(Author's Note: Give or take a few months, this Side Story takes place about 23 years before chapter 1 and it's about how Grelnar ended up with the famous Sonia Shaddori, from his point of view. I hope you enjoy!)
I walk through the streets of Kantiron, heading towards a specific building. "This guy's pretty rich, so I'll get plenty of coin from whatever he'd like me to do."
I arrive at the relatively large mansion and I knock. A butler opens the door and he smiles politely as he gestures for me to come in.
"You must be Master Grelnar, the traveling warrior Lord Cornelius wished to aquire the services of. Please, come in and take a seat while you wait!"
I nod and I sit down on a chair in the lounge as I wait. I maneuver around to get comfortable and I mutter to myself. "Hmm...this chair is a little too fancy for my taste..."
The large center door on the other end of the room from the entrance opens and a tall, thin man with a mustache walks over to me. I stand up and quickly stretch.
"Ah, it is good to see you, Grelnar!" Lord Cornelius holds out his hand and I shake it. After our handshake, he rubs his hand as if it hurts.
"You're definitely as strong as I've heard. You should definitely be the right man for the job I have in mind." "What's the job?"
Lord Cornelius smirks. "I want you to capture Sonia Shaddori. She's a thief that's stolen from nobles like myself for the past few years."
I think to myself: Ugh, another rich person problem. She probably just steals because she has to. I should see her side of the story before I try to capture her.
"She is not an evil person, so try not to harm her. I just think some time in a prison will get her to learn her lesson. Do you accept the job?"
"Yeah." Lord Cornelius grins. "Good!" He hands me a nicely sized pouch of gold. "This is to bribe her to get closer to her, if you need to, and to cover any expenses you may have while trying to capture her. If any is left over after the job, you are free to keep it along with your payment. Once Sonia is arrested, you will receive the full payment on your return."
"Got it." I turn and leave. Once the door closes behind me, I sigh. "I don't really want to do this, but you have to make a living somehow..." I walk towards the nearest inn to rest until nightfall.
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I wake up in my room in the middle of the night and I quietly leave the inn. I walk through the streets to get to Lord Cornelius's mansion, thinking that it's a good place to start looking for Sonia.
I grunt as I climb the side of a house nearby the mansion. I get onto the top and I sit down to watch the roof of the mansion for any movement.
As I watch, I suddenly feel a missing weight from my back. I immediately reach for my battleaxe, Goliath, but it's gone! I quickly stand up and I turn around.
When I do, I see an incredibly beautiful woman with short dark blue hair, wearing black cloth armor, and holding Goliath. The woman, most likely Sonia, giggles.
"Hey big guy, you missing something?" She teasingly waves Goliath at me. I stare at her, half shocked, half in awe of her beauty. "I..." Sonia smirks. "Speechless, of course. That's why I'll always be undefeated!"
Sonia waves Goliath at me again and turns to leave. "This should sell nicely. See ya!" She sprints away. I quickly shake my head and try to follow, but she's already gone.
I growl. "What the hell is wrong with me? I've never been speechless like that before..." I sigh and I sit down to think. "All I really know is that there's something special about her. I should find her again, so I can figure out why I feel this way..."
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The next night, I go onto a different building's roof and this time, I look around instead of sit on my ass. As I turn around to look away from the mansion, I see Sonia right in front of me, with Goliath strapped to her back.
"Huh. Usually people give up after the first attempt. They say "Ugh, she's not worth losing my stuff like this!" What's your story?"
I cross my arms and I frown. "That axe was given to me for my birthday ceremony. I'm here to get it back." Sonia rolls her eyes. "Really? You're only here to get your axe back? That's boring. It's not worth much, anyway."
She grabs it and starts to hand it to me, but before I can take it, she yanks it back. "Now, hold on. I'm not giving this back for free!"
I start to reach for my gold, but she shakes her head. "No, not that. I have plenty of gold. How about this?" Sonia puts Goliath back on her back and unsheathes twin daggers. "If you can beat me, you get your axe back. Deal?"
I raise an eyebrow. "You're armed and I'm not. That's not fair." Sonia smirks and looks me up and down. "Oh, I think you'll manage just fine, with all those muscles."
I laugh and stretch. "Flattery won't work on me, lady." Sonia pouts. "Aww, that's a shame, then. I was hoping I'd get away with an easy win." She gets into a fighting position. "What do I get if I win, handsome?"
I stop and think. Sonia's the most amazing woman I've ever met. She's beautiful, clever, and honestly fun to be around. When we're together, I feel...strange. Happy, but strange. I realize that I don't want to capture her anymore, but I'd still like to spend more time with her.
"If you win, I'll take you out to dinner." Sonia grins. "I like the sound of that." She suddenly leaps at me, daggers at the ready.
I quickly dodge to the side and I lightly smack her arm, putting very little force into the blow. Sonia looks confused. "What are you doing? Don't you want to win?"
I smile at her. "Even if I lose, I get to go out with an amazing lady like you. Either way, I win." Sonia faintly blushes before she lunges at me again.
I lightly strike one of her hands to make her drop a dagger and I kick it across the roof. "You're a wanted woman, so I'm not sure how I'd take you out to eat. I'll have to take a little while to figure something out."
Sonia stops and sighs. "And there it is. You say that, and then you don't come back. You're not very different from other people who've tried to capture me."
Sonia uses her empty hand to grab Goliath and she hands it to me. "Just take it and go." She turns to leave, but I grab her dagger-wielding arm. "Wait."
Sonia looks at me. "What?" I look her in the eyes. "I don't know about other people, but I never break a promise. I always follow through." "What promise? I gave back your axe, so you technically win."
Never breaking eye contact, I gently pull her arm and move it so her dagger points at my throat. "It looks like you win instead."
Sonia looks surprised and confused. "Why do you still want to do this? Most people would count getting their items back a success and leave."
I give her a genuine smile. "I'm not most people. I'd love to spend more time with you, Sonia. You're amazing, and anyone who can't see that is an idiot."
Sonia blushes and looks at the ground. "Fine... I'll believe you. For now. How long do you think you'll be gone for?" "Hmm...I'm not sure. If you'd like, I'll come back every night, to prove I'm not going anywhere."
Sonia smiles a pretty smile. "I'd like that, but before you go, what's your name? I never asked before." "Grelnar." "Grelnar what?" "I don't have a last name. No one from my hometown does."
Sonia grins. "Okay, Grelnar. See you tomorrow night!" Sonia hesitates, and then she stands up on the tips of her toes to kiss me on the cheek, then she sprints away.
I smile a huge, stupidly happy smile as I feel a surge of warmth in my heart. "Out of everything I thought could happen on the job, I didn't think I would find this..."
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Over the next few weeks, I make sure to always go to the rooftops every night to meet with Sonia. We don't do anything other than sit and chat, but I'm happier than I've been in a long time. Sonia doesn't like to talk about her past, but she likes to hear stories from mine.
Sonia laughs. "So Skullcrusher charged through an entire house and destroyed it because he thought you were in danger?"
"I wasn't really in danger though. I was just sparring with my friend, but it's not Skullcrusher's fault. He was overprotective then, but I've trained him to be able to tell if I actually need help."
I sigh. "Sometimes I miss home. I should go back someday to see what's happened since I left." Sonia smiles and rests her head on my shoulder. "That sounds nice. Maybe I could come with you."
"That's a pretty good idea. Maybe sometime you could bring me back to your hometown." Sonia sighs sadly. "I didn't know my parents, so as far as I know, Kantiron is my hometown."
"Oh...sorry. I shouldn't have said that." "It's okay." Sonia looks at me. "If you'd like, I can show you where I live." "Really? Are you sure?"
Sonia stands up and stretches. "Yeah. I trust you, Grelnar. I believe you wouldn't tell anyone where to find me."
I stand up and I put a hand on her shoulder. "Of course I wouldn't tell anyone. I care about you too much to do that!"
Sonia smiles. "I care about you too, Grelnar, and I love spending time with you! Now, follow me!" She takes my hand and we run and jump across the rooftops.
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Sonia stops on a rooftop nearby an old, abandoned building in the poor district of Kantiron. "Here we are. It's not much, but it's home." Sonia climbs up and unlatches a window, then she opens it and goes inside. I follow her.
Inside is a bedroom with practically nothing other than an old bed in the corner. Sonia sits on the bed and pats the spot next to her, so I sit down.
"This place used to be an orphanage, but it closed down because there wasn't enough money to stay open. This is the room I stayed in, and it's the only home I've ever known."
I turn to look at her and I hug her tightly. "I can tell why you don't like talking about your past. It means a lot that you trust me enough to bring me here."
Sonia opens her mouth to say something, but her stomach suddenly growls and she laughs nervously. I give her a serious look. "When was the last time you ate something?"
Sonia shrugs. "Yesterday, maybe the day before." "Is there a kitchen here?" "Yeah, why?" I stand up and I smile at her. "I still owe you dinner, so wait here. I'll be right back!"
I leave through the window and head back towards my room at the inn. I grab my bag of food and I head back to Sonia's room. "Where's the kitchen?" "Downstairs to the left." I head there and I take a few things out of my bag to start cooking.
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I go back into Sonia's room with a plate of simple meat and cheese sandwiches. "It's not fancy like in a restaurant, but I did my best."
Sonia immediately snatches a sandwich and hungrily devours it. I look around the room and I notice a small table. I set the plate down on the table and drag it over to the bed, then I sit next to Sonia and I grab a sandwich for myself.
Sonia immediately grabs another sandwich and I put an arm around her. "Are they good?" Sonia just nods vigorously as she eats.
After Sonia's done, she looks at me. "They're so good! What's your secret?!" "I salted the meat, but they're probably good because I put extra care into them, just for you."
Sonia giggles. "For such a tough guy, you're a big softie, aren't you?" I chuckle. "Don't tell anyone." Sonia hugs me tightly. "I'm glad I met you, Grelnar. I...I love you."
Sonia immediately gasps and pulls away. "I'm sorry, it just came out, I shouldn't have -" I cut her off with a kiss. At first she stays still, but then she kisses me back.
Sonia slowly pulls back. "Does this mean-" "Yes. I love you too, Sonia. When you stole my axe, you also stole something else that I'd like you to keep. My heart."
Sonia giggles. "That was the most ridiculous thing anyone's ever said to me!" "Did it work?" "Why don't you come here and find out?"
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I lie on my back and stare at the ceiling, unable to sleep. I turn my head to look at Sonia and I notice she's awake too, so I whisper to her. "Can't sleep either?"
She turns to face me. "Yeah." I turn too and give her a serious look. "You mind if I ask you something? I've been thinking about it for a while." "What is it?"
"That night, when we fought. Why'd you say you have plenty of gold when you don't even have money to eat every day?"
Sonia sighs. "I didn't want you to just give me the money for your axe back. As ridiculous as it sounds, I wanted to spend more time with you instead."
I smile and give her a kiss. "I wanted to spend more time with you too." Sonia gives me a sad look. "But it won't be like this forever. Eventually that asshole of a lord will get suspicious and he'll have you killed..."
I get a crazy idea. "What if we leave?" Sonia looks confused. "What?" I grin at her. "What if the two of us just...leave? You don't have any reason to stay, do you?"
"No, but it's too risky. What if Cornelius sends people after us?" I chuckle. "Do you really think they'd stand a chance against both of us?"
Sonia giggles. "Yeah, they're already screwed and they don't even know it! You know what? Let's do it! Let's get the hell out of this place!"
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Over the next few months, Sonia and I make plans for how to get out of Kantiron. But once the plans are done, I realize something... "I've budgeted it the best I could, but the money Cornelius gave me is about to run out, and we need a decent amount of money to survive traveling."
Sonia thinks. "Hmm...I might have an idea, but you're going to hate it." "What is it?" "Cornelius said you'd get your reward if-" "Hell, no! I'm not turning you over!"
Sonia rolls her eyes. "I'll be fine! I already know how I can escape! I know we can pull it off!" She takes my hands in hers. "You just have to trust me. Trust that I can do this. That WE can do this."
I sigh. "I guess we don't have a choice, so...fine. But before we do this..." I give Sonia a kiss. "For good luck."
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I knock on the door of Cornelius's mansion with Sonia next to me, her hands tied. A butler opens the door. "Ah, Master Grelnar! Lord Cornelius will be pleased that you've succeeded in your job!"
I walk inside, pretending to drag Sonia with me, to make it look more realistic. Lord Cornelius walks over immediately and grins evilly as he sees us.
"So you have finally caught the famous Sonia Shaddori! Good job, Grelnar, but where are her weapons?"
"I took them as a trophy of my victory, if that is fine with you." "Oh, that's quite alright. Guards, take her away!" Multiple armored guards run into the room and I feel a pain in my heart as I see them drag her away.
Lord Cornelius smiles. "So, I'm afraid your reward will have to wait." I give him a confused look. "What do you mean? She's been arrested, so my job is done."
"I have one final task for you. You see, Sonia has been a thorn in the side of nobles like myself for a while. So we have decided she should be executed instead. Since you captured her, I would like you to be the executioner. Do it, and you get your reward."
It takes all my willpower not to punch his face in. That bastard never said anything like this before! What the hell am I going to do?!
"I...I see. When will the execution be?" "Tomorrow at dawn. Will you be there?" "Yeah. I will."
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Once it's night, I go to the prison and I bribe the guards to let me talk to Sonia. They show me to her cell and they walk away. I immediately run up to the door. "Sonia! I need to tell you something!"
Sonia wakes up and she runs over to me. "Grelnar? What are you doing here?" I sigh. "Cornelius told me that you're going to be executed tomorrow morning." "What?!" "Yeah. He says I won't get the reward for the job unless...unless I do it..."
She gives me a horrified look. "I can't escape before then! What are we going to do?!" I whisper. "I'm going to break you out, is what I'm going to do."
I point to the wall on the other side of her cell. "Stay away from there, alright? You'll see why." I turn to leave, but Sonia manages to grab my arm.
"Wait." I go up to her and she looks into my eyes. "In case something happens, I love you." I smile happily at her. "I love you too."
I leave the prison and I sneak around the building until I find the wall where Sonia's cell is. I make sure I have a running start, then I growl and I charge at the wall, using my strength to break it open.
Sonia immediately runs out. "I didn't think THAT was going to happen! How strong are you?!" I laugh. "Very."
We suddenly hear the shouts of guards and Sonia starts chanting something. A green aura goes over us and I feel like I could sprint across the world.
"What the hell?! I never knew you had magic!" Sonia giggles and takes my hand. "You never asked! Now let's get out of here!"
I quickly give Sonia her daggers back, then the two of us run through the streets, avoiding as many populated areas as we can so we can get outside the town.
Once we get to the gate, I whistle and we see a massive beast charge at us. "Skullcrusher! Get us out of here!" I climb onto his back and I hold out my hand to help Sonia up.
Sonia casts another of those strange speed spells on Skullcrusher and she puts her arms around me to hold on as he takes off.
"So this is Skullcrusher, huh? He's cute." Skullcrusher snorts in disbelief as he charges across the plains, away from Kantiron. I laugh. "I don't think he likes being called that."
Sonia sighs contentedly. "So, what do you want to do next?" I grin. "I don't know, but as long as you're with me, I'm sure we can do anything!"