Chapter One: At Roads End
The sounds from down the hall were slowly retreating to a quiet accumulation of polite niceties and good-byes, as the guests were leaving. Footsteps approached her room and she blew out her lantern, feigning sleep. Her sister entered the room and in the dark, disrobed and clambered atop her bed, no doubt tired out from the evenings festivities. The room was quiet once more. Alkaria waited until she heard the soft snoring of the other elf and then sat up in bed.
She gazed out the window next to her bed. The moon was high in the sky and so beautiful, there was no point in wasting a night like this, she thought to herself. She silently crept out of bed, reaching under her mattress for the long member of steel hidden there. The sword was definitely a piece of work, all right. Passed down through seven generations of the Amakiir family, this sword was said to have seen all the family's plight over the centuries.
Alkaria sheathed the sword deftly by her side and opened the window. She climbed down the side of the wall, clinging onto the tangling brush with a skill practised over the many years of escaping her dreary home-life. When she reached the bottom, she hooded herself in black and went straight to the stables. She needed to disguise herself because despite the lateness of the hour, there are always prying eyes about the Shadow Woods.
She went over to the stables and knocked on the little obscure door to the left of the entrance. A little Elven boy answered.
"Take this gold piece and tend to Farainen. You know how I like her, boy."
The greedy little thing grinned and took the coin. He went round the back and brought forth the black mount. The boy was getting good at this, she thought. It's almost as if he expected me to be here tonight.
She took her horse and mounted her, galloping off into the dark forest.
She knew her way well and set a pace that some of the men in the guard house would have a difficulty to match. She arrived at a little clearing and saw a shady mounted figure in the shadows there already.
"You're late", he said in a flat tone.
"Oh really? I'd say that you're rather early, Pan. I don't recall you were ever so eager to meet with me", Alkaria replied trying hard to keep the giveaway mirth from her face.
"Don't flatter yourself, my lady. You know full well my heart lies with the thrill of the hunt and the sweet taste of victory."
At this point he came out of the shadows to reveal his horse-like appendages and sheik chestnut coating. He had matching hair that formed in scruffy tufts around his chiselled features. The centaur halted in front of her, his muscular torso accentuated in the moon's light and his blue piercing gaze as mysterious as the moon itself. He pulled out his crossbow and loaded it with a bolt.
"Follow me. I've found a path where the trail's fresh."
She let him lead her off into the shadows and then the hunt began.
They would follow the trail for hours a night, smelling the crisp air and listening to the still forest life as they chased their prey.
Sometimes they would just be silent, concentrating really hard on the pounding footfall of the creature they pursued. Sometimes they missed their prey entirely, talking about their extremely differing lives. Tonight was one of those nights.
"So I heard that the centaur settlement has been having a tough time lately, what with us refusing to trade with you and all."
"Yeah, well you know how elves are. They're arrogant bastards that don't know when to stop bickering about every little thing and digging into the business of others."
She stared at him in shocked silence. When he saw that, he burst out laughing, "Of course not you! Just all those others that think they hold so much power over us. I mean, what does trading with the outside world have to do with them? We're just centaurs trying to make an honest living."
"It's not that. My family stopped trading with you because they don't like humans. They're the only ones to trade with outside the Forest and Father got angry."
"Well humans aren't bad. They just don't know much about the rhythms of nature and how to be at peace."
"I don't have a problem with them! Father does! I've never met one. I do wonder what they'd be like though…"
"Hey! I think I see one!" he exclaimed as he pointed into the brush.
"A human!?" Alkaria said. She looked exasperated, "In Shadow Wood!!?"
"No, don't be silly! A rabbit! Quick, lets get it before it…urgh to late! It's gone." He laughed again, a deep sound that made Alkaria feel awkward for being so childish. "You would believe a human being in Shadow Wood?"
Alkaria was glad it was too dark for him to see her face as she blushed a deep red through her golden brown complexion. They spent the rest of the night chasing prey that always eluded them and conversing about the plight of their settlements. Eventually the sun's rays broke through the canopy of leaves as dawn broke out upon the mighty forest. The creatures of the day started to stir once more, just as the final rabbit raced from their grasp.
"I have to go." Alkaria said as she turned to leave.
"Will we meet again tomorrow night?"
"um well I cant do this every night and…"
He kept a pleading look in his eyes but did not meet her gaze. She looked away and then said, "but I guess tomorrow would be fine. I just have this thing I need to go to, so I might be late."
"That's nothing knew. You're always late."
"Yes well later than I normally am. My father said I'm to meet with someone tomorrow night. He wouldn't tell me who he was, only that I am to be prompt."
Pan raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
Then finally he said, "I'll see you tomorrow," over his shoulder as he trotted off into the deep heart of the forest.
She was left there, alone. She sighed and wondered why she didn't have the heart to tell him her father wanted her to be wed off to this man. She turned around and headed off home.
It was early dawn when she returned to her silken sheets. Just as she had suspected, her elder sister, Terena, had stayed exactly as she had left her. Alkaria placed her long sword carefully under the padded mattress where no one would find it. She then tried to get what little sleep she could before people would force her awake.
Not many hours passed before she started her tedious daily routine of awakening, bathing and wearing the restricting garments of noble life. The day went by like any other. She had various public appearances with her family in the small town. They were the only nobility in that settlement of Wood Elves and were almost treated like royalty and were certainly idolised as such.
Her father was in the process of finding a suitable bachelor for her as she was next in line to get married off to a wealthy man and fulfil her life as a lady Amakiir. She wanted no such life however and longed for freedom outside of noble life.
It was the end of the day and she was in the ballroom, practising a very fast waltz with her hand maid, Rosalie.
"Keep in time, Alkaria. There's a good girl. No, no, no! Twist your foot out like this… while holding your skirts! There – good, you're getting it."
Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Rosalie signalled at the small orchestra to stop playing. A page came in who had obviously been running very fast.
"Miss…Miss… there's… a man at the door… for you…" he managed to say through deep shuddering breaths, "Your father says… to be ready to receive… our guest."
"Thank you, Yvan. Tell him I shall be down in a few minutes."
The boy nodded, hovering there in the doorway for a few seconds and then dashed out again.
Alkaria turned expectantly to Rosalie as her maid looked her up and down. "You look beautiful," she smiled, "try not to make him drop dead this time."
"Oh believe me. I'll try my hardest if it means he'll leave." She winked and left, making her way down the stairs towards the guest's dining room. Before opening the door, she heard her father laughing with the supposed man at some pleasantries they had just shared.
She turned the knob and saw her father dishing out a glass of their finest wine to the other man.
He looked up from his glass and stared at her. It was from then on that she realised this was going to be a long night and it would take a lot more than bad etiquette to get rid of this one. The glance was one of pure determination. He was silently saying he would claim her, no matter the cost and showed all the arrogance of one of the other noble clans. At that look, her father turned around.
"Ah, Alkaria, come in. This is Lord Nerinius Krelinor of the Krelinor clan. He was just telling me of how he plans to court you, although I shall let him explain himself to you over dinner, as pre-arranged."
He stepped out the room and shut the door, leaving Alkaria alone with this overconfident lord. The room filled with a suffocating silence as she glared at him with the tenacity of a weed. She wasn't going to break. She never has and never will.
His look subtly changed to one of amusement. This was a game to him? She continued her cat-like stare, piercing his eyes like the tip of a blade would skin a rabbit.
He was the first to break the silence.
"Good Evening my dear Lady. Shall we sit at this lavish feast that has been prepared for us?" his voice sounded cocky, almost as if it was a dare.
She stiffened her posture, broke her gaze and made it over to the table. Let him feel truly unwelcome to bask in her presence. She would walk out the victor in this match, not he, for she was the one with the upper hand here. He wanted something from her and all she had to do was not give it to him and make sure he never returned.
They sat at the table and started dining. She did not eat her food but stabbed at it, as if it were the steaks fault that she was bourn a woman in this day and age.
He started the conversation once again, "Your father gave away my intentions so quickly, I was bit stunned. I have no secrecy now that you know I am to court you."
"I already knew, from the day you arranged this with father." She said coldly.
"Oh… well how unfortunate. I wanted to surprise you."
"You don't even know me and even if you did, I'd tell you this: stop wasting your time and energy on me. I'm not worth what you would endure if you took me on."
"My my, but aren't we tactful today?"
"There's no need for tact. I'm not trying to impress anyone here."
"To put what I was going to say bluntly, there's no escaping what is inevitable. You will be mine, whether you like it or not."
"And if I refuse?"
"It's too late for refusal. Your father has already accepted it as a part of your future and you and I are to be wed on the 20th of next month. There's nothing to be done about it, so you may as well try to cooperate." He grinned a wolfish smile. His eyes perused her body, eagerly awaiting that day.
Alkaria on the other hand was shocked into silence. Her father had never told her about this.
"Oh and by the way, I like my women to be obedient, precious little things. Don't speak unless you're spoken to and stay out of my way until you are summoned to me."
Alkaria stared him down for the last time before saying, "Pardon me sir, may I please be excused for a few minutes? I wish to powder my nose."
"Now that's what I like to see," his eyes glowed with triumph, "yes, you may go but don't take too long now."
She got up and strode neatly down the room to the hall. She shut the door firmly and made her way up the stairs.
She couldn't believe her family had done this to her! She felt betrayed but she wasn't going to let that get in the way of her life. She went to her and her older sister's room and started ruffling through her drawers. She put on the old leather armour Pan had given her and pulled out a musty old back sack. It still smelt of straw from that trip with Pan into the heart of the Forest with her centaur friend.
She stuffed it with a few necessities and put it on her back. Finally she drew her long sword from inside her mattress.
"ALKARIA!!!" she heard the familiar voice of Terena shrieking her name from behind her.
"Sorry sister, but I have to do this," and with her final words, Alkaria jumped out the window, clinging to the wall and hurriedly clamoured down, not caring for the noise she made. She ran to the stables, got her horse and mounted it, galloping off into the forest.
