-Mr. Ashflow th-they didn't g-give me a choice!" He pointed to the stable near the shop itself, and we saw a group of soldiers wrangling six beautifully colored land dragons.

"Fuck!" Father cursed and turned away with me in his arms. I was about to walk him but stopped. In a flash, he turned around and picked me up off the ground as I yelped and began to walk over to the soldiers.

Taking on a different tone, my father called out, "Excuse me! Excuse me!" His tone took on that of desperation as, with a free hand, he waved for the soldiers to stop.

Seeing my father, the striders squawked and howled as the six soldiers yanked on their reins and hissed at them to calm down. One of the soldiers, a dwarf, turned to my father and said, "Oi, look what you did; you made them excited!"

My father stopped. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I just… can I take one of those dragons off of you?

The dwarf scoffed and said, "I can't do that. We were instructed by the Colonel to take these beauties to the front."

"Please, I beg you." My father said he bounced me in his arms, which made me squeak. "My daughter and the rest of my family need something to pull our wagon. We need to leave here; please, you have to understand."

The rest of the soldiers stopped for a second, and the dwarf took a deep breath. "Look, I understand, but you have to understand that we can't go against orders."

"I'll pay you! All of you." My father reached into his jacket and pulled out a hefty coin purse. "A hundred gold coins. One dragon."

One of the soldiers practically doubled over when hearing the amount. "It's all I have," my father pleaded.

The dwarf glanced back at the other soldiers struggling to contain the dragons.

"Please, sir," I said. "Please, I don't want to walk to the next city!" I whimpered, and to help my father, I gave him the biggest doe eyes I could muster.

The dwarf clenched his fist and sighed as he stroked his mustache. "Aye, fine. Seventy-five gold; keep the other twenty-five. You'll need it. Chuger, hand him the red one."

"What about the colonel?" The halfling Chuger asked.

"We'll tell'em the red one was lame." The dwarf grabbed the reins of the bright-scaled, red strider with purple and blue feathers and pulled it towards us. "Here, take this damned thing and go before anyone sees."

Father smiled widely, pulled out roughly twenty-five coins, stuffed them in his pocket, and handed the sack to the dwarf. "You're a good man; you just helped my family immensely."

"Alright, alright. Now go, before things get hairy.' The dwarf smirked as he took the money.

Taking the reins of the dragon, Father looked at me and kissed my cheek. "Thank's for the assist." He smiled, and I blushed as we began to briskly walk home with our new dragon.

"What do you want to name it?" He asked me, and I blinked.

A name? Oh, shit. Uh…

"Is it a boy or girl?" I asked Father, and he blinked and thought for a second.

"I think it's a girl." He said he was looking at the dragon. "I'll need to ask Isa; she'll know for sure. But I'm positive."

I smiled. "Well, if it is, I want to name her Ruby!"

Farther smirked. "Well, Ruby, it is… Now we just need to find Ruby a wagon to pull." He said this as we began to make our way back home through the bustling, chaotic streets filled with fear and anger towards the carpentry shop.

With the strider in tow, much of the animated crowd parted for us as we hastily made our way over to Henderson's shop. I had personally never met nor seen the man, yet ever since hearing the truth, I can't stop hearing my parents constantly muttering about the man.

As we neared the other edge of town, Father began to walk more quickly, and I could see his face conflicted with emotions. "I hope he takes the twenty-five," I heard him mutter. "For the love the gods…" I could see the concern written all over his face as we approached the mostly empty workshop.

No lights, no signs, no employees. The place looked deserted.

"No, no, no. What the fuck?" Father hissed as he began to jog towards the building, Ruby squawking as she moved along behind us.

"Henderson!" Father shouted. "Henderson, are you here?!" He called out.

Yet we received no response.

Father, set me down. "Stay here!" He said this as he hitched Ruby to the front fence and ran to the front door.

I heard him banging on the front door. "Henderson! Henderson, open the goddamn door!"

I felt my heart kick up a few notches as I nervously rubbed my hands together and glanced at Ruby, who seemed confused. Turning back to my father, I noticed something on the window of the shop.

A sign that read, "Closed until further notice."

"Papa!" I called out to him as my father jimmied the handle on the shop. "Papa!"

"What is it, Luna?" He said he was irritated.

"The shop sign… it says it's closed." I pointed as he looked back at me.

Moving to the front so he could see the window, he turned and ran both hands through his hair. "Oh, you got to be fucking kidding me?" He laughed nervously and said, "Are you fucking for real?" He threw his hands up. "Maybe, maybe he left it in the back! Maybe!"

He came over to me and took my hand, and the two of us quickly moved to the back of the shop, where most of the finished wares were stored. Yet there was nothing.

The entire shop was empty.

"Fuck!" Father released my hand and kicked the dirt. "Fifty gold! I put fifty fucking gold down, and he said two months! Two fucking months!" He ran his fingers through his hair and panted heavily. "We don't have time; we don't have fucking time…"

I felt my heart racing and fear welling up inside of me. "Pa-papa, it'll be okay." He stopped, looked at me, and took a deep breath.

"Thank you, Luna…" He took another breath to compose himself. "I just… everything isn't going as I planned. I can't believe he up and ran." He looked around. "He was here just yesterday; he told me another week and the wagon would be done. Yet it isn't here. He fucking took it… That rat." He kicked the dirt again.

I nodded. The bastard robbed us.

"Not all is lost; we have Ruby," I said. "We can maybe fit her with some bags and carry some of our stuff, at least the stuff we need."

Father nodded. "I guess." He sighed defeatedly. "Let's get home. We shouldn't keep them waiting. We'll figure out what to do then."