My name is Lara and this is a story about how my good intentions went awry and somehow turned out even better than I planned.

You see, when I was nine years old, I lived in a unique village. It was run by a woman who only had her own selfish needs and wants to consider. My parents and everyone else's that I knew of, were feverishly trying to finish a massive device that was supposed to save us all. The woman promised that it'd be our salvation, because the Earth was dying. But when the final day of construction came, her true motives became blaringly clear.

I was running around outside, playing and laughing with other young kids around my age when I felt the earth start to shake and the spear of the device all the big people had worked so hard on rose into the sky and I felt myself being yanked back alongside my friend Dane. But instead of the shock I felt myself feel, my friend's face registers shock, but also a deep, abiding hurt. When I'm on my feet again, I look up to see a huge castle in the sky, floating as if it owns the clouds and air.

"Mother!" I hear Dane scream and tears stain his face as he stares at the sky castle with a mixture of fear and hatred. "Dane," I say gently, half afraid that he'll turn those dark, angry eyes on me. He blinks rapidly before wiping his eyes and rubbing his nose on his shirt. "She just left me here."

"Who?" I ask, still not understanding.

"My mother!" Dane says, his voice shrill and on the verge of panic. He starts running and I follow, thinking he means to play.

"Dane, who's your mother?" I ask, breathless.

"The woman in the castle!" he yells back over his shoulder.

For a moment I'm speechless and then I start laughing, because I know the perfect way to get revenge on that spiteful hag.

"That's so great! I'm gonna marry you when we're grown!"

Instead of the instant denial I thought he'd throw my way, he just looks back at me with those fathomless sunset orange eyes.

You know what they say about revenge. Whether or not it's a dish best served cold I suppose is up to the person seeking it.

For me the idea of revenge was a boiling hot dish, until it wasn't.

When I was nearly eighteen, I had my heart set on fulfilling that long held dream of marrying Dane and finally seeking his mother brought low.

But then Dane left our village without a word to me or anyone else. I'd never in my life experienced a hurt that cut as deep as his abandonment and seven years later, I'm still not sure I'm quite over it.

"Welcome!" I call as the tiny bell above my small shop door tinkles. I busy myself behind the counter before stopping near my aged coffee machine and finally look up at my latest customer.

I run a custom coffee shop and cater to odd coffee additives and the occasional vanilla coffee drinker. Although my eclectic customer base is the bread and butter of my business.

"Can I help you?"

The man in front of me smiles and I feel an unpleasant pull in my belly. He's attractive on a ridiculous scale, but more than that, it's the crooked grin and seafoam eyes that have my mind reeling.

"I'd love a coffee and a pastry if you have any available."

"Anything special you want me to add to your coffee?"

"A sprinkle of vanilla might be nice and a dash of cream?"

I set to work, adding vanilla and cream to the pre-brewed coffee and selecting a glazed donut from my small stash of yeasty treats. Afterall, you can't go wrong with a classic, right? Still, I felt awkward as I put the coffee and donut on the counter.

"Thanks, Lara," the man said and I nearly swallowed my tongue. Before I'd been able to push aside my misgivings, ignoring them in favor of a paying customer. But there was no denying that the man knew my name. While my heart gave a leap, my mind wanted to know what Dane was doing back in town.

I gave myself five whole minutes before I flipped the sign on my door to "Closed" and bolted out the back door. If anyone knew when Dane got back and why he was here, it'd be Imani. That girl knew everything, about everyone and I wanted information.

Three minutes after I left my own shop, I was plummeting through the back door of Imani's art studio.

"Welcome. Thanks for using the front door like normal people."

"You know I'm not normal, and I don't want anyone to know I'm here."

"You mean, you don't want Dane to know you're here."

"How do you do that!?"

"I saw him walking toward your shop and stopped him for a few minutes. I would have given you fair warning, but that seemed like a good idea, so I didn't."

"Thanks for that," Lara scowls. "So, what's he doing here?"

"Can't say," Imani shrugged. "We shared pleasantries, but it wasn't like I could just ask him what he was doing back in town. But, if I had my guess it'd be something to do with his mother."

"He's been gone for seven years. Why would he show up out of the blue over a woman he obviously hasn't been concerned about since he left?"

"Like I know!" Imani sighed. "Just because I can ferret out information easily and with catlike precision, doesn't mean I know everything."

"Find out," Lara demands. "I'll be back after work."

Five hours later and Imani doesn't know anything more. Annoyingly, she stayed in her shop and finished her painting like a responsible adult.

"I can't just go scrambling out to interrogate Dane, because you're too afraid to confront him yourself."

"I'm not afraid," Lara lied. "Okay, I'm not exactly afraid, more I'm cautious. He hurt me, Imani, bad."

"I know," Imani said, her eyes showing her understanding. "But sometimes you have to let the past, be the past. Now's your chance to get the answers you want."

Knowing Imani was right didn't make the prospect of talking to Dane about anything more serious than the weather a nice idea. I was stuck between wanting answers and wanting to knock him out.

Lara found Dane in the town square, sitting at a small table for two, sipping the coffee she'd sold him.

"Hey," she said, feeling ridiculous.

"Hey," he said, those piercing eyes meeting hers. "Wanna sit down?"

She really didn't but forced herself to pull out a chair.

"So, seeing you was a bit of a surprise?"

"It wasn't my choice to just show up like this."

"Okay," Lara said.

"My mother's dying and as her only child, I'm forced to take over as ruler of Frostguard."

"So, you came back to live in the castle?"

"No," Dane sighed. "I'm came back because I can't physically ignore my mother's mandate. No matter how far I went, how hard I tried; I couldn't outrun the mantle I'll have to carry."

"Alright," Lara said, crossing her arms and enjoying the burn of her simmering anger. "Then what are you going to do with that crumbling pile of garbage that's been hanging over our heads?"

Dane smiled, pushing Lara's anger to a low boil. "You want me to tell you I plan to tear it down and build something solid on the ground. But honestly, I don't know what I plan to do. I haven't seen or spoken to my mother since the day she left me here and I don't plan to. But when she dies, I'll enter that crumbling pile of garbage whether I like it or not. I have no idea if I can tear it down without falling to my death."

"But how-"

"Look at me Lara," Dane said, leaning forward. "I know I've been gone a long time, but you knew me better than anyone. We shared hopes and dreams that no one outside the two of us ever talked about. Do you really think I'd just live up there without a care in the world for the people I'm supposed to take care of?"

"Dane," Lara sneered. "You walked away from here, from me, without a backward glance. You've been gone seven years, without a whiff of communication. I have no idea who you are or what you're capable of, obviously."