Of Elves and Men

[Ashi]

Bright light rose over the hills in the east, glowing so deep a fiery red that the hills became but a black silhouette. Slowly, the sun poked its head over the edge of the earth, throwing beams of golden light down onto the darkened world. Trees in the forests breathed to life, stretching their branches up and out as the sunlight poured down on their leaves. Hooves thundered on the dirt road, the noise echoing slightly before being absorbed by the silence that hung thick in the trees. For as far as the eye could see, a train of elves traveled the lone road. Many were on horseback, and many others walked. At the head of the train were guards, dressed in their shining armor with weapons at their sides. Just behind them on horses were the King and Queen, Oberon and Lazuli. Behind them? Their only child, Princess Elysia.

They were traveling from their distant land, Desidael, to the human kingdom. For centuries, they had been at odds. Oberon had seen many the comings and goings of human kings in his day, a few of them having gone by his own hand, and never so much as batted an eye. Things had changed; however, since then. Both lands were under a threat by a mutual enemy and it would be well for them to come together to fight it. The best way to assure this pact of peace would last was to marry their heirs. There was of course a great upheaval about the elven princess being married off to a human prince. It was known that leaving their home land significantly reduced the life span of elves. Many saw it as a death sentence. Alas, even in their disagreement with the decision, their alliance was to the King and they would obey his wishes.

"You'll be there won't you, Ilias? At the ceremony?" The silver-haired elf asked, petting the main of her dappled gray horse anxiously. Next to her, an elf of short brown hair rode a chocolate mount. He was not dressed so finely as she, though still quite fine compared to most. "Of course, it's going to be the single most important day of your life. I wouldn't miss it for the world." Ilias smiled reassuringly. As improper as it was, Elysia and Ilias were good friends. They had grown up together, ever since the stable master at the palace had adopted him so he could pass on his trade. Elysia demanded that he attend the ceremony, despite the Queen thought the stable boy ought to stay in the stables. It wouldn't do well to cause a scandal amidst the settling stages of the peace agreement. The King sympathized with his daughter and had allowed it, but the decision was still up to Ilias whether he would go or not.

"Do you think this will all work out?" Lys asked him with a sideways glance.

"I like to believe that it will, your marriage and the pact." The young man said. Lys steered her horse closer to his and leaned over to rest her head on his shoulder. The Queen looked back, shooting her a stern glare, after which Lys sat back up straight. A guard at the front called back to the party, saying that the city was in sight. There had been some initial friction about whether or not to travel with armed guards; however, after word of a recent attack on a human village reached the Elven city, it was decided it was the safest option no matter how it looked to the humans.

 

[UnAngelVerde]

Árida Ventris was the capital of the Eagle's Duchy and the first settlement in the region, founded 600 years ago. The name was horrible and meant "Infertil uterus", which gave little hope to the first people that came here seeking a new life after the city was snatched from avacynian hands. In any case, the city was placed on the course of the only river in the Avacynian steppes and gave way for human colonization of the region. Fine desert woods, all kinds of fruit, minerals, wine, the finest craftsmen humanity had to offer and a large school of knowledge all hailed from this rocky land. It was a place of harsh and stern beauty, which led the Aridans to keep the name of their city to remember where they come from and how much they fought to feed their ambitions and their families... And how easily it could simply fall down as a house of cards.

The Siffredi ruling family was the second family to rule Árida Ventris, right after the first ruling family had an argument involving a furnace oven and all the women in the family being turn into fuel to make a sword that broke in the first strike. 400 years the Siffredi had ruled and now their last heir was ready to marry. To an elf.
Sure, Aldo couldn't argue with fate: his father was going to have to deal with an invasion, and his part to play was taking care of the two things he loved most: mechanics and women. He had to make the elf princess happy so that an alliance between the Duchy and the elves could prosper and he had to develop new equipment for the troops and the elven military too. It was a dreamed situation, so Aldo gave his best.

When the vigil signaled that the elven comitee (twice the size they were told it would be) was on sight, Aldo was still working without sleep. He was in the brink of making the rifle's bullet surpass the 200m/s, but he needed to make the bullets more aerodynamic, so he was trying a great variable of bullets, but for that he had to make molds and that took a lot of time. So, by this time in the morning, Aldo was all dirty, sleepless, tired and now he realized he had been half a day late for the rest of his chores.

And so, Aldo ran to bathe himself and prepare for the meeting of his future wife, without even taking the basic elvish classes, which he had delayed three times already.

 

[Ashi]

At word of their closeness, Elysia stood in the stirrups to peer over her parents' heads. Indeed, she could see the city. It seemed only an instant before the city rose up before and around the Elves. The soldiers at the front announced the royal family as they entered, a bewildering and surprising amount of cheers sounded from the crowds that gathered to watch. Elysia quirked an eyebrow curiously, not quite understanding why the people would be cheering. Were relations between the kingdoms better than she once thought or were they truly excited for the peace to come? She looked at Ilias who could see the questions in her eyes. He grinned at her and shrugged his shoulders. He knew no more than she did and couldn't give her any definitive answers. The princess looked around with wide eyes. The city was like none she'd seen before, the architecture entirely different from the Elven cities. It was interesting and beautiful in its own way in spite of its name. At the doors of the castle, the train stopped. Ilias was the first off of his horse and helped Lys down. She wished that he could walk in with her, but he was needed to tend the horses, so it was she and her parents followed by the elven nobles.

A mix of soldiers preceded them into the throne room, parting so the royal family may approach the human king's throne. As she walked the length of the throne room, Lys felt her sink, but she hid the feeling well behind a mask of calm. The King and Queen were as graceful as they were seraphic in their greetings, the way they walked and even bowed was surreal, almost as if they were gliding on the air. They too parted and Elysia stepped forward to bow. It was clear at the sight of her that she was her parents' child. She had the same pale hair and vibrant eyes, though her father's eyes were amber and his hair was straight where her mother's was wavy. Lys's long tresses fell over her shoulders, the jewels on the circlet that adorned her silver head tinkled and clinked together with the motion. As she rose, her eyes fell on her husband-to-be. She promptly diverted her eyes in the first direction that was "away" from him and stepped back.

There was an address on peace made by both kings, discussing some of the terms of the treaty and what changes would affect their peoples. It was an incredibly boring event in the princess's mind, and she tried to make a break for it as soon as it ended. Her mother caught her though and steered her back toward the human royals.

"Your highnesses, this is Elysia. Elysia, greet our hosts." Lazuli whispered under her breath the last bit to her daughter. Lys smiled at them; although, her eyes told a different story. "It is a pleasure to meet you." She offered, making brief eye contact with each one. Her eyes met the prince's with a gaze as cold as a long corridor of centuries. She wasn't ready for marriage - to face fate.

 

[UnAngelVerde]

Ah... Lady Elysia... Said Aldo in delight. I suspect we will find common ground promptly. May i interest you with a showing of our beautyful city? Asked Aldo courtly. He had been eyeing her all day and as the people in the streets, he couldn't feel anything but attraction for the elven people. Not such as arousal, but a magnétic attraction. He certainly saw a delicate girl and desired her, but with Elysia it was something less physical and more instinctual.

 

[Ashi]

It was arguably a power, the attractiveness of elves. They had an innate beauty that was legendary. Most were aware of this and paid little mind to the stares of men. While Lys was aware of it to some extent, she couldn't ignore the stares and felt uncomfortable having so many eyes on her. "Somehow I doubt that," she thought to herself, predisposed to negativity after all the talk surrounding the merger. She spared a glance to the prince, a brief flick of her eyes up and down his form. It seemed clear that they held nothing in common. They might as well have been from two different worlds.

"Why not?" Lys said with a contrived smile. She knew that if she didn't agree to the tour, her mother would certainly agree on her behalf. "Whereabouts are the stables?" She asked. The question earned a sideways glare from the elven queen. "I much prefer to ride horseback than in a carriage." She added quickly. The queen's expression softened a little; and, if she had not been in the presence of the human royals, she would have rolled her eyes.

 

[UnAngelVerde]

It won't be necessary, my lady. I'm sure you have little time to spare and your mother will want you here for the pleasenteries to come, so i will show you my theatre, and maybe a short play, but in any case it is at the castle, here. He said with a smile that hid something else.

He rose and opened the door for her, and chivalriously took her out of the hall after instructing the guards to leave them alone. As they reached an empty hall, Aldo commented I see you're not charmed by the idea of getting married with me. do you fear death?

 

[Ashi]

Elysia cursed inwardly. She rather wanted to go to the stables. Horses were her first love and she found them comforting, as well, it was a chance to see Ilias. It had to be a million times better tending horses than dealing with nobility. A small pang of envy for her friend burned in her chest. Even so, she followed Aldo out, slipping through the door ahead of him. She walked a ways ahead, examining the architecture of the corridor and its decorations. It wasn't like anything she had seen before.

It was odd that Aldo ordered the guards to leave and Lys watched him a moment out of the corner of her eye. Only when he spoke to her did she turn fully to face him. She made no effort to hide her displeasure now. "Fear it? I share a name with the land of our dead. I do not fear death; however, I do not yet welcome it." Her words were cold and sharp. "Or is that not what you were implying?"

 

[UnAngelVerde]

I didn't know that about your Name, but you know? I imply nothing. I merely asked a question because I saw your face souring down Aldo's smart eyes glittered even so tired as they looked. He smiled yet, because her attention was delightful and because he started to see through her, little by little.

Aldo always had a innate knack at figuring what made things tick, and people were just things that cry when broken as he always said. He was seeing, although not precisely, how she was bothered. Luckily for him elven minds didn't appear as alien or intrincate as he had expected.

I myself fear not death itself, but the forgetfulness of others about my work. Once you devote your life to something, that becomes more important. I suppose all rulers share that in common

 

[Ashi]

Elysia blinked, finding the man's seeming simplicity difficult to believe. Perhaps she was just over-thinking it, but his question had sounded rather like a threat. She squinted her eyes at him, as if she might be able to see through him if she focused hard enough. She'd heard on many occasions over the years, mostly from nobles, how simple humans were. While she hadn't met any humans and could not therefore conclude for herself, Lys was predisposed to these ideas. This didn't seem to be the case with Aldo; however. After a moment, she seemed to lose interest and turned away from him.

"I don't think rulers worry about being forgotten." She said without so much as a glance in his direction. "Every ruler has a legacy. What he or she worries about is how subsequent generations will perceive it." She thought for a moment before continuing, "Then again, it is either the most awful or the most benevolent rulers that are remembered for hundreds of years." Then she looked back over her shoulder, a gleam in her eye. "Which shall yours be.... if it's remembered?"

 

[UnAngelVerde]

I spect it to be ours, and i spect it to be easy, peaceful and full of advancements for our culture. He said simply. What a childish impression it left him with a princess not admitting interest in her fiancé. Good, elves really developed slowly... or this one was childish. This made him think, though, that maybe she was just a child in an adult body, and that displeased him.
So, what are elven lands like? He said continuing with the walk

 

[Ashi]

"Ours... of course." Lys said slowly, as if the words were foreign or left a bad taste in her mouth. He expected this to be easy? That was a bit unrealistic considering the circumstances, or so she thought. This was going to be far from easy, at least, it was for her. She was the one leaving behind everything she knew to live in a foreign land. A knot formed in her throat and choked her into silence. She resumed walking.

"Green. Lush and green and full of life." She said after a moment. "It's said that even the trees there live for thousands of years."

 

[UnAngelVerde]

Trees always live for a thousand years, unless cut. He said bluntly, unimpressed of the vaguely descriptive response. i suppose there are many secrets of the elven arts i fail to learn. I would love to learn more. He said smiling. THey got to a great corridor that gave way to a large ceramic covered door with a fine gold lining. It had both smiling and crying faces of theatre, and inside the tic toc of clockwork could be heard.

Aldo oppened the door for his beyoncé and inside there was a small but luxurious theatre, with rich decorations of ceramic and painted in all sorts of colors. Where there should be a place for a director and such there was only a console with levers, buttons and switchs for an operator. Please, have a seat wherever you want, and tell me, what kind of story would you like to see? You can't say anyone

 

[Ashi]

"Not all of them." Lys snapped back softly. Sure there were trees that naturally lasted for over a thousand years given that the land wasn't wasted or the trees weren't cut down. Some of the trees she saw during the pilgrimage to Arida Ventris stood dead, where as they might still have been in full and perfect bloom in Desidael. Lys was sure that the trees that stood around the elven palace had been there since time began.

"I wouldn't call them secrets; although, none else have ever written such beautiful poetry." She said rhetorically in reply. The elven arts consisted largely of literature and music. She doubted Aldo even knew the slightest bit of Elvish. "Most of the best poetry I've had the pleasure of reading is written in the ancient language." She added in an offhand way.

The doors to this theatre caught her attention; however, her visible reaction was that of apprehension. She reached out a hand and gingerly ran her fingers along the smooth porcelain. The faces were off-putting. The ticking of time echoed in this vast room, lending a sort of vague emptiness.

"I, um, I'm afraid I'm not well-acquainted with - what was it? Theatre?" Lys felt most uncomfortable, and the incessant clockwork sound wasn't helping. "Perhaps you have an interpretation of one of the tales of old? Or an elven ballad?"

 

[UnAngelVerde]

I should resume my studies on the lenguage, then. He said, not having considered yet, but now that it came up, he remembered how he stopped his classes because of the lack of times and procrastinated them back until now. What an awful shortcomming that was now.

I have one story about an elven maiden and a swan, although it's in the romantic tone my people uses to think on yours. You may find yourself ashamed of how common people view elfs, but it's a nice one. He said, pulling levers and pushing buttons. Things moved away from her view with metallic thunks and cracks, making the whole room sound as a toolcase. Even something behind the curtain moved, something that slipped for a second out of it, made of bright shiny metal.
Aldo opened a gabinet under the directors lectern and draw out a spicked cylinder, and went over to the far end of the room to find a closet where almost 3 dozen of the same bronze cylinders layed, sitting on labeled spaces. Aldo changed his cylinder for other and returned to install it under the lectern, closing the gabinet after.

The play needs a narrator, that today will be me. he said sitting besides her I have not showed most of the pieces here to anyone yet. Soon they will be widespread, i suppose, and if our little alliance goes well, we will use this as a recruiting industry. For now, though, this is pure art.

 

[Ashi]

Lys watched with a growing feeling of distaste, slowly narrowing her eyes until her gaze was more of a pained squint. The tale Aldo spoke of didn't sound familiar or appealing. If it was anything like how her people said elves were viewed by man, it was more likely that she would be offended than ashamed.

"A narrator? Aren't these.. plays supposed to be acted out by people? What use would there be for a narrator?" She eyed him skeptically as he took a seat beside her. Theater wasn't something that elves really partook in; although, there had once been a show where one of the ancient poems was interpreted with dancing and music. It was quite interesting, but the princess didn't get the feeling that this would be anything like that.