Being a newborn was extremely pleasant. After vain attempts to speak, walk, or protest, you realize you are powerless and that the only thing you are able to do is nothing.

In addition the bewilderment that caused this phenomenon on me made me spent my limited efforts and attention on my uncontrollable body and the strange environment standing around my wooden cradle.

Red paint along with cursive golden patterns covered the four walls. Two windows with a square base and a round top let through the thin white yellowish curtains the warm rays of the sun, who fall on the burgundy and wine carpet. Some plants whose leaves were filled making them look like a full plump triangle. And unlit candlesticks were disposed at strategic emplacements around the wide room.

The lingering smell of firewood and spices let a warm impression on my small red tongue.

I feel my body being lifted into a warm embrace. My little hand grabs the rough finger of the woman.

When I woke up in this body, the first thing that I saw was the face of a woman. A face full of tenderness and love. Feelings that were once so familiar to me. Black soft hair tickling my nose and green twinkling eyes. Her face is marked by the sun and scars crossing her skin like white ink. But her dark pink lips smile is so raw that every imperfection are erased by her happiness.

"Our little Raven is so lovely! Look how calm she is!" she whispers delighted.

An unfamiliar hand brushes my thin cottons hair. I lift my eyes and meet the face of a man. His brown eyes meet mine through the ginger locks falling on his forehead, contrasting with his dark skin. His thin lips stretch in a smile.

I tilt my head slightly, confused. My father never smiled; his eyes were always full of content, but he never showed explicit joy. This simple act make my heart tingle.

"She is a little angel compared to Oseye," he laughs.

"I want to see her! I want to see my sister! I want to see my sister!" cries a high-pitched voice.

I wince as the loud words hurt my ears. A chubby little boy in a small sunset tunic, runs towards her mother, bumping into the leg of his father. Sensing the tears threatening to wet my face, the woman scolds her child.

"Hush, Raven isn't used to loud noise. You are scaring her!"

"I-I didn't mean to..." he whimpers back.

I frown trying to jiggle out of the arms of the woman.

'I am not scared. And my name is not Raven, it is...it is...'

My mind refuses to say my true name. Or rather, it is my chest that tightens painfully each time I recall my previous life.

'Looks like they really killed me after all,' I think bitterly.

I didn't feel anything except the subtle touch of feathers brushing my neck. Something hot and wet roll down my cheek.

"Oh sweetie, don't cry! You don't have to be scared. I will always protect my little bird."

The crystal-clear voice of the woman pushes away my dark thoughts as she cradles me. I wale screaming at the top of my lungs.

I try to push her away from me, but my wrinkly pink hand only manages to brush her hard embroidered collar.

"I think she wants to hug you, mom!"

'No! I don't!'

But I am pressed against her chest, as the little boy giggles, "She looks like me!"

I blink to chase the tears that clouds my vision. The little boy is the exact copy of his father except for his slightly lighter skin.

"Where are my genes?" sighs the black-haired woman.

"Wait a bit, Marianna, we don't know the color of her eyes yet."

Marianna, the woman's name is Marianna. And she is the mother of the little boy. The absurdity of the situation falls on me like a wave. Loreiley, Sorin, my parents, Arien...

"Ouin! Ouin!"

I start to cry.

"Oh, Raven! Why are you crying? Are you tired?"

The man looks at me with a mix of sadness and tenderness.

"We better leave her to sleep. You also have to rest; you must be tired."

"I will stay a bit with her, Frederick. Oseye, say goodbye to your sister."

The little boy advances towards us. He is the spitting image of his father with his reddish hair and cocoa-brown eyes. But his smile is as bright as his mother's.

"Goodnight, Raven!"

He kisses my forehead lightly before jumping excitedly out of the room.

Once everyone evacuates the room, Marianna looks at me before sighing with delight, "And now let's get some quality sleep with you."

She kisses me again before putting me in a crib next to her. Her hands rock the crib while she sings sweetly.

"Once was a maiden who got lost in the forest.
Under the oaks and the leaves' rustle,
She wondered for hours without rest.
Until she found a strange castle.

Children like her lived here.
And lived and fought without any fear.
But the flames ate it
And her heart was painted,
With the darkest color
As she became a stranger.

But in the middle of the darkness
A light shone with brightness,
As she met her lover
And left her past behind her."

Her voice is beautiful. Like a warm bath, the touch of the sun or the scent of cinnamon. My eyes become more and more heavy as I plunge into sleep.

🗡🗡🗡

Two months later...

"Did you know that Aideen of Svenja was executed?"

Those words make my eyes open wide. In front of me, Marianna wipes my milk-stained mouth with a tablecloth.

"Are you living under a rock, Gray? She has been executed for months! In fact, the day I had Raven," she gently teases him adjusting her unbuttoned shirt.

The man standing at the entrance of the small house is panting. He passes his hand through his messy silver hair before falling into the chair in front of her.

From what I had understood, he is Marianna's childhood friend. He lives not very far from here with his wife and son, only four months older than my current age.

"But she was only a child! How could a child commit such a murder? You mustn't be right in your mind to condemn a child forty-eight hours after a crime!" he says completely bewildered.

A part of me wants to burst into tears while a second wants to hug him.

"Royals! They are all completely crazy, especially the Svenjas. Well, our rulers aren't the finest ones too," sighs the woman.

Gray extend his arm to poke my chubby cheeks. I give him a dark look that only makes him smile.

"Do you think it is going to cause tension between our kingdoms?" he asks frowning.

Marianna sighs and grabs me by my waist before entrusting me to her friend. He skillfully sits me comfortably on his lap while Marianna get out a long dagger stained with dry blood.

"Well, the Esmerays aren't happy with this," she starts while wiping the stained blade, "but she was just an ordinary princess. What do you want them to do? Besides, even if something happens, it would benefit us; we are mercenaries after all."

I let a cry escape from my tiny rosebud mouth. Gray pats my head.

"Sorry, Raven, I didn't want to scare you."

"She cannot understand us," laughs Marianna.

"They do! Babies are very intelligent, there was one time when Erveyn..."

I don't listen to stun to pay attention any longer,'I was reborn in a family of mercenaries!?'

No, worse.

'I was reborn in a mercenary family, in the kingdom of...Esmeray.'

The rich Southern country established at the border of Svenja. If the two countries had a rocky relationship between them for centuries, it seemed to have calmed down during the past years. But after all, peace is fragile, and if a family member is capable of committing such atrocious crimes. From not-so-old-enemies, backstabbing was quite frequent.

Even if I am nothing but a Svenja, the old disgust I hold against Esmeray still lingers in the depths of my heart.

And like this wasn't enough, I ended up in a mercenary family. My gaze wanders on their silhouette. Their large shoulders and strong arms. The same sharp eyes and the multiple scars cutting their arms and skin. But the fact that I didn't notice isn't surprising. After all, I had and still have no idea what is the life of commoners. During those two months, I only managed to grab a glimpse of it.

"Me...nah..y."

As expected, I am incapable of pronouncing the simple word.

"What are trying to say, Raven?" asks Marianna, putting me on her lap.

I stubbornly try to say the word, "Me...sa...nah...y. Me...ce...na...vy."

A loud crashing noise makes me whimper. Startled, I turn around to see Frederick looking at me with a strange glint in his eyes.

In three steps, he reduces the space that separates us from each other and grabs me by my waist.

"You said your first word!"

"Wait? What did she say?" asks Gray, scratching his neck.

"Mercenary!" he exclaims back with delight. "My little daughter is going to be the Queen of the mercenaries!"

He makes me twirl slowly before taking me with him. Behind us, I can hear the laugh of Marianna.

He brings me to a small room. The smell of metal and wood floats in the small space. The man opens the curtain and a rain of light pours into the room.

I blink, trying to adjust my vision to the sudden change of lighting. Before me lies an impressive collection of weapons.

Axes, daggers, knives, metal rope, darts, bows and arrows, metal disks, spears, and swords.

A chill runs down my spine in front of the numerous swords hanging carefully on several platforms.

The sensation of the blade cutting my neck is still fresh. Suddenly I feel like the metal rope on my right is tied around my neck.

I pull the shirt of Frederick closer to me as I bury myself in his arms.

"I made them all by myself!" he explains proudly.

He points out a glass cupboard where three weapons lie.

"The sword belongs to your mother," he smiles.

My mouth falls open looking at the monstrous size of the weapon. Almost as tall as his wife herself. The beautiful metal handle is covered with strange symbols.

"The scepter belongs to me," he says tapping the glass. "It helps me to control my power better."

'A mage?'

This family is really something.

"And this is your brother's," he finally says, showing the axe. "Each one of us knows how to use every weapon, but we always have a favorite."

He pauses and looks at me, " And one day, Raven, you will find yours."