~Ten Years Ago~
"Come on, Lyven!" His friends shouted up at his window. He leaned out, a young smile beaming across his face. He shouted to his mother and ran down the spiralling stairs, bounding off at the roots of the tree and joining his friends as they ran around the Eternal Forest, playing their usual 'Warriors and Archers' game. Lyven always chose Archers. He knew a lot about Archery from his father and took a great interest in it.
His father spent many years serving for the Prince and fighting in wars he never even knew the purpose of. He was ruthless, reckless and relentless to always be victorious. Lyven never really got to spend time with his father, what with him being Prince Thalados' right hand man and all, but he tried to see past that and treasured the few moments he did share with his father.
He died for Thalados. He pushed him out of the way of an arrow that stuck in his heart instead of the Prince's. Everyone saw him as a hero, Lyven most of all, but he blamed Thalados for his father's death, for being a coward and letting the arrow take his father instead of him.
Lyven found himself thinking about it and stopped in the middle of a clearing, where all his friends were using wooden swords and sticks as bows to kill each other. A tear trickled down his cheek as he twiddled the arrow-head necklace his father made for him between his fingers.
And that's when it started.
He closed his eyes and blinked out more tears but he didn't realise that by doing this, a blue frost escaped from him and spread out across the clearing. He opened his eyes again to see the ground covered in ice and his friends staring at him blankly. Muttering from all ten children filled his ears.
"I can't believe it."
"He's a-"
"Half-Breed."
"How did he hide?"
"Look at his eyes!"
"They're glowing."
He walked forward, at first, slowly, but soon galloped into a sprint, running from the people he thought he could call friends. Shouting muffled in the distance and he looked back to see frost-covered footprints, trodden on by the stampeding feet of the mobbing children behind him. He ran to the only safe place he could think of. Home.
He entered the village, people staring at him as he ran past, leaving frosty grass wherever he stepped. He ran up the stairs to his tree and another tear rolled down his cheek, soon turning into a droplet of ice. He winced as it burned his skin and as he ripped it off.
"Lyven!" His mother screamed as he burst through the door and locked it tightly.
"Mother, what's happening to m-" Before he could finish his sentence, he collapsed in a heap on the floor, his eyelids closed. His mother picked him up and felt the warmth creep into his skin once more. She put him to bed and watched as his eyes opened. "Wh- What happened?" He asked, rubbing his eyes. His mother reached out and squeezed his hand.
"Lyven, there's," She looked down at her lap and swallowed loudly. "there's something I need to tell you." Her eyes started to water as Lyven nodded for her to carry on, not sure where it was going to go. "You father and I, when we had you, uh-" He squeezed her hand as well, to reassure her that it was alright. "Well, I'm not and Elf. I'm human." Lyven's eyes widened and he tore his grip away.
"Mother-"
"No, just listen. Your father and I, we secretly got married and had a child, but we were informed that you were, are, a Half-Breed. Also that you would be given a gift that you would not be able to control." Lyven looked at his hands, remembering the event in the clearing. "Not only were you an illegal child, but a danger to us, yourself and everyone around you. We didn't want that to be your fate and so you father, he-" She looked up from her lap with tears on her cheeks. "gave his life for a spell to be cast. A spell that would shield you from anyone knowing you were a Half-Breed. Even yourself. It also made me appear one of your father's kin, so that no one could figure us all out." She touched her ear to feel their points, but gasped loudly when she found that her ears were back to normal. Lyven gasped too and they stared at each other.
"But you told me he died saving the Prince!" He screamed but then shook his head, realising that this was a more heroic death than the lie he was told. "The magic, it's wearing off isn't it?" Lyven asked through tear-ridden eyes. She nodded and jumped as a flaming arrow smashed the window at the front of the house. "The guards, they're after us. Mother, today, in the woods, I covered the floor in ice a-and my eyes, th-they glowed. They know about us."
Her eyes widened as she heard her son's words.
"Lyven, listen to me. I want you to run. Take this satchel and run." She handed him a small leather bag no bigger than the bag he used at the academy.
"But what about you?" He asked, tears rolling down his cheeks and his voice trembling.
"Don't worry about me Ven, we'll see each other soon. I promise." She kissed his forehead and ran to the kitchen. Lyven jumped out of bed and jumped out of their emergency door, landing on the hard ground with a thud. He turned to the door and saw his mother standing there.
"I love you! I'll always be with you, just do me a favour and don't get caught, ok?" But before Lyven could reply, the house went up in flames and all he could hear was her screams.
"Mother!" He screamed, the neck of his tunic soaked with tears. "No!" He ran, but towards the house again. He climbed the stairs without thinking and two strong arms grabbed him. He kicked and screamed but they threw him over their shoulder and took him to the palace.
