Elven entanglements

Breakfast had once again been lovely, but his intention to head into town and meet with the elves alone had been met with some protest. Only Adi, who he had spent the night with and explained some of his reasoning to really understood. The others acquiesced of course, but he could tell that Dina and his mother in particular hadn’t like him going alone, with no protection of any kind. But Vel was in charge, and he was determined to do this his way.

The ride to Townton had been entirely uneventful and, being alone, a bit boring. Veldred was good company, but not much for conversation. As Vel drew closer to town, the elven encampment was immediately apparent. It was right outside the town walls, made up of the parked wagons in a circular formation and some tents, all on a stretch of cleared field. Both town guards and a few Andros household guards were on watch alongside elven lookouts, no one wishing to take any chances after the **** en route. Vel approved of that. Though it was unlikely the princess herself, who he assumed was the target of the attack, was staying in the encampment. Even had she wanted to, Vel was certain the mayor and his lord father both would insist she be quartered inside the town itself. The camp was probably still the best place to inquire about her whereabouts though, so he angled Veldred towards it.

The elven lookout he approached greeted him respectfully, and to Vel it seemed genuine. His heroics might have earned him some goodwill. The elven man’s imperial common was not good though, and he pointed Vel towards someone else inside the camp for any inquiries. Leaving his massive steed with a mental instruction to not wander off and tasking one of the Andros guards to keep an eye on him, he headed inside the circle of wagons.

It turned out there were two such circles, one out made up of mostly larger wagons and an inner one consisting of smaller and more delicate vehicles. The woman he had been told to find was leaning against one such smaller wagon on the outside of the inner circle. She was gorgeous, lithe of form and with long blonde hair. Her outfit showed off a lot of excellent breeding real estate. It was a shame that elves and humans were apparently incapable of producing offspring with each other.

As Vel drew close he got the distinct impression she was purposefully looking away from him, a slight smile playing on her lips. He resisted the temptation to reach for her mind as he pulled to a stop, the sensation still kind of strange without a cane and with two whole legs. Before he could say anything she suddenly went into a deep bow. “Greetings, Lord Velas. What brings you here today?” She finally looked at him as she straightened back up, that slight smile still present. “Greetings, my lady. I am looking for her highness and was directed to you by a guard.” Vel thought her smile grew a bit, and he thought there was maybe a hint wry amusement in the single melody that played behind her words. “Ah, of course, she will be most excited to see her savior again. If you would be so kind as to follow me.” She turned and kind of waved him along. Vel was surprised but fell into step alongside her. He’d been expecting her to tell him where in town Lethiliie was housed, not to lead him there herself. And to add to his surprise, she was leading him away from town toward the tree line. He decided against voicing his surprise and simply followed along, happy to sneak the occasional glance at how that magnificent midriff moved as she walked.

The scantily clad elf led him past the line of trees and into the outer part of the forest itself, but Vel still said nothing. They walked on in silence for at least a few minutes before reaching a sunlit clearing. Sitting in its middle was the princess. His guide stopped at the edge of the clearing, Vel likewise came to a halt. She gave him another bow. “This is where I leave you, Lord Velas. The princess gave clear instructions that you were free to seek her out if you took her up on her invitation regardless of where she might be or what she might be doing, but I cannot interrupt her meditations.” She looked up again, that stealthy smile still discernible. “And I think she would prefer some time alone with her rescuer.” Vel thanked her and she headed back towards the camp, everything felt slightly surreal to Vel. What had been so amusing? He shook his head, seeking to clear it. She didn’t matter, Lethiliie did. He wasn’t sure why he was so drawn to her, but he hoped to find out.

Vel slowly walked closer to the sitting beauty. She was sat cross-legged with her back to him, but he could well remember that she was a beauty. And while he couldn’t see her face yet, her hair shining in the clearing’s shifting sunlight was breathtaking all on its own. Her appearance was truly remarkable, but it alone wasn’t why he was here. It no doubt played a part in why she had been on his mind so much though.

As he got to within a few steps, she spoke, and those three melodies played behind her words again. “Would you please give me just a moment, Lord Velas?” He was of course happy to, and simply stood in silence for a few more minutes. After which Lethiliie finally rose and turned to him, her gorgeous features lighting up in a smile.

“I am pleased you took me up on my invitation to come and see us, would you walk with me?” He of course would, and the two of them strode through the woodland at a leisurely pace, initially talking about mundane topics. How the princess was enjoying her stay in Townton and how her first trip deep into human lands had been interested Vel greatly, while she was interested in what growing up as a human had been like. She was trying to be respectful and thus phrased her questions very carefully, but Vel could tell she was curious about what it had been like to grow up disabled as well. He appreciated her concern and effort, but those questions really did not bother him.

“If you have questions about the disability you healed and what living with it was like, please don’t hesitate to ask, your highness. You won’t cause offence, and even if you did, I would simply let you know to please drop that particular question and no harm would be done.” The princess was visibly surprised, Vel had the suspicion that maybe she wasn’t used to someone speaking so frankly. She recovered quickly though, and even through her very controlled demeanor Vel thought he sensed a bit of excitement. “I appreciate your candidness, Lord Velas.” She seemed to consider for a few seconds before posing the first question. “How did you walk? Did someone support you? You are a noble and it should be feasible for you to have a servant for such matters. Or did you have some kind of implement to assist you?” Vel found himself smiling at her earnest curiosity, it was cute. He was once again faced with his undeniable fascination with this woman. Attraction was part of it, no doubt about that, but it ran deeper. For now, though, he needed to give her an answer.

“I had a cane, a length of wood with a handle to support me when I got around on my own. It wasn’t perfect but allowed me to hobble around quickly enough inside or in the well-kept parts of our grounds. On rough or uneven terrain though it could be less effective or even a liability.” The princess nodded, clearly understanding he wasn’t done. “My twin sister Adeline, she was one of the two that you met, the one with red hair. She would often support me. We were very adept at walking together and it was much quicker and less strenuous for me than using the cane.” There was genuine warmth in the princess’ smile, but as she spoke the melodies sounded kind of… wistful? “That is lovely to hear, your sister supporting you so, I could tell she cared deeply for you.” Vel had a notion he maybe understood what was behind her wistfulness. “Forgive me if I am overstepping, your highness, but you do not have any siblings, do you? Do you wish it were different?”

This time the surprise stayed on her features considerably longer, and her tone was somewhat shocked. “How did you know?” Vel shrugged and gave her what he hoped was an affable smile. “The music, those beautiful melodies that sound when you speak. They gave me an impression of sadness or longing.” This time she looked truly flabbergasted. “You, wait… How, what?” She had stopped in shock, and her loss of composure was enough to make Vel stop in his tracks too. “You can hear them that well? And you can tell that I am of more than one melody?” That was what so shocked her? It was easy enough. He nodded. “Yes, of course. When you speak, I hear three melodies. Though perhaps that is too simple a word for them, it is the best one I have. They are beautiful and I find them quite fascinating, and I think I can detect some hints about mood or tone in them.” Lethiliie continued to look dumbfounded, her lips parting slightly. Vel thought she might be waiting for him to go on. “The woman who led me to you however, she has only one melody. It too is nice, but it doesn’t have the same… Depth? Complexity? I am not sure, but it isn’t quite like yours. The si- the weaver who was with us in the wagon had two melodies.” He neglected to mention how uneasy those had made him feel, worried it might give something away.

Lethiliie regarded him with what he thought was a mixture of awe, concern, and confusion. It was tough to be sure though and, almost on instinct, Vel made the mistake of reaching for her mind. He found it quickly enough and encountered a formidable membrane, by far the strongest one he had ever met. And as soon as he touched it, her expression turned to fear, then rage. “Abomination!” As the loud hiss left her mouth she reached for her waist, producing a knife seemingly out of thin air. Again acting on instinct, Vel lunged for her.