Chapter 3

"Where did he come from?" Ariel inched out into her backyard and looked up at the roof overhanging and the trees nearby. Is he wearing armour? Maybe it's some sort of cosplay. She took another step closer to him. Is he even alive?

She poked him with her foot. When he didn't respond, she knelt down beside him.

"Are you okay? Ah!" Ariel cried out as he lunged at her and pinned her to the ground.

"Quis es?" the man with long black hair growled at her and slammed her wrist against the ground to make her drop the kitchen knife. "Puella?"

What language is that?

"Tch." He swooped in and kissed her, long and hard, as his hair fell around her like a curtain.

"Mmm!" she let out a muffled cry and tried to pull free, but couldn't.

He backed away. "Better? Can you understand me now?"

Ariel's whole body shook, and her mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. I'm going to die... Tears pricked her eyes.

His eyes narrowed as he watched her. "A girl?" He glanced at the knife and back at her. "Why did you try to kill me?"

"I-I-I... I didn't!" Ariel cried, tears pouring out.

"That blade says otherwise."

This kitchen knife? "That... was to protect me from you!" Ariel tried to thrash around, but couldn't move under him. I should know how to get away. Conner taught me that much. Why am I so useless?

"You're.... no warrior." He backed off a bit more, but kept pinning her down as he looked around.

"Oh!" His ears!

"What?"

"Nothing." Better not to mention it. Maybe it's a birth defect, or he changed his body to be that way.

"Speak, woman, what is it?"

Ariel swallowed hard. "Your ears."

"What of them?"

"They're pointy."

He tilted his head to look at hers. "And yours aren't. You're not an elf?"

"Are you trying to say you are?" He's insane, isn't he?

"Of course. What are you?"

"Human."

He eyed her for a moment and sat up, releasing her wrists. Ariel scrambled back in the damp grass and wiped away her tear as she sniffled. His hands rested on his thighs as he sat on his feet, and he gazed up at the darkened sky. "I'm not in Uslin anymore, am I?"

"No; I've never heard of that place. We're in a suburb of a metro city in Ontario, Canada."

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "I've never heard of this place, either."

What do I do now? She glanced at the kitchen knife. I should take that back in, but he might think I'm up to no good. Something tells me I wouldn't be able to land a hit even if I tried. I'd probably end up with it in my gut.

"It must've been that witch." He thumped his fist on the ground, and she jumped. "She teleported me away to this land I've never heard of. Am I even on Asath anymore?"

"Asath? Is that the name of your planet? You're on Earth now." What do I do?! She inched away more. Where's Conner when you need him? Scratch that; two warriors together might make things worse.

"I need to find my way back to His Highness." He ran his hand through his hair and his purple eyes landed on her once again.

Ariel looked away, hugging her arm to herself as she tried to listen to the traffic passing by and birds chirping to distract herself.

"Girl, I'm sorry for scaring you."

"Ariel."

"What?"

"My name, it's Ariel."

"Oh, my apologizes." He bowed to her with his right hand over his heart. "I am Jade. And as much as it pains me to admit, I need your help. I am lost in an unknown world with no idea how to get back home."

"H-how am I supposed to help?" she stuttered. "I don't know anything about your world, or how to teleport there. Magic doesn't exist here... as far as I know."

"I require lodgings and food. I can sleep anywhere, but I prefer to have a roof over my head."

"I see... So you want me to let you stay in my house?" That's insane.

"Yes." He pulled out a small brown sack and opened it to show her a pile of gold coins. "This is all I have to pay you with."

"Ah... no, I can't take that. And." Ariel looked around. "I'm not the owner, so I can't let you stay here."

Jade sighed. "I see. I suppose I will have to look elsewhere for help. Point me to the way out, please." His eyes trailed along the tall, wooden fence encasing their backyard under the darkened sky.

Why do I feel bad about this? I can't have some strange elf-man living in my house. That's not safe. But can I let him wander around with nowhere to go? Especially, looking like that.

"Well." She stepped towards him. "We should at least find you some different clothes, and maybe a hat to hide the ears. Humans aren't likely to respond well to the unknown." Conner's clothes should fit him.

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Does this mean you're willing to help me?"

"A little bit, but if my brother comes home and sees you, he's likely to freak out. Bringing a strange man into our home and all..."

"Oh, I see. I'm sorry, I didn't think of that. I'm a bit disoriented still. It wouldn't look good for a young woman to bring a man home, especially if there's no one else there. I can wait out here for your brother."

"Uh... Not what I was thinking. He might not be home tonight."

"You're left alone here? Aren't you a bit young for that?"

"I'm sixteen."

His eyes widened. "The same age as me. An adult—"

"You're not an adult until you're eighteen here. And I don't know what he'd think of it, but he would worry about my safety."

Jade nodded. "So, it would be best if I find my own accommodations? But if I can't use my money here, then I'll have to seek shelter in the wild."

"If that's real gold, you could pawn it off for our currency, but that still doesn't help the..." Ariel pointed at her ears. I wonder what they feel like.

Jade stepped close to her, brushed her long bangs behind her ears, and she froze.

What is he doing now? Was stealing my first kiss not enough?

He glided his finger along the rim of her ear, and she shuddered, hugging herself.

Geez, what was that?

Jade closed his eyes. His ears glowed blue and transformed, losing its elongated form as it matched her curves.

"Wow..."

"How do they look?"

"Normal? Human? Is it bad if I say I kinda liked them before?"

Jade smirked. "Thank you, but this should help me blend in better. One more thing." He knelt down in front of her with his hand over his heart. "I don't know if it'll mean much coming from a stranger, but I give you my word as a royal knight that I will not harm you."

Aside from pinning me to the ground because of the kitchen knife, he's less threatening than those girls. "Thank you. How about we go inside? It's getting chilly."

"I'm sorry for the delay. You must be cold in those thin, short clothes."

"It's a school uniform, but yes, my jacket is inside. Please, come in." She held open the back door. "Boots off."

"Yes, ma'am."