Imma hang back until it's safe...

I hid in the tops of the trees, peering down at the army camp, seeing the other side of the front lines.

I could see the Elvish tents I once stayed in.

I'd fought in these front lines before, at night, when everything was aglow with the moon.

I'd never been one of the charging warriors-- I'd always been a scout, or an archer. Gathering intel, and attacking long-distance.

I wondered if some of the people in the medical tent were there because of me.

No, they wouldn't have lived this long. I never miss a shot.

I watched Master start talking to a doctor. As he said something quietly, the doctor appeared surprised and scared. Master told him I'm here.

Looking around frantically, the doctor parted the opening flap to the medical tent and let Master in.

A few moments later, he reappeared with a wide, bearded, injured man who had a patch over his eye. They were chatting casually, and I recognized that they must be old friends. But this soldier was tired, and weak. The infection in his eye was spreading.

Then the conversation got more serious. I must've been brought up.

Master gave a whistle.

That's my signal. I was really hoping he'd get the entire army ready first, but two allies works, I suppose.

I scrambled down from the tree and dashed the hundred feet from the base to the tent, clutching my cloak and hood.

"Did anyone see you?" he asked me as I reached his side.

I shook my head.

"Good." He pulled me over to the side of the medical tent, where no one was around and could see me. "This is Arvid. Go on, show him."

I lifted my hood, revealing my horns, pointed ears, and white-to-lavender hair.

"Holy mother of magic..." Arvid breathed. "No offense your majesty, but why did you bring it here?!"

"That 'it' is a 'she.' Her name is Akira. She's a reasonable elf, and she's completely harmless, I assure you."

Completely harmless? I could take out half of this army and run home if I wanted to. But I certainly wouldn't...Master wouldn't like that.

"There's no such thing as a reasonable elf," Arvid said, shaking his head.

"You may speak to him," Master told me.

I replied, "Thank you, Master. It's nice to meet you, sir. Sorry if I look a bit...scary to you."

Arvid's jaw dropped. "She speaks English?"

"Yes. She can also lift lunar curses, and heal your eye."

"Woah, hold up, I don't want to get involved with an elf."

"She's healed me before, she's very skilled in moon magic."

"Black magic is more powerful than moon magic though, and if black magic can't heal me, then neither can she, so she's got to be lying to you."

"Believe me, Moon Magic is much more powerful," Master corrected. "All she has to do is lick your eye under the light of the moon, and the infection will be gone."

This is going to be so gross... How many wounds will I have to lick?

"That's preposterous. What's the catch?"

"There is none. You don't have to do the sacrificial rituals you have to do for Black Magic."

"Look, I'd rather stick with black magic, I'm not sure I trust that chick."

"I'm right here," I muttered.

"Please stop talking, you're freaking me out," he hissed to me.

"Arvid, do you know the truth about black magic?" the Prince asked.

"What truth?"

"That it damns you to hell."

He shook his head. "That elf is filling your head with crazy things."

"The High Mage told me himself years ago. But since Black Magic is the only type of magic that humans can perform, he decided to keep that a secret."

Arvid's one good eye widened and he looked down. "Just...give me a minute to think."

"I'm just asking that you let Akira heal you. I want to prove she's not evil, and that black magic is not the way to go. This whole war started because the High Mage didn't tell everyone how bad black magic was, and since I'm to be king soon, I wanted to fix that."

"Look, your majesty... As far as I know, elves are evil, black magic saves our country, and the High Mage is the only one we can really look up to. So you need to give me a minute to just...get all that new stuff in my head."

"You trust me, don't you?"

"Of course, you've saved my ass countless times out there in battle."

"So you'll let me make a big show out of healing you in front of the wounded soldiers?"

"That's not what I said..."

"That's what I heard," Master replied flatly. "Go get some rest and meet me back here at sunset."

"Your Majesty," Arvid insisted, "Please."

I looked to Master earnestly.

"What?" he asked me.

"He doesn't want to," I said.

"So? I'm the Prince."

I bit my lip. He's pretty freaked out, I don't want to **** him into this...

He sighed. "Fine. Arvid, you don't have to be ****-healed."

Arvid sighed with relief and turned to go back inside the medical tent.

"But," the Prince said, "If I were to demonstrate her abilities by healing an injury I had, would you accept to be healed next?"

Arvid squirmed, an anxious look on his face. "Well...well...ugh, fine."

"Thank you. Now you're free to go back inside."

Arvid gave a bow and hurried back into his cot.

Master glanced around. "We need to find a private tent I can hide you in."

The Doctor we first approached was outside an adjacent tent, keeping an eye on us. Master waved him over.

The Doctor grumbled, frantically looking around as he hurried over. "What do you need, sire?"

"A private tent."

"To hide the elf?"

"Yes."

"You can take mine while we set another one up. Please, please keep it ch--"

"Her," Rowan interrupted.

"Sorry, her, chained up. We all trust you, but we don't trust elves. It'll make everyone more comfortable."

He nodded. "I know, I intend to. Thank you for the offer, can you lead us there?"

He nodded. "Right this way."

We followed him to one of several small tents clustered together, where the doctors rested. I was surprised how similar everything was to the Elvish front lines.

The Doctor motioned for us to enter. "You can stay here. I'll be right back with an elf cage."

_There are captive elves here... _I thought. I could free some of my people.

But at what cost? I needed to gain the trust of the humans in order to stop the war. Setting free a few elves could continue to cost the lives of hundreds more.

The doctor's tent looked just like an Elvish healer's tent, but where the humans kept black magic ingredients, Elves kept sun and moon magic herbs.

Once the Doctor returned, hauling an empty elf cage on wheels with a rope, he took a deep breath and sighed, scratching his beard. "Anything else, sire?"

"No, thank you, you've done more than enough," Master replied. The Doctor nodded, and left to tend to his patients. "Akira," he said, indicating to the cage.

It reminded me of the birdcage-like-cell he'd kept me in at the castle. I sighed, nodded, and stepped in. He clanked it shut, and clicked the padlock into place, putting the key on a string around his neck.

"I'm going to go meet with the General. I'm going to send Arvid here, so he can keep people from entering and seeing you. I'll be back before sunset."

I grasped at the metal bars and bit my lip. "Promise?" I asked.

He reached out and held my fist. "I promise. You'll be fine, and so will I."

I took a deep breath. "Alright."

Master swallowed, and vanished from the tent.

I was terrified that every time I heard footsteps, angry soldiers were coming for me. No one knew I was there except Master, Arvid, and that Doctor, but I was scared, nonetheless.

After a minute of tense silence, footsteps got very close to the tent. Closer...and closer...and closer...

Arvid peeked in.