Chapter 11: To and Fro (1/2)

It had felt like a good hour before the little elf girl was finally able to settle down I didn't bla forcibly kidnapped would cause trauma even for adults, even more so since she seemed to be only a bit older than I was

As sat next to her, co her, I realized how bizarre of a scene thisthe head of an elven girl in the back of a carriage as four bloody corpses were being devoured by beasts just next to theuys?" she sniffled, her voice co the seven-year-old about killing was appropriate, I si her, "Er… they ran into a very unfortunate accident"

She studied the hesitant expression on my face with the raise of a brow, only to look back down and whisper, "Serves the closely at her now, I couldn't help but notice that she carried all of the necessary features that would allow her to blossom into quite the beauty later on in the future

With long gunht, the girl's disheveled state couldn't mask the innate beauty that she see teal eyes shaped like perfectly rounded al that it matched the color of her rosy lips While all of her individual facial features seeems, on the fair creaht her features into a surreal, almost phantasmal work of art

Of course, this was entleo as far to say I was "checking her out"

I helped her up to her feet before speaking again

"Those people that tried to kidnap you aren't going to chase you any said, do you think you can make it to your home by yourself?"

Instantly, her eyes retracted in fear as a panicked expression spread throughout the rest of her face As tears welled up and both her hands clenched tightly to my shi+rt, even an infant would be able to tell what her ansas through her actions

"Look, I need to get hoenerally safe in this forest?" I let out a sigh, trying to pry open her claws— I ers— from my shi+rt

She violently shook her head,itself, and rebutted, "Beasts only scared of adults…Parents warned olems"

I would norole that surprised on

I rubbed the bridge ofto co does it take to get to where you live fro onto my shabby shi+rt, she looked down and admitted, "… I don't know"

I held in the teirl looked like she was about to cry already, and agreed to take her back ho ways north so ate there that can could me back to soirl to wait inside the carriage while I gathered so, I didn't want her to see the led carcasses of the slave traders when even I found it hard to stoh for round, I carefully folded and stuffed a s and soround where I fought Danton and George and strapped it to the front of e equipe, I freed the forest hounds after realizing that, while they were able to pull a carriage, they weren't able to be ridden

I thought briefly about riding the carriage to the elven kingdoerous and ould stick out like sore thumbs in the forest

"Let's head out now," I said, trying to sound more enthusiastic for her sake

"En!" She nodded, hopping out of the carriage as I led her away froe where all of the dead bodies were

I learned a lot about the elf girl along the way For one, her name was Tessia Eralith and she had just turned five, which meant that she was about a year older than I was, albeit physiologically that is

Tessia was also a pretty reserved, if not shy, girl She was very polite to er than she was, and never co co in the opposite direction ofher withwe pitched the tent underneath the sprouted roots of a particularly large tree for the night

I couldn't fit any of the supporting rods in the backpack so used the long rope I brought withtent canvas over it, weighing down the ends withup the tent, I took out a couple of dried rations and handed soht bow

"You know, you don't have to be so polite to er than you and I'd feel a lot e" I replied, my cheeks full of dried food

"O-okay, I'll try!" she let out a shy s if she had been raised by very strict parents Maybe it was si her to beher tomy face with more food

We sat underneath one of the roots of the tree next to our tent and continued chatting

"C-can you tell do in curiosity

"What did you want to know?"

"What is a human city like? How are humans? Is it true that all male humans are perverts and have more than one wife?"

I choked on the dried fruits I was chewing on, spraying thes

"No Although it isn't against the law, only nobilities and the royal famy mouth

"I see now!" Her eyes see

Do you really?

I go on, explaining a bit about the town of Ashber and my family, to pass the ti in Elenoir?"

"M the words to explain

"I don't think it's too different frorew up, except the children all have to go to school to learn about our history and how to read and write When aken, we get ned to us and we beco with yourabout the different education systems of the humans and elves While the educational method of the elves were a lot , it only worked because the elven kingdodo difference in the future generations