"Out of all people you could have chosen to hire, you choose this... this mercenary?" An infuriated knight yelled at the captain of the guard.

"Captain, this mercenary is not important to anyone. Plus, he's the eighth son of his family. No one really cares for their unplanned son." The captain calmly explained.

"You know, if you really wanted to deal with this problem, instead of ridiculing me you could just do it yourselves. I have a name too, you know? It's not just the Mercenary."

The captain and the knight both laughed wildly to his face.

"Okay, kid, tell us your name," the captain said, out of breath.

"My name is Ansel Valeheart. If you want me to find these kidnappers and bandits, you had better just stop and treat me with respect." He said with frustration.

The knight laughed and spit at him. "Mercenary, you aren't even fit to shine my boots. Get on out of here and do your job."

Ansel sighed and exited the guard office. He belted on his katana, which was returned to him upon exiting.

"Let us drink, Sir Ghent, for we have just ridded ourselves of another scourge of society. The mercenary probably won't make it back, and we will have one less eighth son."

As he walked out of town, Ansel's heart dropped in his chest. No one liked an eighth son. They only brought trouble to the Eos Empire, or as it was said by his mother before she threw him out. He was only fourteen at the time.

--------------------

"Get away from my home. You are no son of mine." Ansel's mother had gone berserk after he had accidentally dropped a pot.

"I'm sorry! It was an accident-"

"Don't it was an accident me, you scum. You have been a blight on this family ever since your birth. I punched my stomach to make sure you wouldn't be born, but by some stupid miracle you stand here alive. Get away from here. You will cause trouble for the Eos Empire all of your life, and I don't want you here." His mother spat gravely.

Ansel's body went from fearful to limp as his mother grabbed a sword and then dragged him out by his hair. She threw him off of the stairs and then started shaking with anger.

"Get. Out." She said, slowly. 

"But ma, don't you still want me around here?" He asked his mother with tears in his eyes, his soul inwardly groaning.

"GET OUT OF HERE! YOU ONLY CAUSE US TROUBLE AND DRAIN OUR COINPURSES!" She yelled coldly and spitefully, and threw the sword at his face. It landed beside him, stuck in the ground and sat there. His mother walked away and she slammed the wooden door to their lodge.

Ansel wiped the tears off of his face, which freely streamed down like mini rivers. He grabbed the curved sword begrudgingly out of the ground.

"I'll prove you and all of the Eos Empire wrong, you cold witch. I'll show you." Ansel said, wiping off the last tear from his face and walked forward with determination.

-----

"What a bother," Ansel sighed, and marched on. He no longer cared for anything but the coin he earned, whether it was to kill bandits or to dance with women for their birthdays. Everyone took advantage of him for his looks, his strength, and his skill. 

But they spit on him instead of admiring him. He was a famous hero in the surrounding lands, but in the Eos Empire, he was hated. Hated for being different.

"As soon as I can afford it, I'm leaving this place. I hate it here." He said to himself. His coinpurse was almost at 20,000 Zara, or the currency around the continent of Grandalia. It would be enough to leave the Eos Empire for good. 

"Hey, dreamer boy! Are you gonna move faster or can we move?" A feminine voice shouted from behind.

He turned around to see three well dressed people in green overcoats that looked like cargo jackets. His hand instantly went to the katana in his sheathe.

"Wait. Aren't you the Lightsworn Warrior? The famed hero that is a mercenary in these parts?" She had asked him.

"Yes. I am. Are you looking to kill me, too?" He said to her, hands averted. Ansel was ready to strike, and kill these three if necessary.

Her silver hair had shined in the sunlight. "I am not here to kill you. I am the Princess of Tesalia's maidservant , and I am returning from negotiations with the Eos Empire. They have come to my land and have tried to take it by force, and we have beat them back time and time again. We are here to try to end the bloodshed."

"Good luck with that," Ansel said coldly, "Eos loves war and hates it's people, so much that they task me with all of the heroic deeds to take down bandits. To hunt down it's renegades. To kill it's fearful beasts."

"Why are you so cold, Lightsworn? What has this country done to you?" The maidservant asked with compassion.

"It disowned me and spat on me, threw a sword at my face, took advantage of me and made me feel worthless. It paid me for dealing with the things the knights and the guards swore to protect. Lawlessness drones about here. Every where I go, I am viewed as an item. That's why I am so cold." Ansel explained, full of the gravity that he had come to realize- that his life was nothing. He turned and walked away before he could feel any emotion.

"Wait! What is your name, hero?"

"Ansel Valeheart!" He yelled coyly as he walked away. 

The maidservant galloped forward on her white steed, and settled to a trot beside him. "I am Lady Iris of the Tesalian Republic. If you ever need a home, head for the border town of Bronton. I will meet you there."

She and her two male aides galloped away towards the Tesalian border. Ansel shook his head.

"People must love to use me so much that now, even other countries want to take advantage of me. What a shame."

Maybe he was wrong, maybe he had a new home, but who would know? His loneliness drove him to madness, and he became lost in his thoughts until a horse approached him from behind. A set of armor clinked up and down with the movement, and slowed down as the horse galloped to a stop.

"Mercenary, how about I end your sad existence right now and then go pin the three murders that are about to happen on you?" He said, coldly.