Lo Fi Groovy

 I was walking through the the market…it was so long ago I don’t remember my original intent. I do remember there was a commotion. Two men were dragging a woman through the streets and she was fighting them - kicking and swinging about. I walked over, intent on throwing my status at them and demand to know what this was about. These men were not guards and under normal circumstances, this could be considered assault but the girl was a half-elf. At that time, no one would care if she was murdered in this crowd. If the story that the men told was good enough, they might even have been celebrated. 

At any rate, I approached and they stopped and saluted me. I was wearing the royal robes so my demand for an explanation was not met with fists but words. They told me the girl was a thief, which was good enough to be a death sentence for simply daring to stand up to the lord of the house. I asked their proof and they said they had witnesses

I demanded judgement of a higher authority than theirs and to transfer her to my custody for further questioning, which of course, I had every intent on simply letting her go. Next thing I knew, the three of us were paralyzed as sparks radiated from her. The two men fell, releasing her binds and she dashed away in a cloud of smoke. I think it was that moment that I fell in love. She hadn’t hurt me. I believe I was just standing too close and got residual effects. Her two captors appeared to be dead however. I smirked and let her run to see where she would hide.

I let her live freely for weeks before approaching her again. She had shaved her head and bound her breasts to live as a boy. She was working as a field hand outside the city as a picker. Long hours and back-breaking work. I thought she was so brave.

Dressed in light leathers I approached her as she harvested. She knew me instantly but was not afraid. I let her know she was no longer being pursued. The trail had gone cold and the only witness had not been able to give a good description. She flashed her beautiful smile and asked me to lunch and I suppose the rest is history. I learned she was a thief by trade but was working on groundbreaking advancements. Alchemical formulas that allowed for the replication of spells for non magic users.

With me, she felt safe. Loved. I wanted to abandon my life and rebuild it with her. We talked of starting a family. She didn’t know if it’d be possible. She had never heard of a half-elf being able to conceive but we could always adopt. The monasteries took in those abandoned and she said I’d be able to get a child as long as they didn’t know she was at my side. I married her that day. 

Two years later she tells me she’s pregnant. Pregnant. I remember I laughed. I was giddy with happiness and didn’t share in the fear she carried. She wondered if she’d lose the baby. She wondered if people found out they would stone her. She had my blades protecting her. Nothing — nothing — was going to touch her. And nothing did. She carried to term. She didn’t want a healer present. She didn’t trust them and she said she had done enough reading she could handle anything. She had her alchemical formulas….They did nothing to stop the hemorrhaging. I lost them both that day.