Chapter 28

The man with the greasy hair pointed a log to Ayla and said in a rash tone, "Sit!"

"I am grateful for what you did for me, but I think it is best if I leave. My companions are probably looking for me," she said.

"I am not asking you to sit; I am telling you what to do!"

Ayla knew that the men, whoever they were, were not good persons.

Not wanting to make the man mad, Ayla sat on the log that was across from the man with the white hair. She finally could see his face. He had noble features, and, despite his white hair, he was young. When he looked at her, Ayla saw he had blue eyes.

"She is beautiful," the man with white hair said.

"There's a brothel in Davalon that will pay a lot of money for her. And we can finally start a new life somewhere far from here."

She was scared, very scared and her hands trembled. She fisted them and put them in her lap. They wanted to sell her to a brothel?

The man with the white hair studied Ayla for a minute or two.

"She is beautiful, I am not going to lie, Scar, but are you sure we are going to get that much

money for her?" the man with the white hair asked.

"Trust me, Nixx, she is worth a lot. I have been in this business for a long time to – "

"I am not your property. You can't sell me!" Ayla said.

"I saved you, so your life belongs to me, and I can do what I want with you."

"I don't belong to anyone!" Ayla said in a panicked voice.

It was a lie, she belonged to the King of Nordmar, but Ayla thought it was best if she said nothing. Who knew what the men would ask the King in exchange for her. But what Ayla didn't want to admit was that she was scared that the King won't pay the men anything to get her back. What was she to the King anyways?

"Trust me, sweetheart, if Scar says you belong to him, then you belong to him. The faster you accept it, the better it will be for you," the one called Nixx said to Ayla and winked at her.

Ayla stood and was about to argue when Scar said to her, "Sit down and shut up!"

She sat automatically and kept her mouth closed.

Scar looked at Ayla for a few moments to make sure she obeyed. When he was convinced that she wouldn't say another word, he went to the fire. Nixx was cutting the roasted rabbit and was putting it on plates.

"If she wants to eat, she needs to earn her food," Scar said when he saw that Nixx was about to put meat on a third plate.

Nixx looked at the food, then at Ayla, and he shrugged.

Ayla was hungry, but she didn't want to beg for food. Instead, she sat in silence, thinking about how she would escape from the two men. She did not want to end up in a brothel. Not that she knew what was one, but she imagined it was a bad place.

Scar looked at the sky, "We should start moving once we are done eating. We still have," he frowned, "seven hours left of light left."

Nixx cast a glance at the sky and said, "Six."

"Same thing."

Nixx smirked and shrugged, "Whatever you say."

Scar said something under his breath. He bit from a piece of meat, and grease fell down his chin. He cleaned himself with his sleeve. After that, he grabbed a waterskin, brought it to his mouth, and drank. A liquid that appeared to be wine fell from the left corner of his mouth. All this time, Nixx ate so gracefully like he was a royal prince.

Ayla had never seen someone to that lack even the basic manners. But she guessed it was a first time for everything.

"You elves think you are so smart, don't you?" Scar asked once he put the waterskin down and cleaned himself, once again, with his sleeve.

Ayla looked at Nixx. He was an elf? She had never seen an elf before. Many of them left Uzhor, and those that remained had little to non-contact with the humans. The remaining elves mostly lived in cities or villages in the big forests. Their locations were a secret to humans. Scar, that had already finished eating, stood and went to the horses.

"Have the girl clean the plates. Make sure she doesn't try to escape. I would hate to hurt her. I will receive less money for the girl if the madame from the brothel if she sees I harmed her."

Ayla was too scared even to move.

When Ayla didn't move, Nixx said, "You heard Scar. And you better do as he says. You don't want to get him mad. He can get quite… violent."

She inhaled once, then twice. Ayla sat and did what Scar ordered her.

Nixx never left Ayla alone while she cleaned the dishes.

"You are an elf?" Ayla asked, curiosity in her voice.

Nixx pulled his long hair back, revealing a pointy ear. It was not as pointy as Ayla thought, but how would she know how elves' ears were supposed to look?

"Half-elf. And not my best half if you ask me," Nixx told Ayla.

Ayla frowned, "You don't like being an elf? Well, half-elf."

Nixx looked at Ayla for a few moments before replying, "It has its goods parts, I suppose. But all my life, I never felt I belonged to a place. Growing up, I've always been 'half' – 'half-human' or 'half-elf'. Never Nixx. No one ever saw me. No one ever saw Nixx."

Ayla understood Nixx because she, too, wanted to be seen. Not as a princess or someone's prisoner, but as simply Ayla – Ayla who dreamed of traveling and seeing the world. Ayla did not want to be the princess from the tower that waited for a Paladin to come and rescue her, but she wanted to be that Paladin, the one that saves. Ayla that wanted to show the world that she was not afraid, even if deep down she was. And Nixx was another Ayla.

Ayla looked into Nixx's eyes and said, "I see you."

Nixx looked at her for a long moment. When Ayla thought he won't say anything, Nixx opened his mouth, "You do see me."