You wish you could say...

You wish you could say you found Claire after a few months of searching but unfortunately she is still gone. After your village and farm was burned to the ground, you immediately starting wandering north toward the Kingdom of Rathkin. You knew Commander Rixx was part of Rathkin's forces so you figured if they were going anywhere, it would be back home. You no longer allied yourself with Errian either, you basically walked alone on your journey to find and save your sister.

Traveling north to Rathkin took a good couple of weeks. You weren't sure where exactly Rathkin Empire was but you walked in the direction you thought it was and stopped and stayed in many villages along the way, doing random chores and labor for coin. For the most part you were traveling by foot, considering the few horses and oxen at the farm were either killed, stolen or just ran away. You were lucky to be able to catch a few rides with random travelers as they were either traveling north but never wanted to stay long with them, not wanting to be a burden.

Eventually though, you did make it to Rathkin. You searched and searched. Asked tavern maidens and random strangers if they saw a golden haired beauty. Many would just push you aside, some would lead you into false promises and some would flat out lie to you in hopes of an easy payday. The main castle is guarded 24/7 not allowing any entry unless you have permission. To get to the castle though, you need to get through the inner city. The only way into the inner city of Rathkin is by bridge. The whole Inner city is surrounded by a mote of water and in the direct middle of the inner city is the Castle, surrounded once again by a smaller mote and large stone walls.

Sometimes you would sneak into the inner city, but even then, you had to be cautious. It's not like you were a noble. You weren't rich. You weren't well dressed. You basically stuck out like a sore thumb in the inner city, so it was hard to get any good information. If the royal guard saw you, they could easily throw you in the dungeon. The one time they did catch onto you, luckily they just tossed you in the mote, forcing you to trudge back through the slums to get out.

After all this time, you couldn't bring yourself to leave Rathkin. You didn't care for the city, didn't care for the people, didn't care for just about anything here. But, you knew it was your best chance to ever find Claire again. That, or maybe traveling back to your hometown and hoping she would once again return to the broken rubble of your village. You shrugged that thought off because no way would she be allowed to go back unless she somehow was able to break free.

Days turned to months, months to years. You trained everyday. Knowing if eventually you ever found Claire again, you might need to fight for her. You took up fighting in the slums for money. Starting with just fist brawls but slowly turning into things more deadly. Many of the fights you entered were fights to the **** or at the very least beaten to an inch of your life.

It was just over five years since you left for Rathkin. Just over five years since you saw your sister. Just over five years since your life changed forever.

"Five years..." you laugh "Five years of anguish. Five years of pain. Five years of frustration." you whisper to yourself as your head shakes back and forth lightly.

Looking down, you grab the satchel around your waist which holds a few gold coins but also your most prized possession. A heavy pressed flower still looking as beautiful as the day you first saw it, the last peaceful night with your sister. That Purple Tulip. That light in the darkness. That last strand of hope.

A smile crosses your face as think about those memories. You set the satchel down, take a deep breath, turn around while pulling out your short sword. The weapon of choice for the incoming fight.