Elena POV

I began quickly following my path back to the hideout, watching my back intently as I did. Especially because Nokk saw something behind me when I wasn't looking, he might've saved me from a possible attack by looking out for me like that. So now I was simply watching my own back while I followed the trail of snow I made for myself, tightly clenching my glove in one hand as I kept one hand exposed just in case I needed to defend myself.

I jumped and whipped my head around as I swore I heard another set of footsteps behind me, a harsh gasp escaping my lips as I did. No one was there, luckily.

I slowly turned back around and continued onward through the thick fog that has drifted in from the sea, the sense of someone watching me was stronger than ever. I was starting to really regret wandering off, because I'm truly feeling petrified.

The unpleasant air mixed with the slight sense of dread was nearly overwhelming for me, the fact that I swear there's someone behind me every time I turn back around is torturous, and whoever is looking at me from the dark shadows sure is looking at me intensely. I felt like eyes that I couldn't see were looking at me all over, so I tried to cover myself up a little with my arms. It didn't help that much, even the slightest sound still made me jump. My breathing was becoming uneven, my skin was starting to crawl.

Suddenly out of one of the side alleyways I was walking past came a big figure compared to I. I immediately assumed the worst as the character has a terrifying shadow. I felt my adrenaline spike, my magic nearly causing a rouge ice shot to blast from my uncovered hands! I was mortified, absolutely mortified! I jumped back and had to really swallow a slight scream as my fear got the best of me, the stranger bumped into me and paused as they slowly turned to me, the moonlight hit his sharp and cold features and made me shiver a little,

"Well well well, what do we have 'ere? What is miss doe eyes doing out all alone in the middle of the night?"

I took a very brief sigh of relief as at least I know who this is, but Harry is still barely a stranger to me. I avoided his gaze and tried to walk past but he stopped me by physically blocking my path,

"Ah ah, not so fast doe eyes, I want an explanation as ta why yer out so late... not ta mention... alone"

He said in a tone I very much didn't like. Mal isn't here to help me out of this one and that reality is very slowly sinking in. I gulped and looked up at him with an attempt of not looking so scared and said with the confidence I could muster,

"Is it a crime to take a walk in the middle of the night?"

He hummed and slowly seemed to scan me up and down, I feel like I could feel his gaze as he seemed to inspect every part of me. He then met my eyes again and tilted his head at me,

"No, but it can be a death sentence 'ere ya know. All it takes is one person stronger than ye are and guess what?"

I rolled my shoulders a little as I tried to calm myself down and sighed as I put my hands on my hips, keeping my bare hand ready for the worst,

"What?"

He suddenly brought his eye level down to mine and got in my face a little just so he could bring up his hook and caress my cheek with the round edge of the cold metal again. It was a familiar feeling which seemed to actually calm me down beside the fact that now I'm a little trapped as his hook is so close to me and he's leaning so close,

"They'd nick ya, take ya away, swipe ya right off the streets, and guess what doe eyes?"

He was saying all of this so calmly, I think that's what was scaring me so badly. I took a shaky breath and backed up barely a step before my back was against the wall, his hook followed my cheek without a problem,

"W-What?"

I didn't mean to stutter I swear, it's just this whole situation seemed very... not good right now. Especially with Mal not around and everything, no one that would be willing to help me is around! So I slowly switched hands and took up my glove in the gloved hand so I could ready my bare one,

"No one would ever see ya again, it's just how it works 'ere. Ya stumble into a stranger, they nick ya without anyone even seeing a wink of what happened ta ya, and who knows where ye'd end up. Especially such a... pretty little lassie as yerself, and a princess? Sheesh, ye'd be an absolute goner if the wrong person found ya at the right time... what a shame that would be~"

Okay... this is a new level of fright for me. I shivered and thought of the worse as it seems that's exactly what happened. He's just described our current scenario, and I could barely keep the tears at bay at this point. I was shaking to a point of no return and couldn't stop,

"S-So... is that what you're gonna do to me then? Kidnap m-me in the middle of the night to never be seen a-again?"

I tried to get out as bravely as I could. He tilted his head at me again and put his hook underneath my chin to tilt it up some as he seemed to look me over one more time,

"Hmm... it's tempting. Tempting for sure, but... I'm really not in the mood ta go through the trouble of kidnapping ya tonight. Besides, kidnapping someone in the middle of the night when there are no witnesses is such a cliche, I'm better than that"

I took a deep sigh of relief as all I heard was he wasn't in the mood to kidnap me tonight. The rest of what he said was mildly concerning, but that wasn't on the forefront of my mind right now. But he didn't move, he didn't let me go right away,

"If you're not gonna kidnap m-me, then why are you still... here?"

He suddenly stood straight up again and let me move from the wall before motioning to the direction I had been headed before for a moment,

"Well, do ya know where yer going? Is it far from 'ere? Because if it's more than a block then I'm walkin' ya"

He... Does he want to walk me home? I skeptically walked away from the wall and thought,

"Uhm... I do know where I'm going and yeah it is a little far from here I guess"

He hummed and motioned with his hook for me to follow him as he began to saunter off in the direction I had been going,

"Well come on then, ya look frazzled and alone which means yer easy bait, so ya either let me walk ya or ya end up getting nicked as I said. So, where are we headed, princess?"

This is... strange. I was sure he was going to kidnap me back there, but he just scared me into never wanting to take any walks in the middle of the night ever again. I sucked it up and scuttled after him and walked at his side,

"Uh just up here, Mal's place"

He nodded once before beginning to whistle a tune... a tune I thought I recognized, but before I could listen further he stopped and spoke,

"Why did ya look so frazzled when I bumped into ya? I didn't... frighten ya, did I?~"

I giggled a little to simply ease my own nerves as so far, he's simply proving that he's not as bad as Mal made him out to be,

"You startled me, but before that... it felt like someone was watching me... following me"

I confessed which made him chuckle a little. He looked over to me for a moment before looking ahead and doing a full visual scan of our surroundings,

"Ah, I told ya, yer lucky I bumped into ya. I don't know someone who wouldn't follow ya ta be honest, I mean yer new 'ere, a princess, and quite the looker, I don't doubt that ya did have someone right behind ya waiting ta pounce. Fear not, everyone 'ere fears me or thinks I'm clinically psychotic so no one will mess with ya if yer at my side"

He sounded a little strained when he said the "clinically psychotic" part which saddened me a little. I wish I could find the time to ask him about that, but I fear that I don't know him well enough to as such a thing. I began feeling a little safer being next to him now, knowing that nothings going to happen to me while he's here. I looked up at him and decided to ask a rather simple question about the "clinically psychotic" part,

"Well... everyone saying you're clinically psychotic is different than actually being clinically psychotic. Are you? Ya know... clinically psychotic?"

He looked down at me and sighed as he simply looked at me before looking ahead again rather slowly as we began to near the hideout,

"I don't know, I question it often. Recently there's been something that's been making me think I've officially gone mad, but..."

He looked back over to me and tilted his head a little at me which confused me a little,

"... I found out I wasn't seeing or hearing things after all"

I smiled a little and nodded as I looked at him too,

"Well that's good, you don't personally come across as clinically psychotic anyway"

Harry seemed to pause for a moment as he looked at me, I looked ahead again as we got to the base of the hideout before looking back over to him,

"Well this is it, thanks for being my escort"

He was looking at me differently I swear, like he was a little dazed. He stared at me for an oddly long amount of time before quickly snapping himself out of the spaced-out state,

"Oh yeah, uh no problem. Ya sure this is it? I would hate ta turn away and let whoever was following ya have the chance ta swipe ya right from 'ere. I'd be more comfortable if I watched ya go in"

I shuddered a little at the thought of someone following me but appreciated that he seemed to actually want me to be okay. I smiled a little at him and walked on over to the barrel with rocks on top of it and realized I still had my glove off. I lightly gasped and dropped the rock back onto the barrel and quickly put my glove back on, I turned around for a brief moment to see Harry still looking a little weird. Not necessarily a bad weird, but a little strange when it came to the whole dazed and longing look he had. I turned my head back around and snatched the rock off the barrel and tossed it my newly gloved hand before aiming and chucking it at the flying rocks sign, it flipped back and the gate to the stairs opened. I smiled and jogged that way before turning to Harry,

"Now I'm good, thank you again Harry"

I quietly spoke, he tilted his head a little at me again and actually seemed to smile a little bit before the weirdly strange look in his eye intensified,

"No problem... Elena"

He said my name slowly, enunciating every letter as if each one was individually important. I smiled a bit more at him before turning and trotting up the stairs and up to Mal's apartment. I'm just glad Harry isn't all that bad, otherwise who knows what could've happened to me out there. Gee... he might've saved me from someone who was stalking me or something!

I went up to Mal's door and tried it out, seeing it was open I went ahead and waltzed right on in. Within moments I heard rushed footsteps come my way,

"Elena! Oh my gods thank goodness you're okay! I am so sorry!"

Were the first words Mal said with great relief as she rushed me with a hug. I stumbled back a little and happily hugged back as no matter what, she's my friend and I was scared out there without her. So right now is not the time to be having the discussion about making decisions or speaking for me since right now it is for my own safety. I took a deep breath as I hugged her back,

"It's okay Mal, and I just went to go see Nokk so I wasn't terribly far away. Listen, I shouldn't have run from you like that and I know it, I'm just a little touchy on the friendship subject. I'm used to being able to run away to see Nokk when I get sad about... that and all. I should've listened to you there, but I promise I can take care of myself just fine"

She giggled a little and pulled me into the apartment further to shut the door before finally parting from the hug to simply put her hands on my shoulders,

"I tried to call for you to come back, but the fog is so thick out I couldn't see you once you were a few yards away. And obviously you can handle yourself, it isn't easy to make it on the Isle at night, especially alone!"

So Harry wasn't sugar-coating anything, he told me as it is... huh...

I thought and pondered, but there was no way I was going to tell Mal that Harry walked me back here. She'd have a complete fit with that, but I can stay at peace knowing that he did seem to genuinely want me to get back to Mal safe. I wonder why? I mean Mal said he was this terrible human being but... I didn't see that at all?

Maybe I see him differently than she does? Maybe he's different to me than he is with her? Whatever it is, I'm glad I could get back to Mal and Bruni safely for a peaceful, goodnights sleep.

A/N

Hiya! Oh yeah, ya girl got out a chapter for two books today, I know I'm being so productive XD This one was quite easy to write since I had it all planned out, and I gotta say I hope you were all at least a little convinced that Harry was going to kidnap her at some point there XD

Now my question is, why did Harry let Elena get away so easily? Better yet, why did he intentionally stalk her simply to reveal himself and act as if he saved her from a stalker and then do nothing more but walk her back to Mal to protect her from said stalker? I feel like there are a lot of different reasons as to why he did this, so I'm really interested to hear what you guys think on this one :D

And for those who may have been concerned, I am doing much better mentally than I was a few days ago. We all have our rough days after all :D Thank you for your concern :D

Remember to stay hydrated and to be kind to yourself today :D

-Brooke