ₑₗₐᵢₙₑ ₐₗₗₐₙ ₛₐₜ cᵣₒₛₛₑd₋ₗₑggₑd ₒₙ ₜₕₑ fₗₒₒᵣ ₒf ₜₕₑ bₐₘbₒₒ dₒⱼₒ.

  Her chest heaved as she tried to centre her very being into that one, singular moment. "Elaine, calm yourself," the voice of her father sliced the darkness in one single command.

  Calm yourself.

  Thump, thumpity, thump, thump, thump. Thud.

  It was much easier said than done if one thought about it. Her heart beat irregularly against her chest. Sweat traversed down her ivory skin and fell to the floor in a tempo only known to those listening. Pitter-patter splat, pitter-patter splat, pitter-platter splat, the tempo kept to itself and acted as a metronome for the redhead learning from her father. "Kendo is just like anything else we have studied," his voice was firm but calmed her enough for the erratic thumping of her heart to stop.

  Elaine felt her father's deep chocolate eyes on her.

  Her bright eyes opened once she was sure she could breathe. "How did I do today, Dad?" She asked him.

  "You're getting better, Laine; however, you still need to work on your focus."

  "Of course, Sensei." Elaine bowed her head in respect.

  A chuckle erupted from her father's chest. "Now, get out of here, Daniela needs you down at the shop," he informed her. The young woman nodded without a word then stood to leave. "Oh, and Elaine?"

  "Yes, Dad?"

  "Please try to not use the broom as a bo staff again. You scared Mrs Henderson last week when practising."

  "Of course!"

  With that, Elaine fled the dojo in order to change quickly and help her friend. She had everything she wanted in this life. A good relationship with her parents, a nice stable job, a best friend, and a small town to call home. Most people in Writbrooke knew her and her family as upstanding leaders in the business world and town council.

  People looked up to them.

  People loved them.

  People wanted to be them.

  However, Elaine dismissed most of the third group of people since they are the ones normally after her hand in marriage. As she found herself trodding down the familiar wooded path lined with birch and ash trees, the young woman saw a young man walking up the hill. She huffed at the thought of yet another person wanting to ask her father to marry her off to them.

  "His name is Harold, and he wants to marry you, Elaine. Do you have something you'd like to tell me?" Adam raised an eyebrow at his only daughter.

  "This would be amazing to have a wedding! How long have you and he been together, Laine?" Elaine's mother asked cheerfully.

  Elaine's eyes narrowed. "I have never seen this man in my life. And, if I am mistaken and I did see him, we have never spoken." Her words were precise and cutting. "I will not marry a man I have never interacted with."

  "It is not your place to say. I would leave it up to your father -"

  "Silence! If my daughter says no then the answer is no."

  "But, Mr Allan, with all due respect -"

  Elaine glanced between her father and the suitor from no-where. If the men of Writbrooke have declared her of eligible marrying age, then she will take their declaration on her own terms. "If you want to marry me, Harold No-Name," her voice took on that of an imperial woman. One that would cut the throat - elegantly of course - of her enemies. All pairs of eyes looked to the redhead in bafflement. "You must beat me in combat. You may choose what weapon."

  "Elaine, isn't that a bit harsh?" Her mother softly questioned.

  "Fianna, it's a perfect idea," Adam commented with a grin.

  "Thank you, Dad," Elaine replied as her unnatural eyes stared down Harold. "Tomorrow at noon meet me here. If you do not show, you forfeit my hand." The redhead disappeared in an instant.

ₙₒw, ᵢₙ ₐₙₒₜₕₑᵣ ₚₐᵣₜ ₒf ₜₕₑ ₜₒwₙ ₒf Wᵣᵢₜbᵣₒₒₖₑ, ₗᵢᵥₑd ₐ ₘₐₙ ᵢₙ dₑₛₚₑᵣₐₜₑ ₛₑₐᵣcₕ ₒf ₜₕₑ wₒₘₐₙ ₕₑ ₗₒᵥₑd.

  His spiked black hair was mussed from the thousand plus times he ran his hand through it due to impatience, frustration, and other things. His job stressed him more as he glanced down at the case of odd attacks that only occurred at night. "Detective Kang, you might want to see this," his partner called.

  "If it is another animal from the Outer Farms, don't even bother, Detective Morrison."

  Morrison glanced over at his long-time partner and friend. "You're still looking for her, aren't you?" Morrison asked.

  "And if I am?"

  "I would hope you have enough sense than to say 'Hello! I am your husband from a past life and we ruled over a portion of the Fae world! I still love you and want to remarry you!'."

  "What happens if I do say that?"

  "If she is anything like the rest of the women in this town, you'd be castrated brutally."

  Detective Kang pulled on his black suit jacket and began walking past Morrison. "Well, good thing I'm not that stupid," he told his friend cockily. Morrison handed him the file on the Outer Farms' case and shook his head.

  As Detective Kang left to once more check the farms close to the forest edge, Morrison shouted, "YES! YES, YOU ARE, MY FRIEND!"

  And, Morrison would be proven right. After all, this is the story of a girl who took no-one's bull crap... and people are stupid while they're in desperation. But I am getting ahead of myself...