"How the hell did this happen?" An enraged Fergus demanded from a guard, as he gestured to the mess of a courtyard. "And what's worse, those monsters have my daughter!"

"Fergus," Una tried to console her husband, even though she was just as upset. "We will find her."

"Una, you know what the Alliance does to prisoners. That is if she's still-" He couldn't say the word, as he choked up and turned away from the guard.

"Fergus," a male voice aproached the couple, "we will find her. And we will get her back." They looked to see Orick Lightbringer, his expression hard and gruff, as he crossed his arms. "I have every available asset to track them down. Do not worry." Orick looked at the wreck in the courtyard. "Someone," he hollered in agitation, "get this mess cleaned up!"

.

Galen Moonblade paced at camp. This was the rendezvous point they had all agreed on, but Sarah hadn't made it yet. Everyone else staggered in intervals to the meeting place, and according to Darrick, it was 'smooth sailing'.

"Galen," Gorrim spoke, as he stopped polishing his axe, "yer makin' me crazed."

"Gimme a few minutes alone w'the girl." Thorin growled, his gaze focused on the unconscious blood elf bound and rested in the yellow, dying grass.

"Restrain yourself," Galen snapped.

"She came close t'killin' Gorrim!" Thorin snapped back.

"Ach, Thorin, y'think a lass t'size of a wee mouse could take me down? Yer killin' me." Gorrim scoffed as he rolled his eyes as he kept polishing his axe. The paladin was patrolling the area, and the rogue was ripping the crooked seams of a pair of leather gloves.

"Keina, how long has it been?" The night elf demanded.

"56 minutes." she replied.

"Light's breath, what's taking her so long?" Darrick demanded, as he rode up on his horse to the group. "I've been scouting all over Ghostlands, and so far I've eradicated the scourge for a while, but I've yet to see any Horde."

"Sarah knew the time limit," Galen murmured. "If she isn't here after the full hour is up, we are leaving."

"Galen-" Darrick protested.

"She knew the time limit!" The night elf barked back. It killed him to leave his comrade behind, but they all knew the risks this mission involved. "Pack up. Everyone." He took his swords and sheathed them in leather holders on his back. As everyone slowly packed up their materials they were working on, a lone horseman came upon the foggy horizon.

"We 'ave company," Gorrim growled, as his panther came to his side with the alarm in his master's voice. The hunters raised their weapons, ready to strike, when a familiar voice called out.

"I'm here! I'm here!" The rider appeared through the fog, as she removed the hooded cloth around her face.

"Sarah," Galen's mouth twitched. She almost missed the group. "Good to see you in one piece. What took you so long?" His brows furrowed in frustration. Surprise rushed over the warlock's face.

"I had to fight off a few hundred scourge on my way here. It seemed they wanted a piece of me stuffed over their fireplace. Sorry I'm late," her eyebrow twitching in sarcasm. Then the warlock's gaze drifted to the blood elf still lying in the grass. "You shouldn't leave such a valuable package just lying there. What if she escapes?"

"Until we can get into Southshore, I can do nothing about it." Galen shrugged. "Darrick, take the arrow out of her shoulder," the warrior demanded. He had watched her snap the arrow from her body. It stirred his curiosity, for most mages he knew would first try to remove it with a healer before finishing a battle. The paladin yanked the wooden arrow from her shoulder, as blood poured out of the wound. He healed her enough to stop the bleeding, and rolled her on her back. His gaze fell to her to her creamy breasts, which were currently enhanced by her corset. He gripped her chin, pulling her head up to get a good look at her face.

"She's a pretty little thing, too bad she's Horde." He finally observed, as he released her. The warrior stood behind him, and after the paladin backed up, Galen picked up the tiny elf and tossed her over his plated shoulder like a rag doll.

"I don't think this is the best way to restrain her," Sarah pointed out, "She might try to get away from you."

"Enough," the warrior shook his head, as he called for his nightsaber. "We must keep going. Until we get out of this hostile area, we are in danger." He took a dagger from his boot to slice the straps binding her legs. As he gripped her ankle, he noticed how delicate her legs were, and how tiny her feet were. His hand even wrapped around her entire ankle so that his fingers touched. With a swift movement, he cut the leather binding her ankles and hoisted her onto the mount. She drooped forward onto the nightsaber's head, as the animal grunted in confusion.

"Easy boy," the warrior calmed the beast, biting back a smile, as he mounted up. With one arm he held the reins, and with the other he held the girl up. "Move out," he commanded, "double time." He added, wrapping a strong arm tighter around the girl's small middle. As they ran out, he found himself cradling her head within his breast, to keep from painful bouncing. He wasn't sure why, but he didn't fight the feeling. He glanced down, as he finally got a good look at her face. Even with a glance, he saw that Darrick was telling the truth, she was pretty. He shook his head as he focused strait ahead on leading the party. It didn't matter if she was attractive or not, he would get his revenge. He needed to stay focused.

In the back of the party, riding between Sarah and Thorin, the rogue female sensed a twinge in her chest as she watched her party leader carrying the girl. She heard Darrick say that she was pretty, but it never phased her until she saw Galen checking over the paladin's observation. She bit her lip and prayed this mission would end soon, so they could return to Darnassass.

.

The ride through Eastern Plaguelands was difficult, dodging the scourge's hot spots. The ride through Western Plaguelands was a breeze, as was the journey through Hillsbrad Foothills. They had gotten lucky; avoiding the Horde was not an easy task. The blood elf in his arms had started to wake up, when he gave her another cuff to the head to keep her knocked out. He felt a little guilty, but he had to remind himself how powerful she really was, and he was in no mood to battle a frost mage.

As the sun began to touch the tips of the mountains, Galen let out a heavy breath. They just made it into Southshore, the sounds of the ocean echoed throughout the town, as the party trudged through the town to the nearest inn. He was looking forward to getting some rest, the journey had been passive, but it was still very long. They all dismounted and left their mounts at the stables, Galen scooped one arm underneath the girl's knees and another cradled her back. She was completely limp, and still out cold from his last cuff. He looked down at her, and saw her chest rising and falling to his relief. She's worth nothing dead. He told himself, and he needed her very much alive for his vengeance.

"Will they let her in?" Darrick asked as the group walked up to the inn.

"Why not?" Galen shrugged, with her still in his arms.

"Well, let's see. There has to be against tons of laws," Sarah pointed out.

"If she's with me, and I can keep her under control, what's the problem?" The two humans looked uneasy, as they entered through the doorway. Immediately, he was met with stares from the bar. Patrons glared as they observed what the male night elf was carrying.

"Told ya so," Sarah leaned in and whispered to him.

"Hey!" An angry male voice called from the bar. "Get her outta here! We don't serve her kind here." The human ordered them all out, as Sarah sighed.

"Come on, let's go set up camp nearby. I'm sure they'll all sell to us as long as we don't have her." The warlock surmised, as the party went to their stables to get their camp gear out of their mount's bags.

"We coulda jus' let 'er be in th' stables," Gorrim mumbled in aggravation. Darrick snorted.

"What so she could escape?" The paladin argued.

"Y'got a problem, son?" Gorrim growled, as he reached for his weapon.

"Enough!" The commanding voice of the warrior shook the entire barn. "Just get your things. I don't have time, or the patience for this."

The human and dwarf turned away from each other, obeying Galen's orders, knowing not to defy them. As they all finished gathering what they needed, they walked across the path next to the inn, and set up a camp. Each had their own tent, as the mage was lain in the grass, to keep close watch on her. They all gathered around the campfire that Keina built, passing around bread as the heavy armor wearers started removing their battle gear.

"Please tell me you have real food," Darrick groaned, as he stared hungrily at Sarah's backpack.

"Maybe," she shrugged, a smile forming on her face.

"Oi, Galen, that wench is still alive?" Thorin asked, as he fed his panther.

"She lives," the night elf shrugged as he popped a piece of bread in his mouth. Galen felt so much better without all that plate gear he had been baking in all day. The feeling the intense weight off of his shoulders. Just his body soaking in the cool air instantly brought him into a better mood. It made him remember Teldrassil, and his sisters. His thoughts were interrupted when Gorrim was discovered to be hiding a few flasks, and his friends pressured him to share. Finally, after great persuasion on Sarah's part, he passed a couple around. They laughed and shared stories of conquests and then bedroom conquests.

"I've got a lass waitin' in Ironforge fer me, I can't wait t'get home," a devilish smile crept on Thorin's heavily bearded face.

"Lies!" Sarah cried, "You couldn't romance a woman if you showered or combed your hair! Much less get rid of that smell coming from your clothes."

"Watch it, lass," Thorin grinned.

"Speaking of womanizers," Darrick smiled, "I have heard a lot of rumors in Stormwind with the tavern wenches."

"Of what?" Sarah's eyebrow raised in interest.

"Our leader," the paladin glanced back at the warrior, who shrugged and smiled.

"Oh my." Sarah giggled, "I heard those too! Gods spare me, when I came on this mission I feared my innocence was in jeopardy because of those rumors. Those barmaids gave me quite a few stories that would make even Thorin's hair curl."

"Lass, yer maidenhead wasn't in danger. Y'don't even have one t'give!" Thorin roared in laughter at her comment.

"Laugh it up, dwarf," the warlock's eyes narrowed playfully, as her gaze drifted to the warrior, who swigged more from the flask and passed it around. The warrior hadn't said anything about the conversation topic, but he remained in good spirits, laughing at the jest. Sarah looked Keina's way, to see her curling her legs up to her chest with a blank expression. The warlock's face softened, as her heart went out to the rouge. She had seen the looks that she gave him when his back was turned. They had all been grouped together for a long time now, perhaps she grew fond of the warrior. She shrugged it off, it wasn't any of her business anyway.

.

What in Sunwell is that dreadful noise? Marcail thought, as she felt her head pounding. There was drunken laughter, and it sounded like it was coming from below her window. Damn, I must've slept with the window open again. I should probably close it, and shoo the drunks away. She thought. Her eyes fluttered open, as she blinked in disbelief. This wasn't her parent's home. All she saw was trees and a few tents. The laughter continued as voices spoke in Common behind her. Suddenly, she remembered that morning. She fought with a powerful warrior, until he cornered her, and that was the last thing she remembered. Dear Light, I must still be with them! She panicked as she tried not to make any moves of being awake. Her back was turned from them, perhaps she could pop up and run as fast as she could to lose them. It was worth trying anyway. As she moved her hands, slowly, she found that they were tied in leather. She couldn't hide the smug grin that stretched over her mouth. Idiots, thinking this would bind a mage. She used a fire spell to disintegrate the leather from her wrists without burning herself. She heard the laughter start up again, and knew this was her chance!

Marcail hopped to her feet, as pain shot through her head. She refused to give up, as she gave a glance behind her, they saw her, as they tried to stand up. She smirked as she observed they were drunk as a dwarf fell over and the humans were unsteady rising to their feet. With a frost nova, and a blink, she was already out of the light range of the campfire, and felt herself beginning to fade into the shadows of the night. She sucked in her breath, telling herself not to look back, until she felt resistance from her next step in her run. Immediately she knew she was in trouble, as her legs bound together as she tripped over the train of her dress and skidded on the hard ground. She tried to pick herself up to blink again, when a hand grabbed the back of her dress and jerked her back to the direction of camp. She struggled, but as she saw the warlock coming to her, the human female put a curse on her to keep her from casting another spell.

"Holy Light, that was close," the paladin said, as he caught up with them

"That curse won't last forever," Keina, who had been very quiet, finally spoke up. The warlock shifted her weight as the warrior kept a good grip on the back of Marcail's dress.

"So what are we to do?" Darrick asked.

"I can knock her out," Keina volunteered, "I'm sure I can make sure it won't wear off in time until we get to Ironforge."

"No," Galen argued, as the rogue's nose twitched. "She's worth nothing to us if she's in horrible condition."

"That's f'the healers t'worry 'bout," said Thorin, his hands already balling into fists. He still was bitter about the pain she had caused his brother.

"All of you, we are not going to harm her anymore," he feared that those words were going to bite him in the future, as the blood elf still struggled from him, but he held her wrists tight. But there was no competition over who was stronger. The night elf stood at about seven feet tall, so her size was shadowed by his massive height.

"I know something." Sarah spoke up, "Although, I'm not sure on how to reverse it, but I'm sure once we're back in Ironforge we can find something..." Sarah trailed off. "But it will keep her bound to me. It will take away all of her magic for now. I mean she's just a mage, without her magic, she's powerless against us."

"Isn't that forbidden, even for dark magic?" Darrick asked.

"Well, do you have any other suggestions, Darrick?" Galen demanded, as he kept a tight grip on the squirming blood elf. "We better make a decision fast, I think that silencing spell is wearing off." The air around them started growing chilly, indicating she was almost at full power and ready to unleash it, underneath the silencing curse.

"I'm doing it," Sarah put a hand up to Darrick who was taken aback. The warlock stepped forward, and started to place her hand on the mage's forehead, when the warlock suddenly shrieked in pain and pulled her hand back, as if she had touched hot coals.

"What? What happened?" Galen demanded, as he looked down at the squirming girl he was restraining. Her fel green eyes flashed in anger.

"That little bitch. She arcane torrented me! She took some of my magic!" Sarah looked up to the mage, with new hatred in her eyes.

"Selama ashal'anore!" Marcail hissed, as she spat at the feet of the warlock. The warlock who was already enraged, grew into a fury of dark magic, as she thrust her palm on the mage's forehead, gripping her hair painfully. The blood elf cried out, as she tried to fight back. As Sarah started casting the spell, she saw the utter fear in the mage's eyes, as if she already knew what Sarah was doing. The mage tried to fight back, but the human yanked her own necklace off, breaking the clasp, held it to her face and chanted the dark words.

Shadow apparitions danced around the two women, as a tunnel of dark magic swelled around them. Sarah swayed as she chanted, as Derrick moved to steady the human. Galen clutched both of the arms of the blood elf, keeping her still. However, a different feeling in the air gripped him, as he was almost paralyzed. Then, he felt a shudder of magic wreck through him. With the last word, the dark magic exploded, sending black mist out from them. Everything faded, as Sarah panted, and stepped back.

The damage from the intense wind had broken a few tree branches and scattered supplies over camp. Galen felt the mage go limp in his grasp, as she whispered words in Thalassian.

"Forgive me," she whimpered, as the warrior's eyebrows narrowed in confusion. Who is she asking for forgiveness from? It was clear very soon, as once again, the warlock's pained shriek echoed throughout the mountains. The warrior looked up to see Sarah dropping the necklace, which now glowed as if it were just taken out of a forge. Sarah looked over to see the necklace had returned to it's normal state in the grass. The warlock reached for it, but with her presence, it glowed again in a red hot splendor. Sarah's gaze jerked up to the mage.

"What did you do." Her last word emphasized with anger. As the weak blood elf raised her head slowly, she gave a little grin at the warlock. Sarah lunged forward, as Darrick grabbed for the warlock to stop her. The warrior had to catch Marcail's small waist to stop her from collapsing to the ground.

"No one will ever touch that necklace again," murmured the blood elf, as her eyes fluttered as her world spun. Yet, she kept her grip on the world around her. She grew very aware of the warrior clutching her waist. She felt a twinge of anxiety through her veins, as he held her there. She tried to wretch free from him, but he wasn't letting go.

"Let me go!" She said in Thalassian, as she made more of an effort to pull herself away from the night elf. She looked up at him with such a vengeance, as if she were planning his demise. He gave her a glare that matched hers, as he dropped her. She fell to the ground, and she turned her head to him as she tried to cast a spell, but it fizzled in a cloud of moisture. She tried again, but her magic was gone. The mage dug her fingers into the soil, as she debated throwing dirt at them to get away.

"It's pointless, Marcail," Galen said to her, in Thalassian. A wave of shock splashed on her face, as her jaw dropped a little. "Your magic is bound in that necklace."

"Galen," Sarah looked at him with a quizzical look. "You can speak her language?" The night elf nodded. "Then ask her what in holy Arthas' ass she did to my spell!" His gaze drifted back to the blood elf who was still on the ground, still braced for someone to attack her. Her expression was a mixture of anger and fear, but she tried to hide the fear.

"She," the warrior pointed to Sarah, "wants to know what you did to her spell." The girl's face twisted into a smug smile.

"I gave it my own personal touch," she boasted. "I should be the only one who can even come close to it." Galen translated to Sarah, as the warlock had to restrain herself from launching herself again at the blood elf.

"Why are you so angry?" Marcail's nose wrinkled in disgust, "She was casting an illegal spell. She could have killed me with it!" The blood elf swallowed nervously. That might have been the intention.

"Let's get one thing strait," Galen knelt down to her level, as she tried to scoot backward away from him. "We are enemies, and you are a prisoner. If we wish to cast an 'illegal spell' on you, so be it. I can think of worse things the Horde has put the Alliance prisoners through." He was referring to the experiments the undead performed deep in Undercity. The whole Alliance knew the disgusting practices they engaged in.

"Then what are you waiting for?" She demanded, sticking her chin out in defiance. "Go on. Kill me." Galen hesitated for his answer. The mage gave a mean smile. "See? You want me for something. Or else you would have killed me right in Silvermoon." The night elf cursed.

"I swear to Elune, Marcail," he growled, "if you try and hurt one of my friends, I'll make you will wish you were dead. If you try to run, you will be punished." The blood elf tried to hide her shudder of fear, but the warrior picked up on it right away. The mage wanted to ask how he knew her first name, since he had said it twice now, but knew better than to try and ask. She wouldn't get the truth.

"Well, this is just fantastic," Darrick said, dripping with sarcasm. "What are we going to do now?"

"Can we leave it behind?" Keina asked.

"Aren't blood elves addicted to arcane magic? Without her magic, she could die." Sarah pointed out. "This is why I did the spell in the first place," she grumbled.

"Sarah," Galen's accusatory gaze fell on the human, as his voice resembled a clap of thunder. "Did you know the risks of the spell you just performed? She," he jerked his head Marcail's way, "said that it could have killed her!" The warlock flushed, as she stammered for an explanation.

"Really, Sarah?" Darrick sighed.

"But I didn't kill her!" The warlock pointed out. The warrior marched up to her, and towered over her with his height.

"You could have destroyed everything." He growled, as the warlock gripped her sleeves and pursed her lips. "If you pull anything like that again, you won't get your cut." He whipped around from her, and looked down at the blood elf, who hadn't moved at all.

"How're we gonna fix this?" Gorrim asked.

"I don't know," the warrior gritted, as he crouched down to look at the necklace in the grass. He hovered his hand over it, and it didn't react to him. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Glancing over at Marcail, he observed a worried look as she stared at the necklace. He moved his hand closer to the necklace, and it still didn't react.

"I wouldn't touch it," Darrick warned. But the warrior was curious now, as with one motion, he gripped the pendant of the necklace. It still didn't react. It didn't glow and burn him. He picked it up and rose. He looked the blood elf's way to see her gawking. Clearly, this wasn't part of her plan.

"By the Light, Galen," Keina came forward and tried to touch it. It surged with a red hot glow as she jerked her hand back. "Didn't that hurt you?" She asked in dismay, as he still held the necklace in his hands.

"No," he sounded just as surprised. His eyes locked on the mage, who quickly snapped her mouth shut from her gawking. "What kind of magic is this?" He demanded of her. The blood elf shook her head. "Is this some kind of joke? You think this is funny?" He went to her as he thrust the necklace in her face and dropped to her level. The blood elf didn't look at him. He grabbed her jaw, forcing her to look into his eyes. "Answer me!" He ordered.

"I don't know," she hissed through gritted teeth. He released her with a flick of his wrist, causing her head to whip around to the side. She put a thumb to her jaw muscle to massage it. What an uncivilized brute. He certainly lives up to the night elf reputation. She thought angrily.

"What'd t'lass say?" Thorin asked.

"She said she didn't know what happened," he fingered the pendant, a giant teardrop emerald set in saronite. Sarah snorted.

"As if she would tell the truth." She rolled her eyes. Galen shot her a warning look.

"Let's all just get to sleep. If you want to go into town, go. But we will all be waking up at dawn." He told everyone, as they nodded in clarity of his order. The humans went to their own tents, while the dwarves went strait to the tavern. Keina stayed behind, as she looked at the warrior with a timid look.

"Galen," she began. "You're not angry I came are you?" The warrior sighed.

"No, Keina, I'm not." He rubbed his forehead.

"Really?" Her eyes softened as she smiled.

"You proved yourself useful today," he admitted, as he continued to stare into the forest, arms crossed and brows furrowed.

"Thank you," she grinned. "I told you that you wouldn't be disappointed." The rogue turned on her heel and went to her own tent.

The blood elf still sat in the grass, abandoned. Marcail looked behind her, to the tents and Southshore. Then she looked to find her greatest escape route. The real problem was getting the gem back from the warrior without her magic. She might be able to regenerate some, after all she was a Dawnfire. But would it be enough to take him down without her full power? She struggled with him that morning and he had outsmarted her. He was a force to be reckoned with, and she couldn't afford to underestimate him.

"Stop it." The warrior's voice was harsh and impatient.

"What?" Marcail couldn't understand who he was talking to.

"You're planning your escape," he didn't even turn around from looking deep into the forest. "Stop it."

"You can't read my mind," she snapped. "You don't know anything about me."

"On the contrary," he finally faced her, with a menacing glare, "I know everything about you. I know your name is Marcail Dawnfire, a pureblood mage, descended from Kael'Thas himself. You were born in Silvermoon City, and you have traveled all over Azeroth. You proved yourself a powerful and successful mage in the Argent Crusade, but you were recently returned to Silvermoon and became betrothed to Nellan Lightbringer, an aristocratic paladin." The blood elf felt her fear sink a little deeper after every fact he ticked off.

"How," she narrowed her eyes and clutched the grass, not believing what she was hearing. "Where did you get all this information?" She gritted her teeth in fear. Her eyes locked on to his, as she eyed him uneasily, but his gaze seared into her, unwavering.

"I have my sources," he scoffed.

"Why do you know so much about me? Why did you take me away from my home?" She demanded, but he just raised an eyebrow and the corner of his mouth in amusement. "Why are you doing this to me? I have done nothing to you!"

"No," he admitted, "not you personally."

"Then release me!" She demanded.

"You really need to work on your manners," he glared at her.

"That's funny. Kidnapping proves you have even less manners," she mumbled back.

Blood elves, Galen thought. They really were snooty and judgmental. With that, he walked up to her, and jerked her to her feet, clutching her upper arms in a tight her a death glare, Marcail clamped her lips shut. If she kept digging this hole, the path before her did not look promising.

"Go," he pointed to the campfire, dismissing her as if he had enough. She pursed her lips and dug her fingernails into her palms, and she stood up and turned toward the camp.

Galen rubbed his temples in annoyance. He was a warrior, and he was used to training bad attitudes out of new recruits. He felt that he probably shouldn't put Marcail on the same level of training as his warrior recruits. For one, none of his recruits had such a delicious sway of the hips when they walked. Nor did they feel so small and delicate under his grip. He shook his head, trying to flock his thoughts away from lust, and more to the present problems.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the necklace. It shone nicely in the moonlight, and he thought he saw something moving inside of it. He held it up closer to his eyes, and there was something moving in it! It looked like mana strands in Hellfire Penninsula's skies. The smokey strands flowed slowly inside of it, circling around inside the emerald. He wondered if it had done that before the spell. Looking over at the campfire, he saw Marcail was still staring at him.

"Find a tent buddy," he ordered, "or you're sleeping with the murlocs." She pursed her lips, but couldn't bring herself to do anything else. The warrior's touch was deep and commanding, and she had felt his flexing bisceps and large hands when he grabbed her. She wondered what it would be like, lying underneath those arms, or being pinned against a wall. She bit her lip and shivered.

Marcail looked around at the tents, trying to figure out where her chances of being received were the highest. The warlock and the dwarves hated her, she already knew. The rogue seemed neutral, but something gave her an uneasy feeling about tenting up with her. That only left two people, and the night elf was out of the question. He would probably cuff her if she fell asleep, just for kicks. She peeled back the flap of the paladin's tent and peeked inside.

He murmured words in common in his sleep, with the blankets pulled tight all around his neck. There was plenty of room for her to curl into a ball at the entrance of the tent. She hated humans with a passion, after their sheer arrogance and opinionated ways. At least he didn't smell like the dwarves did, though he still smelled. She slipped inside and sank to the grassy floor. Her dress and corset tugged at her, as she wished to be free from them. Her mother took so much time sewing on the silver beads. Now it was ruined with mud stains on the hem, and how she had bled through the front and back when she was struck with the arrow. She was also tripping over the train of the dress. She longed for something more practical.

She tried to curl in a ball to go to sleep, but it was impossible with the corset. She sniffed back tears. She wished she were back in Dalaran, with the option of going to clean up the scourge. Sweet Sunwell, she would go and get married right then and there to Nellan, if it meant going back to the comforts of home. She tossed and turned, listening to the snoring and mumbling of the human sleeping a mere inches away from her. It felt like forever laying there, like sleep seemed to be forever away. She heard some drunken stumbling and loud dwarven voices yelling at each other happily.

The human gave a loud snort as he turned over in his sleep. She wrinkled her nose in disgust. Humans really were gross. She listened to the noises of the dwarves as they settled down in their own tents. When they were finally asleep, she could hear the snoring of both of them from all the way in her shared tent. She covered her ears with her hands, and squeezed her eyes shut, praying for sleep to come.

Author's Note

Welcome back to everyone who followed my stories from my other two! Thank you so much for reading and giving me your reviews! They are the highlights of my internet time. You guys say such wonderful things, and I enjoy the constructive criticism you include in your reviews. I am working hard on this one, I've already got the next five chapters written out, but I'm still editing/reviewing them to make sure everything makes sense at the end. :P

I'd like to thank Azure Ryukiba for her support and encouragement she always gives me! She pre-read this story, and I was able to alter it to a better fit. I like this version better than the first one I came up with. She also has drawn some fan art of my stories, so be sure to check out her deviantart account if you're interested! She's very talented.

Thanks again everyone! You guys are great :-*