Striking the Heart [Nayeli, Lise, Josh]

[Emma]

“Step where I step, General. We lost a whole cart to quicksand here. Barely saved the horse.”

I acquiesced to the guide’s orders, carefully placing my feet in the wet dirt wherever he did. By now, I couldn’t be surprised. This was the latest in a long list of perils I had to be wary of since my boat had arrived in the Obsidian Strait. Even my tiny sloop had had difficulty navigating the reefs surrounding it. Then, upon landing on the alien black sand of the island, my lieutenant Vakhar and I had been greeted by our elven guide, Theron. From there, we’d had to make our way on foot for the four-hour trip to Doru Araeba, the new home of the Riders. We’d been warned of jungle cats, escarpments, suddenly downpours that could wash us into the river, and a whole host of strange dangers that were part of this bizarre landscape. The Riders had taken to calling it a ‘rain-forest’, due to the heavy humidity. Even when it didn’t rain, a heavy mist hung over the trees. I’d already decided that this place was a soldier’s nightmare. It was eternally dark- the enormous trees had such expansive canopies that they almost entirely blotted out the sun, so that only a few pinpricks of light made their way to the forest floor. The trees took up almost all available space, so it was very difficult to navigate. In the dark, anything could have been hiding behind just one of these trees, and I would never have seen it coming. Leeches, giant centipedes and flying cockroaches made their way past me. Theron had reassured me that the entire island wasn’t like this, and certainly not Doru Araeba, but I wasn’t convinced.

But the island wasn’t the only peril we had to be aware of. Elven soldiers had driven the Riders out of Ilirea, with spear and sword. As soon as I had docked in the Obsidian Bay, glares of suspicion and resentment had been sent my way. I hadn’t participated in the assault myself. Dellanir had sent a militia of human-hating elves, regardless of their occupation, to attack Ilirea. It had been a disgusting manoeuvre driven purely by fear and anger. While it was true that humans were not to be trusted, their joining the Riders was no immediate threat. Nayeli Richards becoming Queen of Broddring, however, was. I had seen the Plains as I left Du Weldenvarden earlier that week, now smoking and populated with miners searching for nickel and iron. Nayeli was obviously planning something that could only bode ill for Du Weldenvarden, and it burned me to be away from my country. I tried to reassure myself by remembering that this was only the beginning. Whatever Nayeli was planning on doing, she didn’t have the resources or the alliances to do it just yet.

I was here because Her Holiness Malandra Ramakrishna, new regent of Du Weldenvarden, had sent me. The very thought made me want to rip someone’s limbs off. I clenched my fists and grit my teeth. Dellanir had isolated herself in her palace for weeks, and when she finally emerged, she had announced that she was no longer the Queen. Evandar had miraculously healed, and would take her place as ruler. But he was still a child, and so Ramakrishna would advise him. The idea was so idiotic that I couldn’t guess how Malandra had managed to convince Dellanir. But then again, Dellanir was no longer herself. She had undergone many changes in the past few months, none of them good. I had chased after her after her announcement, demanding answers, but she hadn’t even looked back. Instead, Ramakrishna had approached me and told me, in the simplest words, that I was her General now.

She must have realized how tempted I was to strangle her, because she had immediately ordered me to go to Vroengard. Dellanir apparently wanted to know what the Riders’ plans were. I knew it was just a pathetic excuse to get rid of me. She didn’t want me around while she did Nyx-knew-what to Evandar and the kingdom. Nayeli would tear apart my country from the outside, and Malandra from within. It was enough to make my head swim with pure rage. I spent the entirety of the trip to Vroengard growling and pacing, while Vakhar calmly tried to explain it to me. I had lived in Ilirea for two years, and I hadn’t participated in the attack myself. I was the logical choice to send to the Riders. But the thought of Malandra, and how helpless I was to stop her, drove me up the wall.

“Here we are. I know it’s not much, but…”

I looked up, surprised and disappointed that I had allowed my anger to distract me from my surroundings. Theron was pushing aside a huge branch to reveal the glory of an open plain, fully bathed in sunlight, and no hidden surprises to be found. But at the same time, I was a little miffed. Ilirea was the most educated, beautiful city in the known world- and now its residents were making do in a sea of tents with no buildings in sight. Dragons were lying out in the open with no shelter from the elements except for huge canopies supported on stilts, and citizens gathered around campfires and ate steamed vegetables. The largest tent was right at the foothills of Mount Erolas, and a huge black dragon lay sleeping beside it- Almalexia, I assumed. The sight was somewhat disappointing. I knew that the Riders had had very little to work with, but surely they should have been able to make something by now? Theron seemed to sense my displeasure and tried to explain.

“The trees are strange here. They have different voices, and so we can’t sing them into homes. But quarries are being built as we speak, and we have many architects… come, I’ll show you.”

I motioned to Vakhar, who was bringing up the rear. He shifted, seeming uncomfortable. I very rarely saw Vakhar without armour, but he and I had made the decision to come to Vroengard in civilian clothes so as not to put the Riders on edge. Both of us had on heavy black hooded cloaks to keep off the rain that had been pouring a few hours ago. We followed Theron down an incline towards the tent-dotted plains. I heard soft conversations as we approached, very few of them lively. The smell of wood fires and cooking meat filled my nostrils, and I glanced over and saw a few humans roasting a leg of lamb. There were a few exotic species and many non-Riders as well, and occasionally a dragon took off or landed in the field. I kept my hood up so that few glances were sent my way- new arrivals were common here, apparently. However, as we walked, I felt eyes on me. I turned my head, and saw one girl staring directly at me. She was immediately recognizable by her black lipstick, smoky eyelids, racy clothing and insufferable smirk. I stopped walking. I hadn’t seen Laioni since our mission in Teirm. Rolling her shoulders back and pacing forward like a lazy cat, she came up alongside me.

“Well well, what have we here?” She poked a finger into my chest. Normally, Laioni was shorter than me, but she had on two-inch heels so that she matched my height. “It’s been, hmm, two years now?”
I watched her carefully, trying to gauge her emotions. Laioni had been wildly unpredictable when last we met. I reached up and removed her hand. “You are to address me as General.”
“Still as high and mighty as I remember. Have you come here to launch another offensive on the Riders? Or just visiting for old times’ sake?”
“Neither, Laioni. I’m here to speak with Anurin.”
“Would you cut my head off if I accompanied you to the pavilion?”
I considered it, but decided to push my annoyance away. Laioni thrived on making people angry, so the best thing to do around her was ignore her constant taunting. I grunted and gestured for her to follow.

We made our way through the sea of tents towards the pavilion. Laioni chattered inanely as we went, and I either grunted or gave her one-word responses. But, oddly, I was somewhat more relaxed now that she was here. There was at least one familiarity on this strange island- and I rather liked how she reminded me of all we’d done in Teirm. It would almost classify as an adventure. I had seen, then, that not all Ilireans were whining milksops- even the ones that seemed to be, like a certain scholar, could be incredibly brave if the situation demanded it. Laioni, meanwhile, reminded me of a younger, more immature Malandra, but I seriously doubted she was capable of the sheer depravity of that disgusting prig- except for the incredibly revealing clothing, of course. As we arrived at the pavilion, Almalexia seemed to sense our presence. The enormous black dragon stirred and opened one black eye, the slitted white iris peering directly at the four of us.

Theron bowed with reverence. “Great Almalexia, General Myaja Kolbjorn is here to speak with your Rider.”
A growl sounded from deep within the dragon’s throat, and she looked directly at me. I kept my back straight and my head level, but did not look directly into her eyes. Meeting a dragon’s eyes could hypnotize even an elf. Almalexia looked at me a moment longer, and then back at Theron.
“But of course, Sundavrskular,” said Theron, using Almalexia’s title of ‘shadow-scales’. She seemed to be speaking directly into his mind. Shortly afterwards, I heard her voice myself.
‘Enter, human-killer. But leave your guard with me. Anurin and his guests will arrive shortly.’

I nodded to her in acknowledgement and stepped up to the pavilion, allowing her to loom above me and sniff for any signs of weapons. I still kept my head up, but my chest tightened and I held my breath. I had never fought a dragon before and had no desire to do so now. I felt much more relaxed when I stepped into the pavilion, letting out a long breath. I glanced around the interior. Huge stacks of books and strange artefacts littered the floor, probably items that the Riders had salvaged in their rush to escape Ilirea. A long table stood at the back of the room that had been set with food, but no one was in sight. I approached the table and sat at one of the wooden chairs, sighing as I finally took the weight off my feet. I took off the heavy black cloak and tossed it over the back. Underneath, I wore navy blue trousers that were tight at the waist, shiny black boots, and a high-collared, full-sleeved white blouse with golden buttons. My hair had been up in a ponytail, but I removed the elastic and shook it over my shoulders.

“Alas that we couldn’t bring more,” sighed Laioni, who had followed me inside. She was peering down at a golden necklace set with a black stone at the center.
“Laioni. Get lost,” I snapped.
“Why? Anurin isn’t here yet, is he?” She took the chair beside me, crossing her bare legs. “And I am curious as to why the General is among the Riders yet again.”
I just stared at her until she gave an irritated scoff. “Very well, then, be mysterious. But you’ll find I’m the only friendly face you’ll see here.”
She stood up and strode away to pick up one of the books and browse through it. I settled down to wait, crossing my hands over my legs and gazing at the wall. But then I scowled.
“Friendly?” I snapped incredulously. Laioni laughed from somewhere among the books.

Words;;
Characters;; Myaja Kolbjorn with Laioni
Muse;; So-so.
Thoughts;; It's not bad. I love Vroengard's setting though, omg. x3

[Nayeli]

’introducing
{turin richards*}
featuring--! Tasia Anne Georgios! Sunglow! Leilani Richards!

The sun shown over the plains as I set from the cavern that lead through the mountain to the vault. Pulling my hand over my eyes, I winced at the bright light that hit my face and I found myself leaning against the wall of the cavern. The sound of my partner could be heard coming up behind me and I glanced back at the elf who I had been paired with. ”You should sleep, Prince Turin.” I scolded at him for a moment and shook my head. I knew he was joking, but I was no longer a prince, my throne had been ripped from my hands and my country thought I was dead. ”Do not call me that Ikai… I am no prince… My sister too my title with my death, remember?”

[/color] The elf patted my shoulder. At first, he had hated me, but hours of night shift work brough two beings together into a friendship. The man held a mate back in the Elven Nation and a child… But, they were being held in the land by their families and he missed them. I could understand to a point, but I held no child or a wife. I should have been married with a child by now, but my life had been devoted to my work. ”I will see you tonight.”[/color] As he nodded, I pushed myself from the wall, my brown hair braided down my back and my chain mail clashing together. I was tired and I was sore from the chainmail I wore.

Moving through the sea of humans and elves, I stopped by the tents of my fellow Broddering companions. As I entered the stood and bowed to me, though I merely touched their shoulders and wished them to stand. They were loyal men and considered me the King of the country they loved. They were loyal to me and it made me happy, but I only wished to be their equal for now. ”Sir, here is your bread and cheese.” One was quick to hand me the bread and cheese that was in their bags. During our run from my home, we went and grabbed as many soldiers as we could to help me rescue my sister. A few had brought their wives and children, but during the morning they ate together and spoke to try and keep things as normal as possible. ”Thank you, Daniel.”[/color] The young man was new to my command, but he was a strong hearted warrior and had helped the people of Illrea run away as fast as possible from the elven army. We had managed to arrive in the beautiful city within’ merely twenty four hours of the attack, but we had made it and managed to help my sister. Awiti had already packed many things from her home in Illrea, which allowed her and Leilani have some lovely clothes for certain things. Though they rarely wore them now, Leilani had chosen peasant clothing as her normal wear. Awiti had chosen a form of armor made by the elves of Illrea.

As I ate my bread and cheese, I listened to them speak of what they had left behind and I decided it was best to leave without a word. Moving through the streets again, I looked around and saw the movement of our new life. The land was still so… sad. No building had been built yet and from what I heard, the magic of the elves was not working on the trees. As I slowed to look down the main street to the tent of the Dragon Riders leaders… Another walked down this road and though I was sure it was a new comer, something about the way he… or she… walked made me a bit nervous. ”Turin!”[/color] The sound of a familiar voice caught my ears and I turned to see Tasia, a rider, coming towards me. Her black hair was pulled from her face into a braid with her normal head band made of vines that had been hardened and with an emerald gem in the middle. Upon her body, she wore a very revealing outfit. Though her bosoms were covered with a strap of black cloth, her stomach and shoulders were bare. On both arms and shoulders is a tattoo that seems to move like the vines on a tree and in the middle of her neck, between her collar bone, a leave forms like a necklace. The stomach that was showed was firm and at her hips was a matching black skirt that went down in rips and tears to her knees. Her clothing allowed for easy movement and as she ran to me, I feared for something. Was everything okay. ”Yes Tasia? What is it? Is Leilani okay?”[/color] With a shake of her head, my tired eyes closed and I thanked whatever deity might be high above. ”What is it?”[/color]

With a smile, she seemed to be having another secret conversation with her dragon. ”Leilani and you are to come to a meeting with Anurin and a few others. I know you got off a very late shift my friend, but it is important you come. I will have another of your soldiers take your shift tonight to allow you to rest today and tomorrow.”[/color] Well, I guessed sleep was gone for my morning and I rubbed the back of my neck. I did not know why this would be. We were slightly in the dark by what was going on at the mainland, I didn’t even know what was going on with Broddering and the Elven Nation except for the reports of us being dead. As I nodded, I moved towards my tent and she followed with me. As we reached the home that we lived at, I noticed a large golden dragon behind the tent. Lifting her head, it seemed like she smiled at me. ”Hello King Turin.”[/color] I scolded at her with a glare that possible looked a lot like my sister and I could hear a deep, dragon like chuckle coming from her. What was with these people calling me Prince and King? My title was gone! My sister was Queen and we were dead! I pushed past the flap of the tent and saw my sister getting dressed with the help of an elven woman. ”I’m sorry Leilani, I didn’t know you were getting dressed.”[/color] I covered my eyes, not wanting to see my sister getting dressed. Though I had seen her naked before as a child when my mother would turn her back and she would dart away from her, this was different.

As she finished, I felt her hand on my hand and I looked up. Finally, she wore something more than the wool clothing of common people. My sister was the daughter of a Princess and she deserved to be able to wear such things. I knew it wouldn’t happen, but I wanted her to wear them. ”I am sorry you are so tired… Tasia, is there anyway to give him a little bit of energy to help him?”[/color] The elven woman thought about it for a moment before coming over to me and saying a few words in the elven language and I quickly felt myself feel better. ”Thank you, but you didn’t have to.”[/color] Simply, she shook her head and I smiled at her. It was nice having an elf as our friend. Others hated us and I wished that they didn’t. Would it ever be different? Would we be able to pull together and be a country together?

As we finally left, many eyes watched us as we walked. I merely wore what I had worn from the night of guarding the eggs, while my sister was much more dressed and Tasia wore her normal. As we got closer, I noticed Tasia’s dragon fly over and land not far from the great black dragon and lower her head in respect. ”Hello Sundavrskular. Lady Leilani & Turin are here to see Anurin.”[/color] Leilani gave a friendly smile to the dragon and the sound of her snort and merely look at them was rather insulting, but I knew she had not warmed up at all to humans. As we walked past the dragon after being inspected, we moved into the room and noticed another two beings. One being was an elf and as we got closer, we realized who it was… The general of the elven army, Myaja Kolbjorn… I even noticed Tasia tense slightly, but with a careful step we made it to the back of the tent. Leilani stopped to look at a few of the books as well as the items that had been gotten from Illrea before the attack. ”Sister, please come over here… Anurin will be here sure, I am sure of that.”[/color] The woman known as my sister moved towards me quickly and I smiled at her emerald dress and pulled the seat out for her. [/blockquote][/blockquote]

’word count one. five. zero. zero.
’tagged Myaja Kolbjorn with Laioni
’song none--! nobody
’post status done
’template creator nayeli

[/size]

[Lisenet]

Miora
nine years old

I'd been bored almost the second Taesi and Riley left the tent. I know they didn't think I was going to stay in there until I came back, but since they'd put me there and invited me to stay, I did feel a small bit like I was imposing upon his world as I slipped quietly out of it. I hadn't been awake when he brought me between the shore and the tent, so gazing out across the mellow valley and the erected tents and the campfires and the canopies and the trees and the stream, with pointed-eared people milling about, dragons slumbering in the sun or wheeling about in the sky, tiny so far above me, I did spend several moments standing there absolutely still as I inspected it all. This was to be, for the time being, my home I supposed, since my proper one was so far away. I wondered if they would just set me adrift in another boat to get me back, since they seemed to be rather busy people, and hoped that they wouldn't. I'd had enough of salt water and boats and oceans to last me several lifetimes over, depending on how long my own turned out to be.

Seeing a woman--human or elf I couldn't tell--carrying a platter of fruit into a place a little closer to the mountains from here, I snuck in behind her and asked if I could help. She seemed to be handling the platter well enough on her own. But now that I was looking for them I saw half a dozen other people wandering in the general direction she was going, also carrying food, and since food is always a top priority for me and I didn't know when Riley would have more, I thought I ought to set myself up to get my own.

The woman smiled and let me carry a dish of little black and green, almost-round things the size of my first thumb joint. They smelled salty. And the green ones had little orange things poking out of them while the black ones didn't. I snuck a handful and liked them both before putting the dish down on the table. After that, I quick hid under the tablecloth, just in case they weren't inclined to let me nibble even though I'd helped.

Only when I heard no other people around did I snake a hand up and grab whatever it touched first. Being always hungry makes everything taste good, even if it's rotted sometimes, though none of this was. It was nice and warm under that tablecloth, so admittedly I did fall asleep. But I was awoken quite suddenly when a heavy, dark boot thrust under the hem of the tablecloth and stomped on my fingers, and I yelped. When had all these people come in?

[Joshua]

Oh, how far the mighty fall. Such was the price of difference in thinking or politics... at least among the elves. Malenwryn had gone from the lap of luxury to the lap of... well, nothing and in record time. First he had been forced to flee for his life, leaving his home and title in Ellesméra, and now he was on some thrice-forsaken island having fled yet again, though this time it was to the wilderness rather than the most illustrious place of learning known to man, dwarf, or elf! He sighed as he thought of the many treasures that were lost when his 'fellows' invaded Ilirea and drove the riders from their ancestral home. So much knowledge in the form of countless tomes and scrolls simply... lost. Yes, they had managed to save some, but they amount they had managed to recover or bring was a paltry imitation of what they had once possessed... He had just finished restoring some of said collection and was on his way to take them back to the repository... which just happened to double as the tent of the Rider Anurin...

Scrolls stuck out of the bag at his side at every angle, and books were pinned to his side by his arms which held even more scrolls. Truthfully, he could have had someone help him, but his personality would not allow such a thing. He was the only Royal Lorekeeper in the camp - though former he may be - and that was something he took great pride in... so much so that he didn't believe anyone else even remotely capable of properly caring for such treasures. His autumn colored robe replete with various shades of reds, oranges, and yellows swished in time with his purposeful stride as he headed to the tent. He needed to tell Anurin what he had found, and what they now must recover...

A sudden growling and smell of smoke stopped him in his tracks and he shook his head to clear it. He had forgotten, though how he did not know, that Almalexia would of course be outside of her rider's tent. "My sincerest apologies, Almalexia-Elda. In my focus on my task I had forgotten that you would of course be stationed here. I meant no disrespect, of course." The elf said, bending his knees slightly, unable to do more without the precious treasures in his arms spilling onto the ground. He only hoped that would be enough to appease the great reptile, though from experience as well as tales he had heard, he would likely have no such luck...

"You forgot me did you? I wonder how long it would take the others to forget you, if one as great as I am so easily erased from memory" The large black dragon rumbled, snapping her jaws to add effect. A throaty chuckle escaped her as she saw the elf's reaction, it was the usual stiffening followed by a yelp and gulp, but somehow that never truly got boring. Power was such a splendid thing to have after all. "Of course, I'm merely being hypothetical... or so you hope."

Malenwryn paled a bit as the dragon finished speaking and entered the tent, face still obscured by the stacks of scrolls in his arms. He wasn't about to wait to find out whether the dragon was truly being serious or not. 'Horrid creature!' he wanted to scream, but settled for mentally ranting within the blocked off confines of his own mind. Some dragons seemed perfectly beastly, just like their wild counterparts and if it wouldn't cost him his life, he would to tell them so!

"I've brought the relics you asked me to repair, Anurin-Elda. Though had I not been here, they would have surely been lost; they were almost beyond my help as it was. Amidst my restoration, I also found something that you need to know, rather soon as well..." He said, his voice tinged with pride and stature being without trace of the incident with the man's dragon. Had his mind not been closed, he may have felt the others in the room, or at least noticed that the object of his address was not present. Either way, he placed the repaired items on the large desk at the back of the room and turned... only to be greeted with the visages of a number of people. Momentarily speechless, the elf glanced quickly about the room, identifying several of those present... including a certain elvish general.

His words came back with a gasp however, as spotted an elvish girl manhandling some of the books he had already restored! "Unhand that book this very instant! Those are priceless sources of information, some of the only treasures we managed to recover from Ilirea, and centuries old! They are most certainly not some child's plaything!" He wheezed, completely appalled that someone would simply pick it up and begin thumbing through it as if it were a common leaflet! Some were so old that no one even knew when they were created! Before he even took his next breath, he raced to her side, white-blonde hair flying behind him, and plucked the book from her hands before clutching it protectively to his chest. He didn't even want to move, fearful that she would simply grab another and another until he was holding the entire repository... He did however turn his head upon hearing what sounded like a yelp coming from the back of the room.

[Emma]

I absent-mindedly twirled a lock of my ebony hair as I flipped through the book. It had been on the top of the pile, and was actually almost interesting for something written by an Ilirean. The topic was the language of the wild dragons, and how they communicated and thought mainly in pictures and sounds. The title was the highly unoriginal ‘The Language of Wild Dragons’, and had been written over a hundred years ago. Clearly, the rift between bonded dragons and the free ones grew wider with each passing year. Unsurprising. For all their egos, dragons were just as inclined to judge each other as humans and elves did. This book kept me entertained as the General and I waited. Even after two years of being apart, she refused to make conversation. I liked to think that it was just her incredible aversion to social interactions. There was no way she couldn’t love me after I’d saved her life. And yet, this silence continued when the first of the diplomats arrived in the tent.

I looked up from between the pages, eyeing the arrivals. One was Tasia Georgios, Sunglow’s Rider. She’d been involved in bringing humans into the Sacred Pact, which meant she was just as delusional as Anurin- and responsible for trapping us on this island. Otherwise, I rarely crossed paths with her. She was the only other person I’d met in Ilirea who wore as little clothing as I did. Today, all she had on was a black skirt and matching brassiere, showing off her muscles and vine tattoos. She was accompanying two humans that had recently become extremely prominent among the Order. Leilani Richards was the one who’d invented the idiotic proposal that humans- short-lived, stupid, pathetic humans- could actually become Riders. I had laughed hysterically at the idea until it actually came true. The only satisfaction I’d been able to get out of the entire ordeal was seeing the princess shuffling around the camp dressed like a vagrant. Her brother, Turin, was also here. I had seen the least of him, and only knew that he had been the heir to the Broddring throne before Nayeli had pulled attempted fratricide. Now he guarded the dragon eggs, and was dressed in a suit of chain mail.

All three of the human sympathizers shuffled to the very back of the tent without saying a word. Only Leilani paused to glance at the books, completely ignoring my presence. I raised a dark eyebrow as her brother called her over. The ex-princess was garbed in something decent for once- a sleek emerald dress. I glanced over at Myaja, who was looking straight at the arrivals and keeping quiet. Of course she hadn’t worn a skirt, but at least she hadn’t put on that boring military uniform. I was still the best dressed one here, I thought smugly. I looked down at my crimson corset embellished with a black bow, long, translucent stockings, and high red heels. I’d be damned if I’d left all these clothes in Ilirea for anyone to take. Glancing up again, I looked between Myaja and the others. All three of them looked awkward. Myaja’s expression was icy, her blue eyes glacial and her mouth set in a thin line. Obviously, nobody was going to speak first. I waited another moment, then rolled my eyes and gave a loud, annoyed sigh. Snapping the book shut, I strode up to the table, heels clacking on the stone floor.

“Is it not rude to fail to introduce yourself, Myaja? Tasia? Leilani? Turin? You are all so quiet that Anurin might mistake you all for halfwits.”
Myaja’s eyes flickered, and she turned to me, speaking in the Ancient Language. “Only compared to certain individuals, Laioni.”
“Is that supposed to make me angry? This is a diplomacy meeting, not a war council. There’s no need to become hostile.”
“And she continues speaking. Astonishing.”

Myaja adjusted the way she was sitting. While a comeback was still on the tip of my tongue, she shoved her foot underneath the table, and a loud yelp sounded from underneath. Myaja flinched and sat incredibly still, her eyes wide. Apparently, soldiers’ training came before common sense. That had clearly been the shriek of a child. Myaja narrowed her eyes and reached underneath the table with one hand, seizing something tightly. She pulled sharply, and out from under the tablecloth came a tiny human girl. Myaja held her at eye level, glaring with obvious irritation. I stared at the little girl. I’d never seen her running around the camp before. Small children were few and far between. By the ears, she was clearly a human, and I wondered if she was one of those vagrants Leilani had dragged with her to the island. I did not see a Rider in any snivelling human child, however.

“This is not place for little children,” Myaja said coldly, although she stumbled over the common tongue. “Vhere are your parents?”
I was about to point out that a little child on Vroengard was unlikely to have parents, but I was interrupted for the umpteenth time by yet another arrival. Incredibly, Anurin still wasn’t here. The man in question was an elf and more than a foot taller than me, with white-blonde hair and clothed in robes the colour of autumn leaves. He was ranting about book repairs to Anurin- who wasn’t even here- and sounded about as snotty and high-up as any elf I’d ever seen. Finally, his vision returned to him, because he seemed to realize that the Grandmaster’s presence was missing. Instead, his golden eyes landed on me, and he gave a horrified gasp.
“Unhand that book this very instant!” he wailed, like I had just committed a murder. “Those are priceless sources of information, some of the only treasures we managed to recover from Ilirea, and centuries old! They are most certainly not some child's plaything!”
Before I could even speak, he had bounded into the tent and torn the book away from me, cradling it like a baby in his arms. An awkward silence came over the tent, complete with Myaja still gripping the child’s arm and staring at the newest arrival. I took a moment to register everything that had just happened, and then cleared my throat and smirked at the man.
“What a shame,” I said sweetly. “I was just about to set fire to that very book for the evening roast. I’ll have to choose another!” I raced over to the nearest stack of books and wrapped my arms around them threateningly, feeling a grin creeping over my face. “Let’s see if I can remember the spell for ‘raging inferno’, shall we?”

Words;; 1119
Characters;; Laioni with Myaja Kolbjorn
Muse;; ... it was oddly difficult to capture Laioni here.
Thoughts;; I decided not to bring Anurin in just yet because there is way too much going on as is. XD

[Nayeli]

’introducing
{leilani richards*}
featuring--! Tasia Anne Georgios! Sunglow! Turin Richards!

Noticing the others was not a strange thing, but we were here to see the Rider’s leader. Looking to my brother for a moment, he helped me sit down into my chair and I noticed the elven general. Oh yes, I knew who she was. Why was this? Because I was the former princess and I knew everyone of importance from all the races and the elven nation. The General had been to a party many years ago that the riders had disrupted. However, I did not know at the time, but the party had been a ploy and it had been horrible. That was the gala I met Darek at… My wonderful love… I could not help but smile slightly at the thought for a moment as my dear friend looked at a couple of books on the table, though only touching the covers to read over the front before going to the next one. Though normally very talkative and quick to make some humor, she spoke little in the tent. Maybe it was because of who’s tent we were in? No, that couldn’t have been it. I had seen her speaking with Anurin before without much hesitation. What was her problem now? It was a very odd thing to see. Was she speaking to Sunglow? It was very possible right? Yes, it was but she still would be a bit more talkative right? She was good as multi-tasking.

Turin was also very quiet, but he has his reason. The darkness under his eyes could easily be seen from his long night watching the dragon eggs. I knew it was causing him a lot of stress staying awake when he should have been sleeping, but the day he had tomorrow would allow him to rest nicely. Though I knew he had not wanted to be Queen, he knew our sister was not the one who needed the throne. The goals she held, were high, but would take years if not a century to even pull off. War was not on her top ten list right now, I knew this. The kingdom was still rebuilding after the last and she had to get things running again, but soon, things would to rest… If her agenda was carried out by the next, she would have war in her afterlife.

Noticing something out of the corner of my eye, I turned my head seeing Tasia slightly tense for some reason… Or was she concentrating on something? What was wrong now? I turned slightly to observe her actions, but she did little but move slowly to the next book. I was about to speak when the sound of a sigh was her and the book the other was reading was snapped shut completely. The sound of clicking heels were easily heard and I turned to look at the other elf whom was with us. ”Is it not rude to fail to introduce yourself, Myaja? Tasia? Leilani? Turin? You are all so quiet that Anurin might mistake you all for halfwits.” My brother was slow to even respond to her words and we couldn’t before the sound of the ancient language touched my own ears. I did not know what was spoken, but it seemed Tasia did.

”It is rude to speak in a language unknown to some in their present, knowing that you know the language.”

[/color] For the first time, I heard the voice of Tasia as one of great tension and seriousness. What was wrong with her? Something had her on the edge, something more than the elven general being here. What was it? With eyes glancing down at the table, I looked at the cloth covered table, but only food was on the table. Again, words came in the ancient language and I was unable to understand, but I kept my lips shut, making sure no one else was going to speak.

”Well, for…”[/color] The sound of a yelp stop my voice from spilling from my lips and I looked down towards the table. The rider seemed to notice the reaction of the general, as did I. Was that a child? As the elven woman reached under the table and brought a child out, tightly grabbing her arm and holding her there for a moment. What was a child doing here. I felt my heart quicken as the child was not one that I brought and I did not know who the child belonged to.

”This is not place for little children… Vhere are your parents?” The elven general did not seem to speak our language as well as the other elves I knew, especially Tasia who had master the language while she did her education in Illrea from what I knew. As I looked at my rider friend, I saw a hint of protection in her eyes and watched as she moved towards the table. Clearly, she wanted to say something, but again, she was unable to due to another coming into the tent.

"I've brought the relics you asked me to repair, Anurin-Elda. Though had I not been here, they would have surely been lost; they were almost beyond my help as it was. Amidst my restoration, I also found something that you need to know, rather soon as well..." As he realized the great rider was no in the tent, he was slightly surprised. I thought elves could sense the present of others? Was I mistaken? No, I knew deep down they could, I had learned enough about them. As he looked around, he eyes seemed to go into a rage before he started speaking again. ”Unhand that book this very instant! Those are priceless sources of information, some of the only treasures we managed to recover from Ilirea, and centuries old! They are most certainly not some child's plaything!" Looking at the other who had spoken prior about not introducing myself, I looked between to two and watched as he took the book away and cradled it like a child. Well, it was rude to snatch things away, correct? But he had anyway. Taking in his bright haired appearance, I continued to glance between the two before she spoke again. ”What a shame, I was just about to set fire to that very book for the evening roast. I’ll have to choose another!” Rolling my eyes, I looked at Tasia who made her way around the table and towards the general. Eyes were upon the child, whom she had not taken her eyes off of since the general found her. ”Let’s see if I can remember the spell for ‘raging inferno’, shall we?”

Tasia looked at the woman. ”Enough Laioni. You already know Anurin will have your head if you ruin the only books we managed to get before coming to this island… And if you had your mind open General, you wouldn’t have kicked the child… Release the child, she did nothing but probably what she had learned to do on her own… Find food and hide so she could get more later.”[/color] Well, I had not expected that, especially since she had become very serious all of the sudden, something she did not normally do. Eyes on the other elf, she lightened her expression. ”Lorekeeper, I must speak to you about something after this meeting if I could meet you near my dragon?”[/color] What was it that she needed to speak to him about. As things seemed to lessen, I looked back at the elf known as Laioni.

”Well, we were going to wait until Anurin arrived to begin conversation, however, we were taught that those in the room prior were the ones who did the greeting and it seemed you and the General were the two here prior to us… However, if that is not going to happen.”[/color] I looked at my brother who was standing and leaning slightly against a poll and looking at me with eyes of protection. ”I am Leilani Richards and my brother Turin… General, it is a pleasure to see you again… It has been many years since the Gala and I hope all is well with you and your nation?”[/color] My knowledge of recent events were very slim since news got out here much slower than on the mainland. [/blockquote][/blockquote]

’word count one. three. eight. one.
’tagged Laioni with Myaja Kolbjorn, Miora, Malenwryn Galahath
’song none--! nobody
’post status done
’template creator nayeli

[/size]

[Lisenet]

A hand snaked under the edge of the tablecloth as the boot disappeared, wrapping itself tightly around Miora's arm and hauling her up. She only sighed as she was wrested from her hiding place, like the tongue of an oyster dragged out of its shell, and stood staunchly before he intimidating woman as she berated her.

"This is not place for little children."

Miora rolled her eyes with a scowl, displeased by her rudeness when SHE was the one who had intruded upon Miora's rest. "I was here before you were." She leaned backward, leaving the woman to hold her up by the arm, as an encouragement to let her go. Miora would have bit her already but for the fact that she was sorely outnumbered in this tent, and not only by humans. -Elves.- The beings that folklore taught her were as beautiful as flowers, but you never knew what those flowers were made of. Daggers could have flowers on them too. Best not to anger either one of them and still hope you got the pretty-smelling kind.

"Vhere are your parents?" It was only with her second harsh demand that Miora's pinpointed her accent as best she could, identifying it as nothing more or less than not-human. Not another -elf.- Miora leaned even further from the woman's unrelenting grip, on the verge of bruising but not quite.

In answer, she snapped, "At least one of them's dead, and I don't care for your tone." She affected a slight arch to her voice in favor of her usual salty street-cant, just to off balance the woman, who clearly hadn't mastered the language yet and likely wasn't expecting lip from a girl whose head barely came over the woman's hip. One of the things that most unsettled the nobility was hearing their own manner of speaking from the dirty mouths of street muffins, and therefore it was Miora's favorite game to play.

The woman's attention was distracted by another elf bemoaning something about books--which could always be rewritten, not that Miora knew much about them--and the urchin took the opportunity to pick the closest food item to her--black and green olives--and drop a swift handful in the irksome woman's pocket. With Miora tugging on the arm she held she wouldn't feel the hand in her clothes, and with someone else's chittering she wouldn't hear the movement. Adults were so easy to distract. Children knew better.

The elf-woman still hadn't released Her. Miora opened her mouth wide and was about to invest her teeth into the woman's corded wrist when one of the quieter women saved the elf's wrist by telling her to let the girl go. Miora paused, then twisted her elbow and slid out of the woman's grasp to hide over by the piles of books, disconcerted by the awareness that if the woman hadn't let her go, Miora would have had little chance of forcing her to, with the strength of that grip. Still keeping well away from the elven man guarding the books--human men were troublesome enough, elves were probably worse--she peered over them curiously, wondering why they were so important.

(Sorry about the lack of codes, my phone botches them when I try.)

[Joshua]

Malenwryn wanted to have a stroke as the female elf spoke. She wouldn't dare. She had to be joking, she had to. To set fire to any book was a mortal sin, but an entire pile?! She was out of her mind! He held his breath as an authoritative female voice spoke up, speaking against the fourth elf in the room, one which he had not noticed really, which considering the girl attacking his books, it wasn't that surprising. However, now he did see her, and he took in a sharp breath. He knew her! She was the elven general who had taken to haunting his library in Ilirea for nearly a whole year! What was she doing here?! He didn't think she had defected and had come to join them, that was for sure...

Before he could ponder this too much however, a small human child had wriggled from her grasp and raced over to his books - which appeared a small fortress compared to her. The poor thing... He did have a small soft spot for children... just not when they were breaking his things, interrupting him, or bothering him when he had a headache.

He wanted to throw himself at the feet of the elf as she continued speaking, rebuking the offensive younger elf who dared say such things about books. "Of course, Honored-One, and thank you for intervening... I likely would have regretted my next actions." he finished in the ancient language as both a statement to the sincerity of his offense as well as it being an attempt to not alarm the humans, though if they spoke the ancient language as well, it would be for naught.

He nodded in reply to the human woman's greeting, and had to admit, he liked the bit of snark hidden in her words... especially since it seemed to be directed at the general and that vile youngling that was dressed like a common tramp. "My name is Malenwryn Galahath, and as the honored Rider has already pointed out, I am the Lorekeeper of the riders; I am tasked with the restoration and preservation of our... diminished stores of literary knowledge." he said, admitting the latter part a bit sadly. Twice now he had lost an immensely grandiose library, a fact which troubled him and even made him think of giving up all together at times...

He brushed his hair back behind his ear as he finished speaking and turned once more to look at the human child, setting the book which was still in his embrace on a stack far away from the elf that Tasia had addressed as Laioni. She didn't look hurt, and judging from how she had earlier replied to the admittedly intimidating general, she did not seem too shaken up or frightened. 'Good... I would hate it if she were hurt for simply eating and falling asleep in the wrong place.' he thought to himself.

He found himself feeling slightly out of place since he didn't know what was going on. Was he supposed to be here in this apparent meeting? He guessed he would find out if or when Anurin ever decided to show up... At least he wasn't under dressed for a meeting if he were to stay, in fact, he was wearing one of his nicer robes. His mother had made this one for him back when he lived in Ellesmera, on the day of his being accepted as royal librarian. He had to admit he was intrigued enough at this point that were he invited to stay by either of the riders, he would gladly do so... even if it meant dealing with the general.

mehhh... short post is short...

[Emma]

I had never liked children. I wasn’t sure why, but little children- little girls in particular- put me on edge in a way that nothing else could. Facing a platoon of Urgals alone was preferable to being trapped in a room full of children. This one looked like many of the little humans I’d seen in the Blue Divide- small and skinny from a lifetime of poor nourishment. Her hands were callused and scarred, and she wore a dress that might have been blue originally but was now so faded and worn that it was difficult to discern the colour. A strange feeling overwhelmed me as I stood there holding her. It wasn’t one I usually felt, if ever, so I couldn’t place it. I didn’t like unknown emotions. They made me angry. So I kept my grip, knowing full well just how squirmy all children were, regardless of race. Before I could say anything else, however, the human girl spoke- something that so surprised me that I looked directly at her.

“At least one of them’s dead, and I don’t care for your tone.”
The voice had a definite lilt to it that made the words difficult to understand- but it was the tone, not the words, that caught my attention. I looked directly into her blue eyes. This girl did not fear me in the slightest. She wasn’t trying to run away and she hadn’t started bawling, like most youngsters did when I entered a room. I looked at her thin arms again; at how unnaturally strong they were for someone who had barely started living. Of course she hadn’t been bawling and trying to get away. If she had no parents, she had lived a life of pain and hardship.
“… And if you had your mind open General, you wouldn’t have kicked the child.” I looked up as the one Rider in the room- who was wearing even less clothing than Laioni, if that was possible- came striding over with her eyes blazing. “Release the child, she did nothing but probably what she had learned to do on her own… Find food and hide so she could get more later.”

I didn’t quite register what she had said, but I had already been able to tell from the atmosphere of the room that everyone wanted me to leave the child be. Amusingly, the little girl wasn’t afraid, but everyone else was. I released my grip on the human, and watched as she bolted away into the stacks of books. I wanted to smile, but forcibly schooled my face into one of complete composure. It wasn’t difficult once I turned back to the assembled group at the table, and remembered the reason I was here. Dellanir wanted to know what they were doing- by which she meant, are they going to attack us or not? The second I’d arrived, even without knowing the Riders’ intentions, I’d realized the answer was no. The Order could barely feed themselves; let alone equip an army and send them out to the mainland. But Dellanir’s mind was lost. Malandra, on the other hand, wanted to know their activities. I hadn’t seen anything out of the ordinary while I was here. Although granted, everyone who saw me was instantly put on edge, so I likely didn’t have the best viewpoint.

“Well, we were going to wait until Anurin arrived to begin conversation, however, we were taught that those in the room prior were the ones who did the greetings and it seemed you and the General were the two here prior to us… However, if that is not going to happen.”
This was their diplomat? A woman who resorted to sarcasm? Even if it was directed at Laioni. I turned my head to look at the young ward. As usual, her breasts were emphasized and almost entirely bare, and her thighs were completely visible. I had never quite gotten used to that level of undress, especially since it left her so completely vulnerable. Laioni, of course, was oblivious. Her eyes were on the scholarly elf that had entered the room. She was hovering around behind him, and looked upset that he was no longer paying attention to her.
“I am Leilani Richards and my brother Turin… General, it is a pleasure to see you again… It has been many years since the Gala and I hope all is well with you and your nation?”
She had to be joking. I stared at her in complete silence. Did the Riders really have no idea of what was happening on the mainland?
“My name is Malenwryn Galahath, and as the honored Rider has already pointed out, I am the Lorekeeper of the Riders; I am tasked with the restoration and preservation of our... diminished stores of literary knowledge. Of course, Honored-One, and thank you for intervening... I likely would have regretted my next actions.”
I eyed the scholarly elf once more. Now I recognized him. He had definitely been a librarian in the Citadel. I had crossed paths with him on more than one occasion, and I had been a constant source of anxiety for him. But as soon as he was finished speaking, Laioni stepped forward so that Malenwryn could clearly see her.
“I am Laioni, Ward of the Riders. I dabble in the occasional... magical research, and I am often sent out to do tasks for the Riders that they are unable to do themselves.”
Possibly the vaguest answer I had ever heard. But something struck me now- everything had been spoken in the common tongue thus far. I thought that Rider had simply been needling me when she’d said the Richards siblings didn’t speak the common tongue.
“You really don’t speak Ancient?” I asked them, my voice both incredulous and scorning. “You have no chance with elves if this is case. Laioni and I could have been speaking how to kill you, right under your nose, and you would never know if this Rider were not in room. It is a question of your safety. Haven’t you been with elves for two years?” I allowed my genuine anger to colour my voice. “If I am expected to speak common, you as well should be expected to speak at least a little Ancient by now. Your sarcasm here in this room, your ignorance... and you are the Riders’ diplomat. I am greatly disappointed.”

Words;; 1071
Characters;; Myaja Kolbjorn with Laioni
Muse;; Good! The week's break helped me.
Thoughts;; Myaja has zero social skills. Sorry I didn't really leave anything for Miora or Mal to do. XP Don't worry, they and Laioni will all be kicked out to do their own thing when Anurin comes.

[Nayeli]

’introducing
{Turin Richards*}
featuring--! Tasia Anne Georgios! Sunglow! Leilani Richards! Anselm Volasyl! Elisedd!

I looked between my sister, my friend, and then the general now gripping the child firmly by the hand. Why was the elven general even here? From my understand, the elves had little want of the order, they had sent them to the island off the mainland to get rid of them. My sister and I had nearly been killed and now we came here. Everything had been put on hold except for the teaching of the children and the only teaching Leilani was doing was the lessons of their history as well as making sure things were done correctly. They had to be bathed, feed, and sheltered until we had homes. As everything began to unfold, I kept silent, not wanting to draw too much attention to myself. Why was I even here? To protect my sister of course. It was null to try and protect her from elves, but it was my job and my passion to watch over my youngest sister. As I watched Tasia move around the tent towards the general and the child, I heard the child speak.

”At least one of them’s dead, and I don’t care for your tone.” The child held no fear. I looked at my sister and I saw her eye brows come together as her brain began to think. Why was it that, I was never in on the loop. My sister always kept a constant contact with Tasia through a mental link that had taken a year to make perfect and I was never in on the loop unless Tasia pushed into my own mind for a split moment. Personally, I didn’t like the idea of someone being in my mind, but sometimes, it would have been nice. As I watched the quickness between the encounter with Tasia and the general, I watched as the young human was gripped and she moved to the table. In all honesty, she needed to leave, but who was going to tell her? The child had stood up to an elf, which made he like her.

Tasia had also spoken to another elf, one I had remembered being called… lorekeeper? From my understanding, it was someone who took care of the ancient books and even current books. Why didn’t they just call him Book Keeper? ”Of course, Honored-One, and thank you for intervening...” The last words that came from the elf were something I didn’t understand, but Leilani seemed to find something very funny about them. My sister had learned some of the ancient language, but since her studies had stopped before out move back to Caravala and had still not started up, she had been set to merely reading the language. Leilani was not someone who liked speaking a language if she had not learned it fully, especially a language with such great power.

Finally, my sister introduced us and it seemed her lack of rest showed on her. The woman had resorted to a snide remark about being greeted and I merely shook my head slightly. Glancing over at her and then at the others. It seemed something else had caught someone’s attention to, but I could barely read the generals emotions or facial features. I put it off to the side.

”My name is Malenwryn Galahath, and as the honored Rider has already pointed out, I am the Lorekeeper of the Riders; I am tasked with the restoration and preservation of our... diminished stores of literary knowledge.” As I looked at the lorekeeper, I did not speak. My lack of sleep made it easy for me to just sit and listen. It was something my uncle had found to be quite useful when I was growing. My years of training as a prince of the country… My uncle had said a good leader listened to everyone and everything before speaking and this was something I was doing. It was why Leilani did not make for a good Princess… She liked to talk… A lot… Normally, she was very well schooled on the certain subject, but it always seemed to get the better of her.

“I am Laioni, Ward of the Riders. I dabble in the occasional... magical research, and I am often sent out to do tasks for the Riders that they are unable to do themselves.” I barely looked at the nearly naked woman. Of course, Tasia was just as lacking of clothing, but she was a warrior and I didn’t mind standing beside her. I knew she could care less for showing off her body, she dressed the way she did because it was comfortable. As it seemed all but Tasia had introduced themselves, but then the words of the general hit us.

”You really don’t speak Ancient?” Leilani and I looked at her for a moment. I watched as my sister tilted her head in slight confusion. ”You have no chance with elves if this is case. Laioni and I could have been speaking how to kill you, right under your nose, and you would never know if this Rider were not in room. It is a question of your safety. Haven’t you been with elves for two years?” My sister merely sat back in the chair and raised her hands to get lips and looked at Tasia who now stood to where she could see everyone. ”If I am expected to speak common, you as well should be expected to speak at least a little Ancient by now. Your sarcasm here in this room, your ignorance... and you are the Riders’ diplomat. I am greatly disappointed.” With out skipping a beat, my sister chuckled.

”Let me go ahead and tell you something General… Technically, I am no Diplomat for the riders, I was and still remain a diplomat for the humans, even if my country thinks me dead… I am here only to help the young humans to make sure they are well educated in both the human history and make sure they are being taught how to control their anger and their tongue… As well as that, I know how to speak and understand most elven language… However, I have not mastered the language enough to speak it fluently and I know the power that language holds and I will not be the human that makes the mistake of killing myself because I said something wrong. I can read and even write some in the ancient language, but until I can speak it correctly and fluently, you will not hear it come from my lips. So, do not pester me about speaking your language.”

[/color] My sister was not one you wanted to pester about such things. The one thing she had mastered was learning quickly, though the language had been a slight road block, she was learning and she spent nights writing and reading books that she had managed to bring along during the flee from Illrea.

As I sat there, the sound of movement could be heard outside and I watched as Tasia turned quickly. The ground shook as something large and heavy walked towards the tent before whatever it was made one large thud on the ground. No voices could be heard, but someone was coming… As the tent flaps were moved away, I stood to welcome in one of the elder riders, as I gave a bow to the rider, the sound of his voice came easily. ”Ah, seems I am a bit late to the party.”[/color] A chuckle could easily be heard as he spoke in human tongue easily. Walking past the child, he rubbed her head without even thinking about it and I stood up straight. First, he greeted Tasia, though it was more mental than anything and it must have been funny. ”Ah, General Myaja Kolbjorn. What a pleasant surprise… What bring you here?”[/color] It did not seem to skip a beat as he eyed the Lorekeeper as well as Laioni for a moment, though a pleasant smile was on his face the whole time.

Now, he turned to myself and Leilani as he came around the table. Giving me a firm handshake, he patted my shoulder. ”Your majesty.”[/color] I flinched at the sound of the royal title and looked at him with now stern eyes. ”Anselm, please don’t.”[/color] Though my voice was hushed, I knew everyone could hear it, and I noted the smirk on Tasia’s face. As my sister went to stand, he held his hands up and pleaded with her not to stand. ”Oh, please Lady Leilani… Do not stand, let me come to you.”[/color] One thing that elder rider had learned was the manners that my sister had grown up with. Walking over, he kissed her hand and smiled down at her. ”I have something for you, if you want to walk with me to my tent after this is over… Might help with your studies.”[/color] With eyes brightened, she smiled and nodded. It seemed his entrance had quickly settled the air, I felt better now as he sat down beside me and grabbed a roll from the table. As he went to place it in his mouth, he gawked for a moment at the child.

”Where did you come from?”[/color] His voice did not sound tense, just surprised for a moment. The elf had rubbed the child’s head before going about talking to everyone. I wondered if he knew that there was tension before he came in and decided to make sure everyone was loose before it got serious again.
[/blockquote][/blockquote]

’word count one. five. eight. six.
’tagged Myaja Kolbjorn with Laioni, Miora, Malenwryn Galahath
’song none--! nobody
’post status done
’template creator nayeli

[/size]

[Lisenet]

The elf who had run to the aid of the books the woman in tight pants—that woman dressed more indecently than her mother ever had, and her mother was an Evening Lady—had threatened to burn didn’t seem to want Miora close to his books, or else he was worried about her being there. Miora edged sideways behind them and stepped back so she wasn’t so horrifyingly close to the piles of books, and so she could hide a little from the woman who had grabbed her. There were two many pointy-eared people in this room for Miora’s comfort, but she had to admit to a perverse sort of fascination with them, or at least with the atmosphere in general. People who fought too hard to get along made her nervous, and irritable; people who openly disputed made her happier, they were more likely to be honest. And besides they were entertaining to watch. Since Miora had no furs to dress up in so she could go to the theater or the opera, watching people grumble and mutter and turn pink was her most constant source of entertainment.

Then there was a lot of chatter that Miora didn’t fully listen to, and some that she did. The declarations she did understand made her tuck a smile in one cheek. At least the people here had good arguments to make. The people who wanted to be listened to and heeded ‘just because’ made her want to kick them. It was too bad bare feet didn’t cause enough of a bruise to make a point.

The ground shook sharply underneath Miora’s feet and she inhaled sharply, ducking a little, expecting all the books to topple or the tent to collapse or the earth to open up and chew on her, and when it didn’t she peeked curiously over the dust-paled books, then straightened, pleased that she wasn’t on the earth’s menu yet. A tall man entered, older than all the others, and an elf. But there was something gently peculiar in his bearing, something that made Miora step out from behind the books-stack, staring up at him. He said something that made some of the others chortle or grin, but her own thoughts distracted her and she didn’t hear him. She pulled away with a small frown when he ruffled her hair—Miora had never cared for being handled without her permission. Too many people wanted to snatch or pinch or steal for her to like others’ hands getting too close. But he didn’t pull her hair or push her, so he must not be a bad man. That made two on her list of nice ones, counting Riley.

Then the older elf called the human man ‘majesty.’ Miora’s head whipped around and she scowled at him, indignant that if he was a special person he hadn’t announced it in some way that she could notice. She wouldn’t have been so pert with the ‘General’ if she’d known. Maybe. No, she still would have been. But she would have bowed, or curtseyed, or maybe smiled first.

The older elf selected a biscuit from a platter on the table—this added to Miora’s assessment proving he was a real person, sort of, since he ate—and then turned a pleasantly puzzled gaze on her. Miora fought the urge to put her fists on her hips for him looking like she’d surprised him when she had done no such thing. She’d been here first. And he even saw her when he walked in. ”Where did you come from?”

He’d drawn attention to her when he said that, for now all the peculiar people in the tent were looking at her. Miora drew herself up to withstand it all, giving in and planting her fists because having them on her hips made her feel bigger, and most of these people were too tall anyway. ”Narda. Then the ocean. Then Riley’s tent. I only came here because there was food.” It was a perfectly reasonable explanation. ”How about you?”

[Joshua]

Malenwryn looked around as most of the others went ahead and introduced themselves, finding himself quite surprised that the young elf dressed like a 'working woman' was actually a ward who actually contributed to something... other than morale. He still watched her carefully, keeping his eyes on her hands and her face for signs of trickery. After a few more moments, and several more statements going on around him, he decided that watching her every move made him more vulnerable, and thinking of the proper wording, he whispered an incantation to protect the books from flames from the time he spoke until a half-hour had passed. That would be enough, he thought. The effect of the spell was immediate, and he felt the small drain pulling at him. It wasn't much however, and just about as much as he had anticipated...

He scowled only slightly at the words of the elvish general, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly as he found himself remembering exactly why he hadn't liked her... Not only did she support the very ones who had thrown him from his home, but she was also frigid and even more pompous than he was! The humans didn't exactly have the long and glorious heritage that the elves did, so they couldn't be expected to be fluent in more than their own language. Just the efforts some of them put forth was surprising and interesting to him, especially since so few of them could weave even the simplest of spells. He guessed that in a few centuries, there might even be some decent scholars among the humans, though they would all pale in comparison to him, of course.

As the human woman spoke in return, he was impressed yet again and made a note to spend some time speaking with her, perhaps even give her some lessons if she so desired. It was not often that he was impressed by humans, but here he was, meeting two that held a confidence and, for lack of a better term, spunk beyond any he had seen as of yet. "Trouble yourself not, Lady Leilani; you've committed no wrong. However, you are giving her what she wants in becoming irascible." he said, giving a nod to the watchful male beside her.

After affirming the human lady, he turned back to the general. "And, had you actually been discussing such a wretched act, rider present or no, I would have acted in the best interests of her ladyship." he purred, happy enough in being contrary now that he had fully remembered the stress and irritation that the militant elf had caused him. "Also... were her ladyship visiting, Ellesmera, then your outrage would be justified. However, it is you doing the visiting, is it not? And in a place where the common tongue is just that... the common tongue. Your outburst is ever-so beneath someone of your rank, General." he said, adding so much respect into the last word that it did exactly the opposite and showed his disgust and scorn.

His eyes lit up as he decided his next words, keeping with his now sickeningly respectful bit. "I do however have the most grand of ideas. Why don't you show her ladyship what she is missing? Display the power of the most blessed of languages, and perhaps it will give her more incentive and encouragement to learn the tongue!" he said, looking the older elf directly in the eyes, a smug smile stretching across his face. He knew of the lady general's descent, that she came from the most magically inept lineage in elven history. Such words, no matter their sweet tone, were a rather venomous jab at both her and her family. Petty, but gratifying... especially for the younger elf... learned little twit that he was.

A sudden rustling caught his attention and in strode another man, a rider, who shot him a most interesting look which confirmed his suspicion that he was not supposed to be in the tent. He had however accomplished something, even if it hadn't been what he had sat out to do, and that was intervening on behalf of her ladyship and hopefully infuriating the lady general...

Looking about, he let his eyes land and rest on the Rider Tasia before speaking. "It has been a pleasure, Tasia-Elda, I will speak to you later at the agreed location." he said, performing an elven farewell as he turned and moved toward the entrance of the tent, chuckling softly at the response of the small human child... As he reached it, he turned once more, bowing slightly to the grown human male and female. "Good day, ladyship, lordship..."

Malenwryn has left the thread.

[Emma]

I sat listening to Leilani’s response in complete silence, analyzing every detail of what she said. If she could understand the Ancient Language as she so claimed, why had Tasia said she couldn’t? And in that case, why would the meeting continue in the common tongue? Still, Leilani mentioned nothing of the security, trust, and cultural issues that would inevitably come of her ignorance. On top of that, she was short-tempered. I remembered her making a scene at the Gala before storming off. She took personal slights too seriously, allowed them to cloud her judgment. She was focussed on telling me just why my personal slight against her was wrong, not the issue at hand. If she had to defend herself so strongly, then she could possibly be insecure. All in all, Leilani Richards certainly had a backbone, but I found myself questioning her competence and intelligence for a person in a position of such high regard.

And yet, she had allies. Her brother; that Rider, and now the scholar was coming to her aid. Although I suspected that he was looking for any possible way to irk me rather than feeling defensive of Leilani. He came up in front of me and, in the cowardly style of most elves, gave me a lecture on decency behind a mask of pure kindness. But his eyes burned with clear resentment. Like Leilani, instead of properly rebutting the argument, he chose instead to insult my lineage. I tilted my head at that. The House of Kolbjorn was far older than his. Magic or no magic, we had survived countless millennia and were among the oldest-lived in Du Weldenvarden. This librarian was of an unknown house, and he had hidden among his books while the Blue Divide had raged around him. He wasn’t even worth giving an answer to. On top of which, didn’t either of these idiots know that the ancient language was harmless if the speaker had no magical ability? I had never caused injury to myself as a child when I was still learning. I gave a soft sigh and wished Vaoris and Rohiriel were here to bring the IQ of this tent up.

Once Malenwryn had decided he was finished, I spoke, my voice much quieter than before. “I stand corrected, Lady Leilani. You are no diplomat. That much is clear.”

Any further banter was interrupted, however, when the sound of a dragon landing resounded from outside. I frowned, turning to face the tent entrance. It couldn’t be Anurin; Almalexia was already here. My suspicions were confirmed when a tall, black-haired elf swept into the tent. Completely unlike anyone in the room, he was all smiles and cheer. Maybe he’d sensed the tension when he’d entered, and was eager to dispel it. He greeted everyone kindly, even throwing Laioni a smile. But at the same time, it was clear that she wasn’t meant to be here. While Malenwryn at least had the decency to excuse himself rudely, Laioni pretended she hadn’t seen the older elf’s look and simply began to lounge back in one of the chairs. She’d been watching the exchange between Leilani and me intently, but hadn’t said a word, oddly enough. Normally, she was the first person to butt into such encounters. As Anselm floated around the room, I was tempted to reach into her mind and ask her what she was thinking. But then the elf spoke to me, and I realized that he was one of the elder Riders. I waited until he sat down and the others had answered him before I spoke.

“I was sent here by Ramakrishna, Argetlam. She is curious about the Riders’ displacement. And Anurin has wanted to speak to me since her appointment.”

I tried to keep my pure hatred for the woman out of my voice, but was unsure of how successful I was. As I spoke, the tent flap opened yet again, and another figure emerged. Anurin had long black hair pulled back in a knot, and was wearing a long cloak that danced in the breeze of his steps. When he shrugged it off and laid it across a chair, I saw that he had finely woven armour. Unlike Anselm, he was very serious and quiet. I had seen Almalexia’s injuries from the ambush in Ilirea. Many dragons and Riders had been badly wounded, and some had even died. I tried not to think about the fact that I hadn’t seen Rohiriel or Vaoris while I’d been here. Thankfully, Laioni distracted me by getting up and running towards Anurin, wrapping her arms around his middle and giving him a heartfelt squeeze. I was surprised at her show of affection. Anurin, however, seemed used to it, because he calmly reached over and began to pry off Laioni’s arms with some effort.

“Anuuuurin. I discovered something about the Ra’zac poison.”
“Very good, Laioni. I promise to come to your laboratory after the meeting.” He held her arms in front of her, and then looked around the room. “I see both you and Tasia have misplaced your clothes.”
“Are we underdressed for the meeting?” asked Laioni sweetly.
“Quite. And you should be tending to the wounded, Laioni. Go, and take that little one with you.” He gestured to the child. Then he looked up and addressed the room. “I am sorry for how late I am. I was meeting the inhabitants of Sardavar Leed. Something about a jaguar ritual…” He finished removing his over-clothes and began to move around the table, giving the Grandmaster’s Blessing to everyone in the room. I straightened as he touched two fingers to his lips, then placed them on my forehead and muttered something. He also stopped to give it to Laioni and the child before continuing around the table. Meanwhile, Laioni hovered at the edge of the tent.
“If you insist, Grandmaster. Come along, little girl.” She struggled to sound sweet- I knew Laioni disliked children even more than I did. “Anurin wants us gone.”
“Thank you for joining us, Riders Anselm and Tasia. Your Majesties. And thank you for making the difficult journey up here, General Kolbjorn.” Anurin seated himself at the head of the table. “Shall we begin with business?”

Words;; 1040
Characters;; Myaja Kolbjorn with Laioni
Muse;; Bad... I was in a bad mood when I wrote it.
Thoughts;; Huzzah, the plot is rolling.

[Nayeli]

’introducing
{tasia anna georgios*}
featuring--! Turin Richards! Sunglow! Leilani Richards! Anselm Volasyl! Elisedd!
I don't know if you can see
The changes that have come over me
In these last few days I've been afraid
That I might drift away
I've been telling old stories, singing songs
That make me think about where I've come from
That's the reason why I seem
So far away today

As I looked over at Leilani who was thinking of a few terrible things, I tried to calm her with the help of Sunglow, who spoke softly to the young human diplomat. ”There is no point, little one… The general seems to enjoy not getting along with anyone. Just put on that smile and continue on.”

[/color] I mental smiled at my sister for a moment and then, the words of the lorekeeper came to my ears and I turned to look towards the elf. ”Trouble yourself not, Lady Leilani; you've committed no wrong. However, you are giving her what she wants in becoming irascible." It was unfortunately the truth and I noticed Leilani give a simple nod and then look down at the table. Now, she held her tongue, not speaking. This was a very good thing. The stress was wearing down on the woman, as well as her brother and normally, she did not get so short with others. Only two times had I heard of this happening. The first being a Gala that she had been at many years ago and the other when she slapped the sister who now held the title of Queen.

”And, had you actually been discussing such a wretched act, rider present or no, I would have acted in the best interests of her ladyship." Standing beside the table, I just stood quietly, choosing myself not to speak as I had no reason to. My sister seemed to be thinking of her own thing, mostly this dragon known as Varden. I felt some amusement realizing my sister was in love with the dragon. ”I’m not in love… We’re just… friends.”[/color] Smiling slightly at the tent flap, I looked back at the others for a moment. ”Also... were her ladyship visiting, Ellesmera, then your outrage would be justified. However, it is you doing the visiting, is it not? And in a place where the common tongue is just that... the common tongue. Your outburst is ever-so beneath someone of your rank, General." I let out a slight chuckle. ”Here, we have two languages… The human’s language and the elves language… As well as other smaller language… But I know for a fact one person her of importance is not versed in the ancient language, so we stick with one common language we all know, so enough of it.”[/color] I said, walking around slightly and glancing over at the child for a moment. She was a cutie, that much was for sure and she had some spunk.

"I do however have the most grand of ideas. Why don't you show her ladyship what she is missing? Display the power of the most blessed of languages, and perhaps it will give her more incentive and encouragement to learn the tongue!" Rolling my eyes slightly at the lorekeeper, I shook my head slightly. I had already had enough of this, but we had to wait for Anurin.

“I stand corrected, Lady Leilani. You are no diplomat. That much is clear.” Looking to the general, my mind touched her own as forceful as I could. ”More so than yourself…”[/color] I was very much tired of the General. I didn’t care who she was, it was her armies that attacked me for no reason. As I stood there just watching the area around me and then the little girl spoke. With fist on her hips and a look that made her look a bit sassy, I could not help smile at her. ”Narda. Then the ocean. Then Riley’s tent. I only came here because there was food. How about you?” I chuckled slightly at the little girl and shook my head. ”Well, Anselm? What do you think about that?”[/color] Having taken a bite from the apple, he found himself laughing.

”Well, she is certainly a sassy one… Well, I came from the Forest where the Elves live and then I was in Illrea for my teaching and then became a rider and now, we are here.”[/color] With a smile on his face, he looked over at Leilani. ”Is this one of the young children who are being taught?”[/color] Shaking her head, she let of a slight sound of a half chuckle and half cough.

”No, but if she is staying with Riley, I am sure I can see if she plans to… Though, right now is not the time.”[/color] I looked over at the child and smile at her for a moment. As I turned my attention back to the others, I watched as the Lorekeeper came up to me. ”It has been a pleasure, Tasia-Elda, I will speak to you later at the agreed location." I nodded to him and watched as he left, I watched as he exchanged farewells to Turin and Leilani. ”Good day, ladyship, lordship..." Turin rubbed his eyes and shook his head.

”Oh, come on Turin… Some people actually respect you and know who the true ruler of Broddering is.”[/color] Looking at me with a glare that could kill, he pulled at his face slightly. ”Tasia, leave me alone.”[/color] His voice sounded tired and he shook his head, closing his eyes as he massaged his temples. Not paying attention completely to everything other then Turin’s stress, the voice of the General made me finally return to my attention to everyone.

”I was sent here by Ramakrishna, Argetlam. She is curious about the Riders’ displacement. And Anurin has wanted to speak to me since her appointment.” This confused me… Ramakrishna? Malandra? What did she care and why was the General being ordered around by her? Anselm looked over at her for a moment. ”Ramakrishna? Hmm… Well, it is not that hard to figure out… The queen sent us away and now we are here… Nothing hard to figure out at all. Now we are just trying to get back up and make this place become out home.”[/color] I could tell he was still trying to be a bit funny, but soon, a more serious note came to his voice. ”Now, if she wants to know if we plan on getting back at the Elven Nation, you might as well tell her no… To be honest, we see a lot of good things from this place… It was away from the mainland and no one has their heads looking over us because we are next to their kingdom or in a city apart of this nation…”[/color] He said, putting his feet on a clear part of the table and leaning backwards slightly.

Without even a few moments, I turned to see Anurin walk into the tent and I smiled slightly towards him. I gave him all of my respect and I stood away from him over by the Richards. Watching as he moved his cloak and he held a serious gaze. Though, I did not blame him… Though, Anselm was always serious too, he had humor, something that Anurin seemed to have lacked. Of course, it was also part of the reason we were here… The elves had hurt many other riders and dragons. Sunglow had gotten hit by a small arrow while we were guarding those leaving, but others had been killed and it was because of the elven army. As Laioni ran up and wrapped her arms around the man, I held a scowling gaze at her. I hated when she did that, she had no reason and I saw no reason either.

“Anuuuurin. I discovered something about the Ra’zac poison.” Now, that was something interesting.

“Very good, Laioni. I promise to come to your laboratory after the meeting. I see both you and Tasia have misplaced your clothes.” Glancing down at myself, I looked back up him curiously. I never dressed any differently, except for when I had to put on armor and it was not much different except I wore leggings and my skirt went from cloth to chainmail that was split up the sides to allow my full range of movement. ”When have I ever dressed differently, Anurin?”[/color] I smiled slightly and leaned against the chair in front of me and earned a gaze from Leilani as she looked up.

“Are we underdressed for the meeting?”

Quite. And you should be tending to the wounded, Laioni. Go, and take that little one with you… I am sorry for how late I am. I was meeting the inhabitants of Sardavar Leed. Something about a jaguar ritual…” I tilted my head in curiosity. As he moved around the table and gave the grandmaster’s blessing, I smiled as he finished. Laioni seemed to hover, but it seemed she realized it was time for her to go.

”If you insist, Grandmaster. Come along, little girl. Anurin wants us gone.”

“Thank you for joining us, Riders Anselm and Tasia. Your Majesties. And thank you for making the difficult journey up here, General Kolbjorn. Shall we begin with business?” I watched as Turin flinched at the sound of Majesties and let out a long breathe before removing his hand and looked at him.

”Thank you for inviting us, Grandmaster… What business do you have to bring to us first? Mine is just the business about the children.”[/color] She also held something else on her mind and it was centered around Nayeli. It seemed Leilani was hoping that the riders would go to Nayeli soon quickly point out her wrong doings and make her stay in line.
[/blockquote][/blockquote]

Now I have moved and I've kept on moving
Proved the points that I needed proving
Lost the friends that I needed losing
Found others on the way
I have kissed the fellas and left them crying
Stolen dreams, yes, there's no denying
I have traveled hard, sometimes with conscience flying
Somewhere with the wind

’word count 1.566
’tagged Myaja Kolbjorn with Laioni & Anurin, Miora, Malenwryn Galahath
’song Caledonia--! Celtic Woman
’post status done
’template creator nayeli

[/size]

[Lisenet]

”Well, Anselm, what do you think about that?”

Miora looked suspiciously sidelong at the human man, not sure if he was teasing her or not. Well, teasing she wouldn’t mind; she gave enough of it herself to both and deserve getting some in return. It was mockery she couldn’t abide. Mockery was what drove her to hide bits of rotted meat in the toes of people’s shoes and the backs of their desk drawers, where they would never find it but give it three days in summer and they would smell it.

And as for sass. Her mother had called her sassy. She’d also called her salty, since Miora, even in infancy, had never tended toward sweetness. It was always My sassy little buggernut or My salty girl, always accompanied by that flex of pride. Mam had liked that her daughter wasn’t prone to fantasizing, or bum-kissing, or giving in. She said life would be harder for it, but Miora would be better for it. Mam had been sweeter than her daughter, and her daughter had worried about her for it. But where her mother was she required no worrying now. … Miora just wished the old elf hadn’t said ‘she’ as if Miora wasn’t listening. She was standing right there, looking at him. She wasn’t stupid or deaf or mute. If this man was one of the good ones, he was one of the good-dismissive ones.

”Is this one of the young children who are being taught?”

“No….I am sure I can see if she plans to….”

Miora crossed her arms with an indignant squawk. How dare they just keep talking like she was a piece of furniture! Children could talk too, and listen if they wanted. And as shocking as the knowledge might be to these uppity adults who clearly hadn’t realized this the first couple times, Miora could think and speak for herself. But since their brains had clearly rotted past the point where they remembered this, she locked her tongue up tight and silently fumed. Adults could be such idiots. And that woman best not think her pretty smile was going to make up for the fact that she’d ignored her.

Yet another person came in. Another elf, oh how lovely. He too insisted on touching Miora, but now she had the food table at her back and had nowhere to go but to lean backwards when he lightly pressed two of his fingers against her brow. Miora reached up and rubbed at the spot then looked at her palm as though expecting him to have put something on her forehead, and then scowled suspiciously at him too. These men were all crazy somehow. One of them crying over bits of paper, one laughing at her, one seeing her one moment and not the next, and one insisting on poking her in the forehead even though she clearly hadn’t wanted him too. Then there were the two women who dressed like tavern dancers and the one who simultaneously ignored her and smiled at her. Was Miora the only normal one in the tent? There was the elf General. She had reacted normally to everything and had only grabbed Miora because she’d startled her. Maybe she was the only sane one.

”Go, and take that little one with you.”

Miora rolled her eyes. Always being identified by her stature, how grossly unfair. The half-dressed woman in pants stood by the tent flap and waited, clearly as displeased with her lot as Miora was with hers, and Miora stomped over, but only after stuffing two nut-studded rolls into the pockets of her thin apron.

”Come along, little girl.”

”I’m not little,” Miora groused, already fed up with the littleness. But she had no snappy comebacks related to littleness or lack thereof, so as soon as she was free of the tent she bolted, heading for the river. The frogs and water bugs could keep her company.

-exiting thread-

[Emma]

“Thank you for inviting us, Grandmaster… What business do you have to bring to us first? Mine is just the business about the children.”
Anurin glanced at me, but I just gave a small nod of agreement. Better to hear what he had to say first. The Grandmaster gave a long sigh and interweaved his fingers, seeming pensive.
“Business is dire as of late. Most of you are aware of the trials the Riders have had to face. Only one of us is aware of what the elves are going through. I arranged this meeting in the hopes that we could come to an understanding between each other in the face of what happened in the past few months. General, I understand that you were there the night of the exodus from Ilirea?”
“Yes,” I muttered darkly. “In the Citadel.”
“Then you encountered it firsthand. Tell me; were your soldiers under direct orders from you that night? I’m not-”
“IDIOT!” I shouted, unable to contain myself. Containing my personal beliefs was one thing, but insults to my soldiers I would not tolerate.
Anurin blinked in genuine surprise.
“The Riders believe my soldiers were the ones responsible for the exodus?” I snarled at him. “How dare you compare my brave men and women with those disgusting specimens of the elven race!” I leaned forward in my seat, the volume of my voice growing with every word I spoke. “I was still in the Citadel the night of the attack, cut off from my army, as you instructed, Anurin. The militia Dellanir sent were a bunch of pathetic upstarts who operate solely on vengeance and hate. She knew my army wouldn’t be capable of the atrocities that were committed. I train my men for war, not burning babies. My soldiers have families in Ilirea. You really think I would order them to butcher the people they love? The militia, those pathetic pieces of shit, were the ones who destroyed your city, not my soldiers. Is that fucking clear?”
Anurin gazed at me with an unreadable expression. This was how our conversations would usually go when I was imprisoned in Ilirea- him utterly expressionless and calm while I spat arguments at him. As usual, he didn’t seem at all unsettled by my fury. I had to admit that I had more respect for him than the average person based on his history- he had been alive even during Wyrdfell, and the calamities of that war had been far, far worse than anything in the Blue Divide. That also explained why he was not prone to showing much emotion. However, I was not impressed with his leadership skills thus far.
“The elves who attacked us were garbed in soldiers’ armour, and one of their first acts was to release you. I can have a Rider analyze you to see if you’re lying.”
“Fine, then. On behalf of the elven military, I will accept having my mind read.”
We sat staring at each other for a long moment. I expected to feel him brushing past my mental defenses, but instead he just nodded and settled back into his seat.
“That does make things less complicated. General, allow me to fill you in on the details of what has transpired since the attack.”

I allowed my mental defenses to shrink back, just slightly, and felt Anurin’s presence nearby. He sent an array of images through our mental link. I saw the Riders taking every egg from the Sacred Font and flying them away from the city, and families in horse-drawn carts. I saw boats and dragons sailing across the sea, and their landing on Vroengard. I watched scouts being slaughtered by jaguars and venomous spiders, and the first meeting between Anurin and the headsman of Sardavar Leed. Human children being trained to become the first mortal Riders, and the bitter squabbling that took place in the Rider ranks even after the pact had been changed. Poverty and despair abounded, as well as a deep-seeded hatred for the elves. I felt no such hatred from Anurin, but I knew Almalexia’s poisonous glare. I placed a hand on my chin and thought. It was true that the Riders were in no shape to pose a threat to Du Weldenvarden now, but what about one hundred years in the future? The youngest would remember the fire and death the elves had caused, and could easily try and seek vengeance.

“And now, General,” said Anurin, once he had passed along the last of the images, “please inform us of Du Weldenvarden’s current situation.”
I gave a long sigh, just like he had, and closed my eyes.
“After you and Almalexia informed Dellanir of the change in the Pact, she locked herself in her palace for many weeks. Nobody was allowed in or out. The palace began to die over that time, and the trees became vicious, badly injuring anyone who tried to enter. I’m assuming she sent the order to drive the Riders out of Alagaësia during this time. Dellanir was not eating or sleeping, and was slowly dying. She might have died, if not for Malandra.” I opened my eyes and looked at Anurin. “I don’t know where she came from or where she was hiding. She changed her appearance and somehow crawled into the palace…” I broke off, mainly because I was uncomfortable with talking for so long. “I don’t know what that whore said to Dellanir to earn her trust. But Dellanir has abdicated the throne and set up some kind of research laboratory in Luthivíra. She refuses to see me or any of her advisors. Evandar is now king; and Malandra has been appointed as his regent.”
For the first time, emotion crossed Anurin’s face. “Evandar is well?”
“Better. It’s like the illness was never there. I understand Eragon himself said it was incurable.” I raised my eyebrow at this.
Anurin pressed his fingers into his temples. “Because it is incurable, General. No one has ever recovered from it… not by natural means, at least.”
“What is she doing to him?” I demanded hotly.
“I can’t know for sure without a physical examination.”
I made a face and cracked my knuckles. It was yet one more thing that I couldn’t protect my own king from. Unless I figured out what Malandra was doing to him, I would be an utter failure as a protector. Anurin saw my expression and sighed. Then his face became blank once again.
“And as Evandar is too young to rule, Malandra is going to make the decisions. But why would the elves listen to a human? A human that has a history of butchering hundreds of innocent people in her basement?”
“She’s taken steps to distance herself from the Prophet persona. Dyed her hair blonde, dresses like a nun, acts matronly. She hasn’t made her real intentions clear, and we’ve received no orders from her.”
“Is she interested in the military?”
“No. And anyway, the army is more concerned with Nayeli.”
I looked at the humans, and decided to say nothing more of the current border issues with Broddring.
“And the elven people?” questioned Anurin.
“Badly divided. I think that’s Malandra’s main issue right now. Reunifying the elven race.”
“Very well. Thank you, General. That was very insightful.” Anurin turned back to the rest of the table. “Anselm, Leilani, do you have anything to add?”

Words;; 1234
Characters;; Myaja Kolbjorn with Laioni
Muse;; ... not great? I'm not used to Myaja rambling.
Thoughts;; Not my best... stupid dialogue posts that go on forever.