The Heart of Valor
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Being the first story in the Fairca Fantasy Series

Section 1: Five posh human kids

Spring, the 42nd, 879

This is the story of five posh kids who grew up with a
treasure map, bought in an old bookshop. Born in Lwgar,
and approaching twenty years of age, they were soon
to disperse, one to the University of Almans, other to
follow their parents in their shipping trade, the third
to study Law at the city-island of Eis, a fourth to run
for his first election as Magistrate of the Republic of
Lwgar and the fifth, Doredai, just had not the faintest
idea of what to do with her life, which as far as she
was concerned, it was "perfectly perfect", except that,
sadly it would come to an end by the first days of Fall.

So she called his best four friends for a last and real
adventure: follow their treasure map. It couldn't be real;
none of them had believed on it since they hit 14, becoming
since then just a tool for their imaginations, in games,
stories and pictures. So they were all mightily amused by
her friend's idea.

"Doredai, come on, don't you think we're too old right
now?" This was Arteen, a fatty boy who loved books as much
as cakes and meats, and all things his old slave ursid
nanny would cook for him.

"No, Arteen, we're exactly old enough. We are adults now,
our parents are too busy and this is our leap year, to do
as we please."

"And our parents would be pleased it won't be too much
money".  This was Bawa, a girl just as fatty, the one with
a destiny marked in the Courthouse as her father wanted
or at drafting new laws, as her mother would much prefer.

"Yes." Doredai Smiled. And then, to a young boy,
"Pip, more wine, chop, chop, chop."

A bit less fat, for he loved to swim at his large house
pool, Caud, the one destined to rule the largest shipping
industry in Lwgar, spoke. "But  Doredai, Bawa, you know
the thing isn't real, do you?"

"Obvious! That's not the point. We are going there,
the forests! the hills! the places we all have dreamed
about! Big adventure! We'll dodge kidnappers, forest
goblins, face bandits, brave storms, hunt for food and have
all sort of adventure! Our last adventure together. Please,
do."

Pip, who was returning with a new wine jar, chilled at
the prospect.

"I'm not sure, Doree." That was Aeliar, a stunningly
beautiful young woman, the one destined for politics,
but one who had never left the walls of the city. "Will we
have slaves with us?"

"No." Pip almost gave away a breath of relief. "I'm hiring
the best ranger in all the North: Fairka. She has never
lost a client and knows everything you need to know about
"adventury" things. Come on, what you say, let's
do this!"

And it might be because of too much wine, but they did all
answer with their silly childhood battle-cry "this will
us do!"

"And Pip?"

"Yes, Young mistress?"

"You are coming with us. You'll be our party-follower
and torch-bearer!"

"This will us do! This will us do!" The friends repeated,
sipping more and more wine, while poor short, thin Pip was
already thinking in the ways he would suffer pain, cold
and death. His only hope was that all would be forgotten
by the morning. They were just a bunch of five posh kids,
weren't they?

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Continued on Section 2