The only thing you could hear were crickets and frogs as the sun finally disappeared upon the horizon.  Soft footsteps padded up the stairs in the house just outside of town. “Don’t forget to braid you hair before you go to bed dear. If you don’t it will be so tangled in the morning we’ll have to cut it off.” Giggles erupted from half way up the stairs. “I won’t Mum.” The footsteps ascended the stairs once again, and ran down the hall way. “You know she’s seven-teen now dear. You don’t need to treat her like she’s Seven.” The soft voice a male came from the dining room. “I know. I’m her mother though. I worry.” Mum laughed as she walked back into the dining room, and sat down in her husband’s lap. “You should know she’s only seven-teen now dear. You don’t need to treat her like she twenty-seven. Taking her out and teaching her how to fight. “ She sighed, and shook her head. “Bah. You humans.” The man wrapped his arms around Mum, and chuckled. “She asked me to teach her. She’s very good, and don’t be like that.” He teased “ Bah. You Elves.” Mum wiggled away from him, and cleaned off the table.

Sitting down in front of her vanity mirror Sarissa stared at her reflection.  Jade green eyes stared into jade green eyes as if peering into another world. When she finally came back she shook her head, and grabbed the brush sitting in front of the mirror. She looked back into the mirror, and watched as the brush ran through her long dull red hair. It matched her Pale skin perfectly. “Sarissa are you done yet?” The man hollered up the stairs.. She jumped, as if pulled out of a day dream, and began to braid her hair. “Almost Dad!” she called back down. “I’ll be down in a second.” She finished braiding her hair, and tied it off as she stood. Sarissa wasn’t very tall, but she wasn’t short either.  She stood at Five foot Five inches, and not a millimeter more. She had a perfect weight of one-twenty-five which gave her a nice athletic build.

Dad turned away from the stairs, and walked out to the kitchen wrapping his arms around Mum placing a soft kiss against her cheek. “I’m going to give her present to her now. Would you like to come out to the barn?” Mum smiled and nodded. “I’ll be out in a second dear.” Dad turned, and walked out to the porch just as Sarissa made it down the stairs. “Dad! What ‘cha get me!” She exclaimed as she hopped onto his back. Dad laughed and wrapped his arms around grabbing her legs so he could hold her on his back. “Your getting a little old to be riding on my back now.” Sarissa groaned, and hugged him tightly. “Aw… But I’m all dressed for bed! I can’t get dirty Mum will be mad.” Mum now laughed from the door way. “She is right dear. I will be mad if she gets dirty.” She winked at Sarissa, and walked up beside Dad. “What DID you get her dear? I’m quite curious as well.” Dad laughed and walked off the porch headed for the barn with Mum in tow, and Sarissa on his back. “I’ve gotten you something very special.” He stepped through the doors, and made his was to an empty stall. He stopped, and smiled. “Surprise.” Mum raised an eye brow and looked at Dad with confusion, But Sarissa understood him. “OH GODS!” She screamed. “I’m getting a steed!” Dad nodded, and let her down. “That’s right.” He grabbed Mum. “I took the Liberty or breeding my Destier, with your mother’s mare.” He pulled Mum close, and wrapped his arm around her as if she was in it together with him. He had however bred her mare without asking. “The resulting foal will be yours.” Dad grinned, as did Mum, but Mum’s grind was different. Sarissa hugged them both and ran off to the house in a fit of excitement.

“Couch.” Mum folded her arms, and walked out of the barn with Dad close behind her. “Aww come on sweetie. I was gonna tell you. I slipped my mind.” Mum stood in the doorway, and looked back at him with angry eyes. “She is a mare of very high bloodlines. I love you dear, but that does not mean I can forgive you for mixing your war horse with my mare.” Dad grabbed her and hugged her. “But it’s for Sarissa.” Mum sighed as if she was giving in, and Dad smiled getting his hopes up. “You’re still sleeping on the sofa.” She pulled away from him, and stormed up the stairs to their room. Dad sighed and blew out the light. “Well sofa It’s just you and me tonight.”

The night went quietly until Sarissa was awakened by her mother’s screams. She sat up in bed as her moths burst in to the room. “Sarissa! Get up! Get Dressed! Now!” Mum pulled her out of the bed, and began tossing cloths at her. Sarissa, dazed and confused, began to change into her day cloths. Mum then grabbed Sarissa, and pulled her close. “Whatever happens, as soon as you get the chance take my mare Pony, and run get as far away as you can.” Sarissa nodded without a sound, and watched a Mum walked over to the door and peered out.

Dad stood with his back to the door, and his sword drawn. “Don’t you dare try to come in my house!” he yelled out to the trespassers. “I’ll kill you all!” He turned his head to see Mum creeping down there stairs. She nodded to him, and pulled a bow out of the closet with a quiver of arrows.  “She’s dressed just in case.” Mum whispered. Dad nodded, and mum walked over to the window peeking out.

Sarirra stood in the middle of her room scared stiff. She could not hear what sounded like a small horseback platoon surrounding the house. He body began to shiver. She closed her eyes tightly, and covered her ears. “Not happening. Not happening.” She repeated to herself. Suddenly there was a loud cracking noise, and screaming that Sarissa could not ignore. She opened her eyes, and dropped her hands just as the floor beneath her began to give out. She screamed, and scrambled for her bed as the floor caved in. She hit a pile of rubble as she landed, and the air was knocked out of her. Struggling for air, and unable to scream Sarissa flailed around trying to get up only to realize the house was on fire. She got to her feet, and turned around. Standing before was a massive black steed with fire were its mane should be. “N…Nn….Nightmare!” Sarissa turned on her heel running right into the fire.

Dad pressed his back against Mum’s as they covered each other. They had been forced out of the house when the Nightmare came charging in through the wall. They were out matched but holding their own. Dad looked back to the house, and broke formation. “Sarissa!!! Sarissa this way sweetie!!” He was then pulled back by Mum. “Pay attention, silly Human.” He smiled, and laughed as he stabbed a charging trespasser. “Have some fun, silly Elf.” Mum let an arrow fly, but she misses the man’s head by inches. Mum smiled despite the loss.

Sarissa, after hearing her father burst through the front door, and immediately hit the ground trying to put herself out. Her hair and clothing had caught fire. When she stood she looks around at the trespassers. They were all dressed in black; many had strange beasts with them, but most had large weapons. Sarissa looked at her panted, and took off running at full speed. She dodged around Mum, and Dad headed straight for the barn. She flipped the latch on the destier’s stall. “Go Help him!” she pointed out the door, and her father’s steed powered out the door. Sarissa grabbed the saddle, and began to tack up her mother’s horse. She was surprised she wasn’t followed, but didn’t spend too much time on the subject. She pulled the reigns, and Pony followed her out of the stall. “Hurry up. They might catch us. She ran in to the tack room, and grabbed her father hammer. He’d let her practice with it once, but it was still much too heavy. This massive hammer was half Sarissa’s height, and probably the best part her weight.  She hung it on the wall so she could mount Pony, and grab it. She tied the reigns around the horn so she could hold the hammer with both hands. She then glared out the door, and kicked Pony hard in the sides. “Go!” She screamed, and burst out of the barn taking down a trespasser almost immediately with the hammer.

Dad looked back as he heard Sarissa scream, and pointed his steed in her direction. “Keep her safe until she’s away.” The destier reared, and trampled several men before he came up beside Sarissa. Mum was out of arrows, and began bludgeoning men with her bow. “Till death!” She screamed as she charged a man. Dad did the same shortly after yelling the same thing. They were going to give everything to help Sarissa run.

Sarissa watched them with confusion as they yelled their strange battle cry. Dad’s steed slowly pushing her away from the fight, but Sarissa couldn’t help but watch. She watched as her mother was easily taken down with no real weapon, and her father went down fighting. They had to sever his head before he stopped fighting back.

“Mum! Dad!” Sarissa sat up screaming. Her breathing was rapid, and she was shivering. She got out of bed, and walked over to the dresser. “Damn, again.” She mumbled. “It’s been a year to the day. Oh gods! That reminds me!” She pulled her clothes on, and looked in the mirror. Her hair was now cut short with two long locks hanging over her shoulders. The locks fell to about mid chest. She didn’t had the heart to cut what long had hadn’t been entirely burnt short. Sarissa pulled her gaze away from the mirror, and crept out of the in to the stable.

“Stable boy are you down here?” She waited, and then heard him calling to her from Pony’s stall. “She’s finally in labor Miss!” Sarissa ran to the stall, and looked in. “The mare isn’t going to live is she?” The stable boy shook his head. “Not likely. She’s three months overdue, and the baby has gotten much too big. I’m surprised it’s survived.” Sarissa sighed, and nodded kneeling down to Pony’s head. “Come on dear push.” She stoked the mares head as the Stable boy helped with the birth.

In the end Pony died of blood loss, but the resulting colt was healthy as could be. He was moved to another stall as the stable boy arranged for his mother to be taken care of. Sarissa said her goodbyes, and held back tears as she walked over to the newborn. He was still lying down, and she raised an eye brow. “Come on now. You need to learn how to use those abnormally long legs of yours.” She grabbed the colt, and tried to help him up. “Come on fluff ball Get up we’re leaving tomorrow so you need to learn to walk.” Sarissa spent the rest of her evening teaching her new companion how to walk, be lead with a lead line, and drink from a bottle. Her luck was so down. She had no way do traverse long distances now, she had to buy extra good to feed the colt, and it was her eighteenth birthday and no one noticed.

Sarissa sat in the corner of the stall while the colt played around. “You need a name Fluffy boy.” She sat, and thought for a while. She looked at his color, and cringed. She hated chestnut, and just her luck the colt was red chestnut. She shivered, and sighed. “Such in ugly color, you take after your father in so many ways, but you have your mothers color.” She smiled to herself. “I guess that means I have a little bit of both my parents too.” She chuckled, and looked at the colt was standing face to face with her. She laughed. “Hmm well I have been calling you Fluffy.” She ran a hand through his baby fuzz. “Sir Fluffington?” She shook her head. “You mane is almost pink it’s so red, and boy do you have big legs. You’d going to be just like your father in size, and build aren’t you. Sarissa stood. “Fluffington Stuffypants!”

The stable boy stopped in the doorway and stared at her. “Do you want him to kill himself? What kind of a name is that?” Sarissa stood. “It’s his name because he’s fluffy, and fuzzy, and has big legs. So there.” She nodded to herself, and chased the boy away. “Don’t listen to him.” ‘why’ “Well because you name is just perfect for you.” ‘why’ “Stop asking questions.” Sarissa froze, and looked at the colt was looking back at her. ‘Mommy?’ Sarissa heard the words clear as day, but she couldn’t believe it. She fell to her knees trying to comprehend what was going on.

Sairssa left the town around mid afternoon. She managed to make a strap so she could carry her father’s hammer on her back while she carried her minimal things in one hand, and pulled Fluffington with the other. She still hadn’t come to terms with the fact she could understand him. In fact two hours out of town she wished she could understand him because he was bouncing along, and singing so far out of tune she thought her ears might bleed. ‘I’m a fluffy stuffy boy! Oh yes I am the real mccoy! Almost as sexy as Helen of troy! Doesn’t make you wanna jump for joy?!’ Sarissa stopped. “No. Not keep quiet I can’t even hear myself think with you.

Sarissa looked around the empty plain. She could see what looked like two people, and rubbed her eyes pointing. “Look I think that’s people.” The colt looked and shook his head. ‘you’re crazy.’ Sarissa jerked his lead line. “Shut up.” She began walking towards them even though they were nothing but specks on the horizon. ‘Mommy I’m hungry.’ “Eat grass” ‘but my baby stomach can’t digest that yet’ Sarissa glared down at him. “You’ll get food when we get to town. You ate all your food already.” The colt sighed, and grew quiet as the continued to chase the specks. Sarissa was getting tired quickly. She had to carry everything now that Pony was gone, and even though the hammer was easy for her to wield at this point it was still a heavy object. She didn’t think she could wait for Fluffington to grow up.

Holding her hand  up to the sun, Sarissa blinked. "So they are real." She looked down at the reddish pink stud colt. He shook his head and snorted. "What do you mean you know they were real? You’re a Liar!" The colt tugged at the lead line, and snorted again. "Oh don't even pull that tone with me mister!” Sarissa grabbed the colts halter, and pulled him towards the couple. She approached slowly, and bowed as she got close enough. “I’m sorry to bother on your journey, but I’m lost.” The colt gave a whinny and a snort as if to back talk. “Keep your mouth shut! You’re just as much to blame.” She covered her mouth. She forgot they couldn’t understand him. She smiled, and waved her hand as if to brush that incident away. “I’m sorry, but if you’re headed towards a town we’d appreciate it if you’d let up join you.” She smiled, and bowed again. To Sarissa’s surprise they let her, and Fluffington join them.