Sweet Rebellion

Chapter 1

The water glistened as she lifted her legs in and out of the water, just as a drop fell from her lashes onto the young elf's lap. She was positioned on the river's edge with the morning fog coming off of the calm flowing water. Her skirt was pulled up to her mid-thighs to keep it dry. Her bright lavender eyes had turned a deep purple from the near hour that she had spent at the fog filled river bank, crying.

It had come again. The nightmare that she just couldn't seem to escape had invaded her sleep once again. The bloodshed, the death and the loneliness. All of it sent shivers running down her spine. It frightened her to think that not only her family, but her entire village could be massacred. Simply thinking about the vision brought the tears to her eyes again. She pulled her legs out of the water and hugged her knees to her chest. The cool air made the young elf shiver when it touched the water beads on her exposed legs. To stop the shivering, she pulled her skirt back over her knees and hugged them as close as utterly possible.

"What in the world are you doing here?" a man's voice came from behind her.

The young woman, looking no more than 19 years of age, jumped nearly into the river and out of her skin. She quickly rose to her feet and began to back away from the strange man. He could see the fear pouring out of every pore. "It's alright. I have no intentions of hurting you." He said calmly putting his hands up to show he had nothing in them.

"If you wish me no harm, then why carry a sword at your hip and a bow on your back?" she asked trying desperately to hide both the fear and the tears from her voice. She surprised even herself when she found that she had succeeded. She knew that she was in terrible danger. The man was a dark elf. It was common knowledge that they were malicious and cared about no one other than themselves. Heaven help you if you made one angry.

"Ah, don't forget the knife on my belt" he said turning slightly to reveal a dagger at the small of his back.

She couldn't help but smile at the dark elf's sense of sarcasm. "That doesn't answer my question. It only heightens my sense of uneasiness about you" she said still a distance away from him.

"I beg your pardon miss. My name is Lucian Morthil, and I'm an elven ranger. And, yes, I am a dark elf, but, unlike most, I only fight when required. I do however, spend most of my time hunting. When forced, I will use my sword for battle, and the others for the hunt, mostly." The young woman still stood there, frozen. Lucian realized this wasn't going to end very quickly. "Do you mind if I sit here for a moment?"

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