Not very far to the west at all

Princess Lethiliie, only daughter of the reigning queen of all Elfkind, did not look around before disrobing. Her senses were sharp, beyond those of even other elves. She was sure no one was nearby, neither elf nor human. There was a river otter hidden in the reeds on the opposite riverbank, but she would tolerate his presence. Even with privacy being near assured, though, she kept her undergarments on as she delicately stepped into the river.

She shivered at the cold water but kept going until she was submerged all the way to her shoulders. Cleanliness mattered a great deal to her, and nothing was more cleansing that a natural stream. Sadly, there were no hot springs in this area, at least none their scouts had found. The Lower Heartland, the humans called his place. It was beautiful, with lots of woodland, rolling plains, and picturesque villages. Princess Lethiliie knew that many in her party considered those villages an eyesore or a blight on the otherwise beautiful land, but they knew better than to voice it around her. She agreed with her mother’s intention of making allies of the Toranian Empire, and to seek better relations with humankind in general. Many of her people were not convinced of the wisdom of that path, but elves knew the value of hierarchy and obedience, her mother would be obeyed.

As she began applying soap to herself and then gently scrubbing her skin, she reflected on the fact that she would be getting a chance to stay in a human town very soon. She was excited, if a bit concerned. Her retinue’s feelings on the matter were even more mixed, she knew. They would do as told though, and would treat their hosts with respect, if they wished to keep their lives.

She tried to empty her mind of thoughts as she allowed her feet to lift of from the riverbed. Her body straightened out and she floated on the water’s surface, the lazy current pulling her along very slowly. Lethiliie tried once again to relax and clear her mind, but it was not easy. These were tumultuous times, and she had much to worry about. The failed coup attempt against her mother still loomed large in the princess’ mind, and now the seed of evil had returned to plague the world once again. Every day that they failed to find and stamp it out, the seed would only grow in power, and would demand greater sacrifice to defeat when it was finally found or revealed itself.

As she floated there, trying and failing to empty her mind, a sense of foreboding crept up on her. Like a shadow falling over her mind it loomed large, and with it came a sense of impending peril. Danger was coming, or perhaps she was heading towards danger? It wasn’t her clear, she wasn’t even sure to which degree it meant danger, or simply something momentous. One thing was for sure though, whatever chance at finding peace she may have had was gone now. Swinging her feet back down, Lethiliie sighed and made her way out of the water.