I hate elves. They’re all so prissy and dainty-even the men. They never get their hands dirty. They’re too busy singing and trying to look wise to ever actually do anything. Plus, they’re selfish.

Of course that opinion is in the minority around here. Everyone from Kissel to Fraerland nearly worships elves. My brother Bran said it was because people looked up to the elves who are everything they never can be. He said that elves are like a dream to us people, like a vacation from the cold reality of our lives. To me though, they only symbolize what’s wrong in this world.

“Cait!” My 10 year old neighbor Lillah ran up to the public well where I was drawing up water. “Cait, guess what!” she squealed, red pigtails flying.

“What is it?” I asked her. I picked up the two full buckets and started walking back home. Lillah hurried to catch up with me.

“Guess!”

“Okay.” I paused to readjust my grip on the handles. “Um… Did you find something?”

“Nooooo.” Lillah grinned at me.

“Did Apple give birth to her kittens?” Apple was a stray cat that Lillah’s older brother Jefri had found.

“Uh-uh.”She shook her head and smiled wider.

“Well then what is it?” We’d reached my house and I was getting impatient. I had lots of chores to do, more than usual because Bran wasn’t here.

“The elves are coming!” Lillah said gleefully, jumping up and down.

“What!” It was a good thing I’d already set down my buckets. Otherwise I’d have dropped them at that moment and spilled the precious water everywhere.

“It’s true,” Lillah said, calming down. “I heard Mama tell Airleas” - Lillah’s sister – “and when I was passing by the tavern I heard some other people talking about it.”

No way. Elves. Coming here? I looked around at the old, crumbling houses, the animal droppings covering the muddy road, our ragged clothes. Me in Bran’s old tunic and breeches, so faded and dirty they looked gray, Lillah with her torn dress that was three inches too short and her bare, shoeless feet. What would the beautiful elves think of us? Why were they coming anyway?

“Probably just so they can laugh at us,” I muttered bitterly.

“What’s wrong Cait?” I started. I’d forgotten Lillah was here. She was looking at me with concern. “Are you sick?”

“No.” I tried to smile. “Why don’t you go tell Jefri about this?”

“I was just about to. Bye!” Lillah ran off to find her brother and I went inside to think. Thank goodness Mama was in town and Papa was at the fields. I didn’t want to listen to them chatter on about the elves. I set my buckets just inside the door, then grabbed the broom to sweep the dirt floor.

What do they want? Are they trying to feel good by comparing us to them? By seeing how poor we are? Maybe they are actually concerned for us.

“Yeah right.” I smirked. “They’re probably feeling guilty. Maybe they think that by merely coming here, they’ll somehow make all of our problems go away.” I frowned. Even that was far-fetched.

“Hey,” a serious voice popped up. I stopped sweeping. Jefri was standing in the doorway. ‘Didja hear?” he asked, setting some wood down by the fireplace.

“Thanks,” I said, pointing to the wood. Then “I guess Lillah found you.”

He nodded. “You don’t seem excited,” he observed.

“Yeah, well, you know why.” Jefri nodded slightly, but didn’t say anything. I looked at him. His dark hair had grown out again so he was wearing it tied back, making him look like my brother. His tunic and breeches were cleaner than those of most boys his age and his expression more thoughtful.

Even though he was only 14, three years younger than me, Jefri was my closest friend, after Bran. And he, like Bran, knew how I felt about elves. Thinking about my brother brought tears to my eyes.

“Hey,” Jefri said softly.

“It’s okay.” I sniffed, and wiped my eyes.

It had been a month since I’d found out that my brother Bran had died while fighting against Lord Ahriman and his army. He and the 300 other revolutionaries had tried to ambush him, but ending up being ambushed themselves. It was a slaughter. No one survived. We didn’t even have a body to bury because Lord Ahriman had hacked them all up so they weren’t even recognizable. And the elves who had promised to fight with my brother backed out at the last minute because they didn’t want to get bloody.

“Okay,” Jefri said, looking uncomfortable. “Listen, I know that you can’t stand them, but at least just come and watch. If nothing else it will be entertaining.” Jefri grinned. “We can try to figure out which ones are male and which are female.”

I laughed. It is hard to tell the Elvin sexes apart. “Okay,” I said. “Let’s go.”

The town square was already filled when we got there. Nearly everyone in town had come, even those who were supposed to work the fields. I spotted my father and mother in the crowd. They were whispering excitedly and their faces were glowing in anticipation. It had been a while since I’d seen everyone look so happy.

“Come on. Let’s get a better view.” Jefri grabbed my hand and pulled me up to the front.

“Do we have to be so close?” I complained. “I don’t want them judging me.”

“EVERYBODY QUIET!” a voice shouted over all the noise. A man ran forward, eyes shining. “They’re coming!” His news didn’t have the effect the man had desired. If anything, the noise was worse than before. It rose to a roar as the first elf stepped into view.

He-at least I think it was a he- held a silver flute, the same color as his hair, in one slender hand. When the noise didn’t stop he raised the flute to his lips and played a short series of sweet notes. Everyone was silent by the time he lowered it. He turned back to face the way he had come and motioned gracefully to the elves behind him, then stepped aside.

The rest of the elves-twenty or so- stepped forward at his signal. When the shimmering group came near, the roaring started again, louder than ever. I silently wished that everyone would shut up. They were making the entire village seem to be a bunch of stupid oafs. I could see it in the way the elf nearest to me stared at us, as though we were something disgusting and unclean.

Definitely a girl, I thought, seeing the way her low-cut dress bulged near the top and revealed her large chest. I blushed at the thought of my own tiny chestnut-sized ones.

Her pretty eyes took in everything, from the gray patches in my mother’s hair to the grease stains on the blacksmith’s hands. The others were appraising us as well, although some had smirks on their faces instead of grimaces.

“I knew it. They just came to show off.” I didn’t think anyone could hear me over the noise, but as soon as the words left my mouth the elf girl stiffened. “Excuse me,” she said coolly, her voice more harmonious than the flute her companion had played moments before. “Did you say something?”

Should I tell her? I wondered. Why not? Just as I was about to speak Jefri interrupted.

“No, she didn’t say anything.” He looked at me pleadingly, silently asking me to be quiet. I sighed and nodded.

“Um-hm.” She didn’t sound convinced but didn’t say anything more. I could still feel her still eyes on us when she turned away.

“Why’d you do that?” I asked Jefri as soon as she had turned.

“Because, Cait, these guys might not like you saying what you said. Even if it is the truth,” he added, sensing my protest. “You don’t need to get into a fight with a girl whose brother can probably shoot you with an arrow 20 times before you blink.”

“I wasn’t going to fight her,” I protested. “Not really.”

By this time the elves had apparently decided that they’d had enough of looking at us.

The flute boy came forward and played a few more notes. As soon as the noise had quieted down, an elf who introduced himself as D'Ary asked us to welcome the group’s leader. She was radiant. Her golden hair, so long it had to be held off the ground by a young elf girl, was full of braids and flowers more beautiful than any I’d ever seen. She smiled at us, invoking one out of each of us in return. Even I had trouble resisting that smile.

“Hello citizens.” Her voice was soft, yet it carried all around the square. “My companions and I thank you for welcoming us to your-quaint- town.” Her hesitation, so slight that I doubt anyone else noticed, reminded me that she was not to be trusted. “My name is Raiya. I wish to speak to the leader of this town.”

Rev, the blacksmith, eagerly pushed his way to the front. “I am, my lady. I’m the closest we got anyway.”

It seemed to me that Raiya’s smile faltered a moment as she beheld Rev’s rough appearance, but she quickly recovered. “We have things to discuss with you, my friend. It won’t take long.” Rev looked overjoyed at the thought of talking to the beautiful Raiya, but the flute boy took him aside instead. He didn’t seem very putdown; an elf is an elf.

While they were talking, Jefri spoke to me. “I can’t figure out if that one is a man or a woman.” He pointed to an elf with midnight black hair, almost as long as Raiya’s. She or he had delicate eyebrows above a pair of long-lashed blue eyes. The tips of each slightly pointed ear had a hoop running through it.

“Duh,” I said. “Obviously a girl. Look at the earrings. And the hair is so long and shiny.” I briefly thought of my own brown hair, dulled by coarse soap, then angrily dismissed it. When would I stop comparing myself to these people?

“The men wear earrings,” Jefri told me. “Even some human men wear earrings, Cait.”

“None that I’ve ever seen.” He was right though. All the elves present had at least one hoop in each ear. Raiya had at least six.

Flute Boy finished with Rev and spoke to us. “It has been decided that for the time being we will set our camp outside your town.”This was greeted by cheers. “For now, we would like to retire. We’ll see you at the feast tonight.” People cheered once more as the elves left. I went home, eager to finish my chores while Jefri went in search of Lillah.

A few hours later I had finished cleaning and my mother and father had returned. “Wasn’t that wonderful?” my mother gushed. “The elves are so kind. And tonight they’re providing a feast! Cait,” my mother said to me, “change into something nice. We want to look our best for our guests.” I could see it in her eyes that she had something planned. Probably thinks one of the elf-men will take one look at me, fall in love, and whisk me away.

I obliged anyway, changing into my nicest dress- the blue was only a little faded- but secretly I was thinking that I probably wouldn’t even go. I didn’t think I could last the whole night with them-the elves and my parents.

“All right. I suppose that will have to do.” My mother finished fussing with my hair-she’d twisted it back into a fancy braid- and squinted at the darkening sky. “It’s a little early but I’m sure it won’t matter. The others are leaving now. Come on, let’s get going.” She practically dragged my father out the door in her hurry to be the first to the party grounds.

It seemed like she already forgotten about me, but just in case I slowly trailed behind them for the first couple of minutes. The moment it seemed safe, I slipped away to the fields in the opposite direction. No one would think to look there if I was noticed missing.

I was taking my time and enjoying the moonlight when a voice interrupted my thoughts for the second time that day.

“Hey there.” I looked at the owner, startled. I hadn’t expected to meet anyone. It was the elf from earlier, the one Jefri and I had been discussing, not sure if it was a boy or girl. Up close it was obvious that he was a man, and a good-looking one at that.

Maybe Mom’s got the right idea, I thought, noticing his twinkling eyes and half smile. For a giddy second I was glad that I had been forced to dress up, until I remembered who he was.

Get a grip! He doesn’t care about your family or what happened to Bran. Besides, I couldn’t help thinking, he’s an elf. He would never like you. He probably thinks of humans as dirty and disgusting, like that elf girl from earlier.

“Are… you okay?” he asked, giving me an odd look.

Great, now he thinks I’m crazy on top of everything else. Not that it matters!

“Uh, yeah,” I answered.

“That’s it! I remember you now,” he said suddenly, his face lighting up.

“Huh?”

“Earlier, when I first arrived with my company, you and your brother were discussing my gender. “

“Oh,” I said, blushing scarlet. “You heard us?"

“So,” he said, grinning, “Did you figure it out yet?”

I nodded, blushing deeper.

“Heh. You’re cute. What’s your name?”

“Cait,” I said, becoming suspicious. Why would an elf call me cute?

“Hey, Kallan!” he called into the shadows. “I know you’re watching us. Why don’t you come on out and meet Cait?” I looked curiously in the direction he was calling. What was he talking about?

For a while I couldn’t see anything, and then out of the blue, another elf was standing next to me. This one looked different. Instead of the elaborate slippers and fancy silk hose the other males had been wearing, this one was dressed in simple breeches and a loose cotton shirt. His hair was different also. It wasn’t long and sleek like the others; instead it was short and spiked up.

“What are you doing here?” the first elf was asking Kallan. He sounded almost angry.

“Making sure you don’t do anything stupid,” Kallan answered in a low voice.

“Too late for that!” The elf rushed at Kallan who stepped nimbly out of his way. The elf tripped, and Kallan was immediately on him. That was when I noticed the sheath around his waist. Instead of reaching for a blade however, Kallan tied him up tightly with some rope that seemingly appeared from nowhere.

“Um…” What was going on?

“Don’t worry,” Kallan said, looking at me. “Afflis wasn’t planning on killing you. At least, not directly.”

“What!?” If I’d thought he would say anything, it wasn’t that. “What do you mean, ‘kill me’?”

“It’s disgusting,” Kallan said, looking ashamed. “Some members of the Company have been taking civilians as prisoners, planning on giving them to Raiya to get on her good side.” Kallan leaned over and actually spit on Afflis’s up-till-now smirking face to show his disgust.

“Why?” I cried, shocked and horrified at what Kallan was saying, and even more that Afflis wasn’t denying it. It wasn’t like I’d trusted him-I’d barely known him 20 minutes- but it still stung.

“So they can fight in her stupid power war. That’s why she came here in fact. She’s going from village to village to rummage as many volunteers as she can. The rest she’ll just force.”

I knew it! I knew they had an ulterior motive, I thought triumphantly, even though now was not the time. I sobered immediately though. I had almost been taken captive. If it wasn’t for Kallan I would have been sucked right up into it like God knows how many others. More than I am already anyway.

“Why did you help me?” I asked, afraid I’d gotten it wrong. Afraid that Kallan was planning on taking me instead or dong even worse. To my surprise, Kallan smiled.

“Why shouldn’t I?” he asked simply.

At this Afflis unexpectedly spoke up. “Oh please,” he snarled. “You’re acting like we’re evil. We have every right to use these humans. It’s an honor to them. They get to spend the last days of their lives serving the Graceful Raiya. A single day in service to her is better than a lifetime of living here.”

“That’s a lie!” I shouted. “No one would want to fight in your stupid war if they knew the truth!”

“You saw the way your friends treated us earlier. They idolize us.”

“They idolize the idea of elves, what they used to represent. Not what we are now,” Kallan said fiercely.

“I am so sick of you Kallan! You’re a disgrace to the company, and to me. To think, my own sister-” It seemed that Kallan had had enough. He punched his brother in the face, knocking him unconscious and causing a dark welt to form on his otherwise perfectly smooth skin.

Wait. Sister? He’s a girl? I looked at Kallan again, closer this time. The elf’s face was softer than those of the Elvin males I’d seen, eyes wider. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t seen it before.

“I get that a lot,” Kallan said, sensing my surprise.

“No! I-it’s not that. I mean…”

Kallan smiled, and this time she looked truly amused. “Why don’t we go to the feast? I’m sure Raiya has something interesting planned.”

“Hey Kallan,” I said as we were walking toward the town square, “Thanks.”

Kallan didn’t speak for a moment. She just looked at the sky with a wistful expression on her face. Then she turned to me. “You know,” Kallan said with a sad smile, “not all elves are bad.”

I thought about it. About all I’d seen and heard that day, all I’d felt too.

“Yeah,” I said. “Yeah, I know.”