Flame Haired Woman

"It doesn't count if you're already planning your defeat...you might as well go back home and accept your future now Charlie."

Her unruly amber curls began to smack her roughly in the face as the infamous winds of the mountain region started up once again. The season was ending and if she didn't take this opportunity now...the young woman knew that by the time the next Autumn rolled around she would be married off to some other young man from the farming region, it was just how things were done and had been for hundreds of years.

Sighing in exasperation she brushed the untameable curls off her face, trying once again to make the spark appear at her fingertips, the wind doing nothing to aid her in this ardous task. Three full moons had passed since she had unintentionally almost burnt her family's homestead down during an arguement with her Mother. Three moons since her magic traits had been discovred and she was labelled as ' the different one' by the wider community. For a bunch of hardworking yet poor farmers they sure were a judgemental lot, her own family being the worst of them all.

Since that fateful day, her Mother had been pushing for Charlie to be wedded to the son of her best friend...ironically that same arguement was what had brought her recently discovered abilities to the surface. While Zachary was not an ill mannered or nasty in nature, he simply wasn't the partner for her. She didn't want a partner...she didn't want to follow in her mother's footsteps, and her grandmothers before that. She didn't want to settle down with another local man and have the cookie cutter litter of children and tend to the kids and the family home while he tended to the farm.

She didn't want to watch herself grow old doing the same routine day in and day out. She wanted adventure, she wanted a purpose in life. She wanted to watch the dawn break and wonder what the day would bring rather than simply follow the same schedule until the day she died. 

A pointed poke against her rib cage had Charlie snapping out of her thoughts as she glared at the young man next to her. Alex, her partner in crime since they had been eating sand and throwing rocks was grinning cheekily in her direction as he pointed at her hand once more before gesturing towards the distant rocky outcrop she had been running back and forth from for days.

" Either you get the flame going or you do another lap, I don't mind either way, it's not my future on the line."

Glaring at him but secretly knowing he was right she tried once again to get the spark dancing on her fingertips. Pulling on the now familiar bubbling sensation within her that she knew was her power well, she concentrated on releasing the energy out through her hand. Creating a mental pathway for the erratic energy she inhaled deeply to ground herself, visualising her goal...only to be bowled backwards as her chosen hand erupted in pins and needles.

The flaming wall of neon tendrils that danced before her before disappearing just as quickly was evidence enough of the increasing strength of her magical abilities. The muttered cursing next to her was also proof that she had next to no control of it either. After months of both magical and physical training with Alex, she had pretty much given up hope on joining the King's army.

Annually, the famous warriors would travel across the Kingdom's lands, searching for young recruits to join the King's service. It was a chance for the common folk to be apart of something greater than they could've ever dreamed. It was a chance to provide for their families, a chance to improve their quality of life. It was a chance to give back to their soverign and to experience adventure.

With the freedom,wealth and incredible experiences that the King's soldiers were offered, it was no wonder that the selection process was so picky. Only the strongest,fittest and most gifted whether that be physically,intelectually or magically were chosen. Charlie never had been the strongest at school, often using the books her mother gave her as coasters or doorstops.

Physically, she was strong thanks to growing up on a farm and to the gruelling yet effective teaching methods Alex had put her through over the last several months. Whether she was strong enough to join the King's army was another question altogether. It's not that females were forbidden or discouraged from joining...it was more that they rarely lived up to the physical demands of the role. Charlie was determined to be the exception to this, even if it almost killed her in the process.

She needed to set herself apart from other candidates...her magic certainly did that but if she couldn't control it she was more of a liability that anything else. Whilst magic was known throughout the continent it wasn't a common occurence...not common enough for the commonfolk of the farming regions to hear about at least. Who knew if fire magic was even something to be proud of? Who knew if this would actually help secure Charlie a position as apart of the royal army or if it would hinder her process altogether?

It was these thoughts, the tiny yet potent, negative ideas that had her doubting her dream to become a soldier. Did she really need adventure? Did she really want to leave the comfort and safety of the valley? Did she really want to leave her friends and family for who knew how long as she travelled on behalf of the King? 

This time, she was abruptly shoved out of her negative thought spiral as Alex glared at her, his dark eyes showing equal parts concern and disappointment as he studied the flame colour haired young woman before him. 

" Keep thinking like that Charlie and you have lost before you even tried...it's all in the mindset. You try out to be a solider and continue to doubt yourself like you are now...you might as well start naming your future kids with Zachary now and start planning your wedding. Don't accept defeat before it's even written in the cards...and even then, fight for something better."