Sisters & Servants

It had been a week since Elise & Sidius had departed towards the Capital city, leaving in their wake a sea of tedium and nauseating boredom. A lords son going about his lordling duties, most I knew would kill to be in my position with all the fun things I can go see and do and with the lavish life that I was living; and yet I'd never felt so purposeless before. I was out walking through the fields of grass far outside the borders of my fathers humble throne of influence, encroaching on the outskirts of our kingdoms territory; a sort of no mans land that skirted inbetween the neighboring kingdom next door that also rejected ownership of the small stretch of land - I was out here not because I wanted to be; but because those were my orders. Anyone could come and take this land I figured, if they were affluent enough and had the right backing; but I knew none would try. For these lands were littered by both fresh water & Sulphur lakes; with only the nomadic tribes that would sometimes take shelter in the area between migrations to cooler climates being able to tell the difference between salvation and a sudden **** with any degree of certainty.

And it was for these very nomads that I had been sent out to investigate these lakes; as there had been a raising of alarms sounded recently that a bandit group local to the area have been praying on such peoples as they traveled betwixt the lawless lands lacking any such sovereignty and therefore; protection. Normally calls to rid bandits operating outside of our jurisdiction was to be frowned upon without the sufficient sanctions or backings; but since this area was without overseers - I had been given the go ahead to act with impunity.

The bandits I sought were coined by the sole survivor who had raised the alarm as the 'Lakeside Marauders' - which swiftly made its name known throughout fathers small settlement, with worries amongst the settlers that they might turn their sights on greener pastures eventually if left unchallenged to grow their powerbase, using the natural protection of the lakes as cover. The term 'marauders' was a fitting description of these people I found; as unlike other more ethical bandits, if there is such a thing, these Lakeside lot wouldn't let you leave alive after your coin purse had been cut & your belongings repossessed - because a dead man isn't able to tell of his misfortune.

How unfortunate for them then; that when they had made their move on the migrating caravan that one of their victims was just so happening to take a leak somewhat back into the woods and had seen the **** unfurl before his very own eyes. Without his testimony they might just have remained hidden a while longer, but with their existence exposed it was now my duty to evacuate the lands of any and all such members of this nefarious group. Honestly it gave wonder to how long this crew had been in operation for; it could be as short as a few weeks or as long as several years at a guess.

For you see the man who ran the crew was also known to us, by description of the sole survivor we matched him up to an infamous outlaw that had seeped into the background as of the past couple of years; or at least so we had thought. He had instead just moved his base of operations to a more secluded spot, and right besides where I lived no less, despite my apathy as of late I knew that I couldn't take this all sitting down.

The bandit leaders name was Orken 'Twice Sliced', the former being his name and the latter being the nickname the justice brigade had dubbed for him after losing a duel to another wanted man; a pirate named Granthord 'Hook'. Orken was a vicious man with connections to human trafficking and banditry, and is renowned locally for his brutality; him and his crew said to have wiped out entire caravans and leaving their exposed corpses rotting along the sides of the road for some unlucky travelers to happen upon. So with the mode of operations matching up so to speak, we were almost certain we had the guy marked.

As I parted my way out of the grassy fields I found myself strolling through the wild woodlands that separated our land with the unclaimed territories that lay beyond. I was supposed to have several guards accompanying me on this excursion, but I had chosen to ignore fathers orders and take this trip all on my own. The guards I knew would slow me down, and when push came to shove I couldn't guarantee their survival when meddling with this lot. With a leader worth 8 hundred thousand AxM, this was to be my first real foe worth fighting and I didn't want to have to babysit the guards who I knew would only be cannon fodder. Not comfortable using innocent men as a meat shield or a sacrificial pawn in my fight; I decided to go it alone despite the wrath I knew it would put father into.

Itching at my newly exposed eyelid, parting from the eyepatch a day prior now that the wound had healed and given that the fresh air would do it some good. I traced the line of the scar as it descended from just above the eyebrow, down the eyelid itself and just above the cheekbone; a reminder of the mistakes that can be made in battle. My mistake then was that I hadn't been cautious enough; had I given Sidius some space and a little more consideration then I might have depth perception right now; and it was a mistake I wasn't soon to forget even now as I hunted this dangerous man and his crew.

Clearing the forest I was treated to an open shot of the sprawling hills that spanned out ahead; at its backdrop being the destined lakes that I had been told of. There were so many of them littering the landscape, from hills to divets into fresh or toxic pools that only the nomads knew which from which. The land was sizeable but somewhat thin, stretching down the continent in an almost banana shaped slew of land that neither neighboring kingdoms wanted to claim. Perhaps because ownership meant governing the land to the letters of the law; and since the resources spent on said governance, the patrols and the upholding of laws and such, this would end up being a cost unworthy of its meager return. I figured that's what father was meant to be imparting on me but I must say I hadn't been listening; my mind was decidedly still preoccupied with the teleportation incident and what followed it.

Finding no answers worth a damn in my makeshift library or from father himself; I found myself back to the drawing board when it came to that question. White roots; that was the commonality between me & Sidius, if there were answers it would be at the end of some tree or another I thought. At the very least; no more dreams had been inflicted on me since that night atop the hill, it was as if things had returned to normal in an instant; like it had never really happened - the only thing connecting me to its reality was the hollow of my left eye and how it had been taken from me.

Thinking on these themes for some time I soon saw myself down the decline from the forested area and was now walking through the humps and hollows close by to a new forested are, for a while of walking I heard nothing save for the wildlife as it scampered about or fled from seeing me. But then; not too long into my exploration of this overgrowth; I heard the faint flickering of a campfire. It was many leagues away from here; but I could pin point it towards the direction of the lakes. Setting off I beelined towards the sound, still making sure not to find myself triggering any traps; which turned out to be a saving grace of mine as not before long I came across my first pitfall; I could see the outline of the frame ever so slightly, dexterously walking around it but being extra careful to spot out any others which I discerned not too long after that there were none.

As I inched closer and closer through the dense and & unkemptness of the woods I soon began hearing conversations - faint at first; but ever growing as I got closer and closer to the source. The words were still muffled from here and I couldn't quite make them out with any kind of clarity; but occasionally I could hear the joining of laughter after one of them spoke, or a choice expletive followed by a rowdy enjoiner. On and on this game of cautious creeping went on, I was annoyed at the slow pace I was making but when I avoided yet another trap; a tree sling this time with its rope meant to toss me up feet first into the canopy - I figured it was a necessary caution.

After a short while I made it to a clearing in the trees where I could look down and see the outlines of a wooden log camp; the perimeter of which was lined with fallen trees with spiked tops that circled all around what I could make out of the camp. Cheering and boisterous boasts could be heard from within as the men that I could see from this angle drunk themselves into a stupor, playing card games by tableside and generally being a rambunctious lot. Then; as I scouted them out I caught glimpse of a broad shouldered man with an exposed chest; and on that chest I saw two distinct scars - one that went horizontal down the left side of his chest which intercepted with where once there had been a nipple; and the vertical slash that cut him just below his pectoral muscles. And then he was gone, disappeared behind the vines and treelengths that obscured my vision.

That was Orkan, I'm sure of it. Unpacking a wanted poster from my pocket I opened it up and looked at the scar that was exposed on his picture; it was an identical match. Knowing I had my mark; I set off to surveil the barricade to see if I could find any weaknesses or openings that were in my favor. Circling the camp twice I picked a spot that was a little lower than the other places; and more importantly had two large tents that would hide my ascent better than other places I could choose.

Hoisting myself up onto the wooden pillar I quickly surmounted and leapt from the spiked protrusion to land deftly onto the ground; making only a light thump that I was sure none nearby could have heard. Giving a quick glance around the corner of the tents fabric to make sure that my subterfuge had gone unnoticed, seeing only the continuation of the camps going on as it had before I decided to crawl under the tents drape and surface inside of its shelter to better explore the area. Finding myself in a rather spacious 'room' that almost looked like it belonged to royalty by the state of the items and objects littered within. The room had bits of pottery, paintings - trinkets of gold, silver and jade lining the floor and practically spilling out of opened wooden chests. The rooms ground was rugged with fine fabrics and silks that had been mismatched and extended over one another to give the appearance of a floor; but really beneath was just dirt and withering grass.

Then; at the back of the room and just at the foot of a king sized bed there lay two separate padlocked cages made of wood & bones glued together with some yellow-green adhesive - and inside those cages were two humanoid beings. My eyes went wide as I took in their appearances. Both of them were elven; one a man and the other a woman - however they couldn't have been more contrasting despite their elven similarity; the man was fair skinned with brown hair and almost feminine looks - whilst the woman was dark skinned with white hair and an almost royal way about her. Her skin was a dark bluey-grey, her head was ornamented with golden earrings, loops, headdress & small chains that adorned small purple gems that lay incrusted within; the same shade of indigo as her eyes that I now found myself were staring right back at me. The moment our eyes met I felt an electrical impulse that traveled throughout my body, a feeling that I couldn't even put into words - it was alien, monumental, spiritual even. I was at a loss for words until she helped me out in that regard.

"Hello?" She asked as if testing me, to see if I was even real perhaps.

"Hi?" I reflected her tone almost subconsciously as I began to piece things together in my mind. Hearing her speak the male looked up also; his hazel eyes almost jumping out of their sockets when he laid his sights on me.

"Are you here to rescue us? Oh thank the gods! Please do hurry, that brute may come back at any moment." The pale elf plead in hushed tones as he pointed towards a cabinet behind me. Getting the picture I went to scurry through the drawers but found nothing resembling a key inside.

"Please hurry sir, this might be my only shot at escape!" The elf pressed his urgency, grunting in annoyance at not being able to find the damned key I decided to fall back on plan B; fire magic. Walking up to the cage I gripped both metal locks, one in each of my hands and began to channel incinerating touch; making the lock glow an orange hue until liquid metal began to pour down into the rug below that was now starting to catch fire. When the metal was sufficiently turned into liquid I pulled back the cages and released the two from their captivity; however the fire that was slowly licking at their feet as they hopped out had alerted the men outside who must have seen the smoke rising out of tent and were now starting to ring the alarm bells.

"Do either of you know how to fight?" I turned to them both, the man shook his head frantically whilst coughing, however the woman nodded slowly.

"I can assist you with my illusions; but I'm afraid I won't be of much help elsewise." She admitted with an ounce of fear in her voice.

"That's ok, stay behind me both of you and do what you can; first let's leave this deathtrap before we all turn into ash." I guided them out of the tent and into the open air where now the presence of the bandits could be felt all around us. There were maybe 20 of them at a guess from the footsteps and the various individual breaths I could hear all around; directly in front of me 5 bandits were beginning to charge straight at us with blood lust reeking off of them; screaming in their drunken stupor and eager for the fight they barreled right at us. Quickly unsheathing my broadsword I parried one of the bandits raised spear head as he made to pierce my throat, using his momentum against him I slashed down and decapitated him and then disembowled the man directly behind him in a single strike. Seeing two of their friends become bloodied meat in an instant caused them to pause for a moment; stunned from the sudden annihilation they faltered and that was enough time to swing my sword in an arc ahead of me; none of them were hit directly by my sword but given the sword had been enhanced with the aspect of wind; the very air itself cut through their midsections violently; leaving nothing but blood and gore spurting from the newly formed orifices where there chests had once been.

However I didn't have much time to adapt as off to my side I first heard and then saw a group of 4 archers pull back on their bow strings and then let loose a volley of arrows directly at me; however I could easily anticipate their flight path; swinging my sword in a low arch at my feet; sending up a wall of wind that deflected the arrows upwards into the sky where they soon lost velocity and soon harmlessly fell to the floor. The wind wall had been an ability I had been practicing out in the yard with Elise; with this being my first time utilizing it in actual combat.

However not even being allowed a moments respite; no sooner had the arrows fallen to the floor did a troop of 10 bandits begin to surround the smoking tent behind us as it choked out blackened plumes from raging inferno that was developing from within.

"Can you distract the archers with your illusions?" I asked the female elf, gulping she nodded and brought up her arms to begin casting her illusion magic; a purple cloud enveloped around her hands and then drafted down to her feet where it pooled and began to encase her body in its indigo fog; as all this is happening I'm fending off multiple spear jabs from the bandits that are utilizing the reach of their weapons to keep at a distance to me - growing cautious after seeing what I had done to 5 of their friends no doubt.

One of them eventually got a little too boisterous or cocky perhaps; as he went to charge at a time when he felt I was too preoccupied with a block, however he wasn't to know that I had left that perceived opening up intentionally - no sooner had he realized his slip did I take the top portion of his skull clean off; exposing his brain that proceeded to mix into the mud when he fell forward into a motionless slump.

Hearing screams off to the side I saw that the 4 archers were flailing their hands about at invisible enemies; one of them even shot his bow into the bunched up crowd of his fellow bandits during his feverish fight with whatever projected phantasm he thought he was fending off. With that side covered by her magic I was freed up to deal with the bandits that were grouped up ahead of me in a sort of roman spear wall formation. Casting flames into my hands I set forth a row of spears of my own; flame spears to be exact that I proceeded to shoot out of my fingertips - the flaming hot shafts of fire piercing through each of their bodies with ease.

Their screams were sordid and agonizing to the ears, but brief nevertheless as I had aimed for vital organs. They may have took their time with those nomads, but I wasn't about to stoop to their level; I had standards after all. As the flames seared their newly burnt orifices I turned on the screaming archers and sent a wind blade directly at their heads; taking them off all in unison. Now the camp turned to relative silence, save for the flickering of flames of my own causing & the bellowing of smoke from within the once lavish tent that was now half aflame and beginning to collapse in on itself.

Then, there came a thud off to the side as the man of the hour himself rounded the corner; fidgeting with his belt and a mean, mean look on his face.

"I leave for one minute to take a shit and come back the next to see my entire camp wiped out along with all of my men!" He fumed with barely contained rage, reaching for his axe he pulled it out and swung it at an intruding set of boxes that barred a straight path between us; sending the splintering wood hurling the ground off to the side of him. He was a burly, beefcake of a man that stood at a height similar to the instructor; his head lacking of hair save for a small amount of stubble that patched his face in odd places; oddly missing his eyebrows too I noted. As he readied to make for me, he noticed my newfound companions behind me first which stifled his approach.

"You freed the elves too? For fucks sake this just isn't my day." He sighed deeply and then looked back to me again. "Do you have any idea who that woman is? If you have any sense you'll leave her to me and get out of this place immediately; hell I'll even let you take the other one with you." Was that really his ploy all along? Bargaining with me to save his own skin by acting like he was doing me a favor? I couldn't stifle the laughter that came unbidden from his dire attempt. His jaw clenched at my derisive attitude; but before he could respond the 'other' elf in question chimed in.

"I'm afraid to say that I would also echo his advice; that 'thing' standing behind you is no ordinary elf; no true elf at all by my estimations in fact." His words dripped with venom as he spoke about her which took me aback, weren't they kindred? Sure she may have darker skin; but was she really any different? "She is what my kind call a 'Dark Elf', and although they are elf-kind; they are twisted aberrations of what our lord and god created. They are made up of the rejected and scrap parts of what his lordship fashioned us elves into being; those unwanted parts he tossed aside into the vacuums of space where the darkness of the void seeped into them and blackened their skin with its evil power; these discarded parts eventually coming together to form a meteor around it that sends their despised form across the far reaches of the universe - with every now and then the location of these meteor crash sites being unlucky and misfortunate enough to land upon our worlds surface." Now pointing at her he finished; "And from those meteors; prophets of ill-omen such as her crawl out from. They are a blight on our world and it is with great caution that I recommend you listen to this... gentleman's offer." All the while the elf spoke, the dark elf looked off to the side and downwards looking as if all the world was pressing down on her. She looked as lonely and dejected as I'd ever seen anyone look before ever in the entirety of my two lives. A single tear fell from her one visible eye and fell to mix with the dirt below and I knew in that instant what my answer would be.

"No deal, a cute girl like her just needs a place to call home and people who accept her. She's no danger at all, you're just giving weight to superstitious persecution narratives because you're scared of what you don't understand." To that her face shot back at mine with surprised look, giving her one reassuring smile before I returned my attention back to Orken who shook his head in exasperation.

"You should have listened to the elf, kid; his kind know best about their own history after all. Not that it matters anymore - my deal went off the table the moment you started laughing." Hefting his battleaxe onto his shoulders he began to walk menacingly towards me. "This camp will become your tombstone; nature will rot and erode it until nothing is left to mark your passage. Cry now, fore that will be the only mourning you'll receive." No sooner had he finished did he lunge at me with a downwards swing from over his shoulders; which landed into the dirt beneath where I just a second ago been - leaving a miniature crater in its wake.

Parrying his follow up slash with my own blade I reeled back from the weight of his axe; my one good eye shot open as I realized this mans strength - he was much stronger than I had been anticipating and a lot faster than he looked - realizing I couldn't brute **** him like the others I thought back to the instructors fight with Sidius. As the cogs began whirring in my brain I came up with a plan - first I outstretched my free hand and planted a brief incinerating touch onto his chest which he soon jumped away from cursing in the process. Damn, the touch had been too brief to cause any substantial problems but at least it had earnt me some distance.

Using the flame spears again he responded by curling up his cloak and I watched in great surprise as the spears all but dissipated upon contact with the fabric. An enchanted cloak that resisted fire? I hadn't even considered such a thing existed. Cursing internally that the bandit had now seen two of my trump cards and would be much more cautious to my usage of them from now on I decided to wait and let my opponent make the first move. A bead of sweat made its way down the side of my face as the fights breadth & depth were now starting to dawn on me.

Not one for subtly he charged again and our weapons clashed again; however this time I had imbued my blade with the earth enchant that stabilized the structure of my blade and added much needed weight to counteract his own **** - and to my shock his axe became imbued with fire which burnt into my sword as sparks began to fly. Realizing that being locked into a stalemate with a fire imbued axe would be at a loss for me the longer it went on; on account of my blade being reduced to molten steel eventually - I went for another incinerating touches only for him to knee me in the gut beforehand which sent me rolling to the floor; which I managed to deftly dodge his follow-up swing that singed the ground where it had landed.

"What's the matter kid?! I'm not as easy as you thought I'd be, huh?!" Screaming he began to charge again but this time I pulled out one of my trap cards; as he was running I lifted the ground ever so slightly by a small mound that surfaced just ahead of his charge that tripped him and sent him tumbling forward right in front of me. He was quick to recover; but not quick enough as I sent a wind slash diagonally towards him to press my advantage. He blocked the brunt of the blow with his axes handle but the wind was strong enough to find purchase going from his stomach up to his pecs.

"And now I dub thee; Orken 'thrice sliced'." I couldn't help myself. Orken looked down to see his chest had been adorned with a new freshly cut scar that overlapped with the previous two; that and the fact that his axe had been sliced in half at the handle - rendering his weapon useless now. Looking back to me all I could see was the searing hot whites of his eyes as he gave way to the fury that bubbled inside. Launching at me now I noticed for the first time his fists; they were adorned with spikes on each knuckle like a duster from my old world.

Trying my same trick again I tried lifting the dirt around him in order to trip him but to my shock-horror he ripped up the mounds of dirt as he ran at me - removing any and all obstacles between us. Bringing up my sword I could do nothing but parry each one of his punches that he sent my way; the blades edge was doing some damage to his fists but the metal spikes and guard around his leather-wrapped fist did a good enough job of protecting him from losing his fingers. His approach was relentless; just as Sidius had been but unlike the instructor in that bout - I wasn't mirroring his control. It was enough to keep myself from being overran by his rage; being pushed back from every blow I was inching closer and closer to the now soaring flames that leapt from the shouldering tent behind me.

With every punch his skin reddened deeper and deeper - like all semblance of humanity was being drained from him the more he reeled back and released his fist; not only that but the speed of his swings was starting to ramp up alarmingly each time. Enchanting my blade with the earth aspect I did my best to fortify my position but found myself losing ground faster and faster until the inevitable happened; my body couldn't keep up with my mind and I missed a block - his fist came tumbling down in my chest that sent me hurling backwards almost into the flames themselves that I could now feel licking at my skin almost. The heat was unbearable now and if that wasn't the worst of it; I could feel the thumping of his feet impact the ground as he steamed ahead at me like a demon possessed from hell. His skin reddened now to the point of blood - of which streams poured from his eyes and mouth as he gave in to whatever foul skill that had occupied his mind, body and perhaps even soul.

As he lunged at me I made a split second decision to utilize a spell I rarely if ever used due to its cost on my stamina - I pooled my magic into my feet and lunged forward also; however just as he made to dive tackle me into the flames - my body phased from existence and reappeared a short distance behind him tumbling to the ground and panting for breath. He however carried on going; with nothing to grapple onto his found himself deep amidst the fires that had totaled his once royal tent to sinders. Screaming in agony his rage finally gave way to pain; and just as he made to wade his way out of the inferno - I used the last of my stamina to conjure as small tornado around his person that fanned the flames and raised the temperature even hotter than it had been before - watching as his skin blackened and carbonized and his agonizing screams soon stilled, his hulking form dropping to both knees and then planting face forward as the fire consumed him.

"This camp." I breathed hard. "Will be your funeral pyre, Orken." I gasped the air back into my lungs. "Not my tombstone." I sat up using my arms to rest into the dirt.

"G-good lord." I heard the male elf say from behind me as he watched the bandit burn to **** before his very eyes, looking back to see that the dark elf had her eyes on me; only to look away shyly as our gazes met. Good, they had been unharmed by his ****, honestly in those moments that he was punching me I hadn't even a second to spare on my surroundings; it was just pure focus on blocking his attacks. Speaking of which I coughed up a little blood, tracing a hand I tested the impact zone of his fist and reeled back wincing.

"Damn, a broken rib I think." I grunted as my hands began to glow green; hovering them over the wounded area I did my best to patch up and splint the injury. Well, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger I supposed. Picking myself up I noticed the dark elfs feet were slightly singed as well, thinking back to it she must have burnt herself when she hopped over those flames I had made inside of the tent.

"Here, let me heal your feet." I dropped to a knee before her and she jumped back startled from my approach; I imagined she probably expected me to hurt her or capture her like Orken had done; but when she looked back into my eye I could see a sense of understanding dawn on her. Hesitating at first she eventually complied; trusting me she skittishly extended her bare foot that I took in both my hands. She gasped at the touch as I clasped around the sole of her feet, realizing it must be tender I apologized and got to healing her. As the glow enveloped her foot she started blushing and could no longer look towards me.

"Is that feeling better? Sorry for the duration; healing magic was never one of my strengths." I laughed and then coughed up a little more blood. I was healed up but there was still some remnants of blood pooled in my lungs still it seems.

"Are you ok? My feet are fine now, you should really..." She again couldn't meet my gaze as she looked away embarrassed from my dumb, smiling face.

"I'm fine, just a little left over blood is all. How about you? Do you need assistance?" I turned to the male elf who brought up his arms and shook his head.

"Thanks for the consideration sir, but as you can see my feet were shielded from the flames." Looking to his feet I could see that he wore a pair of well worn leather-bound shoes that had taken the brunt of the flames. "Now that we're free of his confinement; I really must express my gratitude towards my savior in reiterating once again my advice to you; that woman isn't to be trusted. Please, you have spared me of a life of **** servitude & untold suffering so allow me to return the favor; I implore you to separate yourself from this individual immediately - she is a calamity that will ruin your life, whenever her people show up in history they are always heralded with catastrophe and misery beyond words. Please, reconsider your position." The elf practically begged, sighing I shook my head with a smile.

"No person is ever truly lost" My thoughts immediately went to Sidius. "Whatever troubles may follow her; I will dispel them, whatever necessity she lacks; I will grant, whatever calamity may come; I will overcome." I finished, at this point tears were streaking down her cheeks as she did her best to rub them away like a child might. Although looking at her now, like me she was also a child. Around 16, just the same as me at a guess. Looking at her now it was hard to imagine that she had 'crawled' out of a meteor; imagining the loneliness of her existence up until now was heart wrenching, it really gave me a sense to protect her, like I would to a lost kitten that was mewling for help.

"Did... Did you really mean that, that part about a home?" She looked at me now, eyes watering & barely daring to hope. Before the fight with Orken I do remember saying something like that, smiling I nodded.

"Of course, you can stay with me and my family. You can be like my adopted sister! That is, if you wanted to." I grinned widely at her, hearing this caused more tears to fall unbidden as she now openly sobbed, seeing this I wondered how the other elves could be so cruel to dark elves; couldn't they see that they were people with feelings just like everyone else? Whatever sick & twisted slander had been normalized around dark elves I vowed in that moment to cleanse of all falsehoods.

Wrapping her up in a hug I pulled her head into my chest and held her there as she bawled into my shirt, letting out all of her loneliness and insecurities as the real healing magic took its course. For a while we just embraced there in that clearing as the male elf awkwardly stood by not knowing what to do with his hands before I decided to break the quiet.

"Where will you go now? My fathers hamlet is nearby if you need to pick up some supplies." I offered generously, the elf smiled but shook his head.

"Thanks my lord, but my destination is the neighboring territory beyond the lakes; and I hesitate to lean on your generosity any further, you've already done far too much for me; and it shames me to say that I've done far too little in return." The elf cleared his throat before continuing. "Which ends now; my name is Sarth by the way, a humble messenger from the elven kingdoms; it is my job to deliver information from one corner of the land to the other - and from my travels I come across many places and locations that grants me even more information; I take it the hamlet you hail from is Varden, correct?" To this I slowly nodded my head as I braced myself for whatever was to follow. "While I was in the town north of your hamlet, Clover Town if I recall correctly, I was spending a night in the inn when I overheard hushed conversation about a raid taking place in the next few weeks, a raise whose destination is Varden. I caught a glimpse of those discussing it but I daren't linger for too long and so I missed the rest of their conversation; but from the brief glimpse I could see that they were a rowdy bunch, and I marked their leader who was hard to miss honestly." After this Sarth handed me a wanted poster that he had crumpled up in his pocket. "I don't know why I held onto it honestly, but I'm glad that I did now. I'm sorry I didn't come straight to warn you, but I'm under strict commands to deliver elven business matters first and foremost." He looked down apologetically.

Unfurling the papers I revealed a pot bellied man with a ginger beard, his limbs were short and stubby & his hair unkempt and strewn about unevenly across his head, he smiled in the picture revealing rows of rotting teeth; some with holes through the middle of them. Looking at the words they read;

Wanted! Captain Harlont 'Iron Belly' Brand; fugitive from justice and wanted on many accounts of banditry, pillaging & drunken bar fights across the land. The bounty stands at 600'000 AxM - dead or alive.

So, such a man was coming to raid my hamlet? For my 16 years of age I couldn't think of a single time when my families territory had come under attack; we were far too secluded from the rest of the world for it to be worth it for most; but now all of a sudden two fairly well known bandits are either aiming at us or setting up shop beside us? I didn't like the information that was entering into my ears; although I supposed it was reassuring to see this 'Iron Belly' had a lower bounty than Orken. Thinking back actually, that duel was a lot closer than I had liked it to be; had I not set that tent on fire beforehand then I might be in a much worse state right about now.

Speaking of which, cursing I rushed to the tent and began casting some low level water magic to douse the flames; sending plumes of smoke into the air as the inferno gave way to a fine rain that sprouted from my hands - a rather pointless spell in most situations, but potentially a life saver if I ever ran out of drinking water. As the flames gave way to simple smolders; I dragged out the charred cadaver of Orken away from the ash and filth of the tents once interior.

"Fuck, I was supposed to take his head as proof to the justice tower, now that he's like this they might as well mistake him for a misshapen piece of charcoal." I cursed my absentmindedness. "And how am I meant to drag him home when he's still cooking! Damn I really messed up this time." I palmed both of my hands to my head as I racked my brain for a solution; I had to bring the whole body now because just the head alone might not suffice as proof anymore; and I couldn't carry him while he was still searing internally - and I couldn't exactly ask these pair to help lift a burnt crisp that was once human, that would be much too rude.

"Maybe I can help." The dark elf, now regaining her composure offered as she began to walk towards the blackened brute. Stopping at his feet she began to cast her purple mist once again as it wafted to the ground besides him and enveloped his crusted body with its deep indigo light. Finally and starting with the mans feet; his body began to crumble away into the air with the discarded pieces being siphoned up by a conjured black box until nothing was left save for the container that floated back inside of her bosom area where it had came out from.

"What was that?" I asked bewildered; she had practically swallowed up his entire body into a tiny little box that resided within her boobs! I couldn't believe my eye; all this time such magic to transport objects existed?! I had to know her secrets.

"It is a storage box that I can bring forth to carry things, I don't know a whole lot but I at least know that much." Interesting; so the skill could indeed be used to transport objects long distances without the added weight or cumbrance of more traditional methods.

"She can't remember anything that happened before the landing." Sarth clarified, hearing this raised a brow in surprise. So she was an amnesiac? It wasn't just the skill she wasn't sure about; but about her origins. "It is said that they retain no memories before the crash, but somehow still maintain a culture despite their otherwise blank slate." He went on. So that was it, it was like she has been in a coma since birth and then after an untold number of years waking up into the body of a teenager without having any prior experiences on this planet or seemingly any other. She must be absolutely bewildered the poor thing.

"They maintain a culture? What does that mean?" I sought out his clarification.

"They have a way about them that deviates from elf-kind; the ways in which they act and the words that they use aren't common vernacular or actions that we would take; it's a little hard to qualify but I suppose you will see for yourself; given that you've taken charge of her now." How they spoke, huh? Is that really enough of an excuse to get an entire race of people to persecute them so? Looking to her now I realized that we hadn't even been introduced.

"My apologies to both of you; I've just realized that I haven't introduced myself yet. How rude of me; my name is Edward Gate - second heir to the Vandor territory and assistant overseer to the respective land." Bowing ever so slightly to observe the lordly customs that my mothers had instilled into me. "I've been introduced to Sarth thus far; but might I know your name also?" I motioned to the dark elf who all of a sudden reverted back into a more shy demeanor.

"I... I don't have one." She admitted with a dejected look, well that wouldn't do - everyone deserves to have a name I thought. "What... Could my name be?" She asked expectantly. She was asking me to choose for her? Well this was certainly a first.

"How about..." My thoughts went to her meteoric origins; universe, space, astral, asteroid... "Astrid!" I blurted out suddenly, she echoed the name a couple of times and then smiled softly in approval. Well that was settled then! Her name would be Astrid.

"A portentous name to be sure, I will have to alert my masters to her existence when I return; you should be expecting elven dignitaries in the coming weeks to help smooth things over. It will be nothing so intrusive; my countries royal envoys will merely want to confirm her existence and nothing more - of that you have my absolute word." Sarth announced as he made to leave, bowing his head respectfully towards me he gave one final lingering glance at Astrid before popping his collar to the wind and making off towards the lakes. Given that he must have been travelling with those nomads I figured he'd know the way well enough not to mistake sulfur for water and so I left the rest to him.

Now alone with the dark skinned beauty I couldn't help but feel a little awkwardness in the air. Looking to her she reflexively cast her gaze elsewhere with a pinkish hue to her cheeks, she must be getting cold too. I really ought to get her back home quickly now that the bandits had been dealt with, and furthermore get her out of this frigid weather. Taking off my robe top I offered it to her gently, looking at the outstretched gift she eyed it and then myself with a seeking look. It seems she didn't quite get the gesture, the poor girl probably had no idea about social norms or what body language meant.

"Take it and put an arm through both holes, it'll keep you warm on the journey." Smiling at her I emphasized the bundle with a small flex of my outstretched arm, Astrid reached out gingerly and took the cloth from my hands and then experimentally fondled the garb trying to find which arm went into which hole; I stifled my laughter so as not to be rude when I watched her put the robes on backwards before realizing her mistake and correcting the orientation.

Now wearing it correctly she smiled back at me fully for the first time; feeling my heart skip a beat the very moment those pearly whites flashed before me I had to **** myself to clear my throat to keep my composure. She looked very cute wearing robes much too large for her to realistically wear; hell the robes almost went down to her knees they were that mismatched to her form.

"Looking good! It almost looks like a skirt on you."

"A skirt?" She asked inquisitively.

"It's a sort of clothing women tend to wear to cover a part of their legs but reveals the rest." I tried my best at defining it.

"That sounds... Uncomfortable." She admitted.

"Does my robe feel uncomfortable?" I questioned.

"No, I like it." She smiled.

"That's good then, I'm glad you like it. Shall we walk and talk?" I asked her and motioned back up the trail where I had come from. Nodding she walked alongside me as we made to the trees; then just as we reached the treeline I noticed my mistake.

"It's going to be a bit rough on your feet, I didn't bring any spare shoes or anything, so how about I give you a piggyback ride?" She looked at me with a tilted head.

"A piggyback ride?" She questioned cutely.

"Here, I'll show you." Dipping down so that I was knelt ever so slightly I hooked my arms into diverts for her legs to go into. "Hop onto my back and hook your arms loosely around my neck and I'll do the rest." With some reservation at first she eventually found her way clambering clumsily onto my back. With some reformation of limbs and a little position change or two we found our way into the textbook piggyback pose.

"There, now your feet won't get scraped up by the thorns or sharp stones hidden amongst the overgrowth." Feeling her on my back she felt so light; which was partly due to my physique & my enhancements but was also certainly due to her scrawniness. I hadn't noticed so much before but she really was quite scrawny, I'd have to introduce her to the cook and get her some extra portions.

For a while we walked in silence as I made sure to keep track of my surroundings and making extra careful to spot out traps that I knew were in the general area. Meanwhile I could feel her soft breath on the back of my ear all the while that I walked.

"What does sister mean?" She questioned out of the blue, thinking back I remembered when I had said that she could be my adopted sister - she must have been mulling on the thought for some while now.

"Well a brother and sister are people that share a really strong bond with one another; just like I share a really strong bond with my brother." A half lie, our bond had certainly been rebuilt but it wasn't strong by any sense. "Brothers & sisters that are siblings love & care for each other, and protect their sibling when they need help. Stuff like that." Hearing this Astrid paused for a while as she sat and thought before speaking up again.

"Does a brother always love a sister?" She asked hopefully. I laughed and nodded my head.

"A good brother will always love his sister." I reassured her, which seemed to make her happy as she rested her head against my shoulder.

"Then does a good sister always love her brother?" She whispered into my neck as she began to doze off almost.

"Yes, siblings are supposed to love each other." I explained with a smile, although my thoughts naturally drifted to Sidius and how turbulent our relationship had been.

"Why... Why do you want me as a sister?" She asked an important question; why exactly had I chosen her? Perhaps it had been the look in her eyes, the lonely, pain filled abandonment that made me feel for her so; or perhaps it was also the fact that she was an imprisoned girl that I had freed from her captor and that had flared up some protective nature within me and made me want to look after and care for her. Although I knew deep down in my soul what the true moment was that brought me to this conclusion.

"I just knew, the moment I looked at you inside of that tent that we were supposed to be together; it was a sort of impulse that I felt within my heart, I can't reason it any other way. I felt like we were kindred spirits that were destined to meet, and seeing you look so lonely and afraid I guess I just wanted to make you my sister." I admitted although with a flush of embarrassment as I realized how corny it all sounded now being said aloud. However I could feel her heart thumping into my back as I carried her through the forested grounds, practically jackhammering through even the thick wool of my borrowed robe top. She was beginning to breath heavier too with her exhales becoming more ragged by the second.

"Are you ok? Do you need to take a break and have something to drink." I offered her, worried that she might have come down with something back at the camp. With her forehead still burrowed into the crook of my neck she shook her head no. Sighing I could see that perhaps I was springing things on her too fast, maybe I ought to slow things down and talk this out more.

"I realize that I'm asking for a lot here and you might not be comfortable accepting right away, or at all really, but the offer is there if you want to; elsewise we can house and feed you until you find somewhere that you want to go and I can help you get there; wherever it is that you want to be. You don't have to be afraid around me, I will never hurt you." Feeling her arms tighten around my neck I could also begin to feel her ease into me more comfortably than she had before; as if those final walls of doubt and distrust crumbled down to its foundations.

"I want... To be with you." She spoke in a small voice barely above a whisper; muffled into the fabric of my undershirt but still audible enough to be clear as day to me. A warm feeling began to wash over me as our desires connected just as our bodies were; I hadn't even realized up until that point that I had been so invested - but just hearing her accept my offer brought an invisible weight off of my shoulders.

"So, we're siblings then!" I beamed cheerfully trying to get her out of her shell.

"No." She sounded off in a decided tone. Almost tripping up from the surprise I was about to question her when she clarified. "You are my star lord." She nuzzled into my cheek and relaxed deeper into my back. I don't think she could press into me any deeper without us melding together at this point. Star lord?! I mean, it sounds badass but why the sudden change?

"What's a star lord?" I decided to start off with definitions; maybe semantically they mean the same thing or something.

"It just means... We share a strong bond, or something, just like what you call 'siblings' but a lot stronger." She fidgeted with my undershirt as I passed by tree after tree. "The strongest bond, an unbreakable one that I can only give to one person for the rest of my life." Hearing this it was my turn to have a pounding chest; her sweet words and sincere candor was setting a flame under my heart that I could hardly believe to hear them being said towards me, of all people! This was something that only happened in fairy tails, but now it was happening to me?

"I-If I'm your star lord, then what should I call you?" I tried to maintain my cool but this whole situation had me in tatters, I could still hardly believe it; was she seriously saying she was 'bonded' to me for life? What did she even mean by that? Did she mean... Did she mean as friends, or did she mean in 'that' way?..

"I'm your star servant! Or Astrid, I like both." Dragging me back from my racing thoughts she hit me with a brand new blow to my psyche with that whole 'servant' part. I'm still not sure if I exactly got the situation still; but feeling her smiling cheek against my own & her more lively attitude as she shed more and more of that shell that she had formed around herself I couldn't help but feel as if this was the best direction that this conversation could have taken.

*Crunch*

Hearing a twig snap in the far off distance brought me back to my senses as my ears pricked up and I focused in on my surroundings. I could hear footfalls straight ahead of me, a small group of adult military aged men I knew almost instantly, five - no; six men in total. They were on a direct collision course with where I currently stood; but they couldn't see me yet just as I couldn't see them.

"What is it? Why have you stopped?" Astrid asked me in a worried voice.

"There are people approaching, coming our way, I'm gonna set you down and get in a better position to ambush them if necessary." My eyes darted to a small bush besides a tree. "See that bush?" I pointed to the spot I had noticed. "Go hide there, don't come out until I tell you it's safe." She tried to protest but I urged her inside nevertheless. I couldn't guarantee her safety as I was now; I had only narrowly beaten Orken after all and he was just one man; a crazed, jacked up marauder of course - but who's to say that these men approaching aren't any worse? And there's six of them, too.

Getting into a position high into the canopy above where they were going to be traversing; I bided my time and patiently waited for their arrival. Hearing them get closer and closer to the point where they were only a couple of yards from my position; I could feel a bead of sweat pour from my head and fall to ground below. Not three seconds later I heard the stretching of bow strings which widened my eyes; immediately I dropped from the branch and combat rolled in their direction to break my fall; raising my sword from its sheath and enchanted with wind - ready to slash the aggressing bowmen into bits before I all but faltered after a fashion and almost fell flat on my face from shock.

"F-father?!" I yelped out as I stemmed my hand before I finished the swing.

"Damn it Edward! We almost mistook you for a damned highwayman hiding up in that tree like that!" My father raged out as he scruffed me by my undershirt and lifted me to him. "And where's your bloody robe! Do you have any idea how expensive that cloth is?! In fact never mind all that! Where the hell have you been? Don't tell me you took care of Orken on your own?!" My father washed me with his spittle like a cat might groom his kittens; except for that this was a much less pleasant experience than that.

"I... I did." I started to admit. "I killed Orken and his men, but not on my own! I had a little help from an unexpected source." Feeling him begin to release me but still with rage in his eyes he went on.

"What unexpected source?" He questioned with neither wrath nor rage dimmed from his features. Calling out her name I first heard a rustling from the bushes and then watched as her dark purple, almost black form crept out from behind a tree. Seeing her appear I felt father give out the last of his grasp on me as his hand fell limp to his side, along with a few gasps from the guards that he was leading on this mission that I could now grasp was to either assist or retrieve me in all likeliness.

"A dark elf!" One of the bowmen shouted, more amazed than frightened.

"Is it really so? Are my eyes deceiving me?" Another commented, making an effort to rub his eyes to validate that his senses weren't tricking him.

"Edward..." My father went to speak next. "Do you have any idea what she is?" My father who was normally a pretty jovial fellow was now uncharacteristically very serious, which unnerved me in a way.

"Yes, her name is Astrid. And from now on, she's uhh, she's gonna be my sister!" I announced to a backdrop of gasps and shocked looks from the guards.

"No not sister! I'm his star servant!" She clarified, now at my side with an arm looped around mine hugging herself close to me. Seeing this my fathers eyes were shot back in surprise and he had to shake himself out of his stupor to even respond.

"I mean... I'm not against taking her in son, I know you made the right decision saving her; but what's all this about sisters and servants?" Would that I could explain it myself father, truly I am just as clueless as you are. Looking at me and perhaps gauging my own confusion he shook his head. "No, never mind answering that. What's important is getting her home, washed up, fed & rested. We can discuss things on the morrow." Ordering his men backwards they encircled me as I began to piggyback Astrid again, and as a unit we walked back to the manor where there was more than dark elves to discuss; the pressing matter of 'Ironbelly' and his raid was also on the tip of my tongue.

But all of that can wait for later, right now it was all about putting one foot ahead of the other and getting her back to her new home.