If anyone were to ask me where a good vacation spot in Layrucia was, I would say "Anywhere - just not Santilon."

Santilon Village was built on a hard crater; there was hardly a bush or a tree, and it sat cradled in the arms of Mount Perilous. The giant volcano had been inactive for a hundred years; still though, on cold days you could feel a steady heat coming from the ground, and on hot days it would be hotter still. But even with the quirky location, there was still a good sized, thriving village.

When I was about three miles away, I could feel the change in the air. It was becoming thicker with smoke. About thirty minutes later,I was at the edge of the forest and about fifty paces away from the Bridge of the Brave, which crossed the mighty Omicron River. But there were two things that were wrong. First, there was no water in the River. And second, there was a troll horde on the bridge - with two captives. One said and did nothing. The other struggled against his bonds and cried out,

"You creepy, dark looking freaks better turn us loose or you will suffer the consequences!"

It was a young boy's voice; I was sure his companion was a child too. I strung the Bow of Ice and pressed my back against a boulder.

"My father knows the princess herself!" the boy continued. "And she will soon be the queen! And she'll send an army to come and save us, then we'll -"

I whirled around and released the arrow. I came out of my hiding place and shot another. The monsters looked around in surprise, but when they spotted me, they instantly began to come after me with swords and clubs. I slammed the closest one in the stomach with ice. A blade flung past my face and landed into a tree stump with a dull thunk. I noticed that one had throwing knives and weren't using them sparingly. I strung the Bow and shot again. Then I froze the ground, making some slip and fall. Realizing that coming toward me wasn't the answer, some instantly just turned back to the captives. I quickly reached into my quiver for another arrow; but there wasn't one.

"Aaaaack!" the trolls screamed and shot at me.

More knives flew through the air as I ran back behind the boulder and tried to think. More screaming from the monsters and shouted insults and commands from the young boy came to my ears and sent my mind reeling.

I should have brought a sword, I thought to myself as I realized I only had a small dagger with me and about a hundred enemies behind me. I snatched up some knives from the floor and put them on my belt.

"I can do this, I can do this," I said to myself as I began climbing a boulder that was now quite surrounded with trolls, who had decided to come back for another round. I stood up on my now high ground and stamped my foot. Ice shot down the rock and lined the ground in thick slabs. Some ran in terror; some climbed up after me, undeterred. I threw the handful of knives in my hands, taking care of some. I then took the Bow and clobbered a couple more. Some began to shoot again. I instinctively created barriers of ice from the ground up, also sending another blast to the ground. Arrows stuck themselves into the walls around me.

Catching my breath, I turned to look at the captives again. The enemies began to advance toward them. I gripped the Bow as I realized they had lost all interest getting me and were now going to take care of the people on the Bridge. I felt something wet on my forehead. I reached up and touched it, winced, then pulled away when I discovered blood.

I dropped the ice wall and yelled, "Hey !" at the top of my lungs.

Every eye turned to me, the captives' eyes wide, the trolls' weapons loaded and ready. I put my left hand toward the bowstring. In a flurry of ice and snow, an arrow formed, four times the size of a normal one. The arrow tore into the air.As it flew, the ice shot to each of the creatures, freezing them into solid blocks. I took a deep breath, then jumped off the boulder. I walked across the Bridge toward the people. The monsters glared at me through their icy prisons; a bit creepy. I took out my dagger and began to cut the bods of the young boy and, as I found, a little girl, maybe six. The boy was glaring at me now.

"I had that completely under control," he told me bitterly.

"How did they catch you?" I asked, concerned.

I took off their ropes and laid them aside. He crossed his arms.

"Well," he said, "we were on our way to Seaport to meet our father so we could sail to Safe Haven Island. But we had barely left Santilon when my kid sister Lorin," he now gestured to the little girl,"decided to play in the rocks over there," he pointed to the mountain, "then I went to get her, but she had already been captured."

Anger glinted in his light brown eyes; his body was shivering from excitement.

"What's your name, kid?" I asked.

He looked away from me.

''My dad told me not to talk to strangers," he said, then began to walk past me.

"His name is Raynes," the little girl blurted out suddenly.

Raynes whirled around.

"Lorin!"

"Well, you told her my name!"

"That's different!"

"It is not!"

"Look, how many times do I have to -"

Raynes was cut short by a low grumble that shook the ground. Lorin clung to her brother's arm; Raynes shook her off.

"It's fine, Lorin. It's just the volcano."

There was a slight tremor in his voice. The sky was becoming tinted with orange. Ash started to fall to the floor.

"Do you know if there is anyone left in Santilon?" I asked Raynes.

He shrugged. I looked at Lorin, but she stared at me blankly. The ground shook again.

"Well... you should get out of here," I said. "Come on. I'll bring you to the first group of people that are going to Seaport."

I began to walk back across the Bridge. I went five steps, then turned back around. The kids weren't moving.

"Well, come on," I repeated.

"We're not going anywhere with you," Raynes said.

"Why not?"

"Look arrow lady. We don't need you to protect us."

He drew a small knife.

"I'm eleven years old! I've been in combat classes for three years!"

He twirled his knife for effect. "I can take care of myself and my sister."

I gritted my teeth. I was beginning to get impatient.

"Look," I said. "I am not going to -"

The ground shook violently, throwing us all off our feet and toppling onto the stones of the Bridge. Lorin began to cry.

"That's it," Raynes said. "We're out of here."

He stood up, but didn't move. He was looking at something behind me.

"Malli?" he said, more to himself than to me.

Lorin jumped to her feet. She grasped her brother's hand and bounced excitedly up and down.

"Malli, it's Malli!"

She dragged Raynes across the Bridge, pushing me aside in her excitement. I turned to see an old woman, with silver gray hair tied in a tight knot in the back of her head. She was short and a bit bent from age. Her face bore testimony that she had been beautiful in her time; her light blue eyes had the sparkle of life. She looked concerned.

"Raynes, Lorin, what are you doing here?" she asked.

Raynes rambled his story to the old woman. I looked back across the Omicron River. Where was the water? Now that I had the time to think about it, it was even stranger. My eyes wandered upstream, as if it had all been stopped up. But no such luck. It was all gone.

It was getting hard to breathe. The ash was coming down thicker. I rubbed my eyes.

"Excuse me, young lady," I heard Malli say.

I pulled myself back to reality.

"Oh; yes ma'am?" I answered, turning to face her.

She studied me closely.

"What's your name?" she questioned.

"I'm Frozene, from Kronos."

"Why are you here? Where are you going?"

I bit my lip.

"To Santilon," I answered stupidly.

Malli was confused.

"Um... why?"

"It's - it's a long story."

The ground shook under our feet.

"Well," she said slowly," we should be going now. Will you come with us, Frozene?"

"I - I can't. I have something I must do."

The earth gave another grumbled complaint.

"Alright, dear," she replied. "And don't worry about the children. I know them well and will take care of them."

"Thank you," I said.

We stood awkwardly for a moment.

"Well, goodbye," I said.

"Frozene, wait." Malli glanced around, then said in a low voice, "While you're climbing the mountain, keep some snow and ice around your body; it will keep you safe, and you'll be able to breathe."

I was surprised.

"How did you -" I started. She held her hand up.

"I remember the legends from when I was a little girl," she answered, then winked. "Good luck, Frozene."

With a few words to the children, they began to make their way across the Bridge of the Brave. I couldn't help looking after them.

What must it be like? I thought to myself suddenly. What must it be like to have a father to go to? To have a woman willing to care for you? To have a brother to watch out for you? What must it be like to not be... alone?

I startled myself with these thoughts. There was a lump in my throat, threatening to make me cry. But I stood up to my own mind defiantly and told myself,

"It doesn't matter what it's like. You are alone and you just have to make the best of it."

I gave my head a decisive nod, but somehow it didn't make me feel any better.

I turned to face the mountain. The ground rumbled. Ash flew through the air. It was incredibly hot. I began to walk. Ice swirled around my being.

"Alright enough of this," I said to myself, and began to run.