Chapter One

     The constant shifting woke Ringo from her slumber. As her eyes pried themselves open, she felt her bed moving. Scared, she shot herself up and hit her head on the wall. The movement stopped.
      Rubbing her head, she slowly realized her location; some sort of box with only one window. There was a thin man staring back at her through the window. “Seems you have awaken, Miss Golden Lips,” he said. “Just be patient with us until we arrive.”
      “What do you mean?” she was not unfamiliar with seeing strangers out of nowhere, though this was the first she awoke outside the temple with one. And inside a box.
      Grinning, “My Lord would like to meet with you. But don’t fret, Miss. We’ll return you once he’s done.”
      “Who’s your lord?”
      The man chuckled at the girl. “You’ll see soon enough. Just rest in there while we escort you.” Ringo did not get to ask anything more, or even comment, since the man departed from the window and vanished from her sight.
      Sighing, Ringo stared out the tiny window and watched the trees pass. There was no main difference in what she saw; maroon trees, green trees, orange trees, a cut-down tree, some traces of a river, and even more trees of the same variety. As the clear blue sky began to blend with orange, her eyes became heavy.
      Not wanting to fall asleep, Ringo tried her best to stay awake. In an attempt to conquer sleep, she inched toward the window and poked her head out. From her spot, she saw that she was several feet in the air. On her sides, she saw the bodies of men—one was facing away from her, the other towards—and both had wooden planks on their shoulders.
      “Miss, please get back inside,” the man facing Ringo requested.
      “Why?”
      “Because you’ll make the carriage trip if you make it so uneven.” Pouting, Ringo moved back into the so-called-carriage and sat in the center the best she could. But now she was left with nothing to do and her eyes became heavier and heavier…
      Suddenly, the box jolted and Ringo hit her back hard despite the cushioning. “Holy Shit!—look what you’ve done, fools!!” was yelled, followed by the sound of people stepping on branches, passing the shrubs and leafy plants in their way.
      “Ow…” the girl tried to get out of the awkward position her body was left in. The cushions inside were impossible to move to the side because there was so little room.
      Voices surrounded the box and Ringo paused her movements. A loud noise sounded when the box was opened. “Let’s move these pillows aside, and…” the cushions were removed from above her seemingly by the person the voice belonged to. “Hello!” Ringo popped her head up from the box and found three people staring.
      “There really was a girl in there…” The tall, blue-haired man commented as a tanned woman with pointy ears assisted the girl up from where she sat. The other person was a woman with short blonde hair who changed her focus to the nearby woods.
      “Were those men even guards?” the blonde commented. Sighing,  she turned back to Ringo. “So, we rescued a kid. What now?”
      “First, we help her out. Then, we do whatever happens.” The tanned woman explained. Looking at Ringo, she smiled; “Hey, I’m Siesel the Elf.” Pointing respectively, “The man is Sirrus the Fraction and the blonde is Elise the Human. What’s your name?”
      “Name?” Ringo thought aloud, “‘Ringo’… I think.”
      “You think?” Sirrus asked with a lowered brow.
      “I haven’t been called it for a while, so I’m not really sure.”
      “So those men we just scared-off held you prisoner for a long time?” Siesel asked with concern. “But, still, that’s pretty weird for them to not even ask or refer to you with your name…”
      “No, no,” Ringo waved her hand as if to clear the thought away. “I just met those guys. I don’t normally interact with people, so that’s why I haven’t been called my name for so long.”
      “Great, we rescued a hermit.” The blonde rolled her eyes and pulled a piece of paper from her side pouch. She adjusted the paper and used her free hand to grab the compass dangling from her neck. When the needle became still, “There’s a village not that far away from here. We can dump the girl there, and we can rest at an inn.”
      “Village?” Ringo looked towards Elise with bright eyes. “Is it near a mountain?”
      “Mountain?” the one with the map asked back as she glanced at the map again, “No, no mountain. There’s a lake, though.”
      Ringo’s eyes dimmed at the news. Siesel patted the girl on the back, “So you live near a mountain? Do you know its name?”
      “I don’t know the name, but I know there’s a village right at the foot of it.” She explained. Sirrus walked up to Elise and took the map from her.
      “Sirrus?”
      “I don’t see any mountains in this region,” he declared. “But there are a bunch of them up North.”
      “Is it cold at your village?” Siesel tried to obtain more details.
      “It’s really windy.”
      “If it’s a mountain, it’s always windy.” Elise took her map back from the man and returned it to her pouch. “But there’s a village nearby, so you can see if someone there has any idea of where you live.”
      “Okay,” Ringo smiled. Sirrus headed-off first, soon followed by the other three. 

     The group entered the village in silence. Nothing was said on their way to, and it seemed nothing was to be said soon. There were sounds in the distance, but the streets were empty. Elise frowned at her view, “Is this a ghost town?”
      “Can you hear the people in the distance?” Siesel asked the blonde who nodded her head in response. “Then, this isn’t a ghost town; Humans aren’t able to hear the spirits.”
      “That’s not right…” Ringo interrupted.
      Siesel looked at the girl, “What?” She giggled. “Humans that can hear spirits are just magical beings in disguise. Are you not a Human?”
      “But there was a Human that wished to hear the spirits.” She looked at Elise, “That man looked similar to you.”
      Elise laughed and waved the thought away. “Little girl, I don’t want to have to tell you this, but wishing doesn’t do shit.”
      “If you didn’t want to tell her, then you didn’t have to,” Sirrus stated. When Elise gave no response, he headed off. “I’m going to find an Inn.”
      “Ah, wait, Sirrus—“ Siesel called-out. “Take Ringo with you!”
      Sirrus stopped and looked back at the Elf while both Elise and Ringo stared at the girl. “W-wait, Siesel! Why does he have to take this brat with him?!”
      “Calm your tits, Elise.” Siesel sighed. She placed her hands on Ringo’s shoulders, “With Ringo, we can try to get a discount.”
      “Huh?”
      “Oh, right. Some inns have children discounts.” Elise grinned. “That’s a good plan, Siesel!”
      “I’m not against it, but is she really a child?” Sirrus asked. The females stared at him. Turning his head from them. “Nothing. If you want to try it, I’ll see if it’ll work.”
      “Okay, Ringo: Just go with Sirrus and act like a child when you enter the inn.” Elise explained. “You can manage that much, right?”
      “I guess…”
      “Good, now hurry and get us a discount!” both Siesel and Elise laughed. Siesel pushed the girl forward towards Sirrus and waved the two farewell. When Ringo caught up to Sirrus, the two headed off.
      “Do you think it’ll work?” Siesel asked.
      “Not a chance,” the blonde replied. “But we can get some supplies without him complaining.”
      “True,” the Elf laughed. “Let’s have some fun!”

     “So, you’re saying this girl is under the age of twelve?” the man behind the counter at the inn interrogated. He adjusted his glasses as he stared hard at Ringo. “Are you sure?”
      “Yes.” Sirrus’s face was calm.
      “Miss, are you really a child?” the man asked.
      Ringo grabbed hold of Sirrus’s sleeve. Looking at him, her brows lowered, “Why are you saying I’m a child?” Sirrus just stared at her.
      “What are you—”
      “But I’m already eleven, Sirrus!” Ringo declared. “Everyone says I’ve matured, too! Why can’t I be a grown-up, too?”
      “Uh…” Sirrus’s mouth twitched, “I’m sorry?”
      “You’re so mean, Sirrus!” Ringo continued her act. The man behind the counter snorted and caught their attention.
      “She’s such a brat, damn!” he tried to stop laughing so hard with trouble. “Okay, okay… You get the discount, Sir. There’s no way a woman would sacrifice her pride for this—Hah!—eleven makes an adult! Hilarious!!”
      “Y-yeah, funny stuff kids say…” Sirrus went with it. The man behind the counter wiped his tears away and reached to the lower part of the counter for some keys.
      “Here, heh, two rooms. Both twins—hah!—take care of your sis, alright?” he handed the keys over to Sirrus.
      Grabbing them, “Yeah… I’ll do my best, thanks.”
      “Thanks, Mister!” Ringo smiled. She pulled on Sirrus’s sleeve. “C’mon, Sirrus, let’s go check-out the rooms!”
      “S-sure…” Sirrus let the girl pull him. The two went up the nearby staircase and searched the narrow hall for the rooms that matched their keys. “Here’s one of them.”
      Sirrus inserted the key and turned the knob. Ringo rushed into the room once the door was open. “Do I stop pretending, now?”
      “Yeah.” Sirrus walked to one of the two twin beds and sighed,  placing the room keys on the table beside him. He removed his cloak, placed it at the bed’s end, and sat on the bed.
      “Isn’t that uncomfortable?” the girl asked.
      “What?”
      “That thing on your back.” She pointed to the object that was easily seen without his cloak.
      “Huh?” Sirrus used his hand to see. He pulled his Bo staff out of its carrier. “You mean this?”
      “Yeah, isn’t it uncomfortable to sit with?”
      “No, it’s not.” He put the staff back in its case, undid the carrier, and placed it beside the head of the bed. He also removed his boots and belt that held his knife. The shoes were left on the floor, the belt on the table next to the keys. “I’m going to get some rest, so keep watch for Siesel and Elise.”
      “Oh, okay.” 

     Ringo sat on the bed opposite of Sirrus and watched the Sunset through the window. Her eyes were growing heavy, but a knock at the door soon sounded. Snapped awake, she got off the bed and answered the door.
      “Yes?” Siesel and Elise, both with a few bags each, were at the entrance.
      “Where’s Sirrus?” Elise frowned.
      Ringo looked toward her right, “Asleep.” The other two girls peeked past the door.
      “Aw, isn’t that just precious?” Siesel giggled. “He looks so calm.”
      “Huh?”
      “Hurry and give us the key to the other room so we can put these heavy ass bags down,” Elise ordered, lifting her bags higher for emphasis.
      “R-right.” Ringo grabbed the keys from the table near Sirrus. She fiddled with them to find their numbers, “Which room?”
      “This is room eleven,” Siesel explained. “But take both since we can’t really, y’know, open the door.”
      “Okay.” Ringo exited the room, closing the door behind her, and went with the two women to find the other room. When they found it, Ringo used the key and opened the door for the two.
      Siesel and Elise rushed into the room and placed the bags down on the nearest bed. “I can’t feel my arms!” Siesel complained. She moved her arms in strange motions and kept whining.
      “Stop complaining. You’re the one that said she could handle more shopping.” Elise reasoned, taking a seat on the bed. “And I took the heavier ones, too.”
      “But Elves are horrid at physical stuff, and you know that!” she kept whining.
      “And Humans are shitty at Magick. We’re even.”
      “Um…” Ringo spoke-up. She was still holding the door, unsure of whether or not to close it or to even stay or leave.
      “Oh, right. The brat’s here…” Elise frowned.
      “You can hang with us for a bit, Ringo,” Siesel smiled, grabbing the door from Ringo and closing it. “It must have been boring with Sirrus.”
      “He was asleep,” Ringo reasoned while she was led to the empty bed by the Elf. Both sat on it while Elise dug through the bags beside her on the other bed.
      “See, Sirrus is very, very dull Fraction.” Siesel explained. “He’s too busy thinking about his goal than enjoying his adventure. He’s super boring.”
      “Siesel, don’t summarize it like that.” Elise advised as she brushed her short hair with a newly bought brush. “You always make things more confusing that way.”
      “Then you explain it, Miss I-Love-Boring-Guys.”
      “F-fine,” the blonde blushed a slight pink and put the brush back in the bag. “Ringo, Sirrus has a lover.”
      “A lover?” Ringo blushed.
      “Yep. Well, he says she’s just a friend, but it’s obvious he loves her.” Elise continued. “See, he never got to say good-bye, so when he was old enough, he left his home and family to go find her.”
      “But if he’s boring, why would you travel with him?” Ringo turned to Siesel.
      “Hey, don’t ignore me!”
      “Ah, well…” Siesel looked away from the girl. “I have… my own reasons, so… yeah.”
      “Fine, just ignore me.” Elise removed the bags from the bed and placed them on the ground. She took her shoes and pouch off and crawled into the empty bed. “I’m going to bed. Good night.”
      “Good night,” the Elf giggled. “Ringo, I’m also going to bed. You share the room with Sirrus, okay?”
      “Okay.” Ringo got up and headed towards the door. She opened it, and before leaving, “Good night.” 

     The group arrived back at the village’s entrance. The bags Siesel and Elise brought to the inn with them were gone, and Ringo had bags under her eyes. Sirrus was quiet.
      “So, this is where we part, Ringo…” Siesel hugged the girl. “It was nice meeting you, so be safe.”
      “Yeah, yeah. Nice meeting you.” Elise was looking at her map and compass. “Hmm, there’s a city about a day away. If we walk fast enough, we might reach it before evening…”
      “Gee, you’re so kind, Elise.” Siesel stuck her tongue out at the blonde.
      “Um,” Ringo spoke up, raising her head so her mouth was above Siesel’s arm. “Can I come with you?”
      “What?” Elise clutched the map and whacked it against the girl’s head. “Do you have any idea how difficult traveling is? There are thieves, rapists, Elves, and a bunch of other bad stuff!”
      “Are you forgetting that I’m an Elf…?” Siesel mumbled.
      “But—“ Ringo frowned.
      “Wouldn’t it be safer for her to come with us?” Sirrus interrupted. The three looked at the man. “She says she lives near a mountain, and there are no mountains in the South. We’ve passed the Equator long ago, so she’d take a long time getting back to the Northern region.”
      “T-that’s true…” Elise pouted. “And there’s no telling where her village is since many villages are near the mountains, up there.”
      “Then we can’t let such a cutie travel by herself!” Siesel chimed in, releasing the girl from her grasp. “That’s just cruel and unusual punishment, you horrid Human!”
      “I am not horrid, you damn Elf!” Elise protested. “It’s already hard enough traveling with three; four will be too much!”
      “You’re just worried about competition, you whore!” Ringo edged away from the two as Siesel continued.
      “Who the hell would be worried about some brat?!”
      The two women showed no signs of stopping. Both Sirrus and Ringo watched them in silence. After a while, Sirrus instructed, “If you want to come with us, then hurry up.” He began to leave the two loud ones.
      “R-right!” Ringo smiled and hurriedly followed after the tall man.