The morning sun had begun its lazy climb over the horizon, the soft glow illuminating the skies above, birds calling out as they swooped overhead. A beautiful morning by all accounts, yet the few who were awake at the time failed to notice the thin frame climbing up onto the railing of the ship. By the time deckhands had caught wind of the little girl standing upon the edge she had already taken the next step. A short plop followed, the sound of her body hitting the water paling in comparison to that of the ships sailing the open seas.

Seconds later the bells began to ring, shouts of “man overboard” filled the air. Those onboard the vessel could see the girl’s head pop up onto the surface for but a brief instant before being forced back below by the ship’s wake. It would be a dangerous maneuver to save the child, but many questioned if they should, they had noticed the girl, the same one who had long appeared to seek death. Yet in that instant of collective hesitation a single shadow passed overhead, hands outstretched, cutting the surface of the water.

Shouts and cries of “Captain overboard” soon followed, this time the entire fleet was in disarray, the princess herself had jumped in after the child. Admiral Bienra was forced to take control of the situation, first by splitting the fleet, separating them to avoid inadvertently hitting the two. Leaving behind just two of the penteconter’s, whose decks were much closer to the water line, with one or two row boats deployed to search the area the two had disappeared.

Just below the surface of the water a thin frail body was slowly drifting downwards, its hand reaching out for the faint light above. One by one the bubbles stopped rising, and the girl simply lay there, floating within that twilight realm, swaying with the ebb and flow of the ocean currents. At that moment, when she hung between life and death a swirl of fiery red appeared above, a strong pair of arms took hold of her. With both arms secured beneath the girl’s armpits she was dragged back to the surface, her eyes were struggling to stay open, lungs filling with water.

A moment later the two broke the surface, the small girl had passed out from the lack of oxygen, time was of the essence. Cauaria had luckily succeeded, dragging the child towards a nearby boat, the men on board were quick to assist the two and headed straight to the waiting penteconter. Laying the drowned girl flat, Cauaria began to beat her chest in rapid controlled bursts, followed by pinching her nose and breathing air through her mouth. She repeated this process again and again until finally the girl started coughing, spitting up water and taking rapid strained breaths.

When the girl finally opened her eyes, the only thing waiting for her was a furious Cauaria. Yet as angry as she may have appeared the woman did not lash out at the child, instead caressing her head softly. The girl broke down into tears, grabbing hold of the muscular woman’s waist, and just burying her head into the woman’s chest.

“It’s okay… It’s okay… just focus on your breathing. Slow, deep breaths.” Cauaria helped the child get her breathing under control. Allowed her to continue venting, to continue crying, taking no mind of the tears and mucus staining her soaked tunic. All the while she continued to caress the girl’s hair. “It’s okay child, I can understand your pain… Believe me I do. However, death is not the answer. It is my hope that you can focus that resolve somewhere else, and one day find your happiness… Okay.” Cauaria’s lips turned upwards in a rare smile, her eyes staring at the young girl yet glazed over, as if recalling a far-off memory.

At some point the girl’s sobs had slowed, and her head was upturned staring directly at the woman, curling herself into Cauaria’s lap, her eyes observing the fish flitting under the water’s surface. Chuckling slightly at the curious little creature Cauaria couldn’t help but play with her long black hair. “You know we all have our highs and lows, sometimes we can believe that the world is bleak and hateful. We lose trust in ourselves and those around us, but all we need is one person who will stand at our side and guide us… To not give up and lead us, until we find our purpose.” The girl listened quietly, her eyes having long since switched focus towards the warm fiery haired woman watching over her. The sense of lifelessness, of complete and utter hopelessness had left her. She was not okay in any sense of the word, but Cauaria’s presence provided a much-needed emotional crutch.

“When I was your age, I was betrayed by someone close to me, it was only because of my father and the support of my family that I am here today. When I look at you, I see a version of myself… I guess to some extent I wanted to save myself, to save those like my younger self.” The girl watched Cauaria clench her fist, the veins pressing against the surface of the clenched fist.

“It wasn’t just me who was betrayed, my foolishness cost the lives of some of my family, friends, my tribe. I swore hunt them down to the ends of Eternia, but a child without strength can do nothing. Do I look weak to you child?” Cauaria asked and the girl answered by rapidly swishing her head from side to side.

“Okay… Okay… I’m afraid you’ll make yourself dizzy shaking your head so hastily.” Cauaria replied with a chuckle, one which was stood in stark contrast to her usual warrior princess image. Staring out towards the horizon, Cauaria’s sight drifted toward the lands that had come into view. “Our home, Kyrnos is not one in which women have a say. The patriarch’s and elders make the decisions, my father is different, but he cannot fight alone. It is a constant uphill battle, the different tribes always competing for power between one another. I am grateful for my father… even if he is a bumbling old man at times… he became much more protective after the betrayal, but I couldn’t rely on him all the time.”

Cauaria held up her fist, flexing the muscles, “This is what saved me… strength. I trained with my father for years after that day. Night and day, constantly, I pushed myself to the extreme… all the while the tribe that humiliated us grew fat and complacent on their victory. My father allowed me the opportunity to grow. I have proven myself to him and the men of the tribes, I lead my own raider squadron and hunt down men like those who tormented you… and one day I will have enough strength to crush the betrayer, his clan, and their backers. Until then I will bide my time, train, and grow.”

The girl leaned into Cauaria’s hand, like a cat wanting to be pet. “What I mean to say child is don’t lose hope. Do not take your life, instead focus on growing stronger so that none will ever do that to you again… If you wish to, I can train you, teach you to become stronger… But the road will not be easy, and it will be painful, but even so, will you continue? The others have told me you can’t speak, so just a nod will do.” The girl didn’t even ponder the question, immediately nodding in affirmation, while relishing the safety of her new big sister’s embrace.

“Can you write your name child? I would like if I can refer to my apprentice by name, it would make it much more convenient, for both you and I.” In reply the girl took Cauaria’s hand, exposing the palm and using her finger to write her name one letter at a time.

“Ianessa… what a beautiful name. Well then Ianessa, would you like to accompany me? I’d like to show you the ship and introduce you to some of the soldiers. It shouldn’t be long before we reach port, so we should probably change out of these clothes.” Ianessa nodded, reluctantly rising from her comfortable position, shivering from the northerly winds. Rushing to head below deck and change into a clean tunic, something dry and warm. Cauaria did not leave and waited patiently for the girl, taking her hand as the two headed back up just as the ship passed the towering cliffs guarding the bay.