DW Rewrite
Toille woke up to the world on fire. Flames clawed at her bedroom ceiling as she shot up to a sitting position, eyes widened, echoes of an explosion ringing in her ears. She threw herself from her bed without thinking, ready to dash for the door until she realized it was engulfed in a wall of fire. Smoke was filling the air as she whirled back toward the bed and the window above it.
Another explosion pushed her to the ground as a rush of hot air scalded her back and ears. Face buried in her arms as she lay against the carpet, Toille started sobbing, overwhelmed by the sudden wave of pain mixed with her confused terror.
Footsteps turned her attention back toward her door. Half sobbing, half choking on smoke, she wiped the tears out of her blurred vision.
A man stepped through the wall of fire, grinning despite the flames that embraced him. Dark clothes covered him head to foot, firelight reflecting off several metal surfaces: an axe loaded on his back, sword hilt at his hip, throwing knives fastened on a leather strap across his chest. An eyepatch covered his right eye while the intact eye glinted with cold amusement as he fixated on the trembling child on the ground. "Come, Toille," he said, as if he had all the time in the world.
She stared at the man, paralyzed. He seemed perfectly comfortable in the suffocating inferno while she struggled to draw in a breath. Her throat felt like sandpaper when she finally forced herself to swallow and shake her head.
Hands clasped behind his back, the man's grin brightened. "I'm going to give you to the count of three," he told her. His right hand moved to rest on the handle of his sword. "One…"
Toille tensed. The doorway was somehow clear of fire now, but this man was now blocking it.
"Two…"
Surely she couldn't open the window fast enough. Across the room, parts of the ceiling came crashing to the ground.
The sound of metal ringing in the air was barely audible over the roar of the burning room. Toille cringed and squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the inevitable strike.
A loud clash of metal over her head surprised her into looking up. She gasped at the new presence standing over her, now in sword lock with the mysterious man. She had barely taken in the sight of the newcomer and his long cloak before she was yanked out from under them.
"Toille!" a familiar voice cried into her hair.
Relief washed over her as her father hugged her to his chest. "Papa," she replied, tears flowing once more.
As the two unfamiliar men clashed swords across the room, Toille's father scooped her up and rushed her to the other window. "Listen to me, Toille," he said. With one swift motion, her window was open. "I'm going to lower you outside. You need to run away from here as fast as you can."
"But Papa--"
"As fast you can, Toille," her father firmly reiterated. "And you need to hide. You need to be the best hider. Can you do that for me?"
She sniffled as she clung to his neck, trying to ignore the slick feel of his bloody shirt on her side. Behind him, she saw the cloaked figure leap back, narrowly avoiding the mysterious man's saber. Toille nodded while the cloaked figure launched his own attack.
Her father stroked her tangled hair. "My brave little girl," he said softly. He held her up so he see her face, and she winced when she saw how battered he was. She gingerly touched his bruised cheek, just above his scratchy black mustache. Like the mystery man, Papa also had an eyepatch, but his good eye was full of warmth as he gazed at her and placed his hand over hers. "Meet me at the docks at sunrise. You remember where the docks are, right?"
Toille clenched his shirt into her fist as she glimpsed past him. The cloaked figure had been sent sprawling with a kick. "Papa, watch out--"
"Nap!"
An ornate axe flew threw the air, ending its flight with a sickening thunk. Toille gasped as her support dropped out from under her. The next thing she knew, she was slammed into the ground, her father raggedly breathing above her as he caught himself against the wall and redirected his fall away from her.
"Papa!"
"Napalm!" The cloaked figure was sliding to a kneel beside them, his young face paling at the sight of an axe sticking out of his friend's back.
"Fin," Napalm sharply warned between gasping from the pain.
Featherfin whirled and deflected a charge from the mysterious man with very little time to spare. His rapier whipped around and thrusted into a counter strike, stabbing the mysterious man in the arm after a delayed block.
There was now very little room to maneuver. Toille wiped sweat from her eyes as she cried into her father's hand. The fire had made its way along the last wall in her room, licking at the bottom of the window they had been trying to escape through.
"Papa, your foot is on fire..."
"Fin," Napalm shouted. "You have to go. Now!" He gave his daughter's hand a small squeeze as he did his best to hide his back from her.
Featherfin dodged a burning pile of debris as he deflected another strike. "I can't leave without you," he replied.
"Fin, I'm begging you!"
His opponent's blade came down at him, and the cloaked figure threw his rapier up to block. The blades locked just in front of his face, shaking from his dwindling strength. He glanced over to the father crumpled on the floor and his daughter trying to be with him without getting too close to the flames. For a split second, he and Napalm made eye contact. Only a split second, but Featherfin understood the grim message.
"Go get her, Fin," the mysterious man sneered, pressing his weight onto their blades, "I dare you." The rapier was bending at a disconcerting angle.
Featherfin broke their engagement and dashed for the window. The mysterious man took that chance and swung his saber around. The cloaked figure was suddenly on the ground, opponent's blade well over his head as he swept the mysterious man off his feet. Rolling with his momentum, Featherfin was immediately running. In one fluid motion, he leapt out the window with the girl in his arms.
Into the night he ran, holding her close even though she was screaming, trying to hit him with her tiny fists. Tears were streaming down his face as he sheathed his rapier, the blade coated with Napalm's blood.
Another explosion pushed her to the ground as a rush of hot air scalded her back and ears. Face buried in her arms as she lay against the carpet, Toille started sobbing, overwhelmed by the sudden wave of pain mixed with her confused terror.
Footsteps turned her attention back toward her door. Half sobbing, half choking on smoke, she wiped the tears out of her blurred vision.
A man stepped through the wall of fire, grinning despite the flames that embraced him. Dark clothes covered him head to foot, firelight reflecting off several metal surfaces: an axe loaded on his back, sword hilt at his hip, throwing knives fastened on a leather strap across his chest. An eyepatch covered his right eye while the intact eye glinted with cold amusement as he fixated on the trembling child on the ground. "Come, Toille," he said, as if he had all the time in the world.
She stared at the man, paralyzed. He seemed perfectly comfortable in the suffocating inferno while she struggled to draw in a breath. Her throat felt like sandpaper when she finally forced herself to swallow and shake her head.
Hands clasped behind his back, the man's grin brightened. "I'm going to give you to the count of three," he told her. His right hand moved to rest on the handle of his sword. "One…"
Toille tensed. The doorway was somehow clear of fire now, but this man was now blocking it.
"Two…"
Surely she couldn't open the window fast enough. Across the room, parts of the ceiling came crashing to the ground.
The sound of metal ringing in the air was barely audible over the roar of the burning room. Toille cringed and squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the inevitable strike.
A loud clash of metal over her head surprised her into looking up. She gasped at the new presence standing over her, now in sword lock with the mysterious man. She had barely taken in the sight of the newcomer and his long cloak before she was yanked out from under them.
"Toille!" a familiar voice cried into her hair.
Relief washed over her as her father hugged her to his chest. "Papa," she replied, tears flowing once more.
As the two unfamiliar men clashed swords across the room, Toille's father scooped her up and rushed her to the other window. "Listen to me, Toille," he said. With one swift motion, her window was open. "I'm going to lower you outside. You need to run away from here as fast as you can."
"But Papa--"
"As fast you can, Toille," her father firmly reiterated. "And you need to hide. You need to be the best hider. Can you do that for me?"
She sniffled as she clung to his neck, trying to ignore the slick feel of his bloody shirt on her side. Behind him, she saw the cloaked figure leap back, narrowly avoiding the mysterious man's saber. Toille nodded while the cloaked figure launched his own attack.
Her father stroked her tangled hair. "My brave little girl," he said softly. He held her up so he see her face, and she winced when she saw how battered he was. She gingerly touched his bruised cheek, just above his scratchy black mustache. Like the mystery man, Papa also had an eyepatch, but his good eye was full of warmth as he gazed at her and placed his hand over hers. "Meet me at the docks at sunrise. You remember where the docks are, right?"
Toille clenched his shirt into her fist as she glimpsed past him. The cloaked figure had been sent sprawling with a kick. "Papa, watch out--"
"Nap!"
An ornate axe flew threw the air, ending its flight with a sickening thunk. Toille gasped as her support dropped out from under her. The next thing she knew, she was slammed into the ground, her father raggedly breathing above her as he caught himself against the wall and redirected his fall away from her.
"Papa!"
"Napalm!" The cloaked figure was sliding to a kneel beside them, his young face paling at the sight of an axe sticking out of his friend's back.
"Fin," Napalm sharply warned between gasping from the pain.
Featherfin whirled and deflected a charge from the mysterious man with very little time to spare. His rapier whipped around and thrusted into a counter strike, stabbing the mysterious man in the arm after a delayed block.
There was now very little room to maneuver. Toille wiped sweat from her eyes as she cried into her father's hand. The fire had made its way along the last wall in her room, licking at the bottom of the window they had been trying to escape through.
"Papa, your foot is on fire..."
"Fin," Napalm shouted. "You have to go. Now!" He gave his daughter's hand a small squeeze as he did his best to hide his back from her.
Featherfin dodged a burning pile of debris as he deflected another strike. "I can't leave without you," he replied.
"Fin, I'm begging you!"
His opponent's blade came down at him, and the cloaked figure threw his rapier up to block. The blades locked just in front of his face, shaking from his dwindling strength. He glanced over to the father crumpled on the floor and his daughter trying to be with him without getting too close to the flames. For a split second, he and Napalm made eye contact. Only a split second, but Featherfin understood the grim message.
"Go get her, Fin," the mysterious man sneered, pressing his weight onto their blades, "I dare you." The rapier was bending at a disconcerting angle.
Featherfin broke their engagement and dashed for the window. The mysterious man took that chance and swung his saber around. The cloaked figure was suddenly on the ground, opponent's blade well over his head as he swept the mysterious man off his feet. Rolling with his momentum, Featherfin was immediately running. In one fluid motion, he leapt out the window with the girl in his arms.
Into the night he ran, holding her close even though she was screaming, trying to hit him with her tiny fists. Tears were streaming down his face as he sheathed his rapier, the blade coated with Napalm's blood.