[b][u][color=fff79a]Amèlie[/color][/u][/b]

There were very few places on Earth that could elude the grasp of the Elemental King. The South of France, it seemed, was one such place -- or at least, parts of it. If one knew where to look, there were a few places one could go to hide from his terrible gaze. One such place was the tiny village of Bugarach. It survived mainly due to its insignificance -- it was small, it had no strategic value, it had no valuable nor luxury resources, and it barely produced enough food to sustain its 300 citizens. As such, the King's men had never truly paid it much mind before now, save the occasional tax-man. But Bugarach is not where this section of our story begins. A journey away from Bugarach has already begun, and that is what matters.

A young girl, slender, fair-skinned, with long blonde hair rode across the French countryside on the back of a white horse. She hummed softly to herself, taking in the sights and sounds of the scenery around her. She rode north, along the side of a long-abandoned, ill-maintained road. A bird flew across the sky above her, and she looked up to watch it pass. She smiled, laughed softly, and adjusted her grip on the reins. [color=fff79a]"Come along, Madeline,"[/color] she said calmly, in French, her voice lyrical. [color=fff79a]"If we can reach Carcassonne by sundown, there's an extra lump of sugar in it for you."[/color]