Devrim squirmed beneath the servants' touches. They pawed at his clothes and clipped his hair, even daring to shave the tiny bit of stubble from his face that he had spent months trying to grow. Outside of his duties as Emperor consort, at home he was generally left alone to his own devices. His personal servants knew he liked his space, and only assisted him when they were requested. In the wild, he had gone slightly feral. No one was around (except Aurora) to see what he looked like, and he had enjoyed the freedom. The amount of attention and preening that was now occurring was a shock to his system. The treatment was akin to torture.

Finally, the work was done. "Would you care to take a look, sir?" one servant asked. Devrim reluctantly walked to the looking glass. He had on a long emerald green robe over a white shirt. His waistcoat was the same stunning green and sat above brown pants and dark knee high boots. The cloth was fine and Devrim wondered if all guests got such extraordinary treatment. Overall, Devrim was quite pleased with his appearance. Perhaps preening had a purpose after all.

"Is Aurora ready?" He asked, making sure not to call her by her title. It was easy not to call her 'Your Majesty' in the wild, but in such a formal setting he had to fight his habits.

"Yes sir, right this way." The servant led Devrim out into the hall. For some reason, Devrim was nervous. Then he remembered the glorious kiss from that morning. How could a day be so long? They had not spoken about the incident because they had not been alone, but Devrim hoped to get an opportunity at the feast. She had kissed him back; that had to mean something, right?

His stomach dropped, and his breath was taken as a heavenly creature gracefully exited from the opposing door. Her dark hair was adorned with unnamed jewels, and her dark purple gown looked like woven amethyst. Her dark eyes shown as her red lips formed a perfect bow. The words caught in Devrim's throat as she smiled at him.

Aurora was having a similar reaction to the grey-eyed man. His hair was trimmed short but still had a bit of its wavy charm on top. Like her, the elves had worked wonders with his complexion. The bumps and bruises from travel and battle were but a distant memory for his skin. His clean-shaven chin (she had hated the stubble but had no heart to tell him) showed off his determined jaw and pleasant mouth. Aurora could think of no one she would rather be looking at just now.

"You look handsome," the Empress said shyly.

Devrim blinked a few times. "I have no words for the perfection before me," he said without thinking.

"Those words are a pretty good start." Aurora was openly pleased. Devrim reached for the lady's hand, and she allowed him to bow and kiss it.

"Shall we go?" This was to the head servant.

Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

"Yes, sir. I shall take you to Lord Alvar." The servant said respectfully.

The humans exchanged a glance. They had no idea that the elf had a title. What else did they not know? Alvar met them at the base of the tower. The humans lowered their heads, "Lord Alvar," they greeted him. Alvar's eyes opened slightly in surprise before a grin split his face.

"No need for formalities. Only the servants call me that. My father is rather influential and insisted that I received a title when I saved the queen's life. Please just call me Alvar." The elf seemed sincere.

"Very well," Aurora agreed. Alvar offered his arm, and Aurora allowed him to escort her to the feast. She was glad to see that some customs spanned both cultures. It made her feel more comfortable. "Where is Brinn?" Aurora asked casually.

"She will join us momentarily. Brinn needed to debrief from her scouting expedition on the other side of the barrier. It is protocol. We elves are very strict when it comes to protocol," he said seriously.

The trio walked to the center of the castle to a large open courtyard: the Lunar Courtyard. Somehow between leaving the tower and entering the courtyard, the sun's rays had finally given way to the purple and blue of the night sky. Stars began to poke out as darkness claimed the heavens. The courtyard was framed with many braziers on which glowing stones were ensconced. The subtle light gave a feeling of excitement to the Empress, and she surveyed the many tables heavy laden with hot food and dinnerware. Alvar stopped before they reached their seats.

"Are we waiting for Brinn?" Aurora asked. Devrim, who had been walking a few steps behind them, joined them.

Alvar nodded. "We can begin when she comes, but I was looking for the King and Queen so that you can be properly introduced."

A voice behind them interrupted. "I am afraid Their Majesties will not be attending tonight. They have been called into urgent business. Please accept me as a poor substitute." Turning around they could see a broad shouldered elf with deep purple irises. He was easily the most handsome elf in the room, and even Devrim in his new attire felt inferior in front of his stunning presence. All eyes in the courtyard turned to look at the figure and lower their heads.

Alvar bowed deeply, "Prince Ithel. We are honored." Following Alvar's example, Aurora and Devrim also bowed. "May I present your guests, Devrim and Aurora, my prince."

"No need for formalities, Alvar. We are old friends, and this is a celebration!" the prince chuckled. The rest of the guests returned to their conversations. Alvar straightened and the two clasped right hands and embraced. They were obviously very close. The prince looked at the newcomers, "I see you have brought humans back with you from your afternoon excursion. Welcome!"

Aurora blushed a beautiful shade of pink and Devrim placed his hand on his heart while lowering his head. "Thank you," they said.

"I did not bring them," Alvar corrected Ithel. "Brinn rescued them from the gnomes."

"Brinn is always doing something to surprise us," Ithel responded. "I look forward to hearing the story over dinner." Aurora got the impression that this conversation was for her and Devrim's benefit. She was glad they were trying to include them.

"We were very happy Brinn was there. The gnomes would have seen us dead," Aurora said.

"Yet here you are," Ithel said warmly. "We all owe Brinn the deepest of debts." The prince took Aurora's hand and kissed it. Such attention would have flustered Aurora just the day before, but tonight she only had eyes for Devrim.

"Thank you, Prince Ithel," the Empress responded cordially.

"Did someone say they owe me something?" Brinn appeared beside Devrim. The man gave a bit of a jolt, but managed to keep from bumping the Empress next to him. Brinn was nearly unrecognizable in her yellow gown with her red hair pinned up in gorgeous ringlets. Only her sarcastic smile identified her.

"I believe the prince said he owes you," Alvar said with a grin.

"It would not be the first time. It will not be the last." Brinn answered flippantly. Aurora was taken aback by how she addressed the prince, but Ithel and Alvar were unfazed.

"Name your price," Ithel said to Brinn.

Brinn stroked her chin. "How about a delicious meal that I did not have to cook over a campfire and no questions about my adventures."

"I can give you one out of two," Ithel responded seriously.

"As long as it is the food, you have got a deal." All three elves nodded in agreement. "Then let's eat!"