Author Stuff, apologies for the long wait. I had work that needed to be done. I'll be posting a lot this week now. Thank you for being patient!

She joined me in bed. I would've been fine with it,if she wasn't a snorer. She was sprawled out violating my personal space and hogging the damn blanket. Foolishly I attempted to fight for it but was rewarded with a fist to face. 

After bearing through the cold night with a bruised face and my injured pride I woke up to the morning fog. Hera was still sleeping like a demon. I headed out to the river with a bar of soap and a fresh pair of clothes. 

I stripped off my entire garb. It was cold but the water was warm.The rhythm scrubbing fills the eerily quietness in the woods. After I was satisfied I stopped only to hear scrubbing continue  in the distance. I couldn't tell where it was coming from, the fog was so thick that I was blocking my vision. I raised my hand in preparation for any sort of conflicts that would occur. 

Suddenly my hand brushed against some sort of soft material. I pulled back startled to which a scream pierced the veil of silence in the foggy morning.

The realisation of what had happened dawned on me when I recognized the elf who robbed me all those weeks ago. She was naked in front of me once again. She was different, her once fair skin was covered in bruises and scarring. 

"Who!?" Fear evident in her voice. "Leave me alone!" She crouched down to the water, her arm shielding her face. I noticed then she was missing her left hand. 

"What happened?" I asked without thinking. She looks frail compared to the stoic and confident person she was before.

Slowly she moved her arm from her face, eyes slowly moving up at me. Recognition was apparent as she got up hesitantly. "You're that pervert from before…" 

'Fuck you' I didn't say it of course but I should've. 

"What happened?" I repeated my question again. 

"I…" her voice trembled. "They…my guards… they're…" no longer her legs could hold their balance as she falls onto her knees. "Dead." 

I sat down in the water. "What happened?" 

"We…were intercepted on our way to the capital." She calmed herself. "They attacked us at night. They slaughtered everyone, including the horses" 

Tears started to fall. Her gaze stretched through me, there was nothing behind it but a void of what used to be life. 

"I see" kneeling down. I asked her one thing after hearing this. "Where's my shit?"

"Huh?" She stares up at me. "You mean that artifact?. We disposed of it after it broke" 

"..." I get up and walk off. 

***

"What do you mean you passed by the elven princess?" Hera was awake and was still in bed. She made herself a cocoon with the blanket while maintaining a serious expression towards me. 

"Yeah. Apparently the bugger is all broken and bent out of shape from some stupid ambush" I take a swig from the canteen. "Get this. She trashed my goddamn invention" 

"What do you mean broken?" She stood up on the bed, her blanket dropping down. 

"Yeah. She's missing an arm and her-" Hera cuts me off and runs off before I can finish. "Fuuu" I sigh. 

That's how we adopted a parasite. 

***

Hera was across from me, she had her on the bed feeding her with warm vegetable soup. She was trembling each time the spoon came close to her mouth. 

I didn't pay much attention to her. I was eating while reading some new books I picked/stole from the local library earlier. There was knowledge on dragons that inhabit this land. They were created in some ancient times by some forgotten God. The dragons themselves were also considered Devine despite their numbers declining. When the first mortals emerged they worshipped these ancient beings and in turn learned Draconic magic. Eventually the Gods punished this act of heresy and killed most of these dragons. 

Yet draconic magic is still practised to this very day. Those who even worship the dragon religion can even start on the stage of dragon hood and become a sort of demi dragon but it's mostly just bs as told by the locals. 

The only reason why I'm reading this book is to find out how to learn this sort of magic and in turn use it to enhance my inventions. 'James the metal dragon' it just sounds nice. 

"Why hasn't your kingdom sent a rescue party for you?" Hera asked, interrupting my fantasies. 

"My… mother knows that bringing more of her army into Feron territory will drive the tensions between two nations further apart." She watches the fire. Her legs crossing and uncrossing "She can't risk losing a trade partner and potentially starting a war over me" 

"Then just go back" I state the obvious, mouth muffled with food.

"She can't just simply go back and close your damn mouth when you chew!" Hera yells. "They're definitely still out there looking for her. Whatever groups out there is searching for her"

"Will she join us then?" I look directly at her. "If you hate travelling then you should leave. Me and hera are in a sort of searching for power" 

"So you guys need some riches or artifacts? I could easily just get you some" 

"He doesn't mean that sort of crap. We're looking for an ancient mana core" 

"Oooooh that's what we're looking for" I laugh before almost spilling my soup

"I told you this at the start! How stupid are you fucking imbecile!" Raising my hands up I respond 

"Relax, I was probably half asleep when you tried to teach me that" true, though all I remembered was when she was giving the silent treatment the whole way through, still major improvement that we manage to converse three more sentences at a time then when there were no words at all. 

Sighing, she looked at the princess "So are you willing to accompany us for a while?" 

She straightens herself trying to preserve whatever dignity she had left. "That sounds good. When shall we leave?" 

"Hold on. What's your name?"  I asked, looking her up and down. She hasn't told me her name this whole time even back then. 

"Might as well. My name is Estellia daughter of the Elven queen and princess of the Elves"