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Chapter I
Arrival
The wind picked up, blowing the hood off of the woman’s forest green cloak. She shivered slightly as her almost black hair whipped around her in the gale. She scanned the forest with her hazel green eyes, searching for the end. She smiled when she saw the edge of the trees. She was glad the trail led out of the forest; she had always found its pathways deceiving. As she walked out of the forest, she could just make out a small village in the moonlight.
--
Jonathan sighed, tucking a stray bit of his shaggy brown hair behind his ear as he wiped down the bar. He and Daniel had just kicked the last of the drunks out of the tavern. He was worried about Elizabeth.
‘Her letter said she was fine, but I hate her being out on her own. And I miss her. Dammit! Stop this, she may be your adopted sister, but that’s no reason to fret constantly about her. She’s a grown woman…’
“What are you so depressed about?” Daniel asked, concerned eyes betraying his careless tone.
Jonathan looked up at his co-worker, his friend. Daniel always looked too young to be working in the tavern. His short, blond hair a mess; pale blue eyes shining; and he was too short, only 5'4, to look his 21 years. The tips of his Elven ears peaked though his hair a little. Jonathan smiled; they had always told the town people it was just a weird birth defect.
‘They’d sooner hang him than accept him as a half-blood Elf. Jonathan chuckled. Oh well, it hasn’t been a problem so far. They’re easy to fool. And I’m glad for that, I don’t know what I’d do without him.’
“Jon? You’re freaking me out, stop smiling at me and say something.”
Jonathan shook his head, his amber eyes glancing up to meet Daniel’s blue. “Sorry. Nothing. Just worried about Elizabeth.” ‘Elizabeth… she’s got me thinking again. I shouldn’t think about Daniel like that.’
“She’s not a child anymore.”
Jonathan rolled his eyes and went back to work.
“So you’re just going to ignore me now?”
Silence in response.
“Fine, I’m going to head out then. G’night Jon.”
“Sleep well, Daniel,” Jonathan murmured, refusing to look up from the bar counter.
--
When Jonathan finally headed up to his flat above the tavern, it was nearly dawn. He sighed, pulling the curtains shut on the one window in the flat. He walked over to his desk to re-read the letter from Elizabeth.
Dear Jon,
Everything’s fine on my end, I suppose I should visit you back home soon. Only send letters through Reid and Lilian if possible. I'll be back there soon enough. Or maybe not.
You see, I met this girl, Stallia, and she's really nice. Funny, cute, and a great cook (and don't even try to tell me you're all that too.) I might stick around here for a bit. I'll keep you posted.
On that note, have you found yourself a girl yet? Or a guy would be great too. Like, Daniel, why haven't you gone for him. I mean, most people like the whole blue eyed, blonde hair thing. Really Jon, I'm worried about you. I’ve been in contact with Daniel too, and he says you and Ella split. He said you seemed unhappy, but it obviously has nothing to do with Ella.
Anyway, I should finish this letter up, as Miss Stallia probably wants me to stop my mindless chatter as I write this.
Until next time,
Lizzie
Jonathan shook his head. It wasn’t that he couldn’t get a girlfriend. At 5’8, with his scruffy, slightly scrawny, starved artist look, girls didn’t exactly reject his advances. And at 24 he should have been in his prime. He’d been with a few girls before, but they never stuck around long. It was like they couldn’t stand his moping. Although, he supposed they just expected him to be constantly cocky and a bit too sure of himself. Truth be told, he was pretty insecure and too nice for his own good. And why’d she even mention Daniel like that. ‘He’s my friend, nothing more,’ he thought as he placed the letter back onto his desk and walked over to his bed. After kicking off his shoes, he lay back and fell asleep.
--
This village seemed normal enough, though she sensed there were other non-humans here. ‘Anything but pureblood humans wouldn’t be accepted here, yet there are some, she thought. Perhaps I can blend in this time. There are others here, no matter how well hidden.’
Walking through the village, she found an inn. She paid the woman at the front desk and the woman led her to her room.
“Thank you,” she murmured, her voice strangely quiet.
The woman nodded and went back down to the front desk.
She walked into the room, placed her pack down and sat at the edge of the bed. ‘Find a gathering place, like a tavern. I’m sure I saw one on my way into the village. Yes, that’s a good place to start as any,’ she thought as she lay back onto the bed, kicking off her boots. No sooner had she closed her eyes did she find herself in the realm of sleep.
--
“What ever happened to Ella?”
“Lay off it, Dan. You’re nearly as bad as Elizabeth.”
“You’ve dated half the girls around here and still haven’t settled down for more than a week. Wait a sec, you’re not into girls, are you Jon?”
“I said lay off.”
“So then, what about men? Should I go looking around the bar for you tonight?”
“Shut it.”
“Or what about me?” Daniel ducked and laughed as a wet dishcloth came flying at his head. “Okay, okay, I get it. I was just fooling with you.”
“Were you, now?” Jonathan asked as he walked by Daniel to retrieve the dishcloth.
“No, I’m madly in love with you,” Daniel replied with a roll of his eyes.
“Shame, I was going to take you up on that offer,” Jonathan murmured, wrapping his arms around Daniel’s waist from behind him.
“J-Jonathan?”
“Yes,” he whispered, his breath hot on Daniel’s neck, causing him to flush.
“P-please tell me you’re j-just joking,” Daniel squeaked.
“You think?”
“Then why haven’t you let go of me yet?”
“’Cause your mind is racing and you’re blushing and I think it’s hilarious,” he replied, finally letting go of Daniel with a chuckle. “God, you’re easy to embarrass.”
“Jerk!” Daniel yelled, tackling his friend to the ground.
“Hey!” Jon yelled as he hit the floor and started to wrestle back.
“Awwww!” came a loud squeal from the doorway.
Both men stopped their brawl to look over at the curvaceous blonde in the doorway.
“You two make an adorable couple! So other then you two finally getting together, what did I miss on my day off?”
“Bugger off, Natasha,” a blushing Daniel muttered as the two untangled themselves from each other.
Natasha giggled. “You’re blushing! Better watch out, Jon, looks like someone has a crush on you.”
“We didn’t… er…” Jonathan paused for a moment, seeing a few things in her mind that he hadn’t wanted to. “We didn’t, Nat. And have you forgotten that you work for me? Most people don’t treat their employers with such… whatever. Why are you here so early anyway?”
“Oh, I came here to quit.”
“What?” both men shouted in unison. It was a well-known fact that patrons tended to tip Natasha well. And the tips were all split at the end of the night between the three of them.
“Mmm-hmm. My mother’s fallen ill so I’ll be going back out to the farm to take care of her. My older brother can’t seem to manage the farm and her at the same time.”
The two stared at her as if she’d gone mad.
“I know you want me to stay, heck, I bring in half the tips, but I need to go.”
“Where am I going to find another server!?” Jon asked.
She sighed. “It’s not like I’m even needed here. The two of you were running it fine before I came along. Besides, if you want more tips just dress Daniel up like a girl.”
“He’s got the figure for it,” Jon murmured looking Daniel up and down.
“No way in hell!” Daniel exclaimed.
Jonathan and Natasha just laughed.
--
She walked into the tavern and went straight for the bar in the back. She left the hood of her cloak up so no one could meet her eyes. She sat on a stool and signaled the bartender over.
“Evening, Miss. What can I get for you?” he inquired, cheeky grin in place.
“Red wine,” she said in her unusually quiet voice.
Jonathan met her eyes and looked away immediately. ‘What?!’ “I’ll be right back with that, Miss,” he muttered, his smile gone.
--
“Daniel!” Jonathan hollered as he searched for the wine.
“Yes?” he answered, appearing shortly after hearing his name.
“Why isn’t there any wine here?”
“We’re probably out. Are you okay, you look pale.”
“We’ll have to go buy some tomorrow,” Jonathan muttered shakily.
“Jon, you okay?” Daniel asked again, slightly more concerned now.
“Hmm?”
“You look… distracted,” Daniel replied with a weak half-smile.
“The woman that asked for wine… her eyes… there was something… something inhuman about her. And she tried… she tried to tap my mind.”
“Where is she?”
Jonathan pointed. “The one with the hood.”
Daniel nodded and went over to talk to her.
‘Please, Daniel, be careful. Don't leave me here alone.’
--
“Excuse me, Miss?”
She slowly turned to look at him. Daniel felt as though her eyes could swallow him whole.
“Yes?”
Daniel paused for a moment, as if entranced, then shook his head and smiled. “Neither Jonathan or I could find any wine. Could I get you something else?”
Her eyes scanned him over again and she murmured something inaudible.
“Pardon me?”
“Why did he send you to talk to me?”
“Jonathan… he… he doesn’t like people prying into his mind,” Daniel replied, instantly covering his mouth with both hands, realizing his mistake.
“You have elf blood in you.”
Daniel’s eyes widened in shock. “Uh… Would you mind coming with me into the back room?”
She nodded and followed him into the back.
--
Jonathan watched their exchange for a short while, listening into Daniel’s mind.
“Bartender!”
‘Damn… better focus on work,’ he thought.
When he turned back to watch them they were gone.
‘Fuck.’
--
“Who the hell are you?” Daniel demanded as soon as they were in the privacy of the back room.
She smiled and let her hood fall back. “Terran, a pleasure to meet you.”