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Here it is the next chapter!
Blood Bond
Chapter One: A Raider's Arrow
Draco Malfoy was the high Prince of Slytherin or he had been once. He supposed he still was, but for reasons he had no control over, he no longer lived in the City of his birth. The take over of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff had been bad but at least they had fought until they could fight no longer.
Slytherin never had a chance. Mainly because it had never wanted to be saved. Slytherin had been the first Kingdom to fall to the new regime lead by the Dark wizard Voldemort.
He had claimed the Malfoys had been too soft conforming to the laws of Hogwarts and that they were a great nation with no need of half-breed do gooders telling them what to do.
The problem had been that there were many people who shared his way of thinking and so the uprising had begun. It had started as a simple spark but had soon been fanned into a flame that would change everything.
The royal family had once been respected in Slytherin but after Voldemort's uprising no one cared. They all lusted for power and the royal families rule meant nothing.
Draco had only vague memories of the uprising. He hardly remembered anything at all. He remembered the light of the flames and if he concentrated hard enough he could hear screams.
It wasn't surprising since Draco had only just turned one when the uprising happened. His Kingdom was the source and the first to fall to the new regime. He hardly remembered the Kingdom of his birth but even so he felt immense sadness that he had had to leave it.
His family had been smuggled out the castle by servants and the royal family had gone into exile in the neutral territories of Hogwarts safer here than anywhere. Even Voldemort did not feel strong enough to attack here yet.
And for that Draco was thankful. He had never seen Slytherin the Kingdom of his birth, the Kingdom to which he was legally heir to the throne but he hoped one day he would be able to see it.
He lived in Hogwarts an exile safe from the armies of the Regime but he often felt like he could be doing more to help the war. He knew how to fight he had had proper instruction since the age of four and now instructed the armies of Hogwarts in case they ever were needed to intervene.
But Draco himself because of who he was had never really been in a battle himself. And to be truthful he was sure that some of the soldiers in training let him win because of his royal blood.
That was not how it was meant to be. Draco loved Hogwarts it had been his home for all his life and it had kept him safe but of late he had begun to feel stifled with the City.
All the City talked about was of the war, a war that Draco could not participate in even though he knew fine well he should be. He trained the troops and let them go off to war but he could not go with them.
It made him resentful. He was a Prince and a Prince was meant to care for his people and be there when his army finally met enemies. That was why Draco was taking drastic steps and leaving the City that he had grown up in.
He did not plan to be gone forever but he planned to be gone and follow the army that had just ridden out the city to help in yet another battle. It was rumoured that it was the Gryffindor Kingdom.
That filled Draco with profound fear. Gryffindor had been the safest City in the Kingdom besides Hogwarts. Its army was an impressive sight mostly made up of Elven Archers the best Archers in the realms. But if Gryffindor had truly fallen then times were desperate indeed.
Draco intended to find out. This was his bid for freedom. He slipped out of the palace and into the streets blending with the shadows. He drew his black cloak around him more securely and headed for the gates to the City.
He wasn't so stupid as wanting to walk up to the guards and demand them to let him out because they were under strict orders to do exactly the opposite. But he would go, as close to the gates as was humanly possible since the wards around the City were thinner there to allow for trade.
It would make it easier for Draco to slip from the City un-noticed. He pulled his hood tighter around him and slipped out of the city and into the night. He felt someone but against him and he whirled but all he saw was his chestnut mare Nimbus coming up behind him.
He smiled he should have known he would not get far without her. She was his and his alone and did not like being left behind no matter where he went. And now he thought about it she would help him in his quest.
He would not be gone as long if she were with him and so in a split second he made his choice and climbed onto her back. She wasn't saddled but Draco was used to riding her bareback and saw no problem with this.
He tugged her gently on her main and turned her round towards the sea and whispered, "Go!" Nimbus needed no further urging and simply kicked into a trot and then as they got further away from the City a canter and then a full out gallop.
When they were almost out of the City's shadow Draco turned and looked at the City. "I'll be back. Mother, father but I need to do this." Then he turned and headed for the boarder between Hogwarts and Green Ash Pass.
It was the quickest way to Gryffindor and Draco was determined to do what he could to help the City. Gryffindor had survived so long it seemed impossible that it could fall.
But Draco knew that Lord Voldemort had grown in strength and it would take even Gryffindor everything they had to repel them.
He was coming close to the Pass when he heard the hooves of another horse approaching.
He drew Nimbus to a stop and pulled his sword from his scabbard and waited. What he saw made his stomach turn over.
A rider all in black appeared on a black mare galloping full out when he saw Draco he called out "Raiders are coming!" Draco stiffened
Raiders? This close to Hogwarts it couldn't be! The rider turned abruptly and drew out and eleven bow and drew two arrows at once letting them fly. Draco stared at the obvious display of skill that was shown so carelessly. The rider was obviously an elf.
Draco watched as the rider turned and then heard the whistle of an arrow flying through the air. "Watch out!" He screamed
The rider turned too late and the arrow hit him with a sickening thud in the shoulder. He screamed and toppled from his horse. Draco jumped from Nimbus' back and flew forwards putting himself in front of the elf that was unmoving on the floor.
The Raider was on foot that much Draco was clear of. The elven rider had obviously de-horsed him. He heard the sweep of the sword flying through the air and side stepped the blow meeting the swing with one of his own.
The swords clashed and Draco held his ground against the impact and stared at the Raider. He could not see his face but Draco could see his eyes. His eyes were distinctive.
Gold eyes.
In that moment Draco lost concentration and the raider took a swing. Draco saw what he was about to do and parried it in time to stop the sword piecing his shoulder and swiped desperately. The swipe ran across the Raiders chest and Draco heard him yelp.
The Raider fell backwards and convulsed and was still. Draco stood for what seemed like an eternity and then when he was sure the raider was not going to move turned and knelt beside the fallen elf.
His hood had fallen from his face and Draco was able to see just how pale he was. His skin was so pale it was almost translucent and his hair was a shocking dark against the light.
Draco brushed his fringe aside and realised that the teen, for he was late teens of that, had a strange shaped scar on his forehead. He looked over the teen and that brought his attention to his injury.
The arrow stuck out from an odd angle but Draco, even with the little medical expertise he had, could see that it was not life threatening although would be painful.
Draco knew the elf needed medical attention as soon as he could get it and he also knew that this elf knew a lot about the movement of the raiders in the country so he made a decision and put him on his horse and turned back to Hogwarts.
Draco knew he owned this teen a life debt he would have never seen those raiders without the elves shouts of danger and he also knew that he was halfway to repaying it.
He turned Nimbus and walked back towards the capital. He wasn't sure how he was going to explain how he happened to be out in the wastelands to discover the elf in the first place but he knew that it was important.
He turned as the Elvin rider whimpered and Draco stiffened. Most elves were resilient to many injuries; they were not easily felled nor were they slackers when it came to pain.
Draco turned and with quick movements removed the cloth around the wound and gasped. The arrow had been tipped. Draco could almost see it, even in the dark; see the poison progressing from the point of impact.
Suddenly that medical help was all that more urgent and he pulled himself up behind the rider and rode fast and hard back to Hogwarts and cantered across the city into the palace grounds.
He didn't stop to think he ran into the palace and grabbed the palace medic, Poppy and led her out to where the rider was slumped across Nimbus.
Poppy took one look at the rider and said, "Quickly Draco we must get him to the hospital wing this elf is in danger of losing his life!" Draco had never moved so fast in all his life.
He did not know what it was about this elf but he was already feeling a bond grow where there should be none.
He hauled the rider down from his horse and followed Poppy to the wards never once realising that even so much as twenty-four hours ago Draco may have passed this type of work off as work of servants.
Draco was not evil but he certainly was spoiled and he had become used to the fact everything was at his fingertips. That however did not occur to him as he travelled through the darkened palace intent on saving another's life.
The change however, even the slightest change, was not lost on the medic however. Poppy saw how Draco handled the boy in his arms. Draco was not a bad boy, not really but he wore a cool façade that had people thinking he was so.
Poppy wondered if this was the beginning of the ice beginning to crack and the beginnings of Draco truly realising what it meant to be a Prince. All from on Raider's Arrow.