4 Elchon Village 2.2

Arche had her baby in her arms when she sat on the chair in front of Andro. "I ran out of ideas of what to do, but I won't go to the temple, even if it means that he will never open his eyes." Andro almost collapsed when he heard that. "The past shouldn't guide the future Arche. Even if our ancestors died back then, today is today. Being stubborn over such a simple thing will not do anyone any good."

"Andro, your word is the final, so you'll decide on your own. But, if you choose to betray the ancestors, don't expect to see me again for the rest of your life." Andro was enraged, but he couldn't blame her. Although he disliked the temple, he never met anyone from it.

Arche however, did. Even with the temple halting the hunt decree over elves, the segregation that they suffer outside the forest is still there. They are treated as a walking plague. Even the kids look down on them. The worst is that, legally, the temple wouldn't openly hunt elves, but the underworld market for elves never slowed down.

With her good looks, every slave trader would eye her. And not once, or twice. For five times she was enslaved. She was lucky enough to be freed from it every time, but at what costs. Her entire village was enslaved, her daughter was sold to a filthy human noble that had a liking for little girls.

Andro got up and walked to the door. Before opening it, he turned around. "Arche, I'll wait for three days. If he still doesn't open his eyes, I'll go to the capital." She acted as if she couldn't hear him. "Sometimes, I wonder if marrying you was the right choice." He still glanced at her before leaving.

Arche cried soundly. Besides her and the baby, no one was there to see her. "Your father is a fool... Everyone is blind by the words of a fool. I will protect you. You don't need to worry about a thing..." Her sobs filled the room.

Three days later, nighttime

"You used the sleeping spell?" Andro asked another elf outside the hut. "Yes, she is asleep." He nods. "It's better like this. I'll get my son. Prepare my horse." The other elf open the hut door for him and bidding farewell, he left to the stables.

Inside the hut, Arche was sleeping soundly on the bed, with her son entangled in her arms. Even though she couldn't wake up no matter what he do, Andro still walked slowly towards the bed.

He gently turned Arche to the side, so that she would face the roof. Then, with even gentler moves, he broke her hug with his son. What amazed him was that even with her sleeping, her expression when the baby was taken off from her embrace showed clear uneasiness.

In less than five minutes, Andro and his son were riding a strong black horse to the human capital of the east, Agon.