During the following month, Harald kept trying to teach the girl about his tongue until she finally understood a few words. She couldn’t understand everything, but even on the other side of the world, the people could still smile, laugh, cook, and eat together. The warmth of this village was like a balm for the girl after the horrors she suffered. She gradually began speaking with the other kids, but the trauma of the war had left scars in her heart. A year later, during her seventh summer, she still couldn’t forget.

Vatra –“I feel like I’m completely useless. The other kids are helping at the farm or at the bakery or anywhere their family works.”

Harald –“Vatra, you’re only 7 years old. Kids like you play. The only kids who are really working are close to 10 years old.”

Vatra –“No, you’re wrong . . . Most of the kids like me are dead because they didn’t know how to solve their own problems. How am I supposed to play when every night I see their faces? I hear their screams and . . . and–”

Harald –“It’s fine! There’s no need to say more.”

Harald hugged the girl and whispered in her ears.

Harald –“If you want to help, how about assisting me at the forge? I know you are afraid of fire, but don’t worry about it, everyone is.”

Harald backed off and gently wiped her tears away.

Vatra –“Everyone? So, you’re afraid of fire, too?”

Harald –“I am. You see, fear is a strong ally. It helps you stay focused and alert when you are in contact with danger, but if you don’t want to be swallowed by it, you need to learn how to control its sources. Vatra, I know that fire can be devastating and dangerous, but it can also bring life. It’s alive and wild. It can bite out of fear, but if you learn how to tame it, it won’t harm you anymore, and it will be a friend strong enough to defend you against any foe.”

Vatra –“How does it defend anyone? All it does is hurt anything it touches.”

Harald –“Have you been to Ivan’s farm?”

Vatra –“Yes?”

Harald –“Have you seen Wilfred’s bakery?”

Vatra –“Yeah?”

Harald –“Have you seen the horse outside, the wheel under the cart, the door’s lock, the tools and the weapons the hunters are using, and the hooks of the fishermen? They were all forged through fire. Fire is dangerous because it is like a prey willing to do anything to survive. But all you need is a bit of water, and it will die like a breeze of the wind. It knows that and it’s frightened, but if you listen to it carefully, you’ll be able to control it.”

Vatra –“Why would you believe that?”

Harald –“I’ll tell you an old story that has been passed down since before the grandfather of my grandfather. It’s a story about how our world came to be.”

Harald sat near her and cleared his throat.

Harald –“At first, the earth was a field of dust where the ancient gods were fighting among themselves to decide who would reign over the arid wasteland. Our world was lost in a painful chaos of hatred. We were scattered and unable to progress in this maelstrom of suffering until one day, a tribe decided that they’d become free or die trying. Of course, mankind was nothing more than a green plant in the eyes of the gods, but the tribesmen wanted to show them the strength of mankind. They all shaved their head and wore the same clothes. One of them went in the midst of the battlefield and climbed the highest peak to reach the height of the gods. He sat there and prayed until he died from hunger.”

Although she was a little confused, Vatra listened with attention.

Harald –“Of course, the gods were not paying attention to a green plant. But once the first one died, another identical person came up there, dug a hole, and buried the one before him. Do you know what he did next?”

Vatra –“No.”

Harald –“He sat there and prayed until he died of hunger.”

Vatra –“Why would they do that?”

Harald –“To change their fate and break the thread of time. One after the other, for thirty days, this green plant wouldn’t die in the wasteland ruled by the gods. Irritated by its pride and temerity, the gods stepped on it, hoping to send it back where it belonged, but even then, the plant kept coming back to life. For 365 days, the green plant wouldn’t die. Was it the birth of a new deity? This idea divided the gods. A part of them wanted to kill this new challenger, while the others wanted to protect it like their own child. Taken by doubt, the gods stopped their war to wonder what they would do. It is said that even today, the gods have yet to decide the fate they would give us, leaving our fate within our own hands to be changed by our will.”

Vatra –“You’re saying we’re like gods? That’s nonsense.”

Harald –“No, we aren’t gods, but if entire tribes, elders, and children alike could stop the war between the gods through resolve alone, why wouldn’t you be able to control fire with your own perseverance? It’s a much easier task.”

Harald laid his hand on her shoulder.

Harald –“I haven’t told you yet, but the name I gave you is from an old language of the time of my ancestors. Vatra means fire. The fire warding our heart from the coldest winds. The fire guiding our way through the shadowy paths. The fire that lets us rise against our foes. The fire that has the power to bring disasters, but also the power to bring life. I gave you that name in the hope that, one day, you’ll bring the latter one. I’ll give you a hand in giving me a hand at the forge, so stay strong little flare and one day . . . One day, you’ll grow into a blazing sun, and that day, you’ll make everyone around you feel more alive than ever.”

Her eyes were glittering as she swallowed her tears away.

Vatra –“I’ll . . . I’ll live up to it!”

Harald pulled out a silver pendant adorned by a tear-shaped amber with a butterfly crystallised in its core.

He placed the pendant around her neck and looked back into her eyes.

Harald –“This amulet was my wedding gift for my late spouse. I didn’t want her to get hurt from the fire, so I gave her this amulet to keep her safe. This amulet isn’t just beautiful; you see, silver conducts heat quicker than any other metal and this beautiful amber will tarnish if it burns. So, to protect this small butterfly, you’ll have a duty to keep yourself far enough from the fire to not feel the silver warm up around your neck.”

Vatra –“So, as long as it stays cold, I’m safe?”

Harald –“If it gets warm, just walk away and you’ll be fine.”

Vatra –“Thank you . . .”

As the days passed, Vatra helped Harald at the forge. At first, she carried tools and watched him explain every step in detail as he worked. She began with hammering an iron ingot into a flat bar, hitting the ore until it wasn’t red anymore, and striking again every time Harald would heat it up for her. It took her 23 days to flatten her first bar.

Ivan –“Harald, are you sure you’re not making her work too hard?”

Harald –“I’m not making her work at all. She wants to learn how to be a blacksmith, but I won’t teach her until she gets stronger. The tools we’re using are heavy. One mistake and she could be severely injured.”

Ivan –“She doesn’t want to play with the other kids?”

Harald –“Her broken soul has already grown to that of an adult. Losing everything at her age is probably harder than it is for an old bag of dust like me.”

Ivan –“Does she smile?”

Harald –“Not every day, but when she finished hammering the iron flat, she was smiling.”

Ivan –“I guess that’s what happens when you finish something you worked hard for.”

The next year, she forged her first knife. It was a really dull blade, but she made it herself and she was proud of it. Vatra began to spars with the boys and train with the weapons she was forging. For the following nine years, the little flare grew up, forging wheels and harvesting tools following the demands of the house of Valmai whose jurisdiction covered the Tree-Fall Village.

Winter after winter, her smile was rising from the ashes of her memories like a young phoenix.