Noelle grew up in a small village located about a three week carriage ride from the capital city. She lived in a dainty little house with a dainty little flower bed. Every morning, she woke up to her mother's warm breakfast filled with love and care. Every afternoon, she played with the neighbor's children and listened to the adults gush about how she looks just so much like her mother, Mary. Every night, she was tucked into bed and kissed to sleep through giggles and squeals. Mary was a single mother, but Noelle lived happily enough even without a father. 

That is, she lived happily until the summer after she turned seven.

Mary had disappeared the day before, but Noelle wasn't too concerned then. The summers often brought sudden heatwaves. The air could go from hot to suffocating at any moment, and it was too dangerous to go outside when it did. It wasn't anything unusual for Mary to head out alone. A single mother had to provide somehow, and she was always making crafts to sell at the market. And in the summer, she often stayed with a friend to wait out the heat that sprung up mid-sale. So when she didn't come home yesterday, Noelle had calmly written it off.

That changed when Mary hadn't even returned in the ever cool and refreshing morning. It didn't make any sense for her not to be home yet, and Noelle grew worried. She scampered her way into the kitchen in search of anything to bring when she left the house. There was a shoulder strap bag hanging on the chair, and Noelle grabbed it and ran out the door after filling it with snacks, a knife, and her favorite toy. If Mama hadn't come home, then Noelle will find Mama herself!

"But how do I find her?"

The child cocked her head to the side as she toddled down the dirt path to the market square. She had gone with her mother to buy produce many times, and it was the way she knew best. Noelle tapped her small finger on her lower lip as she went deep into her thoughts. She had never gone past the square, and was scared to wander around alone. What if her mother wasn't at the square? What should she do then?

"Out on yah own this time, huh?"

The voice was sudden, and Noelle snapped back to reality just in time to notice she had already walked through half the market.

"Mister Parker! Umm... I'm not allowed to go out alone..."

"Hahaha. So yah breaking the rules then?"

The farmer knelt down to meet Noelle's eye level. She looked around before she quietly answered.

"Well... I'm lookin' for my Mama... Do yah know where she is?"

"I sure do! She went foragin' in the woods, I even lent her mah shed. Want me to take yah to her?"

"Um! Please!"

Mister Parker smiled as Noelle held her fists close to her chest and bobbed her head cutely.

"Here. The woods are a bit bumpy, so yah should hold mah hand. I wouldn't want yah to fall."

Noelle happily obliged. Her hand was much smaller than Mister Parker's. It was big, and strong. A warm, firm grasp. For just a moment, she wondered if this is how it felt to have a father.

Noelle chatted throughout the trip, in the same way that a small dog barks incessantly at doors for no reason at all. She had nothing important to say, but energetically talked and talked and talked the whole way nonetheless. Mister Parker went quiet half way through, but he never let go of that small hand.

Before she knew it, Noelle had arrived at Mister Parker's shed. Strange place for a farmer to have a shed ain't it, she thought. What's he needin' in the middle of the woods? But she had no time to stop and think as he continued his way to the door and knocked three times.

...

Why's he knockin'? It's his shed, right?

The door opened to reveal a muscular man with three scars going through his left eye. Noelle didn't have time to notice anything more than that, though. Mister Parker took his strong hand that was holding on to Noelle so very tightly and threw her into the shed. Her wrist burned and her knee stung, but that's not what hurt her.

The good part is that the child found her mother. The bad part is that her mother was limp, bruised, and tied up.

Noelle turned to ask Mister Parker what was going on, but she could barely see the figures that had been blurred through her tears. She saw the scarred man hand Mister Parker a bag. There was the sound of clinking metal.

"Tough luck kid. This is just how life goes for dirt like yah."

Hic. Hic.

"Aaaah... I'm goin' insane. Mary's fault, yah know. Wouldn't have taken up this job if she had agreed to be mah woman. It's her fault for being stubborn."

Noelle's cries drowned the air, but the louder her sobbing, the angrier her captor.

"SHUT UP! I AIN'T WRONG FOR THIS, OKAY!? WHAT DOES A SINGLE MOTHER THINK SHE CAN DO IN THIS WORLD??? WITHOUT A MAN AT HER SIDE???" he screamed as he kicked her in the stomach.

"Tch... Leavin' a sour taste in mah mouth... Hey!"

Mister Parker turned his attention towards the other man while briskly making way towards Mary.

"I did what you wanted, so lemme have a little fun, yah? She's gonna die anyway, lemme make her mine first."

He grabbed Mary by the hair and dragged her out the dirty room. Noelle didn't know whether to run or scream.

Noelle didn't have the chance to decide. 

Mister Parker had left with her mother, but the man with the scar was still there. He stared at her chuckling. Noelle didn't know what to call his expression. She had never seen anyone look at her like that before. She didn't know what it was, but she knew she was frightened.

Noelle had awakened her fire magic on her sixth birthday. It had been just over a year since she started learning to use it, and she had very little control. But Noelle remembered what her mother said that day. About how it was a gift that could protect her for a long time.

It wasn't enough just to protect Noelle. Noelle had to get out of there alive and save her mother. She was going to use this gift of hers to protect the happy life she lived.

With all the strength she could muster, she shot out flames towards the frightening man. She felt the heat burning away at her hand. It hurt. Nothing had ever hurt this bad before. She didn't care as long as it meant she could live.

But it didn't. Her flame never got anywhere near the man.

"... So you fancy yourself a magician?"