The Girl At The Border

In a tall arched Throne Room, barely lit by torches bearing a purple flame, sat a massive throne made of bone, scale, and steel, fashioned in the likeness of the gaping maw of a dragon.

A soft tapping noise could be heard from the throne, and if you were to peer hard enough into the shadows cast from the throne itself, one would be able to make the faint outline of the owner. A hulking figure covered in a bone colored chitinous-plate armor, a gray fur-lined cloak draped across his wide shoulders, and a fanged helm that just barely allowed for the reflection of the purple flames to dance in his crimson pupils.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

"Enter." came the gruff, gravely voice of the figure.

As if responding to his word alone, the titanic doors at the far end of the hall groaned open, letting a lone bipedal Lizardkin scurry inside before groaning closed once more.

Not daring to look upon the figure, the lizardman quickly scurried to the center of the hall before falling to his knees.

"My Lord, I bring an urgent report from the Northern Border Foressst." he slithered.

"Has the Kingdom to the north finally worked up the balls to provoke me?"

The bowing lizardman felt a cold shiver pass through his spine at the Figure's words.

"W-we detected a sssingle Human intruder in the Northern Foressst, we believe it to be a forward ssscout based on itsss sssize and ssstature, You're Eminenssse." it continued.

The Figure brought one of his large hands up, and cupped the chin of his helm in a contemplative gesture before finally waving.

"Return to Northern Border, relay my orders, task a small, agile group to follow this Human, and await my arrival in two days time."

"Asss you wisssh, My King."

The Lizardman rushed out the titanic doors in much more haste than he arrived, as the Figure stood from his Throne and lay one hand palm down in an outstretched arm.

"Shadow Knights, bring my sword and equip three of your number for a weeks journey."

Hardly a moment had passed before three incredibly slender feminine figures, standing at roughly 1.6 meters, emerged from the shadows of the Hall, wearing fitted leather armor and rucksacks emerged.

The tallest of which carried a rather unremarkable looking sword in its equally unremarkable sheath in her arms, the blade itself nearly as long as she is tall.

Grabbing his sword and securing it to his hip as he signals for them to fall in behind him.

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At the dawn of the second day, the Figure and his three Shadow Knights finally come upon the small group tasked with following the Human intruder.

"Is that the Human?"

"Yesss, My Liege. We've followed the Human at a dissstance as ordered. It appearsss to be ssscouting for areasss to forage edible plantsss, asss well asss wildlife."

The Lizardman bowed and pointed at several areas nearby that seemed to have been picked of any and all mushrooms.

No sooner had the Figure returned his gaze to the Human, than it fell face first into the forest floor. Prompting a confused sideways tilt from the Figures helm as he gazed intently at the Human.

Everyone felt a pulse of magical power emanate for the towering Figure as he sent his magic out to scout the surrounding hundred kilometers.

"Stay here, I will take care of this Human as it seems to be alone."

"As you command." came the sonorous voices of the three Shadow Knights.

They simply bowed as he strode toward the collapsed Human.

His sensitive nose picking up the stench of the Humans unwashed clothes and body, but as he drew nearer he started to pick up a slightly feminine aroma wafting from the Humans body, as well as the slight gurgling sound of the Humans stomach, indicating at it's reason for collapsing.

Upon reaching the prone Human, he confirmed a few things.

It, was a she. And she was very malnourished, coupled with poor cleanliness and clothes that were better described as tattered rags that barely kept the fragile thing modest.

By his estimates, this Human girl couldn't be older than 15-16 years old, if the size of her body were anything to go off of, but she could very well be 18-19 years old with how malnourished she was.

As gently as his massive form would allow, he rolled her over, noticing that her eyes were a startlingly beautiful blue, reminiscent of the purest sapphires, staring at him with a hollow form relief that he'd only ever seen in the eyes of soldiers that knew that death was near.

"Wretched Human, why do you welcome death so eagerly?"

But all she managed to get out were a few raspy, broken syllables, out of her dry and cracked lips. The slight movement of her head moving in an attempt to speak shifting her tattered shirt, revealing the edges of a scar on her stomach.

The Figure's eyes, locking on that one scar, and his right hand pulling her shirt up, just above her navel, revealing a patchwork of scars and bruises covering every inch of her skin, the signs of years upon years of abuse plain to his gaze as her body shook with silent sobs of shame.

He could see the fathomless sadness and pain lying behind her desire for death in her eyes.

For the first time in centuries, the Figure felt something burning in his chest.

Rage.

A burning rage that he had not felt since he slaughtered his way to the throne.

With a great amount of care and gentleness that he never thought himself capable of, the Figure carefully took his cloak and wrapped the poor wretch of a girl in his arms and spoke in a manner he thought impossible for himself.

"You're safe with me. My name is Heskin. You need only rest now."

No sooner had she been cradled in his arms did she fall into unconsciousness.

"My Liege?"

The sonorous voice of the lead Shadow Knight came with a tinge of fear in her voice as Heskin's rage became palpable.

"We're bringing her to the Castle."

"But she's a Human!..."

"DO. NOT. QUESTION. ME."

The very air itself seemed to rush away from Heskin as his rage punctuated each word, a simple nod the only response his fear stricken troops capable of making as they set off for the Castle.