Narlissa Quickhands, half-elf and master thief, guided her mount through the woods. The trees flashed quickly by, Faeht finding footing easily on the uneven ground, but she knew she was losing time. Hallowblossom was more than three days away and the ship would be arriving much sooner than that. But she was not going to give up. She resisted the urge to push Faeht harder, knowing that the horse was already doing her best.
But something was bothering her. It seemed to Narlissa that there were eyes on her as she rode yet try as she might she never caught anyone watching her. She was a half-elf, which meant she had sight and hearing well beyond that of a human and so she was not used to someone being able to remain hidden.
She was sure, however, that someone was. There would be the odd flashes of movement, slight rustles in the branches. She could not be sure whether they were a threat or merely someone curious in her passing but it made her uneasy.
Reaching a river bank, she reined Faeht in, allowing the horse to drink. Her mount did so eagerly and Narlissa took the opportunity to glance around. There was no one there. Turning back to her horse, her breath caught in her throat.
A man stood there, his straight blonde hair loose to his shoulders. He was short, too, perhaps only standing at her height of 5'5". Tight leather armour encased his body and a bow was on his back and he regarded her with warm blue eyes. His most striking feature however were the long pointed ears that poked out from his hair. An elf!
"Hello, traveller," he said in a pleasant voice. It was slightly higher-pitched than a human male's but did not sound like a child's. When put together with his youngish looking face Narlissa placed him in the elven equivalent of someone just past their twentieth year. Of course, as an elf that still likely made him decades older than her. Despite her half-elven heritage she aged at human speeds.
"Greetings," she smiled back, bowing slightly. It was rare for an elf to make themselves known this blatantly but perhaps this man had been able to tell that she shared at least part of their heritage. Most elves would not reveal themselves to a human unless they were defending their home.
She was not so worried about this elf attacking her as she might have been though. His posture and demeanour spoke of friendliness and whilst elves could certainly be capricious they were very rarely outright deceptive. If he were going to assault her he would have done so from the start particularly as then he would have had the element of surprise.
The elf ran his hand over Faeht's flank, stroking it down her horse's neck. "A lovely horse, though decidedly human. What is her name?"
Narlissa's cheeks flushed slightly as she realised that this man was obviously going to speak elvish. "Faeht."
"Faeht?" He turned and grinned at her. "An imaginative name indeed. Do you call your boots Talosh Dre and Talosh Yur?"
That meant "left foot" and "right foot" in elvish, Narlissa knew. She shrugged with embarrassment. "Well I liked the name. And I don't come across many elves or anyone that speaks the language so I figured it was safe to use. Besides, she is a fast horse."
"I have no doubt." The man nodded, then stepped towards her. "I am Aramil. My clan occupies these woods and you are unknowingly trespassing on our doman. I must ask your business here."
Narlissa was shocked. Some elven clans were known to take up residence in woods, although like humans they tended to live anywhere. Her own mother was an elf from a coastal settlement but all elves had an affinity with nature wherever they lived. But elves were not anything like as numerous as humans and she did not expect to stumble into a clan's domain so unwittingly. Elves were reclusive but they were not generally secretive. People knew of their towns and cities even if they tended to remain closed to outsiders. No one had warned her of the elves in these woods.
"I am sorry, Aramil. I was merely passing through. I will not linger."
The elf smiled pleasantly. His face was more pointed and gaunt than a human's but it suited an elf to perfection. He was certainly handsome. "Do not panic; I am not here to hurry you. I have followed your woodwalking and I am impressed. I introduce myself only because I am curious as to your purpose here. You are clearly in a hurry. May I ask your name?"
"Narlissa," she responded. "And I am chasing some thieves. They are heading to an abandoned fort named Hallowblossom with something of mine that they stole. I intend to catch them."
"Hallowblossom? Those are old elven ruins, though no elves have occupied them for a century. I believe it is merely a small human farming village now. But, if you like, I can take you there."
Narlissa's eyes opened wide. He was actually going to help her! "I gladly accept your offer, Aramil. I do not know how to thank you."
The elf smiled at her and then moved towards the trees. Seconds later he had returned with his own horse. It was sleek, brown and small compared to Faeht. Clearly an elven horse bred for their smaller frames. Narlissa could probably have done with a horse of that size but Faeht had been the best she could find from human breeders and she was not going to desert her mount now.
"Let us ride," Aramil said, vaulting gracefully onto his mount. Narlissa followed. Soon the trees were flashing by at an alarming pace.
Narlissa had never woodwalked with an elf before. It was an elven skill that involved passing through nature over great distances in a fraction of the time it would normally take. She suspected there was some magic at work. Despite being called woodwalking, or technically Illiam Nagah in the elvish tongue, it worked anywhere that nature had been left undisturbed. It was another reason she was not too keen on cities.
For you see Narlissa could woodwalk to an extent. Her half-elven heritage allowed her to pass through nature quicker than usual. That is how she had guided Sir Jeffrey so well all those weeks ago and how she escaped the targets of her thefts so easily. But Aramil was a full elf and his skill far surpassed hers. She had never travelled quite so far at such speeds.
Evening fell and Narlissa lost track of distance. Eventually Aramil pulled his horse up and Narlissa came alongside him.
He turned to her and smiled before dismounting. "We should stop here for the night. Evening is coming and I do not wish to ride in the dark. Your horse might struggle to see her path."
Narlissa knew he was right. His own mount would likely be fine in darkness but Faeht was not elven and was not used to woodwalking. She had done very well so far today as it was and she deserved a rest for the night.
Narlissa dismounted too and watched as Aramil hastily set up camp. She asked if she could help but he did not want it and she was amazed at how easily the campsite took shape. The trees seemed to part and bend to create a roof of braches as thick and comfortable as any hide tent and soon he had collected enough dried wood to light a small fire. That amount of deadwood was not normal for this time of year and she wondered whether the forest had actually found some for him.
Either way the campsite was soon set up and she joined Aramil in front of the fire. They sat in silence for a few minutes.
Eventually Narlissa spoke. "I have never woodwalked at that pace before, Aramil. Are you pariticularly skilled in that art?"
The elf laughed softly. "Not at all. In fact, I am one of the least skilled amongst our clan. I will learn, of course, but some of the Elders can cross these entire woods in the space of an afternoon."
"And how far have we crossed?" Narlissa asked. At her pace it would have taken three days at least to cross. For a human it would have taken a week.
"About two-thirds of the way, though of course you have travelled a distance before I revealed myself."
"Two-thirds of the way?" Narlissa was astounded. "That's amazing. You are a talented woodwalker indeed, Aramil."
He smiled. "I thank you for your compliment, but I still have much to learn. Yet given your heritage, Narlissa, you are surprisingly adept at it yourself."
Narlissa sighed. "My heritage? You must see me as simply human, Aramil. It is something I am used to. The humans are as bad; they see me as simply an elf."
Aramil's eyes widened slightly as if he were surprised. "Narlissa, I do not mean to offend. I would never assume you were simply human, although even if you were that would change little. There is nothing wrong with being human, after all."
Narlissa looked at the elf then. He meant it, which she found surprising. Most elves were very haughty about their supposed "superior" nature to the other races of the world and so she did not expect Aramil to be any different. Most elves were not unpleasant per se but they could be a little dismissive if required to take advice or commands from someone they considered beneath them.
Then again, her own mother had obviously not had too many qualms about mingling with humans. There were clearly more elves out there who didn't consider everyone their inferiors than she had first thought.
"It is nice to speak to elves who do not call me Sharii," she smiled. Sharii meant "tainted blood" in elvish. It was a slur towards offspring born to an elf and a parent of another race. It was less offensive in elvish than it sounded but it was still not a nice phrase.
