may go.”
General Fru bowed and left the room. Ulda
relaxed back into his chair and sighed. Things were coming along nicely. Within
a year or two, he could be the king of all Nōl'Deron. The thought brought
a smile to his face as he closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.
Chapter 11
“Your highness, I beg you,” Magister Utric
pleaded. “I know I am old and will only be in the way, but I must accompany
you. If indeed these elves still live in the Vale, I must document them. There
are so many things we might learn from them.”
“This is not a scholarly mission,
Magister,” Aelryk replied. “We will be traveling through some dangerous areas,
and I cannot guarantee anyone's safety. We do not yet know what we are dealing
with.”
The pain in the old magister's eyes was
obvious. His entire life had been dedicated to studying the histories of
Nōl'Deron, and before him was a chance to seek out the land's original
occupants. He could learn so much and write it down for future generations. No,
it was too important a task to let this chance slip away.
“Your majesty, I must insist. If I die,
then I die. At least let me try.”
King Aelryk considered the matter
sincerely. He did not like the idea of an elderly man coming along. He would
not be useful if they were attacked, and he would lose a valued member of his
court should tragedy befall him. The look in the old man's gray eyes spoke
clearly. This would be a dream come true for him.
“Very well, Magister. I will allow you to
accompany us.”
“Oh, thank you, your majesty. Thank you.”
“You must be ready to leave in two hours
time. Do not bring any more than you need. We must travel light and with haste.”
Magister Utric bowed and hurried out the
door with his apprentice.
Aelryk drew his sword from its scabbard
and observed it. The broad blade was etched with intricate elven runes that sparkled
in the light like diamonds. Yori Half-Elven, his court blacksmith and friend,
had done exquisite work on this sword. Aelryk had learned much from Yori,
including tolerance. Growing up in a time when elves were an enemy had not made
their friendship easy. Nonetheless, they had become very close friends in their
youth.
He re-sheathed his sword and motioned for
the page to help him on with his armor. Though he would be riding through his own
kingdom for a few days, he did not want to give the appearance that all was
well. His subjects would see him dressed for war, and they would know he was
fighting on their behalf.
With him would travel Magister Utric,
Court Mage Willdor, General Morek and a company of guards. He hoped that
Mi'tal's group had received his message and would be waiting for him at Duana.
With any luck, he had at least one Wild Elf scout with him who could be
invaluable on this journey. Perhaps Wild Elves knew more about the Westerling
Elves and would be willing to share the information. If not, the scout would
still be a valuable asset in avoiding the monsters of the woods.
Aelryk stepped outside in the sun and
sniffed the air. Orzi was right about the day's weather. He had picked a
perfect day to set out. Hopefully, his other prophecies would turn out to be
correct as well.
The king headed towards the armory where
Yori was busy carving runes into chamfrons for the horses. He stood with his
shoulders stooped over his workbench and meticulously chiseled at the steel.
Hearing footsteps approach, he looked up and saw the king. He sat down the
chisel and wiped his hands on the cloth hanging from his belt.
Aelryk smiled at the sight of his friend.
He was average height with green eyes and light hair. As always, he wore a
headband to hide the tips of his pointed ears.
“Good morning, Yori,” Aelryk said,
extending his hand.
“My lord,” Yori replied, nodding and
grasping the king's hand. “I'm nearly finished here. These runes will help the
horses stay calm and give them courage. Without them, I can't imagine how the
horses might react to the
General Fru bowed and left the room. Ulda
relaxed back into his chair and sighed. Things were coming along nicely. Within
a year or two, he could be the king of all Nōl'Deron. The thought brought
a smile to his face as he closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.
Chapter 11
“Your highness, I beg you,” Magister Utric
pleaded. “I know I am old and will only be in the way, but I must accompany
you. If indeed these elves still live in the Vale, I must document them. There
are so many things we might learn from them.”
“This is not a scholarly mission,
Magister,” Aelryk replied. “We will be traveling through some dangerous areas,
and I cannot guarantee anyone's safety. We do not yet know what we are dealing
with.”
The pain in the old magister's eyes was
obvious. His entire life had been dedicated to studying the histories of
Nōl'Deron, and before him was a chance to seek out the land's original
occupants. He could learn so much and write it down for future generations. No,
it was too important a task to let this chance slip away.
“Your majesty, I must insist. If I die,
then I die. At least let me try.”
King Aelryk considered the matter
sincerely. He did not like the idea of an elderly man coming along. He would
not be useful if they were attacked, and he would lose a valued member of his
court should tragedy befall him. The look in the old man's gray eyes spoke
clearly. This would be a dream come true for him.
“Very well, Magister. I will allow you to
accompany us.”
“Oh, thank you, your majesty. Thank you.”
“You must be ready to leave in two hours
time. Do not bring any more than you need. We must travel light and with haste.”
Magister Utric bowed and hurried out the
door with his apprentice.
Aelryk drew his sword from its scabbard
and observed it. The broad blade was etched with intricate elven runes that sparkled
in the light like diamonds. Yori Half-Elven, his court blacksmith and friend,
had done exquisite work on this sword. Aelryk had learned much from Yori,
including tolerance. Growing up in a time when elves were an enemy had not made
their friendship easy. Nonetheless, they had become very close friends in their
youth.
He re-sheathed his sword and motioned for
the page to help him on with his armor. Though he would be riding through his own
kingdom for a few days, he did not want to give the appearance that all was
well. His subjects would see him dressed for war, and they would know he was
fighting on their behalf.
With him would travel Magister Utric,
Court Mage Willdor, General Morek and a company of guards. He hoped that
Mi'tal's group had received his message and would be waiting for him at Duana.
With any luck, he had at least one Wild Elf scout with him who could be
invaluable on this journey. Perhaps Wild Elves knew more about the Westerling
Elves and would be willing to share the information. If not, the scout would
still be a valuable asset in avoiding the monsters of the woods.
Aelryk stepped outside in the sun and
sniffed the air. Orzi was right about the day's weather. He had picked a
perfect day to set out. Hopefully, his other prophecies would turn out to be
correct as well.
The king headed towards the armory where
Yori was busy carving runes into chamfrons for the horses. He stood with his
shoulders stooped over his workbench and meticulously chiseled at the steel.
Hearing footsteps approach, he looked up and saw the king. He sat down the
chisel and wiped his hands on the cloth hanging from his belt.
Aelryk smiled at the sight of his friend.
He was average height with green eyes and light hair. As always, he wore a
headband to hide the tips of his pointed ears.
“Good morning, Yori,” Aelryk said,
extending his hand.
“My lord,” Yori replied, nodding and
grasping the king's hand. “I'm nearly finished here. These runes will help the
horses stay calm and give them courage. Without them, I can't imagine how the
horses might react to the
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