Author's Notes: Yay! Chapter 10, at last can you believe we're already at chapter 10? I can't!

So, since it's a special occasion, I'm going to write a little about the Arelle story. If you're in a hurry, skip this, if your anxious to get to the story, skip this, but if you want to hear me jabber, stay, listen, and learn, for all are welcome.

I really never thought Arelle would make it this far. Although I knew she had a lot of story to write, I never thought I'd be able to stick to it long enough to get it all out. Right now is as good a time as any to tell you that Arelle will be a long, long story. I haven't written HALF of the stories that Arelle experiences. If Arelle ends in 20 chapters, I will be very surprised. So, basically, Arelle is more like a novel than a fanfic.

Now that I'm finished with that, let me say that I've been writing so much recently! I've already got two more chapters ready for posting! That is something I've never done before. Usually I end up having to write the ending the day it goes up. That's why they're always late. But not today. No, not today. Today will be EARLY! ^.^ Ahem. And not ONLY have I written more Arelle, but I've also started a new fic. This one's based in the White Wolf pencil & paper RPG game that we play, Exalted. It's actually just a document of all our adventures, written in story form. I already have two chapters, but I can't post it on FF.net until I've told our RPGing group and showed it to them. Once I get their approval, up it goes!

Ok, now I'll be quiet and let you read the fic. Enjoy! Oh, and as always, reviews are oh-so-very-very-welcome-and-appreciated!
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Last time on Arelle:

Lilliah began telling Arelle about how she met Akinen. The chapter ended when Lilliah was telling how the Cutthroats captured her, but Aka, one of the Cutthroats, wouldn't let the others hurt Lilliah.

"I see you're awake now, lass. Don't worry about anything, just rest." Lilliah heard Aka say as she slowly gained consciousness and opened her eyes. She quickly sat up straight in the bed.

"Where am I?! What do you plan to do with me?!" She yelled, trying to stand up. Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. She recalled how she had been beat up by a band of orcs the previous day. Her legs were weak, too, and she flopped down on the mat again.

"Don't be afraid. I don't intend to harm ye. If I did, I wouldn't have gone to the trouble to fool 'em." He paused. "Ye know, I really don't know why I'm doing this. Who knows what I'm thinking." He said as he brought a damp rag and laid it on Lilliah's forehead. She squinted at the pain her body felt. She slowly looked up at him.

"It was you..." she trailed off. "It was you who saved me, before..." she mumbled. Her eyes suddenly widened and then she squinted as she glared at him, "And it was you who captured me!" As she ended, she jerked away from him. "You're the leader of the Cutthroats, aren't you?!"

He sighed.

"Second in command at the moment, lass, but I've taken command of the band until Commander is well."

"You..." She spat at him, glaring. "You're a Cutthroat."

"Yes, I am."

"How can you say that so easily?"

"It would be pointless to deny what I am."

She paused.

"What do you plan to do with me?" She asked.

"I plan to heal ye."

"Really."

"Really." He replied.

"Why would you do that?" She asked.

"That's a very good question, lass."

"So answer it."

He paused.

"I don't know, lass. Maybe I am searching for a scrap of goodness left inside me," he paused for a moment, then chuckled at himself. She glared at him. "Look, lass, I don't plan to harm ye!"

She stared at him for a moment, then turned away.

"The others wanted to kill ye..." Aka trailed off. "But I didn't let them. It'd be best if ye could leave now and get away from the Cutthroats, but I know ye couldn't make it out there in the forest with these wounds. I'm not sure if ye could even make it out there without any wounds. Ye seemed to be having quite some trouble with those wretched orcs." She was still looking away. "I made up an excuse to keep ye here till yer healed. Just play along with it. As soon as yer well enough, I'll help ye escape. However, if you would like to leave now, I could help you escape now..." He trailed off.

She looked at him, and then down at the many bandages she was wrapped in. She felt the sharp, biting pain in her stomach. It was the worst wound, but her legs and arms were bruised, and her shoulder and back had both taken bad hits, as well.

"No." She replied. "I'll wait until I heal." She looked into his eyes. "If that's alright with you, that is."

"Of course." Aka replied. Lilliah held her head in her hands as she suddenly felt dizzy.

"You should rest now." Lilliah heard him say, as her eyes shut and she fell unconscious again.

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When Lilliah awoke, she saw Aka at the other side of the tent. He turned towards her when he saw that she was awake.

"Finally awake, eh lass?" He said.

"Huh?" Lilliah said, slowly coming out of her half-asleep state.

"Ye were asleep for four days." He said.

"What? Four days? Wow..." Liliah said. She looked at her wounds and saw that they were all healing up nicely because they had been treated and bandaged with fresh bandages.

"Me name is Aka. Aka the Scarlet Cutthroat." Aka said. Lilliah paused. Could this man really be trusted? He seemed nice enough...But he was a Cutthroat! Could she really trust him?

"Lilliah. My name's Lilliah." Lilliah said.

"A pleasure to meet ye, Lilliah. Welcome to my humble abode." He said, smiling half-jokingly. She gave him a half smile. Then there was a silence.

"I was somewhat conscious when they brought me to you." Lilliah said warily.

"I see. So ye heard the conversation?" Aka asked.

"Well...Yes. I did," she hesitantly replied.

"I don't plan to make ye my woman. It was just an excuse to let ye stay here until ye've healed enough to escape. It was the only thing I could think of that would keep them away from ye. Just play along with it, and it should be fine." Aka said. Lilliah paused before answering.

"I'm not sure if I trust you completely ...But...But if you really are looking out for me this much, I appreciate it. Maybe there is more than a scrap of goodness in you." Lilliah said. He smiled.

"'Tis an honor to have saved such a sweet lass. 'Tis not often I find such a damsel in distress to save." Aka said. Lilliah blushed at his words. Aka turned to a small wooden table with a small meal on it, consisting of some meat and bread. He gave the food to her, and after briefly eyeing it over, she eagerly ate it. He smiled at her as he walked out of the tent.

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"And that's how I met Akinen." Lilliah finished her story. Arelle sat on the grass, taking in all that she had heard.

"Wow...Yes, I see..." Arelle said.

"So you see, he's a nice guy after all. Even if he is a Cutthroat." Lilliah said. "Later, when I asked him, he told me that when he first saw me, he wanted to help me, but he couldn't because he didn't want the Cutthroats to find me. He said that he was on patrol, but the whistle I could hear that made him leave was blown by the Cutthroats to tell those on patrol that they were moving camp. If he hadn't come back, they would have been suspicious and would've come looking for him. Then they would have seen me, and no doubt tried to kill me. He said that he wanted to help me heal completely, but there was no way he could think of to do it, because of the other Cutthroats. After they moved camp, he said, he thought about me and feared I wouldn't have survived the wounds. When his fellow Cutthroat captured me, he knew they would kill me, so he made up an excuse to keep me alive. He was going to help me escape when I my wounds had healed, but I fel-I mean, we became good friends. Still, he didn't want me to have to live with the Cutthroats. He said I should go back to the Barbarian lands, where I belonged." Lilliah paused now, suddenly silent. "So now you know how we met." Lilliah said. Arelle still sat silently.

"Lilliah...Be clear about this..." Arelle began. "I have wondered on this subject for a while, and it would be easing to know the truth on the matter, though I have a feeling I know the answer." Arelle paused. "Do you love Akinen?" Arelle asked. Lilliah was surprised by the sudden question, and she flushed red. There was a minute of silence between the two before Arelle spoke again. "Will you not tell me?"

"Yes..." Lilliah whispered quietly. "Yes, I do." She said, louder. "I love Akinen with all my heart." She finished. Arelle looked surprised, but she had suspected it long ago.

"I see." Arelle said, looking at the ground in front of her.

"Arelle, I know you don't care much for Akinen because of what he did. But if you would give him a chance, if you would open up your heart, you would see the man he truly is. He's a man who's had a troubled life. He's made many poor decisions, some at huge costs to himself and, of course, to his family's reputation. But if you look further than his poor decisions, you would find that, inside, he is a very good man. He loves you so much, even though he knows you haven't forgiven him. Open your heart to him, Arelle. Open your heart." Lilliah said, looking into Arelle's eyes.

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Moren and Akinen set their bundles of firewood down next to the fire. Moren smiled at Akinen.

"Thank you for your help, Akinen." Moren said. Akinen smiled back at Moren.

"I was more than glad to help you." Akinen replied. "Moren...I'm not sure what I should do." Akinen said, brows furrowed.

"What do you mean?" Moren asked, questioningly.

"Well... I... " Akinen began, nervously. He furrowed his brows and sat down on a stump near the fire. Moren sat down next to him.

"I don't know if I should go back to the Cutthroats again or not. Since our band of Cutthroats was disbanded, the few that may have survived will come back to the main hideout. I don't know... I don't know if I want to still be a Cutthroat. When I was young, I loved the adventure in it...But now, while I still love adventure, I see all the wrong they do. It never hindered me so much before, except at the very start, but the kindness you and Arelle have showed me has made me think about my life. I am getting the feeling that I might actually want to get married, have kids, and settle down...Ah, maybe I'm just getting older. But being a Cutthroat is all I know how to do! How would I support a family?" Akinen ended in exasperation. Moren stopped to think.

"I don't know, Akinen. I don't know." Moren said. "However, I'm sure re-joining the Cutthroats can't be the right thing to do. But, if it's all right with Arelle, I would be glad to let you live with us until you decide on what you want to do. That is... If it's all right with Arelle..." Moren said. Akinen smiled.

"I would be very grateful if you would allow me to stay with you... If it's all right with Arelle. Perhaps by the time winter is over, I will have decided on what to do with my life." Akinen replied.