I ask myself daily, why do I do what I do? Why do I wake up every morning to live a life that I hate? Why do I find it alright to go with the flow, to want nothing but a couple meals and a warm bed to sleep in.
That's the life I ended up living for 24 years, working as a cook in the only orphanage within Felburn. I was an orphan, never adopted, conscripted at 14, fought against some nobles army for 4 years.
War ended and I went to culinary school with the coin I pried off the corpses of harder men.
The orphanage is a nice place. Samantha and Elliot are the old couple that runs the place, off the taxpayers coin. City is rather well to do, many mages, warriors, and templars set up shop here. Decent farmland, amazing weather, and a reasonable government leaves little to complain about.
Elliot always treated me rather well, and when he heard I spent 6 months in Culinary school he offered me a job. Turns out he's been paying the people who've prepared my food for most my life a pretty penny. I usually work breakfast, have an early lunch and work dinner at a rather well to do diner by one of the larger warrior guilds.
I make a damn good bit of money and yet I find myself feeling like my life's still not good enough. I miss the feel of a sword, the smell of blood, the adrenaline, the fervor. And sometimes I wonder why my family abandoned me. My eyes, well it's pretty obvious i'm not of common blood.
After dinner at around midnight, I left the diner and decided to visit a park I overheard one of the cooks talk about. It's beautiful, the moon reflects upon the surface of this pond, the ground is covered in colorful flowers, and some even glow in the dark. There's benches everywhere and only one wasn't completely occupied.
Wanting to sit I head over and gods above I almost made a scene. A young Lady is sitting on the right side of the bench. And she's probably one of the most stunning women I've ever seen. She's wearing a tight black dress, gloves, and an emerald necklace. The most eye catching feature of hers wasn't her long curly black hair, cute little nose, or even her curves. What startled me were her eyes, cat like irises, and the pupils were split in 2 halves, the top red and the bottom violet.
The kingdom I live in is ran by a collection of noble houses and an ambassador of the Empress. This is important to mention because all the Empress's ambassadors are her blood relatives and they all share her eyes. But why is she here, not the park but the city itself. Last I checked the kingdoms embassy was located in the capital.
After nearly tripping over myself I take a seat and being courteous say,
"Good evening ambassador, what brings you to Felburn?"
She turns then and frowns. She looks me up and down while a magic circle forms in her left eye. "Good evening Lockheart, I'm here for you it seems. I didn't think you'd find me first. Tis a lovely park isn't it?"
Now I frown because she sounded mildly hostile. I try and choose my next words carefully.
"Ambassador, why do you call me Lockheart? And why are you looking for me?"
This time she smiles and really looks me in the eye before saying, "I call you Lockheart because that's who you are. A servant down on her luck and in debt confessed in hopes of getting a reward. She claimed she had saw a guard running out the family estate with a baby about 23 years ago. A fisherman said after some questioning he helped the guard board a riverboat meant for Felburn. And after our men were done asking around if the good citizens of Felburn had seen a man or woman with green eyes and a 5 pointed star for pupils mother sent me. Well a decade later but she still sent me. You're aware the entire Lockheart clan was put to death on false charges from the late Emperor are you not? Mother always felt something was off about your clan's death and hid your whereabouts until her investigation was complete. Father was put to death a week ago. It hasn't been made public yet but that won't be for long."
I didn't know what to say to be honest. I mean I always assumed my family was important. I do own a mirror after all. But exterminated? That's a bitter pill to swallow. I assumed I was a bastard and never really thought to go out looking for them. After all they sent me to one of the greatest cities in the Empire, one of the fairest Kingdoms, and probably the nicest orphanage one could be sent to.
What I don't understand is why my late family was important enough to warrant a private investigation that lead to the execution of an emperor.
"How kind of your mother. But what exactly does your mother hope to accomplish sending you here? The Empress surely is aware I'm not doing too bad no? Why was this Lockheart family so important that she felt the need to execute her husband? And why do you remain so calm if I'm actually responsible for the death of your father?"
She turned and actually blushed a bit. She took a deep breath and said,
"Well it's important because the Lockheart family was the Empire's greatest blacksmith family. Not only were your people the best smiths, but you were also our greatest enchanters, formation experts, assassins and familiar purveyors. The Lockheart's were loaded, powerful, a founding family, and I was betrothed to you. Well we don't know if it was to be you but a deal was established that the second princess would marry into the Lockheart Clan. Mother was quite fond of the Lockheart head and her husband. So the extermination of the family on imperial orders was a big deal. You are the only known survivor. My older sister, the original heir, has a fertility issue and no longer wants the throne. Legally I can't inherit the throne without honoring our engagement. You can annul it and I can take the throne or you can come home, inherit what is rightfully yours, switch to your family's cultivation technique instead of the basic foot soldier one you currently practice, and try courting me. Although you'd be a Lullaby and not a Lockheart. Some parts of the agreement require change. If you feel overwhelmed in the palace and finish getting your affairs in order you can accompany me on ambassador duty until you're ready for the marriage. Oh and to answer your last question, I'm not angry because my father was a dick and he isn't missed. So, what will you do and do note I despise indecisive men. Personally I think I'm to die for. The name's Hannah, Hannah Lullaby. Pleasure to meet you."