Riley jolted up from the mound of letters two days later. She studied the group of humans who’d entered the room, interrupting the unending paperwork.

“Ah, Princess Riley,” a man said, nodding. “Lovely to meet you. I’m Duke Sanchez. The king sent us to aid in the transition. I know that yielding such—”

“Nice to meet you!” Riley shouted and bolted out the door. “I need to go meet my grandparents!”

The duke spun. “Wait! Princess!”

Riley groaned and skidded to a halt. “Please don’t prolong the agony.”

“Agony?”

“Paperwork,” Lucas said, rolling his eyes.

“Agony,” Nicole said, jogging up to Riley.

“We’ll walk you through it.” Tahani sighed and looked at Riley. “You owe us!”

“Always did!” Riley waved at her and headed for the door. Thank the gods. If the elves ask me to do paperwork, I’m running off. Skipping down the hallway, she searched the rooms, finally finding Althea and Roger hiding in an office. “There you are!”

“You can’t make me do the paperwork, Riley,” Althea replied, sighing loudly.

Roger chuckled. “What is it?”

“Some duke from Eteln is here to take over. Or I assumed that was the case. Either way, I’m leaving him to pick up the pieces. It’s all a giant mess.” Riley groaned.

“How many have surrendered?” Roger asked.

“Most, though four families were killed by criminals or irate villagers. One duke is holding out. Oh, and I got a letter from Grandma and Grandpa. They’re headed straight here and eager to take over.”

Roger groaned. “Let’s skip that meeting.”

“I agree.” Riley smiled. “It’s time for a paperwork break, and I want to see the forest.” She stretched and waggled her brow. “Who’s ready for a run?”

Althea walked to the door. “Let me find Lucas.”

“He’s back with Tahani, explaining things,” Nicole said, chuckling. “We ran off.”

Riley nodded happily, and Althea walked from the room.

Roger stretched. “Ready for a nice long jog?”

“Yep.” Riley walked to the door, shuffling her feet. Let’s go meet the elves.

~~~

Towering trees surrounded her, and small patches of snow covered the area. Her breath billowed, and she studied the distant city that seemed to be built in the trees. That’s wild.

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Jogging down the lane and enjoying the smell of the trees, Riley approached the city. A guard turned and looked. His eyes went wide, and he darted to the guard station.

Althea smiled and straightened her attire. Riley smirked and felt hers shift. Looking down at the blue dress, she chuckled. “Oh, Beauty.”

[You look good! ~ Beauty]

Walking up to the gate, Riley watched and moved closer to Nicole. Elven soldiers streamed out, their uniforms straightened and pressed.

So formal. With a growing smile, Riley conjured up the lute and walked to the gates.

“Hello, my elven people.

‎ It’s good to see you all.

‎ We made a run. We had some fun.

‎ I hope you’ve had a ball.

‎ We’re off to find some family.

‎ I hope that you don’t mind.

‎ We’ll speak again, my newest friends,

‎ if we find the time.”

She strummed the strings and walked past them, entering the city.

A regal-looking elf walked up to her and straightened his tunic. “Welcome, welcome. It’s lovely to see you again Althea, and you two ladies as well. Your grandparents are on their way, Lady Raelinn.” He smiled.

“Thank you,” Riley said. She peered past him and saw two elves moving swiftly down the road. Are they my grandparents? She studied the woman with flowers in her hair and the man in uniform. They had familiar brown hair and soft green eyes.

The woman broke into a run, shooting down the road. She pulled Riley into a hug. “Oh, Raelinn, it’s good to finally meet you.”

“You too,” Riley said softly. She looked behind her, and the elven man joined the hug. “Hello, Grandpa.”

“It’s good to have you here,” he replied with a smile.

Riley smiled. “This is my friend Nicole, erm, Neria. And that’s my dad, Roger. He’s next to Althea.”

Her grandmother turned. “Thank you for bringing her back to us, Althea.”

Althea smiled and nodded.

Riley broke from the hug and smiled at them.

The regal-looking elf smiled. “We’re happy to have you and the council is looking forward to meeting with you about your appointment.”

Nicole stepped forward. “Right. How does that work?”

“We have some lessons to help you with the language and traditions of the elves. We’ll also cover the geography and history. Then there are courses to help you with your new roles.”

“Roles?” Nicole asked.

“Your duties as members of the council, yes. You’ll be assigned a territory, and you will need—”

“Bye, Grandma and Grandpa! See you soon!” Riley waved, turned, and ran off; Nicole did the same. The two shot off down the road.

“Eteln first?” Riley asked with a growing grin.

“Yes!” Nicole replied, ignoring the protests of the elves behind her.

Nobility can wait. Riley pushed herself, dashing down the road toward the distant horizon.