*Chapter 1: Ashes and Beginnings*
The morning sun filtered weakly through the cracks in the thatched roof as *Tiye* stirred, pain clinging to her body like a second skin. Her eyelids fluttered open, and she found herself lying on a woven mat inside a humble wooden hut, the air thick with the scent of herbs and firewood.
She sat up, confused and frightened. Her voice came out as a whisper:
*"Where… where am I?"*
A rustling sound came from the doorway, and a tall, grizzled man with a hunting bow slung over his shoulder stepped in. His beard was grey, his eyes steady and kind. A bundle of sticks rested in his arms.
*"You're awake,"* he said calmly.
*"Who… who are you? Who am I?"* Tiye asked, holding her aching head.
The man set down the bundle.
"Name's Makonnen. I'm a hunter. Found you four nights ago by the edge of my farmland—unconscious, bruised, and clutching your stomach like your life depended on it. You didn't say a word."*
Tiye's eyes darted to her belly. Her hand moved there instinctively. The faint heartbeat of her unborn child was still there.
*"I don't remember… anything. Just... falling."*
Makonnen looked at her long and hard, then nodded.
*"Rest now. Whatever you fled from, it ain't chasing you here."*
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[Four Years Later]*
The once-broken woman now moved with quiet strength. Her son Kael, was a wonder even to the old man. Strong, sharp-eyed, and uncommonly alert for his age, Kael moved through the woods like he was born of the wind.
At only four, he helped gather firewood, sensed danger before it came, and even calmed wild animals with just his gaze. Makonnen would often mutter,
*"That boy... there's dragon fire in his veins."*
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