Chapter 1

(Oh shitohshit ohshit, take a deep breath Sasa, show no fear) Trying to mask my panic I turned to the speaker schooling my face into a nonplussed mask of indifference…Or attempted to anyway.

My careless act and somewhat snarky reply died on my face and lips when I saw her lounging on a sofa next to my bed. My first thought was “Who is this child?" Then realization struck me like thunder as I glanced at the insignia on her shield that was leaned on the wall next to her.

(It’s Allyden!! It's the gods damned Warlord!) Her ruby eyes stared at me as I took in her appearance. Laying on the couch with a book in her hand, head against the armrest, her long blonde hair cascaded casually over the edge. Even lounging on a sofa I could tell, this five foot nothing slip of a girl was dangerous, her muscles were lean and taught, well defined through what could only be a lifetime of battle. Even as she was holding a book away from her face she seemed to flex muscles I'm sure no one has names for. Don't get me wrong, she wasn't bulky or built like a blacksmith, but I guarantee she could produce the same force as one when needed.

Sitting up, her one piece white dress, like one would wear around family not expecting male company, bunched around her knees. As she leaned forward, a little too much pale white skin showing, I found myself calmed somewhat, my brain thinking back to all those times me and the girls at home would laze around during winter wearing almost the same thing.

“I admire your resolve, young one” her red lips quirked in a grin. “Such fire in you, a will to live so strong It's…” she trailed off “It’s almost like looking into a mirror.” The grin turned into a wolfish smile “I think you’ll do nicely” She sat up straighter on the couch, exuding a demureness seemingly honed from years of “lady training” as my mom used to call it.

“Tell me young one”...

“Sasha!” I interrupted a bit too forcefully “My name is Sasha” It sounded petulant even to my ears. (What the fuck am I doing? She’s the gods damned Warlord! Shut your mouth and nod! You hear me? NOD! Alright, here we go, you got this!) “I want the power to fight monsters!” I heard myself almost shouting. (What the hell me?! Didn’t we just agree that we’d shut up an….) I silenced that part of my brain, now was not the time for weakness, not in front of the greatest paladin to ever walk under Vya’s sun. “I’m willing to do whatever it takes to learn, to hold that power, to have the ability to walk in this world unafraid of men who play at being monsters!” Her wolfish smile faded a bit, almost sad, then her eyes hardened

“Tell me young one, do you know how you got here?” (of course I don’t know how I got here! Some weird magic? Why would I know?) I went to explain that I’m not knowledgeable in magic and had no idea but then a memory surfaced? “No ma'am, I’m originally just a farm girl, not versed in the arcane or divine. I remember going to sleep…and…I…uh”

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A sensation of being jerked awake, a sharp tug from my head and being drug by my hair, the smell of hard liquor coming from an unshaven face too close to mine, the lewd laughter and the flash of a guard naked to the waist undoing his belt. (Nonono…breath...think, don’t panic! Breath dammit!) my breath caught in my lungs as I remembered the cold air on my body, the freezing metal in my hands and then the feel of hot blood splashing across my face and dripping through my fingers, slicking the sharpened iron that one of the ship rats gave me “‘you neva know when a lady might’n needs to protec ‘erself” he had said to me (What was his name again? Thim? Thomas? What are you thinking? Stop…breath…focus on what’s important)

The squelching sound that removing the iron made, and the howls of rage and agony, metal encased fists and boots hammering into my small starving body and the searing pain then… nothing, just black.. “I… I was attacked…by guards, they pulled me…” I almost retched, (good thing about starving, no food to throw up… I’ll take that win any day) “and I stabbed one in the eye, and then…they killed me?” I asked softly, almost afraid I was actually dead.

“You killed them actually” her voice almost chipper “the one you got in the eye, died fairly quick, and you managed to gut the one without his mail on. He died slower” her eyes raised and looked right recalling a memory then her eyebrows lowered and she wore a small, satisfied, smile.

“Did…you save me?” I asked hopefully, still not totally convinced I wasn’t dead. “Is that why I'm here?”

“Oh no child” she chuckled “I don't save sheep” My heart dropped as my brain went through the implications (Did she bring me back to life after they killed me? They can do that right? Then, what did they do while I was… while I was…) I retched out loud this time. “Then they…they…” I trailed off questioningly

“Oh, precious, sweet child” she crooned “You misunderstand, after you gutted the second one the third ran down the alley screaming for guards. Aldy took his head from his shoulders, as well as the 4 men who took exception to having a now headless friend” she chuckled darkly at that.

“You saved yourself young one, we merely watched on as you bit, clawed, tore, and slashed your way through. It was really quite the show… a starving wolf pup is still a wolf after all.”

“After we took care of the other guards we bandaged you up and brought you here to the inn I’m staying at. Still, even unconscious and beaten, you managed to stick that scrap iron into Aldy’s thigh!” she laughed hard “mad as a devil he was!” The laugh that came out this time was unlike the dark, brooding chuckles she had heard for the woman so far, it was a full belly laugh, like she found absolute amusement in this man's predicament.

“That’ll teach him to be on his guard at all times from now on!” (What the fuck? I did what? That can't be right…right? I mean, I'm no stranger to brawling, but taking out two guards? Impossible. And what’s this about stabbing Aldy? Who the hells is that? Not import Sasa! Stop thinking all over the place and focus!)

“So” I tried to pull all my strength into my voice “What happens now?” “Now, my scarlet wolf pup?" She stood from the couch and walked over to me, rubbing my red hair between her fingers "Now you get your wish.” My heart jumped in my throat “With one exception” my heart went back down into my stomach.

“I will not be teaching you to fight men pretending to be monsters, but how to kill monsters pretending to be men”.