November 27th, 2536, Sydney, Australia

The sun shone down on the waves as they washed onto the small beach and a young boy sat on the sand, attempting to build a sandcastle. With as much skill as a 6 year-old could muster, he careful dug the sand up and shaped it into a tower-like shape, carefully adding to each side so as to not let it fall over. Suddenly one of the larger waves of the set washed up to where the boy sat, wetting him slightly and demolishing his hard work. Crying it on frustration, he flung himself back onto the sand. As he was laying, he heard a noise from the verandah of the house behind him. Sitting up and turning around, he looked back to see a man in a military uniform standing there. Excitment filled the boy and he leaped up.

"Dad! You're back!" he cheered, running across the sand and into the open arms of his father.

"I am indeed Alder," his father beamed, "Have you been a good boy while I was away?"

Alder nodded.

"Yes daddy! I've been helping mummy lots!" he grinned.

"I've heard! It's also a special day today isn't it?" his father smiled.

Wiggling out of his father's arms, Alder began to count on his hands.

"I'm six today daddy!" he said, proudly holding up six fingers.

"So you are and I have a little surprise for you," his father replied, pulling out a small box from his pocket.

Alder grabbed the box excitedly and hurriedly opened it. Inside rested a small gold pin, shaped like a flame. In its centre rested a small red jewel.

"This is for you to keep with you while I'm away. When you wear this, I'll always be with you," his father said softly, pulling the pin out of the box and fixing it to Alder's shirt.

"Now be sure to look after this ok? This belonged to your grandfather and he gave it to me when I was about your age."

Alder gaped at the pin that was now securely fastened to his shirt. He looked at his father and saw how much it meant to him and made a promise to keep it safe.

"Come on, let's go inside, your mother has a surprise of her own."

"Oh boy!" Alder cheered, "Is it cake?"

His father laughed.

"Guess you'll just have to wait and see."

July 5th, 2539, Sydney, Australia

Alder lay on the ground, clutching the pin to his chest tightly as kicks and punches landed from all directions.

"Give us the stupid pin moron," one of the boys standing over him yelled angrily.

"Yeah just give us it and we'll stop!" another boy shouted.

But Alder refused. He made a promise to his father to keep this pin safe. Nothing would get in the way of that promise. It was also the only thing Alder had to remind him of his father, the father who got deployed and never came home, the father who said he wouldn't be gone long and before he knew it he would be back by his side. Tears streamed down Alder's cheeks as the pain in his body only got worse with addition of painful memories. One of the boys made a grab for the pin which he gripped tightly. Alder bit his hand and kicked him backwards, only to be assailed with even more punches and kicks. As he was beginning to lose conciousness, he heard a shout and the kicks stopped suddenly. The three figures standing over him disappeared, only to be replaced by a solitary shadow. As the darkness took him, he heard a voice shout.

"Mum! Quick he's hurt."

Blinking slowly, only to be greeted by a dull light, Alder opened his eyes and was greeted by a small room and a pounding headache. There wasn't a bone in his body that wasn't sore and as he groggily took in his surroundings, absentmindedly putting a hand to his chest to the spot where his pin was. When he didn't feel the cool metal beneath his fingers, he bolted upright, frantically searching his pockets for it. He noticed it sitting on the table next to him and calmed down. He snatched it up and pushed it into his pocket, leaving his hand inside to grip the pin tightly. Whilst he was battered and bruised he was glad that he was able to keep the pin safe from the bullies, smirking to himself that not even three of them could take it from him. He tried to remember the events just before he fell unconscious but it was all a blur. He slowly rose from the bed and made his way to the door, only to have it open just as he reached for the handle. In the doorway stood two girls, a blonde haired girl, that looked about the same age as him and a redhead, who appeared to by slightly younger. The two girls looked at him, unsure as how to react, clearly not expecting to find the bedrooms occupant standing in front of them.

"Uhh... Hi?" Alder said hesitantly.

The redhead rushed forward and hugged him fiercely.

"He's awake! He's awake," she cheered excitedly. "See Elsa I told you he wasn't dead!"

Shock filled the older girl's face and she quickly pulled her sister off Alder.

"Anna! Be careful! He could still be hurt," she scolded.

"Sorry about my sister... She really likes meeting new people and she was kinda worried about you," Elsa said smiling. "You were pretty badly hurt when we found you in that alleyway, but you seem ok now. How are you feeling?"

Alder laughed.

"Sore and sorry but I'm ok really. Thank you for helping me."

"Well I'm glad you are feeling better, I'm Elsa and this is my sister Anna," she said.

Smiling warmly, he extended a hand. When Elsa took it, he spoke.

"It's lovely to meet you both. I'm Alder."

A/N: Welcome to my newest story! I know, I know I should be finishing A Burning Legacy and writing a sequel, but I promise, this won't take me long, as I have a short idea for it but not sure if it is going to be a long story or not but it was an idea I had and I really really wanted to write it!.

So enjoy and don't forget to review and follow if you enjoyed this!

Until next time,

Caedous