The small band of fairies traveled quietly. This was luthegar territory, and the faster they made it through the better but silence was imperative to their safety. One small noise, one misstep or whispered curse would bring the entirety of the luthegar community down on them before they could move. Silence spells had been placed around the group, but in luthegar territory fairy magic had an awful habit of not working. No one could understand exactly why this was, the luthegar were not a magical race, they couldn't even light a simple fire using magic. It was thought that maybe there were pockets in the area that sucked the magic right out of the very air which would explain the lack of the ability within the luthegar. In any case silence was the only way to get through this alive.

Eolanda Dolcinne Arethusa Hefeyyd was the second child and only daughter of the fairy king. She was why this group was traveling through this dangerous country for reasons known only to a select few. Eolanda shook her head banishing thoughts about their possible doom. It wouldn't do any good to sit and worry. They would get through this alive. They had to. There was no way around it. She looked down at the sleeping child in her arms. She looked to be no more than two years old. They would get through this for her sake. The grandchild of the king would not be murdered by the luthegar. They had given the child a mixture of different herbs before they left. This put the child to sleep and assured them that she wouldn't accidentally cry out. There was no magic involved so there was no possibility of it failing. If only there had been another way for them to go, a way around the luthegar.

Eolanda held the sleeping child tighter and looked through the forest around them defiantly. The luthegar would not get her. The fairy next to her placed a questioning hand on her shoulder. Eoland gave Kallan, her husband, a reassuring smile and adjusted the child in her arms. It would be all right. They didn't have much farther to travel. The Luthegar rarely left their own lands and once they crossed the border they would be safe.

The group traveled on silently until one fairy, a bigger warrior, gave a sigh of relief. They had crossed the border safely. The journey would be much easier from here on out. They continued to travel quietly just for safety's sake until they put a good distance between the luthegar and themselves. Finally almost half a day's journey from the border they stopped to make camp. The fairies joked with each other nervously trying to loosen the tension from earlier in the day as the tents were set up and dinner was started. They ate a hearty meal and afterwards a few fairies broke out some instruments to bring some merriment to the group.

After much singing and dancing a few fairies started to retire into their tents when an arrow suddenly shot out of the trees and embedded itself in the throat of a flute player. The fairy gave a gurgled cry as blood spurted out of his mouth and he fell.

"Luthegar!" one of the fairy scouts shouted from the woods just before an arrow hit him in the heart.

A fairy just inside the camp gave a shriek as a tall bear-like man stepped out of the trees.

"You thought you got away from us didn't you fairy scum," the creature spat. "Long has it been since your disgusting race stepped foot on our land, and so we decided to toy with you a bit before coming in and destroying you!" With those words the luthegar attacked the fairy camp. The fairies put up a magnificent fight against the luthegar, but they were sorely outnumbered, and the surprise of the attack had left them unprepared. Kallan, one of the very best of the fairy warriors, put up the best fight of all, and he killed ten different luthegar with twelve arrows in his chest before a luthegar came up behind him and sliced his head in half without even blinking.

The battle was over as quickly as it started. Sixteen fairies lay dead on the ground; twenty eight dead luthegar lay next to them. The luthegar sorted through the bodies checking for any survivors, and killing the ones found. They loaded their injured up onto a cart and a small group left to return to their land. The rest searched through every tent for anyone possibly hiding.

"Every fairy is dead sir," a smaller luthegar reported to the leader of the group.

"If every fairy is dead then where is the child?" the leader asked without looking at the smaller one.

"Child sir?"

"Yes, the child. There was a child among the group, little more than a babe. I need that child found alive."

"Sir, no one has reported finding a child…perhaps it was something–"

"Do you doubt my knowledge Broman?" The leader asked.

"No sir, I just –"

"I want that child found alive! NOW!" The leader shouted.

"Yes sir, right away sir!" Broman said jumping at the ferocity of his leader. "You heard what he said! Find the child now!" The luthegar jumped to obey the command of their leader and every tent was searched.

"The child is not here sir," Broman reported a few minutes later. "But, we did find a trail of blood leading away from camp." Broman quickly said at the look his leader gave to him. "We believe that the child was taken by someone who was injured away from the camp. I've got several soldiers on the trail right now."

"Good. Go with them. See that you return with the child," Broman nodded and turned away, "Oh Broman!" Broman looked back at his leader. "If you do not find the child do not bother to return at all."

"Aye sir," Broman said and ran into the woods.

Eolanda ran blindly through the woods with her still sleeping child. An arrow had pierced her stomach but she had broken off the end and continued to run. This wasn't right. This wasn't supposed to be happening. Luthegar never left their own land. They were several miles away from them. This couldn't be right. Oh Kallan! Eolanda had seen Kallan fall. She had seen the luthegar sword go through his head. He hadn't even cried out. He just fell into a heap as if he didn't have any bones. They wouldn't get her daughter though. If she had to run for the rest of her life they wouldn't get her daughter.

A wave of nausea hit Eolanda and she stopped briefly to empty the contents of her stomach. She cringed when she noticed the amount of blood that came with it. The end of her life might be coming sooner than she had expected. Eolanda glanced back and noticed the trail of blood she had left behind. The luthegar could follow that trail easily enough. Eolanda knew her time was running short but she had to do something to protect her daughter. Quickly Eolanda ripped off the bottom of her dress that had been dragging along the ground and leaving the bloody trail. She used part of it to slow the river of blood pouring out of her abdomen and another part she used to wipe the blood off her leg so it wouldn't drip onto the ground. It wasn't the best trail covering job, but hopefully it would slow the luthegar.

Eoland started running again. She was growing dizzy now. She had lost too much blood and she knew she wouldn't be able to go much farther. Her legs had gone numb long ago and it was sheer force of will that kept her moving still. Ahead of her Eolanda noticed a pale light through the trees. She said a quick prayer that it would be someone helpful and she pushed on faster in that direction. Soon Eolanda broke through the trees and stopped on the doorstep of a little cottage. She banged on the door over and over again each hit becoming weaker than the last. The door opened and Eolanda collapsed.

"Please," she said holding up her daughter, "don't let them get her. Please save her." Eolanda's vision started to go dark. She felt her daughter be lifted out of her arms and with her final breath she whispered, "Bring her to my father. He'll care for her." And then Eolanda's spirit slipped from this world.

The old man that had picked up the child looked from her to her mother and back again. The child had just started waking up from her herb induced sleep and she opened up two bright green eyes. She looked at the man and then down to her mother and then back up to the man. They stared at each other for a few moments. The child opened her mouth to cry and the man opened his mouth to say the only thing that came to his mind.

"Oh dear."

A/N: Yay for one whole chapter! Tell me what you think, the humor part comes in after this I assure you, her background is just very tragic. All reviews are welcome even flames.