What matters in this world

Ember had to stifle a little giggle when Citadel asked her more questions about the seasons. Were all pups this naively adorable? She supposed everyone had to learn everything at some point or another, but being on the opposite side of childhood now and on the verge of adulthood herself, Ember was seeing the innocence of a child through a whole new perspective. "There's four of them. Spring, summer, fall, and winter. They each last about three moons, and together the four seasons make up a year," she explained to the boy. To his next question... "Nah, I haven't seen that many. Just two years. There are wolves who have seen, like, a dozen years and seasons." Wolves like her grandpa Seer and granny Tam. She wondered if she’d live as long as they had.

Citadel made a comment about her father being important and Ember grew a proud smile. "He’s the Lord of Cinder, the alpha of the Hallows, like your dad is the alpha of the Armada. He’s basically a king, but he’ll never call himself that." Ember gave a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders, feigning humility. In actuality, she loved being a princess and being a part of her huge royal family, even if her father refused to call them as such. Ember had clearly inherited her mother’s demeanor when it came to station and status. Citadel said he liked the Hallows, mentioning the swords the knights carried, which made Em’s chest swell with pride. Her family’s world renowned weapons and craft were a point of pride for her. "I do have one actually, but my dad would lose his mind if I came to the wedding armed," replied Em with a cheeky grin and a giggle. That had been Artorias’ one command for their family—absolutely no weapons.

Stealing a glance over to the doorway at the far side of the hall that led to the forge, Em got a devilish idea. So Citadel really liked the swords, did he? Looking back at the boy with a roguish grin, she tipped her head in the direction of the forbidden forge. "You wanna go see where the swords are kept?"

"Ember Carpathius" | "Carpathian"