Chapter 12. On a Moonless Night.

Darkness had already fallen in the Labyrinth City, the moonless night making the stars shine all the brighter in the boundless sky.

Rünira found herself walking through the cobbled streets under the light of the magic street laps, deep in thought, her mind mulling over all the things she had been through in the last couple of hours.

Her arrival to Orario hadn't been uneventful. Meetings with the Astraea and Loki familia, and all the things she had learned about the heart-breaking state of her people had given her a lot to think about. But there was something else occupying her thoughts at the moment, something related to the private conversation she had had with Riveria before leaving Twilight Manor.

"I still can't believe Vanur is an uncle!" she half-whispered giddily, trying to contain the grin attempting to split her face. He won't hear the end of it.

Rünira had asked Riveria where she could find Aina to give her Vanur's letter, but apparently, the elf hadn't lived in Orario for some time, something about the city's air apparently being too harmful to her fragile health. But her daughter did.

Her daughter!

Rünira had been very surprised to learn that Aina had a daughter, but not as surprised as Riveria had been hearing that Vanur wished to reconnect with his exiled sister. Seeing the frown on the elven princess' face morph into a warm smile full of joy had made even Rünira's heart skip a beat.

"Elves really are dangerous… Nobody should be allowed to be that beautiful," Rünira said to no one as she walked, strolling through some backstreet hoping that she wasn't as lost as she felt she was.

"It should be around here somewhere," she muttered under her breath, gaze wandering across the different buildings, trying to remember the directions that Riveria had given her. "Oh Earth! I should've asked her to draw me a map…"

The apartment of Aina's daughter was supposed to be close to Twilight Manor, but Rünira should have known better than to rely on her memory and her ability to navigate through a new and unknown place at night, particularly in a huge city like Orario.

Put her underground, and it wouldn't matter if it was pitch black or a literal maze, she could find her way out while walking backwards. But weirdly enough, being on the surface made her almost incapable of distinguishing left from right. Yet another reason why her life in the Alf Royal Forest had been rather complicated.

She was about to give up and try to find someone to ask for directions when the sound of a crash and a muffled scream caught her attention, instantly making her body get on high alert.

Her ears perked up trying to focus on the direction of the sound. There it is! She began to move, quickly skidding around a corner, right into the entrance of a dark alley, her eyes rapidly adjusting to the sudden lack of light, searching for the source of the noise.

Rünira's fists tightened at the sight that met her. A short but broad figure clad in a dark hood, one hand holding a terrified looking elf girl by the neck against the wall, the other one holding a rusty knife menacingly to her face.

Robbery, murder or something even worse. Rünira didn't know what this person was trying to do, and she really didn't care either.

"Let her go right now!"

Her scream thundered across the quiet alley, the commanding tone of her voice resonating powerfully in the narrow space.

The hooded figure jolted around in obvious surprise but he didn't let go of the elf, whose wide and panicked green eyes were now looking at Rünira imploringly.

"P-Please help—" the girl managed to choke out before the hand around her neck, loosened by the surprise, tightened once again.

"Get lost if you know what's good for ya!" the man spitted out, turning his face in Rünira's direction, features obscured by the hood over his head.

"The only thing I know," Rünira began, grabbing her hammer from her belt while trying to give a reassuring look to the girl, rage starting to burn inside her. "Is that if you don't let her go right this moment, you will learn to fear the might of the dwarves."

A raspy noise began to fill the dark alley, gradually growing in intensity and beginning to sound more and more like a dry, grating cough.

No…he's not coughing.

It was a laugh, the man was laughing at her, Rünira realised, he was full-on cackling at her words. It was not a pleasant sound.

"Might? Might? What might!?" he asked roughly, voice starting to take on a disturbing tone. "Nothin's left of those dirty rock fuckers except for shame and ash! Nothing!"

Rünira felt her anger rising at his words. "You dare!?" she yelled, knuckles turning white around the Aflhraûn's handle. "You don't know anything about my people! About the things we've been through!"

The man laughed again in response. "Don't I?" he said, bringing the hand holding the knife to his head, grabbing the edge of his hood.

Rünira's heart sank, eyes growing wide in dismay as the face of the man came under the light from the street behind her. Long, unkempt beard, hard features that looked carved out of a rock, and a wrinkly and scarred skin that spoke of years of enduring under terrible conditions.

He was a dwarf. One of her people, her own kin.

"W-Why…?" she couldn't help but whisper, head shaking in denial, chest tightening painfully at the sight of the old dwarf. "Why are you doing this?"

She knew the question was pointless, nothing could ever justify the scene unfolding in front of her, to assault a girl that was so obviously defenceless and scared out of her mind. It wasn't right, but a part of her needed to believe that somehow, what this man was doing wasn't so unequivocally wrong.

The man snarled nastily. "She deserves it! Like they all do!" he said hatefully, venom oozing out of his voice. "Cowards, heartless bastards, laughed at us and left us to rot!"

"Please let her go," Rünira pleaded desperately, holding out her empty hand. "The elves had nothing to do with what happened to us, it's not their fault. Please!"

But he wasn't listening to her. "Where were the elves when we burned!" he screamed, spittle flying out of his mouth, a deranged light filling his eyes as he pointed the knife towards her. "Where were they when we were slaughtered like pigs by that black nightmare!"

Rünira felt a part of her heart break from what she was hearing, devastated by the realisation that the dwarf before her was too far gone, completely and utterly broken by what had happened to him. She could see it in his eyes, in the way his whole body trembled with each shuddering breath.

She had failed him, left him to a life of shame, without a leader and without a home.

It was her fault.

But she would not fail him again, Rünira wouldn't let him become a heartless murderer, and even if he was one already, she wouldn't let him stain his soul any further, even if that meant killing him herself.

She steeled her heart, preparing herself to fulfil her duty.

"Put her down," Rünira said once more, voice empty, face completely blank as she raised her hammer, getting into position. "This is your last warning."

"Oh, I'll put'er down alright…"

Time seemed to slow down to a crawl, all of Rünira's combat instincts flaring to life as the old dwarf turned back towards the elf, knife held high, ready to strike. She was too far away, she wouldn't reach them in time to stop him.

Not with her hammer.

In one swift motion, she grabbed the hatchet strapped on her back and threw it, the axe exploding out of her hand, cutting the air in a whirlwind of motion.

The descending knife was violently ripped from the dwarf's hand, axe cutting through it like butter before embedding itself on the wall, right next to the elf's head.

The old dwarf let out a yelp of pain, bringing his injured hand to his chest, but he wasn't finished. With his uninjured hand, he threw the girl to the ground, putting his arm around her neck in a chokehold.

"This woulda been quick and easy!" he grunted, giving Rünira a crazed look, eyes darting wildly. "But ye had to make it ugly!"

Rünira gritted her teeth at the scene, not knowing what to do. Whatever she did wouldn't be fast enough to stop him from snapping the girl's neck like a twig.

That's when she felt it.

A low rumble coming from nowhere and everywhere, a whisper in the air, a tremble in the ground. She could feel it in her skin, resonating deep inside her bones. A murmur started to fill Rünira's ears, voiceless words making her blood quicken in her veins.

The earth was calling to her, fire burned inside her soul.

And in that instant she knew what she had to do, the answer obvious now to her mind, for the man in front of her was a dwarf, a son of Bál Eldur, blood of her blood, flesh of her flesh, born of fire, born of earth.

And he would obey his queen.

Rünira stared at the man, green fire burning in her eyes, a powerful pressure building inside her chest as she opened her mouth.

"By the name of Eldur, I command you to release her!"

The booming order erupted from her throat like the firing of a cannon, the scream thundering much as it had before, but this time there was something else to it, something more. She could taste it in her tongue, feel it in the way her heart skipped a beat and her hair stood on end under the power of her words.

The effect was immediate.

The dwarf recoiled backwards, letting go of the girl like he had been burned, wild gaze darting frantically between her and his own hand. He gave Rünira one final wide and terrified look, before taking off running as fast as his legs could carry him.

A sudden wave of exhaustion hit her, making her stumble and almost bringing her to her knees before she could recover, throat aching and her heart beating wildly in her chest.

What on earth was that!?

A thousand questions flashed through Rünira's head, mind reeling from what had just happened before she shook her head vigorously, snapping out of her daze. There would be time later to think about it, now she had more pressing matters at hand. Looking up, she caught sight of the old dwarf's back as he ran and considered giving chase, but the thought quickly left her mind when her eyes fell upon the shivering girl left behind on the floor.

"It's okay, he's gone…" Rünira said softly, checking the girl for injuries as she approached, noticing for the first time that she looked around her own age, though it was hard to tell when it came to elves. "Can you stand?"

Green eyes looked up at her, long brown hair shifting slightly as she gave her a trembling nod. "I-I think so."

"Here, let me help you," Rünira said, offering her hand, noticing that the elf wasn't moving despite her earlier answer.

The girl flinched slightly in response, but seemed to shake it off after a moment, lifting her hand to grasp Rünira's with a tentative grip.

"Do you live around here?" Rünira asked once the girl was back to her feet, still holding onto her as she looked like a slight breeze could send her back to the ground. "I can escort you back if you'd like."

"Y-Yes, just around the corner a-actually." the elf answered shakily, clearly still in shock. "Thank you."

Rünira gave her the kindest smile she could. "Lead the way then."

They exited the alley at a slow pace, the elf finding it difficult to walk on her still trembling legs despite the fact that her mouth seemed to have recovered rather quickly. She thanked Rünira profusely and repeatedly, starting to tell her about her life, from studying to become a guild employee, to the small apartment she lived in and her life in Orario. Words poured out of the elf's mouth like she was afraid something terrible would happen if she ever stopped talking.

"So, you live alone?" Rünira interrupted gently, giving the elf a small frown. "Aren't you a little young for that?"

They had finally stopped in front of a tall building, looking worn but well maintained, the elf fumbling for a moment before fishing out a small key from one of her pockets.

"I was living with my parents before, but the city life wasn't good for my mother's health and they had to leave with my younger sister," she explained, opening the door of her home, both of them entering the small apartment. "I was already on my way to graduate from the guild's training course, so they helped me get this apartment. My dad still visits me every other week though…"

Rünira's eyebrows kept rising as she heard the elf speak. A young elf with a sick mother that just happened to live around this area? What were the chances? Granted, she didn't know if Aina's daughter was actually this young or not, but still.

"Can I ask you a question?" Rünira said bluntly, looking around the tiny yet homely apartment once they were both seated at a small table with a steamy cup of tea. "Is your name Eina by any chance?"

The elf gave her a startled look. "It… it Is, I'm Eina, Eina Tulle," she said, bowing her head slightly. "I'm sorry for not introducing myself earlier, it was very rude of me."

Rünira just smiled at the bashful girl, more than used to the courtesy of elves, though this one seemed an actual genuine attempt to be polite rather than some ingrained snobbery.

"It's fine, my name's Rünira by the way," she told Eina, giving her an easy smile. "You might not believe me, but I was actually looking for you."

"L-Looking for me?" Eina repeated, bright, innocent eyes wide with surprise. "Why?"

Rünira took out Vanur's letter from one of her pockets. "To give you this," she said simply, putting the envelope on the table. "It's a letter from Vanur, addressed to your mother Aina."

"My mother? I… I suppose I can send it to her but…" Eina said, correctly deducing Rünira's intentions before giving her a hesitant look. "I do not know who this Vanur person is."

Rünira just stared open-mouthed at the younger girl, not really sure how to respond. She doesn't know about Vanur!?

"Vanur Wisteria," she began after gathering her thoughts for a moment. "He's your mother's younger brother, your uncle…"

"My w-what?" Eina let out, clearly shocked by the revelation.

"I gather your mother didn't tell you about him?" Rünira said, letting out a resigned sigh. Of course she didn't…

Eina shook her head. "She never talked much about her time in the Alf Forest,'' she said, long ears dropping down sadly. "If it weren't for Lady Riveria's visits when I was younger, I'm not sure I would even know that much…"

Rünira nodded in understanding. "I don't know much about it myself, but from what Vanur has told me, your mother was punished unjustly by their family," she said. "He wants to reconnect with her, to make amends, I think."

Eina looked like she was about to respond, but found herself interrupted by a loud growl coming directly from Rünira's stomach.

"Sorry 'bout that," Rünira said, smiling awkwardly, feeling the heat rushing to her cheeks, a hand scratching the back of her neck. "I arrived in Orario this morning and haven't eaten all day…"

"No! Please don't apologise! I should've realised…" Eina said, flailing her arms desperately, before bowing again. "I'm a terrible host! I'm sorry!"

Rünira let out a hearty chuckle. "'Tis alright, I'll just eat later at that place the Loki Familia recommended to me," she said, explaining briefly to Eina her previous encounter with the jesters, and the fact that Lady Riveria had sent her here. "The Hostess of Fertility I think it was?" she finished, beginning to stand up.

"Please let me cook something for you!" Eina yelled suddenly, standing up as well, looking slightly flushed. "A-As thanks for helping me, it's the least I can do!"

"You don't need to thank me," Rünira began, waving her hand in dismissal, before seeing Eina's devastated expression. "But I certainly can't refuse a good meal now, can I!?"

Eina gave her a radiant smile back, moving to the kitchen area and starting to get ready everything she was going to need.

Rünira did, of course, try to help the young elf with the cooking, but Eina repeatedly refused her attempts. So after her third failed try, she just sat back on her chair and watched the girl prepare what was looking up to be a very generous dinner.

Rünira used the chance to observe Eina as she worked, pondering about something she had noticed earlier. The girl clearly looked like an elf, with long ears, perfect skin, and beauty beyond normal, but at the same time, there was something off about her that was hard to put into words. She felt…different somehow, and while Rünira would never claim to be an expert about elves, she had indeed spent a long time around them, long enough to feel confident that there's was something different about Eina.

But after a while of musing about it without results, Rünira found herself looking distractedly around the room while she listened to her host chatting happily about her future job in the guild. Her wandering eyes found a painting hanging beside a window, a loving looking couple staring back at her with a small child between them.

A lovely elven woman with dark-green hair and eyes sat beside a handsome human man, with brown hair and a roguish grin, the small girl with brown hair and green eyes, sitting comfortably on her father's lap.

Rünira stared at the picture for a moment, confusion clear on her face, before realisation hit her.

"You're a half-elf!" she blurted out before she could stop herself, surprising Eina, who let out a startled yelp at her outburst, almost dropping the plates she was carrying but barely managing to catch them.

"I'm sorry," Rünira said, quickly standing up to help the girl, "I didn't mean to yell, or to be rude… I just have never seen a half-elf before."

Rünira, of course, knew about the existence of half-elves, in theory, that is. They were practically anathema amongst the elves of the Alf Forest, who preached purity above all, the mere thought of crossing their blood with humans was considered by many as a great sin.

"I-It's fine," Eina answered, putting the steamy plates on the table. "I know half-elves aren't very common, but there are quite a few of us living here."

After more quick apologies for her outburst, they sat to eat the wonderful dinner Eina had prepared. Rünira had been pleasantly surprised by the roasted meat as all the elves she knew were strictly vegetarian. Must be her human side, I guess.

Time passed by quickly after that, with the two girls sharing stories of their lives.

Rünira told her about her stay with the elves and her apprenticeship under Vanur, which Eina found extremely interesting, clearly wanting to hear more about her newfound uncle. Rünira had done her best to try and keep her real heritage out of the conversation, not really wanting to talk about it, but if the curious glint in the half-elf eyes were any indication, she hadn't been very successful. After all, a dwarf living in the Royal Forest was something simply unheard of.

Damn elves and their sharp minds.

Thankfully, though clearly interested, Eina had not questioned her about it, preferring to keep asking about Vanur, soaking up as much as she could about the fabled weapon master.

Conversation came to a halt when they were both interrupted by the sound of a clock striking midnight, making it clear to Rünira that she should probably get going, having already used much of Eina's abundant hospitality.

"It was wonderful meeting you, you are a great cook!" Rünira said honestly, having truly enjoyed the meal. "We should definitely do this again!"

"O-Of course!" Eina said, trying to smile brightly, but the cheer didn't reach her eyes "And I guess it is getting rather late…"

Rünira had not missed the subtle signs throughout the night. A small stuttering here and there, a slight trembling on her hands, and the occasional vacant stare. Eina had tried her best to hide it with big smiles and an overly cheerful attitude, but to someone who knew fear as well as Rünira did, it was clear as day that the girl was still shaken by what had happened to her earlier that night.

Not that I can blame her.

The girl was still scared, and she would have to face the night alone, with nobody to comfort her.

"Do you have anyone you could spend the night with?" Rünira asked her, frowning slightly. "Some family or friends maybe?"

Eina shook her head, looking at the floor. "I don't have many friends, and my parents and my sister are my only family," she said. "Besides, it's already too late to call anyone."

Rünira sighed before an idea popped into her head. "You know what, maybe it is a little too late," she said, nodding, giving Eina an innocent look. "And all the inns are probably closed by now…"

Both of them knew that was a terrible lie, no self-respecting inn or tavern would be closed at midnight, especially in a city as big as Orario.

"You wouldn't mind if I stayed here for the night would you?" Rünira continued, looking around the tiny room, noticing the small bed tucked in a corner of the apartment, which would definitely not fit both of them. "I don't mind sleeping on the floor."

She could almost taste the relief pouring out of Eina at her not-so-subtle suggestion, a radiant smile appearing on the girl's face.

"Y-Yes! Yes, you can stay!" Eina said, hurriedly. "And you can take my bed, I could never make a guest sleep on the floor!"

Rünira just laughed. "I'm a dwarf!" she said, making a show of flexing her muscles. "I can sleep anywhere as long as it's dark, doncha worry 'bout me."

"N-No!"

"It's fine!" she insisted with a wave of her hand. "I'm tougher than I look!"

"I said no!" Eina refused vehemently, the firm tone surprising Rünira, who could do nothing but blink in surprise. "You saved my life, I'll not have you sleeping on the bare floor! Absolutely not!"

"O-Ok," Rünira responded, slightly taken aback by the sudden sternness. "Then what do we do?"

Eina seemed to consider the problem for a moment, before going towards the bed, lifting the mattress and putting it on the floor. "We can share it, we can both fit if we use the long side," she said resolutely, nodding to herself before looking back to Rünira, some of her previous shyness coming back. "I-If you don't mind, that is."

Rünira had to hold back a snort, clearly amused at the shift in attitude. I think I like this spunky Eina.

"Sounds good to me," she nodded with a small smile.

With the lights off, and both girls laying down on the mattress, their legs dangling off the end, Rünira let the exhaustion she had been fighting take over her body. It had been a really long day, and although she hadn't expected to end it by lying on the floor, sharing a mattress with Vanur's niece, she really couldn't complain too much.

It was slightly uncomfortable and beyond impractical, but the content smile on Eina's face as she slept peacefully beside her made it all feel worth it.

A/N: Slightly shorter chapter this time, but I think it ended in a good spot.

Our little (not yet) guild advisor joins the fray! I know it may be a little bit early in the timeline for Eina to join the guild (although dates are vague, so they leave a little wiggle room), but I just couldn't leave her out of the story. She might seem a little OOC but keep in mind that this Eina is just 13/14 years old, so she's not yet like her canon counterpart. (Her hair's still long!)

Also, the underlined dialogue is supposed to represent runic speech, the ancient dwarven tongue (which Rünira hasn't learned yet, it's kinda like Harry speaking parseltongue), it originally was written in a cool Norse font, but this site doesn't support it, so underline it is...

Finally, I know that a few people read the story (I really appreciate it), and I'd really love to know what you guys think as I don't get many reviews. This is my first time doing any kind of creative writing and English is not my first language, so I'd like to know if the lack of engagement is because the writing is bad or if it's just boring and not eventful enough to comment on.

Anyways, hope you like the chapter.