This occurs before Draconic Beginnings.  There are two chapters I have to write to catch up to Draconic Beginnings and this is the first one.

Update: I decided to break this up into several chapters.  This is the first chapter and the end has been cut off, so this chapter is complete

Testing Fate

Another restless night. Michael laid in bed staring at the ceiling while he mind wandered aimlessly. He felt fortunate that he had a decent job and a place to stay, even if most of his pay went to the school that trained him to be a guard. Ah, Alnara Reloryn. His job was to be her protector and, despite not ever having a terrible amount of extra coin in his pocket the job did come with a lot of perks. Alnara was a very nice girl and enjoyed having a good time, meaning she wanted her friends to enjoy themselves as well. Since Michael couldn’t afford her lifestyle, Alnara was generous enough to give him what she could and usually it was more than enough. He was in charge of her personal safety and needed to be with almost at all times, so he was enrolled in her classes as well. Michael had always wanted to go to one of the high elven schools but never thought he’d get the chance and knew he would never be able to afford it, but having employers in high places has its benefits.

Michael’s thoughts continued to wander; he knew he wasn’t going to get any sleep without clearing his mind. Throwing off his blankets he got up and got dressed. A short walk in the fresh autumn^[1] air should help him relax so he can get some sleep. He headed downstairs, through the kitchen and out the back door.

“Where do you think you’re going?” came a perturbed voice. Captain Isilen stood outside eying Michael.

“I’m just going for a walk.”

“This late? What are you up to?”

“Nothing. I can’t sleep so I wanted to get some air.”

“Listen, chell, I’m watching you. You think just because you’ve won Alnara’s favor that you’re sitting pretty, but don’t rest easy. You’re going to screw up and I’ll be there to watch you drown.” he glared at Michael before walking off, continuing his rounds.

Captain Isilen has had it in for Michael since they first met. He was Alnara’s personal protector and had developed a bit of a crush on her as she grew up but her father didn’t feel it was appropriate. Michael was hired to replace Isilen as Alnara’s guard and Isilen was promoted to the Captain of the Guard. Publicly it was a promotion, but he loathed being further away from his love especially since he was replaced by a worthless human. Matters were only escalated a few months ago when the councilor changed Isilen’s orders based on Michael’s opinion. Isilen was losing influence and he didn’t like it.

Michael closed the door tightly behind him and walked through the garden, leaving out the back path of the house to the roads. It was very quiet this night save for the soft chirping of crickets. It was also especially dark, he noticed as he looked up to the sky. The thousands of visible stars did what they could to make up for dark shadows cast by the moons. It was just bright enough for him to see where he was going. With his hands in his pockets he rounded a corner.

“Mew” came a soft feline cry from an alley. Michael looked and saw a siamese cat licking its paws.

“Orion? How did you get out here?” he half expected an answer. “Lets see if we can’t get you back home.” He reached down to pick up the cat but it had no intentions of going with him, darting down the alley. “Orion!” He chased down looking for the feline.

Where did he get to? Michael thought to himself, scanning the for the feline. He caught glimpse of the cat’s black tail squeezed inside a nearby open door, creaking it slightly. He went over to the door and peeked through the door. “Come here, Orion,” he whispered. He hesitated about opening the door, knowing he shouldn’t enter an unattended store. But why was the door open? Michael notices that the lock has been jimmied open. Suddenly he heard the shattering of glass from inside. He creeps inside quietly, looking around the room when he spots a woman on the other side. She’s behind the counter going through alchemy supplies on the shelves.

“Damn it all” she whispers having dropped a small jar on the ground, its content spilling on her feet. She ignores it, tapping the powder off her shoes as she continues looking at the labels on various containers and tossing them in her bag.

“Hey! Stop right there!” calls out Michael. She looks up at him and brushes a few strands of her brown hair out of her face.

“I was sure I had at least three more minutes. Wait a sec,” she shines a light in his face from a glowing sphere, “you aren’t a guard, but you are kinda cute. You don’t see that many cute humans around this town.”

“Put down the bag and put your hands in the air.”

“But sir, this is my store. I’m just clearing out the expired products.”

“I’m not buying it.”

“Well if you’re not a customer then you shouldn’t be here at night. We close at 8:00.”

Michael hesitated for a moment, slightly confused. “You’re not getting out of here, put your hands up.”

“All right, all right, I’ll cooperate. But I’ll have you know I’m not robbing the place. I’m just… reallocating the inventory.” She sat the bag down on the counter and put her hands above her head. “So, What are you going to do to me? You don’t even have a weapon.” she grinned.

“We’ll see what happens when the guards get here. Come over here, slowly.” Michael looked around the room, finding a length of rope. She slowly walked towards him then stopped suddenly.

“Wait, how do I know you’re not just going to rob the place yourself? Hey! You’re just going to leave me here and take the goods for yourself, aren’t you?”

“What!? I would never do such a thing.”

“Why not? Alchemy supplies sell really well. Take this for example.” she tossed a large glass jar at him. Michael dropped the rope and reached up, catching it but stumbling backwards over a stool and falling down, landing on the cat’s tail. The screech from the cat could be heard throughout the neighborhood. Michael picked himself up off the ground.

“Don’t move! Put your hands up!” came a familiar voice from behind. The city guard had arrived. “Just going for a walk, huh?” said Captain Isilen. “I knew keeping an eye on you would pay off eventually.”

“Isilen, I’m not the one you’re after, it’s her.” He motioned towards the counter, but the girl was no where to be seen. “Look, there was a human girl here a second ago. I came in when I heard the ruckus.”

“So you had an accomplice? Search for her.” He signaled to the other guards. “As for you, you’re coming with me.” One of the guards took the jar Michael was holding as Isilen pulled his arms behind his back, binding him.

“You know you’re making a mistake, right?”

“No, chell. You made the mistake when you crossed me.”

Michael slowly began to drift off to sleep, his mind somewhat clear of the haze of the previous day and the events of the night. Just as the cool refreshment of slumber entered his mind, the sound of metal slamming against stone jolted him awake. He could hear voices coming from down the hall, but barely make them out. It sounded like two guards yelling in High Elven and a girl screaming back at them in Common. Oh no… Michael sat up on his bed as the two guards brought the girl to his cell, opening the door and shoving her in and on to the floor. The guards slammed the door behind her, locking it tight, and went off.

The girl lie face down on the ground for a while, without moving. Michael sat up and looked over to her, expecting her to get up at any moment, but she didn’t. She was perfectly still. He sat up on his bed and continued to watch her. “You okay?” he asked. She said nothing. He stood up and began approaching her, but she began softly tittering. The tittering grew to chuckling as Michael watched, and she continued to laugh as she rolled onto her back. Michael was very confused by her behavior, but she really appeared to be enjoying herself. Her laughs continued until it was an outright guffaw. “What’s so funny?” He asked, confused.

“Ha ha ha! Oh man, I am such an idiot. I can’t believe I didn’t see that coming.” she snickered.

“See what coming?”

“I had a clean break and I was in the clear, but I had spilled something on my boots. I stopped to try to clean them off and that’s how the guards found me. They followed the trail of dust and there I was sitting just in a corner with one shoe off, trying to get that crap out of it. They dragged me here with just one shoe on.” She laughed as she picked herself off the ground, dusting the dirt off of her cloths and untying her remaining boot.

“I don’t see why that’s so funny. You got caught and now you’re going to be on trial in a few days. Serves you right.”

“Eh, it’s not so bad.” she went over to the other bed, unfurled the blanket and sat down. “I get a warm bed, a free meal, and someone to talk to for a few days. Living alone on the streets isn’t the glamorous lifestyle you read about. Just trying to get by. Never knowing where your next meal will come from. Fearing what will happen if you’re caught. Of course, sometimes when you’re caught your conditions just end up better, like now!” She placed her boot under the bed.

“That’s an interesting perspective, I suppose, but you still are going to pay for your crimes.”

“Eh, I’m not worried about it.” She lied down in the bed, wrapping the thin blanket over her. “You’re a hired guard, right? You were just doing you job; what you believed was the right thing to do. Looks like it got you into a mess of trouble though, huh?”

“Yeah. Captain Isilen really has it out for me. Hopefully this doesn’t get back to the Academy.”

“The Academy?”

Michael hesitated since he just met the girl. “Just a school I went to. Don’t worry about it”

Kismet looked over at him. The discontent was palpable. “Okay, I know I got you in a mess and you probably don’t like me for it, but we’re going to be cellmates for a couple days. Let’s just try to get along. You can go back to hating me once we’re out of here.”

He sighed. “Fine, whatever.”

“So you know the Guard Captain and he still threw you in jail?”

“He’s had it out for me for a while, since I replaced him.”

“These elves can be pretty uptight. Wait, you replaced him, doing what?”

He turned over on the bed, facing the wall. “He use to just be a bodyguard which apparently he was happy doing. When I arrived here he got promoted to Guard Captain, above a lot of the officers. It was a huge promotion, but he detested it. Anyway, it’s late. I want to try to get some sleep.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” she yawned. “Talk to you in the morning!”

Michael made himself as comfortable as he could in the bed. He wish he was at the Reloryn’s place in his normal bed. “My name is Michael, by the way.”

She turned over and face him with a smile. “You can call me Kismet. Nice to meet you!” She snuggled up in the blanket, closing her eyes.

“It’s too bad it wasn’t on better terms.”

“That’s Fate for you.”

I copied this directly from the wiki and it kept all the formatting.

The Greasy Roost Tavern and Inn, a name couldn’t be more fitting for this establishment. The floors were filthy and covered with muck, the kind that stick to your feet and rip away onto the soles of your boots as you walk. The air is thick with the stench of the strange boiling meats, who know what they’re cooking. It is Fifthday night, the busiest night of the week and the dregs of society would all be here to enjoy themselves. Despite all of this, She was hungry, cold and tired. She hadn’t eaten anything that could be considered food in several days, though she doubted that there would be something considered food available here. It was difficult traveling on her own for the last week trying to avoid the dangerous of the wilderness, barely sleeping at night on the cold hard ground. A stranger offered her a ride for her journey today which was fortunate and allowed her to make better time, especially since he didn’t ask for anything in return. He left in such a hurry, though, that the girl wasn’t able to get his name or thank him properly. It had been a long time since she had a warm place to sleep and this would probably be her only chance. a few more days of travel left before she would reach her destination and this… facility… would have to do for now.

She crept up to the door opened it, peering inside. It was as bad as she imagined. The place was full of people from all walks of life, particularly the seedy underbelly. Pirates on shore leave, cargo workers, miners, all sorts of dirty, filthy people. She was hoping for the feeling of security local guards could provide, but there was no authority here save for the few groups of freelance adventures. Adventurers, they’re always so obvious. At a table near the window she saw two dwarves, two gnomes and a kender looking over what appeared to be a map. Probably some dungeon they were planning on exploring. Are they members of the Crimson Seal? Yes, it looks like they are. In the back is a cloaked shadowy figure sitting alone with his drink. So much effort to hide only seems to be drawing him more attention. There is a group of four wood elves and a human at another table with parchments and a bunch tetrahedrons. Looks like they’re playing a game, but between the tumult from the crowd and incomprehensible din that these people called music it is difficult for her to see how they can focus. The majority of the people here are human which leaves a very uncomfortable feeling in our her stomach. Or maybe it is just hunger. Food is important right now.

The young girl was drawing much more attention than she had hoped. The crowd was watching her. She could hear their whispers. She could feel their eyes.

“Who’s that cute elf at the counter?” a burly human inquired to his friends.

“Which one HA HA!” a particularly hairy human responded. “They’s all sexy if ya ask me.”

“Red riding hood over there.” He pointed at her. She looked away and put her hood up to hide her face.

“Ne’er seen her before. What’s that she carryin’?”

“The book?”

“Yea tha wordbox. An’ ya catch her eyes? They’s green like those shiny rocks.”

“I’ve heard of this girl,” a third chimed in, “they say she’s a crazy witch from the west and steals peoples souls.”

“HAHA! Das tha girl? I heard she kilt her last husband an’ keeps his soul in tha book.”

“I heard she’s a Rakhiri and that’s the Tome of Lost Souls she carries with her. Rumor has it she never lets go if it because if she does she loses her power. I bet it would sell for a fortune.”

“Yeah?” the burly one replied, “I hear that she stole that book from a powerful mage and there is a reward for returning it!”

“Ya mean like his spellbook er somethin’?”

“Ya, mage or demon, without her spellbook she ain’t nothin’”

“Yar she got creepy eyes, but she looks like jus’ a little elfy to me.”

“Let’s take it an’ collect tha reward.”

“Yeah, let’s collect on that.”

“Let’s.”
* * *
§Danu belanor kialari no mariana§ the girl said to the man behind the counter.

“Sorry, miss, I don’t know High Elven.”

She looked at him puzzled, not fully understanding what he said. “Oh, um… I am sorry. I would like… to sleep tonight, …please?”

“30 silver a night for the regular rooms, 45 silver for the ‘luxury suite’.”

“…I do not understand.”

He glared down at her, placing both hands on the counter and leaning into her face. “THIR-TEE SIL-VER.”

How rude of him! She may have not been fluent, but she wasn’t dumb. She would never be treated this way in Elven land. The humans of this society were crude barbarians! But still, she wanted a bed. It had been so long since she had a good night sleep, she figured it would be in her best interest to just get this exchange over with so she could sleep and maybe get a meal. She reached into the side pouch of her haversack to get her coin purse. What? Gone?! How could this be! All of the money she had was in– The traveler! The one that gave her the ride, he must have stolen it! That is why he was in such a hurry to leave. She sighed.

“I am sorry, I have not any money.”

“No coin, no room.”

Another night in the cold. She would have to find someplace reasonably safe to stay. She turned and headed out of the Inn.

At least it was quiet outside, besides the sounds of wolves howling and the indoor crowds echoing. She walked down the road for a bit, pondering where should could stay. She picked up her pace, hoping she’d be able to lose the four people she felt following.

“Lost, cupcake? Need a place to stay?” A voice came from behind. “Don’t worry, we’ll take care of you, hun.” She felt a large, greasy hand on her shoulder forcefully turning her around. It was those three ruffians that were talking about her earlier. She clutched her book, holding it tighter against her chest.

“Let’s get a good look at you.” He pulls her hood off and grabbed her face. Her smooth, youthful face was smudged with dirt. He glared into her at her emerald green eyes, though she refused to look at him, quivering in fear.

“You don’t look like some demon witch, just a weak little worthless blue blood.”

“Le– Let me go,” she squeaked helplessly, §Anula baniri korana.§

“Hand over the wordbox, girly.” the hairy one demanded as he grabbed it from her.

“No!” she resisted, gripping the book as tightly as she could and pulling with all her strength.

“Let go of it, wench!” He shouted, pushing her to the ground. The book fell dropped to the ground. She dove on top of it, refusing to let it go. The hairy man swung his heavy boot kicking her hard in the chest and flipping her over in the dirt.

“It isn’t yours anymore,” The burly one said as he reached down to retrieve the book, “but don’t worry, we’ll take good care of you.”

“It doesn’t belong to you, either.” rang another voice. “Now the girl her book back and leave her alone.”

>> Resolution of current situation. Ruffians scared off somehow <<

“Sorry about them. Some people in this town care about nothing but themselves.” He helped her off the ground, picking up her bag as well and handing it to her. “You must not be from around here. I saw you in the inn, were you looking for a place to stay?”

She clutched her book silently, looking away.

“If you need a place to stay I know of one that would be safe. I’m sure someone of your heritage wouldn’t want to stay in a place like that.”

“…”

He was puzzled why she wasn’t responding to him. She must have been under a lot of stress from that assault, he thought, especially since she clearly isn’t from arou– Of course! She’s a high elf foreigner. She probably isn’t fluent in Common.

§I am sorry. My name is Michael. My Elven is not very good. Do you need protection?§

She blinked and looked up at him, surprised to hear these words. §Please help me! I am trying to get to Toren! I have been lost and alone for four days! I am so hungry and tired, please help me get to Toren! …but I cannot pay you.§

He looked a little distraught, but smiled politely. §My Elven is not very good. I do not speak High Elven.§

§…I want to go to Toren.§

§You are going to Toren, but it is late. Would you like some food and a place to sleep?§

§Yes. I have not eaten.§

§Okay. You can stay with me. What is your name?§

§My name is Dracaena.§