The next morning, instead of going to the quarry, Orian's father, dressed in his councilman robes, headed for the village plaza. Orian waited a few minutes before following him. He was curious about the girl’s fate. It was all he could think about on the way to the plaza. He was genuinely afraid of what would happen to her. Trespassers were a rare occurrence, but more than likely the outcome of this meeting would be bad. Orian had hope that times had changed by now.

The village of Foree Hafla was a village of secrets. Decades in the past, maybe even a century, the heart of the forest became angry with the humans who settled on her lands. They hunted her animals for their furs and meat. They cut down trees to build their houses right on top of her beautiful meadow. They had to do it. There was a quarry nearby where they could make their livelihoods.

Angry and afraid of losing her land to the vile human invaders, the heart of the forest let loose a powerful curse. As the curse swept over the human village they were turned into the animal they had been so keen on hunting: the fox.

According to the history books Orian had read in school, the change didn't last very long as the humans inside the animals began to rebel. Using their magical abilities, they fought through the transformations and the humans with the strongest wills were able to reverse what happened to them.

They were left with a few remnants of the curse—ears and tails. They didn't seem to mind. It was mostly cosmetic. They had their human bodies back and that was all that mattered. The heart of the forest was taken aback by the human’s strength but still angry she enacted one last curse. They would forever remain as they were half human and half fox. No matter how many offspring they had going into the future, they would never be normal people again.

When the first child was born half human, they were driven into despair. Afraid of what would happen should anyone see their freakish forms, the people of Foree Hafla decided to disappear. The village was closed off. They tore down their houses and used the wood to construct a fence that would keep away outsiders. Vegetation had grown to cover the fence and Foree Hafla eventually became a village that no longer existed with the rest of the world.

All roads leading to the village were abandoned and eventually faded away with time. Using the nearby quarry, the people began to construct new homes out of stone. But when they were done the stone cutters, bored with nothing left to do, decided to export their goods under the utmost secrecy. One of those stone cutters was a member of the Ros family and he was a master of his craft. Foree Hafla’s cut stone didn’t get much better than those cut by such a talented man.

Rigel Ros arrived at the plaza. Orian stared ahead at his father the expert stone cutter and wondered why he didn’t feel the same way about stones. There was a part of him that desperately preferred working with wood. He was never able to explain why he felt such attachment to wood over stones. Carpentry, while it still existed in the village, was not a high sought after skill. Wood was usually just used for fires, house doors and roof beams, but it was always wood harvested from dead or fallen trees.

Rigel wanted his son to follow in his footsteps and be a stone cutter like most of the Ros family and other villagers grew up to be. Orian quietly rebelled, meeting with the village carpenter and borrowing wood to experiment with. He would eventually have to tell his father once and for all that he was never going to be a stone cutter, but for now the fate of the mysterious girl in the quarry was the only thing on his mind.

There was a huge crowd already gathered in the plaza. Rigel pushed to the front of the crowd where the other councilmen were waiting at entrance of the meeting hall. Orian slipped past most of the villagers and made it up close to the councilmen. He could hear every disheartening whisper.

“We should just execute her.”

“A hanging? How very one hundred years ago.”

“It hasn’t been that long. We’re overdue for one though.”

Orian couldn’t believe what he was hearing. These were just bad jokes, right? They had to be. The council wouldn’t just kill a poor girl that easily for no real reason. That would go against everything Rigel had taught his son. Girls were supposed to be treasured and protected. Orian shook the awful thoughts out of his mind. He couldn’t stand thinking of that poor, most likely innocent, girl hanging from a tree out in the woods.

A man appeared from inside the meeting house. He pushed the doors open and stepped aside to let the councilmen in. The mass of robes entered the building while the man from inside kept the swarm of villagers from entering. They were dying to ebb the curiosity, but it was Orian and his smaller body that was able to sneak past. He made it inside and found a place to hide as the doors shut behind him.

Only the councilmen were allowed inside during meetings. Orian didn’t know what punishment might befall him for trespassing, but he didn’t care. He stayed in the shadows of the dimly lit room and found himself a vantage point where he could watch the meeting in secret.

The council men sat around a long table, speaking in hushed tones before one of them stood and called out to a guard that was waiting by a far door. The guard pulled the door open and let in the accused. Orian didn’t know it, but he was about to change everything.

An elven woman walked slowly across the room and stood before the council. Orian’s eyes squinted trying to get a clear image of her in the flickering candle light. His eyes finally adjusted and he was able to see the defeated figure standing there waiting to be judged.

She must have been tall. Her back was rounded from the stone weights that pulled her wrists toward the floor. It must be painful to be hunched over like that, Orian thought. It made her look so frail. She didn’t seem to have the strength to hold herself up but that didn’t bother the councilmen one bit. Upon closer inspection, Orian saw her dress was torn and dirty. It must have happened in the quarry.

Orian wanted to analyze some more, but the man in charge, Councilman Cep, stood from his spot at the table and his booming voice filled the room. “Accused. You know why you are here, correct?”

“Yes,” the woman answered. As she lifted her head to look at the councilman, her black veil of hair slid off her shoulders and obscured her face from Orian’s view. “I have trespassed upon your land.”

Another of the councilmen slammed his hand on the table. The noise was loud and the echo was even louder. Orian nearly fell back from the scare it brought him. “She admits to trespassing. She is clearly guilty!” the councilman shouted.

Councilman Ros, who was more level headed than most the council, chimed in. “Perhaps we need to hear why she was in the quarry before passing our judgment. Now then, young lady, please explain why you were trespassing on our land.”

Orian silently cheered. That’s it, Dad. Don’t let them have their way!

The woman’s head suddenly fell. The strain of holding her head up was becoming too painful, but she was able to answer. “I got lost.”

An angry councilman laughed. “Lost? She got lost? That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard!”

"But it is the truth!" the elf continued. "I was traveling with a caravan. The driver led us far too close to the war zone and something spooked our horses. Our wagon was out of control and at some point I was thrown from it. It was evening and I was lost and wandering trying to avoid the battle nearby until I came upon the quarry. I only trespassed because I was in need of help."

Councilman Cep scrawled something down on a piece of paper then motioned for the guard to step forward to the table. The guard placed a piece of paper from his jacket pocket onto the table and Councilman Cep took it. He unfolded the document and read it silently to himself before passing it along to the councilmen. When everyone had read it, Councilman Cep walked around the table and stood directly in front of the woman.

“Your testimony matches the story you told the stonecutters who found you.”

Orian smiled. Yes! I knew she was innocent! There’s no way she was some kind of spy!

The angry councilman slammed his hand on the table again, throwing the document aside. “You can’t possibly believe her! She just remembered what she said last night and is repeating it!”

Councilman Ros took the document and read it over again, shaking his head. “She hardly seems a spy. If she is, she’s a terrible one. Spies don’t get caught that easily.”

“Well maybe she was supposed to get caught!” The councilman’s anger was growing toward a full blown rage as he continued his attempt to persuade the outcome of the woman’s trial. “We should hang her! She’s seen us. She is not allowed to leave anyway so let us be rid of her!”

The woman lifted her head. Her pleading eyes were filled with tears. “Please! If you wish me not to say anything about what I’ve seen here, I won’t tell a soul. You have my word!” she shouted, begging for her life.

Orian watched in horror as the angry councilman continued his vicious speech. “Men! Don’t be fooled by her pretty face! She’s a danger to us! Cep, don’t believe her! She’s lying and you know it!”

The woman tried to stand more upright. “That’s just not true! I’ve never told a lie in my whole life! Please! I’m telling you the truth!”

“Silence!” Councilman Cep shouted. He rubbed his temples before continuing. “We’ll decide her fate with a simple vote. I vote in favor of indefinite jail time. All those in favor?”

A few men raised their hands--Orian’s father included. That made six votes. Next, Councilman Cep asked for the hands of those in favor of execution. The angry councilman raised his hand and it seemed his outburst was enough to persuade some of the others to join him, outnumbering the first vote by one.

Orian’s heart shattered into a million pieces. The woman had spoken so honestly and yet they were so sure she was a liar that they were willing to send her to her death.

Councilman Cep stood before the elf once more. It was easy to see in his expression that he had hoped for a better outcome but nonetheless, judgment had been passed and there was nothing he could do.

“The council has voted in favor of execution. The hanging will take place in three days time. Upon your death you will receive a proper burial where we will ask Mother Goddess to take you back. Do you understand?” Councilman Cep asked.

“Y... Yes. I understa—”

“No!” Orian shouted. He stumbled from his hiding place and threw himself in front of the woman. “That’s not fair! She’s telling the truth! You know she is! Please don’t kill her!”

Councilman Ros, embarrassed by his son’s outburst, stood from his seat. “Orian! You shouldn’t be here. This woman’s fate does not concern you.”

Orian ignored his father. It didn’t matter if it didn’t concern him. He wasn’t about to let an innocent person die. It would be against everything his father had taught him. “You’re all a bunch of cowards if you really think she’s dangerous!”

The angry councilman laughed. "Councilman Ros, please control your son. He'll be lucky if we don't throw him in jail."

"Dad, please! Don't let her die!"

Rigel's shoulder's sagged. He had a persistent son, but no amount of persistence would change this particular outcome. "Orian. Go home. The council has voted and there's nothing anyone can do about the senten—"

"Let me marry her!" Orian didn't even see that solution coming. He just sort of blurted it out without thinking. He looked nearly as stupefied as the rest of the councilmen in front of him. The angry councilman roared with laughter, genuinely finding the situation beyond funny.

"This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard! Probably the most ridiculous thing ever uttered in this room in all of history!"

"Yeah! What are you, Orian? Crazy and totally off your rocker?" A new voice echoed in the room causing everyone to suddenly squint and look around for the source. Luffas stepped out from Orian's previous hiding place.

Councilman Cep looked completely horrified. "Of course you would sneak in Luffas..."

Rigel let out a chuckle. He couldn't help it. "Cep, we have some very sneaky sons. I think we should lock them both up and throw away the key."

Luffas only smiled and stood beside his friend. Orian nodded to him in thanks. "Getting the inside scoop, huh?"

"You know it." Luffas replied. "Orian's right, Old Man. This lady is innocent. She happened to stumble upon the worst possible place to hide, which sucks for her, but seriously, you can't kill her. That wouldn't be right at all."

Luffas' father sighed and went to take his seat. "What's done is done."

Orian rushed forward, beating his fists upon the councilmen's table. "No! Let me marry her! If I marry her, my father can keep watch over her. If she ever does anything bad, you can throw her in jail! Anything but death!"

Rigel stared wide eyed at his son, almost shocked Orian was able to come up with a reasonable solution. As reasonable as it was, however, it was still an incredibly out of the question suggestion. "Don't you think you're being a little rash? You're not even old enough to marry yet."

"This isn't as rash as killing an innocent person because one of you is paranoid," Orian said matter-of-factly, pointing at the angry councilman. "He flipped out so bad he spread the paranoia."

Luffas nodded in agreement. "I think you should do another vote."