The sound of swords clashing together echoed loudly into the late morning sky as two figures backed away from one another. Two elves, young in age but well disciplined, circled their opposite as the brutal strength of the near midday sun shined down upon their shirtless forms unabated. There was barely a cloud in the deep blue sky as Iskra watched the two teenage duelists mimic and taunt their opponent.

It was a hot, humid and downright exhausting experience for the young girl to just sit there, watching the spectacle unfold atop of a small hill. Iskra swiped the sweat from her brow as a gentle and refreshing breeze kept the otherwise intolerable weather at a pleasantly warm temperature. The consistent wind was a blessing in her eyes and had prevented the young girl from running off and hiding from the sun. She would have much preferred the two figures, far enough away to be unable to hear them, but close enough for her to make out their forms, to have conducted their training in a location with some source of shade for her to sit under, but she was willing to ignore her complaints for now as she continued to gaze upon Prince Aurelius as the young elven prince twirled his sword with a practiced hand.

Throughout the entirety of the duel, the golden haired prince had consistently repeated that peculiar motion. As she sipped on a refreshing cup of water, the banished girl wondered if it was a tick the young boy had developed. She had asked Velicion once she had noticed that the prince had kept doing it, but the sorceress had answered her with a shrug. Apparently it was just something that the boy liked doing, and that was perfectly fine with Iskra. As anything that the self-proclaimed hero of the river enjoyed, silently self-proclaimed by Iskra to be exact, she enjoyed as well. Anything.

Iskra let out a menacing giggle as she watched the fair skinned and well toned prince charge towards his opponent only to pull back at the last second. It was a strange dance that the two elves were playing together. Aurelius would, on occasion, charge in but pull back before his opponent could bring up his dual swords in defense. The second elf, someone who was of the same age and build as the prince, would charge at the prince before he could regain his footing. This particular elf, who by Iskra's own admission looked very similar to her hero but had a hair similar to that of the human girl in both length and color, would back away from his target just before the prince would bring his own sword into a defensive position.

It was a strange spectacle for sure, but one that Iskra admired. It wasn't because she understood the purpose in their methods, as she admitted to her own self that this whole ordeal made no sense, but because it served as a means for her to admire and gaze upon the perfection that was her heroic prince.

His golden hair gleamed brilliantly in the suns light as his long, well kept hair flowed elegantly just beyond his shoulders. His clean shaven face meshed well with his black and silver eyes as they captivated Iskra's very soul with every moment that she found her eyes locked with his. The world around him seemed to be clearer, brighter and crisper wherever the young prince went. The boy was taller than her, his body well built and his skin was unblemished by disease or scars. To her, he was perfection incarnate and he deserved everything that she could give him.

She had to claim him as her own. By any means.

She just needed a plan to accomplish that.

"Bah," Echoed the voice of Argonok as the heavily armored dwarf grew frustrated by the lack of blood being spilled. "What is this charade? A fancy dance for lovers before they turn to bed one another?"

"Calm yourself Argonok," Iskra replied as she turned her head to look at her recently appointed guard. A sinister smile crept onto her face while she imagined the aforementioned lovers as herself and the elven prince. "I'm sure that Prince Aurelius knows what he is doing. Perhaps they are training their reactions?"

She turned to look at Velicion who sat at the girls left side. Curious to find out if she was within an arms throw of being correct.

The elven sorceress turned to look at the young maiden and, once again, shrugged her shoulders as her answer. "Possibly," Velicion said as she looked back towards her prince. "I was never privy to what sort of education the prince had. I only just recently came to meet him for the first time, outside of official gatherings of course."

"See?" Iskra turned back to the dwarf as she felt confident in Velicions' answer while her voice grew poisonous with every word she spoke. "There's no reason to attack him for doing what he knows. So perhaps it is best if you stay quiet for now, unless you wish to try your hand in combat with him."

Everyone who had claimed a spot at the top of the hill turned to look at the raven haired girl.

Argonok, his face hidden and emotionless behind his armor, peered down at the girl while he gripped at the shaft of his halberdier as it stood erect and unmoving with its pummel implanted deep into the soft earth. Velicion looked at her in disbelief, unsure if she had heard what the girl had just said. Sylvia had a look of concern as she opened and closed her mouth as she sat there quietly, unable to speak up to her charge about her conduct.

"You're willing to let that pretty boy of yours come to harm? I won't hold back you know," The dwarf said as he flicked his head towards the dueling figures. "He might have a few scars on him by the time I'm done with him. A few lost limbs too, if you really want me to test him."

"There's no need for such violence," Sipping on the cool cup of water she turned back towards Aurelius and watched as his single sword collided with the black haired elfs twin blades. Such grace, such elegance the elven prince had. "Besides a few scars on him would only make him more attractive, more enticing, and more seductive." She had kept that last part in a whisper that even she had barely heard.

"What was that last part?" Argonok leaned into the girls face as he wondered if she would truly let him go toe to toe with the prince. "Something about being more se-"

"Perhaps," Velicion interrupted the dwarf as he was about to hit the bullseye. "A dwarf should stay out of the affairs of an elf. They are, after all, stubborn and repulsive while we elves are well mannered and gifted in beauty."

Argonok let out a bullish snort as he turned to look at the sorceress. None too happy at being looked down upon. "As if an elf could understand anyone but themselves," The dwarf backed away from Iskra and marched towards his newfound opponent. "Besides, what use is a dance like that in battle? The boy would just end up tripping over himself while he would try to stab at the enemy."

"The teachings that our most esteemed Arch-Mistress has bestowed upon her children is said to be of the highest quality, if not the best. The royal children of (Dark Elven King title or name) are groomed to be the pinnacle of our people."

"Arch-Mistress, phah," The dwarf mimicked Velicions words in a sarcastic tone. "Quite the fancy title she's got…For a washed up whore, that is."

Velicion gasped at his words while Sylvia looked between the two with great concern in her eyes.

Iskra, for her part, cared little about the argument between the two races and rolled her eyes as she slowly tuned out the words of her companions. She was far more focused on Prince Aurelius to be concerned about some childish insults being thrown around.

"The Arch-Mistress isn't some hussy you'd find selling her body," The irritated voice of the sorceress exclaimed as she pushed herself off of the ground to confront the dwarf. "She is considered as the most powerful sorceress our people have seen since the days of-"

"Oh, blah, blah," Argonok mocked the woman as he made his best mock impression of someone casting a spell. "Who would have thought that brownnosers and suck-ups wanting a piece of that kingly treasury would say such flattering things?"

"It's the truth!"

"And I'm some orcs lover," The dwarf callously waved away Velicions words as he spun around with one leg in the air as if he were a bard. This accomplished nothing except for burrowing his greaves into the dirt. "When was the last time anyone ever spoke ill of her? Hmm?"

"You," Velicion huffed as she made to topple the armored dwarf, but failed spectacularly to even unbalance the man. "You're nothing more than an uncultured swine!"

The two continued to chase and dance around the other. Argonok would say or do something that would cause Velicion to respond in kind, and vice versa.

On and on it went as Iskra did her best to ignore their obnoxious behavior and tried to keep a clear line of sight of Prince Aurelius. She had to shuffle around on occasion or grin and bear it as one, or the other would casually bump into her without so much as an apology. So long as the prince was doing what he was doing, she was perfectly contempt to allow her companions to act like children.

Sylvia, her face filled with agonizing concern, would try and butt in on a rare occasion. She eventually stopped when she realized that they wouldn't listen. Or they just didn't hear her at all.

She didn't know what could have caused it, but eventually, she watched as the black haired elf stopped and motioned towards the unruly onlookers.

Prince Aurelius, curious as to what his friend was pointing at, turned to look back at the hilltop. The boy cocked his head as he looked on in confusion as he most likely wondered what in the world was going on.

Iskra would've been happy to see that her heroic prince was looking towards her. She would've been pleased to revel in the fact that the prince was staring at her body with his sole and undivided attention on her beautiful form, but she knew that this was not the case. The prince stared not at her with a look of love or lust, but instead at the two bumbling buffoons who were ruining her image. An image that she needed the prince to take notice of and fall in love with.

Her last straw was when Argonok playfully fell to the ground while Velicion stood there stupidly, mimicking a dwarven woman.

"Enough!" Iskra stood and tossed her cup at the dwarfs head while she began to chastise her two companions. "You two are acting like complete children. Quit embarrassing yourselves before I have you thrown out!"

Everyone turned to look at the girl as she planted her hands on her hips in a huff. Now it was her turn to be in the spotlight.

"You," She pointed towards Argonok as he continued to lie on the ground. "Get up and act like the guard you are. I shouldn't have to tell you how one needs to act while on duty. And you," Iskra turned towards Velicion and stabbed her finger into the air. "Sit down, shut up and look pretty. That's all I need you to do right now. Is that clear?"

The two offered their apologies and returned to their previous positions while Iskra crossed her arms over her chest and sat back down next to Sylvia who continued to sit there, unsure of what to say or do.

"Absolute morons." The girl mumbled under her breath as she returned to watching the prince as he motioned for the black haired elf to continue where they left off.

Eventually, her sour mood eased and she once again found herself enjoying the graceful movements of her hero. All in all, life was good. Except for the whole banishment ordeal, but that eventually led to the coming together of Iskra and Aurelius. Prince Aurelius was someone whom she saw as her future husband. Not because of the age old fairy tales of damsels and knights in shining armor, but because she knew that destiny itself had weaved the two of them together. It just felt right.

Of course, those old fairy tales were also something she dreamed of living in when she was younger. That was just an added bonus for her.

Now all she needed was to find a way to bridge the gap between the two of them. There was Captain Boris who was one of the more obvious obstacles that could nip their relationship before it even began. She would have to deal with him in some manner before she moved to win over the prince for good. For the moment though, the more pressing matter was trying to resolve the unpleasant and often embarrassing issue of not being able to communicate with one another.

Having to rely on a third party translation was something that had begun to irk Iskra recently. It was frustrating to watch as Velicion translated for both of them, taking more time then she should as she translated. Iskra wondered if the sorceress was twisting her words to poison the princes' image of her. The girls' mood soured as she imagined her knight in shining armor disgusted by her and walking away for good. She needed to know for certain, but the only way to determine if her suspicions were true or not was for someone to learn the other's language.

She balked at the idea of Prince Aurelius debasing himself and learning her language. Why would he need to stoop to such embarrassment when he was at the top of his peoples' society and she at the very bottom? What she needed to do was show him that she was perfectly capable of learning and speaking with the prince on her own accord.

She would learn the language of the elves in secret, hiding the fact that she understood him until the day came where she would offer everything to him. Of course, she would need to enlist the aid of Velicion as she was unsure if any of the other elves knew a second language. She also needed to make sure that the sorceress was correct in the translation of her words; ruination would come to the elven woman if the girl learned that she had been made a fool of. A smile, full of venom and murderous intent, crept onto her face as she nodded her head.

Now all she needed to do was find a way to ask for Velicion to teach her.

----------------------------------------

"Absolutely not." Captain Boris said flatly as Iskra finished with her explanation about the need for a bridge that connected the humans and dwarves together.

"Wh- Why not?" Confused and downright shocked that the man sitting before her would deny her plan without even blinking an eye. "It would-"

"It would indeed be a perfect idea. Yes, I know." The man said as he cut her off before she could explain, once again, why a bridge was needed. "And while I do agree with you that this bridge of yours is needed. I'd like to point out that it's also not needed at the time. There's no need for any further carriage trains going to or from the dwarves and scouts could easily send a message to either side without issue and without the need for a bridge."

There was an infallible logic to what the man said. The expedition had been given plenty of men and horses who were more than capable of forging a river on their own or crossing great distances with ample time to spare, especially if these scouts were prepared and knew the land well enough. A bridge was something that was needed when their people needed to travel in greater numbers. Something like that wouldn't be necessary for a very long time.

Still though, she needed to find a way to convince the man that she was right in the idea that the bridge needed to be built now.

"And another thing," His voice interrupted her thoughts and unraveled what little strategy she had come up with. "Why do you need to go out there to begin with? We have plenty of people who are more than capable of surveying the land for this idea of yours."

Iskra winced at his latest point.

Captain Boris was right. In the initial planning stages, the kingdom had given the newly established expedition plenty of learned men who had been taught at the Royal Science Academy as well as her family's own institution, the Vesely Scientific Institute. There was just no need for a teenage girl to waltz about in the wild while more experienced and capable men were left to rot back at the camp.

She needed a solution to this new problem, and she needed one now.

"As you know," She began with a stutter as her mind slowly worked on an answer. "My mother is a brilliant woman." Captain Boris nodded his head at the mention of Duchess Vesely. Often times, the mere mention of the girls' mother was enough to win any argument. "She has spent years making a name for herself by improving the infrastructure of her husband's duchy. Often enough, she was doing this well before the Duke had even offered his hand in marriage. You've seen all the good that she's done for your lord's people. She's done nothing but bring glory to the Vesely household while simultaneously allowing the Duchy to bolster its coffers and bring in an era of a prospering and booming population."

With a huff and a smug grin she crossed her arms, knowing that every word she said was true. She didn't know the full story, but she knew that her mother had spent years traveling across the Duchy of Orul, tearing down old infrastructure and building them anew. On more than one occasion she would move a bridge that had more often than not fallen to disuse and saw very little to no traffic. These relocated bridges were great successes, the newly placed structures seeing all kinds of traffic day in and day out which led to an explosive increase in trade.

Her mother had a knack for that kind of stuff, and seeing as Iskra had been taught by the brilliant mother there was no way that she would be denied the opportunity to go out and survey for this apparently much needed bridge.

Step one of her plan was a success.

"No." The Captain stated as he leaned into the back of his chair as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Well, alright then. Another way perhaps.

"Then may-"

"Maybe not," He confirmed his commitment to his unmovable answer as he interrupted her once again. He wasn't going to budge, and Iskra was beginning to see that. "As I said before, a bridge isn't needed for the moment. So why should we risk material and men to build one?"

For that, she had no answer.

Seeing that the girl couldn't come up with a reasonable response the man continued to push on. "I'm sure that once we're more established and the kingdom finds it necessary to send us that cartographer of theirs, then maybe. But as of right now our time and efforts are better spent here, where we can work on getting things up to a respectable standard before we're sent more supplies and reinforcements."

"Very well," Defeated, Iskra let out a sigh and lowered her head. "If you'll excuse me I will be returning to my tent for the remainder of the day. Feel free to send for me if I'm needed." With that, she turned to leave.

Captain Boris nodded and called out to the girl to have a pleasant evening as he leaned over to one of his men and inquired about the camp's walls.

If the man wouldn't allow her to go out, then she would simply go around him.

----------------------------------------

"Wake up. Velicion," A quiet, gentle voice roused the sorceress from her slumber as her shoulder was being shaken in an abrupt manner. "Velicion, wake up."

"Not now sweetie," Velicion mumbled in an even quieter voice as she shuffled her body to try and shake the hand off of her slumbering form. "Mommy's too tired. Curl up with me, and I'll make breakfast later."

"No Velicion, it's me." The voice called out to her, louder this time as the hand took a more violent approach.

"Go away."

The sorceress planted her right hand over to what she suspected was the fool's face. How often did she have to repeat herself before the child obeyed? "Ickna Nuhwa-"She began to cast a spell. Nothing too dangerous, just one that forced its victim to obey her commands temporarily.

"Seriously, wake up!" The voice called out again as the elven woman was tossed flat onto her stomach.

Velicion had enough as she found herself wide awake and being irritated at having her incantation interrupted. "Since this couldn't wait till morning," Without even looking, the sorceress reached out and pushed the person aside. "How about I punch the ever living sh-"

She stopped instantly the moment she recognized Iskra's form as the girl looked up at her with an irritated expression.

"Sorry," The elf said as she extended a hand to help the girl up. "I didn't think you would be up this late."

She didn't know what to say in apology, just that she knew she needed to do so. Iskra was the last person within the camp that she wanted to make angry. Not because the well traveled elf feared the young girl or anything, but because it would only take a single word from her lips to kick out any of the elves.

The sorceress suspected that Captain Boris was only allowing their presence because of their actions at the river and the girl's fondness for the prince and his people.

"It's…fine," Iskra said as she accepted the helping hand while she brushed away at the dirt. "I can live with it."

Velicion doubted that she was the type of girl to just forgive someone for treating her like a child's plaything, but the sorceress was perfectly willing to accept that the girl was able to brush the incident aside. Even if it was just for show.

"Why are you here?" The sorceress asked as she wondered how late it was.

The girl that stood before her was dressed in her usual attire and looked to be ready for a new day. Iskra wore her usual brown tunic, green linen trousers, and oversized boots. The tunic, stained with dirt and fraying at the edges, hugged tightly around her massive bust. Something that she was assured would continue to grow as time moved ever forward. The girls pants were in a similar state, dirt stains were everywhere while hastily made patches were in various locations as the trousers hugged around her slim waist with a thin, nearly busted piece of rope being the only thing keeping the article of clothing on her body. Her boots were someone else's, of that she knew for a fact. Captain Boris had loaned them to her before the humans had set out on their little journey and now the girl went around doing her thing in footwear that would surely give her sores if she wasn't careful.

Someone really needed to give the girl some new clothes.

"I need your help."

That was all Iskra said, no explanation was needed apparently.

"With?" Velicion let the word linger in the air as she slowly motioned with her hands for the teenager to continue the explanation.

"I need your help with surveying for a bridge," Iskra shook her head as she realized that the elf couldn't read her thoughts. "And I want some of your people to help with that."

"Isn't this something that the Captain should handle? This seems like it would be more up his alley and not me."

"I've already spoken with him."

"Great," Velicion sighed in relief as she slowly returned to the confines of her bedroll. It wasn't a comfortable way to sleep, but it was something that was far better than she was used to in the past few months. "I'll talk with you in the morning then. Have a good ni-"

"He said we don't need one at the moment."

The sorceress let out a long, exhausted sigh as she stopped and turned towards the girl. Velicion had a feeling that this talk wasn't going to go away anytime soon.

"And? What do you expect me to do about that," Velicion asked sarcastically as she rolled on her side and tucked her body into the slightly too small camping equipment. "It's not like the man would listen to a word I have to say."

"We're ignoring the captain for now and doing this ourselves," Iskra waved her hands in front of her as she tried to get the elf to stop inching her body deeper into the bedroll. "I've got a plan all worked out."

Velicion was positive she knew where this was going, but that didn't mean she wanted to hear it.

"What's this plan of yours?"

"Simple," The girl said with a snap of her fingers as if it would truly be that easy to accomplish. "Think of this as a way to kill two cheating harlots with one arrow. Captain Boris doesn't really trust you or the dwarves at the moment. So what if we were to head out and find the perfect spot for a bridge that would connect us and the dwarves together? He'll have no choice but to accept you guys after that." Iskra poked at the side of her temple as if all of what she just said made any sense.

Besides her strange initial choice of words, Velicion could understand where the girl was going with her train of thought. That didn't mean she liked it however. She also doubted that the girl was only doing this to just bridge the gap between her people and the dwarves, and not in the literal sense either.

"So what does this have to do with waking me up at night?" She knew the answer before she even finished what she was saying. She didn't even know why she asked such a stupid question to begin with.

They were going to sneak out.

"We're going to-"

"Yes, thank you. I know. I realized that before I even finished." Velicion wanted to get this whole ordeal over with and interrupted the girl before she decided to explain an even weirder way to get out of the camp unseen. "What do you want me to do?"

Iskra's face beamed in pride as the sorceress admitted defeat and subjected herself to the girls' whims.

"I just need you to gather up a handful of your people. After that, you will meet Argonok and me at his tent. The guards don't usually hang out around there for some reason."

Velicion sighed as she began to push herself out of the bedroll while Iskra barged out of her tent without even waiting for the elf to respond. Why was it that she always seemed to be under the employ of overexcited fools?

----------------------------------------

"Where are they?" Iskra wondered aloud as she looked up at the pitch black night. Neither the moon nor a single star could be seen in the sky while the young girl clutched at her own body for warmth. For whatever reason, the nights here were frigid while the days were nothing but hot and humid. She cursed at whichever god had decided to create this particular region of the world.

According to Argonok, the two of them had been waiting for nearly two hours after Iskra had ordered the sorceress to assemble a team together. She wondered if elves were even aware of the concept of time.

"Sorry it took so long," The familiar voice of Velicion called out as she came into sight with four other elves. "I had trouble in finding who to pick."

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"It's-" Her voice was full of anger and resentment as she began to chastise the sorceress but stopped the moment she recognized Prince Aurelius as being part of the group. She would never allow the prince to see her in such an unwomanly state. "It's fine. Time isn't an issue I'm concerned with." She gave a pleasant smile to show her appreciation, but her tone was still venomous in nature.

Argonok mumbled something about her earlier complaints, but the dwarf made sure that most of what he said was unintelligible.

"So," Velicion clapped her hands together as she looked between Iskra and the dwarf. "With the two of you, we have a total of seven of us going on this little adventure, yes?"

Iskra nodded her head as she thought that seven was a perfect number to go out on this little expedition she had devised. No more, no less. Any more people and she would have believed that her true purpose wouldn't be able to be fulfilled.

One at a time, she looked over the assembled elves. There was, of course, Prince Aurelius and the sorceress Velicion as well as three others. One of them looked familiar, and if she wasn't mistaken it was the black haired elf that the prince was sparring with earlier in the day. It was far too dark for her to make out many details, but she did notice the twin blades and their familiar pummels. The other two looked to be similar to one another in appearance. They wore matching clothes and carried identical bows and axes of some kind. She couldn't make out any other detail, as the two of them wore hoods that covered much of their faces. She had a feeling that these two were siblings. Twins, most likely.

One of the twins turned towards Velicion and spoke to her. What was said Iskra, couldn't say or even begin to guess. Whatever it was, the sorceress put up her hand and said something in elvish. Her response was short and precise, after that the younger elf stayed quiet as Velicion turned to face Iskra.

"Shall we get going then? Which wall are we going to scale?"

What was she going on about? Where did this idea of hers even come from?

"We're not scaling any walls Velicion." The human said as she gave the sorceress an odd look.

"Through the lake then? Seems a little farfetched, but alright."

She understood now, the sorceress was telling jokes.

"Don't be silly Velicion; we aren't doing anything complicated like that. Besides, it's way too cold to be swimming right now."

"So where are we going? In terms of our exit, I mean."

"Where else," Iskra stated as she turned her right. "We're going through the front."

Velicion was stunned momentarily and watched the girl walk off into the distance.

Argonok moved to keep up with his mistress while the elves were slow in getting started.

"Didn't think you'd be the adventurous type." The Fire Guard said as he matched paces with the giant of a girl. His steps were far more noticeable than during the day, mainly because of how quiet the camp was at night compared to the busier daylight hours.

"I'm not," Iskra replied as she looked down at her bodyguard. "But if I have no choice in a matter and I need to do something then I'll do it. Even if that means I'll be complaining the whole way through."

The pair chuckled as they continued to make their way through the camp. At such a late hour the place was largely deserted and only the distant guards on night watch could be seen. The path they had taken was a relatively straight forward one as it led almost directly to the encampments front gates. On the rare occasion, Iskra took a detour to avoid the occasional patrol that made their rounds in the area. These detours were never a real source of trouble for the band of misfits as they had found themselves standing at the front entrance in quick succession.

"Halt!" A commanding voice cried out from somewhere within the shadows as two lightly armored figures moved to intercept the group. "State your name and purpose in being here."

Direct and professional. A few of the many tendencies that were instilled into her former family's soldiers.

"It's me," Irritation oozed from her lips as she was appalled at the prospect of having to introduce herself. There was no way that any of her father's men were unable to recognize one of the Duke's children. "Iskra."

"Aye, so it is." The bored but cautious voice sounded as if the owner had already recognized her. "What's your business in being here? Can't imagine that you've decided to go out on a little stroll around the camp at this hour."

The owner of the voice finally revealed himself. It was a man of average height and build, though Iskra couldn't really tell as he wore the armor that one would usually see worn by the soldiers in service to the Duchy of Orul and House Vesely. The only way that she would be able to recognize the man was by his voice, but he didn't sound familiar to her. Most likely the man had been pulled away from a more rural location within her father's lands.

"You happen to be correct," Iskra confirmed with the man as he looked over to the two other soldiers who stood with their hands on the shafts of their spears. "We're heading out for a while, and we need you to open the gate for us."

The three soldiers looked to one another before another word was spoken.

"Why would we do that," Their apparent leader said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Under whose orders, and why haven't I heard anything about this?" The soldier cocked his head as he looked between each member of the strange group. Taking extra care to memorize Argonok and the various elves. "Seems odd that someone would send you out so late to begin with."

"Yes, uh…" Iskra struggled to speak as she tried to invoke the captain and hoped that the soldier would back down and obey. "Captain Boris gave me permission to set out and survey the land for a possible bridge to help connect us with the dwarves. Time is of the essence after all."

"Makes sense," The man sounded dubious at her explanation. "So why did he decide to send you out? And why so late?"

Iskra had flashbacks to the moment she failed to convince the captain of her plan. The two men had a strangely similar level of reasoning compared to the other. Apparently, common sense was rampant amongst the Duke of Orul's men. Fantastic.

"The Captain believed that going out at such an hour would help reduce the risk of an attack on our group. He doesn't wish to have a repeat occurrence on a similar level as the river battle." A perfect excuse with a reasonable explanation. "As for why I'm coming along, that would be because of my education as well as the engineering clout of my mother. Who else could decipher the land around us and make a better plan for our infrastructural needs?"

There was an awkward silence as the lead soldier mulled over her words. The man turned to his left, and then to his right. Each time the soldiers nodded to one another as if they had reached an unspoken agreement.

Finally, the man spoke. "Right then. Carry on."

Iskra sighed with relief as she was finally glad that her explanation had actually worked. She wasn't as strong of an orator when compared to her parents, and most of her siblings, so she was glad that her words were able to convince someone.

"Thank you," The girl took a step forward. "We'll be on our way and-"

"I'm joking."

"Wha- Huh?" Flabbergasted she stopped dead in her tracks, unable to comprehend what was happening at that moment.

"You seriously didn't think I believed you, did you?" The man said with a smug grin on his face as he cocked his head towards one of the other soldiers. "Alexander, wake up Captain Boris and find out what's going on."

"Wait! Uh," Iskra began to panic as Alexander took his first step. She tried to think of something that could work, but could only mumble and watch as the assigned soldier dutifully went about his task. "There's no need to wake the Captain."

"Of course there is," The lead soldier said as he turned around to make towards his original post. "If what you're saying is true, then you won't mind that-"

"Perhaps I can give you the answer you seek?" Velicion coolly interjected as she reached out and grabbed Alexander by the shoulder, stopping the man from taking any further steps that would lead deeper into the encampment. "I have written orders from the Captain himself-

"You do?" Asked Iskra and the soldier almost simultaneously.

Velicion gave the raven haired girl a hard stare, baffled that she blurted out her own confusion without thinking. "As I was saying…Explicit, handwritten orders were given to me for safe keeping. If you would be so kind as to lead me towards a decent source of light, then I can help ease your worries."

Iskra watched, baffled by Velicions words, as the elven sorceress was led towards the gate. Light from a nearby torch flickered weakly as the group of four finally made their way towards their goal. As Iskra began to wonder what the sorceress had in mind her answer came in the form of a bright, white light that flashed in quick succession. It was over and done with before she could even blink.

She wasn't sure what had happened exactly, but she was delightfully surprised to watch as the camp's gate was slowly opened and Velicion could be seen waving towards the group and motioned for them to follow her through the now opened entrance.

"What did you do?" The young girl eventually asked as she finally caught up to the elf.

"I'll tell you later," The lithe elf stated as she motioned for the rest of the group to push on towards the forest. Her hand rested gently on Iskra's shoulder as they made their way towards the tree line. "Right now we should be getting as far away from here as quickly as possible. We don't want to be anywhere near close to the camp once the spell wears off."

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A harsh cry erupted from Iskra's lips as the young girl stumbled and nearly fell over an exposed root. She would have fallen flat on her face if it weren't for the quick reaction of Prince Aurelius as he reached out and held onto her left arm. It felt as if the young prince nearly tossed her up into the air as he pulled her back onto her feet. He placed a gentle hand over her shoulder to help keep her balance but strangely enough, he looked away from her as she gave the handsome elf a thankful smile. The prince was a little rougher then she would have liked, but that didn't stop her from being appreciative of his efforts.

"Th-thanks." The girl stammered out in a subdued voice as she was both embarrassed and confused by what had just occurred. She was embarrassed thanks to the fact that this wasn't the first time she had tripped and stumbled over something, and it most assuredly wouldn't be the last. She must look like an idiot to everyone in the group. She was confused because of the prince's seemingly embarrassed reaction as he pulled her back up on her feet.

It didn't dawn on her as to why until much later. Her face grew red hot in embarrassment as she proceeded to stare down at the ground. Hoping that the pitch blackness of the night hid her emotions.

While he still held onto the clumsy girl, Prince Aurelius called out to Velicion and spoke with her about something.

The group stopped while the two conversed with one another.

She was still mindful of the fact that the prince held her in his tight grip. Another source of embarrassment, but one she found comfort in as she pressed her body closely with his.

The prince stopped midsentence and turned to look at her. The expression that he wore upon his face was unreadable as it was far too dark to even see past her nose. She could only see vague shapes from time to time and wondered if anyone was able to see anything in this darkness.

She imagined that was the case for the elves at least, as they were the ones leading the charge on this journey of hers. How else would they be able to navigate through the thick forest without waltzing right into a tree or two. Magic?

Eventually, their conversation continued but swiftly ended when Velicion shook her head and turned towards the human girl.

"Iskra," The sorceress' soft voice called out to her. The girl looked in the general direction from where her voice had come from but saw nothing. "With it being so dark out tonight, the prince has offered a guiding hand in making sure you no longer trip over something. Is tha-"

"Yes, absolutely!" Iskra nearly yelled out as her face became flushed with excitement at the idea of clinging onto Aurelius for both protection and warmth. She squeezed her arms around the prince, making sure that the two wouldn't be separated by even an inch. "He's not only handsome but a gentleman as well." She didn't mean to say that last part out loud, and it showed on her face. Not that anyone could really see her, she hoped.

Argonok let out a groan of frustration as his gauntlet collided with his helmet. A noisy clunk came from his direction. "It's going to be a long haul isn't it?" The dwarf muttered to no one in particular.

Velicion stifled a chuckle as she moved a hand to cover her mouth.

"Don't worry," The sorceress comforted the embarrassed teenager. "I'm the only one who's able to understand what you're saying. Everyone that's here is too long to find the benefits of learning a second language."

Velicion gave an extravagant gesture as she motioned for everyone to continue moving. "It's best if we continue on a much rougher path. I doubt that Captain Boris would be thrilled to find out that you've disobeyed him once the morning arrives."

They continued on in silence, while clung to the prince with a deathlike grip. Iskra mimicked every step that the prince took as their bodies stuck to one another like glue. Iskra wasn't confident enough in her abilities to traverse the dense forest, especially after she continued to stumble into Prince Aurelius on more than one occasion.

On each occasion, the two would share an awkward stare while Iskra apologized to him.

She really hated how dark it was.

"Careful now," Argonok said in a whisper as he slowed his pace to match with the pair. "Or you'll eventually squeeze the life out of him."

"N-no I won't," She snapped back as the dwarf chuckled heartily as he found humor in his own joke. "A little contact has never hurt anyone, right?"

She looked up at the prince and frowned as she noticed that he was talking to someone else within the group. The prince was apparently used to their closeness by now. She poked at his back to make him look down at her, but eventually gave up when the boy failed to respond to her actions.

Rejected, she squeezed down on her grip to make sure that he was aware of her presence.

"Like I said," Argonok said as he stepped onto a fallen tree, the rotting trunk creaking under his weight before an explosive snap erupted from under his feet. "You'll squeeze the life out of him."

Iskra winced as the sound pierced her ears. She knew that the dwarf was toying with her, but that didn't mean she liked the way he went about it.

Still though, she did her best in ignoring his games and returned on keeping her focus squarely on where her feet should be placed next.

"Don't let the stubbornness of a dwarf ever sway you from your path." Iskra jumped at Velicions voice as the lithe elven woman whispered into her ear.

"Don't do that," The young girl hissed as she gripped even tighter around the prince. "You'll end up scaring someone to death."

She despised being snuck up on and had gotten into countless quarrels with her many siblings when they played pranks on her.

Velicion chuckled at the girl's words as she turned her attention towards the boy. "You may think he's ignoring you, but the prince is doing his best to look as cool as he can. He's of the sort that stumbles over his own words whenever a pretty girl shows him the slightest amount of affection."

Iskra, in her own response, failed to utter a single word while the sorceress disappeared into the night. Laughing at the girls' expense.

Apparently, the two teenagers were a lot alike.

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The sun had begun to peak over the horizon by the time Velicion had called for the group to stop and rest up. It's orange and yellow light slowly evaporated the pitch blackness of the night as its rays lit up the early morning sky.

Iskra sighed in contempt as she looked up from where she sat and dreaded at the idea that another humid day had just begun.

Regardless of her feelings towards the day's temperature, the girl was glad that the group had stopped. She was just happy that she could finally rest as her legs and feet throbbed in pain, as they have been doing so for the past few hours. Iskra let out a relieved gasp as she reached down and massaged her sweat drenched feet, her toes were slow to move as she did her best to keep her blood flowing.

The morning dew seeped into her pants while a gentle morning breeze brushed against her soar body. She was glad that nature itself seemed to be remorseful of her predicament.

Eventually, she fell flat on her back and stretched out her back against the soft grass. Iskra gave a tired sigh as her eyes slowly drooped to a close. She just wanted to sleep the whole day away and not think of anything else.

A shadow casted itself over her body as she tried in vain to put herself under a pleasant dream. Wondering who or what it was, she cracked her eyes open and found that Argonok had placed his weapon close by while he stood somewhere close by. She raised her head, curious to know where the dwarf was.

As she scanned the nearby area, she noticed that the elves were in a similar situation as her. Their footwear was off, and they looked to be quite awake compared to the human. Considering that the elves had traveled a long distance away from their homeland, Iskra wasn't at all surprised that they had far more stamina than she did.

The elves conversed amongst themselves as Iskra continued to scan the makeshift camp. The twins were perched up against a nearby tree while the black haired elf worked on building a fire pit. Prince Aurelius and Velicion were speaking with one another on the opposite side of the camp. The sorceress motioned towards the twins before quickly pointing towards the forest. Whatever it was that the two were talking about, it was quite clear that Velicion needed the prince to take care of it.

Finally, after it felt like it had taken longer than it should have, Iskra found her target. Argonok stood in a fairly obvious spot, directly behind from where the girl was. He looked perfectly contempt where he was as the dwarf stood there like a statue. Iskra wondered if the man was even tired, but realized that he was probably used to long marches.

She dropped the issue when she heard footsteps approaching.

"Iskra," Velicion called out as the sorceress made her way closer to the girl. "After talking it over, we decided that the best course of action is to continue south for the time being. This forest is ideal for gaining ground against any potential pursuers."

Iskra frowned at the sorceress's words. While it was inevitable that the captain would eventually send men after them, she hadn't thought of that consequence when she had begun to formulate her plan. Perhaps it was due to a simple oversight on her part, or maybe it was because it was such an obvious response that her mind hadn't found the need to consider it at all. Either way, it was an eventuality that she would have to deal with in time.

"That's fine," She said once her thoughts were in order. "I was hoping we would be able to head directly east and survey the river then, but if we need to, then I don't mind having to circle back around and doing it at a later time."

"And you're fine with us heading south?"

"Where else would we be able to go? We can't go back west as that would defeat our whole purpose and there are mountains to the north of us. I'd rather not meet a bunch of goblins again for a good long while."

"Very well," Velicion said as she backed away from the prone girl. "I'll confirm with the others that we're to continue on our current path and head south. Afterwards, we'll go in any direction that you wish. For now though, just be sure to rest and regain your strength. We've got a lot more walking to do before this is all over."

Iskra waved goodbye to the elf as she watched the woman walk over towards where the twins were located. Prince Aurelius and the black haired elf were nowhere to be seen, most likely they had gone out to do whatever task Velicion had given them.

A laugh erupted from the three elves as one of the twins slapped the other on his back. She wondered what was so funny as she carefully laid her head back on the ground. Her mind drifted away into nothingness as she fell into a slumber under the morning light.

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Captain Boris took a deep breath as he sat down in his chair for the first time today, it was an unusual occurrence thanks to how his morning had started.

The first thing that had happened to him was several men bursting into his tent, babbling on about something about magic, elves, and Iskra. They had gone on to explain that late into the night, Lady Iskra had approached the front gate and asked to go out into the forest. The next thing that the men knew was that it was morning and tracks were leading out into the wilderness. Supposedly, the men had been put under the temporary effects of some sort of spell, and when they had come to they realized what had occurred and rushed to inform their superior.

Since then he had done nothing except approach other posts and confirmed that only a handful of elves had gone with the young girl. The dwarf had gone along as well, but that was something he wasn't all too surprised about. That walking, talking armored statue had never left the girls side ever since she had returned with him in tow. Suffice to say, the exhausted man was confident that the girl was in good hands and that harm wouldn't come to her person.

Now if only he could convince Sylvia, who stood in front of his makeshift desk and on the verge of tears, of the same thing.

"What do you mean that she's out there on her own?" Sylvia's voiced cracked as she leaned into the man, her face wild with emotion as she took offense to the man's previous statement."

"I mean what I said Sylvia," In truth, he did to a certain extent. Though he was smart enough to not reveal the fact that Iskra's little adventure wasn't actually sanctioned by him, he just needed to calm the woman down. At least for now. "She came to me with an idea of building a bridge and asked that I have some men accompany her. I gave her my express permission to do so and provided the numbers that we believed were needed."

"But her carriage-"

"Isn't with her. Yes, I know." The man interrupted her as he nodded his head while sliding a hand across his desk. "And before you ask as to why," Captain Boris held up a hand to silence the middle aged servant before she could find a retort. "It was one of my requests that she leave it here. The damned thing is an eyesore and easy to spot from a distance. Any would be ambusher would be well aware of her presence the moment that thing crossed the horizon."

"So…" Sylvia let out a sigh as she lowered her head in resignation. "Who's all with her?"

"A handful of elves as well as an equal number of my men," The man claimed as he leaned back into his chair. "As well as that elf prince, the sorceress and that dwarf you're always with. I have serious doubts that such a group would run into trouble and if they did, then it would be dealt with in rapid succession." While most of what he said was true, the portion concerning his men was something of a lie to help ease the woman as well as to help build up what was to come next.

"Why wasn't I told about any of this?"

"I convinced her that there was no need for a servant on this kind of journey. Plus," The man said as he brought his hands behind his head while he continued to build on his lie. "I'm sure that you wouldn't have been all that pleased to go on another outing so shortly after that ambush."

Sylvia nodded her head as she backed away from the desk. The experience at the river was one that she didn't wish to repeat. Violence was something that the woman couldn't handle, especially since she would turn as white as snow at the mere sight of a small cut.

"How long will they be gone for? I can't imagine Lady Iskra to be away from any resemblance of civilization for very long."

"Two weeks at the most," Boris fired off the words without batting an eye. This would give him plenty of time to figure out a suitable punishment for the girl. If she returned on her own by then, fantastic. If not, then he would send out a small group of men under the guise of a newly established patrol to bring her back. "Though don't be surprised if she comes back at an earlier or later date. Who knows what they'll run into."

Sylvia made to say something else but was quickly cut off before she could get a single word out. "You don't need to worry about anything else. Just know that the girl is in good hands and will come back safely," He knew that the more they spent dwelling on the matter, the harder it would be for him to maintain a decent enough lie before it became too much for him to carry through. The less that the woman actually knew the better. "Take this time to be with your husband and worry about yourselves. I'm sure that you haven't had much time to handle your own concerns over these past few weeks."

The grey haired woman looked as if she wanted to say something else, but stayed quiet as she thought over the man's words. He hoped that she would take the hint and leave. Eventually, she nodded her head. "Very well. Have a good day Captain."

Captain Boris grunted out a reply and waved her goodbye. The tent was utterly silent once Sylvia had left.

"Come now," Sergeant Alexiv said as he leaned over towards his superior. "You're not seriously going to let that girl stay out for that long, are you?"

The Captain looked over to his Sergeant. "It'll give us enough time to work out what to do. Once that's settled we can begin to go after her."

The Sergeant nodded at his commander. Satisfied that the man had everything under control.

The grizzled veteran let out a long, exhausted sigh as he slapped his hands over the table top. With that out of the way, they could get back to their more immediate concerns.

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By the time that their group had reached their second stopping point for the day, the sun had already begun to set. To Iskra, its dulled rays gave an eerily impression of a blood drenched sky.

A fire blazed into life as sparks flew off and branches popped and cracked under the intense heat. Iskra sat at one end while Velicion and Argonok were on opposite sides of her; the two of them never seemed to leave her side. It was something that she had begun to grow annoyed at as the days continue to go on.

The rest of the group was left to take care of setting up camp. The black haired elf and one of the twins were tasked with the duty of evening sentry while Prince Aurelius the second twin were tasked with hunting for food and firewood.

Apparently, there had been plenty of wildlife that was spotted throughout the day and night. Iskra had seen none of it, but she had been assured that the hunters would return with plenty to eat. Whatever was brought back she just hoped that it was tasty to eat.

Iskra lifted her head and looked around the camp. Its bare bones nature, with only a fire pit to its name, was the only sign of life outside of its inhabitants.

She wasn't all too sure, but it looked like Velicion and Argonok were the only ones within hearing distance. Thinking on their pointed and longer ears, the girl wondered just how well the elves were able to hear. She wondered if the elves were able to hear from much greater distances, but thought that was silly as she came to the conclusion that it was only a cosmetic difference in how the elvish race differed from their human counterparts.

She shrugged away her worries and turned to look towards the dwarf, as he sat with his legs stretched out while his armored head stared deeply into the fire without so much as a single word. "Hey Argonok," The girl began as both of her companions turned to look at her. "Do you mind if Velicion and I have some alone time?"

The dwarf looked towards his elven counterpart before letting out an annoyed sigh. Whatever it was that his mistress wanted to talk about would be better off not reaching his ears.

"Very well," He said as he lifted himself off of the ground. "I'll go look around the edge of the camp. See if those brats are doing their job and not meandering about like lost dogs."

The two women watched as the armored dwarf stomped his way towards the forest, clumps of loose dirt and grass stuck to his boots with every other monstrous step he took.

What did you want to talk about?" Velicion asked as she turned to look at the raven haired human, her face full of questions.

Iskra wasn't sure what the best way was to approach her query, so she thought that a safer approach was necessary if she wanted to avoid any long term embarrassment.

"So, uh, are you sure that none of the others can understand what I'm saying?"

Velicion cocked her head as she looked at the girl in confusion. "Ah, I see what you're asking." The sorceress confirmed to herself as she began to understand the basic idea of where Iskra was going. "The answer is no. I'm the only one that can understand what you're saying. Most of the others only know their mother's tongue, and those that can understand a second language are unable to speak your specific one now."

"You said you traveled around the local coasts, right?"

"In a sense, though I only picked up a variation of your dialect due to how often I was placed in keeping the negotiations on track." The sorceress shifted her eyes away from the girl as she tried her best in explaining how she learned without letting too much information spill forth. "It's one of several that I can speak with a moderate degree of confidence."

"I see." That was all she said for a long time. The fire had grown larger in strength and the night was rapidly approaching. It wouldn't be long before the others returned with their bounty. "I'm not sure how to ask this, but could you teach me to speak your language?"

Iskra grew red hot in embarrassment as she watched a smirk creep onto Velicions face. "What I mean is that it's kind of hard to communicate with everyone and I'm sure that there are times that you can't keep up with what I'm saying. So I thought why not try and learn so I know what's being said, you know?"

"Very well," The elf said as she shook her head with a chuckle. Iskra wondered if the sorceress could see through her, but she was glad that the older woman wasn't saying anything if that was the case. If she had said something, then she would be far too embarrassed to continue with the charade. "Once we return I'll devise up some lessons for you, but don't expect me to teach you in a manner that you're used to."

"Thanks," Was all the girl said as she brought up her legs and buried her face in her knees.

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For those who weren't on watch, everyone had gathered around the camp's fire and fallen asleep. Their bodies were close together but never mingled in an intimate manner.

For most of the night, Iskra had gone in and out of sleep for reasons unknown to her. Sometimes it was because someone stumbled over something or an animal had gotten too close to the camp and had to be chased off. Often times, however, it was because her body had refused to stay asleep and forced her mind to wander aimlessly. This caused her to only catch a few tiny moments of rest while everyone else looked to be deadly silent in their slumber.

The young girl stared up into the night sky and watched as the dark and heavy clouds lazily rolled across her vision.

It was a strange experience for Iskra. In one of her many attempts to force her body into slumber, she had begun to think back on the past few months of her life. There were times where she wanted to look back on in a wondrous mood, but she somehow always kept coming back to the more recent events. Sometimes it would be about her parents who she viewed as having abandoned her, other times it was about that playboy crown prince who had apparently grown tired of his betrothal, and on occasion she would find herself in a dizzying fantasy where she had whisked herself away into another kingdom and started a more simpler life there. Though the most common thought she had was her regret in not bringing any gear to help keep the weather away.

She really wished she had put more thought into this little plan of hers. Now wasn't the time to punish herself for the mistakes she had made in this little journey of hers. She just wanted to fall asleep before the sun started to rise.

Iskra let out a sigh as she caught the movement of a gauntleted hand reaching out and breaking a bundle of small branches in its grasp before tossing them into the fire.

In every moment that she found herself awake, she had seen Argonok stay near the fire as he kept feeding the ever hungry flames.

She wondered if the man couldn't sleep either.

"Can't sleep?" She asked in a hushed tone as she rolled over and watched the dwarf toss in another handful of sticks. He still wore his armor which she thought was a strange thing to do.

"Nah," He said as he looked down at the girl. His red and blue checked helmet stared down at her with a dominating pressure. "Sleep is something I don't have the luxury of."

"Why's that?"

"Pain mostly," The dwarf said as he tapped the side of his helmet. "And this armor too, I guess."

"If you're in pain then maybe you should see someone about it? I'm sure a wizard or an ordinary doctor could help you, and if the armor is bothering you then why not take it off? Seems like a simple thing to do."

The Fire Guard shook his head at Iskra's words. "Being able to magic away my pain isn't something that I have the luxury of, and this doctor idea of yours won't work. Besides," The dwarf turned towards the girl while his red and blue checkered helmet reflected the dancing flames of the camp's fire. "I can't take this armor off to begin with."

Iskra cocked her head in a curious motion as she continued to stare at the dwarf. "Why? Because of some kind of oath or something? I won't tell anyone if you do, it's not like any of your people are going to find out."

Argonok gave a hearty, yet grim chuckle as he answered his young mistress. "It's more of a curse then it is an oath. Oaths can be broken at any moment, but curses are eternal."

"A curse? Really?" Her voice came out excitedly as she perked up at the thought of magic. "Did a wizard put a curse on you after killing him? Did you steal something from them?"

"No," Argonok said flatly as he waved away her questions before she could fire off anymore. "I did it to myself. Technically."

"What?" She raised an eyebrow, confused at what he meant. "Are you a wizard then? Did you screw up a spell or something?"

"I'd rather kill myself then use magic. The stuffs poison for your mind." The dwarf shook his head as he vehemently denied the girls accusations. "This curse that I have is for a crime I've committed."

Now Iskra was curious. She wondered what sort of crime one would have to commit for someone to place magical armor onto your person without giving you the privilege of taking it off.

"What did you do?" She was more excited then she should have been. Curiosity was something that had often led to her finding out things she shouldn't, but that's what made it all worthwhile.

The dwarf shrugged, uncaring at her curious nature. "Do you really want to know?"

Iskra nodded her head as excitement gleamed in her eyes.

"It's a long story," The dwarf said with a sigh. "So I'll give you the short version. Don't want to bore you with the details and whatnot." Argonok looked up into the sky and let out a displeased moan as he wrapped his head around what he needed and didn't need to say. "The whole thing boils down to me killing my family and a few of my neighbors. Not sure why I did it to be honest, just that I had this sudden urge to kill. Next thing I knew, I was drenched in blood and being held down by the townsfolk while some warlock sentenced me to be tossed into the Eternal Forges. Once that was all said and done with, I woke up with this armor around me. Not a day goes by where I suffer in silent agony. Each action I take causes me pain, and the only real way to be relieved of that is to kill over and over again. "

"So…" Iskra was quiet for a while, unsure of what to say next or if she should say anything at all. Eventually, she did speak. "What happened to your body, do you still have it?"

"Don't got one," The dwarf said as he shook his head as he was not at all surprised by her question. Kids were a curious bunch of beasts. "All I have left is this suit of armor with my soul trapped inside of it." To place emphasis on what he meant, the dwarf lightly tapped at his chest piece. A hollow sound echoed from within as the soft thump of metal hitting against metal rang out around the quiet camp.

"That's…so cool." The girl let out with a yawn as her eyes started to grow heavy in weight. She wanted to pry the dwarf of his secrets, but her vision began to fade and she soon found herself fast asleep. Ready for the next day to come and bring its full glory to bear.