[Part seven! Link on the right will lead you to the other parts. Enjoy!]
A great muttering arose among the elves at Redbird's thoughtless greeting and she wished she was several miles underground. Lady Ariel herself took no notice of the flood of conjecture and wonder all around her, but extended a graceful arm to Redbird, and bade her follow, expressing, by a gentle wave of the hand, that she wished the rest of her entourage to depart.
Redbird had no time to do more than speak her gratitude to Estwyn for the services he had rendered her over the past few days in a few disjointed phrases before she was being borne along by Ariel deep into the heart of the mountain-city, half-running in an attempt to keep up with her hostess.
"Lady Ariel," she said, as she hastened beside the tall elf whose one stride equalled three of her own. "What is the meaning of this? Why have I been summoned here, and why do all the elves seem to treat you as their ruler? I thought the elves had a King."
"I am not the ruler of Faelen," said Lady Ariel, neither checking her swift stride nor bending her head to look at her guest. "As the sister of the departed Queen, I merely officiate in the stead of a ruler."
"That does not explain why you have called me here, Lady Ariel," said Redbird, endeavouring not to pant, and trying to maintain an appearance as dignified and cold as that of her companion.
"Peace, daughter of Eleanor," said Lady Ariel, "All shall be made clear."
After what Ariel apparently considered a short walk, that had resembled something more in the nature of a cross-country run to Redbird, she was ushered into a solemn and secret part of the city, where there were hardly any elves, and what elves there were were still and silent. The walls were tooled with gold in this place and the lights shone there most brilliantly. If Redbird had to guess where they were, she would hazard that this was the elves' place of worship.
An elf in full armour, bearing a sword that was as long as Redbird's entire frame, bowed them into a room at the very heart of this enclosure, and softly shut the door behind them. At the centre of the room was a large pool that appeared to be filled with inexplicably transparent molten silver. Below the surface of the pool swam several golden fishes, of such length and size that Redbird at first thought they were small boats. Two elves stood facing the pool, and at the sound of Redbird and Ariel's entrance, they turned to face the invaders.
Both elves were wondrously fair, so much so that Estwyn and the other elves Redbird had seen so far seemed almost plain compared to them. They were dressed in garments of such beauty and magnificence that Redbird knew immediately she was beholding no common citizens of Faelen. One had locks as black as a raven's wing, and the other a flaxen head brighter than any crown of gold.
And yet, despite the nobility of their countenances, and their tall, athletic frames, the elves had neither the dignity nor the appearance of wisdom that made such a captivating cloak for Ariel. The accumulated years of Ariel wrapped themselves around her like a garment and those whom she interacted with, both saw and felt, the weight of her experience. These elves seemed young, the first sign that Redbird saw of it was the impatience in the glances they directed towards Lady Ariel.
"Nirulin, and Eohin," said Lady Ariel, "The mentor who shall guide you in the task that lies ahead of you has arrived in Faelen, and I bid you to greet her. Introduce yourselves to Talya Winona."
The princes directed quizzical looks at Redbird, and she, in turn, turned to look at the door, eager to see the woman wise and skilled enough to be the mentor of two elven princes.
Nobody said anything for a long time, and Redbird wondered what she was missing.
"She doesn't seem to be here," she hissed to Lady Ariel, finally, "this mentor person."
Ariel affected not to hear her, and placed a hand commandingly on Redbird's shoulder.
"Nirulin! Eohin!" she said, sternly, "I have requested you to make yourself known to Lady Redbird."
Redbird thought at first that she must have heard wrong. Surely, surely, she was not the mentor of whom they spoke? But the two elven princes were stepping forward to salute her with deep bows, each placing his hand on his heart as he did so. The whole thing was fast assuming the quality of a nightmare.
"Talya Winona," said the fair-haired one, in a deep, pleasant voice, "I am Eohin, son of Orthor, firstborn of the children of Elessari the Fair."
"I am Nirulin," said the other, in a softer, more musical murmur, "son of Orthor, second of the children of Elessari the Fair."
"It is a great pleasure to meet you." they said in unison.
Ariel's fingers on Redbird's shoulder tightened uncomfortably and she recognized their pressure to be an imperious command that she too state her name. She swept the elven princes a low bow, woefully aware that she fell far short of their grace.
"I am Redbird, daughter of Eleanor," she said, stammering a little.
"Keeper of the Carrot-Patch." Ariel intoned impressively from above her and she squirmed, horrified that the elves were taking a title she had made up on the spur of the moment so seriously. Nirulin and Eohin both inclined their heads gravely at this, seeming slightly more impressed with Redbird.
"I don't understand," said Redbird, ignoring the tightening of Lady Ariel's hand. "How can I be your mentor? What is this task you speak of?"
"Surely, Talya Winona," said Eohin, whom she decided was the elder of the two, in a voice of great courtesy. "You are aware of the Quest of Kings. It is the great Quest that Ariel Winona speaks of when she mentions the task that we are to do."
Lady Ariel's fingers would probably leave permanent scars on her skin, but Redbird would not be silenced. "I've never heard of the Quest of Kings," she said.
"The knowledge of the Quest of Kings is commonly spread throughout this country!" said Eohin, a little less politely, a little more impatiently, "Tayla Winona- forgive me this impertinence- but I must know. Who are you and what are the abilities with which you will aid us in your quest? Are you one of the great wizards of the South, or perhaps a Witch of Maiyar?"
"I am neither," said Redbird, growing more alarmed by the moment, but determined to be truthful.
The elf before her seemed to share her growing panic. "Then you must be one of the mighty sword-masters of men," he said, and she could see it took an effort to keep his voice level. "Or a lore-master skilled in the knowledge of herbs and poisons."
"Wrong again," said Redbird, feeling that she would shortly be having hysterics.
"Tell me- are you at least a thousand years old?" said the elf, with the air of one who clutched at straws, and if he had not been of royal birth, one might have said he squeaked.
"I have not yet seen twenty summers," said Redbird.
Eohin twitched convulsively and even Nirulin, who had looked merely amused till this point, seemed dumbstruck by this information. "Ariel Winona," Eohin said, turning to the impassive elf-woman beside Redbird with ominous calm. "We desire to speak with you."
"If you have quite finished insulting our guest," said Ariel, in a voice that chilled Redbird to the bone, "I will escort her to a place where she may rest herself and recover from the strain of her journey. You may speak with me when this has been accomplished, and no sooner."
Redbird waited only until the door had been quietly shut behind them before she burst into heated speech. "Is this why you had me brought here, Lady Ariel? I can't mentor any elf prince! You might as soon ask me to fly! I've no idea what the Quest of Kings is! I don't know who this Talya Winona person is, but she's certainly not me!"
"Calm yourself, Redbird," said Lady Ariel, gliding along as calmly as ever, forcing the irate Redbird to jog to keep up. "I am aware of all the facts you have just presented to me. Talya is your name translated into Elvish- literally it means 'robin', but I thought it appropriate since, after all, a robin is a red bird. I shall shortly inform you what the Quest of Kings is, and you most certainly shall mentor the princes."
"I most certainly shall not," said Redbird, with just as much determination. She tried again, trying to give Lady Ariel a sense of the mistake she was committing. "You've got the wrong person! I'm not some hero or sword-master of Maiyar or whatever it is. I'm just Redbird! I came here because all my life I've dreamt of having a great adventure, but I'm as ill-equipped to mentor a pair of elf-princes as a pig is to fly!"
"I hope you will trust my judgement more than yours in this matter," said Lady Ariel. "I am well aware of your shortcomings, but I am also aware of your strengths. And I tell you that you are the person to mentor the Princes."
"How can you be so certain of me when I am not certain of myself?"
"The stars led me to you," said Ariel, calmly.
Redbird thought bitterly of the time when she had considered the stars her friends.
"The stars led you wrong, then!" she said.
Lady Ariel came to a dead standstill and directed a glance at Redbird that made her, angry as she was, sincerely wish those last words unspoken. "I do not think so," she said quietly.
Redbird realized that she had said something deeply offensive, and retracted hastily. "Perhaps they did not, but Lady Ariel, honestly, I'm not the person for this quest. Ask Mother! Ask anybody back home at the Hock! I've been nothing but a bungler and a dreamer all my life. Me, mentor princes? Impossible!"
"And yet, the guardians of the sky who guide the steps of our race have seen fit to direct me to you," said Lady Ariel. "The stars are older than you, Redbird, and older than me also, and older than this very earth, and they have decreed that this is the role that you are to fulfill."
"I don't even know what the Quest of Kings is!" cried Redbird in desperation.
"Then listen," said Ariel. She paced for a while in silence, evidently gathering her thoughts, and then said, in the manner of the wandering bards Redbird had seen in the Hock once or twice.
"The histories of our race tell us that many millenia ago, a great star fell to the earth and lay hidden under the soil for many years, until it was discovered by an elvish lord. Our race was not so strong then, nor so wise, and we did not then possess the numerous virtues of grace and comeliness that we do now. But this elvish lord was wise enough to know the value of what he had found- he took a piece of the star, and from it he forged a crown, with which he declared himself King over all the elves. He united our scattered peoples under one common banner, and a time of great peace and prosperity fell upon us all, and upon the place where we lived. Our prophets said that as long as the Shaisya, the star-crown was in our midst, the elves would thrive and flourish, and the number of our days would lengthen."
"The histories of our race tell us that many millenia ago, a great star fell to the earth and lay hidden under the soil for many years, until it was discovered by an elvish lord. Our race was not so strong then, nor so wise, and we did not then possess the numerous virtues of grace and comeliness that we do now. But this elvish lord was wise enough to know the value of what he had found- he took a piece of the star, and from it he forged a crown, with which he declared himself King over all the elves. He united our scattered peoples under one common banner, and a time of great peace and prosperity fell upon us all, and upon the place where we lived. Our prophets said that as long as the Shaisya, the star-crown was in our midst, the elves would thrive and flourish, and the number of our days would lengthen."
"But then the King died, struck down prematurely by a mountain troll, and as the breath left his mortal body, the star crown vanished from his brow. Once again our people grew weak, and the land was cursed by long winters and barren summers. Seeking to restore the state of his people's fortunes, the King's young son, the Crown Prince, ventured forth and scoured the land, and at length he found the original star from which his father had made his crown. Soon, he returned to the halls of his ancestors with his own Shaisya, and once again, the hill elves flourished.
Soon it was discovered that none but the descendants of that elvish lord could ever find the star, and even then, only the destined king would be able to prise away a piece of the meteor to and form himself a crown. Several ages have passed since then, and the elves have risen to their current power. We are susceptible only to illness, and to wounds of the flesh, and are fairer and wiser than most. Yet, it has been many years since last an Elvish King sat on the throne and the land begins to grow weak again, and even our might begins to ebb.
"I have deemed that the time is ripe for the descendants of Elendir to take on the yoke of their line, and quest once more for the fallen star."
There was silence as Redbird pondered the things she had heard.
There was silence as Redbird pondered the things she had heard.
"It is a worthy and noble cause," she said, at length, "A great undertaking of valour and skill- and as such I should have nothing to do with it. It is not in my stars to be a hero- destiny has given me none of the tools I would require to be one."
Taking Redbird by surprise, Lady Ariel bent forward so that her face was level with the smaller human's. "Redbird," she said, "Our destiny is not in the stars but in ourselves."
"That's what I'm afraid of," muttered Redbird.
"Do not be," said Ariel, still in the same low, compelling tone, "There are gems hidden here"- she placed a hand on Redbird's heart, "Which would surprise you. Believe in yourself- I do."
Redbird heaved a long sigh, realizing that she would be overborne. "Alright," she said, "It seems I must."
Ariel smiled and rose, laying a benedictory hand on Redbird's head. "You will not return the same person," she said.
"I'll be thankful to return at all," retorted Redbird.
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