Zoe Fitz

Clara swayed to the rhythm of her flute, pacing herself not to run out of breath, Otto's face was completely red from playing by her side, Alina and Alan were finishing their choreography in front while singing perfectly in tune. As she released the final note, the crowd cheered. Another successful performance by the Wind Weavers. She glanced at the innkeeper that nodded from the corner. They will have a place to rest tonight.

Visiting the finest inn was a gamble, but they were looking forward to a comfy bed after finaly reaching Othery. Among the colourful crowd, the Prestish group could easily blend in. It was late, the smell of fine wine explained the unrestrained (and somewhat shameless) behaviour of the wealthy-looking patrons. However, Clara's eyes were set on a quiet slender elven figure at one of the bigger tables. She caught his gaze several times while performing, but now he acted uninterested, clearly bored and unamused by the main attraction at his table – a short bald man in luxurious robes and heavy jewellery, telling supposedly hilarious stories (judging by the laughter of those around him).
Clara didn't fall for the bluff and focused her gaze on her pray – she didn't like the thought of sleeping alone that night.

\_\_\_\_\_\_

The sun was already high when Clara woke up. His face was still buried in her copper curls. From that day he never missed a single performance of the Wind Weavers. Completely captivated by her endless energy and free-spirited thinking, he was actually quite difficult to get rid off. Soon Clara gave in to his charms.
His name was Felix and that he was basically a glorified secretary – working as a scribe for the Protector's Council. Mostly he had to attend meetings (which he often found utterly boring), note down everything and make copies of whichever documents the Council deemed important. However, he had a deep passion for calligraphy and decades of perfecting his talent paid off. From official decrees to invitations for events - the strokes of his pen were praised among the wealthy.

Months passed, seasons changed and their love bloomed. Their small house just outside of Othery soon because more crowded as Clara gave birth to a girl -  she had her mother's fair skin and copper hair, while inheriting her father's elven features. They named her Zoe (from an ancient word meaning, simply "life"). To everyone's surprise, within a few weeks, unusual patches started appearing on her skin. Although practically unnoticeable at birth, soon it because evident that they were brass coloured scales. The child was unmistakeably theirs, but neither of them could recall such an occurrence in their family. Truth be told, neither of them knew much about their family backgrounds. Rather than pondering over why did it occur, they concentrated on making her feel proud and confident in her skin.
During the day, Clara would take her along to rehearsals with the Wind Weavers. Zoe enjoyed the music and was taught how to play the flute. In the evenings Felix would tell her stories about the history of the land - folk tales that were part myth, part true. Zoe’s curiosity knew no bounds, but she would often get lost in thoughts or distracted by the flame of a candle by her bed, or a shadow on the walls.

One particularly cold winter day, as she was listening to her bedtime story, a sudden gust of wind blew the window wide open and snuffed out the candle. Felix rushed to close it. Even though he could see well in the dark, he struggled to find the tinderbox. With a pouting face, Zoe gestured toward the candle, as if she had a match in her hand. Suddenly, sparks appeared and the flickering flame of the candlelight lit up Felix’s surprised face. ”How did you...” - he raised his left eyebrow and stopped mid-sentence, then blew out the candle and asked “Can you do it again?”. Zoe repeated the gesture with ease and her father’s smile showed excitement and pride.

\_\_\_\_\_\_

Finding a mentor for Zoe proved to be easier said than done. The schools of wizardry were of no use as the source of their magic was very different. If she was to be left to explore the power on her own, she could hurt herself, she might not learn how to use it responsibly or she might not end up learning much at all! Clara and her fellow bards investigated around the city and didn’t give up until they found him, even though that happened purely by chance (but Clara called it fate). Sebastian was a dwarf from Knagel, but he spent almost a century now in Vortigern and the Wind Weavers were paid to perform at the celebration of his 200th birthday. Later in the evening Clara told him about her daughter and asked for his assistance. With his scared hands he pointed at his rugged face and burst into laughter. Once he calmed down and removed the stray long black curls from his face, they talked more seriously. Whether it was the ale he had that night or the fact that he didn’t go on a proper adventure in a while now, we will never know, but he agreed to teach Zoe. Though, the lessons would come at a high price.

Felix took took the responsibility and started paying more attention to opportunities to earn more. Council members would sometimes offer him extra gold for rephrasing the words in his writings. “It’s for the good of the common folk.” - they would say. “Their limited minds might not be able to see it now, but in the long run, it’s in their best interest.” Naive and in need, he accepted their offers and soon they could live comfortably and paying for Zoe’s lessons wasn’t an issue at all.

Sebastian taught her how to harness her power and bend it to her will. “Sorcery is not a choice. The power chooses the sorcerer, but you choose HOW to use it.” - he would often say. The old dwarf was wiser than he looked and after a long day of practice, he would tell her about his adventures, all the friends as well as enemies he made, the monsters they slayed and treasures they discovered. Zoe didn’t doubt his words for a second and hoped she would go on such adventures herself one day. When Clara heard her enthusing over the old man’s words, she would, highly sceptical, simply laugh “He’s a good storyteller, but you would be foolish to believe everything he says! Now he’s gotten you all excited about adventures out of folk tales! Seeing the world and going head on into danger are two very different things.” Zoe confronted her: “Sebastian says I’ll never reach my power’s full potential without the feelings that come with real danger and unexpected situations.”, “Why would you even have to?!”, “It was given to me. It would be ungrateful, even disrespectful not to. And as I become stronger, I will learn more about its source. I want to know who or what am I thanking every single day. He told me to express gratitude, even if I don’t know to whom.”, “It’s Kavas, darling, how many times do I have to to tell you...”. Zoe wasn’t convinced.

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Years passed and the day came for Zoe to say goodbye to Sebastian. He decided to return to his homeland in Knagel. He said he didn’t have anything more to teach her anyway, since the source of their power was different and she would have to find her own way from now on. So immersed in her lessons, she wasn’t paying enough attention to everything else that happened in the meantime. Her father looked old and weary beyond his years. Two weeks after the dwarf left, Felix resigned. He was sick of the Council and eventually realized he was being manipulated and bribed by its members. However, he endured for the sake of his family. Even after he quit, they would still reach out to him, asking for favours, and Clara felt that something had to change drastically. “Enough! We’re going to Prester, to my family.” - she said after slamming the door on one of the council’s messengers. “But everyone I know from Prester said it was boring. That’s why they came here!” - Zoe argued. “And boring is exactly what your father needs right now. It’s peaceful. My family has a farm and I have dozens of their letters, inviting us there. You can stay. For the love of Kavas, you’re older than I was when I had you!”.

And so it was. They planned their trip, packed, and were exchanging their goodbyes. Felix wouldn’t let Zoe out of his embrace, while Clara was counting down all the things she would have to remember. “And please don’t burn down the house with your fire magic, dear!”

\_\_\_\_\_\_

Living on her own didn’t change much in practice, apart from the small fact that she had to get some coin to eat. Since the Wind Weavers weren’t playing as a group for a while now, Otto had set up a small stall with baked goods – his dream was to have his own bakery one day. Zoe would sometimes assist him with baking and selling at the market, as she could quickly warm up pastries with her magic. Being around people was a good way to hear about news in the city as well. That’s how she found out about the grand opening of the Six Dragons Inn as well as the entrance to the dungeons that lie beneath. She immediately remembered Sebastian’s  adventures and was ready to set out on her own.