It stared at me with black eyes. There was no other color except black.

"You're trespassing," It stated coldly.

"Dregat has no rulers, how can I be trespassing?" I snapped.

The rebel sprite laughed at me like I was a fool. "You're not in Dregat my boy, you're trespassing on Cillian Dremosa's land."

I stared blankly. If I wasn't in Dregat, then where was I? My navigation skills must have been pretty awful.

"Wait…who is Cillian Dremosa?" I demanded.

"The most powerful sorcerer in Clyone."

I felt myself pale. Of course! Only a rebel sprite would be in Clyone, a sorcerer as well. The land of Clyone was infested with magic because of the socerers' power and the rebel sprites running amok, casting small enchantments on animals and such. At least, that was what traveling adventurers told me about Clyone as they passed through Frell.

I wondered if the little thing was still offended at my accusation. I tried to pretend it never happened but I could tell the rebel sprite wasn't fond of me. I didn't make any sudden movements, but tried asking it a question.

"Have you seen another man in these woods. He's oh, about as tall as me with dark hair. He had a bow?"

The little creature's expression told me at once it had seen Aramon. It didn't say anything about him though. Just the way it smiled eerily tipped me off.

"Where is he? Which way did he go?" I asked anxiously, maybe I could catch up to him.

"No. I have him captured. He broke a law as you are doing now!" the rebel sprite was suddenly very passionate about what it was saying.

"Pray, what 'law' would that be?"

"No mortal man is allowed on Cillian Dremosa's land!"

"And why not?"

"You can't be told, but you have to adhere to the codes of penalty for your act,"

I didn't like the look about the rebel sprite that seemed to enjoy the thought of torturing me if it could. I didn't think it fair to be punished for something I didn't know I was doing. I ran that thought by the rebel sprite and in response it wiggled it's fingers and spoke a bizarre incantation. The dead vegetation around me snapped out for my limbs. Since my hand was always near my sword I unsheathed it and began slicing the tangle of roots and weeds.

Was this what happened to my poor friend Aramon? I leaped and dodged the tentacles of a shrub and held my sword up to the surprised rebel sprite. It must have caught Aramon off guard. A reason for that being that Aramon had bad reflexes, just good aim.

"Release Aramon to me now!" I shouted.

"He is paying for breaking the law!"

"Release him or I swear I will sever your head from your shoulders, sprite!"

"Cillian Dremosa will get his reven…" the rebel sprite tried to say but I put more pressure and less space between my blade and its neck. Its black eyes bulged.

The tangled of brush retreated from my boots and foolishly I drew back my sword expecting to negotiate with the creature. Not so, they aren't called 'rebel' sprites for nothing. Sneaky little buggers.

At once, the skeletal arms of the trees reached for me but the their branches were thick and my sword couldn't cut them through. Instead of wrapping around me, they barricaded me from the rebel sprite and from behind so I couldn't move in any direction. Trapped!

It came towards me in a saunter, triumphant it had beaten me. It was no more than a foot away and it stopped abruptly, took in a deep breath, and then stared at me in shock.

"You have dragon on you," It spoke with wide black eyes, sniffed again and backed up another foot.

It could smell the dragon? What, did dragons leave a scent? I finally got my senses together and realized the rebel sprite was fearful. I could use this to my advantage.

"Yes, I have just visited my dragon friend," friend INDEED! Humph!

"Friend!?!" the rebel sprite hissed.

"Yes, and if you harm me, he'll fly over here and eat you," I mentioned casually.

"NO!" it wailed.

Rebel sprites must have been gullible creatures. Smart, but horribly gullible.

"If you release me, and Aramon, I promise not to let the dragon eat you," I easily could promise such a thing. The dragon was preoccupied with my sister. I swallowed a lump that had formed by thinking of that.

The rebel sprite seriously considered the offer, "Cillian Dremosa will kill me if I let you and your friend walk his land."

I shrugged, "Then we shall leave, no one needn't know we've been here."

The offer of not getting eaten by a dragon for our freedom was too good to pass up I guess because the trees moved back to their rightful places. Then, the rebel sprite snapped its fingers and disappeared. A tree close to me twisted and produced snapping sounds in the process, sounding like breaking bones. I grasped my sword, ready for any other tricks the rebel sprite might have had, but the shape of the tree shrunk down into the form of Aramon. He laid there, in a passed out way. Was this another trick or was the tree really Aramon?

"Aramon?" I asked and nudged his shoulder with my foot.

He grumbled and rolled over, curling into a ball.

"ARAMON!" I kicked him in the back.

"WHAT?!" he shouted, fairly normal of his waking habits considering he had been turned into a tree for a couple hours.

"Get up, we need to get off this land,"

He stood and dusted himself off. He looked around and then stared at me inquisitively. "What happened?"

"You were transformed into a tree, my friend."

"No I wasn't!"
"I just saw you go from tree to human," I tried convincing him.

"My limbs ache," he lifted his arm up and down, wincing.

"That's because you were a tree,"

"You're silly, how could I be tree and not remember?" he laughed at the absurdity.

It was very absurd, but very true. "A rebel sprite caught you off guard."

He stopped walking and frowned, "Oh! That's what it was?"

"You remember it?"

"It said something but I can't remember because I felt exhausted and fatigue, probably because of lack of nourishment," he cast an accusing glance at me; somehow hinting our hunger was my fault.

I was never bringing him traveling again if he thought my navigation skills were so bad.

We and our horses traveled back the way we had come, hopefully getting off Cillian Dremosa's land. We were far by nightfall, and decided to make camp again, since no village had crossed our path. Aramon started another fire while I tried to figure out how to pitch his tent. I never learned how to live outdoors, unlike my rustic friend.

"Heavens Darius, go find some food and let me put up the tent!" Aramon exclaimed when the fire was a perfect roaring source of warmth. He shoved his bow and arrow at me and then picked up where I had left off on construction. He knew I couldn't arch! He was just trying to get rid of me! I huffed and swing the quiver over my shoulder, stalking off into the woods. Maybe I could find food and that'd show him! I weaved through the wood, trying not to run into a tree, especially one that had formerly been human.

The moon was bright enough to see be thank goodness, or else I would have been totally lost. There wasn't a sound to be heard except for my cautious footsteps. It was awhile of walking and then I saw a glittering of light through the trees. Oh no, not another rebel sprite! I walked closer, curiosity getting the better of me. Brushing away twigs and low hanging branches, I came to find that the glittering was the reflection of the moon on a wide lake. It was a beautiful lake, big, clear.

I set down Aramon's bow by the shore and cupped water into my hands to drink. The water was cold, refreshing and actually the most delicious water I had ever tasted, well as delicious as water can go. Wiping my hands off, I viewed the rest of the area around the lake. It was so quiet, but more peaceful than eerie. My feet had become tired of standing so I took a seat on the bank and unlaced my boots. Throwing them to the side, I dug my toes into the sand and smiled. The sand was cold but who could resist digging their toes into it?

Suddenly, I saw a shadow on the water and looked up, there flying silently was a waterfowl. A duck? A goose? I couldn't tell it was far away but it was circling about to land in the water. Food. Whatever I was, it was my dinner.

I hopped up, wanting to take aim at it before it landed. I grabbed an arrow out of Aramon's quiver and knocked it, drew the bowstring back, ready to shoot. I released the bowstring and the arrow flew towards it. Missed!? Well, I was a shoddy archer. I tried again but the missed and the waterfowl landed on the water's surface. I huffed in defeat and with a grumbling stomach.

Strange thing though, the bird was swimming closer and closer to me, even after I shot at it. Well, that was its loss; I could just strangle it to death if I could catch it. I stood at the edge of the water, the cold wetness biting at my toes, ready to catch it.

As it came closer, I finally saw that it was a white swan. Did swan taste good? Mandy never cooked it, and I had never tried any but I was ravenous.

The water beneath the swan started boiling. Oh no, please, no more surprises, I backed up a little.

It lifted its wings and started flapping; white feathers flew upward in a hasty molting. Water leaped over and around the bird. It puzzled me, what was happening??

Then, before my very eyes a tall, beautiful maiden stepped elegantly out of the water like she had just descended out of a carriage at a ball. But, she was then very un-maidenly when marched right up to me with a condemning scowl and demanded to know, "I could have been killed! WHY did you shoot at me!?"