"Zan?" The question hung in the air like a fog. The Queen could not believe what she was seeing. That man should have died hundreds of years ago, yet she was sure that the man before her was the one she remembered.

"Lanassa," Zan responded tenderly. Aurora's eyes grew to the size of her head, and Gandr finally seemed to be paying attention. The man had called the queen of the elven world by her first name and no title. There was a story here.

"You!" Zoltan screamed. "How dare you come back after all this time! How is this even possible? Guards! Take this man to the dungeon until we sort this out. No one is allowed to speak to him!"

"Please, do not hold the Empress accountable for anything I have done. She knows nothing of the past," Zan pleaded with the King and Queen. To Aurora he said, "Do what is best for humanity and do not worry about me. I will be fine," he assured her. "Do not fight them for my sake."

There was a sadness in the man's eyes that broke something inside Aurora. Whatever happened had been painful for everyone involved. Looking back at the Queen, Aurora could only guess what she was thinking, but the elf's face was the most animated she had ever seen. It almost looked as if the Queen would cry. Without a fight, Zan was taken from the room.

"We must do something!" Gandr whispered to the Empress.

Aurora nodded and approached the thrones. She lowered her head. "I beseech you, do not hurt my Chief Councilman. As a member of my court, I should hope you will respect some level of diplomatic immunity for whatever he has done."

"Of course," Lanassa agreed easily. Zoltan gave her an angry look and opened his mouth to disagree. The red-haired elf squeezed her husband's hand as she continued, "But we will have to discuss this later. I will see you at dinner, Empress Aurora. Just now, I have a headache." Breaking all sorts of protocol, the Queen fled the room like she was being chased.

Alvar came from the wall and offered his arm to the dark-haired woman. "With your permission, King Zoltan, I will escort Empress Aurora back to her room. Perhaps she can rest before this evening."

The king nodded and waved his hand in permission. Prince Ithel rose to join them, but his wife pulled him back into his seat. Aurora hooked her arm onto the he-elf's elbow and turned to leave with Gandr following them both.

When they were finally out of range, Alvar blew out his cheeks. "Life around you is never boring, is it, Your Majesty? I have never seen our Queen be anything but cold or calculating, but just now I could swear she was…"

"Distraught?" Aurora filled in the word.

"Yes, exactly. It is baffling!" Lord Alvar turned to the halfling. "Do you have any idea what is going on?"

Gandr was surprised to be acknowledged. He was becoming used to being more or less invisible in the whole scene. "I have truly no idea, My Lord," he answered.

The elf chuckled. "No need for titles, Gandr. You can always call me Alvar. And we will get to the bottom of this business. I can see if Ithel has a way to get past the guard. The king seemed pretty firm that no one should see Zan."

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

"That in itself is suspicious," the Empress mused. "I can see why he would want to keep us from helping Zan escape, but why ban everyone else? Does he think Zan is dangerous?"

Gandr spoke up again, "The king seemed afraid to me."

Both Alvar and Aurora had noticed that too. Alvar scratched his head. "But surely the king could overpower Zan, unless being a Guardian gives him some power I have yet to see. King Zoltan must be worried about something else..."

"More and more questions." Aurora rubbed her forehead. Perhaps the Queen's headache was contagious.

They reached the door of Aurora's rooms. Alvar released the beautiful woman from his arm. "I will investigate. I can get Ithel to help, but you must stay here for now. I have a feeling that Calla will cause us no end of trouble if she thinks you are with her husband."

Aurora wanted to go with Alvar, but could also see the sense in what he said. She would do anything to help Zan, including sitting out to keep more trouble from happening. "Please let me know what you find out, and if I can see Zan, I want to do it as soon as possible."

Alvar turned to leave, but a twinge of guilt made Aurora grab his arm. "What?" the he-elf asked with a furrowed brow.

"I need to tell you about Brinn quickly. I know you are putting aside your questions until this is resolved, but I cannot let you help me without telling you what has happened." Aurora pulled the elf and halfling into her sitting room and told Alvar what happened. He listened quietly and tried not to interrupt. The elven lord was sad by what transpired, and the Empress wondered if this would change things between them.

"I appreciate you telling me," he said at last. "Do you think Brinn is alive?"

Aurora nodded her head confidently, "I am sure she is. That elf has nine lives. She was off of the bridge before the attack and if anyone could survive, it is her."

"Then I shall wait for a message ball from her before I go gallivanting off like a fool. Brinn is the strongest elf I know--don't tell Ithel. If I try to save her and she does not want to be saved, that gorgeous elf will never forgive me." Alvar chuckled at the thought. He believed it was almost worth having his head removed by her if he could see Brinn again. Alas, he would have to wait a little longer.

"You know your fiancée very well," Gandr observed. He had also experienced Brinn's prickly personality when his help was unwelcome. Although the spies worked together well, it had taken time to find the right balance.

"Yes, well, her attitude is one of the things I like about her." Alvar's face became serious. "But if I do not hear from her soon, I will assume she was captured and head to Valiant to free her by whatever means necessary."

Happy that her best friend had chosen a good elf, Aurora could only smile warmly. With allies like Alvar and Brinn, the future looked bright.

"I want to go with you," Gandr said to Alvar.

"I do not know. You smell very strong of earth. Gnomes have a tendency to do that." Alvar did not want to draw extra attention from servants or others in the court.

"How about now?" Gandr used his wind magic to wrap the air around himself. The scent was suddenly gone.

Alvar looked wide-eyed. "The smell is gone. But...how?!"

"I wanted to tell you when we met years ago, but I never had the courage. I am a halfling. Brinn knew and accepted me." Gandr added the last part in hope to soften the he-elf's judgement.

It turned out there was no need. Alvar embraced the other male, knocking the wind out of Gandr. "You are a fellow elf! I wish you did not feel like you needed to hide it. Being an elf is a glorious tradition," Alvar beamed.

"But I am only half-elf. I thought all of you would hate me..." It was a lie that Cafer had told him over and over again. The lie had become part of Gandr's identity.

"Some may, I will not lie. But I see no reason to judge someone by their birth. I would much rather judge them by their life." Alvar spread his arms to show the span by which he measured an elf.

Gandr's eyes welled with tears, human emotions reminding him of his failures. "I have not made wise decisions for much of my life..." he admitted.

Alvar remembered the tale of Gandr trying to murder the Empress. The halfling was an assassin-turned-ally. Lord Alvar smiled broadly. "And yet here you are! You have come a long way from your former self. Celebrate those victories. And yes, I would be honored if you would come with me. If we cannot get in by traditional means, perhaps we can use your unique skills to get to Zan."

"Thank you," Aurora could not help but hug Alvar. The woman's touch made the he-elf's ears burn red.

"Do not give me too much credit," he countered. "Any sense I have up in this head is from my beautiful fiancée." The elf tapped his forehead with a grin.

Aurora laughed, "I will be sure to tell her you said that."

Alvar moved toward the door and Gandr followed. "Are you sure you will be alright if we go?" the halfling asked.

"If the monarchs want to hurt me, they will do it publicly without shame. I am safe here," Aurora assured them. When they left, Aurora went to the bedchamber and landed on the bed, asleep before could even find the luxurious pillows for her head."

The Empress awoke from a knock at the door. Already, it was time for dinner.