The Dragonborns Claws

The attack and the gift

He turned to Freya and stared into her copper eyes. "What is your name?" He said with a smooth accent as graceful as himself. "F-Freya" she replied, instantly regretting saying a word. She began to scramble to her feet. He watched her carefully, as if studying her, and she was painfully aware of this. She froze once on her feet. The adrenaline was beginning to wear away, and she realized exactly why she was so afraid. She wanted to scream with frustration, she had been seen due to her own carelessness. This elf didnt look like the type to brush off an encounter with a dragonborn. Every moment she stood there his gaze burrowed deeper into her back.

"You dont belong here, Freya. If I didn't have such a distaste for orcs I would have left you to die." He said her name as if it was a bad taste in his mouth. "T-Thanks" she said, and bounded off towards home like a frightened deer, no longer caring about stealth.

Freya bursted through the door and leaned hard against the wall. As she calmed herself down she realized her mistake... The elf saw her, the elf heard her voice, the elf knew her name... And I worst of all... He knew where she lived. Freya, in her panic, had led him straight home. She ran to the kitchen to see her mother cutting herbs. "M-mom I- he- elf-..." Freya was grasping for words as her breathing quickened once more. "Sweetie what happened?" Griftla put down her knife and came to Freya. She gave her a warm hug that calmed Freya until she could speak. 

"Mother, I was in the forest playing with North, and- and a big orc came out and tried to squish me!" Griftla let out a quiet gasp. "Then an elf came out and saved me... But he hates me mom! He hates me!" Freya buried her face in her mother's cotton shirt, soaking up her tears. "Shhh... It will be alright Freya" "No! He saw me and I accidentally told him my name and I ran! I ran all the way here! He's going to find us!" "Then we will move." 

These four words shocked Freya. This place was all she'd ever known, and it was all her parents knew. Freya had never even considered leaving, after all, if they could, why haven't they left the place were she was unacceptable before? Why did her parents choose to stay? Why did they make her live this way? Before she knew it Griftla had left her arms, calling out behind her "I'll go get Geiran!" Geiran was her father, who was gathering wood to sell on market days. "Stay hidden!"