I'm back babydolls! Here is another amazing chapter for you all to read.
I use a lot of elvish in this chapter. A glossary of rough translations can be found in the authors notes at the bottom of the chapter.
*Insert obligatory comment about how much I love and thank the Goddess that is Eraman, as this chapter was entirely written through a back and forth between us.*
And now, without farther ado, our story!
Seb and Thad could sense the convoy coming from a mile away...and as they drew closer, they could easily sense the frantic energies of Ella and Andy. They both looked worriedly at each other. They had thought they'd have more time to heal before they'd have to face their family. Granted, they were much better than a month ago, but still. They had no desire for the younger elves to see them is such vulnerable states. They prayed Hunter would be sensible enough to keep the kids away from the infirmary, but it quickly became apparent that they'd have no such luck, as they heard the sounds of Ella and Andy's frantic footsteps racing through the castle halls.
"We can not let them see us like this." Seb whispered in elvish, "It will crush them."
Thad nodded in agreement and looked to the spy master/healer sitting at the window. "Trent, in a minute, there is going to be a franticly worried little elf boy storming through your door. He is my brother and I don't wish to scare him."
"There is also going to be a equally frazzled little girl with him. She is my cousin and I hold the same sentiments as Thad as to not wishing to frighten her."
"As such," Thad said calmly, "we ask you quite nicely to let us out of here so we can hide and to not tell them where we have gone."
Trent looked up with a soft glare, "Um...no. You are staying right here. I'm sorry, I really am. I understand you wanting to protect and take care of them emotionally, but it is my job to protect and take care of you physically at this moment, and I'm not going to let you use this as an excuse to leave."
Thad was about to argue, when he heard his little brother's voice calling from down the hall.
"I can hear you Teru!" Andy yelled, "don't even think about it!"
Thad hissed and let off a string of rather vile elvish swear words...before remembering his baby brother could likely hear THOSE too. This caused him to curse even louder in elvish and english only to catch himself again "no shit! Aw fuck! No wait! Damn it!"
Ella's tittering giggle could be heard echoing down the hall, "I think they've been hanging around Hunter too long..."
"Oi!" Hunter yelled, "Don't blame me!"
Seb was silently panicking as much as Thad was. He didn't want his baby cousin to see him all beat up anymore than Thad did his baby brother. "Hunter!" The elf yelled "Don't let them..."
But it was too late. The young elves came running into the room and pulled to a sudden stop...along with their laughter. Their smiles vanished in seconds, eyes widening in horror at the sight of their brother and cousin in such condition. They were quickly followed by the rest of the convoy, who all gasped in shock at the state of their friends. Trent felt his heart shatter in seconds at the sight, and was left half wishing he'd let the men hide after all, if only to avoid having to see the heartbroken, crushed faces of the two young elflings before him.
Andy's skin had gone completely white, accentuating the purple of his scars. The eye not covered with a patch was welling heavily with tears. He worried at his lip like a pacifier, trying to self-soothe himself.
Thad sighed and sat up as much as he could, holding his arms out to his brother, "Come here tithen-pen." He cooed.
Andy was across the room in seconds, wrapped up tight in his big brother's arms, trembling and choking on sobs. "You broke your promise." He whispered, "You SWORE you'd come back safe, sound, and soon."
"I'm sorry Adan." Thad mumbled, rocking him gently, "I'm so very sorry. I NEVER meant to scare you. Gohena-nin?"
Andy nodded mutely and curled closer, letting himself cry.
Meanwhile, Ella was walking slowly, half in shock, across the room to her cousin's bed. Her eyes were locked on him, watering and wide with disbelief and worry. Her mouth hung slightly ajar, with her not having the will to shut it at the moment. Her already snow white skin had gone, if possible, a few shades lighter, and most, if not all, of the color had left her usually rosy cheeks.
Sebastian, for his part, was too ashamed to even look at her. He knew if he did, all he'd see was the hurt in her eyes, and he knew he was the one who'd put it there, which made him sick with guilt. He loved this little girl...and he'd hurt her.
Thad looked to Sebastian and glared softly, "If you don't hug her, I swear, I WILL!"
Seb still refused to look up until Ella was standing right next to him. She grabbed his face, squishing his cheeks, and forced him to look at her. She looked him over and gave him a soft, sort of sad smile. Bending down slightly, she kissed him gently on the forehead...before reaching up and completely messing up her cousin's hair, because she knew this was the only time she'd EVER be able to get away with that.
"HEY!" Sebastian squawked indignantly, and the whole room laughed at the impish, mischievous little grin spreading across the usually innocent Ella's face, happy that someone had found a way to lighten the mood.
Andy giggled and turned, looking up at his big brother in the exact same way.
The older man glared down at him playfully, "Don't even think about it..."
Andy just grinned and curled up to him, snuggling closer into his brother's warmth.
Ella perched on the edge of her cousin's bed, slipping her hand into his. "You had me worried Mel..." She whispered, "I could FEEL that something bad had happened to you all, but I didn't know WHAT! You three had me and Adan sick to our stomachs with dread for at least a week before the rest of the convoy agreed to go out searching."
Sebastian squeezed her hand, stroking his thumb along her knuckles, "Dihena-nin, muin-pen?"
Ella smiled warmly and nuzzled their noses together. "Just TRY not to do it again, ok?"
"Not like I did it on purpose this time." Seb smirked. "But I promise to be more careful in the future."
"That's all we ask," Carter said, stepping forward, "We've all lost enough precious people without adding you all to our lists."
Thad looked up at him and gasped, "Ai Elbereth Gilthoniel! Carter, what happened to your wing?!"
Wes chuckled nervously, "There was... a bit of a misunderstanding. When the convoy was coming, the warblers thought they were charging to attack. Carter came flying over, and before Hunter could tell them not to, they tried to shoot him down."
"And you were too stubborn to dodge, weren't you?" Seb snickered.
Carter blushed, "Well...ya. BUT, I was right that most of the arrows fired bounced right off me with no harm done. Just...one of them got a lucky shot and hit my wing."
"No! You're leaving out the best part!" Hunter cackled, looking from the gargoyle to the bedridden elves, "Get this...it was JEFF that landed the shot! He was aiming at Carter's chest and MISSED into his wing."
The elves looked at each other and burst out laughing.
"Wow!" Thad chuckled, "So, it was a REALLY lucky shot!"
Carter sighed, "If you weren't already injured, I would be whacking you SO hard..."
Trent cleared his throat, "I have three things to say. 1) I do NOT appreciate threats to my patients and WILL kick you out if I have to. 2) Sit your ass down RIGHT NOW so I can fix your wing for you. 3) You have a wing, which BEGS the question...WHAT are you?"
"Gargoyle." Carter said shortly, "Full explanation at a later date. And thank you. I would appreciate the assistance, considering it is lodged JUST out of my reach."
"Be gentle," Thad warned his protege, "Gargoyle wings are EXTREMELY sensitive. It's only the pain tolerance Carter has built up that keeps him from screaming in pain right now."
"Good to know." Trent nodded, examining the wound, "Considering how deep in it is, I was going to say the easiest way to get it out is to slice the arrow in half and pull it out from both sides. However, the vibrations from cutting the wood would likely be extremely uncomfortable. The other option, since it's a straight rod with no head, is to just pull it straight out. However, I don't know how delicate the skin is and the last thing I want to do is tear it further and make the wound bigger."
"You've lectured him well, Anteru." Carter chuckled.
Thad glared at Hunter, "You told the about that?!"
Hunter chuckled, "Well ya. Had to lighten the mood so the kids didn't get too freaked out." He looked to Trent, "And I think you can just slice through it. The wood the arrows are made of is soft and flexible, so if you have a sharp enough knife, it should go through that sucker like butter."
At the mention of a sharp knife, all eyes in the room turned to Chris. The youngest Montchang always had a sharp knife...often several, stashed on his person.
Chris looked around, confused, "What are you looking at me for?"
Wes cocked an eyebrow at his brother and gave him a look that said 'Seriously? How can you not know?'
"What?...Oh!" Chris exclaimed as it dawned on him, "But they are all just throwing knives...does that count?"
"As long as it's sharp enough to cut through the wood of the arrow, doesn't matter." Hunter smiled.
"Oh it can do that!" Chris said happily and slung back his poncho to reveal his belt FULL of knives, stretching from his shoulder to his hip.
Carter went bug-eye at all the knives, "Well...that's only mildly excessive..."
"I LIKE this guy!" Dustin laughed.
Chris blushed scarlet and silently handed his spy master one of the sharpest knifes.
"Thank you darling." Trent nodded to his gossip, before turning back to Carter, "Now DON'T move! I don't wanna end up nicking your wing by mistake."
Gently, he took hold of the arrow to steady it. He brought the knife over with his other hand and, with a flick of his wrist, sliced the arrow shaft cleanly in half. "There. Perfect." He handed the knife back to Chris, "Here you are, sweetie."
Carter, who'd been watching him, blinked in surprise and whistled, impressed. "Wow...that IS sharp!"
Chris spun it in his hand and just grinned, "I know."
Everyone else in the room watched him, amazed he wasn't being hurt.
Emanuel vocalized what everyone else was thinking, "Wha...HOLY SHIT KID! How are your fingers not flying off?!"
"LOTS of practice with MUCH duller knifes." Chris giggled, slipping the knife harmlessly back into his belt.
The warblers all laughed at the dumbstruck faces of the new comers.
Trent grabbed the arrow from both sides and pulled it out, earning a wince and a few muttered cuss words from Carter in a language none of the warblers knew.
However, Emanuel seemed to know EXACTLY what he was saying. "CARTER!" He scolded, "Language! My God! You are in the presence of children and royalty!"
Carter blushed, "Sorry! I couldn't help it. Even with my high pain tolerance, THAT did not feel particularly pleasant."
"Wimp..." Dustin muttered.
"Hey!" Thad objected, "Cut the man a break! Plus, you two are being seriously hypocritical right now. We've heard MUCH worse language from BOTH of you!"
Emanuel and Dustin blushed and went silent as the convoy laughed. After they were done, Emanuel walked over and perched himself on the other side of Seb's bed. He scanned his eyes over the elf, growing progressively paler at what he saw up close, his Adam's apple bobbing nervously. He only stopped when Sebastian took his hand.
"Viper..." The elf said softly, "I'm fi...I'm going to be alright. I'm sorry we scared the kids..."
"The kids weren't the only ones you scared, you codpiece!" Emanuel interrupted, his voice no more than a hissing, choked whisper, looking up at Sebastian with watering eyes, "When you didn't come back...and then when we saw the attack site...Damn it Mel! You scared ME! Do you have ANY idea how terrified I was when we couldn't find you? When I thought you were DEAD?! I told Hunter the kids about lost their minds, but they were FINE compared to me! When I thought you were gone, whatever control I've gained...in those few awful moments, I LOST IT COMPLETELY! I..." He took a shaky breathe through his nose to try to keep himself from losing it AGAIN. "I have few TRUE friends in this world, and even fewer that are people outside my coven. The THOUGHT of losing you, one of my BEST FRIENDS...I couldn't handle it...if we'd actually lost you..." He gulped and tried to look away, "I do NOT want to contemplate what would've happened then."
Seb and Thad seemed to know what he meant, and a shiver went down their spines at the thought. Seb reached up and forced Viper to look at him until the man's heartbroken eyes met his guilty ones. He inconspicuously brushed away Emanuel's tears, knowing the man wouldn't want to be caught crying. "I would say I'm sorry...but that doesn't cover half the terror we put you through."
"I'M the one that should be sorry." Emanuel hissed out, "I should've come with you...I could've helped protect you...if I would've been there..."
"Should've, could've would've doesn't do a damn." Dustin said, coming over and hugging Viper from behind. Viper sighed and leaned back slightly against him, seeming calmer in his arms.
Thad agreed, "We had no way of knowing this was coming. We made the choice to come by ourselves because the King of Thieves and his men already knew us and would likely be more comfortable with us than with strangers."
"But now we are not strangers," Wes said, "We are all friends. We shall work this out together."
Emanuel nodded and smiled softly, quickly brushing his eyes dry again, "Ya...thanks for that."
Seb smirked, "Besides...you should know by now I'm too stubborn to die! And even if I wasn't, you would do everything short of necromancy to keep me alive so you could kill me yourself for being a nimrod!"
Emanuel snorted, "Ya. The reaper will have to take YOU from over MY cold, dead, decomposing body!"
Ella grimaced, "EW! MENTAL PICTURE!"
Seb and Viper chuckled, "Sorry Elleth-wen!"
"Please don't joke about dying..." Andy whimpered softly, hiding his face in his brother's shoulder, "not after what just happened...not when the threat of it REALLY happening is still so real."
The boys looked ashamed. The young elf was right...it was too soon.
Dustin sighed. "Let's just...thank whatever gods or goddesses had watch over you three that you made it out alive this time."
Everyone in the room agreed, and the Montchang brothers' hands went subconsciously to their amulets. The room was quiet for a while after that.
"So..." Hunter asked, trying to fill the silence. "what happened while we were gone?"
"Right!" Emanuel said, getting up, "we need to discuss strategy"
"Let's go to the meeting hall to discuss." Wes said, "And Seb...Thad...before you say ANYTHING, no, you are not coming. You are to stay here and rest."
The elves gaped. HOW did he always do that?
"But..." Thad tried to object.
"No!" Wes said firmly, "anything you need to know you can find out later from Hunter."
"Consider it an official proclamation from his majesty, the King of Thieves." Mike sniggered, narrowly avoiding getting smacked by his brother as a majority of the convoy stared at them, still confused.
Thad and Seb sighed...but reluctantly nodded.
"You stay too." Carter said to the two elven children, "You KNOW what happened already and have no reason to hear it again."
Andy and Ella nodded and curled closer to their injured family.
Wes looked to Chris, "You and the whores stay here and help Trent."
The boys nodded
With that, the rest of the group said their goodbyes and left.
After they were all gone, Andy and Ella saw their chance to tell their brother and cousin some news they knew Anteru and Mel wouldn't particularly like. With less people around they were sure the men wouldn't feel embarrassed about the way they were surely going to act. The two younger elves looked to each other, obviously deciding who'd go first.
"Um...Mel? Anteru?" Ella gulped, "We...have something we need to tell you."
The men looked worried and confused.
"What is it?" Thad asked gently.
"Is something wrong?" Seb questioned softly.
"Well..." Andy said meekly, "when we saw the blood and wreckage of the attack...we sort of...called for help..."
Thad and Seb's faces went white in horror, both INSTANTLY realizing what their young relatives were referring to.
"You didn't..." Thad gulped.
Ella bit her lip and nodded, "We did..."
"You called your father on us?!" Seb squawked at his cousin, eyes wide in dread.
The two young elves looked sheepishly guilty as they nodded on affirmative.
Thad groaned and pulled his pillow over his face.
Seb wracked his brain for a cuss word he could say in front of the children.
Trent frowned, confused. "Why is that bad?"
"He's...not just my father." Ella blushed.
"He's my healer's master." Thad groaned, thinking of how much his teacher would lecture him...it'd be worse than the pedantic monologue he'd let loose on Trent when he'd first woken up.
"AND, obviously, he's my uncle." Seb sighed, thinking of the chewing out he was going to get about not being more careful.
"Not to mention a fairy lord!" Andy piped up, before his eyes went wide in horror and he clapped his hands to his mouth, realizing too late that they'd yet to actually tell anyone here that Ella is a elven-fairy halfling...not to mention a lordling. He looked apologetically to Ella, who had frozen.
Seb reached up and stroked her hair, soothing her, "Relax...I guarantee they won't give a crap."
Ella nodded and sighed. Well...guess she didn't have to worry about how to tell them anymore. She nodded to Andy that it was fine, allowing him relax too.
"You're...a fairy?" Trent asked, somewhat dumbstruck.
Ella nodded, "Sort of. I'm a halfling. That's...actually why my names are so fitting. My elvish birth name, Elleth-wen, literally means 'Elven maiden'. My human name, Ella, can be translated to 'beautiful fairy maiden'. Its symbolic of both sides of my parentage. My mother, the sister of Mel's father...she was an elven woman. She fell in love with my father, a fairy... who, yes, is a high lord."
Trent just cocked an eyebrow and whistled. The gossip trio appeared next to him at once, saluting him.
"Go to the library." He ordered them, "Find out everything you can about the right way to treat a fairy lord."
At this, Ella absolutely lost it, laughing hysterically, "Trent...My father is a traveling healer! He has slept in piles of DIRT! 'Proper Etiquette' is your LEAST worry."
"Ya," Andy nodded, giggling, "Just be generally polite to him and you should be fine."
Trent, however, wasn't listening. His curiosity had been peaked, so he was giving his gossips 'secret' orders about studying fairy folk...and elves. Thad and Seb were still question marks to him.
Ella turned and gave Seb a look that clearly read, 'Is he always like this?'
Seb just laughed and nodded, "Pretty much..."
"You could try showing him your wings?" Andy suggested, giggling at the spy master's comical behavior "THAT would get his attention for sure!"
"Wings?" Chris asked, hurrying closer with Luke and John behind him. "May we see them miss? I am sure they are beautiful!"
John and Luke nodded and echoed his "Please". The gossips were very polite after all.
Seb smiled proudly at his cousin, "They certainly are. A fairy's wings are the physical incarnation of their souls...and Ella has some of the loveliest wings I've ever seen."
Ella blushed to her ears. "Avo Pedo!" She hissed at Sebastian.
Chris grinned brightly, "That is so cool! Now I can't wait to see them! If they are as pretty as your face they must be amazing!"
This only caused Ella to turn a deeper shade of scarlet. "I...are you...is he FLIRTING with me?!"
Thad and Andy were DYING laughing in the corner.
Chris looked at her, confused. "Am I flirting?" He asked, before turning to Luke and John, "Am I flirting?"
"I don't know." John replied and shrugged
"Don't ask me!" Luke said.
Thad managed to catch his breath and choke out, "I do believe, dear Mr. Montchang, that what you have said so far could be construed or misconstrued as flirtation."
"Oh Gods!" Andy giggled, "I never thought I would meet someone who is more oblivious to flirtation than Elleth-wen herself, but you guys might actually have it!"
Ella, her face now entirely red, gave Andy the elvish equivalent of the middle finger.
The gossip whores were still adorably confused.
"I just said she was pretty and she is so I'm just stating facts." Chris said.
Ella smiled softly at them, "Well...thank you. And yes. You may see my wings, though I will warn you so you don't get in trouble later that different fairy cultures have different beliefs and customs when it comes to wings. The way I was raised, it's perfectly acceptable to ask to see a faye's wings and most fairies show them off casually. However, there are fairies in other cultures who would see such a question as rude, disrespectful, intrusive, and DEEPLY offensive. They see wings as a private and personal part of a Faye's being that should only be shown to a select few people who are very close to the faye, such as family or a mate."
Sebastian nodded, "In some older cultures, what you just asked would be the equivalent of asking Ella to marry you or have sex with you. VERY intimate."
The gossips all blushed scarlet and stuttered out apologies.
Ella giggled softly, "No, really. It's perfectly fine. You had no way to know and, as I said, that is not my culture. I just want to be sure you are aware so you don't end up in an awkward situation with another faye in the future who DOES have those beliefs."
"Is there a way to see the difference directly?" John asked while taking notes. Chris and Luke started taking notes too. THIS was important to remember. The last thing any of the gossips wanted to do was accidentally offend someone. If there was one thing they'd learned over their time as spies, it was the importance of knowing and respecting the cultural beliefs of others.
"Sometimes there are other elements of culture you can see, but not always" Thad said, "usually, if you're not sure, the safest bet is just to wait and watch until they make it clear that they're ok with showing off their wings."
"Or until they offer to show you without you having to ask." Andy added.
"But...wouldn't that mean they want sex or marriage with us?" John asked.
"Possibly," Seb chuckles, "in which case, you can totally ask if that's what they mean. Or, if you REALLY need to know, often if you phrase it right and are VERY polite, you can ask them what they believe and they will tell you BEFORE any awkwardness takes place. In my opinion, THAT is the safest option."
"Got it!" Chris said and made a note. John and Luke scribbled away like crazy. They were all writing down, word for word, what they were told.
Andy looked to his brother, "Are they ALWAYS like this?"
Thad chuckled warmly, "Usually...but you get use to it eventually."
"Humans are so strange sometimes..." Ella giggled, "Okay! Now I have a question for YOU!"
"What is it?" The gossip whores asked at the same time.
"THAT!" Ella laughs, "that is my question! That is why I was so confused when it seemed you were flirting with me. You three have some of the strongest bond energy I've ever seen...well, besides you and your brothers." She gestured to Chris.
"Faye can see aura." Seb explained, "elves can to, but not as well. Ella has an especially strong gift for it, likely because she's a halfling."
Ella nodded, "Exactly...so my question is...what ARE you to each other? Are you...Thand-seryn?"
Thad and Seb both stiffened and turned bright scarlet, knowing the boys would likely have no idea what that meant...and it would be up to them to explain...this could get really awkward really fast.
"We just are." The gossips said in unison.
Ella nodded. "A perfectly acceptable answer. Sometimes these things just can't be labeled or explained."
Both of the older elves let out a large breath of relief and slumped slightly more down into their beds.
"We just compliment each other." Chris said.
Ella smiled, "That you do! Your energies...they're not exactly 'matched' per say...but they are so strongly in harmony that I doubt they could ever be separated again now that you've met!"
The trio looked at each other, lost.
"You understand what she's talking about?" Luke asked.
The other two shook their heads.
Seb saw the miscommunication and chuckled, "Yes, you do Chris. 'Aura' is the energy of the soul. She's saying you have crazy strong soul bonds."
"Then why didn't she say so in the first place?!" Chris said and pouted.
"I apologize," Ella blushed, "I'm not always the best with human slang."
"No, you may have occasional issues, but for the most part you can speak slang just fine." Seb chuckles, "Your REAL problem is you speak in paragraphs instead of sentences!"
The gossips huddled together as Chris explained what Ella had said in terms John and Luke understood.
Ella glared at her cousin, "How is this for short and sweet: No dínen or I'll smack you!"
"Much better!" Seb smirked
Thad and Andy chuckled at their antics. Seb and Ella always were more like brother and sister than cousins.
"And I would LOVE to see you try!" Seb grinned.
Ella huffed, "You won't be so high and mighty when Ada gets here!"
"Both of you be quiet." Thad said, "Sebastian still needs to rest."
The smile fell from Ella's face as she remembered where they were.
Sebastian glared at Thad, eyes clearly saying, 'I was trying to make her forget about that part!'
"That means he needs someone to snuggle with." Thad said with a singsong voice.
Ella's eyes instantly lit up again. "I CAN DO THAT! I am excellent at cuddles!"
Seb chuckled and gave Thad a 'nice save' nod. He then opened his arms to Ella. "I know you are...but I seem to have forgotten why. Care to remind me?"
The girl giggled and snuggled up next to him.
"Oh yes!" Seb grinned, nestling her head under his chin, "NOW I remember."
Thad smirked in satisfaction and cuddled Andy closer to him, chuckling at the contented sigh his baby brother let out at the sound of Thad's heartbeat.
Trent smiled and shooed his gossips out to let the little families have a private moment together.
The gossips left while waving happily.
Soon after they were gone, the room was filled with soft snoring, as the younger elves had dozed off in the elders' arms. Thad and Seb looked at each other and smiled, happy they were all together once more.
There! Wasn't that nice? Hopefully you all thought so!
Elvish vocabulary used in this:
tithen-pen = Little one
Gohena-nin?= Forgive me?
Dihena-nin, muin-pen?" Forgive me, dear one?
Ai Elbereth Gilthoniel! = Sort of like "good god" or "Jesus Christ!"
Avo Pedo!= Silence! or SHUT UP!
Thand-seryn = Literally "True lovers". My idea of what the elvish word for "Soulmates" might be
No dínen="Silence!" or "Shut up!"
Ada=daddy
Shakespearian insult:
Codpiece=basically a medievel jockstrap
Until next time my darlings!
