Free No One's Chosen by Randall Fitzgerald

well-being.
It did not serve one, she thought, to ignore hard truths whatever
the subject. And the Drow had spoken truly. As had Cosain, fires
take him. She was weak and childish. Her head was brimming with
ideas of justice and grand speeches about respect and fairness, but
what had she done to truly move the world toward them?
    The air was almost cold that morning, but still she
dressed lightly. Swings in temperature had never much bothered her
and, besides, it would be roasting hot again by the time the sun
met the top of the sky. She kept a fairly slow pace, wandering
aimlessly through the slums. She had no particular destination in
mind, but she figured she would want to meet up with Teas later in
the day. Teas's parents ran a small scrivening shop on the far side
of the Low District from Cosain's shop. Óraithe often went to the
far and forgotten corners of the slums in search of small hiding
places she could tuck herself into and just watch the bluster of
the city pass by without being noticed. The small, dark places
comforted her in a way. She could see everyone without being seen
herself. She was safe. Somehow, now, the thought left a bitter
taste in the back of her throat.
    She still remembered the first time she'd run into
Teas. They had met quite by chance on what Óraithe would have
surely referred to, generously, as an "excursion." The northern elf
was two years Óraithe's senior, in spite of her childish
appearance. Óraithe was two at the time, short for her age and
convinced she would grow in the coming years. She wasn't entirely
incorrect. It wasn't uncommon for elves to be running about
unattended in the Low Districts even at one or two years old. Elves
were often full grown by the time they were ten or so, and sexually
mature between two and six years thereafter.
    Even though she was quite young, Óraithe had a keen
interest in mischief. She met Teas whilst escaping from an older
elf she'd tried to pickpocket. Fairly certain she'd lost the man,
she gave one last look over her shoulder. It was pure chance that
Teas happened to be rounding the corner with an armful of scroll
casings. The two girls collided and the casings clattered
unceremoniously to the ground. Teas had been entirely caught off
guard and for some reason, her first instinct was to chastise the
young elf. "You ought watch where you're going!" She had been so
stern, Óraithe remembered. She laughed to think of it. It must have
taken so much courage for her skittish friend to chastise anyone.
Without a word, Óraithe grabbed Teas up and pulled the light-haired
girl along to one of her hiding spots. She had followed without
much resistance. Bleating protests but never pulling away.
    "Sisters, it's a wonder she hasn't been sold off by
some black market slaver," Óraithe said to herself.
    They hid and talked and eventually Teas insisted she
had to go home. So Óraithe had taken her, practically bouncing all
the way. Thinking back on it, she had as much forced herself on
Teas as anything. The poor, timid girl could scarce have said
no.
    Óraithe smiled to herself, thinking of the past. It
was a wonderful time, and simple. But life was simple for all
children, she thought. Free from the worries of a world where
finding food was more a part of a day as eating it. Her thoughts
darkened, remembering the truth of the world and the truth about
her. She was weak, after all.
    She decided to run to clear her mind. The wind would
do her good and she loved the feel of sweat on her skin. With no
warning, Óraithe took off. She was a blur crossing on the major
thoroughfares. A startled older woman cursed after her but Óraithe
couldn't make out the words. She was lost now in the mindless joy
of sprinting through the back alleys that had always been hers.
Corner after corner she turned as she pleased, narrowly avoiding
the people who lived there. Here she was quick, she was in control,
she was strong.
    She vaulted a stack of boxes and rounded another
bend,