Part 1.
The great East-West Highway that spanned nearly the entire width of the continent, was one of the best kept roads in the entire world. It was a great trading road after all. Goods moved from all around the world on that road, given that it connected the largest trade city in the world Methloda to the Holy City of Aquira, stopping by Stedwall, Fuastus’ southern defensive city, and gateway to its capital. The profit generated by the one highway could fund the Empire and the Principality, twice over. Meaning that Methloda itself, was always in the designs of the Empire, while its neutrality was protected by an alliance of Faustus and Aquira, and no emperor loved the thought of being excommunicated, not even an emperor like the current one.
Now as for how great that highway was, the North Road towards Dortmin was…. not. Instead of the stone slab and pavement combination that was the highway, the North Road constituted of a nearly smoothed out red clay soil. Which meant that when it was dry, it was a sturdy hearty road, making travel with wagons and carts easier. When it was wet though, it was a slippery, goopy mess, and while the roads near the capital seemed okay, Alex realized that once he had gone some distance, past where the capital walls could be seen, any sort of upkeep stopped. The slippery goopy mess had hardened back in the heat of the sun, but it had lost its smooth texture, which made walking on it less than enjoyable at times.
This didn’t bother Alex too much though, and Lili even less, as she took it within her authority to delegate her seat to be on Alex’s shoulders. Her attitude has done a dramatic shift since they had left, she was far more talkative and energetic during the day, and even more clingy at night, deeming her sleeping spot to be tucked inside the same sleeping bag as Alex, meaning that the one that he had made using [Create] for Lili was relegated to being a spare.
A typical day on the road for them was to wake up, eat a light breakfast, balancing a healthy mix of fat, protein and carbs, an ability that followed him to this world from his old fitness days. They would do some light stretching before heading out. Somedays they would make excursions into the forest, it didn’t hurt to have more protein available to them, and he was interested in trying out some new abilities he had picked up. At first, he thought about seeing if Lili could use any magic, given that she was a Kitsune with magic abilities.
Lili explained to him that, “I can’t, only full-grown Beast folk can use magic. It is something that is released to us once we go through our great change.”
“When do Beast Folk go through their, ‘great change’?” Alex asked.
She seemed to be rather stand-offish about answering the question, so he chose not to press any further. Lili had opened up a great deal about herself, but something things she didn’t seem quite ready to talk about. It was after that conversation that she became extremely clingy at night.
Instead of having Lili involved in any of the fights, he used any time in the forest as a way to train to fight while having to protect another person, of course with his strength and ability, the fights were rather pathetic. Though there was one ability that he found himself amazed by, he deemed it a cheat among cheats, [Ruler’s Authority]. It was an ability that would bend the will of anyone who believed themselves to be inferior to the user. For the case of monsters, most could sense right away the power difference between Alex and themselves, making them simple targets for such and ability. For Humes, or more intelligent lifeforms, it would be a simple case of breaking their will to fight prior to being able to use the ability.
Though he did find there to be some limitations to the ability. He could not order any victims to commit suicide, nor could he force them to do anything physically impossible. While he could tell them to hold their breath, if they got to the point where they would suffocate, they would immediately start breathing again. One thing he could do though, if he had more than one person under his control at the same time, he could order them to kill each other; However, since he didn’t directly kill the victims, and was only partially involved in their demise, it would negate his [Skill Steal], something he made a mental note of for the future.
After about three days on the road, it turned away from the forest, heading in a westward direction. From their current position, on a nearby hill overlooking the vast plain, was a single walled city. It was still a way off on the horizon, easily a day’s walk ahead of them.
“Can you see Dortmin from here?” he asked his companion. It was a silly question he had asked without thinking. Beast Folk had far better senses than Humes. While a Hume may be able to see candlelight at nearly 50 kilometers, if the elevation is right, the Beast people could easily double to triple that number, given proper elevation of course. That meant that if he could see it, she could probably smell the bread being baked in the morning if the wind came in their direction. However, all she did was give a big nod in solidarity to him and a smile to match.
“So then. The question of the moment is, do we want to go to Dortmin?” he said aloud, while sitting on the ground for a quick rest. The question was honestly rhetorical, but Lili answered him anyway, shaking her head no. “No? Why not? We could get some sleep in an actual bed.” He asked her.
“Alex is comfy.” she said, grabbing onto him, wrapping her arms as far as they could stretch around his chest. “Also, bad man is there.” She added. While she may look and talk like a child, she had a mind that gapped her appearance.
“True…” he took from his handy pouch a piece of steaming bread, breaking it in half and giving the smaller portion to Lili. “Though I do know that Hordin does wish for me to take care of him. I feel that simply walking into the enemy stronghold isn’t the best strategy in the current circumstances.” He finished looking at the small girl, munching at a piece of bread about the same size as her head. “Okay Lili, I’ll follow your advice, we will bypass the town, and make a B-line for our real destination.”
She responded by raising one fist into the air in solidarity, while the other one held the bread, partially in her mouth. The sight of the scene made Alex chuckle. “Back at the palace, you had great manners when you ate. Did coming out into the wild awaken the sleeping beast in you?” She ignored his question and continued to gobble on her loaf gleefully.
After some time resting, they restarted their journey. Choosing to ignore Dortmin for the time being, they left the road, venturing in the northeast direction. While he didn’t have any exact location on where the witch would be, he did no that she was in the Northern Woods, which was located in the vicinity of the Brein River. First thought was to head towards East Brein and ask around about any possible gossip. “Very RPG style.” He thought. “Could be worse, I could be breaking into people’s homes and destroying pots and raiding their dressers.” That last thought was coupled with the thought of being arrested and being labeled the ‘Heroic Panty Thief.’ “That is the bad ending for sure.”
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Part 2.
Large leather bound tomes lay stacked throughout the room, the old dusty wooden shelves had long since been filled to the brim, in some places where the books were small enough, they were filled two deep. Now this is not to say that everything was in disorder, every single text was properly categorized, and placed organized by subject then by author, and even tracked using a index system that she kept in a separate book near the entrance to the room. Organization, even chaotic, was important to any and all researchers.
In the center of this room, though you may not notice it upon entering due to the large mounds of books that surrounded her, sat a woman with her face buried in a book. Truthfully she didn’t even need to read the book, she already knew the contents of the book, front to back from memory, in fact she knew the contents of every single book in her library, front to back. She knew the information contained within their binding so well that, she could tell you the number of times the word ‘the’ appeared on any given page, or any given book within these four walls. The benefits of being among the long lived, neigh immortal, Elven species.
So, what would a woman who new the contents of every book she owned being doing reading one of those same books? Research. Another foray into the realm of alchemy, another attempt made to produce results. Results that had so far eluded her in her ageless quest to break a perceived curse put on her and repair her stained dirty skin.
“My lady.” Said a soft voice from the doorway. “My lady, please come eat something, you have been in here for two days. You need food and sleep. It does you no good not getting rest.” The voice belonged to a tall pale-skinned elf with short blond hair kept in a wild style, she had long pointed ears and pale green eyes, and wore a green body suit with light brown trim and a matching skirt. “Please my lady, rest, restart you quest tomorrow after giving you body and mind time to rest.” She pleaded, now walking in towards the piles of books in the center.
“Huh… oh, Auruia, when did you get here?” said the mistress, now popping her head out from behind the mountain of texts that was between them. “How long have I been here? I should probably get some fresh air?” she asked in a quizzical manner, much to the dismay of her attendant.
“Yes, my lady. Please come, dinner has already been prepared.” She said, only the slightest hint of annoyance breaking through to the surface.
“Sounds great.” Shot up the other woman. Contrary to how she may appear, this woman was not a Dark Elf, though long ago when she was out in public more often, she was often mistaken for one. In fact, the only people that could tell that she wasn’t a Dark Elf were the Dark Elves, among others that knew her or at least knew who she was.
She was, at least for the first portion of her life, just another Elf, well a High Elf or Eldar, as the ancient people used to call them, though that name is now only remembered in very old texts. She came from a prestigious line, directly related to the Elves founder, a line that could only be traced through the father, and hers had ended with her. She was her father’s only child, and while in Elvish culture females would be raised by females and males by males, her father had used his authority within the kingdom to raise her himself. From birth, making her an oddity among her own people.
Her father was a high ranking general within the Elvish military. He was one of two that held the same position, his counterpart Odwin was in charge of the internal military, serving as commander of the defense. Her father, Evowa, was in charge of the external military, making him the commander of the forces tasked with destroying any would-be enemies, giving him a larger but seemingly less important role. The two of them had full command over all military matters and answered only to the council, which was comprised of the four Ancient Elves, the children of the Elvish Ancestor. Their authority was absolute, and any decisions had to have a unanimous decision. For a race that had all the time in the world, taking the time to come to a unanimous decision didn’t sound like such a bad thing.
For a time, things were well. Evowa educated his daughter in everything, military strategy, military doctrine, philosophy, magic, politics, swordsmanship, archery, horseback riding, everything he could think of that would prove to be useful to a male elf who would eventually lead the military or join the field of politics. This was unusual, as the Elves had a very patriarchal community, with most females, not including the two who were on the council, learned domestic skills, and were often hired by men for menial chores such as cleaning and catering. Something that had almost become a requirement for society to function, as males and females never lived together, and there was no concept of true marriage among them.
Elves had picked up the idea from the Dwarves, but the concept had been contorted. To the Elves, when a males said, “Please marry me”, to a female, it meant, please mate with me during the very specific period of time that occurred once every five years, to produce offspring. Then they would go their separate ways, a kind of divorce without all the extra paperwork, only to come together for the child’s birth. If the child was male, the father would take him, raise him, and train him in the father’s occupation, if the child was female, she would stay with the mother, and be raised in the same way they always had.
No true filial relationships or attachments existed within the Elvish community, and it was kept this way under tight lock and key. Again, this made the girl even more of an oddity among her people. The father and daughter duo lived together, trained together, ate together and shared the same room, sleeping in a hand-made bunk bed her father built, prep for possibly being out with the military. This meant that while most female elves steered clear from males, she had grown quiet accustomed to them, even sharing the communal bath together with them.
Everything was good, until the great war. She was still young at the time, since she was too young for war, even by elven standards, stayed home under the care of Odwin. Her father, commander of the expeditionary forces, left to fight for all life in the world, and returned triumphantly. The races of the world had joined together and fought the Dark God’s forces, crushing his citadel and banishing him. Evowa had a Hero’s return, the first great Hero in the world.
It was after that, that things began to change. No more were the father-daughter duo inseparable. Evowa had locked himself in a room for hours, sometimes days, at a time, neither eating nor sleeping. With no clue as to what he was doing, the girl returned to her training, reviewing all subjects her father had taught her, over and over, in a hopeless effort to garner her father’s attention.
One cold night, in the middle of winter, there was a loud commotion in the house. Odwin had arrived to check on his friend, only to find the Evowa to be a shell of his former glorious self. When he attempted to confront his friend about his current condition and his newfound hobby, Evowa assaulted him, with strength that did not match his feeble form. Throughout the house the two fought, crossing blades, Odwin, his single-handed saber, and Evowa a long knife, with runes decorating the blade. The two crossed blades for a time, Odwin trying but unable to get through to his long-time friend. Eventually, becoming accustomed to the strength of his zombie-like opponent, he gained the upper hand. The daughter, who had just entered the room, waking from the commotion, was startled to find her father being attacked by the man she looked up to like an uncle. Egged on by a sudden plea from her father, “help me my daughter!” His voice was foreign and chilling, but that didn’t even register to her, all she knew was that her father was being attacked, regardless of who it was. She lunged forward, carrying a blade of her own that she kept under her pillow, a habit that she had learned from her father. The blade pierced Odwin’s left calf, causing it to buckle. Not missing the chance, Evowa renewed his attack, lunging his decorated blade into his friend’s body, over and over, each time the runes sparked, as if being charged with the mana within the general’s body.
The scene was horrific, and the realization of what she had done was nearly immediate. She had assisted in killing one of the most powerful men in Elvendom, but it was self defense right, she was coming to the aid of her father, an also well respected man within Elvendom, a Hero of the world. Surely this was understandable. Evowa, not even looking at his daughter, turned and began walking out the door. There was no thanks, no consolation, no explanation of what had just happened, just a silent treatment, as if the girl didn’t even exist.
After a short time to collect herself, she rose to her feet, and rushed out of the door, chasing after the man that had raised her. The capital of the Elves was massive, there were streets that twisted and turned in all directions, some serving as phonies, attempting to trick any would-be invaders from reaching the heart of Elvendom, the Council Chambers, where all memory and law was kept. As she twisted and turned, running along the streets in her nightclothes, trying her best to remember the path her father had taught her, the most direct path from their home to the Council Chamber. Between the fresh memory of what had happened in the home and the cold wet ground of the outside roads, her memory didn’t seem to be functioning at full capacity.
Her attention was immediately drawn in the direction of the Council Chamber, as flames began to shoot up from it, and commotion could be heard all around the city, fights were breaking out, a coup led by her father had started. She rushed forward, a speed nearly matching the horses she had learned to ride so agilely. Her lungs were burning in her chest, but she couldn’t bring herself to stop, it was easier to convince herself to keep rushing forward, telling her brain, just one more step after each one. As she drew closer to the center, the fighting intensified, she did her best to avoid anyone and everyone, as she had no one of telling friend from foe, nor did she even know what side she truly belonged to.
In the confusion of the ensuing fights she snuck inside the council building, creeping her way to the central chamber. From the top row, she looked down in on the bowl, on the center stage there laid four bodies, all with knife wounds. She rushed down to check on the victims, realizing that they were just as dead at Odwin was in their home. That is until one of them moved, weakly. She rushed over and asked in a breathy voice, “Are you okay?”.
The old Elf cracked open on of his eyes, surprised to see a young female elf, cradling his head in her lap. “Help… me.” He exhaled at her. Remember her father’s rigorous training, in every school of magic, she began casting healing spells of a far greater power than anyone her age had any right to be able to cast. It wasn’t long before he was patched up well enough. “The others?” he asked her softly. She responded with a solemn shake of her head. “I see.” Is all he could say to her.
“You are Evowa’s daughter?” he asked her.
“Yes sir. I am Evona, daughter of Evowa.” She responded, her voice, like her emotions, were full of confusion. Why would her father attack the council? What was he planning? What will happen to me, who saved the life that her father was trying to take?
“He is going for the Tree of life.” Said the elder. “Yggdrasil, the ancestor of all life. He seeks to destroy it.”
The fighting outside seemed to have quieted down, though they had no way of knowing which side had won. She looked up, through a small square window, facing the west, she could see the Great Tree, towering over everything around it.
“I must go.” She said, “I have to know why he is doing this.”
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Part 3.
She rushed through the forest that surrounded the great tree. To an Elf, the forest was nothing more than a playground. They could jump from treetop to treetop with ease, never even needing to set foot on the ground if they chose to.
Apparently, the defense forces had triumphed over their attackers, and ended the coup. The remaining council leader had taken control of the military, and ordered the ringleader, Evowa, to be captured. The first unit to head out was about three minutes a head of Evona, more than enough time for a unit of trained elites to do away with the man she had so many questions for.
“Faster… I must go faster.” She said to herself, pushing her small body as hard as it would go. The idea was reinforced by the sight in front of her. Between the time she had left the council and gotten to where she was, about halfway from the city to Yggdrasil, the Great Tree was now in flames.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
The crackling sound of the wood was accompanied by what could only have been called screams. Whether they were the screams of the tree itself, or the screams of the souls of the people housed within, a good portion of them being victims of the attempted coup, the realization that they were essentially dying twice in the span of mere minutes, shook Evona to her core.
When she did eventually make it to the base of the tree, the horror that awaited her would be forever burned in her memory. Her father was engaged in battle with an entire unit of some of the most elite soldiers in Elvendom, some of them being men he had personally trained. He was fighting them, with what appeared to be a giant sickle, the blade containing the same ruins that were on the dagger he had used to kill Odwin, and the shaft, no doubt a piece of Yggdrasil herself, hard as iron.
He had four swords shoved in from different directions, but he acted as if he didn’t even feel them. Where he swung, men died, not a painless death, his swings were light, mostly shallow slashes along the torso, arms or legs. But the cuts appeared to immediately fester, and then their mana, an invisible force that flowed throughout the world and resided in all living creatures, was being visibly drained from their new wounds, mummifying their bodies, but worst of all, denying them from rejoining the cycle of life death, stealing their reincarnations.
To accompany the scene was a wicked evil laugh, more like a howl than actual laughter, and a grotesque smile on a face that she no longer recognized. Against any and all good council that her senses could have given her, she jumped into action, doing her best to avoid any of the other soldiers, and making straight for the man who was supposed to be her father. Her small blade, shaking in her hand, a mix of rage and fear, she was no match for her father, she never had beaten him at anything ever, but it had never been a problem, there was always time to get better. That was until this moment, there was no longer any time, she had to do and use anything and everything at her disposal to fight against the seemingly unbeatable odds.
At some point in the fight, the other soldiers stopped fighting, had they just backed off, letting her fight the greatest warrior in the world alone? No, to her horror, they had all already been slaughtered some time ago, unbeknownst to her. She was now fighting alone against a monster beyond normal comprehension. It only took a few blows of her to know that he was taking it easy, but was it because it was her and she was his daughter, or was it because it was her and her power was akin to that of a fly on the wall compared to his own? She didn’t have time to consider the possibilities, she just swung her blade at him, as fast and as lethality as possible, that and a bit of luck was going to be the only way that she would ever even land a hit on him.
As the fight seemed to reach a climax, it stopped. The man once called Evowa, jumped back a distance, now looking far more terrifying that ever. She had been slowly shifting into a more and more demonic appearance during the fight, but with her so focused, she had not even noticed. Now, in the auburn glow of the burning tree, she saw his form. He was tall, even by Elven standards, his fingers long and narrow and appeared to have small growths protruding from them, small branches? He was thin, his blond hair, was now platinum, long straight, coming down nearly to the floor. From atop his head, two large horns, each shooting straight up before splitting and moving in opposite directions. On his back, were two large wings, reptilian in nature, the thin webbing jet black, with the digits being covered in dark silverish fur. When spread to their greatest extent they stretched out to nearly eight meters from end to end.
“I am sorry child; my task is complete. Do clean-up for me.” He said in a hollow voice, which showed no semblance of recognition to the person he was talking to. He began flapping his wings, graining thrust as he jumped from the ground and into the night sky. “This time the world would be mine.” He cried out, as he flew from the scene. Leaving a small girl, fatherless and surrounded by a multitude of corpses.
Evona sunk to her knees, all the energy she had well exhausted. She had no idea what to make up of everything that had happened in the few short hours from the time she woke up to her father and Odwin fighting, till now, surrounded by bodies of countrymen whose souls would never return to the world. That concept only truly hit her then, but she was far too tired for it to show. As if a teetering tower, being pushed by high winds, she crashed on the ground, her vision darkening, the last thing he could recall was the sound of voices and footsteps rushing in her direction before the entire world went black.
When she eventually came to, she found herself bound in shackles inside a dark room. The dingy air reeked of blood and excrement, the stone floor was cold and wet, and screams could be heard in the background. There was no bed, nor anything really in the room, on the opposite side was another set of jougs limply hanging from the wall. The only thing in the room was a star mat, which was largely useless, as her current condition prevented her from lying down. Yet still, the stress and exhaustion took over her, and she found her eyes grow heavy, sending her back into sleep once more.
It was pain that woke her up this time, heavy pressure being applied to her face, smashing the back of her head into the stone wall behind her. “Get up! You filthy wretch!” screamed a loud angry voice. “You whore!” It continued. She opened her eyes, staring past the boot in her face, she could see a soldier in ceremonial armor attached to it. He was angry, terribly angry, with tears in his eyes, he continued to yell curses and insults at her, but she was still far too tired and far too confused by everything going on around her for her to really bother. She missed her bed, she missed her home, right now she would probably be sitting down and having breakfast with her… ah, yes, her father. The man who was responsible for everything that had happened, the reason she was in this room, the reason that this angry crying soldier was shoving his foot in her face. Anger of her own welled up inside her, and she wanted to shout curses of her own, but then it dissipated, truthfully she missed her dad. Not the one from last night, not even the one who had been home for a year and was toiling away alone in his study, no she missed the one who had disappeared off into the distance with the army and gone to war. She didn’t want the Hero, she wanted her dad, her Hero. Now the tears came.
“You little bitch! Why are you crying?” the man screamed at her. “It was you and your shitty father’s fault that so many were killed!” he continued, raising his knee in an effort to kick the girl again.
“That will be enough.” Said a calmer and older voice. Standing in the doorway was the only remaining member of the council. He looked old, he was old, he had lived since the first life had sprung on this planet. He was there for the naming of the grasses and the mountains, the rivers, and seas, and all the animals who walked, swam, or flew. He predated the Dragons, the Dwarves, Beast Folk, and of course the Humes. He, next to only Yggdrasil herself, was the oldest living thing in the world. He was a walking relic whose life was nearly snuffed out last night, had it not been for one quick witted girl and her effective use of advanced healing magic.
“She is the traitor’s spawn. We should kill her now! We have to show that traitor…” he began raising his voice again, only to be cut off by the Eldar.
“True, she may be his daughter, a crime in and of itself. However, she is also my savior. Had she not rushed to my aid last night, I would not be here now, and Elvendom would be in great peril. Its two highest military leaders gone, and the entire council with them, what then?” The old elf was asking a question he already knew the answer to. Elves being slow acting people to change, would struggle to pick up the pieces. There was no real plan in place for a power vacuum like that. For one, they were neigh-immortal, and had no real plan for succession, those in power had been in power for as long as anyone could remember, in the matter of the council, since forever, since the Great Ancestor left them.
The angry soldier could do nothing but gnash his teeth at the reality before him. It wasn’t like he was actually angry at her anyway, she was just an easy target to vent his frustrations on, solely because of her filial connection. No soldier in the country did not know of her achievement. That night, before they had rushed forward towards the child before the burning tree, they had, under the canopy of the forest, watched her go toe to toe with a demonic being, a being that had killed one of the most elite units in the army. From their view, she had not only fought against it, but had even driven it back, causing it to flee the scene. It was not only from a place of loss that the soldiers felt the way they did, but also from a place of jealousy. That a small girl, not yet to mature into womanhood had outdone the soldiers, battle-hardened veterans, most having even served under her father in the great war.
“Release her from her shackles into my custody. I will watch over her until the trial.” The old elf said. No one dared to question or reject a direct order from the Councilor.
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Part 4.
The new room was a change from night to day, it was lavishly decorated, there was pristine white furniture, an elegant crystal table with matching chairs and a large canopy bed clothed in white and draped in green silk with floral embroidery. One wall was covered in bookshelves from end to end, each shelf stuffed with tomes, many first editions, some were even never released, and consisted of observations through the millennia. This amazed her the most, it was a far cry from the single bookshelf she had at home, of course her father’s study had more, but she was never allowed in there, so seeing that many books at one time was a first for her.
“This is my sisters’ room.” The Eldar said to her. “You may use it for now, but I suggest first you take a bath. Go along, I’ll wait here.” When you lived for thousands of years, you had patience to spare.
The girl rushed off to a side room, correctly guessing it to be the bathroom. In there she bathed and cleaned herself. It was the first time she had had a moment to herself, the warm water loosened more than just her tired muscles. The memories of the night came rushing back, and with it came the tears, pouring forth like the discharge from a dam. How could so much have changed overnight? Who was the man that had replaced her father? Why was Odwin in the house last night? How could he flee and leave her surrounded by his enemies? The questions poured forth, who, what why, but there were no answers to be had for her. And who knew what her fate was to be, given the way that the soldier behaved, it wasn’t likely that she could show her face to the public.
After a less than relaxing bath, she dried herself off, and acquired new clothes that had once belonged to the only two women to hold any authority in Elvish history. They were well decorated, embroidery and embellishments that stayed just behind the line of being too gaudy. The only problem being, they were clothes worn by adult women, and Evona had the body akin to a ten-year-old girl, needless to say, they were quite large her, regardless of what she picked. Since she had no intention of being seen by the public though, she simply rolled with it, and wore the clothes loosely.
“That is a bit large on you, wouldn’t you say?” asked the Councilor. He wore a big warm welcoming smile at the freshly cleaned girl. Her soft white skin and beautiful golden hair shined in the daylight pouring through the windows. “As I said, you may use this room for now. You will be called forth by a tribunal soon. You will be judged, for the incidents that occurred the night before last.” His voice had become serious and the look on his face was stern. “None of this, of course, is any of your fault. However, people want… No, the people need someone to take responsibility. You will no doubt be that person, you will become the target of all their anger, their hate, their grief; you will be forced to live a life that is less than an Elf. It is not what you deserve, but it is what must be done to insure that we continue to move forward.”
The reality hit her like one of her father’s practice strikes, hard and heavy, leaving a hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach. The fact that this old man, who had been nothing but nice to her so far, could sit there, straight faced and tell her that her misery and pain was not over yet. Warning that the inevitable conclusion to everything that had so far transpired was more, more sorrow, more pain. What did it mean that she would be less than an Elf? Had those words even been said in all of history? In all of her studying of politics, history, and philosophy, she could not remember a single time that a criminal had ever been treated ‘less than an elf’. Those four words shook her to her core, she would rather fight off a demon again than to face what that meant.
“For now, stay and be comfortable. There are plenty of books for you to read, and the furniture is comfortable. This is the best hospitality I can offer you. If there is anything you require, ring the bell on the table, and someone will come to assist you.” His voice now was empty now, as if he was talking to someone doomed for death. If it was death she would take it, but this unknown of being less than an elf, nothing sounded worse than that.
“Thank you, sir.” Was all that she could muster to say, it was quiet, like the sound a mouse makes. Had he not been looking at her and listening for her words, he wouldn’t have even noticed she said anything at all. She was doing her best to stop her body from shaking, she felt she had to keep it together, if she let go now, there would be no stopping the tears that flowed. She swallowed hard, the biggest most uncomfortable swallow that one could imagine, and gave a weak smile. It was only after the man had left that she ran to the bed, shoved her face in the pillow and wallowed. She thought for a second maybe she had found someone that she could count on in the wake of everything, but no. She was alone, truly alone surrounded by an entire civilization of people who wanted nothing more than to see her suffer.
It took two days for her to first go before the tribunal. The judges were all the highest ranked elves left, all under the leadership of the last Councilor. Their first matter was to discuss filling in empty positions, then address what to do about missing manpower, how best to deal with the families of the insurrectionists. Then, the court adjourned. The following day, was more of the same, she was present for trials of insurrectionists that had surrendered, the following day their sentencing, then the next for those that had been captured unwillingly, followed by their sentencing. Then there were two days of recess, followed by more deliberation on what to do about those that had escaped into the wild. Days went by, with her been required to attend the tribunal each day it was in session, she was required to attend. That meant each day, she was taken from the Council apartments where she was staying, out through the public to the military court, since they had decided to not have it in the Great Council room, it being the scene of the crime. So, every day she was dragged before the people, and put on display, cuffed behind her back, like she was a criminal. Her only real crime of course was that she was alive, a truth that was slowly becoming apparent to her.
Finally, after more than a week of back and forth, it was her turn. Except her tribunal was in fact to be held in the Great Council chamber. There would be no parade before the public this time, there would be no reason for it, her tribunal, unlike the others that were held behind closed doors, was open to the public. She was still being put on display for all to see, like some sort of attraction. This time though, they had placed a collar around her neck, further emphasizing the fact that today she was more animal than she was elf. Was this what he meant?
When all was quiet and the court ready to start. “His honor, Elhwadden, the last of the Founders will now speak.” A man’s voice spoke from the side of the bench, it was crisp, and it carried well throughout the spherical room.
“All my children.” He started, his voice didn’t match his age, what looked like it should have been breathy and ragged, was vibrant and youthful, it carried well, regardless of the fact that the room was designed for the purpose of carry sound efficiently. “We are here to day to judge the daughter of our once beloved Hero, turned murderous usurper.” He continued, gauging the crowd’s reaction before continuing. “She is the fellow mastermind in plot to take down the Council of the Eldar and take control of all Elvendom for himself. As proof of that, in their home was the body of our beloved general, Odwin, friend to many. In Evowa’s quest for power he, with the aid of his daughter, struck down his own partner. Shows just how vile the two of them were. They then rushed to the Council chambers, attacking my brother and my sisters and I…” he paused her, with a show of pain at the memories of his siblings. “I was the only survivor of the incident, all thanks to our brave guards who fought the two off, and our great healers applying their craft, I am lucky enough to be alive.”
Horror took over her, the most powerful piece of evidence for her had been twisted, to make her look as if she was just as guilty as her father. While it was a crime in itself to interrupt a councilor when they spoke, in any situation, she couldn’t even if she tried. She opened her mouth, but every time she did, the runes on the collar ignited and squeezed her throat. Suffocating her and sending pain coursing her body.
“When the two of them had been chased off, they made for the Life Tree, Yggdrasil. There they set fire to it, burning all the poor souls trapped within its branches. After massacring the West Wind squadron, our most elite tracking unit, they appeared to have some kind of falling out, and engaged each other.” He looked down at her now, the mask he wore was one of pity. It was apparent that he had spent plenty of time rehearsing this act, to ensure that every single bit went perfectly as planned.
“After some time, their battle concluded, and Evowa flew off into night, still at large at this very moment. She, however, was captured after much struggle by our brave warriors in the First Regiment and bound. It is our belief that she was left to serve as an inside man for the next attack to come.” He took a moment to look around the room, reading the atmosphere, the people’s faces, judging the effect the next words would have. “There is no doubt in my mind that she is guilty, just as guilty as her father. And while most of the traitors have already met their ends with the executioner’s blade, that would be too kind of an end for her, and for her father. I say we do not allow her to rejoin the cycle, instead we, the judges and I, have come up with the idea of a special punishment for such a heinous crime.” He paused, and the people took their opportunity to applaud and howl at the notion. It didn’t last long, but it gave him the sign he was looking for. “We have decided to strip her of her Elven lineage. She will have her bloodline sealed, her skin will be marred and marked, making it clear to all that she is less than an Elf. She will bare the image of the heinous Dark Elves, who supported the Dark God in his war on the world, a constant reminder to all, of what happens when one dabbles in the dark magics of the world. She will live her life a slave, mute and devoid of emotion or feeling.” he cracked a large smile.
His mask was broken, but the people didn’t care, they were too excited by his words. Their vengeance could be had, their enemy’s daughter, the only family he had, was to be ridiculed and punished. By having her bloodline sealed, meant that a significant amount of her strength would be sealed away. It was well known that she was an Eldar, like her father, and the Eldar were a stronger version of basic elves, there was only ever a 25% chance that a child, even one born of two Elves that were themselves Eldar, could produce another one. It was a way of nature balancing itself out, because a single Eldar could take on ten or twenty Elves without breaking a sweat. She would also have her skin marred and blackened, their pale complexion was a staple in Elven society, for both men and women, and beauty regiments often included things to make it whiter. By making her mute, meant that she would have no way to cast verbal spells, a major component of nearly all spell craft. The worst of all though, would be the loss of emotion and feeling, the only way to do that would essentially be to leave her mind in a state of suspension. In other words, she would be able to view everything that happened to her, from a third person perspective, in a sense, but not be able to feel or do anything that wasn’t an order, making her a zombie, though that would have been a far kinder option. The worst part is what came after, if she was somehow lucky enough, or unlucky enough from a certain perspective, to have this seal lifted, everything that her body has gone through this whole time, would occur right then and there, all at once. It was a terrifying reality that she would have to live with for the rest of her life, the sooner the seal was lifted, the better; only up to a certain point, after too long, the thought of having the seal lifted and feeling all the sensations all as one, was enough to drive anyone insane.
She was given no defense, even if she had, no one wanted to hear it, let alone cared. Even if one person did, she couldn’t, given there was a large collar around her neck, keeping her from uttering a single syllable. Truthfully, she had already given up, she had nothing left in the tank, she wished that she had just stayed in bed that night, letting whatever would have happened, happen. Maybe Odwin would have won, and he would have taken pity on the now fatherless girl, and raised her as his own, or at least send her to go live with the females, that way she could adapt to a new life. Instead, she did what came naturally to her, and she rushed to save her father, only to be left with all the pieces. She had given up on everything.
Her sentence was carried then and there to the applause of all those in attendance, cheers even coming through the open doors from people who were being told what was happening. There on her knees, a warm light glow surrounded her, followed by chains of light restricting any movement. Tendrils came out, latching on to her body in various places, and where they touched, she changed. The light from her skin began to darken, till she was the color of cocoa, it was only after her hair had also been stripped of its sheen, and left a platinum white, did the tendrils detach, leaving black inky lines wherever they had once been. The collar was then removed, and her hand bound to chains attached to the floor. A new spell was crafted, this time a light appeared around her neck, which then shrunk, enclosing around it, and leaving a fresh tattoo that sealed any voice she attempted to make.
Finally, for the finishing act, a different judge stepped up, his eyes were wide with sickeningly twisted enjoyment, as he cast a spell. Though no one in the room could tell what happened, for Evona there was a sound, like shattering glass in her head, and then a numbness. It was once her head slunk down and her body practically ceased, that the judges know it had been successful. With arms raised in a sense of victory, the rest of Elvendom cheered for the punishment of the heinous criminal, and for the victory of justice. She then watched them carry off her motionless body away from the chamber in the uneasy comfort of her own mind. She didn’t even try to understand anymore, she had gone past the grief, she was stationary at just acceptance. Somehow she came to believe that in some way or another, she deserved the punishment she had received. She would live out the rest of her near-immortal life a shell, a walking corpse, all under the fear that one day, someone would remove the seal, and everything would come back to her all at once. Every touch, whether it be from a punch or just the breeze, would overload her body and drive her insane.
Now this morning, in the comfort of her own home, in a secret grove, with the help of her sisters she had acquired over the many years, she ate a meal at her table. It was relaxing and a dramatic change from being hunched over a book, pouring through it trying to find the right evidence to support her idea for her next experiment.
It was there in that chair she sat, quietly enjoying her evening, until one of the elves barged in through her door and screamed. “We have in intruders, two people, a man and a little girl have penetrated the barrier.” It took her a long second to realize what she had just said, no one had been able to find, let alone enter her barrier, ever. Why now?
“Shall we go greet our visitors then?” she asked, jumping up from her seat in wonder of the new development.