Arriving at Lenneckor (OPEN)

[Estelle Maëve]

The ship which had carried Estelle to Lenneckor had been a huge vessel. The human and elven men and women who were travelling to the kingdom of the fauns, as few as they were in times of war, had reached the shore and scurried their way to the capital as soon as they could. Estelle tought they might join the Lenneck ranks. Could that be possible? People from a world untouched by war, deciding to join forces with the fauns? She could not believe it, but she was glad she was not alone.

She decided to camp in Henzhe for the time being, so as to observe her surrounding and see if it was safe ti head to the capital. At times, she felt shadows lurking around her, and she grew increasingly nervous with each hour that passed. She used her ice magic to build a fort, and to observe everything happening in the jungle.

She saw lennecks passing close to her camp many times, while she hid in the treetops. It had been ages since she last saw a faun, and she realized that they were more majestic than ever. However now, in the midst of war, they looked proud and angry. An entire race suffering because some decided to go to war... it was truly a pity. But she was here to help, and help she would.

[Evôn Siras Ąrdemíe]

Evon’s spies in the realm had been clear: the Nayeli Estelle Maeve, who had many connections in the palace and knew Avanna Nova personally, was in Lenneckor. She was hiding deep in the jungle, apparently unseen by the training soldiers. Evon’s conversation in Belgemie, with the King, Lady Imani and the High Priestess had been clear: the elves were needed, and it was and alliance that could turn the tides of war and make them finally triumph.

He decided to seek Estelle. After all if she was in Lenneckor it had to be because she had a purpose here. Perhaps she wanted to aid their cause, in some way… if there was one Nayeli who Avanna Nova would listen, it would be Estelle. Or at least that was the rumor.

His sword in hand, in case there was some gui lurking in the jungle, or even in case the Nayeli woman was actually an enemy, he started the hike through Henzhe. He looked for the woman in every corner, in every treetop and cave.

Finally, he reached the point where his spies had seen her last. There she was, seemingly hidden from view, but Evon could sense her here. He cleared his throat and yelled. “I know you are here, Lady Estelle! You are far from home, and my realm has yet to welcome you in a hospitable manner”. He looked around as he screamed out for her, not really knowing where exactly she was. “My name is Evon Ardemie… please show yourself, I know you are here”.

[Estelle Maëve]

From the treetops she heard a voice. It was raspy and tough. Estelle could see the man clearly from where she hid: he was blond, very tall, his skin was tanned and his horns stood long and proud. This was a man made to fight, she thought. He carried a sword with him, which only corroborated her guesses. As he turned around, looking for her, his gaze on the trees, she could see that he was rather good-looking. Not in the way that men in Nayelien were… elven men were tall, pale like the snow, their skin and their touch very soft. Elven men were also prone to be very egotistical, and they were generally cold and impassionate. At least those were the men that she had known. She had never been in love, but she had seen them from afar and she had not desired to get any closer.

But this man, he seemed… interesting? Who could he be, she wondered. “Ardemie”, had he said? Was he a noble? Curiosity took a hold of her and she gracefully dropped to the jungle floor in one swift movement. Her hair fell to her face, and she placed the loose strands behind her ears. She wore clothes for the humid weather of Lenneckor, so her skin was more bare than usual, and all of a sudden she felt insecure. But this was odd, she was generally not uneasy in front of men, least of all of other races.

She dissimulated it, nonetheless, even as she reached the floor and stood relatively close to him. Now she could see him even better: he was thoroughly handsome. A fine-looking man who could be no older than 35, she thought. And there she was, a young girl of only 238 elven years, which in other races eyes made her look like she was 25 or so. So this man was actually, in a crazy way, apparently older than her, and clearly practiced in war.

“Your realm has been hospitable enough”, she said, knowing full well that her voice sounded melodious in Lenneck ears… all elven voices did, and their movements were deemed graceful, and many other preconceptions to be said. “Lord Ardemie, my name is Estelle Maeve. I come from Nayelien… I am a friend of your race, of that I assure you. I imagine that those same men that have told you of my hiding place have informed you of who I am?”

[Evôn Siras Ąrdemíe]

As soon as Evon heard her voice, he froze. Nothing surprised him anymore, war did that to men, but he did not expect to hear her. As she dropped down from the tree in a graceful manner, Evon could not help but observe her closely. She looked young, very young, her skin shining under the rays of the sun. She was pale, like porcelain, her eyes a shadow of blue and grey that he had never seen before. Who was she, really? He knew her name, Estelle Maeve, and he knew she was elven... he knew she could help them with their planned alliance with the nayelis...

But he wanted to know more. What was she doing here? Why was she alone in here, in the jungle, and what was she planning to observe? As much as he appreciated her being in Lenneckor, he could not help but ponder on all these questions. She seemed trustworthy enough; Evon had a quick eye to judge natures and to discern lies or treachery. Still, why would a beautiful nayeli come rushing south all the way to Lenneckor, simply to observe from the treetops?

And yes, he have been informed of who she was. "I know who you are, Estelle. We suspect that you might be here to help us, am I right?" He smiled in a charming way as he observed her keenly, his green eyes scanning her lips, her hands, her skin...

He cleared his throat as if to stop his trail of thoughts... nayelis had always seemed so ethereal to him, so otherwordly. This girl (or perhaps she was a full grown woman who had lived thousands of years, he could not tell) was surreal. She looked like a dream to him. He looked around to check once more that they were alone, and not surrounded in any sense, and looked back at her intently.

"We know that you are a close friend of Avanna Nova, and we do not have any reason to mistrust her... still, we would have liked a letter from her part, stating the reason for your unexpected, yet entirely welcomed, visit."

[Estelle Maëve]

His piercing eyes cut through Estelle. Still, she did not know as of yet if he was a friend or a foe. Estelle did not know if the entirety of the Lenneck race were allies, for that matter. That was the reason behind her travel; that was the issue at hand.

And now this man, Sir Evon, gazed at her intently. He looked into her eyes with an intensity she had not felt in ages… and she had walked through this war-torn world for a very long time. But he seemed to see right through her and Estelle felt thoroughly observed, entirely scanned. And was she not in Lenneckor to do just that? To the young Nayeli girl it seemed that the observer had become the observed…

“I understand your doubts, sir Evon. I carry a letter with me which explains in full the details of my visit… I can show it to you right now…”

The letter begun with Avanna’s regards and a summarized explanation for Estelle’s presence in the faunish realm. Estelle had no time for Evon to read its entirety, so as he skimmed through it she continued, “in it, you will be informed that I am here in representation of the Nayeli kingdom and her Majesty the Queen, in all honesty and transparency, the reason being the mere observation of your realm. In simple words, I am here to inform my Queen of the current state of the fauns… and thus, notify her if the aid of the elves is needed urgently. My hopes are to return to Nayelien with news that you all are able to fend for yourselves…”

She looked around, just as Evon had minutes before, to make sure they were not being observed or followed. However, her keen elven hearing had not detected anything out of the ordinary, and thus she continued.

“Unfortunately, news has arrived to Nayelien regarding your army’s recent defeat in the battlefield. Thus, I believe my visit here will not end with positive news for my kin. That, we shall see”.

[Evôn Siras Ąrdemíe]

Evon held the letter and read it attentively, just as the girl started to explain its contents. Indeed, the letter discussed what Estelle had just explained, and Evon was glad that he was getting an explanation for her visit in a formal way. A letter from Avanna Nova herself, who would have thought? He felt approving and thankful for the gesture and what it meant in political terms for the fauns. Still, his lenneck pride was hurt; he had not wanted to resort to the elves for help, even when they clearly needed it.

The fact of the matter was that, if the fauns did not receive aid from the other realms, defeat was imminent. Evon knew that and, most importantly, his king and friend knew it. Neithan had been willing to speak to the elven queen in person, even, if that meant getting support in the battlefield. The fact that she had already thought ahead of this and sent one of her closest advisors was a clever move on the elves part. The fact that the person who had been sent was a breath-taking Nayeli woman was unexpected and, in all honesty, ideal for Evon. He felt enthralled with this woman with each minute that passed.

But Estelle interrupted these thoughts as she mentioned the recent defeat of the fauns in the battlefield. That had been so recently… merely a couple of weeks ago. How had the news travelled that fast? Was there correspondence between Lenneckor and Nayelien even before Estelle’s arrival? Of course there must have been, Evon realized, spies could be sending the nayelis the news of each and every battle since the beginning of the war.

No, Estelle had not been sent here to assess the situation. Estelle was sent here to discuss the terms for the imminent alliance. Avanna Nova knew full well their situation… and she had simply stated that Estelle would observe them to know their status out of respect and politeness. Did the other royals of the neighboring realms also know that the fauns were in trouble? Did the dwarves know just how much his race needed external aid? He could only wonder…

“I understand your concern, and I assure you that we would not ask for the aid of the elves if we did not need it. But I must admit, much to my aversion, that we will not be able to turn the tides of war with the men we have as of today. We do need help, milady”. And these words came from a man who had never admitted weakness in his life. But the time had come for the fauns to be humble and accept their situation.

[Estelle Maëve]

Estelle could see that the situation of the fauns clearly affected Evon. She was not expecting any less… after all, if the cards were turned and her own kin were as affected as the lennecks, she would be absolutely devastated. She could feel his pain, his anger, as her own. Her kin also acknowledged that the fauns were peaceful creatures which did not relish in the battlefield. Estelle did not believe that they were weak, as some elvish lords had said in court before her departure; they simply were so connected to nature and to animals that imagining them with a sword, a shield and a chainmail seemed outlandish.

But there they were, fighting battles every day, losing brothers and sisters and friends in the process. To top it off, the war had extended many more years than all of Destina had expected. This was the reason why the help of the elves was vital. If it were to end someday, the other races had to get involved, for better or for worse.

Estelle didn’t even want to think about the dwarves and their alliances… who knew what they could be planning? What did the despised guis plot in their high towers in Guiar? Nobody really knew, only the Elkes…

With so many thoughts wandering through her mind, it was difficult to fully communicate her message to Evon. What would Queen Avanna say in this situation? Estelle wanted to be calm and collected, but in all truth what she really wanted was to comfort the lenneck man… and his entire race, for that matter.

Finally, she cleared her throat and nearly muttered. The wind caressed her skin, as the sun begun to set in the horizon, atop of the trees. “Indeed, Lord Evon. And my Queen knows that you need this aid… that is why she sent me. I want to have a word with His Majesty, King Neithan. All of his counselors must be there as well. I need to communicate my ruler’s wishes and concerns… and you must be there, as well”, she added shyly, a thin and kind smile forming on her lips.

It was imperative that they went to the Ardemie castle and planned for the tumultuous days ahead.

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