SIX YEARS LATER
"Don't you call me that again, Jaelssa Halfleaf."
"Why not? That's all you are! Pauper's daughter, pauper's daughter!"
Jaelssa and six of her friends were surrounding Kizzlorn in the courtyard. The other children stood around watching. Kizzlorn had already been through quite an ordeal that day, what with Orlea Stonehand dipping her braid in an inkwell, being told she resembled a hobgoblin by Elliene Tindelsaff, and now this. She was surrounded by the meanest girls in school, led by Jaelssa- who was three years her senior. Her nice clothes were frayed and dirty from being pushed to the ground. Worst of it all, Jaelssa was of the true bluebloods- high nobility get away with whatever they want, Kizz thought to herself. Her little hands were clenched up into fists. That they called her father a pauper angered her to no end… which they were terribly fond of, of course.
"Pauper's daughter, PAUPER'S DAUUUGH-TERRRRR…"
"STOP CALLING ME THAT!" Kizzlorn pushed back. She put her hands on Jaelssa's shoulders and shoved her backwards. Jaelssa teetered, then fell on her bottom. From the look of it, she'd never been stood up to in her life, and she was furious. Her face turned red as her hands clutched at the grass and she bared her teeth at Kizzlorn.
"You're just mad because your daddy was some dragon's lunch," she hissed. "Do you think his bones crunched loudly when the dragon chewed him up?"
"YOU SHUT UP!! I HATE YOU!!!"
The lower hem of Jaelssa's dress browned, smoldered, then burst into flame. Jaelssa screamed, and Kizzlorn clutched her hands to her chin in fright. Had she done that? The other girls were scattering and Jaelssa was frantically flapping her hands against the small fire and shrieking about how she was going to burn to death. Through the crowd ran Raelin and Kyler, who gasped and put the fire out with their vestcoats.
Raelin looked up at his sister. "Kizz, what happened?!"
"I… I don't…"
"MOVE ASIDE, MOVE ASIDE!" Nelan Halfleaf pushed his way through the crowd of wide-eyed children and ran to help his daughter to his feet. "What happened, honey? Who did this to you?" Jaelssa pointed at the terrified girl and kept shrieking, which was now turning into sobbing. Nelan said "Are you okay, princess? Are you okay? Did she hurt you?" He stood up and took three quick steps towards Kizzlorn. Her brothers bravely stood in her path, but the man pushed them right aside and stood there. "Did you do this to my baby? Did you use MAGIC to SET my DAUGHTER ON FIRE, YOU LITTLE RAT?!" He raised his right hand up, palm outward, and it paused there before swinging towards Kizzlorn.
His arm was caught in the grip of something cold, large, and very, very strong. He looked behind him to see a ten foot tall shield guardian with burning red eyes standing there. The grip on his arm tightened. The thing spoke. "Nan-ny de-fend. Nan-ny SMASH."
The man began gibbering, and Kizzlorn shouted "NO, Nanny! Release him!" Nanny let go of the man's arm immediately, but watched him, only waiting for Kizz's permission to tear her attacker to pieces.
Nelan grabbed his arm and stumbled away, yelling "BELTHOR WILL HEAR ABOUT THIS, YOU FREELOADING PEASANTS! I'LL HAVE YOU OUT ON THE STREET BEFORE DAY'S END, MARK MY WORD!" He fled with his daughter.
He had nothing of the sort, of course, but for months afterward she was made to scrub the pots and pans and assist the servants, as "that's what happens to little girls who forget their place".
That night, Raelin sneaked into the kitchen and helped her scrub for a bit. "How did you do it?"
"Do what?" Kizz was very tired, as she'd been cleaning for hours and was up past her bedtime. That and the events of the day had left her mind feeling fuzzy.
"The fire."
"I don't know. I don't think I did. It just happened."
Raelin picked up a particularly heavy pot and began scrubbing the inside. "I think you did it. Mom was a sorceress, you know."
"I know."
"She was tough, too. She told me once that she and Dad saved the world."
"Do you think they really did?"
"Of course. Mom never lied to me."
Kizz's face saddened. "Wish I could save the world. Then people wouldn't make fun of me so much."
"Nah, you'd still be ugly."
She splashed him with dishwater. "You're a troll," she said, grinning. They laughed and splashed.
From behind them: "Raelin, Kizzlorn is being punished. She is not to receive any help, or Heironeous bless me, have fun doing her chores."
Raelin wiped his hands and rolled his eyes for Kizzlorn's amusement. "Yes, Lord Belthor." He turned and left.
Belthor glared at her for a moment, then said "Finish that stack and you can go to bed, okay?"
"Yes, Lord Belthor."
"I'm sorry I yelled so much at you today. I didn't mean to say some of those things." He waited for her reply, didn't get one, and sighed. He walked away.
Kizzlorn washed the remaining dishes and daydreamed about how much fun it would be to save the world.
More to come...