Private Tales Choosing Sides

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Arwyl Minras

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Tessa Varon

"Out of the way, out of the fucking way!"

The group of armed men had burst into the farmstead without warning. They would take no argument as they carried one of their wounded members into the kitchen and dumped him on the table.

There had been rumours that the mayor of the nearby Town had paid some mercenaries to tax the bridge over the river. Now one of them was bleeding all across their floor, several arrows stuck in his back.

The quiet little farm was full of commotion. The mercenaries barked out orders at the owners of the farm, demanding water and tools to try and pull the arrows. When they weren't doing that they efre cursing the elves who had apparently amused them.

"And where did elves go and get an orc from!?"



"You alright Riz?" Arwyl asked. The orc was bleeding from several cuts.

"Yup," Riznak replied. The seven foot orc seemed to be enjoying himself despite the wounds. If Arwyl hadn't drawn them to a halt at the edge of the open farmland he probably would have chased the humans all the way to the coast.
 
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Tessa had been out in her wheat field when a tingle ran through her bare feet and she heard the earth talk to her. People. Bad. Hate. Hide. Blood. Tessa barely understood her power but she did know that nature spoke to her. It would be nice if it used full sentences though. The human-raised elf grabbed her bag and ran back to the farmhouse to find the large hat that she wore for planting. It was a bonus that it covered her ears as well.

She had not known what to expect, but at least she had a heads up. She gathered water and tools for the soldiers as she glowered at every word they spoke. Absolute assholes. She did not appreciate her house being used as a hospital and she did not appreciate their slandering of her kind either.

Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do but wait for them to leave. She was no match for these men so she would simply be their maid and servant. She was very thankful for her warning and her hat. She had no doubts that they would have killed her immediately if they knew she was not human.

Arwyl Minras
 
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"Brannon, go and watch for knife ears," bellowed the leader of the group. He was shorter than the rest, older too. He had the look of someone who had once been dark and handsome, but was now grizzled and worn down to the bone.

"Where from?"

"Where do you think? The direction we came from, go and see if they're out there!"

"You mean stand in front of the woods that might have elven bows in?"

"Well not that no. Stay in cover and watch the treeline."



"There's one," hissed Thorn. "Want me to try and shoot him?"

"No..." went Arwyl, narrowing his eyes. "Let's see where he goes. I don't want them knowing they're being watched. We can wait them out."
 
Tessa definitely chuckled very quietly to herself at how dumb Brannon was. She would be totally okay with all of them becoming a target for the elves. Although, she didn't know these elves so she didn't know if they were good or bad. They may be worse than the men in her kitchen, some of who were eyeing her like a piece of meat.

To be honest, Tessa had only met one or two fellow elves in her lifetime. It was not that her parents kept her from her culture, but they just did not know. They were secluded and they raised her like one would a human child that would take over the family farm.

One of the soldiers who was sitting on her couch pulled her down into his lap forcefully. "You are a tall beauty, I think my leader wants you to keep us happy."

Tessa struggled to get off his lap, but the man held her tight. "Let me go!" She said firmly.
 
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Arwyl watched the man meandering out of the farm. He looked around at his surroundings and then rushed past a low stone wall and made for a cart and hid behind it.

"Think he'll see us?" Riznak asked.

"They didn't before," Arwyl reasoned. They were a few yards from the treeline and staying quite still. At the bridge they had crept right up on the band before striking.

"They're going to be tricky to dislodge from the farmstead," Thorn added.

This was a point where Kaius would have urged caution. The stone farmstead looked solid and easy to defend. There was probably a deep larder too.

Arwyl didn't have a simple view in his mind of what made someone good or evil. These brigands had been acting as town officials in taxing a crossing that had been built a hundred years before there had been a town. They had beaten someone black and blue for refusing to pay. They were not nice people and would not be afforded much in the way of parlay.

"I'll deal with the one on watch," Arwyl said sternly. "When he's gone start to take up positions around the place. Keep an arrow trained on this one in case he sees me."

It wasn't an easy task he had set for himself. He had to remain on this side of the dry stone wall to stay out of sight of the house. Arwyl took a long path around the woods to come at him from a different angle, but there was little cover.

In a crouched run Arwyl started to last approach. If the man turned his head then Arwyl would be out in the open. It was down to chance.

He put finger and thumb together and called on the magic of his bloodline. A bloodline that was almost gone from this world. Arwyl drew a crack in the fabric of magic and created himself a long dagger of translucent crystal. Spirit glass, they called it.

It was sharp enough for the task at hand. The human heard him coming from two steps out and turned around. Arwyl darted forwards, standing tall to swipe the blade from right to left and shoving the man to the ground. Arwyl ducked back behind the wall with him and let the spirit glass fade.

It had done its job, not quite beheading the man but severing most of his neck. Arwyl stayed still, listening for any commotion above the scouts final, watery gasps.
 
Tessa was unaware of what was happening outside of her home because her parents had cut her connection to the world inside by putting down a wood floor. They had not done it on purpose, of course. It was built before she came into their lives.

The elf was still struggling with the big man who had decided that he wanted her. He would not let go and then he grabbed her by the back of the neck and pulled her down so he could whisper in her ear. She barely heard the disgusting words he said to her because she felt her hat slide off her head.

Her body went rigid as the man noticed she was not human. He threw her off his lap in disgust and she slid across the floor. Tessa tried to scramble to her feet but she was grabbed by the hair and forced to walk over to the leader. She sneered at him and he slapped her.

"Fucking elf. I thought it stunk in here. You are probably with the group that did this to my men!"

"No, I was raised by humans...I have..." SLAP!

"Tie her up and take care of her. Outside. Looks like we now own a farm, boys!"


Tessa struggled as his men yanked her hands behind her back and tied them. They all cheered as the men walked her out her front door and started to push her towards the back of the house. She tried to kick them to no avail and one of the men threw her down to the dirt.

As soon as Tessa's cheek hit the dirt, she felt the earth surround her. Calm. Help. Save. Elves. Come.
 
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"Shit," hissed Arwyl, waving for the others to drop to the deck. He hadn't expected anyone to come out of the farm so soon after the first.

Several of his band had been moving into position when they emerged. The band of exiles hadn't been spotted, instead the brigands were leading a girl out of the farmstead. An elf. One who possessed a degree of magical affinity.

The ground remained still and hidden as they roughly picked her back up from the ground by her arm and shoved her stumbling forwards again.

"Any sign of anything Brannon?" one of them called out towards where Brannon's body was laid out. From the house Arwyl could hear the owners trying to protest with the brigand's leader.

Arwyl raised an open hand, with his thumb tucked into his palm. They knew what that meant. Weapons were silently drawn, arrows were laid out on he grass.

Arwyl closed his fist.

He leapt over the wall, drawing a sword of spirit glass. Two arrows whistled over his shoulder and struck one of the men.
 
Tessa was shoved forward very roughly and she just knew she was going to die. This was it. Dead because of her race even though she felt no connection to that race at all. She was human in every way except for how she looked and how long she lived. It was unfair really.

They were almost to the edge of the house that would take them towards the back and closer to the surrounding woods. If those elves were in the woods now would be the time to help her out.

And then she held a whistling sound and the man that was holding her stumbled and let go of her arm. Tessa was unable to go far but she did manage to make it about the side of the house and lean again the wall. She tried to wriggle her wrist out of the ropes that bound her but she had no luck. Fuck, she cursed inwardly.

She could only hope that help really was here.
 
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Arwyl was on them quickly. This was open ground and the men had their backs to the wall already. He had to back away as a longsword was thrust into his path. The element of surprise was almost spent, but they would not have caught them outside had they been rushing down from the treeline far behind them.

The elven girl had put some distance between herself and the brigands and that was its own small achievement.

Arwyl darted forwards, the blade of spirit glass catching the light. The man was competent with a blade and that was enough to keep Arwyl busy for a short exchange.

Arwyl was too quick. He slipped inside the man's guard. He wore a mail vest, but that was nothing more than holes to a sharpened blade of spirit glass.

The second man went to shield himself from Riznak's charge. The orc crashed into him, through him and through the wall.

With an arrow in one shoulder, the one man remainined rushed after Tessa, looking for a back door to get inside and away from the elves.
 
Tessa was still trying to get her hands out of the ropes when the man who had been holding her rounded the corner. He was too busy trying to survive that he didn't even try to grab her again. She stuck out a foot and sent him sprawling onto the ground. He hit his head hard on a rock and went still. The elf only felt bad for a split second.

She saw the dagger on his belt and bent down to try and grab it out. It was difficult with her hands tied behind her back but she did manage to pull it out and flip it. She dropped it as she tried to stand back up and she growled.

"Fuck!" She yelled and kicked the soldier for fun. Asshole!

She walked slowly back towards the front of the house where she heard the fighting. She looked carefully around the corner trying not to get her hopes up. These elves may not even actually help her. Maybe they would hate her because she was raised by humans.
 
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Having given chase after the brigand, Arwyl almost ran straight into the elven girl. He drew himself to a halt, learned around her to see the man still on the ground and gave an appreciative nod.

His exiles were finishing off the last few outside he farmhouse, but there was at least one still inside. They had counted them during the chase.

Arwyl walked to the man on the ground, grabbing a fistful of hair to draw his head back up. He drew his blade across his throat in one quick motion to make certain.

"Hold out your hands behind you," he told the girl in elven.
 
Tessa grimaced at the elf pulled the mans head back and slit his throat. She felt her stomach turn and she fought to keep from throwing up. She had killed animals on the farm many times and it had never made her sick. Watching a person, albeit someone who wanted to kill her, get his throat slit in front of her was terrible.

She was about to say something to the man when he spoke to her in a language she did not understand. She raised a brow at him, but she could figure out what he was saying despite not understanding the actual words.

Tessa held her hands out for him to cut her restraints. "I don't understand you," she told him. She was not even sure if he understood her. What language had he spoken?
 
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Arwyl raised one eyebrow, but he kept any anger from his expression. He knew it wasn't her fault. Arwyl had crossed paths with many slaves taken young enough that they didn't even know their own language.

He switched into the common trade tongue of the humans easily enough.

"I said hold out your hands for me to cut the ropes," he repeated, "but you're already doing that..."

The blade he held looked almost like a shard of crystal from the way it refracted the light. There was no stain of crimson from the humans he had killed with it.

Arwyl gripped her wrist with his left hand and kept them still as the blade passed through the ropes as it would water.

"How many are inside?" he asked.
 
"I took a guess at what you were saying," she shrugged and rubbed her wrists once he had cut through the ties.

Tessa turned to look at the elf who had saved her and his blade caught her eye. She tilted her head to the side as she studied it. She had never seen anything like it and it was beautiful. She made a mental note to ask him about it later.

She looked up at his face when he asked about how many were inside. She closed her eyes and visualized her home, counting the men in her mind. "I think there should be four and then the one that," she paused for a moment. "I am guessing you attacked."

It was either him or there were multiple groups on elves around her farm this day. "Thank you," she said before he could take off to attack the remaining soldiers.
 
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"Thorn, get everyone surrounding the farmstead," Arwyl called out. More elves were darting down from the treeline. Stealth was no longer an option.

Arwyl intended to rush the building with everyone he had to minimise the risk of anyone else getting hurt. Any of his people getting hurt.

"Any more elven slaves inside?" he asked her as the group moved into position.

He wondered if the mercenaries inside were going to try and talk their way out of this now.
 
Tessa stared at her rescuer in absolute horror. "I am not a slave...I own this farm!" She was completely mortified at the thought of elves being kept as slaves. Well, of anyone being slaves, if she was being honest.

She realized then that she had not actually answered his question and she quickly amended that. "No, I am the only one on the property that belongs here. Everyone else stormed in and tried to take it by force."

Tried. She grimaced at her word choice. She had been no match for them and she would already be dead if it weren't for these strangers.
 
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"Well then, that makes this all a little more simple," Arwyl replied with a lopsided grin. He gaze lingered on her for a moment longer.

She spoke no elven but she owned a farm and lands. It made little sense to him. He would get to he bottom of it after he was done with the humans.

"Riznak, the door!"

He offered Tessa an apologetic glance before a loud crack rang out as he orc kicked in the front door. Arwyl darted through a window. Another elf stepped up to the window and shot an arrow in after him.

The commotion only lasted a few seconds before an eerie silence fell. The leader of the band, bleeding from several places came rolling out of the front door. Riznak walked after him. The orc pinned him down under a boot.
 
Tessa stayed out of the way and leaned against the house like it would protect her. She only watched the fighting for a moment before ducking back behind the corner. She saw the dead body and this time she did throw up. Tessa groaned and threw up again. How did these men just kill without issue? She wouldn't be able to stay here. Not with all this death now.

Once silence filled the farm, Tessa looked around the corner to see the orc dragging out the leader. She stepped out from her hiding spot and crossed her arms. She was not sure what she wanted these men to do but the human needed to be punished. He was going to let his man...shivers of revulsion ran through her body at the thought.

"He is the leader. He is the one who demanded that I help them or else..."
 
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"Then obviously he owes you reparations," Arwyl declared, moving up beside Riznak.

"Come now," Arwyl continued. "You've been taxing the crossing for weeks. Where is the silver?"

Around them the elves were searching some of the bodies. Now that the group was out in the open, Tessa would see that there were a few humans amongst the group too. Arwyl and Kaius had liberated them from a fighting pit and they had chosen the follow the exiled prince.

"Went back to the town!" the man spat into the dirt.

"There is no chance that you didn't skim from your takings," Arwyl replied. He didn't particularly like this game. He didn't have the stomach for torture. He wanted this to be done.

"Just kill me."

"Actually," Arwyl said, dropping to his haunches. "I would rather send you back with a message to the town. So pay up for the damage you've done and to fund our noble cause and you can be off."

"Fuck off."

Arwyl stood back up and sighed. "Have you got a barn where we could tie him up and think about his options?" he asked Tessa.
 
Tessa had been glaring at the leader and the revulsion had not left her. He was a monster. He deserved to get punished. But to be killed? Would the local government not do anything? Tessa found it hard to believe they wouldn't hold this man accountable. So naive, so sweet.

Her head shot up to Arwyl when he asked her about a barn. To tie the now prisoner up. "Yes, it's back behind the house. I have a free stall that you can lock him in if that helps. And ropes..."

She tucked a piece of blonde hair behind her ear. "Who are you?" She finally asked her savior now that things had settled down.
 
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Arwyl turned to look for the barn, but turned back sharply at her question. His blood was still up from the fighting, his breathing sharp and shallow. He considered whether he should provide his name.

"You should be bowing in the presence of a Prince," one of the group said before him. Her voice was laced with sarcasm.

"My name is Arwyl," he offered. He turned and gave Elena a withering stare for the comment. He didn't need rumours of an elven Prince circulating around with the humans.
 
Arwyl, she repeated to herself. If he was a prince, she'd never heard of him. That didn't really count for much though. She didn't know any royalty. He could be the King of the Elves and she would still be lost.

"I'm Tessa. Thank you for saving me. I don't think that was your plan but I am still extremely grateful."

She looked over his group. They were a strange collection of individuals but her curiosity was peaked. "I wish I had something to offer you but it is only me on the farm and I haven't been doing to well of running it..."

That was more than she wanted to tell a stranger but it just came out. He seemed trustworthy.
 
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"It didn't start as the plan but of course we wanted to keep you safe from them," Arwyl replied. He had absolutely no shame in taking credit

"I'm a way, if we hadn't decided to stop this lot stealing coin they wouldn't have been driven here in the first place."

Arwyl grinned and tucked his bright hair behind his ears.

"That said...if you wanted to offer some shelter for my tired people for the night. And...explaining how an elf got to own a whole farm out here?"
 
Tessa nodded immediately. "Yes, of course! I don't know why I did not think of that. You and your people are welcome to stay here."

She didn't wait around to see what they did with the leader of the guards. She simply headed towards the house once she had finished speaking. There was some blood but it seemed like the majority had been spilled outside. Small mercies.

Luckily, the stew she had been forced to make for the men was still doing alright. Everything had happened so fast and the temperature had been so low that it had survived her absence. Another small mercy. She could at least feed her saviors.

She made to clean up the blood and it took less time than she originally thought it would. She was finishing up as the group came back into the house.

"I have some stew on the stove. Once everyone gets some food and finds a seat, I will answer your question."

She perched on a chair in the sitting room as the others got some food. Once Arwyl had joined her, she started her tale.

"I came to own this farm because my parents left it to me when they passed away. I was..." She paused debating if she should continue or not. "I was raised by humans...this is the most elves I have ever met..."
 
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Arwyl had picked two unwitting members of the group for the worst job. He didn't want this skirmish coming back to Tessa so Elena and Sviriel were dragging he bodies deeper into the woods to bury them.

Everyone would return to the farmhouse except for Riznak. The orc was left to mind the mercenary captain in he barn. Arwyl hadn't expected them to be offered space inside the farmstead itself to rest. The barn would have been better than the open air.

Arwyl sat cross legged on the floor, blowing steam from a bowl of stew and listening.

"Did they tell you how you came to be with them?" he asked.