Set during 1x08

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Wil had not been surprised when Cephelo took off into the woods.

He had hated the idea of letting the rover out of his cage in the first place and he had not been optimistic about the entire situation. But Amberle had made a fair point—the man knew this region far better than either of them and, in the end, he had (probably) led them to where Eritrea was being held.

It could have been much worse. Even though Cephelo was not willing to help them save his "daughter" at least they had escaped from their encounter with him unscathed.

That was something to be thankful for.

With a soft sigh, Wil peered out from behind the trees that shielded them, doing his best to survey the scene in the field. It was dark, but he could tell that there were a lot of humans there—most of them seemed to be young and they appeared to be gathering for some sort of party.

It was odd, he mused briefly, to see such a tranquil and jovial crowd after everything they had been through during the past few weeks. It had been so long since he had simply relaxed and he had almost forgotten what "real life" looked like. He had always yearned for this sort of normalcy. Yearned to join the group.

It reminded him of some of the festivals and gatherings he had seen in his own village as a child…but, like always, Wil knew that he would not be a welcomed member of the crowd.

As vile and repugnant as Cephelo was, at least he had given them a fair warning.

"Don't forget to hide your ears…"

Wil knew from years of experience that the man was right. It would be foolish of them to dash down there without some sort of disguise. Back in the Vale, he had never dared to walk amongst humans without his hat— and any time he had been exposed the results had been disastrous.

"Wil, what are we going to do?" He heard the panic in Amberle's hushed voice and he felt her reach for his hand. "I've never seen so many humans in one place." She paused. "Do you think they'd hurt us if they find out that we're elves?"

Wil felt a sad smile cross his face. It was both strange and comforting to hear Amberle speak as if they were both the same. For most of his life, he had felt so alone and he still found it hard to believe that this beautiful, brave, and amazing girl had accepted him so easily. And yet it felt weird to hear her group them together without any caveats.

"We're elves." She had said, without a hint of hesitation in her voice.

It was hard for him not to react to that. For as long as he could remember, Wil had been conditioned to hide and downplay his elven side— his instinctual reply to being called an elf was to proclaim that he was "only half."

But all of a sudden, things were different. And he wasn't pulsing with the desire to tell her that she was wrong.

He had met elves now. Seen their kingdom and witnessed their daily life. He had discovered that he was descended from elven royalty and had fallen in love with an elven princess. When he had been in Aborlon he had felt like he belonged for the first time in his life.

He had felt like he had finally found himself.

He had finally accepted himself.

But now, back on the edge of a human settlement, so many old and unpleasant feelings came rushing back.

He was safe with Amberle—she loved him for who and what he was. But Wil knew that every single person in the field in front of them would react to his presence with either cruelty or violence. Just like every stranger he had met in the Vale.

Elves were not welcomed here—he was not welcomed here. If they were exposed, they would probably have to run.

"I don't know if they'll hurt us." Wil whispered, turning towards the princess. "But they're certainly not going to be happy and they'll probably drive us out before we can find Eretria. Cephelo was right—we need to cover our ears."

Amberle gave a wide-eyed nod. Silently, she adjusted her long dark locks before reaching up towards him. Wil hadn't expected her tender touch, but he stayed still as she untucked his hair from behind his ears.

When she finished, her brow furrowed with worry.

"My hair usually covers mine fairly well, but yours…"

"I know." Wil cut in as he brought his hand up towards the side of his head. He could feel his mop of messy hair…and the unmistakable tip of an elven ear peeking through. He might be able to go undetected at a quick glance, but one glimpse at the wrong angle and they were doomed.

"When I was back home, I always wore a hat when I went outside." He explained, grabbing his hood and pulling it over his head. Wil knew that he probably looked strange, and more than a little suspicious, but it was still better than nothing.

As he glanced back he could see the look of surprise on his companion's face and he did his best to give her a nonchalant shrug. He didn't want her pity, and he certainly didn't want her to know how much his years of hiding had hurt him.

Even though many humans resented elves for their arrogance, Wil secretly loved how comfortable and proud Amberle usually was. To her, the idea of covering up her elegant and prized feature every single day was mortifying.

Wil had never had the luxury of pride. But he was tired of being sheepish and ashamed—and he hoped that one day he would live in a place where he didn't have to be.

Now, however, back on the edge of the human world and with the fate of the world at stake, he knew that they had to do what was necessary.

Like it or not.

"It looks like there is a back entrance over there." He said, holding his blue hood firmly around his head. "We can sneak in and find ourselves something to cover up with before we look for Eretria."

The girl gave him a quick nod before they took off towards their destination.

Running and hiding.

He had been doing it his whole life…

But this time, at least, he had Amberle by his side.

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It all happened so fast.

He had been arguing with Amberle about the map when a reveller had come into the room and removed the princess' hat. Although it had been an innocent act, the situation deteriorated quickly. Amberle had been exposed, and two new arrivals had cornered them before they had time to flee.

"You must be Eretria's friends." The dark haired man said with an unsettling smile on his face.

Wil had seen him dancing with the rover a few minutes ago and he got the sense that this guy had some degree of authority. He certainly had an air of cockiness about him and his blonde companion looked equally smug.

Wil instantly disliked them both.

"Yes, we're Eretria's friends." Amberle cut in quickly, doing her best to seem calm and collected. "We mean you no harm and we'll be on our way as soon as we collect our friend."

The two humans exchanged a knowing look and Wil could tell that they were not going to have an easy escape. There was something disconcerting in their eyes.

Something almost…predatory.

"I'm afraid we don't let elves simply come and go as they please." The woman replied, sending Amberle a scathing glare.

Wil watched her eyes shift towards him and, before he could react, the woman reached forward and knocked the wide-brimmed hat from his head.

He knew that his tell-tale ears were visible but, rather than shrink back, Wil did his best to put on a brave face.

"You're an elf too." The man said with sneer.

"Yes." Wil replied.

Much to his own surprise, he had not felt the least bit of hesitation in his response.

He stood firmly as the new arrival surveyed him with a familiar look of disgust. Wil had seen that same stare countless times before— he had seen it when he was an innocent child who had simply wanted friends, and he had seen it every time he ventured into a human settlement without a sufficient disguise. But, unlike every instance before, Wil did not let himself falter under the other man's gaze.

Instead, he simply stood.

Unashamed.

With Amberle at his side.

And for the first time in his life, he felt no desire to deny what he was.

"Your kind aren't welcomed here." The blonde woman stated, her eyes narrowed in unabashed hatred.

"I'm glad we've rescued Eretria from such unsavory company." The man added with a shake of his head. "She deserves to be with her own kind. Not dragged around like a slave by two arrogant pointy-eared freaks."

He could feel Amberle tense by his side. "Eretria is our friend." She shot back, clearly angered by the false allegation.

The man scoffed once again and took another step towards them. "Elves and humans can never be friends." He stated with firm conviction. It was apparent that there was no way to overcome his deep hatred, and Wil knew it was fruitless to try. Humans were often set in their ways. "You drove us from our ancestral homes and put yourselves in charge of a land that was once ours. But—" He paused, his face mere inches from the two companions. "Our time will come again. Humans have achieved greatness before and we will wipe out your vile, prejudice species once and for all. Your blood will turn the four lands red."

Despite his best efforts not to let the man get to him, Wil could feel his body surge with anger.

He had heard such sentiments before, and they had enraged him every time. He hated the close-minded "us-vs-them" rhetoric and he did not take kindly to those who spoke about annihilation.

At heart, he was a peacemaker.

A healer.

And he would rather die than see individuals like this rise to power.

"You're the reason why the world is better off with elves in charge." Wil retorted, fiercely starring the man down. The words poured out of his mouth without much thought and, once he began, he found it hard to stop. "Humans are the ones that are prejudiced. You're the ones who can't accept anyone who is different than yourselves. Sure, elves have made mistakes in the past, and could do more to bring unity between all the species—but we would never even contemplate massacring another species. We accept. We try to make peace."

"Shut up, elf." The man spat as he grabbed Wil by the arm and began to shove him towards the back door.

Behind him, Wil could hear Amberle struggle under the woman's grasp.

He didn't know where they were being taken.

And he didn't know their fate.

But, at the very least, he knew that he would go down without shame.

He would go down as an elf.

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A/N- reviews much appreciated! I love hearing what you think! Apologies if there are more typos than usual- I'm exhausted today!