Pleasance was burning.

The closer Lina and I got to the town, the more pungent the stench of smoke and ash became. It was almost overwhelming, but we persevered.

"This is your last chance to turn back," I told Lina before we arrived in Pleasance itself. "It will be dangerous."

Lina shook her head. "I'm worried for the people, too. I feel responsible for what's happening. If there's anything I can do…." She trailed off as her eyes fixed ahead.

I tilted my head curiously. I thought about asking for elaboration. Instead, I said, "As long as you're sure, I will do my best to protect you. I swear, as a prince of Cross. But please don't do anything stupid."

She nodded.

It was chaos everywhere. Almost every building seemed engulfed in flames. There were people and animals running everywhere, all in a panic. Some villagers were brave enough to stand against the inferno, scooping water from drinking troughs with whatever containers they could get their hands on and throwing them at the burning houses. But it was in vain, as none of the flames seemed to shrink.

My eyes fixed on one young boy, no older than ten, throwing mud at a small enclosure as a pair of pigs squealed and screamed in fear.

"Don't worry, Patch, Happy! I'll save you!"

He was so focused on saving his precious animals that he did not notice the neighboring shop on the verge of collapse.

My senses kicked into overdrive as I sprinted to the boy. I watched the shop as its frame finally collapsed under its weight.

I dove, my hands outstretched. As my arms closed around the boy, I curled my body so my back slammed into the fence first. The cindered wood gave way, the two of us breaking into the enclosure.

I took the brunt of the impact as we rolled along the ground. The mud proved soothing as it extinguished any lingering embers on my body.

The building collapsed with a sound like thunder. Wood and debris rained down upon us, and I could swear I felt the ground shake. The sound of squelching hooves surrounded us, growing closer, then farther. The pigs had no doubt run free. They were saved, just as the boy had hoped.

I lay there for a moment, panting and squeezing the young lad as tightly as I could. Then I lifted my head and looked down at him. He looked back at me, face ashen and filthy from the mud.

There were more squelching footsteps.

"Are you all right?"

Lina was looking down at us, face stricken with worry.

"I'm relatively unharmed." I said, "Just a bruised sense of dignity." I was now more mud than man. At least, I hoped it was just mud.

Lina smiled, "I was talking about the boy."

I smiled back and released my arms. The boy pushed himself free and got to his knees. "Thanks a lot, mister. You save my friends and me. Bye, pretty lady!"

He stood and took off at a run—no doubt after his swine.

"That's Prince Anno! Remember that name!" I called after him.

Lina held out a hand, which I ignored as I sat up. I'd rather not get her dirty, too.

She squatted next to me. "That was brave of you." Lina watched the flaming pile of rubble that had once been a shop. "What happened to distrusting others?"

"It doesn't mean I can't protect them. That's what a prince does. Duty over feelings."

She was about to say something, then she coughed. I could hear her struggling to breathe. Her inhales were ragged and shallow.

The smoke was taking its toll. And not just for her. But there wasn't time to rest. We had to find the source of this blaze. Or, at least, I had to.

"Go help the villagers."

But she shook her head. "I'm staying with you. Didn't you say you'd protect me?"

I hesitated, then said, "That I did." And a prince never went back on a promise.

I pushed myself to my feet and began to walk deeper into Pleasance. Lina followed suit.

The people ran past without regard. More than a few knocked into me as they fled. This town…It was a mud pit. Yet it was these people's home.

As the next person bumped shoulders with me, I threw out my hand to grab their shirt.

"Hold on." I gave a slight cough. "What's going on? What happened?"

I looked at the man, who looked back at me as we exchanged surprise.

"You!"

It was the man we had left flailing in the mud earlier that day.

"Argh," the man grunted, "Why'd it have to be you two again! I only barely managed to get back on my feet."

"You're not hurt, are you?" said Lina, holding out a hand in concern. The man flinched.

"Don't touch me, witch! Your kind only brings bad luck! Just look at our home!"

My grip tightened, "Answer my questions, and I'll let you go. By order of your prince."

"You? My prince?" The man grimaced and pointed at Lina, "It's her fault, innit! She brought that demon down on us!"

"Demon, you say?"

"The Fire Witch! She appeared at the square, all smiles and charm. She said she was looking for you!"

"Me?" said Lina with a bewildered look.

"Yeah," He pulled himself free from me, "All you freaks seem to know each other."

"What else did she say?" said Lina. There was desperation in her eyes as she approached the man. He immediately backed away.

"I said, don't touch me! She didn't say anything else. The moment we said you left, she immediately started setting fire to everything in sight!"

He shook his head. "I swear. None of this would have happened if you hadn't stepped into town." He stared at Lina as if he wanted to punch her. I moved between them.

"That's quite enough. Is there anyone still in that direction?"

"Nobody but the Fire Witch," he answered, "Anybody left is probably ash by now."

There was a moment of mournful silence. Then I said, "Very well, you were on your way to escape. Now go."

The man looked at us for a second longer, then fled as fast as he could. I stared after him.

"Wait," cried Lina, "at least tell me what she looked like!"

But the man was gone.  

I looked at her curiously, then back toward the center of town where the man had said the Fire Witch appeared. The Fire Witch.

I'd never heard of such a thing. And frankly, I had no real desire to meet her. If what the man said was true and there was nobody left in the village, then as far as I was concerned, Pleasance was a lost cause.

"Come, Lina. Let's go."

"Go?" Her eyes regarded me without seeing. It seemed her mind was elsewhere.

"I mean, leave. There's no hope left here. It's back on the road to Grenna."

She nodded absent-mindedly.

As I turned in the direction the man had fled and began to walk away, I glanced behind to see if Lina was following. She wasn't.

She only stood there, mouth slightly agape.

"Lina, come. We need to leave before it gets worse."

"Can't you hear that?"

I tilted my head slightly and looked around me. "Hear what? The sound of crackling flames? It's kind of hard not to hear."

"No… It's…" She looked at me, her eyes sharp. "You can't hear the cries?"

I just stared at her. The smoke must have finally affected her mind. Well, at least her head is full of something now.

"Someone's in trouble, Anno. They're in there!" She pointed toward the fire. "We need to help them!"

"It's your mind playing tricks! The man said there was nobody left. And I'm inclined to believe him," I said, walking toward her. I intended to seize her arm and drag her away from the arson, but she eluded my grasp as she backed away.

"No! It's her! I know it is!"

"Her? Her who?–wait, come back!"

She had turned and ran deeper into the fire.

"Lina! Stop!"

I hesitated for a moment with a look back to safety. I had done everything I could to warn her. I did. I told her not to do anything stupid. No one could blame me for leaving. I had a mission to fulfill. I had to prioritize my subjects, which Lina was not.

If that woman died, it would be of her own hubris.

And yet… I had sworn to protect her. I supposed that meant from her own stupidity as well.

Pressing a sleeve to my mouth and cursing my own name, I ran forward after Lina.

I had hoped that the mud which coated my face and clothes would provide a modicum of protection. But it proved to be false as it quickly began to dry and flake off in large chunks.

I could barely see through the heat, haze, and smoke, but it was clear that no other living thing was trying to escape the fire. I kept my eyes forward lest I see the blackened form of a burning corpse. I mostly feared finding Lina ablaze.

Still, I pressed on. My lips were dry, cracking as I moved them to say, "Lina, where are you…?"

She was no more equipped for battle than I was. If she encountered this Fire Witch, and if this witch was as powerful as the man said, then it would spell certain doom.

Why, Lina? Why?

What had compelled her to these delusions? Did she have a death wish?

My mind could barely process these thoughts as I focused on finding her. She was here somewhere. I had to keep moving. She needed me. I had no plans to die before I met the false hero again, but I would be glad to lay down my life for her. That was a prince's duty.

His highest duty.

Then I heard a noise. And not just the sounds of crackling wood or the woosh of fire meeting air. At first, what it was did not register in my brain, but after a few seconds of listening, I realized that I was hearing the sound of crying. It sounded like a girl or woman.

"Lina?" I rasped, "Is that you?"

But she was nowhere in sight.

  I listened as hard as I could, yet I could not place the source. It may have been my mind playing tricks, but I could swear that the wails came from the very flames themselves. Every spark and ember sobbed in anguish.

These were not the tears of a human.

Then I saw a silhouette. It stumbled and staggered ahead of me.

Lina!

Sure enough, as I put the remainder of my strength into jogging toward her, I saw that it was indeed Lina. Her body was sluggish as she gasped for air, but her eyes remained focused as she pressed on.

I put a hand on her shoulder. She jumped and turned. Her expression melted into relief as she fell upon me. I held her limp body in my arms as I tried to decide which way I should go. I was surrounded by fire. I began to turn back, but Lina's hand closed around my wrist. I looked down at her as she shook her head. Her lips moved, but no sound came out. I understood, nonetheless.

But I refused to play this game anymore. I made my decision, turning around only to be met with a pillar of fire. 

I stumbled back in shock. Feeling a burst of energy, and turned my back to protect Lina from the worst of it.

The blast was enough to nearly knock me off my feet. But I managed to stay balanced. I used my other arm to shield my own face.

The sobs returned as I stared into the inferno, and the sounds of anguish rang in my ears. If I were not mistaken, I could swear that the crying was coming from the center of the burst.

I squinted. There was something. Something within the flames. Another silhouette.

A rock? It was round and low to the ground. It might have been a trick of the flames, but I thought it was moving.

"Hello? Is someone in there?" My voice was almost gone, yet it seemed to ring out as if I had shouted.

The shape stirred; I was certain of it. It was difficult to tell within the dancing flames.

Then it stood.

Great horns curved downward to encircle its head. It turned to look at me, and I swear I could see its eyes staring at me as it flashed a sinister grin.

The Fire Witch!

Another wave of heat washed over me. My exposed skin felt like it would peel from my body, and I could smell the distinct stench of burning clothes and hair. Were they my own? This would be how I died. My body and name reduced to ash in an instant.

And the only ones who knew it were a clueless Deborn, and a boy who was best friends with pigs.

"Anno!" Lina's hoarse scream nearly exploded my eardrums.

That was Prince Anno. Get it right. All this time—after saving her at least thrice—she still refused to call me by my title.

Then, in an instant, the flames disappeared. A rush of cool, spring air fell across my face, soothing it near instantly. I fell to my knees as I coughed and wheezed. The fingers of my free hand dug into the scorched ground. What had once been mud was dry, cracked earth.

I let go of Lina, who collapsed to the ground. But she slowly began to rise. I saw her smile.

"I knew you'd come…." She pressed a hand to mine.

"That's a prince for you," I said. "Always willing to do his duty."

There were footsteps as someone approached. I grabbed Lina and managed to shove her behind me.

"Lina! Is that you?"

I looked up slightly, enough to see a pair of legs covered in lavender stockings and the hem of a lacey skirt. I was not expecting a voice like that, young and high-pitched.

Lina struggled to gasp, which led to a small fit of coughs.

"G-Gertie…" she wheezed.

Even with her voice nearly gone, the shock was evident.