Eliza knew very much about the very little she knew. She was aware of every possible punishment she could get for stealing a box of Elderberry’s; public whipping, two day sleep enchantment, or finger breaking’s. She knew that two hundred feet from her cottage was forbidden from wandering. And she knew that magic was a terrible thing. Something thats avoided. Abolished. Left for dead. At least she thought she knew

***

It is a normal day in the kingdom of Luce. It always is, for the kingdoms not much different from the others. Except for the public executions. And the magic hunt. And the whipping in town square. Maybe it’s not so similar after all.

Regardless of all that, Eliza doesn’t worry much. The fae and trolls and enchantresses who haunt the tales the mortals tell are far from where they could harm her. They are strung up on a rope and burned and whipped until every ounce of magic is gone.

Though, it hasn’t always been like this. Eliza is only eighteen, far to young to remember the times where humans and magical creatures lived in peace. Or at least as peaceful as they could get.

But all that was before the Folkwar. The day the first human shot an arrow through the fae kings head, there was a war on magic, and the humans won. At least in Luce.

Elize follows the rules she is given, and buries her wonder for magic. But…she can’t help is she accidentally strolls through the once enchanted lakes, or mistakenly wanders through the magic woods.

Today though Eliza knows she mustn’t do any of that. The magic hunt has gotten worse after a group of trolls were found in the outskirts of town, and if somehow she got confused in the mess accidentally-

It wouldn’t been the first time a human was hunted.

So instead of going through the enchanted woods to get to the palace, she walks by the river.

It’s isolated since the water has gone muddy and it’s too condensed with trees. But no creature would hide out here. No person would trail so far either.

Eliza takes in the impossible task of counting the threads on the embroidered gloves she is delivering to pass the time. The river is definitely as least half an hour longer. And with no one to talk to, it feels like an eternity. If she didn’t need the money urgently, she would postpone the delivery to the palace. But she can’t, so she counts.

“One thousand three hundred and thirty…”

“One thousand three hundred and thirty one…”

“One thousand three hundred and thirty two…”

“One thousand three hundred and thirty thr-“

The bushes rustle causing Eliza to abruptly stop. There’s no person or deer in sight. It looks deserted. Looks.

“Hello?” Eliza calls out. The sound echoes and she almost lets it go until the sound begins again.

“If this is a joke, I ought to bring it up to the king! In fact I’m heading there now so-“

“Shhh!” A voice whispers and Eliza tenses up. A hand clasps her mouth and she almost rolls her eyes. She would if she weren’t so petrified. The place is far from any town, as loud as she screams nobody would hear.

“Don’t turn back” the boys voice says as she rotates her head. That just makes her want to look back more, but she could easily end up shot dead. Instead she just nods her head complying while her eyes scan for anything sharp she could impale the swine with.

“Give me the basket.”

Eliza swiftly hands it over, knowing her life is worth far more than the gloves she was going to sell. At least she hops her life is worth more.

“Don’t turn around!” The boy yells as he removes his hand.

Eliza’s first instinct is to scream, but bites her tongue knowing no one can hear her except the very agitated person behind her.

She listens as the boy frantically searches the basket and the then throws it on the floor with a sigh.

“If your looking for gold or jewels you ought to kidnap a girl with finer clothes next time” Eliza says bitterly. Can’t the thief appreciate what he stole and move in to the next unfortunate victim? But the next words that come out surprise her.

“Do you have any food?”

“Pardon?”

“Food. Eat. Stuff you humans put in you mouth.”

Humans? You humans?

Contrary to what her gut tells her to do, Eliza turns around and faces what she hoped wasn’t the case.

A boy. No not a boy. A magic boy. His wings and horns shine like the sun, and his light hair sparkles with not light but magic. He’s not human, though she’s never met someone who looked more alive

Eliza’s moth drops open, and the boy winces expecting a scream. No scream ever comes out.

Hesitantly, the boy speaks again. “If you keep gaping like that, a bug will fall in.”

That surprises her more than his horns. A non human boy who talks human and acts human and…wait, this is a robbery she reminds herself!

Eliza picks up the basket and the boy only watches in bewilderment.

“You didn’t run.”

“Was I suppose to?”

The words stump them both. Eliza should have ran. Ran from the evil that she was told stands before her. But the sun like boy does not scare her. Maybe that’s how his magic worked. Charming her to oblivion.

“I never met anyone like you” Eliza croaks out. Her eyes scan the boy and he tenses.

“You should be grateful of that.”

This time Eliza laughs. Laughs at him. At her. At the severity and bizarreness of the situation. And she laughs at how her whole kingdom is so afraid of a boy she can take down with a single arrow.

“Is this funny to you? I’m magic” he says like it should be a threat.

“I’m well aware your magic, boy” Eliza retorts. The way she says boy is almost degrading. It would be if he didn’t seek comfort in the words. “I’m just surprised you’re-well-“

“Not a monster?” The boy chuckles at his own words and Eliza nods.

The stare in silence, Eliza analyzing the boy and the boy analyzing her back.

“What is your name?”

The boy click’s his tongue, a snide look washing over his face. “That human girl, is none of your concerns.”

“What if I bring you food? Will you tell me then?”

“Perhaps.”

Eliza hums and happily picks the basket back up. “Then I will see you here tomorrow.”

“How do I know it’s not a trap?” The boys asks.

“Simple. I’ll leave the food here. You come whenever you want to get it. And then leave me a note with your name.”

“Ok then. Farewell human girl. And uh-just for reference, I have a sweet tooth.

“Goodbye magic boy. And for reference, so do I.”