Mia's point of view-

I rubbed my arm, turning away from Lalea as my eyes teared up. I missed the way my long hair used to graze the back of my neck and fall over my shoulders. I could not believe what had just happened to me. The entire experience make me feel weak and defenseless in the moment, like I was completely incapable of protecting myself. I sniffed as I tried to stay strong and hold back my tears. I did not want her to see me cry. It would only prove further that I was weak.

"I had to. I didn't know what else to do." I confessed.

"It's okay, Mia." She spoke softly, getting up onto the bed and white sheets I sat on and went behind me.

We both sat in a small tavern in a small village a few miles away from the border of the empire. I was so uncomfortable with being anywhere remotely close to that dystopian h**l of a place. We both sat on the top floor, business running slow for the place so the two of us were lucky to be left alone. She sat behind me, a pair of scissors in hand as she snipped away at the uneven ends of my blonde locks that once reached to the end of my back. At least the owner of this place was kind enough to lend us the scissors and let us stay here for free with what had happened to me.
I sat on the edge of the bed, playing with my fingers but trying to stay as completely still as I could as I listened to the metal grind on metal each time she cut away a piece of my hair. She was making it even, since before it was a mess of strands of hair that were all a jumbled variation of different lengths, which honestly got on my nerves. At least she was leaving the long strands on the front nice and long. At least I did not have to cut those away to in my time of panic.

Her voice hit my ears, causing my back to straighten more. Hopefully I did not mess her up. "You did what you had to do."

I sniffed again, continuing to rub my arm as I searched for comfort. "I-I felt so helpless, Lalea... Those bandits...they just..." I bit my lip.

I recalled the moments of terror. Those moments when two men came out from the thick brush of the forest, one taking hold of me by the hair as the other attempted to steal everything I had and kill me if I did not comply. You would expect that I would have been more fearless in the moment, especially with all of the horrific things that had been through and how many times I have been close to death in my long 127 years of life.
But I was not brave, not strong. I was just a poor excuse for a strong woman. Just another helpless prey to a world full of greedy men. Sure, not all men are bad. I have met two who were more wonderful than I ever could have imagined. They were the best that I have ever met, and probably the kindest that I ever will have the pleasure of befriending. But in this country where women are rare to come by, females are just pray for both wealth and physical pleasure. At least the bandits that did this to me showed no intentions of rape, but still... I felt scarred.
In the end, I had to chop off a majority of my own hair to get away. I even cut off the b***ards hand in the process. Serves him right. My hair was now as short as a boys, most of it not even reaching the nape of my neck. If only I had reacted faster and not let them get the advantage over me in the first place...

The scissors stopped making noise, myself flinching as she suddenly hugged me from behind. My eyes grew, my tears finally slipping past my eyelids as she replied. "You were far from weak, Mia. You were brave. And do you know how I can prove it?"

I sniffed, a chuckle rising in my throat as I looked down, once again messing with my hands in my lap. "And what would that be?"

Lalea released her grip on me, moving over my left side. She pushed herself to her feet, the mattress lifting a bit as it lost her weight against it. She came around in front of me, bending down to get to my eye level and stare me in the eyes. Her long blue, wavy hair flowed over her shoulders and down her back, covering a bit more than half of her back. Her robe was a brilliant blue silk with golden trims. Her shirt was simply white with a brown strap going across her chest. I looked into her bright eyes, shining like the ocean.
She was a powerful Mage. In fact, she was the ex-head mage to the emperor back in the day. Drake was not the only magic that I have met in my long life. I was so thankful for her, because she was the one that saved me from the empire and freed me from being forced to act like an antique doll; a slave.

Her arm lifted up, gently touching my cheeks. "I can prove it, because you are still alive and well. Sure, you lost some hair, but you're unharmed and alive! You are brave, because you lived."

My lips perked up, smiling as I finally allowed my tears to flow. I suddenly leaned forward as fast as I could. My arms lifted up and wrapped around her, pulling her against my chest as I gripped her in a tight embrace. I sobbed into her shoulder, thanking her for being here for me when needed support.

She giggled, rubbing my back. "It's no problem. Besides, your hair will grow back. It will take time, but I'm sure of it."

I rubbed my face against her shoulder to wipe away the tears. "Yeah... Thank you."

She pulled away, looking back into my eyes with a smile. "It's no problem! Now, what do you say about going to the tailor across the road and getting you some new clothes that will make it easier for you to run? It's on me!"

I laughed and stood up, making her back up and straighten her back. I still felt uncomfortable with my appearance and I still felt that I could have been stronger, but I did not want to upset her further. I felt a strange feeling in my chest as the sight of her smile across her pale cheeks and the light giggle that came out of her throat. She was always so good to me.
We reunited and spent some time together after Drake, Grayson and I had separated and went through those portals. I walked out of a vast forest, took refuge in an inn somewhere up north and then...I found her again. After talking and laughing together...feelings that I had not felt felt for awhile resurfaced. I could not admit how I felt or the fact that I was attracted to both men and women. I knew that she would never feel the same.

I nodded, finally beginning to feel happy again. "Yeah! I would love that."
...

I walked out of changing room in the tailors a few days later. It had taken awhile for the tailor to finish making the clothes that I wanted, but of course that I normal. It just took a few extra hours considering that my new clothing consisted of leather and iron. Lalea had helped me with the design, which I was thankful for considering the fact that I was so used to the same old thing. The clothing took a few moments to get used to, with the leather fitting tightly around my body, but after moving around it started to become more comfortable.
The bottom layer, which was my shirt and pants, was made of dark green leather. The jacket layer was a slightly brighter shade of green with iron shoulder pads, a belt on my waist, and even my family crest on my chest, much like with my old dress, but this one was made or silver instead of gold. I put my own armor on my lower legs and had jacket straps on my torso. Lalea wanted me to have ones that were meant to hold a shield, but I do not own one.
I anxiously looked around the room after I was finished changing, a wide smile on my face as I impatiently waited to show Lalea my new attire. I was so excited to see what she would think, but when I walked out into the main room, she was gone. I walked up the tailor, wondering if he knew where she went.

"Um, excuse me sir, but do you know where my friend went? You know, the girl with the blue hair?"

He nodded, a smile coming on his bearded face with a long curled mustache. "Oh, she went to get something. She said that she would be back very soon."

I pouted. I really wanted her to be here I moment I came out of the changing room. My excitement dwindled and dimmed. What was it that she getting anyway that was so important? It did not take long afterwards for my head to lift up at the sound of the front door swinging open and the bell ringing above it. I saw her step in, her eyes widening and smiling as her eyes rested on me.

"Mia, you look beautiful! I'm so sorry that I left. I thought that I could get back before you were finished changing."

I felt my face get warmer from the blood rising in my cheeks. I put my hands together in front of myself, my heart thumping and my blush burning. "It's okay. So, what is that?"

I gestured to what she held in her hand. It was metal with iron around the rims and blue paint as the main color against it. There were designs that appeared to be wings, but what really caught my eye, was the three triangle family crest. It was a shield. I guess that's why she wanted me to get these jacket straps.

Her pretty eyes lit up again as she held up the shield. "I got this for you, custom made. I hired a blacksmith to make it for you. I thought that it would be useful."

Lalea walked up to me and handed it to me. I held out my arm and took it, my legs buckling and arm lowered as I took it's heavy weight. I looked at the decorative front and the plain iron on the back with a leather strap to hold it. My smile began to hurt, tears of joy filling my eyes. I looked up at her, my heart beating painfully fast. She's doing so much for me. If only I knew how to repay her. She's so nice and helpful... I guess that's why I have that little crush on her.

"For me? You don't have to do all of this for me Lalea."

She closed her eyes and gave out a sweet giggle. "I want you to be happy, Mia." She opened her eyes to give a glare but her smile remained. "Even if it means that I have to spend all of my money."

I laughed and gently pushed her. She laughed along with by before everything grew calm. I looked down at my new shield, still in disbelief that Lalea was doing all that she could to make me happy. What would I do without her? I knew that I had an attraction for her, one stronger than I had felt with other people, other than Grayson and Drake. I wondered what happened to Drake, since Grayson and I still send letters to each other. But then again, I have received a letter from him in a few weeks. Yet with Lalea, my feelings were stronger. Especially now.

My heart raced even faster as she reached down and took hold of my hand, beginning to pull me out of the shop. "Come on! I'll show you some more spells of mine!"

She pulled me out of the tavern, both of us walking down the path. We enjoyed going into the forest, and over to a small lake. It was a very beautiful piece of scenery. A perfect place to confess how I feel. Am I really ready for this? Can I tell her that I like her as more than a friend? Will she accept me after I tell her the truth? I guess I'll never know unless I get it out there.

I took in a deep breath, trying to steady my blood pressure and relax. "L-Lalea, I-"

My pointed ears then perked up at the sound of two people having a conversation. They sounded like two males, one a deep voice. They both sounded so familiar. I looked up at the trees that Lalea and I were approaching, seeing two figures approaching along the path of gravel. One had a short cape and blond hair, and one was abnormally tall with strange eyes and black going across the right side of his face.

"Do you think that we should stay here for the night? We've had a rough day." The blonde asked.

The tall one replied. "Yeah. I could really use something to drink and probably grab a bite to eat."

I was immediately able to recognize them. I was filled with an overwhelming joy, trying to resist the urge to run out and hug them both as tightly as I could.

"Drake! Grayson!"

They both looked up and spotted me, calling out my name in sheer joy and relief. They ran up to us as fast as their feet could carry them. Once they actually reached us, they were nearly out of breath. I couldn't believe that I was seeing them both again. I hugged them both, laughing and asking them how they were. Lalea seemed confused, so I introduced her to them.

"Lalea, these are Drake and Grayson! The two that I've told you about that defeated him."

Grayson and Drake both introduced themselves. Grayson shook her hand and said his name, then Drake did the same. "It's nice to meet you. Say, you wouldn't happen to be a Mage, would you?"

Lalea's eye lit up. "I am! I'm a head Mage."

"Wow! You must be very powerful then!"

Lalea seemed to take a lot of interest in Drake, both of them continuing to talk and bond. We all told each other of the things that happened while we were separated. Both of the boys seemed infuriated when I told them about the bandits that made me cut off my hair. We decided to go to the lake that Lalea and I were going to before we all reunited. Along the way, Drake and Lalea were really hitting it off. And it honestly made me feel nauseous.
I looked over at Lalea as she walked beside me, her eyes locked onto Drake who walked on her other side. Drake spoke of the time we went to the magic library and our battles with Herobrine. I knew that the tales only made her attraction for him grow. I looked down, thinking about how I felt about her and how I thought that she would never love me back. The red coloration on her cheeks only made me believe even more that she would never feel the same.
Immediately her and Drake formed a strong bond with one another. I gazed at my out of the corner of my eyes, taking interest in the gleam in her blue eyes. I saw the way that she looked at Drake. That bright gleam in her blue eyes and the rosy color that rose in her usually pale, soft cheeks when she set eyes onto him. I became nervous and anxious at the sight of that gleam. She liked him... and that was plain as day to me.
The moment that she met Drake and they spoke to one another, she had already fallen. It as if it like it was love at first sight. That moment when I saw the affectionate lust fill her eyes, I knew that it was too late for us. I knew that I was too late to confess. She had already given her love to someone else.