Once upon a time...

There was a fiery knight. Cruel and ruthless, he oppressed the citizens of his Lord's freehold with an iron fist. Laid low any challenges that came his way...conquered and sowed terror across the lands at the mere request of his lord.

One day, the knight was given a very special task by his master. A sidhe duchess had come to al-Hilal al-Khaseed with the Crusaders. A potentially dangerous occurrence, should an opposing power catch wind of such of a thing. Little did they know, the master's spies were very good at their job. The knight's quest was dangerous...assault the caravan which carried her, kidnap her and bring her back to the master's stronghold. The knight, readily agreed.

The journey was perilous, through savage countrysides and haunted forests...though none could stand before the knight as any real challenge.

Came the day that the knight spotted the Duchess' caravan...speeding away at the sight of his banner. The knight charged...the vanguard engaged...the rear guard defended...the affair was a bloody one. His skill with his greatsword, Finis, was legend...the ringing of steel echoed like thunder strikes along the surrounding cliffs. The chase lasting days...before finally the last of the duchess' guards lay slain at the violent knight's feet.

The duchess stepped from her carriage...an air of austere command about her...pride would not allow her to cower or crumble, forever defiant beneath the glare of her captor, even while he shackled her.

In the ensuing violence, the horses had been slain which led the pair to walking back to his master's stronghold. Days...turned to weeks...and in that time, the duchess bided her time. It had become evident to her that the knight was honor-bound to his master. Her revenge would come. And it would come soon.

Over the weeks, the Sidhe endeared herself to the violent knight. Who in turn, warmed under her sunny disposition. In that time, the pair had even come to love one another. Her for her beauty and benevolence...and Him for his passion and his strength of character.

Came the day that they walked the steps of his Master's castle...the knight's steps, slow and labored. So strongly he resisted his oath, each step was agony.

Within the throne room, His Master looked upon her knight with a frosty countenance, beside him, her sunny prize. Without saying a word, his master could feel the connection between them and felt a horrible betrayal.

How could HER knight...do such a thing? The curse that formed between her icy lips spat like venom..as she doled out her judgement upon her firey knight.

The knight bowed his head...prepared to meet his fate. He would honor his oath...even to his death.

The brave princess...sensing the curse...a malevolent spell of eternal sleep...knew it was her moment, to turn the cards to her favor and perhaps...one day, her own way home.

As the frozen master spat her curse, 'Betrayer..for your crimes of loving another...you will sleep until your heart grows..c-"

In an instant, the maiden, bound to the master in sibling blood, laid a benevolent upon the knight's shoulder and added to the curse. "Warm!"

The evil knight..passing to the next life...felt the pull of slumber chain him into darkness...echoing in his mind the words... 'Find Me.'

Axel woke up with a start...groggily rubbing sleep out of his eyes. Mussing up his hair as he peered over at the alarm clock blinking 3:00 am. It had been this way for weeks now. The same dream...of a blazing fire being encased in ice...in a spring setting with a bright sun burning over head. Axel couldn't for the life of him understand it....or why it terrified him.

Letting out a beleaguered sigh, the man stood and rolled his arms. It wasn't worth trying to go back to sleep...when he woke up, he was up. His shift was in two hours anyway.

Skipping breakfast, Axel slid on his workout apparel, tossing his clothes into a bag and started the morning with a jog to his gym.

His pace was brisk, the man kept himself in great athletic shape. The work of a firefighter was very demanding after-all but it was also supplemented with his other hobby...and side money; cagefighting.

The gym was more or less empty when he walked in...some early riser...or late-nighters depending on their schedules were still about their business. Axel was known among them and grimaced at...he wasn't much for polite conversation. Mike Prunesti called out from his corner of the room, 'Hey asshole', only to be met with a broad middle finger and an up-chin nod. Mike was still a bit sore about Axel kicking the shit out of him the last bout...and sleeping with his girlfriend afterwards.

Axel went about his morning routine...the run had done a good job of warming him up, so it was directly to the weights for the beast of a man...followed by a solid 45 minute stint of him wearing down the leather of the heavy bags. He had a bout coming up...and the man needed to be ready.

Finishing up his morning routine, Axel took the time to shower and head his way over to the firehouse.

The mood wasn't much different there. No one liked him...but no one could argue his willingness to get a job done and well. Most would say dealing with Axel was an..unpleasant experience...but they wouldn't have anyone else at their back when the shit hit the fan.

The shift was long...and tedious. Certainly not helped by the crushing headaches and occasional bouts of confusion plaguing him over the course of weeks. He'd gone to all the doctors...gotten all the tests...though quietly and under a different name...he didn't want to risk losing his job.. but nothing had come up. No brain damage...clean bloodwork...the doctor suggested it may just be stress. To which, Axel simply balked.

His day consisted of cleaning the station...cooking meals...more workouts...cleaning the engines and attending to gear. A few calls peppered their 24 hour shift...a small stove fire...a few flipped vehicles...a cat in a tree. Once again...while very effective at his work, he was less than kind when it came to dealing with the people involved. Often more than willing to call the people out on their blusters and in some cases, stupidity in driving while intoxicated.

A reprimand later for his lack of courteousness..and his day was finally done. The slow walk back to his house from the fire station was relaxing. Clad in his leather jacket and favorite pair of jeans, at work, he usually referred to it as putting on his 'armor' before he left.

The sun hadn't and wouldn't start to rise for at least another hour and a half which suited him fine...this city was such a hassle once the rest of New York roused. Solitary and walking up the street, he caught scent of the smoke first. His attention brought to a place with only the beginnings of a fire...it's picturesque bay windows lit dimly with an orange hue.

And Axel...tired and annoyed from his workday...kept walking. Calling this in...doing anything about it...meant at the very least another six hours of work. "Not my problem...my shift...is done."

He made it fifty feet before a whisper rattled in his mind. "Find me". An overbearing urge overtook him..to look at building once more. The speed of the fire was like lightning...smoke pouring from the front door...the front bay illuminated.

It'd gained attention by other walkers...who screamed and started yelling, "Fire!"

Axel's gaze went from the building...and then turned towards the empty road home...he could see his house from where he stood. It wasn't far...maybe another 5 minute walk...it didn't include going into a burning building. There was beer there...and pizza. Perhaps he could even call up Prunesti's ex girlfriend for another go...

Or.. His eyes turned back to the fire. It was moving so fast...there was more screaming now...from inside.

His heart began thundering in his chest...dueling the dour pragmatism of Axel's mind...begging him to follow it's guidance, for once.

"Fuck it."

Axel dropped his gym bag and charged up the street. The man taking a moment to assess the fire...but the screams..they tugged at his heart. He NEEDED to get in there and help them...though for the life of him, he didn't understand why.

Peaking through the window, it showed the fire illuminating the hallway..clinging to walls...burning the floor..which was a good sign...it meant that the chance of blowback was minimal. With a hearty kick, the front door blew out in splinters..Axel's eyes looking over the fire..which seemed to weave lazy lines...almost serpentlike...through the kitchen in the back...into the livingroom...and then up the stairs..clinging to the walls.

Another scream...in fact, three, rang out from upstairs. Utter terror.

Leaping through the flames onto the stairs landing...Axel's gaze was drawn upward..the stairs were engulfed..there was no easy way to do this...no firefighter trick. Zipping up his leather jacket, Axel barreled up the steps...the flames...he could feel singeing and leaping at him..only to melt away...and not burn.

He couldn't logic why...but his focus was instead the family...get to them...get them out...'Find Me'. The words threw him for a loop...resounding in his mind once more...and before long, he made it to the top of the staircase...down the hall..and with a charging shoulder, bowled down the door that the screams elicited from.

The weight on the door was thrown aside, sent skittering into the walk-in closet.

Axel stood in the room...it had once been a boy's room...walls strewn with baseball players...sports cars...blue tinted wallpaper. Or at least it had been.. the room was entirely engulfed in flames...short of a circle in the room..and within it, a screaming family...a father..a mother...a son and a baby daughter clutched in the arms of the mother.

They screamed...and wept..fear pouring from them as they could not escape from the flames that seemingly threatened to envelope them.

Axel...much to his surprise stood in those very flames...completely..untouched.

The sight of their fear...enraged him...compelled him to lend aid while his mind swore bloody murder, pleading him to run like hell.

A voice emanated from the walk in closet...which burst into vicious flames...and a figure sauntering out of it..equally unscathed.

"You...monumental prick! They are MINE!" With that the closet flared, it's doors akin to the mouth of hell as the dark figure stepped out to reveal a monstrous figure...one that even Axel couldn't comprehend. Red scales accented in gold..the reptilian features didn't end their...claws gripped the doorframe, which groaned and blazed at it's touch...a massive head hissed and where it's spittle oozed from it's maw...the ground caught ablaze.

Axel's mind...screamed for him to run. The beast before him..dwarfed even his large frame..but it was the screams of the people, threatened by the flames that only he could hear.

His thoughts didn't mind that flames were licking at his legs...attempting to burn him and oddly failing...instead, his gaze fell upon a baseball bat..'Lousiville' emblazoned upon it's charred surface. A single word issued from his lips...unable to comprehend it's meaning, and yet he felt it was correct.

"Finis" The man took up the bat...and in that moment, felt his righteous anger...at the suffering and the pain that came away from this family...and turned his eyes..now blazing with the very flames that surrounded him, towards the mythical beast.

It issued a blood chilling roar at Axel's challenge, curling it's head back and belched an ungodly gout of flame over him.

Axel screamed..but held his ground..feeling the warm wash bathe over him..a second passed...a held breath followed...and the fiery knight...now bearing the full regalia of sidhe plate...and wielding the blade 'Finis' stood where Axel once had.

His hair, normally a short functional fauxhawk...now moved as though aflame themselves...his eyes, a cobalt blue were now a blazing white..his skin was reddened with a subtle hew of bronze along it's surface.

The knight bellowed his rage, a wave of his blade quieted the flames...robbing them of their hunger as he launched himself into the Dragon's lair.

The doors slammed shut behind them..and all they could hear was the melee that followed. Roars and war-cries issued from the doors...tongues of flame flared out from the cracks..until...silence.

Moments passed...and the knight stepped out..Axel once more. Bat in hand...leather jacket unsinged. He looked worn and tired...the flames about the home..had all but died out. And in that moment...the world went black once more.

Axel awoke..being wheeled out in a stretcher..he heard snippets of the conversation around him...smoke inhalation...hero...family safe...before consciousness was stolen from him once more.

The knight awoke in a hospital bed...feeling a hand clutching his...his eyes opened, seeing the young boy from before..and behind him, his family.

They spoke of what they saw...what they could remember...the fire...the fear...and him, standing in the flames to protect them..to save them. But little else.

They returned..day after day...to keep Axel company. The family, identifying themselves as the "Wrights", spoke their thanks...after a time going so far as to thank him as the parents had once more found their appreciation for one another in the near-death experience.

Axel had begun to believe he'd imagined it all..until, one day, the son, Oliver...stayed while his parents went to go grab lunch.

Oliver had been mostly silent through the days, Axel assumed him to still be working out his issues from the event. Until he simply laid a charred wooden bat at Axel's side and issued him a smile. "I'll keep your secret...thank you for saving us from the dragon."

The knight, then offered the young squire a subtle bow of his head.