The Heart of Meilan

[Valen]

His story began, as with most things, with the flicker of a dream. A tendril, slowly reaching up from the shadowy miasma of fate and time, to hold him in its ethereal grasp.

They can never separate us. At least we have that.

Lathlaeril stood on a rocky precipice overlooking the sea below. He was on one knee, looking down as he watched the waves crash against the rocks far below. Overhead the seabirds wheeled in the sky, squawking. He stood, his breeches flapping slightly in the breeze that swirled around him.

"You lied to me, brother."

Turning in startlement, Lath turned to see her walking towards him. She looked exactly the same as she had in that clearing, the last time he’d seen her. She was wearing the same white dress as she had that day, the last day that he had seen her. No, not exactly the same. Her face seemed darker somewhat. Her eyes, once glittering globes of blue looked sullen and dead. There was a darkness pervading her aura that was not there before.

Lath eyed her in surprise, "Sister, where have you been? I've been looking for you.... I'd thought you dead."

He opened his arms, as if to embrace her. His motion was stopped when she drew a long, oaken staff on her back.

"Sister.....what are you doing?"

Laeril's eyes glazed over with something that her brother had never seen from her before.

Hatred.

She started to walk towards him. "Kin in blood. Not in spirit."

Lathlaeril was stunned as his sister swung her staff. He brought his own up, deflecting the blow with his own weapon.

She sneered at him.....sneered.

She twirled her staff, once, twice, thrice. Then, going low, she angled her staff for her brother's knees. Lath, barely registering the attack, jumped up, tucking his knees in. Diving into a forward roll, he rolled past her, coming back to his feet barely in time to deflect another attack from her staff.

Laeril grinned wickedly, ”You're not good enough, Brother.”

That last word she spat out.

"Whereas you have only trained yourself, I have been trained by the very best."

She then sprang forwards, exploding into a brutal flurry of attacks. Lath, for his part, brought his own staff up, again and again and again, each time turning the blow back, but it was evident that she was right. He was overmatched...... Laeril span, bringing her staff towards his neck as he rolled to the side once more to dodge it.....

Waking up in a cold sweat, that was the day that Lath knew that he had to leave the sleepy and peaceful village of Lagiluri. He had to know.....know what his dreams meant. He had to know what had become of his sister. It was strange how he knew, but know he did....believing deep down that Laeril still lived. And that while he was still here, not living but existing, that he would never have that answer that he so sought.

Time passes.....​

A lost soul journeyed across the seemingly endless, barren desert. Journeying with a merchant by the name of Haldemar, ostensibly to help him with his attempts to establish a trade route between the Western Heartlands and the mysterious East, a land of mystical, engimatic mystery, Lath had his own reasons for taking this journey.

Chased by warriors bearing an insignia unknown to him, Lathlaeril had had to think fast to get himself a place on the caravan. Professing to know the way through the labyrinthine Katakoro Mountains he promised he would guide Haldemar through the passes of the mountain. Yet Lathlaeril had secrets of his own. A golden lockbox, sealed shut with a strange insignia that resembled that of a serpent. What was inside the lockbox was unknown, but young Lathlaeril was convinced that its contents would make his fortune.

As the wagon began to navigate the Katakoro region, the mountains themselves came up in their splendour. The scorching climate and landscape of the desert began to give way, replaced by the arid, cold and desolate lands of the barren tundra. This region's reputation as a death trap was well deserved, as the heat of the desert was replaced by the swirling cold of the mountainous badlands.

It began with little to no warning. The day began like all the others, with the caravan rising at early dawn and continuing their trek through the mountains. And then, when the sun was at its zenith, the rumbles began.

Rumbles that quickly became tremors.

And from above, from the high cliff walls on either side, rocks fell. They came crashing down on the unsuspecting group below. Haldemar was too slow to react as he and his horses disappeared under the rubble that cascaded down on him.

The rocks came down, and all that Lath knew, swirling around inside him was the feeling of pain. A deep and intense pain, one that tore through his body. As the shadow fell over his head, and the snow collapsed on top of him, he lay there, waiting to die. And as he did, as the darkness threatened to overcome him, he heard voices in his mind.

Voices spoken by another, not so long ago.

Why is it, Lathlaeril, outcast stranger, why is it that you are so eager to die?

As the words were spoken, Lathlaeril heard himself answer, as he had back at the time of the memory.

Tell me. When the colours fade away, when there is nothing but black and white, when you realise your world and your role in it is so insignificant, so....worthless, what would you do?

To journey through the Katakoro Mountains alone with nothing more than the clothes on your back and whatever supplies you could scavenge was suicide.... His lips split in a small smile at the irony of his situation.

You die for something that you believe in.

It would not be the last time that Lathlaeril Dorrel, the outcast with no real place to call home, would face near certain death. But then, as now, he was far far more resourceful than first glances would have others believe.

​

As his ribs and legs shattered, and as blackness flitted across his vision.....as he struggled to take in breath, he knew that his life now could be measured like grains of sand falling through an hourglass. He whispered, words flitting painfully through shattered lungs.

”I’m.....I’m sorry sister. I’m sorry I couldn’t fulfil my promise.....”

And then, as the oblivion neared, and the void beckoned, he heard another voice.

”I can save you Lathlaeril Dorrel, if you desire saving.”

He saw a slight form standing over him as sight faded, wisps of silver hair shining in the sunlight.

”It will cost you dearly though. The question is, is the price worth your life?”

Struggling with his breath, lying there helplessly as life fled slowly from his broken body, Lath gasped, ”What.......is.......the........price?”

The girl, whose face he could not see clearly, held out her hand. She said one word.

”Everything.”

Dying, Lath reached out and took her hand in his own.

"You must....you will do something very important for me Lathlaeril Dorrel. And in return I will give you your life, and I will give you the means to find your sister, though there are some answers that are better left unsaid."

Lathlaeril tried to laugh weakly, although the effort in doing so caused his pain to intensify. Turning to the side, he bowed his head, grimacing weakly.

”I....have nothing left to lose. Take the price that you will from me.”

A flash of light. A glowing radiance enveloped Lathlaeril now, consuming him. The radiance.....it healed. It closed his wounds, restored his strength. Banishing his hunger and thirst, Lathlaeril watched as the world spun around him, fading out of his view.....fading into ghostly etherealness before reforming once more. Only Lathlaeril was no longer at the bottom of a ravine in the depths of the Katakoro Mountains.

Now he sat at the foot of the mountains themselves. Behind him, the path led inwards. Ahead of him was the tundra, arid badlands stretching off into the distance as far as the eye could see.

Looking upwards, Lathlaeril could now see his saviour.

​

Standing, amazed as he did so that his legs worked....that he could breathe, Lath turned to the silver haired woman. He bowed to her.

”The price?”

The mysterious woman smiled, the corners of her mouth turning up enigmatically.

”Time is running out. To the west lies an empire. Inside it’s borders, an army.....a horde masses under the rule of an emperor who desires a nameless kingdom hidden deep within the Katakoro Mountains. His is a desire that has gone beyond obsession into something more dangerous still. He will come with his army, and the kingdom will fall. I can prevent this, but I need something very important to do so.”

Lathlaeril looked to her expectantly as she continued.

”You have in your possession a golden lockbox. A lockbox with the insignia of a twisting serpent. You must hold onto this lockbox with everything that you are and everything that you have. When the time is right, I will return for it.”

Lathlaeril nodded wordlessly.

”You are bound to me now Lathlaeril Dorrel, for the rest of your existence. That is the price of your life. Another will come. There will come a time when you are lost, and you have nowhere left to go. The girl.....she will show you the way.”

Walking up to him, she reached out, touching his head. There was another flash of light, and Lathlaeril stepped back involuntarily. The strange woman with the silver hair stepped back. Folding her arms, she bowed her head as her form began to shimmer and become insubstantial. Lath, seeing she was disappearing held out his hand.

”Wait I.....”

The woman simply smiled as she vanished, yet her voice drifted to Lathlaeril.

”This task I entrust to you Lathlaeril Dorrel. You will not fall, you will not fail me. I will come to you all when the time is right.....”

And then Lathlaeril was alone. With nothing left, he turned and, head down, began the long walk west. As he did so, his voice whispered.

”......you promised to help me find my sister.”

The mysterious woman spoke one last word before her voice vanished into the ether.

"Run."

It was then that the rumbling sound began. A sound like thunder, coming from the distance ahead of him. Not one, not two, not ten.

The sounds of many.

"The Horde.....," the words slipped from his mouth as the colour drained from his face.

Looking to the mountains rising on either side to him, Lath reached a decision quickly enough. Turning, he began to move inside one of the numerous mountainside passes leading deeper inwards. He headed upwards, moving as quickly as he could. It came to the crest of a rise.

At the crest of the rise, a sight greeted him that was more chilling than the cold wind that swirls around him. Below, more and more horsemen poured into the clearing. Dozens soon turned into hundreds, and yet still more swarmed forwards from the road beyond. Hundreds soon turn to thousands.

An army had arrived.

Behind Lath, the rise sloped downwards before ending in a gorge, splitting the trail in two. It was as if some great titan had walked through the pass, dragging a giant axe behind as it sliced through rock and stone to create the sharp crevice.

And then, a faint, barking command echoed from the mass of warriors, echoing and swirling in the wind. A sizeable unit detached from the main bulk of the force, dismounting and heading towards the trail Lath had just climbed.

 

[Dan]

Nestled deep within the many blankets, the Crown Princess lay like a mole hibernating in its tunnel to withstand the test of winter. In the chambers of Narcissus, another laid in a pile right beside her large, canopy opulent bed. Dark curtains spilled around the Princess’s form, shielding her from the sunlight that already spilled in from the ceiling high windows, encased like a sleeping beauty in a tower. If only she would spend the next millennia like this, except being a Princess and the only heir to the Aersari Kingdom meant she had responsibilities to tend to – even if she dreaded it.

The curtains around her bed were drawn back, maids had come in to tie them together. If it wasn’t the sun that would stir the Princess from her slumber, then it would be the whirl of winds blown to whoosh the blankets off her form. In times like these, she was glad to be wearing yesterday’s nightwear. Her Lady-In-Waiting, Cellica had come to wake her.

“It is past the sol’s finest hour, my lady. Wake up! Your father will surely have your hands.” Cellica warned her, directing the maids to fill the baths with warm water. Using the minimal amount of their magic, water appears out of thin air and it poured into the circular bath off to the side.

Narcissus murmurs incoherent words and finally turns over to sit up in bed, finding herself with Cellica looking down at her and the help doing their usual work. “On days like this, I wish I never had a lady-in-waiting. Then, I could sleep for an eternity.” She retorts, rubbing the tiredness out of her eyes.

Cellica came from a high noble house. The Elven Politics were so complex, no one knew what went on anymore, only the pages and those who even dared to keep up with what or whom. “But if I weren’t here, you would have suffered far worse than having your knuckles rapt over with a marble whip.” Cellica answers, ushering the groggy Princess off her bed and into the baths as quickly as possible.

Aelrindel, her father, was walking through the royal gardens for some time before realising his only heir was likely never going to wake. Not only was today important for the Aersari Royals, but it was the event in which would house all the nobles of Aersari Kingdom and commoners alike. It was time to hold Ithil’s annual worshipping, and it was mostly required of all the Aersari Elves to be present on this day.

In a flash of an hour later, Narcissus is adorning her presentable attire, the collar trimmed with gold and her dusty blonde hair loosely tied together with a silk, navy-blue tie in a low, braided bun at the base of her neck. Upon emerging from her large closet, she looked over her appearance in the body-length mirror, in which she spotted several errors. Immediately correcting them at the whim of spells not needed to know by mouth. The maids helped her with putting on shin-length, matte black boots to finish her look.

“I think I’m ready now.” She boredly states, looking at Cellica who was finishing up her make-up even though she looked no different without it.

“Alright, let’s get you to your father.” Cellica retorts, having a last look over her work. And goes to help the Princess out the door and escorted toward the royal gardens.

When winding through the tall, opulent corridors, the interior of the castle was mostly bathed in marbled floors, dull wallpaper, and intricately placed details in the work of the paintings and trims of etchings into the building, itself. The Royal Palace was older than her father, and it once housed over a thousand Aersari Elves and Humans at one point in time. Now, it houses only the two Aersari Royals, over five hundred helpers, guards, and the personal servants of Aelrindel and Narcissus. The only abandoned wing was the South wing. It was where Valindra – her birth mother – spent all her time when not with Aelrindel. These days it spends gathering dust and forgotten memories left to wither in time.

Toward the back of the palace, Narcissus makes her way out the large doors and spots her father’s figure disappearing around the bend of some white bushes. Rather than make his acquaintance immediately, she went to spend her time at the fountain with an Elven statue sitting down in the middle of it. Water pour out from around the statue. She looked up at the stony face of her mother. It was a memorial for Valindra Firvaris. Narcissus found herself more often here than days spending to learn more about her Kingdom that she would rule over someday.

The tales her father used to tell her of her mother when she was younger. Apparently Valindra was some type of rebellious spirit that was hard to tame and a fire that was hard to ember. She looked nothing like her mother, Narcissus found the portraits of when it was just the two of them. Her mother was a beauty alright, hair as dark as night, eyes that shone a bright golden. Valindra hailed from a noble house that birth a line of warrior women, once lead entire armies against fouls, now they simply enjoy their time in the second largest manor in all of Aersari Kingdom.

She looked away; her hands were clenched. The Princess still blamed herself for her mother’s death, even a century later. The sun smiled upon the kingdom shielded away by the Katakoro mountains. A blue, cloudless sky and the song of bird carried over the place where she sat. She looked up, shielding herself from the sunlight by her hand, and saw the rare beauty of Pubei soaring around the black mountain that loomed over the Aersari Palace.

Narcissus remembered Humans thought dragons a myth. Pubei was a large, black dragon whose scales shone iridium when in sunlight. As if spotted by Pubei himself, the beast bellowed out a roar, blue flames came flowing out at least six metres long. Then he disappeared back around the mountain. At first, she was in awe until she could hear it speaking to her. However, the words were caught in wind, unable to grasp their meaning before Pubei disappeared. It felt sometime before her father approached her by the fountain.

“Narcissus, paying your mother a visit again?” Aelrindel asks, taking a seat on the marble.

In retort, Narcissus stands, “I don’t wish to take up any more of your time, Aelrindel.” Her words sting and she knows it. The Daughter-Father bond was severed a long time ago, she simply sees him as the ruler of Aersari now.

Aelrindel stands, too. Unlike his former love, he was reserved and preferred quiet to loud noises. As the ruler of Aelrindel, he was quite introverted and most of his subjects found it… interesting. They expected a loud ruler but were met with a quiet and kind one instead. His straight, platinum locks flowed down his back and stopped before his waist. He wore a more modest, white attire. He was opposite of his only child, too; it seemed. Yet he towered over her still at 6’7”.

Instead of letting out another sigh, Aelrindel nods and guides her away from the royal gardens and toward the throne room. The opening is large, the room long and decorated with a black carpet that meets up to the two thrones sitting at the top of small, marbled stairs. Large, golden and black banners hang just above the thrones, showing the insignia of the Aersari Kingdom. It was two dragons curled around one another, one black and the other golden to form a circle. Words written in elvish are etched into the scales of each dragon.

The two figures make their way from the throne room and to the side door which houses the war room. An obsidian table sits in the middle of the modest room, a map of the Aersari region is etched into the stone. On top of it sit different marble figures for allies, enemies, and armies. When Narcissus enters the room last, she finds a random male sitting on one of the plush chairs.

She stops in her tracks, “What’s all this?” She inquires.

Aelrindel shoots the male a look before beckoning her to take a seat. Narcissus senses something’s gone awry, a wrenching feeling forms in the base of her stomach. Instead of taking the seat, she remains rooted to her spot, “I think I’ll stand.” She shows all her teeth, though her smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes.

Aelrindel introduces the male as a messenger of sorts from the Human realms. Narcissus can’t help but look at the male more closely, he looks rugged with a mop of hair clinging to his face and head. More scars than she can count on the right side of his face and he has a wild look in his eye, one she doesn’t like. Otherwise, he looks like a peasant, wearing worn down armour and battered boots being held together by rope.

“I expected a human to look more… put together.” She remarks, leaning back to her spot.

“Why you, lass, you look just fine. A beauty for M’lord.” The male’s voice sounds just as rugged as he looks, and harsh. An accent that she finds unappealing to the ear.

She shoots a look at her father, “Care to explain yourself, Aelrindel.”

Aelrindel was put together, his poker face was quite famous throughout the kingdom. However, today his poker face slipped with sorrow and perhaps a hint of disappointment. “They’re here.”

“Who?” She inquires further, looking to the human. “Them? These Men are here?” She slightly tilts her head.

“Look here.” Aelrindel points to the mouth of their kingdom, many figures of the enemy sit at its base, surrounding their kingdom entirely. With the Katakoro mountains at their back, they had nowhere to run. “We are surrounded by their kind.”

“I don’t understand what this has to do with me.” She says, looking back into the violet eyes of her fathers.

“We have no army!” He exclaims, he’s been keeping a secret for a while. But Aelrindel abolished the Aersari army after finding himself over six centuries without conflict from inner or outer forces.

“What?” Her eyes search his for any lie. Narcissus finds none. By the moon, she can feel her heart hammer in her chest. “What of Dínen?”

“Absolved, too. No Dínen has graced these halls in three centuries.” Aelrindel explains, he grasps her shoulders, “I intended to keep this quiet but the outer villages of Peonie, Farancia, and Orvis were wiped out a fortnight ago.”

“Then, why couldn’t you rally up support from the nobles?”

“I’ve tried everything, my lóte.” Aelrindel’s hands are pried off her, “But there’s one last thing I can do.”

“And what’s that?” She asked, already suspecting his next line of words.

“An arranged marriage. The Warlord promised to leave—”

“No!” She objects loudly, “I will not do what’s asked of me.” Narcissus runs away from the war room, disappearing from the view of her father’s sombre expression and the wry smile on the human male.

The Crown Princess hastily makes way back toward her room, finding Cellica chasing after her. It takes only five minutes for her to shed off the custom-made gown and into something more casual, not a dress but some trousers and a plain silk blouse that still covered her neck with a trim of gold around the collar. Supposedly this army of humans sat in the valley of Yalindra. If the figure on the war room board was right, then there were at least a hundred thousand lying in wait somewhere, biding their time on the command of some Warlord. If so, Narcissus needed to see this for her own eyes. Perhaps Ithil will give her some vision of the future.

It didn’t take long for the Princess to slip away from the palace, not after freezing her lady-in-waiting, that is. She took a cloak, infused with magic to stave off the cold of the Katakoro mountains. Her large hood hid her away from any prying eyes; she rode on the back of a sturdy horse. Through her studies, she knew of the passages that were famously carved into the mountain to drive humans and other races away from entering their kingdom. The cold of the katakoro mountains was deliberately placed there by the ancestors of her namesake. It would be several hours later when she found herself up the mountain. Not far away, she felt the rumbling of an avalanche fall.

Narcissus long let her horse return to the kingdom on its own. She’d climbed the rest of the way up herself. If it weren’t for her cloak, she would surely be a frozen elf. Not too far ahead, Narcissus could hear what sounded like a thousand horses galloping at once. Curiosity biting her, she ran the rest of the way up, hiking her cloak up as she made it to the rise of the mountain. There, she felt her heart stop in more ways than one. Her breath hitched in her throat. All that thundering was not from horses, but the army her father spoke of.

She stopped in the snow; the faint cloud of her breath could be seen with the wind picking up around her. ‘A hundred thousand, perhaps more…’ She thought, the terror in her eyes. Aelrindel’s words rang true at the army surrounding the Aersari Kingdom. Her kind were few, but still held numbers to rival the hundred Men on her doorstep. The Princess’s realisation that they had no defences, no armies, and no allies to rely on. She finished the rest of her trek up the mountain, only to stop and see a figure already standing at the crest.

‘A spy…?’ She wonders. The Princess continues anyway, with her instincts telling her to run instead. The elf stopped right beside the figure; she turns her head to see it is another human male.

“Are you with them?” She loudly asks against the winds.

 

[Valen]

Lath stood at the rise, staring as his eyes widened in horror at the sight below him. And as the seconds passed, the horses continued to swarm into the clearing below. Thousands soon became tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands....even more. He reached down to the folds of his blue tunic, hand reaching into his pocket to touch the item nestled safely within.

The golden lockbox.

You must hold onto this lockbox with everything that you are and everything that you have .

He shook his head. He should have just thrown the damned thing away. It had caused him nothing but trouble since he had got it. In truth, Lath was beginning to wonder whether the golden lockbox was the source of all the ill fortune he had suffered since getting his hands on it, with everything that had happened.

"Damndamndamn," he cursed. "What do I do now?"

In front of him, a contingent of soldiers continued to climb the trail towards him. They had seen him, they must have seen him to pursue him so up a seemingly random side trail off the main pass. Behind him the path continued to wind down deeper into the mountains, ever deeper.....

A trail that would lead deeper into the labyrinthine paths of the Katakoro mountains. Paths that, to his knowledge, had never been breached before. Certainly not by anyone who had ever taken the time to document it and share their findings. Yet, when he had undertaken this journey, he had known that it was not just foolhardy, but perhaps suicidal. The chances of him making it to the very end were remote at best, non-existent at worse. That was the choice he had made though, and the path he had taken.

A shout from below from the men continuing to climb the trail. Lath glanced down to see them pointing in his direction excitedly.

"Damn," he cursed again as the cold air swirled around him, wrapping him in its chill embrace.

Rubbing his arms slightly, he sighed deeply as he closed his eyes, envisaging the fate that seemed inevitable in front of him. It was when he opened them again and turned to move down the dusty, windswept mountain trail that led further inwards that he saw her for the first time. Her dusty blonde hair was tied back in a silken tie, braided towards the nape of her neck. She was wearing a silken blouse trimmed with gold with plain travelling trousers. It was her eyes that leapt out to Lathlaeril though. They were shaped unusually, her irises almost pale white. She was exotic....almost alien in her exoticism and the aura that radiated out from her.

There will come a time when you are lost, and you have nowhere left to go. The girl.....she will show you the way.

Lathlaeril almost laughed at the unreality of the situation. He was certainly lost and had nowhere really to turn to -- he just had not envisaged that particular situation coming up quite so soon after the meeting with the mysterious silver haired stranger. Could it be that this one....this girl....would she show him the way?

Does she know where my sister is?

She spoke.

“Are you with them?” She loudly asks against the winds.

Her voice was lilted, the dialect was unusual. It continued to accentuate the girl's otherworldly persona.

Lath shook his head, glancing down to the soldiers as they continued to ascend to the top of the rise. They would be here shortly.

"No. I'm not with them," his words were hurried as he looked nervously back down towards them.

"I'm going to assume that you're not with them either?"

A sound from below drew his attention. Lath looked down, noticing in horror that some of the men had stopped near the top of the trail. From the back they had unslung the thick, oaken bows that they carried on their shoulders. As half of them began to string up their bows, the other half continued to climb. They would be here in mere moments.

"Lady, I don't want to presume, but if you're not with them, then I suggest that we move quickly."

And then the sounds of twanging could be heard echoing through the pass. Arrows flew through the air, arcing upwards to their intended target. Lath froze, rooted in place as doom approached him on wings of steel, his eyes tracing their flight path with an almost morbid curiosity. Arching downwards in their trajectory, the arrows hit the ground immediately in front of him with a loud thunk, their hafts still quivering from the force of the landing.

Swallowing, his eyes flickered back to the mysterious girl.

"They're DEFINITELY not friendly."

As the approaching swordsmen drew their blades, the almost metallic hiss of steel on steel from the action could be heard clearly. Now, finally spurred into action, Lathlaeril began to move down towards the stranger as he ran.

"I hope you have somewhere we can hide otherwise we're dead!"

His voice was ragged as he moved.

***

Elsewhere......
​

In another time, another place, ancient granite doors opened to a dark tomb, and light from the outside world spilled inside it. The light illuminated a cavernous chamber rising up inside the highest peak of the Katakoro Mountains. A thick layer of dust coated the granite floor, and at the approach of the light tiny spiders scuttle away back into the shadows.

The atmosphere within this massive chamber buried deep beneath the earth was one of rot and decay. No human had penetrated these halls for many decades. However that did not deter the mass of writhing, screaming shadows as it entered the chamber.

At the center of this writhing cacophony of darkness, a single pair of glowing, golden eyes cast it's baleful stare over the dark interior.

Terrible demons, the scourge of the netherworld, guardians of the tomb, gathered at the presence's approach. They took one look at the approaching being and fled back into the darkness.

They would not face this one, the master of life and death itself. For the dark emperor was terrible beyond all reckoning.

A booming voice echoed across the cavernous depths.

"It is time, Gaumahavi, scourge of the purple wastes. Your child has been sighted. It is time once more to rain death upon our enemies."

The shadow's incorporeal stare encompassed the center of the massive interior. For a single, brief moment, it appeared that the dark emperor spoke to nothing but the darkness itself.

And then, the silence was shattered by the sound of a behemoth. The darkness was pierced by one baleful orb of red, then another. Then, moving forwards, the sinuous, serpentine neck of a titan stretched forwards into the light to look upon the emperor impassively. It opened its mouth, revealing rows of razor sharp teeth and a mammoth, forked tongue flickered out from its cavernous maw.

"You waken me with words of hope,
Or is this a false illusion spun by serpentine words,
The great worm Gaumahavi,
Stirs from her sleep once more."

The deep, booming voice would fill most with dread. Not so the dark emperor, master of life and death. The golden eyes glittered even brighter as they regarded the great worm.

"The time is now, great worm. To crush our enemies beneath our heel. To free your child from imprisonment. My power is almost restored, and it will allow me to fulfil your heart's desire."

The serpentine head raised as the great dragon, Gaumahavi, stepped forwards, allowing the dark emperor to see her in all her splendour. The massive, titanic bulk stretched upwards until her head was almost engulfed by the hollowed out mountain.

"Tonight, after decades uncounted I fly once more,
To pass purple death on my enemies,
My wrath unabated, my cause just,
All will fall before my passing."

Flexing her wings, the great purple dragon Gaumahavi flew once again. She flew out of the tomb into the light once more, wakened from her decades long slumber.

Behind her, inside the tomb, the dark emperor watched impassively.

 

[Dan]

It is only her second encounter with these humans, but at least this one looked far better than the one awaiting her return in the palace. She could have enough time later for when they weren’t surrounded by the army that was slowly, but surely making its way toward the Aersari Kingdom. As an individual, Narcissus made judgement upon a person’s character rather than the rumours that swirled around upon a race she’s never seen. Though a century old, Narcissus presumed she wouldn’t ever interact with these humans.

The male shook his head, his attention brought back toward the encroaching group of soldiers just behind them, “No, I’m not with them.”

But could she trust this stranger’s words? If Aelrindel’s words were true about the outer villages, then his kind were already a menace to her people. One that needed to be stomped out. “I’m not going to assume that you’re not with them either?” The male added, like the other. He also had a strange accent, but at least it was appealing.

Narcissus could laugh in the man’s face, but instead, followed his glance back toward the men when a sound bellowed out from behind them. She watched as they were readying to rain a flurry of arrows upon them.

“Lady, I don’t want to presume, but if you’re not with them, then I suggest we move quickly.” This caught her attention as she kept glancing back and forth between the two.

They made their side present when they released the arrows from their notches, Narcissus calculated their trajectory, and they meant to hit them. She took a few steps back, the zipping of steel through the air as they all joined and then hit the ground just in front of the human male. She looked up in time to lock gazes with the mysterious stranger.

“They’re DEFINITELY not friendly.”

Like her mother’s statue, Narcissus felt as just. They taught her to suppress emotion in the face of death and danger. She looked to the left; they had no time to stand like sitting ducks for their ultimate end.

“I hope you have somewhere we can hide otherwise we’re dead!” He continued with urgency in his voice.

Narcissus looked toward the soldiers already re-notching their arrows. This time, it looks as though they adjusted their trajectory to not miss them. Without as much as looking back at the male with a large ponytail, she yelled, “Follow me!”

The Princess moved from her spot; the ice winds turned her cheeks a bright pink with all that talking. It was obvious her ancestors meant to drive anyone not their own, away from their lands. She ran off to the left, only checking back once before she took the same path that led up there. The only footprints were hers in the snow. This trail led directly into the infamous labyrinth passes of Katakoro Mountains. Lucky for the human, she already knew the passes like one would the passes of Yalindra Valley.

 

[Valen]

Follow me, she shouted as she turned and moved down the trail. And follow he did, running as fast down the trail as he could. She was fast....very fast, and it was all he could do to keep up with her. Snow had coated the ground in a thick white carpet as fast as the eye could see. A carpet that was broken only by the trail of footprints the two of them left on the ground.

He looked back.

Behind them, at the top of the trail, the warriors stood, their forms silhouetted against the mountainside. The archers leaned backwards, pointing their bows up in the sky.

They fired.

Turning away, Lath continued to follow the mysterious woman, trying to outpace the archers and their deadly arrows. As he did, and as he turned, a small golden object fell from his tunic to bounce softly on the ground. Cursing, Lathlaeril suddenly stopped, whirling around as he bent to pick up the lockbox, his hand reaching down towards it......

.....just as an arrow embedded itself into his shoulder.

Crying out in pain, Lath nonetheless snatched up the box, placing it back within the folds of his blue tunic. Blood started to drip from the wound, trailing from between his grasping fingers. Droplets of crimson fell to the ground, staining the snow red where it landed. Grimacing, Lath looked back up to see two of the swordsmen making their way down the trail, swords drawn. The look of intent on their face said everything that he needed to know.

Face pale, he grabbed the shaft of the arrow embedded in his flesh. Twisting it, he snapped it out with another cry of pain, dropping it in the field of white surrounding him. White that was even now trailing red from his lifeblood dripping down on it.

Lights flashed in front of his eyes. His head spun as he stumbled forwards towards the mysterious stranger, a stranger who's form was even now being obscured by the dancing lights that continued to explode across his vision. On either side thick mountain walls rose, their tips disappearing into the clouds above. Taking another step, Lath fell. His side smashed against the side of the mountain outcropping as he gasped and fell to one knee. Breathing heavily, he reached up to touch his shoulder, closing his eyes at the sudden assault of dizzying pain. His blood continued to pool underneath his knee.

Behind him, the two swordsmen continued to close the distance.

Reaching down, Lath picked up a fist sized rock that lay on the ground beside him. Throwing it, he grinned as the rock struck one of them in the head, drawing blood as the warrior cursed.

Standing, he continued to stumble down the trail after the mysterious, otherworldly stranger, painfully aware that the likelihood of him outdistancing the pursuers, particularly with his injury was slim.....

 

[Dan]

Narcissus continued down the path, little urgency in her movements as she continued through the thick snow. Below, she could see the entrance of the passes that went through the mountain. As far as she knew, no one has breached past them, least not anyone that wasn’t familiar to them already. She could hear the male’s footsteps barely behind her, struggling to keep up with her pace. ‘Do they always move so sluggishly?’ She thought, only to stop in her tracks at the sound of the male crying out in pain against the winds.

As if Ithil was watching over Narcissus; the winds grew icier and colder with each passing second. Cursing the human to oblivion, she turned around to see the male plucking something golden out of the snow and back into the confines of his tunic. She looked behind the male to see the soldiers, once more, replace more arrows into the notch of their bow. Then, back to the human, struggling to make his way down toward her.

Her impatience was growing and rather than let him stagger down to her, she made her way back up to him. The amount of blood dropping out of his shoulder showed in his face he was losing too much. She hurried the rest of the way when he fell, smashing his side against the mountain, falling to his knee. His spirit seemed strong still with his other hand tossing a rock toward his pursuers behind him; landing a blow to one.

Narcissus finally caught up to him, “Do you enjoy testing my patience?” She inquired; well aware he was likely going out of it. She looked behind to see the second soldier still hot on their trail.

Letting Lathlaeril dally by himself, she walked past him, casting a spell beneath her breath. A flurry of icicle spikes formed from the snow and rained upon the two soldiers, landing blows to their armour and finally catching loose fabric into the snow. She turned back to the male and then, like an otherworldly outer force watching her, it started to blizzard in a split second.

“You owe me, human.” She spoke into his ear as her hand hovered over his wound. A minor flash of light glowed beneath her hand, showing white symbols spark up on the back of her hand. The murmuring of the spell was cast so low, the male wouldn’t have heard her.

“Come. Unless you plan on dying atop this mountain.” Narcissus continued the rest of the path; she was practically dragging the male by the other uninjured arm. Her strength was half of his, yet her grip iron as she could hear him staggering beside her. At the mouth of beneath the mountain, inside, were the infamous passes of Katakoro Mountains. A rumbling from behind them had come, and it closed the entrance; bathing them in darkness until a dim glow of blue hue came from the walls.

“Let’s go.” She let him go, continuing down the carved-out hall. There were other entrances that broke from the corridor that would otherwise lead you down dead ends.

 

[Valen]

“Do you enjoy testing my patience?”

Lath suppressed a bitter laugh at the mysterious woman’s remark, his hand clutching at the wound on his shoulder. Blood trickled from between his fingers, continuing to drip to the floor drip-drip-drip. Continuing to stumble down the trail, he gazed at the trail of blood that he left in his wake in an almost morbid sense of curiosity, almost as if he was asking himself how much blood do I need to spill before I die?

“No,” he whispered in a slight tone of voice, “I made a promise, and I’ll keep it....”

So many many promises. Promises that would cost him his life, and yet, when the colours faded away....when there was nothing left but black and white, and when you realised that the world and your role in it was so small....so insignificant, what was there left to do but die for something you believed in?

It was what happened next though that shook Lathlaeril to the core of his very being. The stranger she....did something. The snow, the world above...they turned into deadly weapons, icicles that rained down upon the pursuers. They held their arms up in an almost pitiful attempt to shield themselves from the rain of ice that poured down upon them. The winds began to pick up, whipping in and around the pass like they were the very wrath of the gods themselves.

As his mouth dropped, Lath whispered the words, “What did you do? What are you?”

Turning away, he shielded himself from their ultimate fate, blocking out the screams that echoed painfully around him, carried as they were across the fierce wind. Almost as if they were sentinels warning off those who would have the folly to chase after this stranger who seemed to wield the power of deities inside her slight form.

And then the second surprise. She approached him, her cloak fluttering in the strong winds. Bringing herself up close, he shivered as she brought her lips up close, almost touching his ear.

You owe me, human.

Something happened then. The intense pain emanating from his shoulder receded as a strange, almost warm sensation coursed through his body. It banished away the cold for the briefest of sensations. The hole in his flesh sealed partially, and although the pain didn’t completely die away, it did lessen enough to banish the flashing lights and the nausea that had threatened to overwhelm him. More than that, Lath felt.....something inside him, something that was difficult to pinpoint exactly what it was. It felt almost like....they were linked in some way. That the simple act of healing his wound had bound them together in some way.

The girl.....she will show you the way.

“You....it is you.....” he whispered almost breathlessly.

He followed wordlessly as she tugged him down the trail and finally into what appeared to be a cavernous entrance tjat seemed like it had been carved into the rock of very mountain itself. As they entered, there was a low rumbling as the light from the outside world was sealed completely away from them.

Darkness. Lath was beginning to feel the sense of panic rising inside of him as he stood there, engulfed inside an almost impenetrable cloud of blackness. And then the walls around him began to glow blue, and the strange woman was stood in front of him.

Let’s go.

The roof of the cavern he stood inside stretched up as far as the eye could see, and there was a musty, almost oppressive aura that hung over this massive chamber. Walls on either side were shining with a gentle blue light that provided just enough illumination for him to see. Etched across the stone walls were strange carvings the like of which he had never seen before. As he followed the stranger he reached out, tracing his finger gently across the carvings.

”Who are you?” he said finally as he followed her, shattering the silence.

”Where are we?”

 

[Dan]

Narcissus was already halfway down the corridor, it was fleshed out into the mountains eons ago. However, after the greed of Men became apparent, the Aersari closed off all entrances that promised a safe passage through the mountainous defences that shielded them away from the western realms. Perhaps her strides too long or the human too slow, but she turned back at the male’s voice echoing off the walls.

“We are in the Katakoro Mountains.” She retorts to the second question, ignoring the first one altogether. She narrowed her eyes at the male, his hand up against the wall, tracing the symbols that lit up the room.

“And I suggest we get moving along to heal your wound properly. Then I will see you return to your lands. Humans are not welcomed in the East.” She spoke in a warning tone, turning back ahead at the end of the hall.

Truth be told, Narcissus only knew help from the Royal Medics. As the Crown Princess, she rarely left the Palace. She was only seen once as a child to the public eye and a second time once she had her coming of age as recently of a decade ago. Even then, the Public caught glimpses of her when she graced the royal gardens. Like the Humans, the Elves were guilty of spreading rumours and gossip like wildfire through the F’rais Plains. Rumours of the Royals being at odds with one another were just as scandalous as any noble caught meeting up with a commoner.

Narcissus looked over her shoulder. He was still there, enthralled by the boring symbols. Anyone could learn it if they had the patience or eye for literacy. “Are you planning on helping Es’ael’lin in eroding the mountain away further?” She asked rhetorically.

“Either way, you can stay here, if you wish.” Narcissus added, entering the last door on the left. Aside from the slightly healed human. She had plans of her own, an attempt to at least persuade her father from handing her over to a brash oaf.

The room she entered had seen better days. It was eroding away with half the ceiling already caved in. Several of the entrances within said room were blocked off by the constant avalanches that happened; mostly in result of foreigners attempting to cross through the mountains. And with each passing year, the avalanches were becoming more constant than before. It must be in result of the Human’s constant hunger for war and greed. At the thought of war, Narcissus was glad to be an Aersari and not an unfortunate mortal on the other side of the mountains.

She stopped in her tracks at the end of the second corridor. The way back to the Palace was quite simple, all they needed to do was follow the glowing blue bioluminescent lights. It would take another hour before they would reach the other end of the path. Narcissus didn’t mind the quiet the blocked off paths provided, nor the fact it was musty half the time. It gave her some peace of mind away from everything and everyone.

 

[Valen]

Lath rolled his eyes slightly at the girl's terse response. In the Katakoro Mountains? He could have guessed as much himself. The second statement though, that got to him.

"I can't go back," he said with a tone of finality, and it was the truth.

Not only did his search compel him to press onwards irrespective of the cost or his ultimate fate, the simple truth was that there was nothing left there for him now, back in the "human lands" as she called them.

"Not until I find what I came for," his voice was quieter now, yet it was no less steeled in determination.

Her scathing remarks about staying behind tore his gaze away from the symbols carved in the wall. His face twisted into something of a scowl as he shook his head.

"Look Lady, I'm grateful for your help and all but.....are you always so, so impatient and disagreeable?"

Sighing somewhat forlornly, he nevertheless followed her down the next corridor, acutely conscious of the fact that she knew her way out of this twisting labyrinth and he had absolutely no desire to be stranded here in the darkness. Despite her obvious wish for haste, Lath still took the time to stare at the open cavern and the twisting passages that they followed down. The thick, musty atmosphere carried with it a sense of damp. In the distance Lath could have sworn that he could hear the dripping of water striking rock somewhere in the distance. If it were not for the blue lights gleaming from the walls on either side, then he would have been completely stranded in the dark as soon as he entered.

Following in silence, getting the impression that this mysterious girl did not want to be interrupted, Lath found himself reaching into the folds of his tunic, drawing forth the golden lockbox he had stolen from the contingent of guards -- the singular event that had seemingly triggered off the series of events that followed and led him to this point, stranded in the middle of a musty old tomb with a mysterious and strange looking woman the likes of which he had never seen before.

His mind's eye retreated inside of himself, recalling a memory from not so long ago, from a small inn where the caravan he had been on had stopped to rest for the night.

***
​

The man sat down next to him, sliding one of the cups over. With a small smile, he bowed his head.

"There is a lot to be said for tea," he began. "It is said that the drink can purify the soul, soothe a troubled heart."

Lath, looking at the cup in silence for a few seconds, closed his eyes. Taking in the smell, he picked up the cup in a hand that shook, ever so slightly. He took a small sip, placing it gently back down.

The man continued.

"The box. I recognised the insignia straight away when I saw it. As did you, I would imagine. There aren't many who would not have recognised it.....or not know what it meant."

Lath opened his eyes, turning their piercing gaze on the white-haired man. He offered no comment in response, instead waiting for him to continue.

"So I ask you this. Why is it, Lathlaeril, outcast stranger, why is it that you are so eager to die?"

Looking at the man's impenetrable gaze for a second, Lath held his stare in his own. Then, finally, he looked away. Seconds passed.....and finally Lath answered.

"I have lived life an outcast, as you say. A nobody. A nobody who lost his link to the world that he lived in. Tell me, when the colours fade away, when there is nothing but black and white, when you realise your world and your role in it is so insignificant, so....worthless, what would you do?" Shaking his head, Lath continued, not expecting an answer, and not receiving it. "You die for something that you believe in."

Raising an eyebrow slightly, the other white haired man nevertheless nodded his head. "And what is inside the box is such that it is a worthy cause to die for."

It was not a question.

Lath nodded. "It is."

Ma Chung-Ying nodded.

"You may sleep in one of the vacant rooms tonight. It will be long time before you sleep again with a roof over your head."

***
​

An hour passed. An hour that the two of them traversed the almost ceaseless trails that seemed to lead deeper and deeper into the mountain. It was when they finally exited from the stone corridors and the luminous blue lights that guided the two of them on the path they travelled, and the passageway opened up into a large clearing that he finally spoke again.

"You said humans are not welcome here in your lands," there was a firmness in his tone. "So I ask again. Who are? What are you?"

Here the cold stone floor led up to a large granite obstruction in the far end of the wall. For all intensive purposes it looked like a gigantic door. But where did it lead?

 

[Dan]

She traversed her way through the winding paths, only checking for the second steps in line behind her. Sometimes she would purposely pickup pace just to hear the male struggle to keep up. Narcissus avoided his questions. Who was he to ask questions when he already owed her? Once she heals him completely, it would be twice that she saved his pathetic life.

She humoured the human in his endless inquiries. The hour of tracking through the mountains, at least this would stave off the boredom. She laughed bitterly, “It wasn’t a question, human. You will go back – one way or another – your kind usually do.” She stated matter-of-factly. And humans, their lifespans were not impressive, truly short, and boring.

As she ducked into another corridor, the lights were glowing the closer they got to the other side. “Human, do you ask many questions? Or do you only need to in the face of death?” She lifted a brow, though he wouldn’t see it. She grins at his frustration, but again, Narcissus amuses him. “Human, you really seek the reason of my ‘impatient and disagreeable’ traits as you label me so easily? It is you and your kind.”

She ended the conversation there when he went quiet after a while. Just the sounds of his footsteps against the cavern stone and background noises of water falling. Aforementioned, the unending and twisting paths of Katakoro Mountains would eventually wear out the individual not familiar to its network. And the Human should be glad he was stuck with one familiar with the infamous passages. It was troublesome when Aersari Elves would have to go in and retrieve carcasses of Humans and other races that lived on the Western realms of the lands.

The Aersari might’ve been snooty, callous, and downright unforgiving on many fronts, but they’ve always honoured the dead. They lay the graves of so many dying within the mountains out in the barren Olasserin Plains that were just beyond the borders of her Kingdom. It wasn’t difficult to find with an erected monument place in the middle of it. Nature had claimed the graves long ago, the single monument was all that remained in the plains.

With the hour come and gone, they were just at the point of the East Caellond entranceway that led directly further toward the east side of the katakoro mountains. Narcissus was practically aching to get a good rose bath and Temari scrub.

“You said humans are not welcome here in your lands,” His voice breaking her illusion of peace. She stopped in her tracks to look back at him, “So I ask again. Who are? What are you?”

Bitterly, she smiled at him, edging closer to the large door, it was embedded in the stone, “Sal pol slootsea; fliap oo shumhwoul. Ee sal col slootsea se pol tlep ep. Aersari ou seack sito flap, bind floslinm coflo thil so sealsom’s tul scot.”

Narcissus turned to the door, pressing her palm to the middle of it, murmuring incoherent words under her breath until the door glowed. The outline of it was clear, the blue connected with the symbols upon the wall. A great rumble caused the door to shift inward, then slid slowly into the left side of the frame. Bits of the mountain fell from the top and sides like dust, returning to the cave’s floor.

The Princess looked back at the male, “You Humans seem to forget everything.” She gave him a disappointed look and entered the doorway. On the other side she was greeted with the sun still high in the blue, cloudless skies. Set to the west were the two moons coming to bring Ithil’s reign upon the lands soon. Yet it was still too early, time moved a lot slower in the east.

Narcissus took a deep inhale of the fresh air. An hour of tracking through a musty cavern made her thankful for the crisp air. They were just outside the city of Caellond, though not as many as the Aersari Kingdom’s population. The population of Caellond was no joke, over a hundred thousand Elves roamed and lived within their walls. It is the fourth largest settlement of Aersari Elves within the east.

Outside of Caellond were the large, purple grasses that came up to her waist. They swayed every direction the wind commanded them to. Not only of kilometres of these purple grasses swaying like a great open sea, but there were also various flowers conjoining them in the parts unkempt. Caellond was very much inland and on mostly flat ground – not of any plains – and various valleys that dipped between said plains. Skeletal trees ominously were sparse between, it was a type of tree that was well known for its purpose to block out magics.

Narcissus pulled her hood back to reveal her ears, pointing just behind a sum of her ashy blonde hair. She was all but ready to return to the Palace when out of nowhere she grew rigid in her current position. It was Ithil, the Moon Goddess took over her mortal form. Narcissus’ eyes glowed a milky white, lighting up the strange tattoos that were just light on her skin a moment ago. The Princess stared up at the sky in direction of the west were the two moons, for the first time, joined as one. The alignment gave enough time for Ithil to part the elf with a vision of her future.

It made little sense; the vision was too quick; she saw blurry images of red, orange, yellow, and blue. Then it snuffed all out in a split second. Ithil had left her form once more, rending the Princess to fall in the plush softness of the purple grasses. It’d take her a minute to regain consciousness and when she did, she stood back up and was her normal self again. As if nothing happened, Narcissus’ eyes were back to light violet. The tattoos grew invisible upon her face.

“We shall stop there.” She pointed to the growing skyscrapers of grey, white, and blue buildings built out of smooth stone. “Caellond. There should be someone who can heal you. Then you will return to the West.” She firmly stated, leaving no room to argue.

 

[Valen]

Lath watched with curiosity as the stranger pressed her palm to the surface of rock. She spoke in words of a strange language that he did not understand, both to him and then to the door itself, which then began to move. Inwards slowly, then the sound of grinding echoed from around him as the door shifted leftwards, almost inside of itself as it moved to one side. Light streamed in from the blue cloudless sky outside, although Lath looked in wonder to the twin moons that were high in the sky. The view was breathtaking, and Lath closed his eyes as he took in the cool, fresh air. After an hour trapped inside with the musty atmosphere inside the mountain itself, the feel of the wind brushing against his face was wonderful.

He stepped outside, behind Narcissus, shaking his head at her prickly attitude.

"How many of us humans do you know then to be able to stand there and make such a judgement about me?"

Shaking his head, he stepped forward, casting his eye over the strange, yet wondrous land. He had never seen purple grasses the way this land had. They came up just past his waist, swaying in the breeze. The breeze sent ripples through the grass like waves lapping against a shore, although the dead trees that dotted the landscape were a little ominous.

"You are just as bad as the people back home," he said sadly, shaking his head as he moved forwards, taking his first steps on a trail that wound downwards into the valley.

"You do not know me, yet you judge me anyway."

When she pulled her hood back, revealing her ears, Lath gave a start in surprise. He did not know what this mysterious girl was, she was certainly different from him. But then, he had never seen an elf before. Then a change came over her, a startling one. Her eyes began to glow white, and the skin on her body emanated from strange white markings on them. She seemed to stare upwards into the sky, towards the two moons which were now joined as one. Then, just as soon as it started it was gone, and the girl slumped downwards into the grass. She was almost concealed now by the purple stalks of grass, with her head merely poking over the top of them. His irritation and frustration at her quickly forgotten, Lath moved over to her.

"Are you alright?" his voice held a small note of concern inside it as he held out his hand to her.

Ignoring his hand, the girl quickly pulled herself to her feet. The strange milky white glow was completely gone now from her eyes and her body. She pointed towards what appeared to be large buildings the size of which he had never seen before. This land was truly strange, it was like nothing he was used to.

Caellond. There should be someone who can heal you. Then you will return to the West.

Lath shook his head as he moved away from her, striding through the grasses in the direction of the buildings that the girl had pointed to.

"No. You misunderstand my words and my situation. I cannot leave here, not until I find what I came for. If that means you, or someone else kills me then so be it. I will not break my word or my bond."

The wound in his shoulder still pained him although whatever the girl had done earlier to partially heal the injury had certainly numbed the worst of it. Taking a cloth from the folds of his tunic, he gritted his teeth as he brought it up to tentatively touch the wound. After a second he pulled it away to see the edges of the cloth stained red with his blood. It had not been fully closed and still bled from the arrow wound earlier.

"That army," he began, not looking at her as he led the way through the purple grass. "They were looking for a way through here weren't they? They're not going to stop you know."

Reaching into his pocket he touched the golden lockbox tentatively with his fingers.

The passage through the mountainside is not the only thing they are looking for.

He wondered, not for the first time, what was inside the lockbox and why they were so desperate to get their hands on it. Lath had, of course, tried to open the box but the clasp was sealed shut and there was no amount of force or trickery that had enabled him to open it. The contents of the box were, and remained, as much of an enigma as this mysterious woman.

As his eyes flickered back to her, he began to speak.

"What are you...."

Suddenly a loud, ear-piercing roar shattered the air....

 

[Dan]

Narcissus need not answer the male’s questions, they were all irrelevant to her ending goal. If there was a chance she could convince her father, though the look in his eye from earlier. She knew that it would ultimately be difficult to or never. She ignored his presence for a second and after Ithil’s given vision, she would need to see the Oracle. Another flesh conduit for the Sun God, Anor. Yet, he was all the way at the end of the Kingdom in Anor’s sun temple. It would take a fortnight to reach him.

“Are you alright?”

She was, he could see that for himself, could he not? After informing Lathlaeril that he would return, he visibly objected to it. “No. You misunderstand my words and my situation. I cannot leave here, not until I find what I came for. If that means you, or someone else kills me then so be it. I will not break my word or my bond.”

“…and what is your goal?” Narcissus was curious. She put two-and-two together to know that the golden box had something to do with it. She turned her attention to him tying his wound further. Her healing spell wasn’t as grand as a proper healer’s. “I do not need to understand your situation nor words to know that the world of Men is slipping further into chaos.” She adds, looking back at the city ahead, “You know how many Men’s bodies we have recovered from the passes? Too many, we bury your dead in mass graves. I thought you should know that. Even while you squabble amongst yourselves, we will never forget your forgotten.”

Narcissus then followed him through the grasses, her hands grazing the top of ‘em. They were soft to the touch, yet coarse. “That army,” She looked at the back of his head ‘fore looking at her feet, making sure she didn’t trip over any large rocks. “They were looking for a way through here, weren’t they? They’re not going to stop you know.”

She snorts, “Did you figure that out now or when you were so busy trying to meet Death quickly upon the mountain?” She smirks, keeping her laughter in. The Princess knew she was a pain in the ass, she usually gave such responses to her Father when he failed at bonding with her.

Narcissus’ eyes flickered back to him when he was going to speak once more, only to be cut off by an ear-piercing roar. The Princess stopped in her tracks, looking back, and shielding her eyes from the sun with her hand. She looked up in the air, seeing Pubei coming down from the bend of the mountains. The black dragon’s scales shone like a rainbow in the sun’s touch.

However, what was weird was that the beauty was coming directly for them. Her brow furrowed as Pubei flapped his wings, growing in speed and closing the distance quickly. The surrounding grasses started making a tinkling noise; the plants were well-alive and were alerting ‘danger!’ at the top of their plant lungs. Pubei wasn’t slowing down, and he was still on course for the duo. Narcissus turned back, gripped the male by the hem of his collar and yanked him off to the side as the Dragon came flying into the fields.

She landed with a soft thud, grasses smashed beneath her weight. Narcissus let him go and got to her feet again, brushing loose dirt and grass off her. Pubei crash landed not that far from where they landed. Rather than worry about the male, she ran toward Pubei, going around him, and with all her might, made it to his head.

The Princess laid a hand gently on his cheek, stroking his face as she asked, “Pubei, humble hén -o Ithil, what na- roeg? (Pubei, humble child of Ithil, what is wrong?)”

His eye opened, revealing a glittering prussian blue, looking at her. Pubei lowly rumbled in his throat, he was defeated. His spirit low and something happened, but it wasn’t a physical wound. Narcissus looked into his eye, and clear as day could hear him speak to her.

“Ithil na- lelya-. (Ithil is gone.)”

Narcissus grew still, her expression, shocked. Then, she looked to the twin moons in the East; a black cloud covered them. It was a message from Ithil and a warning to all races living in the Aersari region. This worried her. She turned back to see Pubei close his eye, and the dragon gave his last breath before exploding into white sparkles, falling into the earth. The Princess was grabbing air. She pulled her hands back into her form and stood again.

If Ithil is truly gone, then this meant the time of peace was ending. And the Oracle of the Anor would have the answers she needed. The Men outside her walls were not there by coincidence and the arranged proposal was likely a ruse, too. Narcissus wasn’t dumb, no. Ithil wouldn’t occupy her if the reason were far greater than usual.

But what was rather strange was the fact that upon seeing the human male, she did not receive any vision of him. Nothing. Not even what his name might be. The Princess’ goal changed: Meet the Anor Oracle. It wouldn’t be long ‘fore the Men would breech her walls. They were already close to the entrance, anyway.

She looked at the male and briskly walked up to him, “Fine.” She agreed. “I will aid you in whatever quest it is you’re upon. You will need my help.” She looked directly into his eye, “But I will need your help, too.”

“And in order for some trust to be established, I will reveal to you my name.” She smiles, “I am Crown Princess Narcissus Míresgalel Firvaris of the Aersari Kingdom. You may call me, Narcissus – no nicknames. But your quest must be re-directed in the west.” She points in the general direction of the west, beyond the Kingdom that laid in the middle of all directions. “Toward the Temple of Anor.”

Then she remembered that he wasn’t properly healed. They would still need to head toward Caellond. Narcissus looked at the new bandage, stained with a sanguine red colour. She wasn’t unfamiliar to the colour of Men’s spilled blood. Aersari Royal bled an entire distinct colour to regular Elves, including Nobles.

“First, we get you healed. Then, we head to the West. That is all I ask of you. Whether your quest and mine split us, so be it.” Narcissus concludes and turns back toward the city of Caellond. He likely had lingering questions about the dragon that just died right in front of them. She would answer them…in time.

 

[Valen]

Before he had chance to answer her questions, everything went to hell. It began with a loud ear-piercing roar as the sky blackened from the shape of a gargantuan......flying serpent. The creature was colossal, it’s form so large that it temporarily blocked the light in the sky. He barely had time to register the strange tinkling noise that the grasses were making, so transfixed was he by the sight of this gigantic monster.

And it was coming straight for them.


Standing there, paralysed in equal parts amazement and dread, it was only when the girl intervened, hauling him off to one side that he was finally moved out of its way. Lath landed roughly on his injured shoulder, letting out a small cry as the wound split open again. Feeling the wet sticky sensation of blood seep through the cloth of his tunic, he winced at the pain. His vision flashed once more as the grass and the surrounding area blurred in his eyes.

Yet even that....even that was as nothing at the sight that unfolded in front of him. Pressing his hand to his shoulder, he came back to his knees in the purple grass. Around where the creature had crashed, the purple stalks of grass had been crushed. The creature lay there, head on its side as it regarded the girl, who had gone straight up to it!

She held her hand on its cheek, and she spoke in a language that he did not understand. Lath climbed back to his feet slowly and unsteadily. Moving slowly up to the two of them, he watched in amazement as the majestic creature breathed its last.

Then, in front of his disbelieving eyes, it’s massive bulk disintegrated. It glimmered as its form was bathed in white radiance. What was solid for a moment then slowly dissipated into nothingness as motes of glowing white sparkles burst from it. Lath shielded his eyes from the bright light. When his vision returned to normal moments later, it was gone.

Seeing the expression on the girl’s face, recognising the gravitas of the moment for what it truly was, Lath lowered his head and stood there in silence, staring at the ground. Moments passed, and the two stood there in silence, and the aura of mourning deepened.

Finally, the girl spoke.

I will aid you in whatever quest it is you’re upon. You will need my help. But I will need your help, too.

Lath looked at her now, meeting her gaze head on. His usual air of frivolity was gone now, and he met her eyes in all seriousness as he nodded. Reaching slowly and gingerly into his tunic, he withdrew the golden lockbox he had concealed there. The lockbox that was bound shut with a serpent clasp.

”I came east in search of my missing sister. I believe she came this way. But on my journey.....the army that pursued us in the mountains, I stole this from them.”

He held the lockbox out, letting her see it.

”I....I believe it’s important to them in some way. A lady with white hair approached me. She told me to keep hold of the box until she came for it, that she could stop the army with it.”

Lath placed the box delicately in the girl’s hands for her to get a closer look at it. Swallowing softly, he kept her gaze as she introduced herself finally. Smiling wryly at her introduction, he finally lowered his gaze.

Of all the people to come across here, it had to be a princess!

Smiling shyly, he brought his eyes up to her once more.

”I, uhhh, am not sure of the proper protocol when addressing royalty here, milady. I‘m Lathlaeril Dorrel, outcast and nobody, pleased to make your acquaintance.”

Bowing his head, he continued.

”I will help you however I can,” it was an inevitability of course.

He had known....had felt it when she had healed him that the two of them were bound in some way or form, although even he did not know what that was or what it meant yet. He followed after her as she moved towards the city she had pointed out earlier.

”What happened there? And why were you out there on the mountain peak?”

 

[Dan]

Narcissus watched his hands, ready to attack. Instead, he had pulled a golden lockbox from the confines of his tunic. It’s the same box he recklessly took an arrow for. Aside from the colour and serpent clasp, Narcissus found it foolish of him to steal from an invading army. As he explained his reasoning for coming this way, she listened with all purpose and intent.

Her gaze tearing away from the male, back to the lockbox as he held it out. Meaning for her to take a hold of it, she grasped it. Her hands donned in minor jewels, alongside the moon crest on her left ring finger. The Princess couldn’t quite place the craftsmanship, but whatever was inside, it had a calling.

“You risk your life for metal?” She inquired, inspecting the box. After finding nothing else of interest, she gave it back to the male.

“A lady in white?” She asked herself, no one she knew of. But she rarely came into contact with humans, or elves, for that matter.

After her brief introduction and summary of her quest, she lifted a brow at the male. His whole demeanour shifted suddenly, acting as if she were someone above him. Technically it was true, but she rather keep her identity hidden. Which meant when going into the city of Caellond, she would have to glimmer herself and conceal any sign that she was from the Aersari Palace.

“Well, Lathlaeril Dorrel, titles are of no importance to me. Just call me Narcissus.” She hopes that soothes his sudden shyness away. She wouldn’t stand out too much among the common folk, or so she hoped. When her name was revealed to the people, it suddenly became a top popular name for all newborn Elves – regardless of gender. Which would work in her favour. Though her middle and surname were unique. She would have to just stick to her first name.

As she continued through the fields of tall grasses, the questions popped up. With time, they would reach Caellond within half an hour, perhaps longer if they run into merchant carts. Narcissus pulled her hood back up over her ears. She wouldn’t stand out too much.

“What happened there? And why were you out there on the mountain peak?” He asked.

“Pubei,” She started, “That was his name.” Narcissus didn’t need to confirm that he’d never seen a dragon in his life. “I hén -o Anor a Ithil.” She added, then translating it into English as best she could. “He was the child of Sun God, Anor and Moon Goddess, Ithil.” She grew quiet for a while, wondering if Pubei would make a return in time.

Narcissus kicked a rock aside, “I understand you tell myths of ‘Dragons’ and ‘Elves.’ Perhaps even the ‘Fae’ and ‘Orcs.’” She takes a brief glance over her shoulder, “We are not myths, we simply co-exist along your kind.” They come across one of the skeletal trees. She stops and slices the bark with the top of her index finger claw. Nothing oozed out. It was a good sign; the lands were not poisoned yet.

“One of your kind, a messenger of sorts, came to my- to King Aelrindel with threats of war and terror upon my innocent people. The exact number upon the army I’ve seen is at least a hundred thousand, perhaps more lying in wait in the West.” She continues down the road now, a bit dusty and overgrown, but the smooth stone made it bearable to transport goods across. “The King proposed an arranged marriage to this War Lord that causes your kind’s…darkness.” She was putting it lightly. She saw the reports from scouts, those that were still willing to work for the King.

“I was confirming the army’s presence.” Narcissus finally answered. “Now, I know my purpose is to stall your ruler’s reign of terror upon the Aersari.” She adds. The sight of the city was coming closer. The buildings were tall, some stacked atop each other. One thing was apparent, the stone was smooth and centuries of fine craftsmanship and maintaining the city made it as though the buildings were never repaired.

“Tell me,” She turns her head in his direction, “Lathlaeril Dorrel, outcast and nobody, is the East as you expected it? I hear tales of how the West is restless. There was once a time when Men knew peace.” She states, “And we used to welcome you like kin. But that was over a millennium ago. Greed and Power changed your kind drastically.”

 

[Valen]

Lath sighed softly. Despite an apparent softening of her stance towards him, it appeared that she still retained at least some of her prickly nature. Even if it wasn't directed towards him per se, more his race as general. Which was strange, Lath wasn't really aware that his race had done anything to the elves previously. But then, he hadn't really believed that elves had existed at all before now. Yet here she was, Princess Narcissus of her kind, standing before him as if to wave in his face that he would need to reassess everything that he had previously believed to be real, and certainly some things that he had believed to be myth.

Continuing down towards the city where Narcissus had said that contained this Temple of Anor, Lath listened to her as she went. Reaching his hand into his pocket again, it might have been his imagination but he thought that he could feel the box getting warmer in his hand. He didn't know what it meant but perhaps it was a sign that he was heading in the right direction that he needed to go in? Lath had never heard of the gods and goddesses that Narcissus had referred to, but then he had never believed in any deity. Deities had never looked after him or his kin, it had always been down to them and them alone to survive. It must have been good to have something to believe in though. The thought was tinged with a small lace of bitterness as he regarded her. Crown Princess Narcissus -- she had likely had everything given to her with a silver spoon where he, he had had to fight for every little thing that he had.

Until she got to the part of the arranged marriage. Lath's features darkened as he contemplated the thought.

"You mean that your father is trying to trade you off to this....warlord?"

He scowled as he turned the thought and the implications of such around in his head. He had no father or mother to speak of, but still....

"Surely the duty of kin is to fight for....kin? If we don't do that then what are we?"

It was, after all, the reason that he was here.

Time passed, they got closer to the city. When Narcissus asked him of his thoughts about the east, he took a moment to think about his answer and what he saw around him.

"Its different. We don't have purple grass, or dragons that embody the kin of gods or goddesses. Its very unusual here."

She was not wrong in her statement about men and the lands of the west.

"Its peaceful," he concluded. "Where I come from there are wars. People dying. Bitterness and resentment. Those like me, who are outcast, are often sent to the shadows to disappear or die. We are nobody and that is our lot for as long as we live. Some of us.....we're not happy with that life. We strive for better. My sister, she was one of them. That is why she left."

That had to be the reason she left. There was no other reason she could have gone, could there? Yet the dream he had had the other night where she had attacked him concerned him. It was the sort of worry that gnawed its way through to the pit of his stomach and settled there as a low feeling of dread.

"At least, that is why I think she left. This ruler you spoke of, the one who is looking to invade here, who is he? There are many petty warlords and minor lords in our lands, but none that I can think of that would have the ability to raise an army the size of what you are talking of."

I recognised the insignia straight away when I saw it. As did you, I would imagine. There aren't many who would not have recognised it.....or not know what it meant.

Of course, Lath had his suspicions. How could he have not? The insignia had seen before, decorated on the livery of soldiers who served the warlord Ambuchar Devayam. Lath didn't know much about him, but what he did know was terrifying. Rumours spoke of a deathless sorceror, a man who had conquered mortality and had become something far greater than the human he once was. They spoke of his cruelty and his power -- a man that had the ability to turn those who displeased him into mindless undead. If Lath had crossed him by stealing the lockbox from his men, then he was in far far deeper than he could ever have envisaged.

Looking up and breaking from his thoughts, Lath saw the walls of the city, Caellond, looming before them now. They had arrived.

 

[Dan]

Narcissus was taken aback by his words, the scowl, and tone of voice. But it also intrigued her; He didn’t know her personally yet was eager to agree in the disapproval of her father’s proposal to this Warlord. She gave him a look of relief. At least she was alone to think it crazy to be handed off to some oaf she never met in her hundred years on this earth. His words…gave her some sense of easing off him, yet still guarded…but she wasn’t going to show it.

“I am pleased you think this a barbaric notion, too.” She remarked, watching ahead to see elves moving about by their dotted forms. “But the idea of ‘family’ is not familiar in these lands. Bonds are what we call them. If a bond is not formed at birth, then better it be an estranged Gwanur that you share a bloodline with.”

As they neared closer to Caellond and her inquiring of his view upon her birth home, she listened only to have her assumptions reaffirmed by him – this human of the West. Whilst a Princess, she felt shackled in her tower. Of course she had some yearning to explore but her link to Ithil would not allow her to do so. Though she wondered why she still hadn’t received Lathlaeril’s future.

‘His sister? Why would she come here…?’ She pondered for a moment, only to look at Lathlaeril in asking her of the Warlord.

“Is that so?” She murmured, remembering something strange about that symbol upon the box. A flash briefly filled her vision, back in the War Room with the Human messenger and her father telling her of the proposal. The way he looked at her like a piece of meat, it was the strangest thing that the symbol she saw upon the box was also on the hilt of the man’s sword.

Narcissus stopped in her tracks, giving the male a strange look, “The Serpent on your box, I’ve seen it before…before I ran into you. The Human Messenger had the same symbol on his sword.” She reveals to him and continues walking. Questions popping up in her mind – and doubts.

“I do not know of this Warlord’s name as I was too blinded by my anger. I stormed out of the Palace before I could get it.” She adds.

It seems for the moment they had both grown quiet. Narcissus did some movements with her hands, mutterings words in a low-whisper; brief dim-glowing appeared and disappeared. With Caellond being so large, she couldn’t risk being caught outside the palace. Her hair was now a dark brown, her eyes an amber to match those of the common elves. Of course, the spell would only last several hours before she would have to reapply it, and she would worry about it then.

The looming walls of the city were coming into clearer view. She stopped him before they could reach it. Narcissus moved in front of him to take her cloak off and place it around him, she put the hood up over his head and murmured some more words before the cloak, itself, had conformed to his being and grew a little longer to match his clothing.

“Moving around in the open in a city will be dangerous for you. Until I can find a more appropriate disguise for you, you must suffice with mine for now.” She spoke to him in a low-tone, “…You don’t need to worry about standing out too much, you humans have a despicable taste in fashion.” Narcissus nonchalantly remarked. Elves, at least, have some sense of fashion even if made from a potato sack.

In Narcissus’ favour, she would be looked upon as a noble of Caellond. It wasn’t uncommon to have the nobility wearing clothes trimmed with gold. In fact, it’s what set them apart from the rest. “And be sure to keep your arm hidden, we don’t exactly bleed red like humans do.” She gave him a sniff and could not smell his blood. Then she stepped back and turned toward the city. The overwhelming jasmine perfume offset the smell he was giving off. He would smell like a little flower roaming the city, and that thought amused Narcissus.

Being two travellers coming from one of the less used entrances, they were stopped at the entrance. Cities still employed their own guard, despite the King’s outlawing of their own armies. Aelrindel might’ve been the king for the past six centuries, but many were against him getting rid of Royal Elite Force. The idea of an eternal utopia like they had seemed pleasant, but there was always going to be a time of conflict. The Elven Guard was in armour that was light yet impenetrable when in battle.

He wore a helmet with a faux red ponytail coming out from the top, “What na- cín business hi? (What is your business here?)” He asked, rather in a warning tone than menacingly.

Narcissus smiled, “Visiting an iar mellon. (Visiting an old friend.)” Her charmed had worked on many before, whose to say it wouldn’t work on him?

The Guard gives the male a look, not entirely seeing his face as it is obscured by the hood, “Ho na- nin mellon. Im did ú- iest na ech- a scene bui coming trí bo a aglareb stead. I ar are hi, hain ceri- ú- like na n- ed- fancui. (He is my assistant. I did not wish to make a scene by coming through on a glorious stead. The nobles here don’t like to be out glamoured.)” She quickly adds.

With a last look at both of them, the Guard seems satisfied enough and moves out of their way. A wave of his hand gives the invisible barrier away as they make their way inside. Once there, as far as the eye can see, the buildings take up almost every inch of the land; leaving room for walking paths and roads for wagons to be pulled upon. They’re well-built and many have large roofs; varying in size in structure and width. It is clear that Caellond was once a human city, they drew most of it of inspiration from structures back in the west. Not only that, but there were also some added details tacked on mostly by magic; giving it an unearthly glow.

Narcissus moves beside the male’s ear again, “One last thing, Lathlaeril Dorrel, no one speaks your tongue here. Try not to speak and you’ll be without trouble.” Then she moves away to head toward the map of the city that laid just in the middle of it.