Quin'elin'och Wintermoon, a powerful Elven Paladin of very high standing in the local area, sat atop her horse, stroking his silver mane as she watched over a beautiful forest glade, where two young girls talked.
The smells of Springtime were around her as Melanie bathed in the spring pond, unconcerned as she talked to her best friend, the fairy Xi, who sat on a small rock on the shore next to Melanie's clothes.
"Where will you go now?" Xi asked in her musical voice as she brushed her long green hair with a small comb Melanie had given her. "Terragon is a long way from here."
"I'm not sure." she replied "I just know I have to go." Melanie dunked her head below the surface of the water to rinse her silken blonde hair.
She held herself underwater a moment, watching a fish who swam around nearby. Giggling as it tickled her arm, she surfaced to catch her breath and found Xi nowhere to be found.
"Xi?" she said quietly, looking around curiously.
"Over here Melanie!" her tiny voice called from the other shore, her head poking out from behind a leaf that held her plain, brown dress. "Sorry, took a quick swim, be with you in a second!"
Melanie smiled and climbed out of the water, drying off and getting dressed herself, trying not to think of the long journey she still had until she reached the mighty city of Terragon.
Since she was very young, she had lived with her Mother, she never knew her Father, nor the Brother her Mother told her about often. All she knew was peace, happiness and the simple things in life, until now anyway.
Melanie stretched on a patch of damp moss and sighed. That was long ago, now she was alone. Her Mother killed, her Brother lost to her long before she was old enough to have known him. She faded out of her memories and stared up at the clouds floating by like godlike boats.
I wonder what it's like to be a cloud. She wondered. Must be nice to just float along wherever you want to go, without a care in the world.
The sudden sound of horseshoes in the forest around her scared her to a sitting position as a smelly, dirty hand clamped around her mouth.
"Look at what we got here." the man bellowed, rubbing his other sweaty hand around Melanie's waist as she tried desperately to break free.
Melanie tried to kick and scream, but it was no use, the slave traders had found her, even after she had learned how to hide her traces of passage through the forest, thanks to Xi's help.
She stopped struggling, deciding to save her strength on escape at a later time... she only hoped Xi was still free.
Xi watched in horror as the slave traders slung young Melanie into a rickety old wagon converted into a cage of sorts and started off down the road, pawing and toying with her like a plaything.
Cursing in fairy speak, she flitted off toward the road, to look for Quinn's help.
A few days before, Quin'elin'och had found the two girls, stowed away in her stable, and she took them in.
Having been in retirement, she was eager for company, and after they had explained how they needed to get to Terragon to speak to the Wizard Kalimir, Quinn had told the easiest path was through the forest.
She had given them some supplies, and let them sleep for the night to get a fresh start in the morning.
That night, Xi had also begged Quinn to travel with them, for protection, and Quinn had refused.
"Too many people know me, you'd never be able to sneak around the countryside with me around." she said. "But you'll do fine, the woods will keep you safe."
"Woods will keep us safe indeed." Xi muttered quietly, knowing full well Quinn was following, but deciding it best not to tell Melanie and ruin her self-independence.
"Looking for someone?" a familiar voice asked from behind her.
"Quinn!" Xi said happily, flittering over and landing on the head of Quinn's horse, Windrunner. "Melanie's been captured!"
"Who captured her?" she replied, her mind racing.
"Slave traders."
Both women knew the nasty things the slave traders were known for doing to young girls, and collectively shuddered in revulsion.
"OK, hold on Xi, let's go get Melanie back, and they had better hope they haven't harmed her..."
Spurring her horse into a gallop, Quinn drew her bow from her back, notching an arrow as Xi gripped tightly to Windrunner's mane.
"Gods of goodness, guide my arrows true."
Melanie sat quietly, trying not to let the disgusting, reaching and poking hands touch her, though it wasn't easy. She would scoot away from one hand and find another on her bottom. and upon moving away from that one, one would be on her leg, rubbing it slightly.
"She's a pretty one Trog." one scarred man said, smiling and showing his missing teeth as he fondled her chest, trying to unbutton her dress clumsily.
"Yeah she is, I'd love to have at that one." a tall man said, rubbing his bald head. "I'd show her a REAL man!"
"Only real man around here is me!" a fat man said, the one who had grabbed Melanie in the first place.
"Pipe down, all of you!" a third voice said, and a handsome man on a black horse rode up to look in on their latest catch. "That one's a special prize, if anyone bothers her, they can answer to me." His glare pushed his point.
Instant silence fell over the group of a dozen or so smelly men as the traveled onward.
Bending over on his horse, he looked into the cage wagon and smiled.
"Hello there, Melanie." he said, his voice now softer. "Are you well? Is there anything you need?"
She stared at him, not trusting him, but not wanting to pass up any offers she could get.
"What's the catch?" she replied, unmoving as the wagon bounced over a tree root, putting her hands in her lap, expecting a hand or finger to snake through the bars and start a new attack on her body.
"No catch." he replied, tossing his own canteen into the wagon. "I was given orders to deliver you to a certain someone, and I intend to have you in pristine condition when you arrive."
Melanie wasn't sure what he meant by 'pristine', but she had a few ideas and shuddered at the thoughts. She did however reach for the canteen, and as she grabbed it, a huge sweaty hand slapped it away as fits of laughter erupted everywhere.
Instantly, the man who had slapped the canteen away grew a dagger in his neck, and gurgled to his demise on the roadside.
"Let that be a warning to all of you." the handsome man on horseback said again as Melanie stared in disbelief. "No one bothers her, understand?"
Grunts and nods of agreement soon died off as the march continued, not even stopping to bury the dead man they left on the roadside.
"So sad." Melanie said quietly, grabbing the canteen and taking a small sip to try to wash the taste of the man's hands out of her mouth, and to keep from gagging.
"I apologize for that Melanie." the man on horseback bowed. "I expect no more trouble from anyone, but if there is, blow on this, and I'll handle it."
He tossed a small flute shaped necklace into the cage, and Melanie placed it around her neck, eyeing it with confusion.
"I'd let you go if I could." the man said sincerely "But I'm in a bit of trouble with a very powerful man, and this will ensure my family's safety."
"I understand." she replied.
He bid his farewell, and rode off to take care of things as she curled up again, holding the canteen close by.
Xi, where are you?
The arrows struck before anyone could manage a defense, three of the thirteen men falling to their deaths in an instant.
"Rear guard!" a man on horseback yelled as Quinn readied more arrows.
Two more charging men fell before she drew her glowing sword, 'Justice', a Holy Avenger.
"Yah!" she spurred her horse, cutting one man's head from his shoulders and taking another's arm off before she was overwhelmed and drawn off her horse.
Xi flittered toward the cage, smiling as she saw Melanie inside, unhurt.
"Hold on, I'll try the lock." Xi said, going to work on the massive padlock, her tiny arms easing inside the huge iron keyhole easily.
Meanwhile, Quinn hacked her way from the group of soldiers and smiled as they backed off to regroup.
She had dwindled their side from thirteen down to five, and four of those were only on foot and armed with axes.
"If you all leave now, I will spare your lives." she said quietly, and the men laughed at her.
"You've been lucky woman, now it's time we had some fun with you!" one man said, charging and taking a swipe with his axe.
She sidestepped the man, and tripped him, sending him rolling down a small ravine.
"Next?" she said, looking as the others all charged at once, screaming like madmen.
"So out of tune." she said as she sliced the first man neatly in two, swinging her blade effortlessly.
"Die!" one man said, nicking her arm with a rusty sword.
She hopped backward, and the man's off-balance swing brought him into his friend, who ran headlong into his friends blade and ended his own existance.
Before his friend could do anything, his head fell sideways with Quinn's mighty strike, blood geysered skyward as he crumpled to the trail.
The Paladin turned to the man on the horse as the last soldier left alive turned and ran for the woods in fear and desperation.
"Surrender!" Quinn yelled at the man on his horse. "Or I'll cut you down where you stand."
"No, Quinn!" Melanie said quietly, running over and hugging her as Xi trailed behind her. "He was nice to me, and he has a family... let him go, please?"
Quinn glanced at the girls face, and sighed.
"Fine. Begone, before I strike you from your saddle."
"Thanks Quinn." Melanie smiled, hugging her tighter.
"I thank you, young Melanie." the man said, smiling. "Keep the gifts, they may prove useful."
He turned his mount to ride off into the forest, and saluted one last time.
"What's your name?" Melanie yelled as he rode off.
"Jase!" he replied, and was gone.
Xi floated in midair, watching him go in disgust.
"Why'd you let him go Melanie?" she asked, obviously disgusted with the whole matter.
Melanie smiled. "I sense a goodness in him." she said quietly "I only pray he can find a better path for himself, and soon."
They all turned now, walking toward Quinn's horse.
"Looks like I'm stuck with you two now." Quinn said, mounting and helping Melanie to the back on the horse.
"Why is that?" Melanie asked.
"That last guard got away, and he'll be sure to tell whoever he works for what happened, so you're not safe now."
Melanie giggled. "Sure I am, I have you now, the great Quin'elin'och Wintermoon, hand of justice in this land."
That sent them all into mad giggles as they rode back to Quinn's house to get some rest for the long journey to come.