Eiyuu Kishi Den

Ailil looked at his cloak on the ground, somewhat surprised. Maybe she should start getting used to these little gestures of kindness. Ailil sat down on the cloak and watched after Albedo. She was still full from dinner at home, so food wasn't an issue, except for Albedo maybe. Ailil laid back on his cloak, still warm from his body, then stared up at the sky. It seemed so vast, and the stars were even brighter out of the city. Ailil was transfixed by it. Maybe it wasn't so bad to be sleeping out under the stars, maybe this journey wouldn't be so bad at all. It was just...the poisoning thing. Was he even being honest about that? She believed him, for now, but it wouldn't hold up much longer. Ailil was starting to get her wits about her now.

She closed her eyes for a moment and listened to the night. The grass rasping in the slight breeze, she heard the call of a nighthawk. She could even hear the buzzing of insects, very low, and probably indetectable to human ears. Above her, she heard the chirping of bats as they swooped about, catching the insects she heard. Ailil breathed deeply of the cool night air and something shifted in her mind. Everything feel into place, she could feel how everything on this little hill fit together perfectly. She felt a part of it. Ailil was starting to feel giddy from the atmosphere. Was this how it felt to be an elf?

Albedo looked out into the valley. Nothing he could see, or hear. But his ears perked somewhat, he thought he heard a giggling from the girl. Probably not. That would be very unlikely in this situation. Though then again, this might be the first time she even left the castle. Well, he didn't care. She couldn't use shamanism anywhere near the extent as he could, even if she was a high elf. "Stay here."

He took off at a mad dash toward the forest. He wasn't in the mood for any surprises, and nothing could outmatch an elf in the forest, especially one trained to make no noise. Traps needed to be placed, though with his limited time, only pits could be placed effectively. Though he put daggers at the bottom for anyone who was tracking him. He didn't need to be followed.

Ailil did stay, but she actually wanted to. She didn't want to go home, not yet anyway. The world was so wide, and she had never traveled very far. She went to the Forest of No Return once, that she could remember. She traveled to Shinning Hill and Shuva as well. But she had only observed from the window of a carriage. She only slept in the rooms of palaces, not under the stars. Her life seemed so...empty as if now she were missing a big part of herself.

Maybe in the morning she would talk to Albedo. Ailil laid down in the grass and let the night lull her to sleep.

Albedo finished the last of the traps, a trip wire that would pull up anyone who stepped in it. He had made sure that these traps were off the road, and in the area he had taken Ailil. Anyone passing through there was tracking him, and he these traps were a message to back off. Not that anyone following him would. Apparently the princess was sheltered though, she seemed to be getting in tuned with the elemental spirits when he left. That could be bad. Moving back toward the camp, he made sure he didn't step into any of the traps.

Ailil was asleep when he got back. Not surprising. At least she decided not to mess around with the spirits. He had no idea how powerful high elves were, and he didn't doubt even a half one would be dangerous. He would have to let her continue to believe he was so much superior then her, even if he didn't know himself. He pushed his cloak over her and climbed the tree. He would have to half sleep like training. Which meant he wouldn't get very restful sleep. With a sigh, he closed his eyes and began to wait for morning. Another side effect, you were aware of time passing, and no dreams would come.

The half elf's ear twitched slightly as it picked up noise, and Albedo's eyes slowly opened to greet the still lingering darkness. A couple hours until dawn, but those noises, some type of movement. Toward them, unless he missed his guess. He sat on the branch, ears back as far as an elves ears would go, and listened. His lips pulled back into a snarl as he heard one of his traps being set off, then the voice. That wasn't human or elf, that was for sure.

He quickly dismounted the tree and gave Ailil one violent shake. "We go now. Unless you want to meet goblins, and whatever else they brought with them."

Ailil's eyes flashed open as she was violently ripped from a peaceful sleep. "Huh...?" she said as slowly came into awareness. "Goblins?" Ailil rubbed her eyes. "Goblins!?" she gasped in fear and staggered to her feet.

Albedo didn't pay much attention to her, just making sure that his horse was properly saddled and that it was calm. Not like Goblins would be any trouble. He's ears then twitched and he frowned. They were ahead of him to. Nearly surrounded. Damnit. "Don't worry about it. Get on the horse, and ride through that clearing right over there. Keep on going and you'll come to a small town. Wait for me at the inn there, its called the Silver Lake Inn."

He took his cloak, then gave her a slight look. "What are you waiting for, I don't need you getting yourself killed. I told you, your my life and I'm yours. If you die here I'll be wanted until the day I die."

It took awhile for everything to register, Ailil was still waking up. He wanted her to go on her own? Ailil ran to the horse and hoisted herself into the saddle. She knew how to ride, but she always rode sidesaddle and the horse was a gentle-bred ladies mount with mild temperament. Not an ill-bred nag. Awkwardly, she urged the horse in the direction Albedo told her and it ran. Ailil clung to the saddle for dear life, only sparing one glance back to Albedo.

Albedo watched Ailil leave with a slight tilt to his head. A rider she was not. At least not a good one. With a slight turn of his heel and a flick of his wrist a knife was in each hand as he turned for the forest. Only a fool would fight a horde of goblins out in the open. Soon enough he was concealed in the trees. He wasn't as agile in the trees as he would have been on a roof or in a back alley, but he would still make any full bloody human seem clumsy.

Finally he found a horde, his eyes gazing looking about at the squat little figures, they were searching for something. It made no sense. He didn't go out of his way to kill goblins, only if they got in his way. His eyes squinted when he noticed something in the goblins hand. That was some type of garment, a womans garment. Something a bit to elegant for a normal woman by the looks of it. Bloody ashes, they were following the princess. 'Must be 'cause her father killed a bunch of them. Now I got kobolds and goblins to deal with, what a pain.'He thought, moving in position. He kept his knives ready as he jumped out, catching the last goblin, quickly burying the knife under the goblins rib, bringing the other around to bury it into the goblins throat. He let the corpse drop as he threw the two bloodied knife at the companions, each striking the spine, leaving only the Kobolds. He knew he couldn't kill every goblin in the forest, but if he were to stir the Kobolds enough, he could get away. So he drew his sword at the remaining Kobolds and rushed them, causing them to run away. So far so good.

He forgot his knives as he took to the trees again, watching for movement, which he saw as the goblins were busy trying to calm down their slaves. He jumped down and quickly took off toward where Ailil had gone. He didn't, however, see the archer take aim and fire. He winced as he walked, the arrow now gone from his shoulder, but he was bleeding enough. He closed it with a fire elemental, but it kept breaking back open, so he had given up. When he reached the town, however, he stopped that and took on a normal walking. Though by them blood had already stained his clothing.

Ailil walked into the Silver Lake Inn on shaky legs. Her horse had been taken to the stable, and now she had to wait for Albedo. She didn't pause to speak to the inn keeper and pay for a room, she just headed to the corner of the common room with a window that she could watch for Albedo from.

Her horse had nearly been taken down by the goblins, but the 'ill-bred nag' proved it's worth and carried her out of danger. It had a few cuts along it's flanks which raised some curiosity from the stable hands. Ailil told the truth, she had escaped goblins in the hills. The boy had paled and then sympathized.

Ailil considered riding back to Alan after she escaped the goblins. She easily could have if she wanted, if she swung around the area to avoid the monsters. But she really didn't want to go back. She was worried about Albedo, so she went on to the town to wait for him.

The barmaid offered her food, but Ailil had no appetite, and no money. Maybe Albedo had some in his saddle bags, but she didn't want to look right now. "Please just come back..." she murmured to the window.

Albedo suppressed the urge to grab his wounded shoulder. How many dark elves had he killed, how many times had he killed humans, and even escaped from dragons. Only to be wounded by a goblin. He was careless, that was the simple truth. He pushed his cloak over the wound and entered the Silver Lake inn himself. He was by far much later then Ailil, and his gaze shifted about the room until it finally rested upon the princess herself.

He calmly approached her and sat down, wincing slightly as the chair back hit the damaged area, but he quickly recovered. "Today is a very busy day. We get you a sword and suitable traveling clothes."

Ailil jumped as Albedo sat down with her. She gave a deep, obvious sigh of relief. He looked a little pale to her though. "Are you well? Did you get hurt?" she asked anxiously.

"I'm fine." Albedo said, moving a bit away from her and giving her a dark look for her concern. Truth be told he was in pain, but he would have to wait to dress the wound. But even then, he wasn't a cleric. "They weren't tracking me after all. Heh, goblins may not be the brightest beings in Forcelia, but they know when someone kills their own. And kings tend to kill a great many of them."

He gave a slight chuckle, but it would take another one of elf blood to hear what he said next. "And what better revenge then to skin the king's daughter alive? Especially since she has elf blood in her. They see you as a fine cloak."

Ailil blanched as a response to Albedo's last comment. After a moment,her coloring returned and she shuddered. "Dreadful creatures," she murmured. "We're safe now? You're sure?"