Both Sides of the River

Chapter 1: The girl who was left behind

Elves are monsters.

Horrible, terrible, murderous creatures.

EVERYONE in Arectuza knows that.

Ever since the first human, the great Lady Arectuza, arrived here on her great, shiny iron dragon, the elves have been an issue. When the other humans came, they were attacked, and unprepared for the assault from the wild, magical creatures. But eventually, they were driven back, and humans managed to establish their kingdoms. The first to arrive here were the Brekkysh, they had great pride and from whatever land beyond Arectuza they came from, they were a great people. The next were the Amrykkans. These are the two most prominent peoples in Arectuza, distinguished mostly from their accents. They are at odds, sometimes, but there is such a blend of humans now that it means little to the kingdoms who is and is not of their own ancestry or not. They've had hundreds of years to acclimate to Arectuza, and now that humans are very well aware of the threat of elves, there have been measures taken to prevent them from attacking humans. They are called the Kingsguard, and they are specially trained people who will go off in search of elves and their magical beasts. They will hunt, trap, and kill them, and whatever they find of value, be it scales, blood, teeth, or horns and some weapons, they keep. This is what keeps the travellers and smaller villages safe. The Elves live in many places-there is a volcano, Mount Dae, in which the Fire elves live, great, savage warriors who can use the power of heat and flames in combat. The Sky elves, able to grow wings and the most common kind that will ride gryphons, live high up in the great mountains that few dare to brave. The elusive Crystal Elves, who mine and bore through rocks like Dwarves, they have gems embedded in their skin, and it is rumoured they never see sunlight, leaving them blind. The Dark Elves, master assassins that live in the Dark Forest, a land only accessible by caverns and chasms, full of death and monsters. They are the most deadly of the Elves, skilled with weapons and the ability to blend into dark places. Then, there is the Water Elves. They have an ability to grow scales and a tail underwater, and live in coves and coral reefs. Some people talk and trade with them. Those people are fools. And finally, there is the Forest Elves. They are one of the most common, found wherever life flourishes and the forest is thick enough to support a large group of them. The Kingsguard try their best, but there are still thousands of elves in the world. Occasionally villages will set up rewards for whoever can kill one that lingers near them, and that is exactly what is happening in Tenza's village.

It isn't that fancy, a common spot for Kingsguard camps to rest before continuing on, but otherwise quiet. At least on the outside.

12 years ago, a very young Tenza was found just inside the village, alone and with not a single hint to her past but her name inscribed on her arm in ink. The village took her in, but that doesn't mean they liked her. They wanted her to learn to cook and sew. She wanted to learn to fight and hunt. The girls adored the men and argued over dreaded they would wear. She wore pants and sharpened knives. She was always getting dirty, her fair skin smudged with grime and dirt, hiding the freckles on her nose and cheeks, her red hair always matted and tied into rope-like sections, green eyes feral and burning with ferocity. The village boys liked to tease her. She likes to fight back. It was not uncommon to see her with a bleeding nose and a few bruises, the kids who attacked her somehow worse. By the time she turned 15, it was very evident that she wasn't normal. She slept in a stable, seeing as no family would accept her into their homes, and she was too proud to show it affected her. Nobody knew who her family was, but the unspoken assumption is that they were killed by elves, or she was left so they could hide. Whatever the reason, she developed a hate of the creatures, as did all the other boys. The girls were cowards. Tenza always hated that. She was strong. She was able to hunt just as well as-no, she was BETTER than any boy she knew. She intended to join the Kingsguard.