Chapter 1

Sarah looked down from her perch on the porch watching as her two teenaged children sparred with one another in the yard. Back and forth they flowed in a deadly dance of blades. Both herself and her husband Marcus had worked as elite mercenaries before they decided to come and build this little homestead nestled into the shadows of the Dragons teeth, a range of mountains near impossible to cross.

Sarah once again thinks back to that fateful night 15 years ago, the storm had been larger than normal for that early in the season lasting half a ride (a ride is ten days) and three more days after. Sarah had been cuddled inside of Marcus's arms before the fire enjoying the close quite intimacy that they could only find with one another when a hellacious roar followed by a load clap of thunder nearly deafened them. Instantaneously their hard earned battle skills kicked in and they were at the door weapons in hand to combat whatever was attacking them. Marcus threw the door wide open and quickly moving, giant battleaxe in hand, scanned the area for attack. Sarah, with long sword in hand and mere steps behind, looked out to the the treeline in the dark, stormy weather with precision and caught a glimpse of a rider ghosting away from their homestead. Both startled by the giggle of a small child coming from their left. Whirling around, Marcus raised his ax to deliver a blow to this new foe. Sarah barked at him one word. "Stop!" and he froze in place, implicitly trusting his spouse.

There on a large chest was a swaddled baby boy, ring dangling from an oversized chain around his neck. Sarah swiftly gathered the small child in her arms and turned to Marcus. "My Heart, gather the chest and let's get him in out of this weather." Sarah swept by Marcus and retreated to the safety of the house. Marcus rested his massive battleaxe on top of the trunk, and with his powerful arms lifted the heavy trunk as he carried it inside.

Inside the house Sarah was seated in her chair baby in lap reading a scroll Marcus assumed must have accompanied the child. Placing both the chest by the door and his ax back upon its rack he walked up to his lithe wife. "What is that, my heart?". A tear rolled down her cheek as she handed the parchment to Marcus, returning her attention to the small child, rocking him gently in her arms.

Sarah,

I know it has been years since you have seen or heard from me, but I had no one else to turn to. I am being chased by a being that I can not hope to battle directly and win. I fear for the life of my child Richard and I could think of no one I trusted more to safely and properly raise and love my child as if he were their own. Please raise him well to be a strong a kind man as I foresee many hardships ahead of him.

Yours Truly,

Tierelle