Killing On Command

Chapter 1

The Cheshire Inn was as busy as ever on the warm Saturday evening. Grogg, the short, bald headed and chubby man with his thick ginger beard stood behind the bar, serving drinks, listening to any news from the town, and listening out for any trouble. He started to count out silvers from the two wealthy elves at the bar who had just ordered drinks. The looked like they had come from a very wealthy family. In fact, more wealthy that anyone who had ever wondered near the Inn. Grogg smiled, storing the coins safely away and laughed at a joke one of the elves had told. They were both drunken, but in the right state to be joking around rather than fighting.

"So, Cheshire. How are your girls?" One of the men asked. He had a handsome face, with long red hair and was rather pale. "They've got to be - what? Eighteen now?"

"Ah, yes. You're correct there. And, they just happen to be due to marry the Miller boys. Lord Miller came to ask me himself. In my bar!" He sounded delightfully excited. The men looked at each other in disbelief, and then back at the balding man. He cheerily cleaned a glass with a royal red cloth and continued to talk. 

"Oh, sorry, Father. Was I interrupting you?" A girl's voice asked from behind the two elves. They turned, only to find the most beautiful girl either of them had ever seen, standing by the bar. Their mouths fell open in shock, and they stared at her in awe. She had long, dirty blonde hair and was a little taller that Grogg. She wore a red velvet dress, which was a little too low cut. As she walked past them and behind the bar, placing the silver tray she was holding in front of them and taking glasses from it, they watched her as if in a trance.

"No, no! Of course not, Love. Gents, this is my daughter, Scarlotte." He introduced and smiled at her. She smiled an award winning and flirtatious smile at the men and bowed her heads in respect. 

"Pleasure to meet you," She greeted. 

"And you too. Child, you are a sight for sore eyes." One elf told her. His skin was a pale blue colour and he had hypnotising green eyes. She smiled, blushing a little. 

"Father. I thought I'd let you know that she's fighting again. Please go and tell her to respect the family's honour rather than fighting her way through her life like a street dweller." She muttered angrily. Her pretty face and grey eyes matched her mother's perfectly.

"Not again..." Grogg groaned. "I'll go and sort her out. Scarlotte, watch the bar for me?"

"Yes, Father." She replied happily. As he walked away, Grogg looked back to see Scarlotte talking to the elven men, who were still staring at her in awe as she lent down on the bar, batting her long eye lashes ans twisting a piece of long golden hair around one finger. She always wanted attention, and she was getting exactly what she wanted from them.

Meanwhile, as Grogg waddled uneasily on his feet and pushed his way past the drunks toward the entrance to the Inn, there was a commotion just outside. A small crowd had gathered around two people, and they were in a heated argument. One of them, who was a brunette with hazel eyes, was clearly angry, as if the other had agitated her. She was gritting her teeth.

The other was almost the complete opposite. She had scruffy workers clothes on, and wore a hat which tucked away her locks of black hair. She didn't look at all feminine. In fact, you would probably have to look twice to see that she actually was a girl. She seemed calm too, but frustration was clear due to the red tinge to her pale skin. The crowd around the girls seemed to have had too much to drink, and Grogg recognised some from him kicking them out of the bar earlier. Too much ale tonight. He thought to himself.

"You are absolute filth, Cheshire!" The brunette shouted before stepping forward and shoving the girl backwards. "You're nothing but a burden to your family; you and your rebellious ways. You don't deserve what you 'ave!" She screamed.  Although she looked like she'd put all of her strength into the push before, the girl just stumbled backwards, taking less than a few seconds to become steady on her feet again.