Chapter 50: The Storm begins
"Worian!" Vaelia shouted, while Deaother stared at her from the mirror, astounded.
"Worian has returned?" Deaother asked her, but she didn't seem to hear him, "Vaelia?"
"Yes, he has returned! And, he is covered in blood!" Vaelia replied hurriedly. She was nearly jumping with excitement and panic now.
"Vaelia . . . calm down, he is alive . . . although, it beats me why he is covered in blood." Deaother said.
"Deaother, I'll talk to you later, I need to see what this is all about. I'll contact you-"
"Oh no, don't, I'll contact you later this evening, fill me in then." Deaother said. Vaelia turned around and nodded, stopping the flow of magic, then hurried out of the room.
Seeing the person whom she had given up on suddenly reappear in such a state had really struck a nerve in Vaelia. She was running as fast as she could, as were several other elves, royal guards of the king. Worian was yelling, "My king, we are in danger, grave danger! We have been betrayed!"
What exactly was making Worian shout like this was something Vaelia had no idea about. But all she knew that he was speaking the truth, seeing as he was shouting in the Ancient Language, and that she had to find out as fast as possible. Dathedr appeared next to her suddenly, as did many other elves.
"Father, what's happening?" Vaelia asked him, running, while Dathedr easily kept pace with her.
"I should be asking you that, seeing as he was your friend before he left for Nadindel." Dathedr said.
"He left for Nadindel?" Vaelia asked, incredulous. She had no idea about that.
"Yes . . . he didn't tell you?" Dathedr asked him.
"N-No." Vaelia replied.
They exited the Tialdari Hall to find him standing outside now, he walked around the walls of the house was staring at them. Vaelia watched him, her father by her side, and he did seem quite more horrible than before. His hair were askew, there was mud all over his face. He seemed to be wearing leather armor, which was also torn and covered in blood. Beneath the torn leather, Vaelia could see the remains of a horrible wound, although Worian had healed most of it.
"What has happened to you, Worian? And why are you shouting?" Someone said from the side, and Vaelia recognized the speaker as Vanir, Worian's father.
"Father . . . Nadindel . . . taken . . . Nadindel has been taken by the Ra'zac . . . I am the only one who has survived and . . . we were betrayed . . ." Worian stammered, and began to limp forward, his face strained. "Lady Enaevia betrayed us, she faked her illness . . . so that we wouldn't be prepared to fight . . . I . . ." Worian said and staggered, and Vanir hurried to him and grabbed him, holding him up.
"Steady, my son." Vanir muttered.
Dathedr listened, his face showing a rare scowl which Vaelia had hardly ever seen. "Worian, how do you know this?" Dathedr asked.
Worian looked up at him, holding completely onto his father, and said, "My lord . . . I heard them . . . I heard Lady Enaevia talking to the leader of the Ra'zac . . . and they had Lethrblaka with them . . . that's how I was wounded, it struck me with its tail and knocked me unconscious . . . .They thought there were no survivors, but they were wrong . . . "
"I sent a message to Nadindel, telling them that the city was under the danger of being attacked." Dathedr said.
"We didn't receive any such message, my lord." Worian said, then staggered even more. Vaelia wasn't able to watch anymore. She hurried forward and grabbed his other hand, and heaved it over her shoulders, holding him steady.
"Take a deep breath, Worian, its fine now, you are safe." Vaelia muttered to him. Worian turned to her, and she saw several cuts on his face, but he smiled and gave her a look to pure gratitude.
"This, I did not expect in the least . . . are all the elves truly dead?" Dathedr asked.
"Yes my lord . . . only me and Lady Enaevia survived, as far as I know." Worian said.
"This will not go unpunished . . . take him inside and have someone tend to him . . . in the meantime, I will try to contact the Riders, and see if they can help us with this." Dathedr said, then began to walk back, when he suddenly turned around and said, "Vaelia . . . come with me child." Vaelia stared at her father and for a moment, wished she could refuse and stay with Worian, but no. She knew that her father would have something important to tell her.
"I'll be back Worian . . ." Vaelia whispered and gently let go of him. The king motioned for one of the other elves to help Vanir, who grabbed Worian's free arm to support him as soon as Vaelia let go.
"Please hurry . . . I've so many things to tell you . . ." Worian said, and Vaelia raised an eyebrow at him but didn't say anything.
"Vaelia, hurry up." Dathedr said, already hurrying inside. Vaelia turned and hurried after him.
They walked for a while, heading for their quarters, when Vaelia asked, "What is it that you want father?"
"I want to tell you some things, and ask about some things as well. Just keep up, I need to alert the other lords . . . I wonder how Lady Enaevia betrayed, didn't she take the Vow of Legitimacy and Conscientiousness?" Dathedr spoke in a hushed voice.
"Vow of what?" Vaelia asked him, curious.
"Legitimacy and Conscientiousness . . . of the authority that she has and the responsibility that comes with it . . . if she took that vow, it would have been impossible for her to betray us as she did . . . I wonder what happened?" Dathedr said.
"Perhaps she spoke a half lie, or somehow managed to evade the prospect of taking the vow." Vaelia said. They reached their quarters, and Vaelia looked back to see Worian and his companions taking him to Vanir's room.
"Both are likely, the latter more . . . it is quite hard to make a half lie in the vow, because it's straightforward and properly worded. No way to be deceitful . . . oh well, I suppose she is the only one who can tell us . . . or maybe, someone else in the council." Dathedr said, and briskly walked in, heading for the conference room, which was full of mirrors.
"Father, do I need to-?" Vaelia began to ask, but Dathedr spoke before she could finish.
"You have to stay with me right now, Vaelia, until Deaother returns, am I understood?" Dathedr said, in a rather strict tone. He entered the room, and Vaelia followed, perplexed.
"What do you mean, until Deaother returns?" Vaelia asked him, and Dathedr sighed.
"My daughter . . . I trust that you are safe with me . . . and also that you'll be safe with Deaother. As of now, I do not trust anyone else." Dathedr said, and turned around.
"But why not? I am sure your Royal guards can-?
"They have taken an oath, yes, but to protect the land, the kingdom . . . and they will be ready to run off to some other place and leave you to fend for yourself if it means saving the kingdom . . . while I . . . I will also be forced to lead them. But Deaother . . . he is independent . . . and I am sure, quite sure, that he will protect you with his life." Dathedr explained distractedly as he searched the table in the centre of the room for a parchment. Vaelia was stunned.
"But why? . . . he is my friend, a very good friend, yes . . . but-"
Dathedr turned to her suddenly, looking up from the table, "I suppose there's no point in hiding it from you now . . . He swore that he would do whatever necessary to keep you safe, he promised me this . . . and so, I know that you will be safe with him." Dathedr said. Then went around, searching for something in his closet. Vaelia didn't reply, but stared at him, unable to breath, as her face slowly went red with fear and grief. It had been a huge blow to her, what her father had just said. She couldn't believe what she had heard, Deaother had not even told her about it.
"What do you . . . you mean that . . . .all this time he spent with me . . .all the places we went to, the places I showed him . . . all the while he has just been my bodyguard?" Vaelia asked, incredulous and hardly able to believe what she was hearing.
Figures . . . why he didn't contact me all this time, I am just a burden for him to protect . . . and here I thought we had something special . . . I . . . . was I so wrong? Vaelia thought, at first she had felt oddly flat, but when the words had begun to sink in, she had been truly hurt by what she had learned about Deaother. No . . . it can't be true . . . his behavior, it wasn't like any bodyguard . . . he was a true friend of mine . . . no . . . oh, I don't know! Vaelia argued, frustrated.
Dathedr turned around, his hands still empty, but he stopped as soon as he saw his daughter, and let his hands fall to his sides. "Vaelia, don't get me wrong . . . he was and still is your friend, and holds you in great esteem . . .which is exactly why he agreed to promise me this . . . although, I think I cornered him into accepting, actually." Dathedr said, and Vaelia turned to him sharply.
"You forced him? You mean, he was hesitating?" Vaelia asked, now even more angry by what she had heard. Why would Deaother hesitate to protect her?
"He was reluctant, yes, because of what you might think if he made such a promise without your knowledge about it . . . well, he was more concerned about your feelings than anything else at the time, so . . . I think I can assume that-"
"Father! How could you do such a thing? I am quite capable of defending myself, and here I thought that I had got a companion . . . he had become such a dear friend to me . . . but now, he has turned out to be nothing but a guard . . . just a puppet of yours so that I won't go out of your sight for too long . . ."
"Child, listen-" Dathedr tried to say, but Vaelia cut him off.
"No! . . . Father, I felt he was close to me . . . but no, he was faking it all? . . . He was just a filthy liar, a precaution set by you so that I won't-"
"Vaelia!" Dathedr shouted, raising his finger threateningly, "Do no cross your limits!" Vaelia was silenced immediately when she saw his finger, which meant that he was quite angry indeed. "He is a very good and loyal person . . . and he regards himself as your friend and companion, not a 'precaution' or my hired elf . . . If you don't trust my word, ask him yourself . . . now go!" Dathedr shouted the last words and turned around.
Vaelia stared at him for a while, unable to believe how furious he was. She had never actually seen her father as angry as this, although she had angered him a few times before. But now, there really was nothing she could do, except turn around and head for the door. As she opened it, Dathedr turned around and looked at her, "You have angered me a lot Vaelia . . . I never even imagined that you would have such poisonous thoughts in your mind . . . you were never like this, my child . . . never."
Vaelia didn't reply, she just hurried out of the door and closed it, then walked away briskly, rubbing her eyes. Somehow, she was unable to stop the tears that were suddenly flowing from them, or her own feeling of guilt and regret that was welling up inside of her.
Deaother washed his face with the water in the basin, pushing away his sleep and exhaustion. He had not been able to sleep the previous night, he had been constantly wondering about what would happen to his parents. He had noticed that he was not the only one who had been awake. Thorn and Draumr had been awake as well, apparently unable to sleep due to the absence of their mates.
Deaother had watched both the dragons, father and daughter, staring at the ocean with dull eyes, the faces showing their evident grief. Now, he himself wished to go back to Ellesmera and join Vaelia. Although, the way in which she had contacted him earlier that day, and Worian's sudden appearance had surprised him a lot. He was curious to know what had happened, because he remembered Vaelia telling him that he was covered in blood.
Why would he have returned from Nadindel so suddenly, and in such a way? Deaother could hardly imagine was just past lunch time, and Deaother didn't have much to do then, so he sat down on his bed, then removed his boots and lay down, relaxing completely.
I wonder what is going on at Ellesmera right now . . . what was that? Deaother thought. He was sure he had heard a 'sniff'. He jumped out of bed and pulled his boots back on, then grabbed his sword, which was lying on his bedside table. He belted it on, and looked around, trying to find the source of the noise.
I am sure something was there . . . I wonder . . . Deaother turned to the mirror, and jumped. "Vaelia! What are you doing there?" Deaother said, surprised by her for the second time.
"I wanted to . . . ask you something Deaother . . . something very important." Vaelia replied.
Deaother noticed that her eyes were red and watery, "Were you crying? What happened? Is Worian alright?"
Vaelia turned away from him, and went and sat down on a couch, "He . . . is fine . . . and yes, I was crying. But first, I must know something . . . Deaother, did you ever promise my father something? Anything?"
Deaother stared at her, and although she wasn't looking at him, he was sure that he wouldn't be able to avoid the question, it was direct.
"I . . . well, yes, I did . . . it-I . . . why are you asking me this?" Deaother asked her.
"Because I know what you promised him . . . Deaother, you have been acting all this time, haven't you?" Vaelia said angrily, turning to him and glaring.
Deaother jumped, "Acting about what?"
"Acting to be my friend . . . acting as if you cared about me, and what I felt was that you . . . but all you were doing was keeping me safe? All you were doing was ensuring that I would remain safe and-"
"One minute." Deaother said slowly, "I've never, ever acted about anything with you . . . I was concerned for your safety, yes, but just the way you were concerned about mine, as a friend . . ."
"Deaother . . . all that time we spent together . . .I . . . Deaother, how could you not tell me about that promise you took?" Vaelia asked him.
"I was bound, Vaelia, I couldn't tell anyone about it . . . least of all you." Deaother replied, beginning to get a little angry himself.
"Well . . . so . . . you weren't just giving me company for the sake of ensuring nothing happened to me? You were giving me company as a friend?" Vaelia asked him.
"I was." Deaother replied simply.
Vaelia stared at him, then turned away. Something has definitely changed in her behavior . . . she didn't tell me what happened.
"Vaelia, you lied to me as well," Deaother pointed out. Vaelia looked up in surprise.
"When?"
"Earlier today, I asked you what was wrong, but you said you were fine . . . that was a half lie, now tell me the truth, why are behaving in such a different, such an angry way?" Deaother asked her, and Vaelia stared at him for a while. Her eyes were quite distracting, they were still very red and he could almost see a tear forming in one of them.
"I . . . I think I have finally decided whom I would like to mate, Deaother." Vaelia said, in a little happier tone.
Deaother jumped a foot. This blithering nonsense! No . . . how can she? I . . . well, let's hear this out.
"Who?" Deaother asked her loudly, and she smiled suddenly.
One moment she is crying, another moment she is laughing . . . Deaother thought, feeling awkward.
"I . . . why are you so concerned all of a sudden?" Vaelia asked him.
"I . . . I . . . am curious and . . . I . . ." Deaother stammered, unable to finish the sentence.
"There's no hurry Deaother . . . I'll tell you who it is once I meet you, when you return to Ellesmera, is that fine? Now I have to go . . . See you soon." Vaelia said and hurried away.
"Vaelia, wait! At least give me a clue!" Deaother said suddenly, but the mirror turned black, and then reflected him again, with his hand held out in front of him.
That . . . was certainly unexpected. Deaother thought, then discarded it and went and sat back down on his bed.
Zar'rac stood at the head of his huge army along with Enaevia and his Generals, reinforced by more of his forces which had entered Alagaesia by his magic. Zar'rac's old castle in Du Weldenvarden had been quite useful, seeing the fact that wild magic of Crugan's make existed within it, especially in the courtyard.
"Tell the soldiers to get ready . . . we march for Ellesmera in three hours . . . with two days, we will have attacked the city . . . and given another day, we will have annihilated it." Zar'rac spoke triumphantly, confident with his victory at Nadindel.
"Now go!" Zar'rac motioned for the Generals to leave, then, as they left, he turned to Enaevia.
"Listen here, lady, these men and Ra'zac are fascinated enough by you, and it is just because of the fact that you are with me that stops them from lunging at you. I wish to keep it that way, which is why I have given you my own tent . . . fear not, I don't spend more than a minute inside it, just to get my weapons and armor." Zar'rac told her, and she stared at him for a while, after which she nodded hesitantly.
Zar'rac then turned around and gazed towards the south, where another army was building itself. Then he turned to the southeast, where the next invasion was going to take place.
Lead Rider, you are going to have your hands full. Zar'rac thought, and laughed, a laugh which made the trees themselves cringe and the birds high up to chirp in discomfort and fly as fast as they could, away from the source of the sound.
