Vivi and Russell ducked as a soldier swung his blade over their heads. It must've caught someone. Droplets of blood splattered across them. They didn't stick around to hear the body hit the ground.

It was a massacre. Everybody ran around. The soldiers swung their blade at people. People who are there own fathers, mothers, siblings and children. The swung, and they pushed and they shoved. It seemed less for killing and more for herding.

A great flash of red illuminated the castle. Scarlet flames shot out of the crystalline dome of the Royal garden. The heat could be felt from down in the palace gates.

Everyone was running again. Russell never let go of Vivi's hand. He took chance of the confusion and pulled both of them to a side.

He spotted the blacksmith shop he worked in . It had an underground furnace. It should be cold now. They can hide there. And the situation didn't look like there is the slightest chance of the furnace being lit, which was a lengthy process to say the least.

Russell always Carries a set of the keys with himself. The owner, Gloir, had trusted him with them after two years of service. He adored Russell. No way he couldn't have. Few could run around with heavy iron tools like he did. He promised to let Russell make his first sword this week.

Did Gloir get away?

The lock opened in a single twist of the key. The door swang, making a little noise with the bell tied overhead. Russell got in first, pulled Vivi in and closed the door behind. He locked it from inside.

The room had two chimneys. One for the workshop, one for the furnace. The one for the workshop let a bit of sunlight into the room. It illuminated the dust hanging in the dry, smokey air. The red brick reflected the light and the room was washed a dull maroon. The knives and swords brilliantly reflected that little light and in the dark room; they looked smeared with blood. Metal clattered and struck outside.

The furnace was on the other side of the room. Russell walked to it and opened the door. Inside was pitch black. Not because it was deep, but because it was full of coal.

Russell jumped in feet first. The coal powdered under his feet, giving him a soft landing. He twisted and turned to get into a uncomfortable sitting position.

Vivi got a much softer landing. She landed shoulder-first on Russell's stomach . A Yelp escaped him.

"Sorry!" Vivi whispered.

"Yeah,yeah, just don't move," Russell adjusted his position to hold Vivi's weight.

All that movement caused quiet a dust cloud to form in the pit. In the workshop, or walking in the street, dust clouds are nothing other than a nuisance. But down here, they can suffocate you.

Also this pit has coal gas in it.

Russell figured they'd have a maximum till noon before they fell sick.

He was off by a huge margin.

The dizziness hit in a few moments, along with a slow and drunk kind of sleepiness. Russell tried to keep his head straight. Vivi's head was nodding vigorously. Apparently she felt it too. In a few moments the darkness in front of Russell's eyes was filled with stars and moons, the silence around him with loud ringing.

It was through that loud ringing that Russell heard the door up there slam open. Vivi tensed up in front him.

The sound of boots echoed through the empty shop like hammers on iron. They were cautious, often stopping, perhaps to check for people. The occasional clinking of metal indicated it was no half done search.

Please pass by, please pass by— Russell prayed to some unnamed entity. It worked the opposite. Something pricked him in the thigh. Russell swallowed an yelp.

Damn Bugs, living even in furnaces!

Vivi suddenly started trembling. Her back was crouched and she was hunching her shoulders in a way her neck went inside her body. She was also breathing heavily.

She's trying to suppress her cough. And she was failing.

Screw unnamed deities!

Russell did what he could think first at that moment. He grabbed her throat and squeezed.

A little "Ack" escaped Vivi's throat. Loud enough to make Russell feel guilty, but not enough to draw the attention of the swordsman above.

The slow stomping of the boots drew closer, even more cautious.

For one moment, Russell thought, it was all for nothing.

They're gonna get caught.

They're gonna get killed.

Then the boots stopped. It was quiet for a second. The quiet of a wasp that'd sting if you disturb it.

Then the boots walked away impatiently and the door slammed close.

For another moment, there was silence. Russell tried to hear something through the ringing in his ears. Anything. A sound of breath, slight movement.

Nothing.

Russell let go of Vivi's throat. She slumped forward and took a big, loud breath of the toxic air down here. The cough escaped in a hurry and she hit her head on the furnace wall. That's gonna leave a bump.

She looked alright.

"Can you get up?" Russell asked.

Vivi nodded curtly in return.
She put her feet on the small free ground in front of Russell , and slowly stood up. Then she climbed up and out of the furnace.

Russell followed. Although his standing up required much more twisting and turning.

Vivi was sitting down on the ground, taking deep breaths.

However much the air out here reeked of blood and whatnot, at least it's not trying to kill you.

"You okay?" Russell tried to get to Vivi.

Vivi elbowed him in the ribs.

"What was that for?" Russell yelped, grabbing his chest. Vivi was no lightweight when it came to hitting people.

"That's for trying to kill me!"

"You know exactly why I did that!" Russell said, wincing in pain.

"Well you didn't need to squeeze that hard!"

Russell didn't answer that. Being choked isn't a sweet experience. Russell knew that first-hand.

Russell shook those thoughts away. That was a long time ago . A long time.

"What do we do now?" Vivi said, still huffing.

Russell looked up from the ground. His brown hair colored black in the dull red light. Deep brown eyes reflected it and became of all remorse; jackle eyes. His tanned skin looked blushed.

"We get out of here."

"Did you just take am entire long dramatic moment coming to that conclusion?" Vivi is not amused.

"No, I took an entire long dramatic moment to remember that there was a hole in the capital wall behind that broken house. Where we left our mangoes. remember?"

Hah, mangoes. The morning looked days, no, weeks in the past. They almost didn't remember there was a heap of ripe and perfect mangoes waiting for them to share with Arlo under a stack of leaves, in an abandoned house.

Up until now, there was no sound outside. It was tensed and suffocating, like the peace right before the storm.

BOOM!

There was a huge crashing sound, so loud that it shook the room, hard. Hard enough for the metals to shake and clink together.

It was followed by a roar. An ear-splitting roar, like a thousand thunderbolts crackling spontaneously. Dust fell from the shop's roof.

Vivi and Russell looked at each other. They both knew who that was.

Every nation has a mascot animal. The strength and nature of that animal represents the nation's own nature. Also, often it is their last weapon in combat.

The Mascot of Forthfire was Phagust, a seventy year old Gold Crowned Crimson Dragon.

If you lived in the capital, you'd know that he's enormous.

You'd also likely know that that crown is piss-colored, not gold.

Repeating banging on the ground indicated the piss horned lizard was free and on the run. Boots outside let them know the soldiers were running too.

Vivi brought them back in the conversation, "If we're gonna just walk out into the forest without food or a change of clothes or a plan, we'll be dead in a week or so. Or even earlier."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Russell raised an eyebrow.

"Easy. We get our stuff from the kitchen."

The kitchen is the kitchen of marianda's inn. It's where Vivi worked.

Vivi could do anything Russell did, maybe even more (Russell wouldn't agree). But the kitchen was the only place that would hire a girl Vivi's age.

After their home was taken away, Vivi and Russell slept in that kitchen. The innkeeper, marianda, really was a nice lady(with approval from Arlo).

She gave them a blanket. On cold nights Vivi and Russell would share that blanket. Arlo would usually sleep somewhere outside, normally the day labourer camps.

So, all their stuff were in the kitchen. And the kitchen was five shops left to the blacksmith's.

They have to go outside .

Russell looked around. Was there anything he could use?

The swords were a no-no, he couldn't carry one around; these were butcher swords, heavy and cumbersome. And he didn't know how to use one anyway.

On the shelf beside him, was a jar full of Fire-ice.

Russell opened the jar, picked up four pieces, and put them in his pocket.

"You want your pocket to explode?" Vivi rolled her eyes. Russell regretted sharing too much about his work-life with her.

"It'll be fine," Russell murmured.

"Yeah, right," was all Vivi said.

Russell was the first to peek through the window. Left , nobody. Right, nobody. Someone sat on the street, in a splatter of gore. The dead man's eyes plead to the sky for relief from the pain.

Russell slowly opened the door and stepped outside. His body was tensed like a bow. Eyes scanned the streets for any kind of movement, feet falling one after another in careful calculation. Vivi followed close behind .

They reached the next shop by the time Russell realized how ridiculous it was.

Like, if the soldiers suddenly came and saw them tiptoeing, they'd just decide to ignore them?

So, he just ran the rest of the way to the inn.

They didn't have the key but that was irrelevant because the door was busted anyways. Without the extra baggage, Russell reached there first and went in first. Vivi came next.

Leaks in the inn's wooden wall let in thin strands of sunlight. They illuminated the floating dust and made shining paths of gold in the air. The stench of blood and dirt was heavy, tickling their nostrils. There was a loud noise outside, far.

They walked through the room that they had both walked through for the last two or Three years. The same.

Except for a dead body laying behind the counter, blood splattered all over the wall. Not Vivi nor Russell peeked behind. They couldn't bear to see who it is.

The kitchen door was open as always. Luckily there were no dead bodies there. On the far end of the kitchen, all their stuff, consisting of a few clothes, accessories and two little knives Arlo gave them, were tied together in a bundle. The bundle was small enough that they can pick it up while leaving the city.

Russell picked it up when Vivi took a small jute bag and filled it with grist. Grist is the perfect food for long travelling. You can add one spoonful of grist in about one cup of water and you have a lunch for two.

"Gimme the fire," Vivi suddenly called Russell.

"What?"

"The Fire-ice. Gimme."

It was her have-a-plan tone of voice. Over the years, he had learned to listen to it.

Russell handed over the Ice. Vivi took out a Gab-pouch, put the pieces in them, and knotted the mouth shut. Then she threw it to Russell. He caught it off the air and pocketed it.

A suppressed Dhwoomp! Sounded outside.

Mortar.

The roar echoed once more. Did they hit him?

Russell was getting back out there when Vivi suddenly took the bag off his back, opened it and took some clothes out.

"Really? Viv, now?"

"I can't run in a dress!" Vivi whispered as if it explained anything.

"All your clothes are dresses !"

Instead of answering that, Vivi pushed Russell out of the kitchen door, and locked it.

Russell stood outside, wondering what could be going on.

This morning — the day — started normally— nicely — actually .

Suddenly, bam, the king killed the queen. And then the soldiers are on them. Their soldiers are on them. And now most of the people they know are probably dead.

I wonder where Arlo is, Russell thought, he'd never kill an innocent person,right?

The inside of his mind didn't answer.

On the same note, he walked towards the counter; the body was lying beyond it. As he came closer, A pool of blood was visible on the other side.

He peeked beyond the counter, hoping it wasn't someone they knew.

He shouldn't have.

There was no way to recognize the body. Because the head was gone. Not hanging open, not smashed or distorted, it was simply cut clean of the neck.

Just a swing, and gone.

The apron on her dress indicated it was someone who worked in this kitchen.

Russell didn't have the nerves left to look for the head .

The kitchen door opened up and Vivi came out.

And just as Russell had suspected, the incredibly baggy shirt with sleeves folded up and the worn out baggy pants were his.

Every single part of the clothes was loose on her. The pant was tied so tight that the fabric looked like the northern mountains. The collar was pulled back and tied in a knot with itself, making it tight enough not to slip off Vivi's shoulders.

"What ? You can wear one of my dresses whenever you want," Vivi said when she saw the look in his face.

"I'm not gonna wear one of your...ugh! You know what? Let's get going."

Another mortar sounded when they came out of the inn's door, followed by heavy banging on the ground.

Carefully they made their way through the lifeless streets, often passing by a corpse or two. Some had intestines hanging out, contorted faces hating Vivi and Russell for being alive when they couldnt. They passed a child, six or seven, just lying upturned in a pool of blood, with not a single visible wound. Russell almost stood to stare. Vivi yanked him away.

The mortars, the roars and the banging had increased. You can only keep a dragon docile if it's in a cage.

Once out, it will run wild.

Vivi and Russell saw the dragon when they passed the central square.

About fifty yards tall from head to tail, it was a crimson monolith of scales and taloned feet. It was running on all it's four legs. It's wings, as wide as the mango tree that it had just destroyed, were flapping wildly around. It had forgotten to fly about five years ago. There were archers all around it, pricking it at best. Mortars too, dragged tirelessly by horses.

There was another dhwoomp! And something small and round shot up in the air from behind the dragon and crashed onto it in a splatter of black liquid. The dragon snapped away from where the mortar would've been.

They were shooting hot tar at it.

The dragon attempted to jump, got a good height, and then fell back to the ground with a THUD! and a tremor that would've knocked Russell and Vivi over from their vantage point almost two hundred yards away, if they hadn't been holding onto a wall.

A wave of arrows flew towards it as it attempted to rise again, needling into its red hide like wasp stings. Two other globules of tar fell on it.

Clearly annoyed by the arrows, and the hot tar, he let out another skycracking roar and blew.

A cloud of fire escaped his mouth, swirling, twisting.

It started as a small ball, and exploded into brightness. And it got bigger and brighter and bigger still. It grew so bright that Russell and Vivi looked away, the heat was so much it stung from all the way here. The sounds of mortars exploding all around was drowned by it's roar. The flame engulfed the whole tree and rose higher into the sky as he swung his head around.

A pang of resentment crossed their hearts when they exited the square. That was a good mango tree.

A number of minutes later, Vivi was getting down from the wall. Russell was picking up the bag— a single bag because the bags of grist was put in with the clothes.

It was when Russell was brushing dust off his shirt when the monstrous steps could be heard again. It grew louder and louder.

Then there was shadow on them.

Both of them jumped to two sides, not nearly far enough.

The dragon completely squashed the downed house, and the mangoes, and crashed into the capital wall.

Miraculously, however, his steps managed to spare both the children. The capital wall, a twenty yard high and four yards thick construction of Fogstone, tilted a little first, then completely gave away.

Oh well.

Guess they won't have to squeeze through a hole anymore.

Arrows were flying in from all directions. Russell and Vivi were laying directly at the path of the arrows. A tar globe crashed and splattered a mere thirty feet from them. The rancid, lung-burning smell of melting tar blew their way.

The dragon, finally gaining freedom from a maze of homes and streets, ran off towards the Red Mountains at North.

Boots could be heard coming to their direction, in a large number. Vivi and Russell had to move, fast.

Russell stood up in the debris and picked up the bag. Vivi was already up and running.

Russell looked behind one last time, at the capital.

The place where his life up until now revolved. The place beat him. The place built him. The place showed him hate. The same place showed him love. And now he was leaving it behind.

Something crunched. He couldn't tell if it was under his feet or in his chest.

He looked for only a moment. Then he turned back to the forest that stretched in front of him, part of it smashed by the dragon.

And he started running.

Vivi was already in the forest. She was struggling to walk on the uneven ground.

Russell however, felt like a natural Monkey. Balance came to him as simply as walking. He could even pick up speed. The mortars kept shooting. A goblet of tar fell on a tree about six yards away. A droplet hit on Russell's arm. It burned.

Trying to pick up speed, however, Russell was concentrating a lot on his balance and forgot one crucial thing.

You must always look forward while walking.

Russell collided. He collided hard. But it wasn't a tree. It was another human. She yelped when  they hit.

But what caught both Russell's and Vivi's attention as Russell jumped back was something different. And it caught their attention good.

It was fire. Bright Scarlet flames, like the Vines of a Dameberry, shot out of the girl's fingertips.

She was royalty.