The human girl crouched as silently as she could in the darkness under the thorn bush. Her gloved hand clutched convulsively at the weeds growing beneath her. The night’s sounds were amazingly magnified to her fear-sharpened ears. The birds twittered in sleep far too often, the owls hooted too closely, and once in a while the wolf’s voice sounded as if it were calling right beside her. The thorns tugged at her hair and cloak every time the wind blew. The wind it seemed, enjoyed watching her grimace as her hair was pulled out of its pony tail. She repeatedly had to tuck strands back behind her ear. Not one of them could fall into the elves’ village, and reveal her unwanted presence. The clothes she wore were dark and travel stained, her hair a dirty brown. Her face was smudged with dirt, but under the layers of grime she was an incredibly beautiful woman. However, she had a look about her of a wild animal fleeing from howling dogs that had been chasing it for days on end.

She crouched on the cliff side that over looked one of the elves’ least known villages. Below her were a myriad of small brown houses, with elves walking slowly back and forth among them. The houses spoke nothing of the beauty that most people expected elvish houses to have. In fact, they looked like an ordinary human’s house, except for the roofs. In the middle of the roof was a gaping hole, to allow sunlight, moonlight, starlight, and any other natural element into the house. Legends said that elves gained their eternal youth by bathing in the moonlight every month at the full moon. Though, how they could bathe in something no one could catch, the young woman didn’t know.

The moon decided to come out from hiding, and illuminated the entire area with her silvery essence. The human saw a large building, with no holes in the roof, set on the very outskirts of the village. Hooded elves walked into the building empty handed, and exited carrying bundles of something. Every time a beam of moonlight fell upon the bundle, it would flash with a silver radiance. She leaned out farther to better judge her predicament. But, it had rained the earlier evening, and the moist ground could not support her full weight. The human tumbled down the side of the cliff, head over heels, and landed spread-eagle and dizzy in a puddle at the very bottom.

She lay panting in the water listening for the elves’ approach. When, to her immense surprise she heard no approaching guards she allowed herself to get up out of the puddle. Her clothes were soaked with water, and mud dribbled off of her. With disgust that only a human female can have, she tip-toed out of the murky puddle. With a grimace she shook herself off as best she could. She stood on the very outskirts of the village, so close she could see their hair glint in the moonlight. When the coast was clear, she crept slowly to the side of the large building. From inside she could hear sounds of hooves. When a twig snapped she heard whinnies come from the inside. A barn! What luck. The girl began to slowly position herself just out of eye sight next to the barn door. With bated breath she saw a handful of elves enter the barn, one even looked towards her but before it could investigate it was nudged into the building. Frightened, she watched the elves leave the barn carrying the bundles. Peering through the bright moonlight she saw that they carried a piece of cloth, embroidered with silver thread. Taking the situation to its full advantage, she stepped out of the shadows and started heading towards the door.

“ New to the ceremony hm?” A liquid honey voice asked from behind her. The voice invoked tingles down her spine and caused her heart to skip several beats. As she trembled, the girl turned around to face the voice’s owner. It was a very handsome elvish man.

“ Uh, yes. I’ve never seen the ceremony before.” she said quietly, trying to sound as elvish as possible, without giving away herself. Visions of tortured bodies flashed through her mind. The punishment for trespassing on elvish land. She suppressed the urge to hurl all over her handsome assailant.

Without noticing anything strange, he took two quick jaunty steps towards her. She watched in horror as he approached, reaching for her throat, meaning to strangle the life from her body! But, he only reached behind her neck and pulled the hood of her cloak over her head. Deftly he began tying the strings that held the cloak to her neck. She looked up, nearly scared to death, and saw a gorgeous pare of amber eyes.

She reached a shaking hand to touch his arm, and watched it travel to his shoulder. She leaned closer, going for the kiss when he pulled back. Seeing her puzzled look he leaned forward and whispered into her ear, “ Do not tempt me.” His lips brushed her cheek as he pulled away and turned his back on her forever.

Well, that’s what she wished had happened. But, after he tied her cloak he turned his back and entered the last house in the village’s perimeter. She watched him go with an uncanny heavy heart. She shook her head, to expel visions of amber and death and watched the barn door quietly. Soon she realized that the ceremony must be over for she saw that all the elves had gone to bed. She then walked confidently into the barn, with no regard to the caution she had when she met the elvish man. As soon as she entered the building, she stopped dead in total and utter amazement. The barn was immaculately clean and had about fifty stall to either side, each filled with a magnificent horse. They came in all colors: browns, greys, dapples, and whites. They looked at her with intelligent eyes and whinnied softly as she walked down the center aisle. On the stall doors there were no saddles, or bridles. Nothing that told her the horses were ever ridden. As she walked further down the barn, the horses got grander and grander. Until finally she reached the very last stalls on either side. She looked inside with round green eyes. Inside the stall was a silver white unicorn. On his head, balanced precariously, was a horn that reached several feet in length.

With mouth agape she reached a hand to pat his nose. As her fingers brushed against his satin skin, he snorted and forced her to jump back. She looked at him in amazement, he seemed to glow like the moon, and held her gaze like a human being. “What is that thing upon your head?” She asked him as she stepped toward his stall. She reached up a gloved hand and pulled at the horn.

To her immense horror, it came off in her hand. She held the two foot horn, and stared at it in awe. She gave it a squeeze and it bent under the weight of her hand. It was made of a soft wood, and was meant to be a protector for the unicorn’s horn. She looked back at the unicorn and she saw that upon his head sat a six inch horn. It was sharp as a needle and reflected the life essence of the unicorn. She took off her glove, and grabbed the horn. Her finger came to its point and was sliced to the bone.

She looked at him and took a weak step back ward. Her eyes rolled up in her head as her blood kept oozing out of her wound. With a snort he leaned forward and blew upon her finger. It tingled with magic, as the unicorn’s healing power entered her would and sealed it close. “Thanks, Stavron.” she whispered as she fell to the floor. She some how managed to keep herself conscience, so that she wouldn’t get caught. After what seemed an eternity she finally found the strength to get back up to her feet. “ Hey, I know your name.. And whoa.” Again she swayed unsteadily on her feet and almost passed out.

Yes, I created a bond with you when I healed your finger. We are now connected through your blood. You know me, and I know you.

She nodded almost to herself and stood up, this time bracing herself upon his stall door. “ Well, Stav my name is Gwenny. Full name is Gwenaviere, but I hate it. You probably know why I’m here. And I have to ask you a favor.”

Of course, I will do whatever favor you ask, Gwenny. Stavron said melodically into her head, as his blue eyes gazed at her. He seemed to have a smile upon his horse face, and motioned to the door. She slowly opened it, careful to make sure that it did not even squeak. She walked up beside him and rested her now healed finger against his flesh. It was amazingly soft, and seemed to ripple, like water, beneath her fingers.

“ So, how am I supposed to ride you, Stav. I mean, I don’t ride horses and you’re too tall for me to hop onto.” She said as she tried to force herself onto his back. He just tossed his head and laughed directly into her mind. Then, with a liquid movement, he went to his knees. She quickly took the hint and placed herself upon his back. With the same movement he was back on his feet.

He took a quiet step towards the stall door, which opened itself as if under its own will. Feeling her puzzlement he told her, Even inanimate things hate to keep a unicorn inside. We are meant to roam free, and bring people their dreams. The elves kept me here, because they felt that I made their dreams come true. He sighed sadly and stepped into the center aisle

The barn was quiet as death when they left it. The horses all looked after them with longing, it seemed to Gwenny that the elves kept many beautiful gift-bearers locked inside. Each time Stavron’s foot hit the ground it made a soft thud, like a drum. Gwenny soon realized that Stavron was made of melodies, from his thoughts to his hooves, he was the perfect rhythm. She felt herself relax as they galloped away from the village.

The wind blew the hair from her face and she smiled at the moon. “ Oh Wish-hearer! You have granted my wish again! I am finally able to flee from the future I hate. Thank you, Stavron. I owe you my life.” He just chuckled at her humanness and kept galloping away from his caged future.

They ran through the night, and Gwenny watched the moon slowly sink below the tree line. Her heart saddened for she realized the sun would soon come up. They would not be able to travel by day, for as soon as the elves found their prized unicorn gone they would come searching for both of them. She shuddered to think what would happen to her when, if she corrected herself, if the elves found them. She would surely be tortured and then killed. But, Stavron would endure the worst punishment. She held an image in her head of his body torn and bloodied. His hooves held in shackles, and his life wasted away, caged inside of a barn’s stable.

She began to cry silently at the cruelty of the world. Young women should not be forced into their destinies. And beautiful beings should not be forced to be caged away, because some jealous race wanted it all for themselves. But, her tears were quieted when the sun rose. Stavron’s skin shone with a radiance she never realized he could posses. The tip of his horn glowed like an exploding star in the dead of night. She smiled happily to herself and knew that she had a memory she could cherish for all eternity.

Stavron found them a soft bed of moss. They were camped not far from the Haunted Forest, a place where evil lurked. They lay beneath a large willow tree that stood far away from the rest of her kind. Her trailing locks touched the ground, and accepted her two occupants gratefully. The willow seemed happy to have some one under her branches. Gwenny fell asleep to the mellifluous sound of the wind playing music on a willow’s trailing tears.