Arin's personal crisis: The meeting with the Dark Elves

The Dark Elves that demanded a handover of Arin has scheduled the handover to take place in a small canyon of rolling hills and rocky outcropping a good distance from the northern walls of The Capital. It is a place you're familiar with, as it is used to herd in and tame wild horses for mounts. You know that sneaking in any of Akina's spies would be difficult, especially with the Dark Elves' keen senses. On the other hand, go to the spot with too big of a guard, and they will likely agitate the awaiting Dark Elves, and attack. Either way, you know that the Dark Elves will try to keep the upper hand in negotiations, and in ensuring the exchange goes as planned, whether or not blood is spilled.

Part of the Dark Elves' terms of the handover was that Arin was to come unarmed, and without armor. If they spot any hint of a concealed weapon on her, then they would kill her on the spot, and then you. At sunset, you briefed Akina, Cielina, and Devona on plans to help ensure Arin's survival, and on how to drive back the Dark Elves. At midnight, with Arin fully prepared, you take a mid-sized escort of your royal guards, and ride with Arin to the canyon. It is a moonless night, so you have to rely on the lit torches, and Arin's infravision to guide the way. You hope that disguising a few of Arin's fellow High Elves as part of your royal guard would help, should the need to escape arise, as you look ahead to a line of low-light crystals marking the location of the exchange. While you have no idea of how many Dark Elves are there, you can see a small group of them waiting for you. A few of them look like mages, a few others have swords by their sides, and who know how many of them are on the cliffs on three sides of you, with hand crossbows at the ready. At the center, you find their likely leader--a tall, slender Dark Elven woman, with dark leathers that seem to act like a second-skin to her natural ebon skin. You can barely see a whip by her side, but you can definitely see her blood red eyes, and long white hair. A silver-like circlet is on her head, with the image of a Black Widow spider at the center, and the trademark symbol of such a spider adorned in a ruby gem. Because it is so dark, you have no idea of the progress of the band of soldiers trying to sneak up on the Dark Elves from the other other side of the canyon, if Cielina is leading them, or if Devona has them in position, waiting for the right time to strike. When their leader begins to speak, one of the men steps forward, which appears to be a good thing, because she is speaking in Drowish, and the man seems to have come forward to translate it into Common.

"The matriarch says you have come just in time, King of Itheria." The man tells you. "Keep us waiting any longer, and we would have to infiltrate your castle again, take the High Elf with us, and kill anyone that got in our way."

"What does your matriarch want?" You ask the man. "Why have you come up to the surface, just to take one High Elf?"

"Because it is by the will of our goddess, Llothera." The man tells you, after translating your question to Drowish, then translating the matriarch's response. "The matriarch wishes to use the High Elf as a bargaining chip with the Demons of The Netherealms. She and her kind can keep fighting them to their last breath, but it is only a matter of time before they completely burn their forest. After that, the matriarch will use the favor of 'The Spider Queen', and bring our city to the surface."

"You wish to replace my people, my sacred forest, with your filthy homes?" Arin speaks out, a spark of anger in her voice. "Me and my people will never bow to the Demons, nor to you and your kind!"

"And your kind hope you can use human traits to bolster your birth rate?!" The man speaks, translating the matriarch's response. "You High Elves would only taint your blood with human traits. You would not be High Elves anymore, but half-breeds! Even if your kind could find a way to speed up your birth rate, you would never be able to outnumber the Demons. Wouldn't surrender be a more viable option, rather than ****?"

"We would rather die than be servants to your kind," Arin responds, "and to your superiors!"

"Is that how you would have it?" The man speaks, after translating for the matriarch, letting out an evil laugh. "Do you High Elves even know what Demons are capable of? Just ask your potential human suitor, or that Amazon woman, of whom we see is not among you! Besides..."

You get an eerie feeling in your skin, as you turn your head to one side. You watch as one of the Elven women blinks, only to see the eyes begin to glow. She lets out a demonic hiss, as she begins to shift into the form of a succubus. You try to react quickly, but the succubus beats you to the punch, as she leaps off the horse, grabs Arin by her claws, and glides to where the matriarch is.

"...how could they even realize that one of them had snatched one of the royal handmaidens, used her blood to be able to take her place, and let the matriarch sacrifice the soul to Llothera?!" The man speaks, laughing hard. "It was done long before she made the journey to your land. So young human king, what will it be? Will you let us leave in peace with the High Elf? Or do you risk your life, trying to fight us, not knowing what lurks in the darkness?"

You look around quickly, hoping that Devona, or Cielina, are sneaking up behind any of the Dark Elven soldiers that may be. If they are in position, then there is a fighting chance that Arin could be saved. Of course, letting them take Arin could help maintain peace in Itheria, but how are you going to explain to Elilethiel about how you let a young princess be taken by the Dark Elves, possibly dooming their sacred forest to an apocalyptic end? Then there's the worst-case scenario. You could die fighting, then they and their Demon allies could take Itheria & Elilethiel in one fell swoop, then crush Phebis, and expand even further. What do you do? What will you do?