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.

The corner of Alice's lips quirked into a slight smile when she saw how irritated Selene was. "Fine, you can carry on throwing yourself at a man who clearly cannot stand you." She remarked before heading into the woods herself.

Selene scowled at this and turned on Baralai. "Where have you been? You just disappeared one day and no one knew where you were. Then I start hearing rumors that you shacked up with some elf?! Not to mention the pitiful plea I get from it to come get you. Bara, you are making a fool of yourself here!" 

Yena was hiding from a group of Anaris' men that were scaling the forest. She didn't know who or what they were but she'd seen enough guards lately to know that she should steer clear.

Baralai was scowling, something in Selene's words fitting perfectly with something Yena had said... and he hadn't believed her. "Did you ever think that no one knew where I was because I wanted it that way?" He asked gruffly.

Alice recognised the crest on the guards armour, and inwardly groaned. The young princess had thought she would have more of a head start than this. As it happened, both woman were hiding in close proximity as the guards searched the area.

"You want to lie with an elf?" Selene spat. "My, you did hit your head. Didn't you?" She waved him off, looking toward the trees. "Where is she?"

Yena began to panic. Her breathing quickened and she grabbed for a branch, only to have it snap in her fingers. The noise stopped the guards in their place. One of them turned back, eyeing the darkness.

"I died, Selene. I thought that would have made you only too happy." Baralai replied, trying to stall his wife a little longer to give Yena more time.

Alice heard the snap and saw the guards move. She knew right away they were about to capture the elf she was chasing. "Hey!" The dark haired woman stood up from her hiding place. "You're looking for me, aren't you?"

"Do you ever stop lying, Bara?" Selene spat. "You didn't die. You are still here. You're trying to distract me from finding the elf. What a fool you are. Why do you care about her? You hate elves."

It was all Yena could do not to fall out of the tree in shock. Why in the world had someone tried to save her? 
The guards turned, bowing to Alice. "My lady. Indeed, we were instructed to take you to find the dragon."

"I died, I didn't say I stayed dead." Baralai growled. "That elf is the reason I am alive!"

"I didn't ask to be found." Alice told the guards thinly. "And you will go back the way you came. I don't need protection from anyone!" She added, folding her arms defiantly across her chest.

"That elf is more than she seems!" Selena screamed, her voice echoing in the trees. "Unless you were too stupid to see that?"

"The boss told us to keep watch on you, miss." One said as the other headed off toward the thick trees toward Anaris' camp.

Baralai simply stood there, allowing Selene to throw her tantrum. "Then you had better go find her, hadn't you?" He mused, knowing it would only make his estranged wife even angrier.

This seemed to nothing more than infuriate Alice. "I do not need babysitting!" She hissed.

Selene turned on him, her blue eyes blazing. "Don't think for a moment I don't know what you did here. This has your handiwork all over it. Unless you start talking, so help me I will get others involved in this. The man they answered too perhaps? The Thief king?" She hissed.

"I am sorry you are angry. I am just the messanger." The soldier said, trying to make his tone gentle. 
It was at that moment that Yena came crashing out of the tree, landing in front of the guard that was trying to leave.

Baralai smirked as he looked down at his wife. "Go ahead. Involve the guild and see how your reputation fairs." He challenged.

Alice rolled her eyes and groaned when Yena hit the ground; it was like trying to keep an animal from harming itself whilst offering it it's freedom. "Then be a good little messenger and go back to Anaris and tell him his canary is just fine!"

"It can't be worse than the one I've gotten with you." Selene snarled, turning to head toward the trees. "I know where they are camped. I will alert them to the elf at least."

"I've found it!" The guard shouted to the other. This had him promptly ignoring Alice. "Come on!"

"Trust me, marrying you was not high my things to do before I die list." Baralai remarked with a snort. Things hadn't always been this way. For a short while they had almost been... good.

Alice was marching through the trees to stand between the guard and Yena. "Get out of here!" She barked over her shoulder, not realising she had spoken in dragon tongue.

"You are a dog, Baralai. You always were." Selene snapped, glarring at him over her shoulder. "Which explains why a starving mage elf would be the only one to truly want you. The stupid creature begged me to trade. Offered me anything in exchange for you." The cruel woman laughed. "It was so easy to bat my eyes and cry. To tell her I loved you and needed you home. How could she compete with that? She never saw me coming." 

Yena's ears perked up and so did she. She hadn't heard anyone speak that language since her grandfather had been killed. 
"What?" The guard gave Alice a strange look, not understanding a word of what she'd said to him. "What did you say? Was that elvish? I need human...please?"

"Yena is smart, she knows a snake when she sees one." Baralai replied, though there was an almost obvious note of hurt in his voice this time.

"I told you to go back to your king!" Alice snapped, her gaze back on the guard now. "There is no trouble here, and I can't very well find a dragon with an army marching behind me, can I?"

"The beast will die anyway." Selena told him with a snort, stepping delicately into the trees. "They'll figure out what she is and use her. Then kill her. Being a mage is the least of her problems."

"He told us not to leave you unprotected." The soldier argued. 
"She isn't." Yena said softly. "She's with me."

"You assume she is alone." Baralai called after Selene. "That always your problem, you assume everyone is scared and alone, just like you."

"There, you see. I'm fine." Alice told the soldier coolly. "Now run along and tell your king if I find you following me again, I wont be quite so nice."

Selene paused a moment and smiled. "She enchanted you. Had you following her like a love sick puppy. When I found you, you were making love to the disgusting beast. You even told her you loved her. Now tell me who is the fool? Even your own mother will reject you when she knows you let a mage play with your mind. Templar my ass."

"He isn't going to be happy." The man grumbled, motioning the others to follow. "You two are going to get killed and he's going to blame me. Maker preserve me."
"There is no Maker." Yena said in dragon tongue. She didn't even realize she was doing it. "The throne in the black city is empty."

Baralai looked genuinely disturbed by this revelation, but not for the reason Selene would be hoping. It simply troubled him that he had no memory of making love to Yena, of telling her he loved her. He knew it wasn't magic that made him do that, but it was magic that was making him forget it. "The Templar's gave up on me, Yena didn't. Not even when I threatened her life."

"You can tell him this child will be just fine." Alice called after the soldier, clearly still rather angry with Anarais for the things he had said to her.
The dark haired woman then turned her gaze back to Yena. Alice had never heard another speaking the dragon tongue. It sounded so beautiful, though she doubted it was so magical when she used it.

"But she gave up on you when I showed up. You're trying to make her into something she's not." Selene pointed out. "You need to stop that. People are monsters. Every last one of them. Trust me on that." 

Yena ducked her head, thinking the other woman was angry with her as well. Like she'd done with Baralai, she'd managed to ruin things fairly quickly. She couldn't even face that her. "I'm sorry." She said as soon as the men were gone. "I made things worse for you, didn't I?"

"She did what she thought was best for me, no matter what it meant for her." Baralai replied, grinning rather proudly. "She has more guts than you ever did, and that's what it killing you!"

Alice shook her head gently. "I wouldn't worry about it... You didn't nee to be here for him to prove what little faith he has in me."

"She sounds like your mother." Selene snorted. "The little elf is unwanted and unloved. And soon to be dead. No one will care." She was too late to miss a branch that hit her square in the forehead, sending her to the ground. 

"Is he your father?" Yena asked, looking around them. "He seems so protective. But...not here...isn't that how they all are?"

Baralai was soon peering over Selene and laughing loudly. "Good luck getting whatever it is you want, Knight Commander." He sneered, stepping over his fallen wife like a piece of rubbish.

Alice gave a quiet snort and shook her head. "My father only cared what gain he could get by basically selling me." She remarked. "No... Those men work for my... Husband." Even now the word seemed alien to her. It wasn't as much a marriage as it had been a contract.

"She offered me a strange looking piece of jewelry.  She called it her heart." Selene said, wiping blood from her nose. "She said she would give it to me of I'd let you stay. I stole it from her."

"Thats...why aren't you with him? Why is he hunting for you? I thought women loved the one they married?" Yena asked, confused.

That stopped Baralai once more. "Let me see it." He demanded, his expression like stone as he glared down at his wife. He couldn't trust a word she said, not without proof.

"Rarely." Alice snorted, thinking all marriages were like those of royalty and only for political gain. "Marrying Anaris was an agreement for me to help him with something he needed, and him to take me away from my family and give me my freedom once our arrangement was done."

"If I let you see it...you have to agree to stay with me." Selene said quitely, her fingers on the chain that disappeared into her neckline. 

"Is that something you wanted? Freedom?" Yena asked her, cocking her head to the side. "What about you husband don't you want him? Love him?"

Baralai hesitated, though his gaze was fixed on the item Selene was hiding from him. "How do I know it's even Yena's?" He asked finally.

Alice sighed quietly, that question being somewhat difficult. "I told him I loved him... A long time ago. He told me I was too young to know what love is... and left. He only returned when he needed something from me."

"It's the color of her eyes. The moment you saw it you would know. It..." For the first time Selene began to feel bad about what she'd done. But not enough that she planned to give it back or even hand it over to Baralai. "I believe it is truly her heart. It was around your neck when I got here." 

"And what does he want from you?" Yena asked, turning her nose up at the idea of love. It made her stomach lurch. Since Bear was gone she found that there was nothing but darkness when she thought about it. She couldn't begin to imagine loving someone any more. Everyone she knew had hurt her in terrible ways. She wondered if this woman could understand that or would try to do the same.

"So you didn't steal from her, you stole from me." Baralai replied darkly, parts of his memory beginning to return.

"There was a dragon..." Alice began, though seemed to think better of saying anymore. "He wants me to give him war, and I am no longer certain that is the price I wish to pay for my freedom."

Selene got up and made a run for it, something in his tone telling her that she ought to. She held tight to the thing around her neck and ran, her eyes slammed shut. He would kill her like the slavers. She just knew it.

"Why a war? Does someone deserve it? Did they hurt someone?" Yena asked thinking of Baralai.