Kiri had forgotten to ask her husband where the new elf was staying. But she was unwilling to let the goblin King hold her back. Her husband had a slightly treeish nature, which left him very level headed, very peaceful, and very slow. Impatiently she exhaled and after pacing for a moment, she gathered her courage and went up to the goblin door guard. "Excuse me," she said politely, "could you show me where the new elf lives? Marak said that they captured one."

She watched his face shift with surprise. The entire guard knew the King's Wife didn't speak to goblins. True, she asked in elvish, but she acknowledged his presence which was a step. The guard couldn't wait to report back to Marak about the developments. "Yes. You can follow me."

Kiri practically skipped after the guard, so excited to see another elf that initially she forgot to be disgusted by his hideousness. She peppered him with questions as they walked through the palace. "What's her name? Where's she from? What does she look like? Do I know her?"Her escort didn't know it, but she had reverted momentarily to the glowing child she had been before capture.

"I don't know anything about her." He replied.

Kiri was quiet for a moment, her bravado replaced by anxiety. She began to notice goblins staring at her, lining the halls for a glimpse of the reclusive King's Wife. Instinctively she raised a hand to tug at her hair, a nervous habit she'd had since childhood. She wished that the guard had responded so that she could have been distracted. Instead of focusing on conversation, she was forced to focus on the guard himself.

Like all guards, he was dressed all in black, which merely emphasized his electric blue skin. He had long black hair that moved around with a life of its own. He wasn't as hideous as most goblins though, Kiri noticed. His eyes were human looking, and he was essentially man shaped. Perhaps he was a bit shorter and thinner, but not to a grotesque degree. She wondered if all goblins guarding the royal floors were picked to be good looking. It'd be typical Marak, trying to make her more comfortable. "What's your name?" She asked to fill the silence.

"Bendric." He replied. Kiri repeated the unfamiliar goblin word but before she could ask any more questions, they arrived at the other elf's room.

Opening the door, Kiri was assailed by forest scents. The room was made in image of a stretch of woodland; she wondered why Marak had never brought her there. Fake trees were scattered around the room, spheres of light hung from the ceiling mimicking constellations. Instinctively Kiri knew that they reflected the real constellations outside. There was a stream winding its way through the room and ending at a decorative pool. Sitting near the water was Karesh, an upper level guardsman, and a new elf.

The newcomer had golden hair, which marked her as an obvious commoner, and was transfixed by what her husband was saying. Kiri chose to observe her acting naturally rather than introduce herself immediately. Karesh was holding his new wife's hair tenderly, without it seeming restrictive, and she was laughing at something he said. She appeared to be slightly paler than normal, but the claustrophobia justified that. Kiri stepped around a tree trunk for a better view and the new elf heard her. Her blond curls swung as she looked towards the source of the noise, and Kiri saw her bright blue eyes open wider.

"You're Kiri?" The new elf called. "Come and sit by us! Karesh has told me all about you."

Kiri wandered over startled by how open and excited the girl sounded after just being captured. She sat down nervously. Karesh, a fairly human looking goblin, understood her fear so he stood up and said, "Kiri isn't ready to be around goblins quite yet. I'll go to our tent for awhile." And he walked away, a bushy fox tail wagging slowly from a hole cut in his waste coat.

The elf girl wasn't fazed. She grabbed Kiri's hand and introduced herself. "My name is Sella. I'm from the Left-foot Star Camp. But I suppose I live here now."

Kiri watched for signs of unhappiness, but the girls happy face didn't fall at all. There wasn't even a dimming in her eyes. Kiri was slightly disappointed. "How long have you lived here?" She asked.

"I think I was captured a few weeks ago. Maybe?" She replied. "Yes, three weeks ago." She stroked a reddish hair wrapped around her wrist. "Because it was the week before my marriage moon."

Kiri was surprised that Marak hadn't told her about Sella, but she realized that the king was probably giving his newest captive time to adjust. "How are you so happy here?" Kiri enquired again. She was beginning to suspect that Sella might be mentally defective.

"Oh, I hated it at first. It was so bright and scary." She said offhandedly. "But my camp was so boring. My camp lord was very militaristic, and he had no use for an over imaginative girl. So after the initial shock of being in the kingdom, I realized that it's not so bad here after all. And Karesh is very sweet, he brings me flowers from outside and everything."

Well, elves were naturally optimistic, but it seemed that Sella was beyond the pale. Slightly annoyed, Kiri asked a few more questions then asked to leave. Sella didn't seem insulted at all; rather she bouncily escorted Kiri to the door, chattering the entire way. "Visit anytime!" She called out.

"I'll come back soon." Kiri replied, and she thought to herself that Marak was a genius. Having a genuine elf around would help her reconnect with her elvish nature. Having that elf be slightly deranged would drive her to connect with the goblins so that she could maintain her sanity.

Her husband, meeting her in the hallway, wondered why his wife looked so amused. But he said nothing.