I had expected the queen to be waiting for us. What I hadn't expected was to have a legion of female elves in full armor waiting for me. Five thousand of them with gleaming armor stood at attention in the large cleared out area in front of the castle with twenty-five hundred on each side of the road. As we approached on our horses, the first row of female elves turned with a stomp of their feet, from facing forward to facing the road, then each row of guards behind them did the same thing, one after another.
It was quite a sight to see such a coordinated effort and the shifting armor looked like a wave that started when we passed and spread out the further we rode up the road. When we reached the castle steps, the very last row of guards turned with a stomp of their feet and completed the manoeuvre.
“Hunter.” Queen Orella said and bowed her head.
Behind her, her three daughters bowed their heads and the five elders behind them bowed their heads. I knew the queen had set this all up to placate me and to try and make up for the things that had happened. I had to admit that it was a nice gesture and quite impressive. Unfortunately, it seemed to be hollow and empty of meaning. If she had announced a complete policy change, or at least make the ones that had kept prisoners be disciplined, it would have meant more to me than this grand posturing.
Just like Fred and the bedroll when I was falling, the queen deserved an A for effort. I thought.
“Thank you for completing such a monumental task so quickly.” Queen Orella said. “I've already ordered the organization of several large groups of guards to travel to those areas to hunt down and get rid of the creatures that came through.”
I nodded and didn't say anything, because I felt she had more that she wanted to say.
“I've also arranged for transport to the barrier and my three daughters will accompany you.”
“Oh? No big feast in my honor? No medal? No kingdom-wide declaration of me as a national hero for saving your people from an extra-planetary threat?” I asked.
The queen, her daughters, and the elders fell silent. Sylvana was the only one that didn't keep a blank face and let her anger show.
“Well, then. Thank you for the mediocre hospitality, your highness. At least you didn't just ignore me like a lot of your elders have, even knowing I was your guest.” I said and the elders winced at the truth in my words.
The queen glanced at Braya, who nodded. “I will have a word with them.”
“Don't bother, your highness.” I said and slid off the horse, then helped Dawn climb down. “I didn't have to kill any of them and I doubt you speaking to them will change their minds.” I looked into her eyes. “I suggest you use your firm hand to make the elders in your lands keep in contact with you. Perhaps in the future, you won't be blindsided by information you should have had when it happened, and not weeks later.”
Queen Orella didn't like that I was pointing that out to her in public.
When she didn't offer dinner, when was I supposed to bring it up? I asked myself and sent the thought to Braya as well. “On the bright side, I'm glad you're not making us use a teleport spell, considering the results of the last time we used one.”
That made everyone wince, even a lot of the guards standing in formation. They must have heard the story about what happened to me by now. A woman stepped forward and I saw that it was one of the mages.
“Sir, please accept this as an apology for our mistake.” She said and handed me a small book. I took it and opened it to see that it was full of spells. The first two being the teleport spell and the modified one that had injured me. I was stunned at the number of spells she was giving me.
“Thank you very much.” I said to her, then I leaned in to whisper. “You can keep the mana crystal.”
The mage's face flushed deep red at my reciprocating gift. I could tell that she appreciated that I understood how important giving up those spells was to her and she was fighting against her mind and her body to stop herself from wanting to hug me.
I smiled at her struggle as I closed the book and then tried to slide it into my main bag of holding. It wouldn't fit. “Damn, the garglemacer head actually filled the bag.” I said and ignored everyone's surprise as I opened my coat and tucked the book into the side with the breast pocket. I saw the divining rod that the elder had given me with her vow to stay silent, and it was still intact. Ha. I had completely forgotten about that. I thought and used Presence to hold the book against the coat and took the rod out.
Every elf that saw it let out a gasp, even the seasoned guards. They all knew what it meant.
It took me about ten seconds of their stunned silence to sort through the mass of thoughts to find one of them with the proper response. It was one of the elders, so I knew I had the right phrase to speak.
I held up the rod. “A vow given in good faith, words kept in silence, trust both earned and given.” I said and bent over the rod and touched it to my forehead. “A promise was kept and I honor that.” I held it out in my cupped hands. “Your purpose is complete and I return you willingly.”
A bright green glow came out of the rod and it dissolved as if it was smoke, then the glow faded and to my surprise, it left a potted sapling in my hands. Everyone gasped again and stared at me for several moments. The queen was the first to recover from the shock.
“You have been given a great gift.” Queen Orella said, her voice full of reverence. “When you find the right spot, you will need to plant it.”
I opened my mouth to ask where that was and she held up a hand to stop me.
“You will know when it happens. Do not try to plant it anywhere else. It won't survive.”
I stared down at the little plant and didn't know what to do with it.
“It needs water, sun, and perhaps a little mana to keep it alive.” Queen Orella said, her voice softer than it was a moment before. “You can't store it, so it must be carried.”
I looked at the size of the thing and looked at myself. There were several places that I could put it and keep it safe, especially since I could cover it in Presence and make it solid. For now, since we were going to be travelling, I chose the top of my head as the best spot. It would keep it out of the way and close by at the same time, and it would get the most sun there. I made a nice base for it and set the pot inside to hold it steady, then I covered it in a dome of Presence that let air through.
A ripple of approval flowed out over the gathered female elves and their thoughts bombarded me, so I closed my mind off almost completely so that I wouldn't be overwhelmed. The strongest thoughts were from the queen and she stepped close, which I could tell was against normal protocol.
“Your choice is both bold and endearing, Hunter.” Queen Orella said, almost in a whisper, as if we were alone and no one else was around us. “I personally regret everything that has happened. I also saw that this grand gesture fell flat.” She said and waved at the assembled forces. “I had hoped that showing you this much respect from the elves would at least be a good start to try and mend things between us.”
“I think I'm just as much at fault.” I said and took off my blast shield. I ignored the stunned reactions from the nearby guards and the mage that had given me the book of spells. “You look so much like my mother that I had subconsciously created all of these things that you should be doing and put you on a pedestal. When certain things happened and you didn't react like I thought you should, or act how I thought you should, you didn't reach my apparently unreasonable expectations.” I smiled sadly. “I reacted poorly and let my own feelings and emotions cloud my judgment.”
“As did I.” Queen Orella said and reached out to take my hand.
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A collective gasp spread over the gathered elves when she touched my bare hand and gripped it. Neither of us said anything and looked into each other's eyes. After a couple of minutes of silence, she spoke again.
“I would go with you to open the barrier; but, I must stay here.” Queen Orella said. “I hope that sending my daughters with you will be enough of a gesture to show you my trust.”
I stood there and didn't respond for a moment, until I came up with the perfect thing to say. “If I had asked, would you have cuddled with me like a good bed sister would?”
Complete and utter silence fell across the gathering at my question. No one moved or even breathed, and the queen's face flushed red as she blushed. She gripped my hand hard and stood still for several moments. Rather than answer, she leaned in close and placed a very light kiss on my lips.
The silence was shattered as nearly everyone reacted in some way. Shouts of disbelief, encouragement, and astonishment, were quickly followed by thousands of offers to be my bed sister. Her three daughters were the most vocal, mainly with negative opinions.
The queen let my hand go and stepped away, then I saw the veneer of seriousness as it covered her. “Please take your friends and leave my lands.” She said and let a smile touch her lips. “Good journey.”
“Thank you, your highness.” I said and bowed to her, then I motioned for Dawn and Fred to go ahead to the carriage waiting for us. I started to walk behind them and stopped beside the queen to whisper. “I can't describe how much I would have enjoyed holding you in my arms, your highness.”
The queen stared at me as I walked over to the carriage and then I waited as her three daughters climbed aboard. I climbed in behind them, and the driver slowly took us back out through the legion of guards. They reversed their facing as we passed and the wave of movement finished as the carriage passed the last row of guards. We were all quiet as the carriage turned and took us in the other direction and its speed doubled when we were out of the city limits. It doubled again as the driver boosted the horses and we took off at full speed.
Have you been practising? I asked Braya mentally. Her head twitched to look at me and she stopped herself before she did. Keep working at it. I thought and took away the touch of Presence I had left in her. She caught her breath as my mind faded from her perception.
It took us two days to reach the barrier, which was much faster than if we had taken the horses. When I was close enough, I sent a mental message to Maylia to let her know that we were coming. I had tried to enhance my mental sending capacity using that new technique that sacrifices life force to empower an ability. I managed to give my detection range a fifty percent boost in distance from one thousand feet to one thousand five hundred feet... which was nothing, considering the distance measured in miles. It would still be good for a last ditch effort; but other than that, there was no point in doing it.
We had to go offroad for the last bit and the carriage emerged from the treeline. There was an immediate response from my friends waiting on the other side of the magical barrier.
“THERE! There he is!” Afyne jumped and pointed. Maylia hugged her to stop her from running to the barrier and potentially hurting herself. I saw that everyone was still there, even Jessica and Kara, and they all looked in good condition, even after waiting almost two months. It was my turn to try and restrain myself from copying Afyne. I fought my urge to hop out of the carriage and run to the barrier to be as close to her as possible.
The carriage came to a stop a hundred feet from the barrier and I was the first one out. I stood there and stared at Maylia and Afyne and I could see the tears in their eyes. They matched mine, and everyone that came out of the carriage saw my face as they exited. No one said anything until the carriage was empty.
“It will only take a few minutes to open the barrier.” Braya, the eldest sister said and took her twin's hand and walked over to it.
“We're here.” Dawn whispered and looked at all the people waiting. “Are they all with you?”
“Technically.” I said and didn't bother wiping off my face. “The ones dressed in white are the Emissaries of Light and I was supposed to be their leader. Needless to say, I wasn't happy with that arrangement.” I smiled. “The ones dressed in all different kinds of outfits are my good friends. They are my actual party that I built through adversity, fate, some horror, and a lot of camaraderie and shared experiences.”
“So, you're saying the Light people were forced on you and you hated that, while the others were given to you and you accepted them?” Fred asked.
“Okay, are you a mental prodigy or something?” I asked and glanced at him. “That's a few times you've read the situation like reading a book.”
Fred barked a laugh. “Naw, it's the difference between earning a friendship and being told that these people are your friends.” He said. “One is a gift and the other you have to deal with.”
“Ha!” I barked my own laugh and slapped his shoulder. “Where were you a year ago?”
“Knee deep in breeglecots.” Fred said without missing a beat. “The damn things stank to high heaven!”
“You live around there?” I asked and remembered where I had encountered the humanoid frog men. “Well, you won't have to worry about them anymore, unless they made nests around the same area.”
“They better not have.” Fred said and gripped the hilt of his sword.
“We'll find out soon enough.” I said and let his shoulder go. “We'll stop there first.”
“We're ready.” Braya said, her voice slightly strained.
I nodded and turned to Sylvana. “I'd like to say this has been fun; but, it's just been one ordeal after another and I haven't had time to process it all yet.” I held a hand out to her to shake. She glanced at it and then at me. “Oh, sorry.” I said and put my glove on.
Sylvana took it and shook it. “Goodbye.” She said, and her voice had a tone of finality in it.
“It really is this time.” I said and let her hand go. I took off the glove and put it back in my pocket. I put my hands behind Dawn and Fred and led them over to the barrier. The twin sisters put their hands towards the barrier and it moved up to barely make a man-shaped hole.
“We... can't hold it... for long.” Braya said and I could see that she and her sister were struggling.
I pushed Dawn and Fred into the hole and held up a finger in front of Braya's face.
“N-no, I... don't...” Braya tried to deny my offer, because I had given and then taken my mental link away from her before.
“I can't take the chance that I'll be crushed under the barrier.” I said and put a touch of Presence into my fingertip and thought about bopping the end of her nose. It made me smile in amusement and I touched her forehead instead and made an energy sharing connection. The barrier opened to three times the size that even their mother could manage and the other two sisters stared at the hole with their mouths open, while Braya stared at me.
I have a soft spot for women with mental abilities. I sent to her over the now restored link. She blushed and I didn't even have to compliment her. Do you want me to leave it? I asked her. It won't be of any use, since I'm never coming back. That's why I took it before.
“You weren't doing it to spite me?” Braya asked.
No. I was just cleaning up my excess usage. I thought to her and stepped back. “Keep practising and meditating.”
“I will.” Braya said and the mental strain from holding the barrier open was gone.
I turned to her twin, Bryana. “Give Sylvana a hand, would you? She needs someone to teach her when to act like a lady and when to act like a warrior.”
“Hey!” Sylvana nearly yelled and I grinned.
Bryana looked at me with wide eyes, because I would say something like that out loud, and she had felt how much my touch had helped her twin. “If you touch me like that, I will.”
I glanced at Braya, and she nodded. I did the same thing to her sister with a fingertip of Presence to her forehead, and they both gasped at the rush they felt and the barrier opened even wider.
We could have rode the whole carriage through. I thought with a laugh. I stepped back from her, took two steps towards the barrier, then I turned and gave the three sisters a slight bow. That surprised them even more than opening the barrier, which was my intent, and I turned and walked through the gigantic opening like a conquering hero. I was barely passed the threshold of where the barrier was, when I braced myself for the assault to come.
“HUNTER!” Afyne yelled and jumped into my arms as she hugged me tightly.
“Hey, sweetie.” I whispered to her and held her just as tightly. My flow of tears started up again. “I missed you so much!”
“I missed you, too!” Afyne said through her own resumed stream of tears.
Maylia came over and hugged the two of us and gave me a kiss on the lips in front of everyone.
“Wow, you really missed me, too.” I said to her, and she laughed.
Everyone else gathered around and I could hear the surprised thoughts of the princesses that a man would be greeted so familiarly and warmly. The barrier closed behind me to once again cut the elves off from the world.
“What is that thing on your head?” Steven asked.
“A lasting gift from a promise.” I said to intentionally confuse him.
“How are you feeling?” Jessica asked with a smile.
“We can discuss things later.” I said and looked at Allirynn and Imiryl. “I have news on that front as well.” They nodded and I turned towards the three people that had come through the barrier with me. I kept Afyne in my arms and propped her on my hip. “Before I get into everything that happened, I'd like to introduce my fellow prisoners.”
Jessica gasped and the others gathered closer. Words of understanding and comfort came from everyone on my side. They all knew what it was like to be treated that way, while the Emissaries of Light stood there, kind of awkwardly. Jessica knew what it was like; but, she didn't want to relive that and I didn't fault her for it. Dawn, Fred, and the mage, whose name was Grania, were almost overwhelmed with the show of support. I introduced them to everyone and everyone introduced themselves in turn. After a few minutes of greetings, Afyne spoke.
“Hunter.” Afyne said. “You stink.”
I snorted a laugh. “Well, baths were few and far between, and we barely arrived at the capital when we were shipped off to here.”
“No way!” Afyne exclaimed. “They didn't let you bathe first?”
“They didn't even offer to feed us.” I said.
“That's horrible!” Afyne said, indignantly.
“The queen was pretty embarrassed when I pointed it out.” I said with a grin.
“Good!” Afyne said. “A queen should know how to treat people properly, even if she hates them!”
Her words were met with several nods from my party, while the emissaries stayed still, because they didn't know how to react. I turned my head to look at the princesses through the barrier and saw them walking back towards the carriage. Everyone saw where I was looking and we all watched the three women climb back into the carriage, then it drove away and disappeared into the forest.