A raven had flown onto the window ledge of a small cottage in the outskirts of the north. The moon was hidden behind clouds that let the large snowflakes fall down onto the mountain.  Inside the tiny cottage, a fire kept it warm. 

Sitting at the desk in the corner was an elf who had nothing else to lose. His long red hair was braided to keep out of his eyes while he looked over his sketches. His scarred hands were precise, careful like a healer caring for a wounded patient, as he drew out the lines of the raven that had just arrived. 

The raven tapped its beak on the window bringing him back from the peace of his mind. 

"Well, well, what seems to be the problem now?" 

His ear twitched. Turning his head slightly he felt a cool breeze in the room. The elf turned quickly throwing a sharpened paintbrush into the shadows. 

"Is that any way to treat an old friend coming for a visit?" 

"Apollo, if it was only going to be a visit why did you bring three other assassins with you?" 

From the shadows, three other figures emerged. Assassins. Highly skilled ones at that, but they anticipated they'd get caught. Deimos knew that because he had trained them. 

"You've been living comfortably Deimos," Apollo said sitting down on the couch. 

"Away from the war, gods, and society." He turned back to the window letting the raven in. "What do you want." 

"You're being summoned." Apollo threw a scroll onto Deimos' desk. The scroll was sealed by a red wax insignia of the goddess of the earth. 

"Deimos Veles, you are being summoned by the Erlking to serve his court." 

Deimos ripped open the scroll, reading it like he was out of air to breathe. He let out a sigh, crumpling the brown scroll before throwing it into the fire. 

"My brother has some nerve." 

He sent the raven away shutting the window. Deimos hadn't heard from his brother in years ever since he had his title of general stripped and was disgraced by the courts. If they really thought he would return to help a losing battle, they should not have hoped for his help. 

"Deimos we have orders to take you by force." 

Deimos laughed. "You really think you can fight me and get out alive?" His red eyes were set like a fire in the dimly lit room. Ablaze with the mere mention of a fight. 

He sighed. "I put that life behind me. I want nothing to do with your war."

"Orders are orders, you know that."

"As one of my oldest friends Apollo, you should have known that this was not going to work." 

"I suppose this is the only way." 

The fire blew out as the room filled with the cold air from the night. Plunged into darkness, Deimos could only rely on his other senses for right now. Needles flew from the elves that melded back in the shadows. Deimos barely dodged in time grabbing the steel poker from the hearth. He felt his blood dripping down his cheek. 

In an instant, he felt an arrow aimed at the back of his head.  He dodged once again. The sharp arrowhead embedded itself into the floorboards as it whooshed by. 

Deimos turned quickly slashing the face of the elf behind him with the poker. He lifted himself up plunging the poker into the throat of the elf. He ripped it out and quickly maneuvered around the next elf that lunged at him grabbing his head from behind and slamming it into the floorboards. 

A deafening crack resounded. The sound ringing in Deimos' ears as he stabbed him in the back with the poker. 

"Leave." His voice darkened turning to Apollo. "Or I'll kill you too." 

"Andromeda." Apollo said. 

Suddenly, Deimos saw the hardwood floor get closer. He cursed at himself, how could he have forgotten the last assassin? His head smacked right into the floorboards. The exiled elf was seething with rage trying to twist his way out of the grip before he felt cool metal on the back of his neck. 

Apollo glared at him. "Deimos, we need your help. Your brother is incompetent when it comes to war. The humans are going to reach the border any day. We're divided. We need a strong leader." 

He heaved blinking away the dizziness. "Right. The courts come crawling back to me and when I win the war they'll take the credit."

"Yes, but you won't be exiled anymore."

"It's not like I have any choice." Deimos grit his teeth. 

Deimos was pulled to his feet and taken out of his small cottage. The blizzard obscured his vision, but he could see the hazy light of torches in the distance. 

Out of the white haze, he saw a tall figure emerge. Heavy boots crunching the fresh snow on the mountain. Deimos glared looking away as he was brought closer. 

"Little brother, how nice to see you again."

PRESENT

Isadora awoke to the sound of voices. She sat up and instantly reeled from the pain coursing through her body. Bandages covered in blood were thrown in the corner of the small makeshift tent. Newer looking bandages were wrapped around her shoulder beginning to soak with blood. 

An oil lantern sat on a desk illuminating a few medical instruments shrouded in darkness. 

She saw shadows outside the tent debating something. The pounding in her head gave way to ringing in her ears. 

Closing her eyes tightly, she laid back down and tried to focus on something else, something that would help her fall asleep. 

"Isadora. . ." 

That voice. She recognized it, but why couldn't she place her finger on it. "Isadora you've forgotten me."

"Are you awake?" 

She groaned, the voice slowly fading from her mind. "I am."

Isadora rubbed her eyes sitting back up. She heard a heavy sigh and looked up. The elf was glaring down at her with his calculating red eyes that were behind silver-wired glasses. 

It felt like she was face to face with a hardened predator looking down at its prey. 

"And you are?" She asked feeling her heart begin to speed up as she remembered the situation she was in. 

 

He raised an eyebrow. "General Veles."

"You're the general?" She said in disbelief.

General Veles was known as the dread serpent to many of the knights that he had gone up against. Isadora had heard whispers about the general's hold on the battlefield. He was vengeful and frightening and played the war like chess. She was under the impression he would look a lot more . . . menacing. 

Though initially, he gave off the air of a wolf or even a grizzly bear, Isadora's fear subsided and turned into confusion. He looked average, not like a hardened war general. 

He was lean, but toned muscles were visible under the brown leather he was wearing. His long auburn hair was picked up into a ponytail. She noticed the scars covering his pale hands. 

The general looked like he hadn't seen the sun in days as if he had been living like a hermit for years. 

"You don't look like a general."

"You don't look like a priestess." 

She clenched the thin sheet she was wrapped in. "What are you going to do with me?"

He smiled. "If I'm right, you're going to help us win this war." The general threw a bundle of clothes at her. "But first get yourself dressed then come to the main tent." 

"I'll help you willingly," she said feeling a bit more daring. "But I don't want to be shackled." 

"I wasn't under the impression a prisoner of war was supposed to be making requests."

"You want my help?" she said looking away from him. "No more chains." 

The general was quiet for a moment before turning on his heels and leaving the tent. 

Isadora sighed studying the clothes she was handed. It was a plain black dress that looked too big for her. At least she knew they weren't going to kill her, but that could change if no one was on her side. 

She threw the dress on and slid her feet into the flats that he had given her. Walking out of the tent she saw that Apollo and some soldiers were waiting for her. 

Night had fallen since she had been unconscious. The campsite was almost barren with only a couple of tents strewn throughout. The tall trees towered over them camouflaging their location well in the night. No wonder the kingdom army had a hard time locating them. What she found strange was there were only a few elves including the soldiers that were waiting for her. 

Apollo only gave a nod and the soldiers instantly surrounded her. She scanned the area noting a black raven sitting on top of a low tree branch watching them. In front of them was a large lonely tent surrounded by trees. 

The curtains were pulled back as the group moved inside. 

The tent was furnished which someone would not have realized when looking at it from the outside. In the middle of the tent was a large circular table. A large map of the countries and their borders was atop the table. It showed three armies on either side of the mountain where she assumed she was. She could see where the kingdom's army was, but they looked completely surrounded. 

"It's old." General Veles said entering the tent. "The movements changed now that the trade-off has been made."

"Lovely." Isadora glared at the figurines. "What do you need me to tell you?" 

The general sat at the table moving the figures. "What can you tell me about General Perceval?" 

"He's one of the Knights of Erebus, a skilled knight."

"A highly regarded knight?" 

"Of course." She nodded. "He has enough sway to turn the knight's loyalty in his favor." 

"What is his relationship with you." 

Isadora was quiet for a moment trying to find the right words. "He's a most loyal friend of mine." 

"Would he die for you?" 

"Why do you care?" Isadora seethed. 

General Veles smiled leaning toward her. "He's become a pain. Getting him to talk has proven difficult for my men in the west camps." 

Isadora was wide-eyed. No wonder she hadn't heard from him, he was captured. This amused General Veles. He smirked snapping his fingers in front of Isadora's face. 

"If you want to help your lover, you'll have to help us." 

Isadora held back a laugh. "Lover?" She shook her head. "He isn't my lover."

"Really? He speaks fondly of you, worships the ground you walk on." Apollo chimed in. 

Isadora and the general turned to him with raised eyebrows. "He's spoken to you?"  Veles asked. 

"Yes, before leaving the camp to get the priestess," Apollo admitted. Isadora could see the slight blush on his cheeks from embarrassment. "But that is the only time he spoke. It was after going days without eating. We've had to force him to eat." 

"Perceval is stubborn." Isadora frowned turning back to General Veles. "He's a loyal knight of mine. Loyal to the point he'd die for me which in itself is his only flaw." She admitted. 

"We'll be making our way to the west camp tomorrow." Veles stood looking down at her. "Convince him to help our army or we'll kill you in front of him." 

"Do you intend to keep that promise?" She challenged. 

"If he'd follow you in life, surely he'd follow you in death.

She clenched her fists hardening her gaze. "I'll convince him."

"Good girl."