Interlude - Hargrave

“Hello, father.” Duchess Lightheart said as she hugged King Alfheim.

“It has been too long daughter. I thought I would get to see my other daughter.”

Duchess Lightheart winced. “She wanted to be here, but these dragon sightings have called her back to the royal court.”

“Dragon?! Where?! That bastard took my horse!” General Mineheir interjected.

“Ugh, again about that horse! Mineheir, let it go.” Advisor Nero commented.

“How can you say such a thing Nero?! I raised that horse from a foal!” General Mineheir protested.

“What has happened, grandfather?” Lady Emma asked in concern.

That was when King Alfheim finally noticed his granddaughter behind Duchess Lightheart. “Is that Emma? Hmmm… Something is different about you. Come give your grandfather a hug.”

The elven king did not give Lady Emma much time as he moved quickly around his daughter and embraced his granddaughter. The moment he hugged her, King Alfheim instantly knew what was different about Emma. He pulled back, holding her at arm’s length to examine her as the king blurted out, “You can use magic now! I can feel it! How?!... When?!... This changes everything, my granddaughter! You can be my heir now!”

This proclamation interrupted Mineheir and Nero’s argument. It also caught Advisor Mona’s attention. Her eyes took on a soft wintery glow. “Interesting... It appears your granddaughter has gained access to both her Winter heritage and access to Fire from her father’s side. How interesting indeed.”

She moved quick as lightning. One minute she was standing by the royal carriage and the next the fey woman was invading Lady Emma’s personal space. This caused the girl to jump back in fright. “Ah! How did you move so fast?!”

Advisor Mona waved off her question as she continued to examine Lady Emma. “I am fey, such things are a trivial matter. What I am more interested in is how you have access to your magic.”

Duchess Lightheart interjected. “We will discuss that shortly. However, I would like to hear more about your journey here. It sounds like you were attacked by a dragon, is this true?”

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Advisor Mona looked annoyed at her inquiry being deferred, but quickly schooled her face.

King Alfheim, seeing this spoke up. “Yes, we must learn more about this miracle, but you are right daughter, matters of security must come first.” He knew better than to ignore the emissary of the Winter Queen, so he hoped this compromise would appease the fey woman, at least for now.

Turning to Mineheir the king said, “General, please relay the events of our dragon encounter.”

“Yes, your Majesty.” General Mineheir replied before giving his attention to Duchess Lightheart and Lady Emma.

The General summarized the attack. “We were attacked by a red dragon. It was evident that the dragon was a fully grown adult. It was red in color and blew molten hot flames... The king and advisors helped as best they could with magical barriers of protection, but we still lost something so precious… The bastard flew off with my horse!” By the end of the tale General Mineheir was shaking in rage and sobbing at the loss of his friend.

“Again, with the horse! When will you drop this nonsense!” Advisor Nero protested.

General Mineheir scowled at the advisor. “Just because you have no heart and cannot understand the companionship between a man and his horse...”

“Enough!” Advisor Mona interrupted.

‘Man, that guy loves his horse.’ Lady Emma whispered to her aunt.

“You have no idea!” Duchess Lightheart replied.

Advisor Mona turned to Duchess Lightheart. “Now that you have heard our tale, let us hear yours.”

“It is alright auntie. They will find out soon enough anyway.” Lady Emma commented.

Duchess Lightheart sighed. She knew better than to withhold information from one of Queen Mab’s spies. For that was how she always considered Mona to be, more of a spy than advisor to her father.

“Very well. One of my peers, a Duke by the name of Deathwalker Dragonvein, who is arguably the greatest healer in Nord, offered to help. He was able to heal the damage done to my niece when she was a baby. Somehow, as part of this process Duke Dragonvein was also able to impart some spells for her to know.”

“He must be a master in that magic to be able to impart knowledge of specific spells.” Advisor Nero commented.

“Not necessarily. He could just be a master of place of power, one with those magic types.” Advisor Mona reminded the old elf.

Advisor Nero nodded. “Of course, of course. Either way, his ability to heal such damage is unheard of.”

It was Advisor Mona’s turn to nod. “Indeed. I must speak with this Deathwalker.”

“He is a Duke of our kingdom and must be afforded proper decorum.” Lady Emma reminded the abrupt fey.

“I care not for such things. The Winter Queen has given me strict orders to investigate any powerful magics or individuals of interest.” Advisor Mona quipped.

King Alfheim frowned but said nothing.

Duchess Lightheart spoke up. “We are journeying to his territory of Timberfall, advisor. I do not need to remind you that we will be ‘Guests’ in his home, do I?”

Her emphasizing of the word ‘guest’ made the advisor’s blood run cold, well colder than it already was. Mona knew she had to remain mindful of the confines of guest rights. This would be trickier than she thought. ‘Though how smart can some man be in the middle of nowhere? Please.’