I was running. Running like my life depended on it. I could hear the heavy footsteps of my pursuers behind me. My parents were telling me to hurry up. I tried but fell, twisting my ankle. I couldn't run anymore. The bad men were catching up. I was scared and cried for my father. He ran back and picked me up. He hid me in a nearby shrub. He told me to hide myself and stay silent until the bad men had gone. He left me alone and ran back to mama. I heard people shouting. Scared, I curled up into a ball and tried to block out the noise.

Everywhere was hot and bright. Beads of sweat lace my brow. Papa gave a shout. Metal clashed against metal. They sounded like swords. I heard mama scream then everything was silent. The flames gradually died down and I heard people leaving. I stayed there and waited, to make sure the bad men were gone. When I crawled out of the shrub, I saw mama and papa lying on the floor.

They looked like they were sleeping. I tried to wake them up but they wouldn't budge. I thought they were trying to trick the bad people by playing dead, so I told them the bad men had gone. I was confused when they still didn't get up. I shook papa in my attempt go wake him and felt something wet coming from his side. It was blood. That was when I realised, they were never going to wake up again.

I woke up gasping for breath. I looked around to find myself alone in my cabin. I had been alone for most of my life. For as long as I could remember, I'd been hated by both human and Fae. I had been ostracized by both worlds. Acceptance was a dream that I had long since given up on. The only person I had or needed was me, myself and I.

When I finished bathing, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. My bright red hair cascaded down to my waist in waves. My fae blood was made obvious through my pointy ears, sharp canines and unnatural eyes. They were emerald green and ringed with gold. But as the years went on they lost their shine and became as weary and as lifeless as their owner. I turned away and quickly changed into my hunting gear. I was running low on resources and needed a big haul. As I left, I grabbed my bow and quiver full of arrows.

I lived in a cabin in the Forest of the Dead, on the outskirts of the village. In the past, the forest was often used as a battle ground for fights between humans and fae. But it wasn't until after the Great war that it was nicknamed the Forest of the Dead. The humans do not remember how it actually started but they do know that it lasted for a long time and many lost their lives. This was one of the main battle grounds for the Great War. Although the humans don't remember how it started, they all know how it ended. After the two queens of Hudoliaeth died, a new ruler was crowned and he made an enchanted treaty which both and fae have to abide by or else face death at the hands of their enemy. The main focus of the treaty was that fae could no longer enslave humans, nor could humans step foot in Hudoliaeth.

After the war the trees never grew leaves and the flowers never bloomed even though 500 years had passed since. There were many theories as to why this was so. The most popular one was that the forest had absorbed too much blood and became a haunting ground for the vengeful spirits of those who had died in battle. As I walked deeper into the forest, my senses became more attuned to my surroundings. Due to my fae blood all 5 of my senses, as well as agility, strength and speed, were enhanced and better than most creatures. I heard twigs snap ahead of me. I quickly loaded my bow and approached the noise. A large deer was grazing around 20 meters ahead off me. His antlers were large and would sell for a lot and his fur shone with a gold hue. It had been years since anyone had sighted a gold deer. He was my meal ticket. I quickly sent two arrows flying. One aimed at its heart, the other at its head. It stumbled for a bit and hit the floor dead. I rushed to it, hoping to get there before some other beast tried to claim my prey. I lifted the deer and carried it back to my cabin.

The was a rustling of leaves behind me. I turned around to locate the source of the noise only to find nothing. I picked up my pace as I made my way home. I could feel eyes burning holes in my back. I turned around to find nothing. Something was out there watching me but I couldn't find it and that worried me. I raced home with the deer on my shoulders before anything happened to me. After I had skinned the deer, cut off its antlers and stored the meat, I made my way to the market.

An unsettled murmur rippled through the crowd as I made my way to the market. Nervous glances and venomous glares were thrown at me as I walked past.
"It's the half-ling."
"She's dangerous! Stay away!"
"Why is she even here, shouldn't she be on the other side? I think she's a a spy!"
Hushed sneers filled my ears. Having enhanced hearing wasn't always a good thing. The deeper int the market I got, the louder the whispering got. Over the years I had learnt to ignore it and developed resilience.
"I heard she was abandoned by her parents and lives in the Forest of the Dead by herself."

It was hard to let that one be, but I swallowed my indignation and moved forward. When I got into the trading shop, I kept my head down and went straight to the back of the store. I greeted the store-owner, Marcus, as I entered.
"So Rhyannon, what have you got today?" His tone was gruff but not unkind. He let out a low whistle as I laid down my goods on the table.

"This is probably your best load yet. I'll give you 20 gold pieces for the fur and 50 silver pieces for the antlers." Marcus was my go to man.

He gave me the fairest prices I could get and didn't discriminate because I was half fae. 20 gold and 50 silver pieces was a lot but I wanted to see how much I could milk from him.

"Aww, come on Marcus, is that all your giving me? This stuff is worth at least 30 gold." He looked at me like I had grown 7 heads.
"You're havin' a laugh. This stuff ain't worth that much. But since you are my favourite customer I'll give you 22 gold and 90 silver pieces."

"Marcus," I sighed "You know how much I love round numbers, let's just make it 30 gold because I'm special and you love me the most." He looked at me and laughed
"Fine then, here's you're 23 gold." I thanked him as I took my money and quickly left the building. If I managed it right, that money would last me for a very a while. I walked around the market and bought 5 pots of paint, another bow, some arrows, bread, milk, vegetables and some new hunting clothes. Due to my amazing bartering skills I bought them all for only 70 silvers.

Whilst I was resting in my cabin, I heard laughter and music coming from the village. Memories of when me and my mother would sing and dance together flooded over me. We would make flower chains for ourselves and a flower crown for my dad. We would often pretend they were royalty and I was their little princess. I smiled to myself as I relived fond memories. Memories before everything went wrong.

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A/N Just to give you guys a brief idea of what the money system is like. 10 copper pieces = 1 silver piece. 100 silver pieces = 1 gold piece. 1 silver piece = £1