Beneath Your Eyes

Chapter 1: New Companions

Sarell sneaked a glance again at the two brothers walking alongside her. They couldn't be more different in looks, yet they did everything in sync, proving that they were related.

Griffin, the light haired brother who was directly on her right, was the older one, something he proved with his calmness and maturity. When Sarell had first looked into his eyes, she had almost gasped outright. They were the most beautiful emerald eyes she had ever seen in her life, but that wasn't what had shocked her. The shadows they contained were ones which spoke to her deep in her soul, like they both had gone through the same hell.

The younger Finnley was quite the opposite in both looks and personality. Not only was he dark haired with hazel eyes, but his features were more boyish while Griffin's were rugged, like those of a man's. Finnley was also more impulsive and talkative, something Sarell learned quickly as throughout their whole walk so far Fin was the only one who had spoken more than two words.

Sarell and Griffin remained quiet, both alert, and not really trusting one another. Sarell knew the only reason she was even with them was for protection. Not that she couldn't protect herself, but people asked more questions when they saw a girl alone-especially with the kingdom in turmoil as it was.

Her mind flashed back to when she had first seen them, first heard them. She normally had the most keen of senses, trained to hear the slightest sound in the silent forest. But when she had been stitching up the gash on her arm, the pain had overwhelmed her. She barely muffled her own sounds of pain, obviously not well enough or the brothers never would have found her.

The minute she heard them right behind her, she had spun around and raised her sword, even with her arm bleeding and the needle and thread hanging from her half-stitched gash. Immediately alert, even with the pain in her arm, she stayed strong and had lifted her chin up. "Who are you and what are you doing here?" She had asked, her heart pounding in her chest with fear-fear that they had found her and knew who she really was.

She did well at covering up the fear behind a veil of ice. Glaring at him, she stuck her sword further into his neck, to the point where it almost pierced his skin. Rather than look at her with pain, he surprised her by staying calm.

"Relax princess. We meant no harm. My brother and I heard someone in pain and only came to help." He slowly but surely pointed to his right, where his brother had drawn his own sword towards Sarell. The hilt of the sword was close to her, but she knew that if she had to, she could disarm them both and get away from them easily.

Noticing the dilemma behind her eyes, he continued talking in his calm, deep voice. "Why don't you lower your sword, and I'll help you stitch up that wound. You can decide what you want to do after that," he tried reasurring her with the kindness in his emerald eyes.

When she hesitated, doubt lingering in her eyes, he got impatient. "If we had wanted to hurt you, we would've done so already! Besides, what do we have to gain from killing a stranger, a young girl at that?" He ranted, with his body beginning to get impatient from being stiff for so long.

Yet, he still let her make her own decision and didn't disarm her like he could have in her vulnerable thinking moments. Realizing that she could use the help, she began to lower her sword slowly. Watching her with his hazel eyes, Finnley began to lower his sword as well.

Sheathing her sword, Sarell walked back to where she had been sitting down against the tree. Holding out her arm again, she looked with expectant eyes towards Griffin, who was watching her curiously.

"I'm Griffin Shadow and that's my brother, Finnley," he said as he began walking towards her. Once he reached her, he sat down alongside her, making sure he wasn't too close. Taking the needle from her other hand, he trained his eyes on her and pulled her injured arm towards him.