The Knights Of Eirelaian: Halfling Chapter Fifteen Over half of the greichon lay mortally wounded or dead around the feet of Egan-Rahn and the mysterious silver haired girl. Both looked at the remaining greichon slowly surrounding them poised to attack and then looked at each other and grinned. "After the count of three" One Two THREE! The little maiden hid in a nearby tree out of harm's way and watched the chaotic battle below her. Only she knew who the farm boy really was and only he knew what she'd become. She wouldn't be able to explain it to anyone later if they asked, but it felt like someone else was watching what she could see through her eyes. Someone not quite right. Even if she'd tried she couldn't help feel her eyes moving and watching everything that was happening, but not really watching any of it herself. Suddenly a dark vapour like winged creature burst into the melee, disintegrating greichon left right and centre, leaving grey dust and smoke in its wake. Before she could even block it out of her mind the maiden heard a loud hiss followed by an angry screech finished off with arrogant laughter which sent everything into pitch blackness ~*~*~*~ "Praivin Alistella! Lady Emma spoke sternly to the princess, looking somewhat like a strange floating head as she changed back to her more visual form, "How many times do I have to tell you not to leave the safety of the campsite!" "Your name's Alistella?" the farm boy interrupted before Ali could speak, "Not the...? His voice trailed off and his eyes looked strangely sad as if realised something that he didn't want to admit." "No, I'm just a normal girl" Ali answered him, partially telling the truth, "My mother and father named me after Alistella Starsinger the first magic wielder in Eirelaian, just like a lot of other girls born during my birth year, including the princess." Of course the full truth on that part was that all those other girls had been named after the princess herself, but the boy seemed to accept this for now. "And what is your name?" Lady Emma calmly asked the boy, her eyes narrowing slightly in suspicion. "My name is Rellan, m'am" the boy answered her whilst looking almost mesmerized at Ali, "Everyone calls me Rel though" "Rel?" "Yeah" "Nice name" "Thanks, I'm quite attached to it" "Alright! That's enough of that" Lady Emma interrupted the flirt session just as Alistella turned her face away to hide her blush and smile, "You'll have to come with us I'm afraid, Master Rellan. We need you to tell us how you found Miss Shinlai" ~*~*~*~ "Ouch! That hurt!" "If you'd just stop squirming I'd be finished sooner" Leilani turned and pouted at her soul guardian. "You know" Soojejia said calmly, ignoring the moody look on the halfling's face as she continued magically styling her hair, "this wouldn't be a problem if you hadn't let them cut off all your hair in the first place" "Have you tried going around with stupidly long hair in the human world?" Leilani asked in response, nonchalantly grabbing a fruit roll from a nearby tray and taking a huge bite out of it, "If's nof praficle efan here you know" "Really? And what do you call these?" the ginji held up a pair of scruffy old hair bobbles. "Wait!" the halfling was aghast and puzzled, "You're not holding my hair back with those things, are you?" "No, don't be silly" "Oh good" "I'm using these" Soojejia beamed as she held up what looked like a pair of thin sharp looking blades almost the length of her forearm and half wrapped in what seemed to be silk ribbon, "Now hold still while I fix your hair braids in place"