Barak rested underneath a tree some feet away from the fence that divided the main castle from the smaller castle provided by the Avelah Kingdom for their regular visits.
The night was cool and quiet. Even crickets seemed to have fallen asleep. He loved the quiet, calm night. His sword sheathed in its scabbard laid on the grass next to him.
It was where he laid with his eyes closed that he suddenly heard a rustle in the bush behind him. Being at alert, his hands reached for his scabbard before his eyes even flew open.
The tree which he sat under was wide and full, its leaves and branches formed an umbrella that almost touched the ground. So it was hard for the light of the almost full moon to reach where he was.
He rose, and his feet moved, light and slowly. He pushed some leaves and branches carefully to allow him see. His hands on his scabbard tightened as he saw a figure move in the darkness.
His brows pressed closer together as he squinted his eyes. He watched the figure move, fast but sloppily. The person was headed toward the small castle where he and his men were currently staying.
He frowned as the thought of King Gerald II sending a spy made his stomach crawl. He knew trust was not something that was to be expected even though both kingdoms have been at peace for a long time. But this, this was an insult! If the king of Avelah had no faith in them, Barak expected the man to say so face-to-face, rather than sending a spy to watch them! This was one of the reasons why he didn't like elves. They were not trustworthy at all!
"Damn them all!" Barak hissed. "They want to play, well then let the games begin."
…
Having reasoned that someone had to stay behind to make sure no one knew the princess was away, both Neriah and Aria decided that Aria should stay behind.
And besides, Aria was scared out of her mind, it would have been difficult to climb up the walls if one person was trembling.
Swiftly and silently she made her way to the castle walls, carefully avoiding the guards who paraded back and forth.
Now, maybe she should have thought of this before, but it was as she stood in front of the walls she realized…
Yes, she was a fine swordswoman, and yes, she was a brilliant archer, and her blows and kicks were fine, but none of those skills could help her climb over a fence! She was no fence climber.
"You made it this far, you can make it further!" she told herself. And with those words, she fixed her right foot, and then her right hand. Her left foot and hand followed, and she was stuck on what part of her limbs was to move upward next.
…
Barak stood at a fair distance watching, a bit amused, a bit confused, and a little angry. The king of Avelah not only sent a spy, but a very incompetent one at that!
How little did the man think of the people of Trago kingdom, that he would send a spy who couldn't even climb up a fence?
He was so short and small to begin with, well maybe that was a good factor. Being small sized will allow the intriguing climber to run around without being noticed. If only he was not so clumsy.
Just then, the clumsy wall climber fell butt-flat to the ground, the cloak that covered the head of the man dropped over his shoulder.
Barak frowned as long, silky strands of what seemed like dark blood-red hair flowed down, touching the dusty dry ground.
The incompetent spy was no man at all. It was a woman. A woman with immaculate long red hair. A new sense of amusement washed over him as he watched her wince in pain.
He heard her whisper some vulgar curse words, then he heard her say something about him. Was she sent here to spy on him? Now he could only wonder if the king of Avelah would really send someone like this to spy on them. A woman for that matter.
Not that he had anything against women doing things like this. Back in his kingdom, they had female warriors. But the thing is, the elven tribes and kingdoms are known to treat their women like fragile glass. So seeing a female elven spy is quite shocking.
So it made him wonder, if she wasn't sent by the king, then who on earth was this cursing, red-haired woman.
He watched her dust herself as she rose to her feet again, ready to try the walls again. An effort he knew was worse than futile.
Growing impatient himself, he spat some curse words of his own and walked toward her.
"Hey there," she jerked and turned to him and he paused. At that moment, the moon seemed to shine even more. The place suddenly grew brighter, the wind seemed to blow slower, everything seemed to move slower than natural.
And for a moment, he stared.
Covered in dust from head to boot, and yet_ yet he could swear he had never seen a creature look more radiant in dirt and sweat before. She glowed. Maybe it was elven magic, but she was glowing and he was quickly realizing that it wasn't that the moon grew brighter, it was just that she emitted her own light.
She was a small and beautiful woman. Her face, a perfect oval enclosed in the glorious falls of her red hair. Her nose was small and pointed, and her lips, slightly parted. Under the shade of the moon, they were like a shade of purple, but he could swear that in daylight, those lips would be a rose-red.
Who in the world was this woman trying to climb the walls?