I was convinced I'd roll the man over and find a stiff, frozen corpse.

The only corpse I'd wanted to handle today was a dragon's, but unfortunately, we couldn't always get what we wanted. This poor bastard in the snow sure didn't.

During our trek up the mountains, Endris had told me of a peculiar phenomenon that made victims of the cold take off their clothes in their confusion, believing they were burning instead of freezing. This wouldn't be the first person found stark naked in the snowy valley if I could believe Endris. Obviously, I hadn't believed him. I'd laughed at him. Should've known he was serious because he always was.

I trudged through the snow towards the man. When I reached his side, I hooked my arms under his armpits and pulled until his legs were out of the lake. The man wasn't stiff yet, but his skin was icy-cold to the touch. When I pressed my fingers to his neck, I felt a faint pulse.

I raised a brow. "Really? You're not dead?"

Well, shit. This highly complicated matters. If he was dead, that'd be it. I'd done everything I could by dragging him out of the water, and I'd be free to hunt my dragon and fetch the body after. Now, I was in a moral predicament. Depending on who you asked, either risking letting the dragon go or not helping this man was the wrong choice.

I stared off into the distance. No dragon in sight. Perhaps I'd been wrong and it could fly even with tears in its wing's membrane. I could try to find my way back to its nest and wait for it to return there.

I was obligated to try. If I lost my dragon now, it could be months before I had saved enough coin for another attempt. I'd make my entire family homeless if my sisters twirling their hair and batting their eyelashes was no longer enough to keep debt collectors patient. A lot to risk for one stranger who was likely to die.

I stood and turned away from all-but-corpse in the snow. I took exactly two steps before guilt, as if tethering me to this man, made me stop. With a deep sigh, I turned back.

"Guess the dragon's long gone now, and all the other people I have to save are far away. You're in luck."

The man wasn't heavy, so I hoisted him on to my shoulder. His arms flopped against my back, while I made an eye sweep of the rock walls. There were plenty of caves embedded in the weather-worn stone. I picked one at random. I could only hope the one I chose wasn't owned by wild animals whose mother had never taught them to share.

The cave I entered smelled musty, but not animal-musty. I noticed ash scars on the stone from past fires, which meant I wasn't the first one here. It looked good enough. I unclasped my cloak and carefully wrapped it around the man. When I lifted his head to put the hood on, his long hair shifted to the side. I dropped him when I saw his ears. 

Pointed ears.

I reached for my bow and readied an arrow. With a drumming heart, I aimed the arrowhead at the man's forehead.

I had read books about the war between humans and elves. 

Ages ago, the Starcross woods, far north of the Serpentine mountains, were the largest and bloodiest battlefield known to humankind. Elves were monsters who had started attacking travellers unprovoked, using them as blood sacrifices in their rituals. They relished in leading lost human children into the swamp with pretty lights and watching them drown. King Bertram the third picked up his sword, gathered his soldiers, and put an end to their reign of terror. Ever since the war ended and humans won, the elves had vanished like nightmares of an age long past. They only existed in cautionary tales of a weary father to his children now: 'quiet or the elves will find you and carve your heart out'

I'd always imagined they were taller and scarier. The history books would have me believe elves were hideous with horns and scales and smelling like rotting eggs. But this one wasn't like a creature from nightmares. He looked like... a person, but thinner and smaller. 

We weren't that different. The bridge of his nose was less deep and more in one line with his forehead, and his ears were obviously pointy. He also had no beard and longer hair than most human women. Still, if he walked in our streets and people didn't know he was an elf, he'd receive admiring stares. He was far from ugly. 

I'd already given up a lot of hunting time for this supposed 'monster' wrapped in my cloak. If I wanted him to tell me his story, he needed to survive... And as a hated enemy of the palace, he could also be worth a reward if I turned him in at the palace. I'd get desperately needed coin and they could decide his fate. I put the arrow away.

"You have to survive for now anyway," I told the elf. "My family will never believe this otherwise, and I need a really good reason I delayed chasing that dragon, should I not find it again."

The elf needed to warm up, so I needed a fire. Thankfully, the dragon had been most helpful by providing me with a lot of snapped branches with its unfortunate plummet into the valley. I hurried outside to collect firewood and returned to the cave with my arms full of branches. With a small crackle of thunder from my fingertips, I had a fire going within moments.

With a fire started and without the icy wind battering us, it was rapidly growing warmer inside the cave. I finally had a moment to think on what the hell I was supposed to do with this situation.

I didn't have rope to tie the elf up. My 'captive' was skinny and naked, however. If he woke, I presumed I'd be able to handle him even without a weapon, but I kept my bow and knives close. 

I glanced at the elf's ears. Mother had once told me the tip of an elf's ear hurt to touch, like the tip of a blade. It sounded like moonshine on the water; there was no way skin could cut other skin. But I'd thought the same about Endris' story regarding naked men in the snow, which turned out to be very true.

I couldn't resist poking one ear tip. Just one. Scooting closer to the elf, I reached out slowly.

The elf didn't stir or make a sound as my finger inched closer and closer to his ear, but the moment my finger touched pallid skin, the elf spread his eyes open. He blinked blearily, and then his gaze settled on me. I quickly retracted my finger and placed my hand on the handle of my knife.

"Uh, hi there," I tried with a sheepish smile. "I wasn't poking you, I swe—"

The elf screamed. 

On hands and feet, he scrambled to a dark corner. While I pulled my knife, he pulled my cloak up to cover most of his face, leaving only his wide, terrified eyes and crown visible. When his gaze darted to the knife in my hand, he pressed himself against the wall with a whimper. I saw his chest heave underneath my cloak in his panic, and tears welled up in his eyes.

"Hey, you're not supposed to cry," I protested. "You're supposed to try and cut my heart out. Didn't you read the stories?"

I lowered my knife, but I definitely didn't lower my guard. The elf followed my movements closely. He uncovered his nose and lips in response to my act of goodwill so I could see his entire face, but he didn't leave his safe corner. He looked like a scared prey animal that was trying to hide from the hunter. The sight tugged at my heartstrings.

I pressed a hand to my forehead. "Great, now I feel like a monster while you're supposed to be one."

I kept prattling on, but I had no clue whether he even understood what I was saying. I'd never seen an elf. I didn't know what tongues they spoke.

"Uh, back. To. Fire. Warmth. Good," I said, exaggerating every word, while gesturing at the fire. "I know Endris would disagree, but sitting closer to me isn't worse than freezing. Don't try anything funny, though. I'll stab you."

Whether the elf understood the meaning of my words, I still didn't know. He seemed to at least understand my gestures and body language. Keeping my cloak tightly wrapped around him, he crawled back to the fire. He sat as far away from me as possible, hugging his knees to his chest. His eyes kept darting my way nervously. 

I didn't know much, but it was clear to me that this man was no warrior. He wasn't a hideous monster from nightmares, either. He looked regal with prominent cheekbones, green eyes veiled by impossibly long lashes, freckles on his nose, and silky, silvery hair that fell perfectly around his oval face despite nearly freezing to death.

I narrowed my eyes at the elf. "So, speak," I ordered. "... If you even can. Anyway, why are you here?"

The elf shrunk back in fear at my harsh tone. He swallowed thickly and glanced at the cave opening. "Where... where is here?" he asked.

The elf spoke in a thick accent, with rolling r's and odd intonations, but at least he spoke. 

"So you can understand me?" I asked. "Good. We're in the Serpentine mountains. Well, we're in the valley below the mountains if we want to be precise."

"... The Serpentine mountains," the elf repeated softly.

"Yep. So, why you're here and where did you came from?"

"I..." The elf looked into the flames licking at the branches. His bottom lip started trembling again. Eyes filled with unshed tears. "I don't remember."

I awkwardly scratched the back of my head. It was hard to remain stern when the enemy you were interrogating kept almost crying. "Like nothing? You don't know who you are?"

"No, I know my name. I'm..." The elf's eyebrows knitted, as if he had to dig deep for the answer. "Oleander."

I swallowed my remark about that being a strange name. Oleander looked at me with a hint of curiosity, though fear still had the upper hand. "And what is your name?" he dared to ask after a brief hesitation. 

"I'll be asking the questions," I replied curtly. "Not you."

Oleander flinched like I'd slapped him in the face, and I immediately felt like a monster again. I knew appearances could deceive, but by the creators, this elf was making it difficult to behave the way I should with an enemy of the palace. It was like kicking a puppy.

"Laurence," I reluctantly gave him my name.

I already regretted it when Oleander offered me a shy smile. It broke my heart a little. He was supposed to be a coldblooded killer, but so far, I had seen no signs of him wanting to sacrifice me in some sort of dark ritual. Everything this man did was making it harder to do what I needed to do; fire a warning signal to Endris and get him here so we could dress this elf, tie him up, and deliver him to the queen.

Cursing under my breath, I rose to my feet. I had to do it. I couldn't return home empty-handed.

"Stay here," I told Oleander.

"Are you going to find others?" Oleander asked. I heard a tremor in his voice. "I can't go to a human settlement. They will hurt me."

I grimaced. I liked it much better when I thought he couldn't understand me, and he couldn't ask such tough questions. I breathed in and out deeply before spinning around to face the elf. I wouldn't lie, but I wouldn't tell him the entire truth, either.

"You need clothes," I said. "I'm going to call my friend here, and I will stay with you until he gets here. He's grumpy, but won't harm you. Got it?"

Oleander hesitated, but then he nodded.

"Good. Just... sit by the fire. Drink something."

I pulled my waterskin from my belt and handed it to Oleander. Then I swiftly exited the cave before the elf could ask more confronting questions.

I grabbed my bow and pulled an arrow from the quiver at my hip as I walked out into the valley. With my fingertip, I charged the copper arrowhead, aimed for the heavens, and released the arrow. When I clenched my palm, the arrowhead crackled. I made it explode with branches of green light spreading like a tree in the sky.

Oleander poked his head out of the cave. His eyes were big and round again, but this time I saw a small sparkle in them. "You roar!"

I let out a surprised laugh before I could stifle it. "What? I 'roar?'"

"Yes."

He pointed at the sky. 

I almost looked at where he was pointing, but I couldn't lose sight of the elf. "Oh, you mean my storm magic? Is that what you call it, roaring?"

Oleander nodded. "It suits you."

"Why?" I snorted. "Because it's very, very noisy, just like me?"

"Because those who roar are courageous. Most humans would kill an elf rather than giving him a chance... And most elves would kill a human rather than giving him a chance."

Oleander was dead serious from what I could tell, and an utterly unwelcome flush crept up my neck. I was giving the elf false hope. He thought I was a good person, while he was only going to be a bag of coin to me and I told him half-truths to keep him calm for the time being. I had no choice. I had to protect my family; I couldn't protect a stranger too. Not even one as intriguing as Oleander.

I cleared my throat and walked past Oleander back into the cave. "Endris will find us soon," I said. I plopped down in front of the flames. "And now we wait."