A/N: This is a little longer than the prologue and I hope it is more enjoyable.
Please Review and let me know what you think (try to be nice).
Disclaimer: I do not own Tithe or any of the characters. I am not making any form of profit from this.
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Sitting at one of the long, low tables of the Unseelie Court I found myself once again thinking about the girl in my dreams. All week my mind had been slipping back to her. I still had no idea who she was or how I could find her, yet she remained defiantly in my dreams. I looked around myself at the other fairy foe in the large room. As always the room was filled with people of my kind amusing themselves through their evil ways. I was in no mood to be here tonight. I stood up and exited the hill.
I was still wearing my black armour from earlier today when my queen had forced me to fight for her amusement. I made my way towards a dirt road that leads to the place I live. It was a road frequently used by humans, usually I like to keep my distance from humans but this road was a necessary rout to get home. It began to rain but I didn't mind as I don't feel the cold.
Suddenly I felt a searing pain in my chest. I looked down and saw an arrow in disguise of a branch lodged in my chest. The wound was oozing with warm, sticky blood and I felt a heavy pull on my whole body. The arrow had been tipped with iron which made my whole body feel heavy and exhausted. Due to the iron and the loss of blood I was forced to sit down, propping myself up against the trunk of an old tree. I looked around at my surroundings trying to catch a glimpse of the foe that had shot me. I saw a figure approaching further up the road. My vision became blurry but I realised it was a girl that approached me. Was she coming to finish me off? I was in no state to fight but I refused to die quietly.
"Stay where you are." I said to the figure, assuming it was she who had shot me. "Was it you girl?"
The girl shook her head. I still couldn't see her properly, my vision become more and more blurred but I tried to study her as best I could. She took a step closer to me and I pulled myself into a defensive crouch.
"You're a faerie, aren't you?" She said quietly. I wondered how she knew we faerie folk were real. "Let me help you."
I was struggling to stay conscious. My mind flickered to a dream I had had a week ago, I realised the dream had been remarkably like this. I tried to look at the girl more clearly. It was too bizarre a thought that this girl could actually be the girl I had been dreaming of for weeks.
I was still unsure of her reason for being here, but slowly my suspicion of her shooting me was beginning to fade away. I fell to one knee and spat blood. I knew the foe that had shot me would be waiting close by, waiting for me to weaken before they returned to finish me off. The arrow had to be taken out of my chest but I could not touch it myself.
"I cannot draw the arrow myself." I said to her, hoping that she knew I wished for her to pull it out of me.
She did not wish to pull it out, afraid that it would hurt me more. I eventually talked her around by confessing to her that if she did not help me I was better off dead.
"It will bleed more." She said, trying one last time to change my mind.
I laughed "Either way, no doubt"
"I can't do it." She said quietly. I could tell she was afraid.
I asked her what her name was, trying to take her mind off the grisly task that lay ahead.
"Kaye" she said
I told her my name; it was a gesture of trust as faeries do not usually give their name willingly.
"Give me your hand" I said, hoping that she had made her mind up to help me.
I took her hand and guided it to the branch that was lodge in my chest.
"I'll do it." She said in a determined voice.
As she tugged on the arrow a sharp pain ran through my whole body, however, the branch had only pulled out a little. Kaye pulled herself up onto one knee and as she stood she pulled the arrow upwards. An even sharper pain seared through my entire body and I let out a sharp cry. She had pulled the arrow from my chest. I touched my wound and looked at the blood on my fingers, still unable to believe that I had actually been shot.
"Very brave" I said approvingly.
I got my first good look at her now that the iron was out of me. As soon as I looked at her face I knew it was the girl from my dreams. I had not been able to see her face clearly in my dreams but this was definitely her. What did this mean? My whole body was aching and there were faerie foe waiting to attack, I realised this was not the time to be worrying about a silly dream.
"We have to stop the bleeding. How does your armour come off?" Kaye asked.
I was struggling to stay conscious. I realised what she meant and fell forward groaning, "Straps"
Kaye fumbled around with my armour as I slipped in and out of consciousness. Finally she managed to rid me of my armour, showing my skin to be covered in blood.
I felt something touch me and snapped open my eyes. I didn't even remember closing them. Kaye had ripped long strips from her skirt to wrap around my wound. I was shocked that I hadn't heard her ripping her skirt. My determination to stay conscious had obviously faltered.
"Is there somewhere you can go?" Kaye asked
I thought of the Kelpie and was fairly sure that I would be able to get a bridle on it. I picked up a leaf and smeared my blood on it.
"Drop this in the stream, there is a Kelpie in there." I said to her, knowing that she probably had no idea what a Kelpie was.
She shook her head as if understanding. I realised that I was now in her debt and was anxious not knowing what it was that she would want in return. I relayed this to Kaye hoping she would tell me what it was I would need to repay her with.
"I have questions," she said as I handed the leaf to her.
"I will answer three" I replied.
I then proceeded to give her instructions on how to contact the Kelpie. She nodded and ran in the direction of the water. She was not gone for more than ten seconds before I was attacked. I knew they would come and had been preparing myself for their attack. Only one came out from the dense trees. He charged at me with his sword obviously thinking I was completely unfit to fight; had he come any earlier this would have been true. I drew all of my strength and stood, clutching my sword. The fight did not last long; he faulted for a brief second as he slipped on the mud. One second was enough for me to finish him off.
By the time Kaye returned with the Kelpie I was slumped back in front of the tree as I had been moments before. She must have noticed something different about me because she said, "Did something happen?" I smiled at her quick observation. I had already bridled the Kelpie and was on his back, ready to leave.
"Don't waste your questions." I said before I rode the Kelpie back to the lake.
As I weaved the Kelpie in and out of the trees at an intense speed, I wondered if I would ever see Kaye again. Of course I will, I thought, she still has three questions to ask me.
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A/N: Well, there you have it, chapter 2 in the world of Roiben. Please review and tell me what you think, Thanks.
