He brings out a dagger and began hitting the ice that formed on his feet.

Minutes later, he hears a sound and a blast followed.

"Ohh no, they've found her" he kept on hitting the ice, "come on, work with me, she's in danger" finally it broke and he ran towards where the blast came from.

On getting there about fifty of the soldiers were lying on the ground injured. And by this time, the colour of her eyes changed again.

He simply watched as she controlled the element against them and used the freezing spell on some of them.

"Get ready to shoot her, archers".

As she started chanting some spells, the archers ready their arrows to shoot at her, he quickly shot two arrows, one caused a mild explosion and the other landed in front of the the commander. He quickly used that moment of distraction to grab her and ran into the woods.

The soldiers wanted to pursue after the fire had calmed down but were stopped by the commander.

"Stop, don't pursue" he said looking at the arrow as he bent to pick it up from the ground.

"But sir, that should be the hybrid princess".

"No questions. Let's head back".

"Yes sir, but what about those she froze?".

"Try breaking the ice everyone".

With that order, they got to work, while some tended to those hurt. He kept on staring at the arrow, "what are you doing?" He said to himself.

----------

Astrid and the boy kept on running and stopped after about an hour later. He quickly picked her up bridal style and started jumping from tree to tree. As he jumped on the trees, one of the branches hooked his cloak, unknown to him he took a leap and the cloak fell off. He jumped back down and placed her on her feet by now she was panting hard.

When she looked up at him she was a bit shocked.

"You're an... Elf" she said quietly but his sharp ears could pick up the sound.

"You're an Elf" she repeated again but more loudly this time.

"Yes I am".

"Wow, why didn't you tell me?" she asked him but he didn't reply her, he just stared at her.

It was then she carefully took on his features. He had a nice V-shape face, a blonde hair, nice green eyes, lovely well shaped small lips. Her eyes traveled down to his body built, he wasn't bad at all, a perfect chiseled chest. She couldn't quite see his bare chest but for some reason she could tell.

The wag she scanned him up and down made him feel like weird. It was like her eyes were an x-ray machine. She just stood there looking at him, he seemed to take the cue and looked at her as well. Then he noticed her eyes had changed again.

"Yes, this was what I saw then" he thought to himself.

After what seemed like forever, he broke the silence.

"You don't seem human too" he said shocking her out of her stare trance.

"Huh... " she couldn't find a word to say, after all he did witness her using magic".

"Your eyes, they are of different colours" he said pointing at her eyes.

"What or who are you? You're not human, not an elf. You're a sorceress?" He asked her watching her expression.

"Huh... "

"So you are a sorceress. But that's strange. There hasn't been a sorceress for the last eighteen years. So how come?".

"My grandmother married a human and my mum didn't have any magic but I did" she lied in the blink of an eye, trying to draw his attention away from her background. He was an elf, and they can't be trusted. His kind killed her father, she had to be careful and not trust foolishly.

After a long pause he finally spoke, "okay not bad".

"Did he believe her lie just now?" she thought to herself, "well anyways my luck, he saved him and I owe him my life. Perhaps he is one of the good ones... No don't be too trusting Astrid. But he is charming" she thought to herself, but what she didn't know was that she made weird facial expressions while thinking. And he particularly found the last one, her drooling expression funny and began laughing.

"What are you laughing at?" She asked him waking up from her day dreaming.

"Its nothing" he lied.

"It's something, do tell".

"You made funny expressions just now".

"Like?".

"Do I really have to say?".

"Yes you do".

"Ok, don't blame me, you were drooling".

"What! " She said in shock and turned away from him feeling embarra.s.sed.

"Wait is she shy?" He thought to himself and began smiling then walked closer to her and placed a hand on her shoulder making her jolt in surprise.

"Don't scare me like that".

"I'm sorry".

"Apology accepted, good thing you know how to apologize for walking up on someone like that".

"I wasn't apologizing for that".

"Then you were apologizing for what?".

"For telling the wrong path to take".

"You what?... ".

"You didn't know? Then how come you got lost?".

"About that... " she trailed off as she smiled in embarra.s.sment.

"What? "

"I... I... I got lost while reading. I got so cut up in the book that I didn't know I had taken a wrong path".

He didn't know whether he should laugh or cry or feel sorry for her. He only ma.s.saged his temples with his fingers. She sure was going to give him a headache.

He looked at her and was shocked by the expression he saw. From a shy girl a minute ago to a p.i.s.sed off girl. He didn't know what he said to cause a change of expression.

"Did you just say you gave me a wrong direction? " sudden the air around them changed and dropped very low. He sure had p.i.s.sed her off.

"I already apologized".

"Would apology had save me if I met a mishap?".

"Well I came back for you didn't I? "

"In case you didn't figure out, I was already handling the situation, no thanks to you".

"I would have helped earlier if you didn't freeze me, what did you think I was? A bird? That you would throw your magic anyhow" she only smiled back. That's when he realized.

"You actually thought I was a bird. Hmm" he could shout at her anymore and neither could she. Both of them had wronged the other.

"But if you didn't give wrong direction then we wouldn't be in this mess. Who knows the soldiers would be catching up on us by now".

"They can't and won't. And I gave you a wrong address because you wouldn't let me finish and explain, you jumped into conclusion. I just wanted to teach you a lesson, but when I recalled the soldiers were that way, I searched all over for you".

"You did?".

"Yes, how then did I find you?".

"Thank you. I'm Astrid by the way and u?".

He hesitated a moment, then spoke, "Jareth".