FSE

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A child was born in a large town, and it was a portentous occasion. After the colonial wars ended, the wide territory of Aetroziythus felt its grip on reality as a whole loosen: superstitions became real, strange amorphous creatures and their tiny yet corruptive spawn began afflicting anyone foolish enough to disturb their fetid lairs, and force of will could make almost anything possible. So when an Equine child was born with a dark grey coat and a deep red mane from parents who had neither of those colours, it was agreed that some sort of portentousness must have surrounded her birth.

She spent most of her childhood with few friends, not knowing how to approach children who left her alone as if they were confused or afraid of her. Instead, she surrounded herself with books, talking to the characters, imagining herself joining them, and learning about whatever she could. In the meantime, she ran, climbed and explored, eventually running into her closest childhood friend.

Jarlos, as he'd changed his name, was a few years older than her and would happily meet up with her to talk and play. They first met while exploring the same rocky overhang, and became fast friends. He would talk and she would listen, they would climb trees and move big rocks, she would run and he'd try to keep up with her, and he would tell her about himself without asking for any information in return. He came from a small hamlet a few days away, the son of a Fox and a Bat. Cross-breeds were next to impossible elsewhere in the world, but merely rare and thus, again, portentous to Aetroziythuns. He cast off his family's career of carpentry after seeing a group of bandits raid his hometown and a group of heroes later return with the bandits' heads. They'd talk and explore together, with her talking about the books she'd read while he recounted the stories he'd heard.

"I am glad that my parents weren't killed in the attack, but they both raised their voices at me when I left to pursue my calling. Once I can get my first sword, I shall strike out with a band of three like-minded companions, traveling throughout Aetroziythus, and we might just save the world while we're at it!"

This puzzled the Mare, who wondered why he assumed everything rather than planning them. When she'd look at someone, she would wonder about them, what they wanted and were doing and their reasons for it; almost everyone thought of themselves as characters of their own little stories occasionally joining in on someone else's. Jarlos thought the world was a story and he was the main character: he didn't plan how it would turn out for him, as if he didn't want to ruin the surprise by looking at the end. More likely, it sounded to her like he assumed the story would give him everything from start to finish. When he'd turn his head to his right and talk out loud to some audience in his head, or say things like, "Quarter-circle Back Square," during his swordplay practice, he'd tell her that was just how different kinds of stories worked.

She learned more than just about stories from Jarlos, though. For a birthday present, he gave her a long coil of sturdy rope, telling her that every adventuring band was supposed to carry that much of it. He mentioned uses like throwing grappling hooks and tying up prisoners, but her eyes lit up at the thought of tying it around trees to climb down holes and up cliffs. All its possible uses fuelled her imagination to the point where she would carry it around with her, tying and untying any knots she'd learned, just in case it would come in handy.

The rest of the time, she read and studied under the scholars and mystics the town had and planned to either to become a scholar or setting off to see the other, more realistic territories. She could only make a few friends, all of whom she had to approach, and felt a happy jolt every time she was trusted with a secret or found out what one of them really wanted. She would happily give them advice and suggestions, smiling when they ran off and when they came back to do favours for her in return; occasionally, one would offer her a gift or suggest they climb a cliff overlooking a broad vista at sunset, but she would refuse every time.

She remained friends with Jarlos as they passed through their teenage years, enjoying their exhausting hikes and explorations together, wondering if he would ever announce his love for her and swear to always keep her in his heart. She expected it because that was what happened in the stories she'd read, and knew Jarlos would do that because that was what heroes did to their childhood friends. When she saw the brownish Fox run toward her at their secret meeting place, she just stood and gripped her rope, smiling expectantly.

"Gertrude, it's finally happened at last! The money, the steel, the good graces of the smith, I can finally have my own sword made! When it's ready, I can finally begin my apprenticeship and soon after, join a band of my own! I will have to leave here, but I'll be sure to return someday and see what has become of you."

"Oh, that's... sweet," she felt somewhat off-put by his choice of words, "but, Jarlos, have you ever wondered about me? About my pursuits and hopes and goals?"

"Oh, I've thought of those," he beamed happily. "I'd keep you in my mind over my adventures, mentioning our childhood friendship while you come into your own power. When I return, we'll encounter each other, and after fighting my way through all the men around you, after your attempts at seduction and promises that we can rule together, we can finally have our climactic fight to the death!"

She felt as if something had been smashed in her mind, as well as being horribly wrong. "D-death? What? Why? Aren't- but you're my childhood love!" She could feel tears welling up behind her eyes as she blurted out her innermost feelings for the first time.

Jarlos took her gently by the wrist and looked into her eyes. "We are, and I treasure that. But we must grow up separately, with my place as adventuring hero, and yours as a Dark Queen. It has been accepted ever since your birth, and I am proud to have known you for so long. I could see the power you had over males and females, and once you come to accept that, the truce between destiny and-"

"I- I don't want to hear it! I don't care!" She slapped his hands away and ran sobbing as fast as she could, never turning to see if he pursued. She knew he believed what he said, she knew the only way he could think of himself as a hero was to kill any villain, and worst of all, she knew his last point was right. When she ran out of breath and collapsed on a bench behind a building, she looked at herself, at the thick coarse rope coiled around one arm, and pulled out a bit of her fur from one arm. Dark colours, a tall and strong figure, influencing others and tempting them, denying them for the one who would kill her. She couldn't help but shake with fear at the thought, years past, of her killing and controlling hundreds with mystic powers, or worse, her childhood love kicking down an ordinary door, sword in hand- Then, in a flash of insight, she suddenly made up her mind.

"Mother, Father, Please forgive me, but I want to leave. I love you both, but I know that my place is no longer here. I will leave for the southern lands with their next envoy, and seek my fortune there. I have already packed everything I'll need, I've read what I could on their society there, and the next envoy will come the day after I've fully matured. I know you've been telling me I was destined for greatness, but I want to achieve greatness myself. I don't want my destiny to lie at the other end of a sword."

It was the hardest thing she'd ever done, but she'd planned it out fully, hitting every single thing that would worry them. As she expected, they hugged her, cried, told her they'd be proud of her even if she did become a Dark Queen, and saw her off with gifts. After the annual trade of food and fuel for tools and little mechanical devices, she left with the pack of Dogs in their shiny fancy clothes to seek her fortune in foreign territory.

"So, whatcha wanna come wit' us for?" the spotted Canine in the hat had asked her on their way. "A pretty young Mare like you isn't fit for field work? Or not fit for, uh, runnin' 'round in scraps 'o chainmail, whackin' each other with swords? Hey, is it true that up there, you can make corpses move around just by talkin' to 'em?"

"I- uh... I wanted to leave all of that, so I wouldn't have to hit anyone with a sword. And... no, not by talking to them, they have to be infected with the spawn of a Ge- it's complicated, and doesn't happen often." She fidgeted a bit where she sat, unused to strangers asking probing questions of her. She'd tried being polite and dismissive, but he hadn't caught on and kept asking his basic, misinformed questions as if she'd wandered out from one of those unbelievable hidden cities.

"C'mon, ease up a bit on her," one of the travelling Wolves stopped by to say. "I bet you'd want to know more about where you're headed, eh?"

This one looked much more organized, better-dressed and carrying himself with more of a grace than his companion. While the Canine had a sort of a constant stoop as if he was constantly trying not to intimidate anyone, the Wolf always looked slightly hopeful, as if he wanted to spring into action or get to know everyone by name. Even though he was obviously one of the ones in charge, she just couldn't bring herself to think of him formally, mentally calling him a Wolf instead of a Lupine.

"Well, I don't know as much about the smaller towns or outlying areas, but I have read about the capital. ...Though I expect what I know is as accurate as what you know about my home."

"Actually, you might be right there!" the Wolf laughed. "Cavulton's progressed quickly these days, but we've always had the better philosophers and scientific minds the world over!"

"Wot about those places in the Eas-"

"Aw, everyone knows there's nothing in those mountains anymore," he interrupted back. "Anyway, you picked a good time to move here. Someone around here'll help you get your papers in order, and you could find work in one of the factories or as a cook or something. Some of the new places to live're really fancy, but they're expensive though."

The spotted Canine began to chuckle and say that "She'd be better off headin' Underground" in a way that sounded as if that last word needed an uppercase letter, but he got hushed by a stern glare from the Wolf. She didn't pay much attention either, instead asking about "Papers? Do you mean I have to write a book if I want to live here? I knew about the focus you have on the intellectual, but-"

"Nah, you just write down your name, when you were born, where you came from and stuff like that, and it gets stamped and made official. Centralized government, eh? We don't have lots of small towns here, we've got cities. You might get... confused, your first time here, but stuff'll get explained on your way in. I'd just say, find work and a place to stay as soon as you can. No, shut it, Clarence, she's much too refined a lady to head Underground like that!"

"Underground?" She'd read mentions of places they had underground: not the kind of dungeons where the rich or paranoid would hide their valuables or where Germs would hide and spread their influence, but where their leaders would lock away anyone they didn't like forever, or in some cases, themselves. "Clarence, why do you think I should head there?"

"Well, miss, I'd hate to say it's just 'cause your fur an' mane'll blend right in there - say, is that colour yer natural? - Uh, well, also, it's 'cause you've been fingerin' that coil o' rope the past little while. Anyone I've seen doing that while they're thinkin', they've been one o' those types."

"...and what, exactly is it that 'they' do 'there'?" At least the embarrassed stuttering she got in response gave her answers to two of the questions she didn't ask: rather than a fear-inspiring tyranny, he was referring to an embarrassment-inspiring institution. If their system of governance is as solid and intricate as she'd heard, she made the conclusion that conquering or ruining the world (or merely areas of it) was not as big of an issue as it was in her homeland. Secondly, it would be a good idea to glean information from there directly, rather than ask about it at random. Rather than flee from destiny, which always seemed to turn one around directly onto its path again, she made the decision to confront this Underground, and plan once she'd become better-informed.