I scrunched up my face at the word elf, "Elf? I'm not an elf." I said and spared a glance behind me. It was in that instant I locked eyes with my mother and I saw how much fear was in her face.

"I'm not an elf?" I repeated, saying it more like a question than a fact. I looked back at Givin.

Givin turned to face the carriages parked behind him, "Are you all deaf, or did you not hear me!? I said get her!" he shouted to someone we could not see.

At his command, the doors of the other red carriage in the back opened, and out poured about thirty or so armed soldiers. They formed a semicircle around us.

I looked at the soldiers and back at the carriage in awe, forgetting for a second I was being surrounded by enemies on all four sides. How had all of them managed to fit in such a tiny space?

"Jade," my brother said from behind me, "go with them."

"Why should I go with them, even if I am an elf? Not that I believe this whole elf nonsense thing anyways." I wasn't one for giving up easily.

"For starters, we're outnumbered."

I chewed my lip thoughtfully and looked around me, "We can take them if you helped me. Do you have your war hammer?"

Jasper and I were excellent fighters. Our father had trained us before he had passed away about three years ago. He had been a famous mercenary, or so I was told.

It had actually been very essential for us both to learn how to fight. We often kept very valuable creatures on our property, creatures poachers would love to get their hands on, or, in this case, creatures the king would love to get his hands on.

I spared a glance behind me and saw my brother was indeed holding his war hammer in his right hand.

"Good, you have it, so why didn't you use it when he was killing Mr. Burrs!?"

"They're king's men. Going against them is like going against the king himself. Even if we did defeat them here, they'll just come back with more. We would be overwhelmed and then executed later for treason," Jasper answered.

"Hmm, guess you're right," I said reluctantly, then looked sharply up at Givin, "You want me alive, right?" I asked him.

"Yes," but it wasn't Givin who replied, it was the gray man.

Givin looked over at him, "Are you sure we do Tinly? One drop of elfin blood is enough to make fifty elfin steel blades. We could just bring her corpse back."

Tinly shook his head "The blood won't work unless it comes from a living source."

Givin shrugged his shoulder, "I guess we need you alive then brat."

I brought the tip of my spear up to my throat and held it there, "Then, swear that if I go with you, then you'll leave my family in peace. If you harm them in any way, then I will use this to cut my own throat, but not before I take out as many of your men as possible!"

Some of the men in the circle began laughing at me, and the rest exchange amused glances. Givin began laughing along with them, "I bet you couldn't even knock down one of my men," he said, "But if you can, then I will agree to your terms."

"Challenge excepted!" I narrowed my eyes at him, before stepping forward, and jabbing the closest soldier with the blunt end of my spear in the center of his chest, The man stumbled backward and fell to the ground. While the other men stared at there fallen comrade in shock, I used that opportunity to crouch low to the ground and sweep my spear under two other men's feet, knocking them to the ground too. I jumped back up, but this time the soldiers were ready for me.

One came charging at me and I sidestepped him, spinning my whole body around, and knocking him in the back of the head with my knuckle. The next two guys came at me from both sides.

I waited until they were almost upon me, before letting myself fall backward, and letting them collided into each other. They both joined there comrades on the ground.

I looked up at Gavin "Your right, I can't knock down one, I can knock down...," I stopped and counted the men lying on the ground, "Six." I cocked an eyebrow at him. Givin looked beyond furious while his gray friend, Tinly, just looked amused. From somewhere behind me I heard Jasper sigh deeply, and I could just picture him rolling his eyes at me.

Tinly stepped forward, "Alright, I think we've seen enough. We promise no harm will come to your family," he looked past me to Mr.Burs "I'm sorry about my fellow magician's behavior earlier, he acted out of terms. I was going to stop it when you came running out."

So they were magicians? No wonder they were dressed so strangely.

He looked at me again, "So, I would like to formally invite you to Blue Lake Castle, home of our great and noble king Jamie Caster the III. But before we continue, could you please drop your spear first? I don't think our men will be at ease until you do so," he said, looking around at the soldiers who were slowly getting to their feet

I let the spear fall from my hand. I stepped forward, letting my eyes linger on the black swirling design covering it for a second, before hesitantly taking his hand. "Alright I'll go with you, but you need to promise me not only will you not harm my family, but you will also leave them alone, completely, forever."

"I swear," Tinly said.

A jolt of electricity ran through our hands suddenly and we both jumped. Tinly snatched his hand away from mine and stared at me, "You just made a binding packed," he said astonished.

"No, I didn't do anything! You did something!" I yelled and rubbed my hand, which felt numb.

I heard Givin snicker behind us, "This is what you get for trying to solve things peacefully Tinly. I warned you! Excuse me, I'll be waiting in the carriage," he said before walking away.

"Men!" he called out, "Fall back! No rations tonight, so that your hunger can remind you how you got beaten up by a little girl!" he said and disappeared back into his carriage.

I heard some of the soldiers grumbled angrily to themselves, and a few even shoot me a dirty look, before they began filing back in the carriage they had come from.

Once they were all gone I turned to Tinly, "What's a binding pack?"

Tinly gazed back at me very unhappily, "It means that if the promise we made is ever broken, I will die. So you don't have to worry about me breaking it now." I widen my eyes but didn't say anything.

"Is it alright if I say goodbye to my family before we go?" I asked

He nodded, "You should, you probably won't see them in a very long time."

I turned my back on him and began walking towards my mother and Jasper. On the way there I stopped and helped Mr.Burrs up to his feet.

"Take care of my mother," I told him, before brushing past him.

When I reached them, my mother threw her arms around me, and I embraced her tightly. We stayed like this for a minute, before she pulled away. She looked at my urgently, and put her mouth beside my ears and whispered, "Try to escape if you can. If you see an opportunity take it. The last thing you want is to end up at that castle. I love you"

I nodded my head, "I love you too, mom."

I looked over at Jasper, who was standing awkwardly off to the side. " Take care of yourself and mom," I said

"You do the same," he said and shook my hand. He looked past me at Tinly and the carriages behind me, "Actually, I think Mr.Burrs is going to have to do that, I'm going with you."

I stared at him horrified "You can't!" I yelled at him.

He frowned at me, "I can and you can't stop me!" he stormed past me towards Tinly.

I followed closely behind him repeating. "Jasper, you need to stay with mom!" Jasper!"

He reached Tinly and bowed, "Sir, I might not look like much, but I'm a great fighter, just like my sister. We have no other family in the capital city, so it would be wise if I go with her as her chaperon. She's only fifteen summers old. "

Tinly looked down at him and seemed to consider it, "I suppose it wouldn't be proper for a young lady to travel without a male from her family..."

Jasper raised his head, "Thank you very much, sir!" he quickly scrambled into the carriage.

"Jasper!" I yelled angrily after him, "Aren't you even going to say goodbye to mom?!"

"She's the one who told me to go with you. She already said goodbye to me."

Of course, she did.

I reluctantly climbed in, and Tinly climbed in after me.

Before Tinly shut the carriage door behind us, I looked at the only home I knew, the home I had never traveled far from. I looked at my mom and Mr.Burrs standing together in front of the cottage, holding each other. I felt the first twinge of homesickness sting my heart. I might never see them or the cottage again.

The door closed.