Border Crossing

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"You're late." Baralai Fairchild despised the rain, almost as much as he despised mages. He was waiting at one of the bridges that crossed the river that in turn divided the two largest kingdoms in their land. It was the same bridge where he had waited countless times. Templar or no, gold was gold, and this gold also got rid of troublesome mages.
"You want the gold or not?" A black clad man snarled as he jumped down gracefully from his equally black steed.
Baralai muttered something rather unbecoming of a Templar, then held a gloved hand out. "Gold first, then the cargo. Try anything..." He words were cut off as the mage he was transporting broke free of his restraints. It all happened so quickly that he didn't see the flash of lightning and the proud Templar was crashing into the raging river below.
Six months. It had been six months and the fallen Templar still woke in a cold sweat after dreaming of that night. The mage had rendered him immobile, though wide awake when he had plunged into the river, his heavy armour weighing him down until a pig farmer had dragged him from the river several miles away. It had taken months to get back to health and pay back the farmer for his kindness. In that time word had gotten out that Fairchild the Templar was a deserter.

Alice Gormanghast was scowling into the mirror. She hated this world she had been born into, even now as her maid pulled tightly on the laces of her dress she thought of nothing but a way to escape. Her brother's were all war heroes, famous to everyone in the kingdom for their brave deeds and triumph in defeating several of the dragons. But Alice... All she was known for was to be the prize her father handed over to the man he deemed brave enough to end the war altogether. She was the proverbial Princess in the tower, useful only for luring in prospective suitors. The young brunette didn't even realise her rose coloured lips were quirked into a slight smile 'if only they knew'. Indeed, her father would have a literal heart attack if he knew his prized daughter had secretly been learning how to shoot a bow and handle a sword. She lost herself for hours at an end in books that told of the thieves guild, and their mysterious leader who was sometimes known to have a higher moral code than the knights of their kingdom.

Baralai huffed and wiped at his eyes, cursing the maker's name that mages ever existed. The Templar knew his charge was panicked now though, more mistakes would be made and she would be easier to follow... or perhaps heard in the direction of the slavers?"

"Just humour me, sire." Alice replied, though slender fingers were tracing the skin around the angry marks on Anaris's back.

Yena hit the rock hard and tumbled over it, her back slamming into the mud with enough force to knock the wind out of her. She laid where she was as she waited for the Templar to catch up, a tear sliding down her dirty cheeks.

Anaris closed his eyes, her dancing fingers pure hell on his skin. "She speaks dragon tongue." He breathed, unable to help himself. "If her father only knew..."

"We got one!" A gruff voice shouted as a gloved hand reached out and dragged Yena to her feet. "Yeah, tell the boss its only small, but we can still sell it!"

"He would have allowed her brother to have her." Alice agreed, her lips almost brushing Anaris's ear now. "You were far too kind, sire."

Yena glared at her captors, certain Baralai had driven her to them. "May the dread wolf take you." She hissed in her native tongue. Not expecting them to understand her.

Anaris closed his eyes, her sweet breath teasing him. He was trying to be an honest man but right now it was so very hard. He'd waited so long for Alice. She truly had no idea.

The man smiled at Yena and nodded his head. "Don't worry, we'll soon get that fire beaten out of you." He purred, proving he understood.

Alice had the only vague memories of her childhood in the palace, but she did remember as she had gotten older, she had become more and more attached to Anaris, until one day he simply left the palace and never returned. One of the Princesses slender fingers lightly traced along the tip of her husband's pointed ear, giving up on the pretense on being Anaris's servant.

"Im not afraid of you." Yena hissed, narrowing her eyes at the stranger. 

Anaris gave a soft moan and closed his eyes, turning over and pulling Alice close to him.

"Ain't me you should be afraid of, mage." The man snorted, though didn't call her 'knife ear'. Yena would find herself dragged through the trees and into an opening where several wagons with cages on were packed up.

Alice simply allowed this and curled against Anaris. She had had so many questions, but right then she felt like she was seven again and finally feeling safe.

Yeah was more than a little certain the Templar had orchastrated this. She all but ignored the men that were pushing and shoving at her, digging in her heels to make it harder for them. The dread wolf curse that golden eyed shemlan.

Anaris tightneed his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "Your father used to get so angry with me for letting you into my bed. It was hard to tell him most night you just appeared all on your own."

It was no bother for the man to finally pick Yena's slender frame up and hoist her over his shoulder. It was only as he was about to lock her up with the others that Baralai showed his face.
"I hope you don't think I'll be letting you take my slave without payment." He remarked coolly.

Alice smiled sadly, though her eyes were closed as she tried to recall those forgotten moments. "He would get angry with everything I did." She finally breathed. "I think I told him once that I was going to grow into a lady and marry you." The Princess was laughing softly. "He told me he would rather see me dead than with some knife ear pretty boy. I guess money talks louder than I thought."

"I was wondering when you'd show up." Yena hissed, glaring at the enormous man from where she hung on the soldier's back.

"I'm not so sure money had much to do with it." Anaris sighed softly. "I'm sorry your father isn't what you thought him to be."

"See, she has a smart mouth on her." Baralai remarked with a snort. "But I still want coin for her!"
The first man dumped Yena on the ground and glared up at Baralai. "Then take it up with the boss!"

"There were times I almost believed he wasn't my father." Alice confessed softly. "Since my mother left... It's like he hated everything about me."

"Yes, because finder's keeper's and all that." Yena hi $ed, rubbing at her sore backside. She was tempted to use her magic and send all of these men flying into the trees but something in Baralai's eyes kept her from it.

"He was jealous. You grew up so smart and so lovely." Anaris told her with a soft smile. "His sons did none of those things. Tell me, Alice, do you remember the day I brought you that pet? The tiny kitten?"

"More like finders fee." Baralai replied with a snort, though he seemed to be avoiding looking at Yena. "I don't care what you do with the knife ear, I just want my cut."
The first man was beginning to lose his patience by this point. "Fine! Come see the boss, then you can talk about your cut!"

Alice smiled fondly and nodded her head. "Dinah..." She breathed. "She started out as such a tiny ball of fluff, and grew so big!"

Yena was fuming. She was jerked to her feet and dragged past the Templar  but she didn't look at him. "That innkeeper was planning to kill you." She told him as they passed. "Running was the only way to save you."

"Do you remember when your brother fed her to that beast? You spoke to the creature and it spoke back...did you have any idea that it was a teenage dragon?" Anaris asked her.

"You could have just told me, knife ear." Baralai pointed out with a shrug. "You ran because you thought you wouldn't get caught."

"What?" Alice was frowning, still trying hard to recall her younger years. "How do you know that?" She breathed at last.

"I ran because you were going to kill me too. I didn't want to die. Not that it matters now." Yena said through her teeth. "I hope whatever you fetch for me is enough to help you sleep at night."

"Kane told me what he did and I ran to save you. I saw everything. I knew I didn't need to save you from it. I also know that you still speak to it." Anaris told her.

"I sleep well enough, thank you." Baralai replied rather coldly, though he still refused to look at her.
"Who the hell do you think you are, 'demanding' to see me?!" A tall human woman had come striding into the clearing, her coal coloured eyes narrowed at Baralai before they then looked Yena over.

"Why did you never say anything?" Alice asked sadly. "It didn't understand my tears at first, why I was so upset it had just eaten. It said it was more surprised by my reaction to losing something it only considered food than the fact we could understand each other."

Yena knew where this was going. She could see the hungry look in the woman's eyes as she looked the Templar over. "Before you start undressing, pay the guy for finding a mage to feed to your dragon." She blurted out, refusing to look at Baralai.

"And you were more surprised that you could understand it. As I was." Anaris said with a nod. "This dragon is not like those in Frelden. It is a dragon and nothing more. The others, like me can change form according to our magic."

The woman's ruby lips curled into a smiled before she threw back her head and laughed. "My, this one has quite the tongue on her." She purred, suddenly grabbing hold of Yena's chin. "Don't worry, we can cut that out real quick."

"Wait a minute..." Alice was sat up now and rubbing at her temples. "This is a lot to take in. Did my father know any of this?"

"Want me to make it easy?" Yena stuck out her tongue at the woman, her eyes glittering. Her hands were clenched into fists at her sides and there were tiny sparks beginning to for from them.

"You think he'd have let you go if he had?" Anaris asked her. "My trade of pounds of flesh would not have been nearly enough if he had known."

This seemed to please the other woman and she smiled. "I may just keep this one for myself." She purred before turning her gaze on Baralai once more. "She's half starved. You'll get 5 gold for her." She informed him, suddenly all business.
"That's not going to happen." Baralai replied, his arms folded across his massive chest. "20 gold and a horse."
"For one half dead girl?!" The woman scoffed.

"You paid too high a price for me." Alice told her 'husband' sadly. "You would have been better sweeping my mother away. After all, whatever this magic is that I have, it must have come from her."

Yena was behind the woman, her arms now crossed over her chest and glaring at Baralai. "A horse? Seriously? I would have gone for a nug. Maybe a mabari but you're pushing it with that." Her fingers were moving at her elbow. She was inciting the guards...

"Your mother was..." Anaris sighed softly. "Your grandmother more likely. Your mother was a shell of a creature. Oh but Bella...she was an amazing woman. One of my favorites. I grieve her still to be honest. Did you know her?"

The woman turned around, the back of her hand striking Yena. "I warned you about that tongue!" She hissed, her smile gone now.

Alice watched Anaris for a moment, seeing a look in his eyes she understood, even if no one had ever looked at her that way. "You loved her." She whispered.

Yena fell to her knees, spitting blood on the ground. The first row of the guards shifted forward, their hands on their swords. 

Anaris closed his eyes, the bitter memory sliding into place. "Bella was an amazing woman. Though she was not for me."

Baralai's own hand was on his sword too, though he couldn't explain it. Should he really care if one little mage ended up dead? "Perhaps you should reconsider my offer before she causes any more trouble." He snorted.

"Why?" Alice asked bluntly, ashamed to find she was actually jealous of her own grandmother.

"Oh yes. Consider it. Maybe offer him a pig. He likes pigs." Yena wiped her mouth and got up. The guards mirrored her action. "That might be why he's looking at you that way."

"She was human and admant about how wrong the relationship was. "Not to mention your grandfather tried to kill me a time or two."

This would have earned Yena another attack, had Baralai not caught the woman's arm. "Easy now, we know she has a mouth, but don't go damaging her before I get my payment."
"The price is now ten silver. Take it or get out of my sight!" The tall woman snarled.

"So... what are you then?" Alice asked uncertainly. "Is this body just something you pretend to be?"

"Good thing she's not an elf, otherwise you'd be walking more than a few paces." Yena purred. "Come now, my dear Tenplar. Don't tell me you can buy you name back with ten silver. The woman is cheating you and you know it." The chocolate haired elf was surprised to feel a rough thumb rubbing her elbow. It was enough to silence her.

"I'm an elf. I would think the ears gave it away." Anat is teased, getting off the bed to create distance between them. "I think it's time I asked what I intend to ask so you can get on with you freedom. Don't you agree?"

"Carry on and I'll be lucky if I get the lint from her pocket." Baralai muttered.
"That's what this is for, you're a disgraced Templar?" The tall woman was smiling all over again. "Well now... That sudden;y makes you rather valuable." She purred, several more men appearing from seemingly thin air to surround Baralai.

The sudden distance was not lost on Alice, and she simply nodded her head, though she wasn't looking at Anaris. "Far away from everyone."

Yena didn't know why but she held up her fingers, lightning leaping from their tips. She was glaring at the woman, daring her to try anything. 

"I plan to make it happen, I swear to you." Anaris said softly.