She pulls the fur jacket over head and slips a red embroidered hat over her ears before stepping outside into the frigid air. The wind whips against her hair as she makes her way to the sheep pasture. The sky is dark, as it will stay for months until the next summer solstice.

After milking the sheep, she brings the two pails back to the house to be made into cheese.

When she arrives in the house, both her parents sit at the table, sipping hot tea. Joa personally never enjoyed tea. It just tastes like plant-water.

“Are you ready?” He asks

“Yes.” Her father had finally agreed to take her on one of his trips. Both of her older brothers regularly come and help on these trips but Joa had never gone before.

She has heard so many tales of traveling to new lands, yet never really experienced it herself.

Her brother Eskor enters the room, carrying his bag. He would be coming with.

Joa lets out a big grin, excitement brews in the pit of her stomach.

“I think you’ll find Farca to be an exciting place.” He says

“I hope so.”

Her Father, Stefan drains the last off his tea and stands up.

“Well we best be on our way.” He says, kissing her mother softly on the head.

Joa slings her bag over her shoulder and waves goodbye to her mother

As they make their way to the docks Eskor asks, “Eric’s on his way to Antar right?”

Eric, Joa’s oldest brother has been doing his own trips for some time now, as he steps into adulthood.

“Yes. He should be back in a few days.” Her father replies.

He crosses the docks, standing at a solid 6 ft. 10 in. Typical for an Efrean. Eskor is close behind, only a few inches shorter with a similar muscular build.

Her father leads her onto thee ship, showing her to her sleeping quarters, and her bunk mate, Liv. Joa places her bag on the unoccupied bed as he explains her responsibilities.

They climb back above deck, daylight pours through the hatch, crew members busy themselves adjusting sails, talking loudly. she watches as her father pulls the anchor out of the water.

The sails catch wind, and for the first time Joa watches as she leaves Efrea.

Later she manages to spot Liv, she has long black hair, and is short for an Efrean, yet still taller than Joa, who stands at a lousy 4 ft. 6.

Many people assume she’s a child even though she will be turning 16 this summer.

As a kid, it didn’t take long for her to realize she was different. Whenever she played with kids her age she was the smallest. When she he helped lift crates, she struggled to carry the smallest boxes. After years of lifting crates and playing with the bigger kids, she was able to gain muscle, and while still having a stubbornly small frame, she could at least keep up with her brothers.

Liv notices Joa and walks over.

“Hey! It’s about time we had another female onboard.”

“Yeah, I don’t know how you survive with all these men.” She says only half joking.

“Trust me, I’m not so sure myself sometimes.”

They continue chatting softly, gazing over the sparkling blue waters, Efrea has long since disappeared from sight and the ship is quiet.

It was Eric who broke the silence, offering to take his turn keeping watch.

Joa follows Liv below of deck to a small kitchen where they begin to prepare heavily salted fish. She lights the charcoal stove, and finishes up the rest of her chores.

Crew members begin to file into the kitchen, sitting at the small table. Many off their faces she recognizes from working years with her father. She remembers how Hugo carried her all the way home when she was five, after she puked all over the pier after eating too much pasta. Even though she knew them, it was still odd to be traveling with them.

Liv sets the platter of biscuits and fish onto the table.

Warm laughter fills the air, many off the men joking loudly.

“Do you think Ebony’ll try to invade Farca again?” One off the men asks gruffly

Joa recognizes him as the one they call Red. He wears a solid red cap, symbolizing his family line. Joa examines the hats worn by her brother and father. Bright red, with a singular white embroidered stripe. Joa absentmindedly runs her finger over the rim of her own hat, identical to her father and brother’s. She smiles. In a way it reminds her that she will always have a place here.

As they finish the meal her and Liv collect the dishes and scrub them shiny enough to notice her reflection, her stark blonde hair, pulled back in two braids, and suntanned skin from endless hours spent outside.

The following days she follows a similar routine, keeping watch, cooking, cleaning, and other odd jobs.

As they approach Farca, Eskor motions for her to come over.

“Why don’t you tie up the ship this time.” he suggests, “it’s just the same knot Dad taught us when we were little.”

“This rope is a lot bigger.” Joa comments uncertainly

“Ehh you’ll do great.” He says leaving, no doubt scouring for more food.

She casts out the rope, swinging it around the Dock post and secures it to the boat, twisting it until secured into a tight knot.

They prepare to unload the cargo, loading large crates onto carts. The only thing Joa could think about was exploring the new city.

After unloading the last of the crates they make their way through Port city.

One of the first things she notices is the shorter height of the people. Still taller than her, but it shorter than a typical Efrean. She also marveled at the range of hair colors, one woman walking in front of them has long orange hair, others have blonde. Joa had been the only one be on her island with blonde hair, everyone else had black hair. People on the street were clothed in different styles, a mix of many cultures, yet even in the diverse settings, her group seemed to stand out with brightly colored hats and white polar bear skin vests.

Smoke from taverns and shops puffed through the narrow cobblestone streets and hundreds off vendors set up their stands in front of buildings, offering different foods and goods.

Liv taps on Joa’s shoulder pointing over the crowd.

“That’s the Inn we’ll be staying at.”

The building is small with old wooden siding. A constant flow of people seem to be filing past.

The inside of the Inn is crowded. Her father explains the plans to leave in the afternoon tomorrow. Liv drags Joa to their room to put their things away, distracted by the bustling city outside.

“You sure seem happy about this.” Liv chuckles.

Joa flings herself onto the bed and lets out it a sigh.

“There’s just something about being able to experience all… all of this.”

she says closing her eyes.

“Well I’m gonna find some food. Wanna come?”

“No. I think I’m gonna check out some shops or something.”

“Ok. Don’t get lost or your Dad will kill me.”

“Got it.” Joa agrees

As she wanders outside and watches as two women dismissount From speckled brown horses. She steps into a bakery, staring longingly at the steaming rolls.

As she continues walking the streets she can’t help overhearing the conversation between three men. The held an unusually low tone and wore leather vests indicating them as ebony soilders

“How are we supposed to manage the trip all the way to Efrea without drawing attention to ourselves?”

“Their main port is small, besides they won’t see it coming.”

“I still thinking it’s a stupid plan.”

One of the knights interjectcts.

Joa freezes, fearing that any moment they would notice her and the information she had intercepted

“Shut up!” She hears the other knight yell annoyed.

Joa turns around, beggining at a fast pace r back towards the Inn, praying some of her crew members are still there.

Walking faster she pushes through the crowd, when suddenly she feels as if she is being watched. She quickly gazes up, scanning the roofs of the buildings. Suddenly she he meets ts contact with the eyes watching her. The rest off their Face is obscured by a black hood. She squints through there sun as the figure disappears.

Joa couldn’t be bothered with the mysterious figure the only thing on her mind was the fate of her village and her people.

She bursts through the doors to the Inn, and races to one of the crew members

“I overheard them! They said they were coming for our villiage!” She screams

“Whoa! How did you hear of this?”

“The Ebony soilders, I overheard them talking.”

Joa says, the seriousness evident in her voice.

“It could just be rumors. Let’s wait for your father and keep this quiet for now.” He suggests.

Joa swallows and nods.

She walks through the back door looking for a distraction. The alley behind the Inn is quiet, away from the business of the streets. She exhales, leaning against the cold brick wall, hugging her arms to her chest.

They couldn’t invade their village. They’re so small, they wouldn’t even be a target on a map. She reasons.

Before she could finish the thought, she hears soft footsteps echoing through the alleyway. Joa felt numb. For once she wasn’t afraid. At that moment, nothing seemed worse than the possibility of her village being invaded.

She faced towards the source of the footsteps waiting for the person to reveal themselves.

They wore a black cloak, standing only a couple inches taller than Joa. As he came closer she he recognized the eyes from the roof earlier. He pulls the hood down, revealing short cropped golden hair and ears ending in a sharp point similar to her own.

“Most people don’t look up.” He comments taking a step closer.

Joa backs away, he freezes.

“What were you doing up there?” Joa asks

“Enjoying the view.” She couldn’t tell whether he was lying.

“I’ve never seen elvish folk coming from Efrea.” He comments

“Yeah, listen I’d love to chat but, I really do have other things to worry about right now.”

“So important your wandering random alleyways?”

“Yes.” She says and makes her way towards the door.

“What’s wrong? Maybe I can help.”

She raises an eyebrow

“You never know.” He shrugs.

She buries her face in her hands, unsure how to start.

“I overheard a couple Ebony Soilders. It sounded like they were planning on invading our village.”

“How do you know its not a rumor?”

“I don’t, that’s the problem.”

“Well if it is true, you may have uncovered a huge advantage.”

“Did you forget the part where my country is being invaded?”

“Hey! I’m just trying to look on the bright side.” He says his hands in the air.

“It just seems too convinent.”

“Maybe we can find the truth.” He says thoughtfully.

“How?”

“We have to find them.”

“They’re bound to have guards, and why would they tell you of their secrets?”

“Right, but they might be more lenient if I buy them a drink or two.”

She rolls her eyes. “Sounds like a long shot.”

“You’d be surprised how convincing I can be.” He says with a grin

“I hope your right.”

“I never caught your name.” He says

“Joa. Yours?”

“Gael.”

“Alright Gael. Now or never.”

It wasn’t hard to find a group of Ebony soilders crowded into a small tavern.

“Here’s the plan,” he explains, “We’re both rich idiots and we want to hang out with the cool Ebony soilders. Got it?”

Joa didn’t have time to respond

They entered the tavern and approached the soilders who all seemed to be laughing at something halarious.

Gael struts up to them, chin held high and attempts to put his arm around one of their shoulders, yet only managing to wrapp it halfway around his back.

The soilder immediately takes notice of Gael’s presence

“Get off me!” He yelled, his face twisted in fury

Gael only smiles. “Come on! I just wanted to talk to you guys.”

“The elf wants to talk to us you guys!”

One of them exclaims sarcastically.

They laugh.

“My cousin is a bit shy,” he says gesturing to Joa who’s face flushes red from embarrassment, “ but uh, we made some cash doing odd jobs over the years, and thought what better way to spend it than with the Ebony soilders? I swear the king is the only sensible person who knows how to run a kingdom.”

Gael pats his pouch of gold. “Free drinks on me! Whadda you say fellas?” He says raising an eyebrow

Joa physically cringes, as he makes a fool out of himself.

The soilders exchange confused glances before one finally speaks up.

“I’m not one to turned down a free drink.”

“It’s against protocol.” One argues.

“Relax John, it’s only one time, besides we wouldn’t want to disappoint the poor elf.” He adds sarcastically

The other men roar in agreement.

Soon Gael finds himself buying drinks for all the soilders all the while rambling on about his pet donkey. The soilders try pushing their luck.

“Say.. elf, You got any change for some refills?”

“Course!” He exclaims as if elated to be spoken to directly, they laugh and hand him their empty glasses.

Gael sat near the bar grinning stupidly. She watched as he received the refills but instead of handing them directly to the soldiers, he pulled out a small vial and emptied a drop into each glass.

Meanwhile the soilders we’re having a loud conversation,pounding on the table, causing it to wobble.

“Refills!” Gael calls out holding the mugs

As the next hour passed the drug began to take effect. They all seemed heavily drunk after only two drinks. Gael began to question them.

“So… is it true what they say? Your really going to invade Efrea?”

“Hey you ain’t supposed to knows that!” A slurred voice accuses, pointing a shaky finger towards Gael.

“Just a rumor I heard.” He repeates

“We gonna take over the harbor, they ain’t never gonna see it comin.” One says with crazed eyes

“It’s about time.” Gael says, urging for more information

“Hah, yeah.” Yells one man, his head looking to the side

Suddenly one soilder begins sniffling, a fat tear drips down his face.

”I really miss my mom! She was so ni-nice!”

he wails.

the other soilders seem take no notice of his sudden outburst.

Gael pushes and asks, “where are the ships you’re taking?”

“Bluuuuuee” one of them moans

“Blue harbor?”

“A- huh.”

“Alright boys, nice talking to you all, I’m gonna call it a night.”

“Don’t leave me too!” Cries the man, suddenly sobbing much harder

Joa would’ve laughed had the circumnstances of her being here were different.

when they made it back to the Inn, Gael waves goodbye.

”I’ll meet you here tomorrow morning, I think I can help.”

“You’ve already helped so much…” she was cut off

“No really, I think I have something that will actually help.”

“Thank you.” She says

he nods before leaving, walking along the lamp lit streets.