A/N: Hello! I'm back from Disney World, and ready to post another chapter! Updates will get rarer, though. I've started my freshman year. And to fill you in, I am ignoring all parts of Eldest that contradict my story; thus explaining the slightly AU note. And since Christopher is kind enough to not give me new words from the ancient language I'll have to make up some myself. Please tell me if there's a word I can use instead, I'll appreciate it since I don't own either book.
Aliya was having a wonderful dream that she was back in Farthen Dûr with Rashid, with no Andrius or guards to tell them what to do. Unintentionally, she sat up, about to lean in to kiss Rashid when she realized there actually was a face leaning over her. Andrius'. She was only inches away from his face, and she jerked away quickly. Andrius just smirked and started making breakfast. In retaliation, Aliya slipped over to Rashid as he reentered the campsite with firewood and gave him a long, passionate kiss, as much for her enjoyment as the elf's irritation. They finally pulled apart when they could practically feel the heat from Andrius' glare. They quickly sat down around the fire and ate breakfast silently, trying not to meet the elf's angry eyes.
"So how far are we from Ellesméra?" Rashid asked Aliya, breaking the uncomfortable silence.
"We are only a few days away if we ride hard," Andrius answered before she could say anything. They finished their breakfast quickly, but the elf stopped them before they mounted their horses.
"Before we arrive, there are some formalities you must learn," he explained. "The most important thing you must remember is the greeting. If you meet an elf above your status, you must initiate it. You say 'Atra esterní ono thelduin,' and they should reply, 'Mor'ranr lífa unin hjarta onr,'. If you wish to truly honor them, you may also add, 'Un du evarínya ono varda.'. Now greet me, as if I were a strange elf in Ellesméra." Aliya went first, and managed to remember all the words. Rashid had it a little harder, but after pronouncing it a few times, he memorized the words.
"What do they mean, Andrius?" Aliya asked.
"It is translated, roughly, into 'May good fortune rule over you/Peace live in your heart/And the stars watch over you.' Also, there are honorifics, which you must never forget to use. Elda is a gender-neutral honorific of great praise. Svit-kona is a formal honorific for an elf woman of great wisdom. Sonr is a female honorific of middling praise, bohr is a female honorific for a close friend, and tanaril is a female honorific for a young woman of great promise. (A/N: I had to make these up, there's only one female honorific!) Vodhr is a male honorific of middling praise, vor is a male honorific for a close friend, and finiarel is a male honorific for a young man of great promise."
"I understand, Andrius-vodhr," Aliya said solemnly. Andrius glared at her, and Rashid had a hard time not laughing out loud.
"Then it's time to go, Aliya-sonr, Rashid-vodhr," the elf said contemptuously. They mounted their horses silently and rode until the sun was high in the sky above the trees.
"We can stop here for a quick lunch," Andrius said, barely looking at them. Aliya and Rashid obediently sat down across from each other. They could still feel the tension from their makeout session at breakfast, and the elf was not happy at all. Their entire lunch was eaten in silence, except for tiny chewing noises as Aliya or Rashid bit off a hunk of cheese. The elf watched them stared at them. Finally, Aliya couldn't take it anymore and threw her lunch back in her saddlebag. Rashid followed her lead, and they did anything they could to avoid his intense gaze. They mounted their horses without a word, Andrius wedging his in between Aliya's and Rashid's as usual. They rolled their eyes but kept quiet, knowing the elf's short temper. The ride that afternoon was strained but uneventful, and there were many subtle signs that they were getting closer to the city. Everything was ten times lusher than in a normal forest. To Aliya, everything just seemed magical. The trio stopped again for supper, and it was a little more relaxed, even though Aliya and Rashid ignored the ever-angry elf.
After supping, they continued to ride until darkness set in, which was surprisingly late in the tree-covered skyline. Unsurprising, however, was the fact that Andrius made sure their blankets were on the opposite sides of the campfire. He never understood that they weren't going to try anything! When Andrius was asleep, in the trance elves fall into, Aliya snuck over to Rashid, awakening him with a kiss.
"Hey Aliya. Is it morning already?" he whispered.
"If it was do you really think I'd be allowed to kiss you awake?" she replied mischievously. Rashid thought about it for a second, and then shook his head.
"No, probably not." He pulled her in closer, enjoying her warmth. She kissed him again and nuzzled up to his bare chest. The couple stayed that way for hours, occasionally kissing, occasionally whispering, until they noticed the sun rising. Aliya hurried into her blankets just as Andrius awoke from his trance. She pretended to be asleep, even pushing Andrius off when he started shaking her awake.
"I'm up, alright? I'm up!" She got up sullenly, wishing she had slept last night, but knowing that that was the only time she could be alone with Rashid. Grabbing fresh clothes from her saddlebag, she went off into the forest to change.
Andrius went on to "wake up" Rashid, who proceeded to grab a clean shirt from his saddlebag. The fire had died out last night and neither Aliya nor Rashid had noticed it earlier, so he was sent out by the elf to gather more for a fire for breakfast. He made sure he steered clear of the direction Aliya had headed off to, however.
When Aliya reentered the campsite, she could almost hear the delicious-smelling meat sizzling. She saw Andrius boycotting it haughtily out of the corner of her eye, and ignored him. She hurried to take the seat by Rashid, and sat down fast enough so that the elf couldn't push her out of the way. She nuzzled up to him like she had the night before, ignoring the elf's angry glare, and they shared a quick kiss when Andrius wasn't looking.
Their breakfast was finally done cooking, and they talked animatedly throughout, sometimes even including the grumpy elf.
"I hope you don't forget we reach Ellesméra tomorrow," he told them sternly.
"Um…of course we didn't!" Rashid lied, shooting a nervous look at his magically gifted friend. They mounted their horses again, and the day passed in a blur as they tried to sleep while riding.
As promised, they stopped about a day's ride from the mysterious elven city. Aliya and Rashid were too preoccupied about this possibly being their last day together for a while to worry about food. There had always been a nagging doubt that the elves might not allow Rashid inside the city, but Aliya hadn't worried about it. She figured that it was way too far in the future to worry about. Again, as soon as Andrius was in his trance-like state, Aliya slipped over to Rashid's blankets. She kissed him, even though he was already awake and it wasn't necessary. For maybe the last time she curled up to him, kissing his warm, bare chest.
"You know, it isn't that bad," she said out of nowhere.
"Hmm? What?" Rashid replied, startled out of his reverie.
"They might let you into Ellesméra, and if they don't, I don't really care. It's not like I was required to go; I'll just return to Farthen Dûr with you." Rashid shook his head.
"No, Aliya. I'll find my own way home, I'll be fine. I'm sure Andrius would be happier. I'll just…miss you, that's all." She curled up closer, kissing him one last time before they fell asleep together.
The next morning, Andrius awoke from his trance to find that Aliya was missing! He quickly checked to make sure that Rashid was there, and saw the two curled up into a ball on Rashid's blankets. Aw, what a cute sight…not! He kicked Aliya awake, shoving Rashid off to find some more firewood. He chanced a quick glance, and sighed with relief when she appeared fully clothed. It didn't look as if they had done anything, and if they had, Andrius would be in huge trouble with Queen Islanzadí. If a human person with magic abilities lost their virginity before they received training, they'd also lose their ability to use magic. But Queen Islanzadí had made it clear that neither knew that, and it was his job to enforce it secretly.
"Aliya, come here," he ordered. "Say any word from the ancient language that you know." Reaching for the little nub of magic inside her, Aliya muttered, "Garjzla!" and a light sprang into her palm, almost invisible in the bright clearing. He sighed once more in relief, telling her to go change and that he'd get breakfast ready. Rashid came into the camp a few minutes later, carrying a decent pile of firewood to throw the campfire.
Aliya absentmindedly rubbed her stomach where the irate Andrius had kicked her that morning when she got back, wondering why the elf was so angry with the couple. He had always been mad that the two of them were together, but never gave an explanation for his actions. And he kicked really hard…
Halfway across the camp, where Andrius was keeping him separate from Aliya, Rashid was wondering the same thing. Why was he so anxious to keep them apart? The elf was crazy, he decided as he watched Aliya massage her bruises.
After breakfast, the trio set out on the last stretch to Ellesméra. They rode quickly because Andrius was anxious to get home and prove that he had brought Aliya there safely. Rashid was getting more and more nervous by the second, and, chancing a quick look behind him, so was Aliya.
Around mid-afternoon, they neared the elven city, and even from afar, Aliya could tell that it was beautiful. There were many oddly-shaped buildings to look at as they rode, and when they got closer, she could tell that they were formed from trees. Looking at the tree-buildings was all they had time to do as Andrius pushed harder and harder, almost overeager to arrive home.
As they drew closer and closer, the couple forgot all their troubles as they admired the city and its beautiful, oaken gates. Aliya was barely able to hold back a gasp as they opened, revealing the splendor and simplicity of Ellesméra. Andrius had made her ride first on purpose; once the elf was clear of the gates, they closed on Rashid.
"Hey! Let me in! Aliya!" he yelled. She yanked on her horses' reins when he heard her call, and noticed that he was no longer behind the pair. Urging her steed forward, she rode back at a gallop, hoping that the guards would open the entrance before she was crushed into it like the bug she had stepped on that morning. The soldiers, realizing that she was not going to stop, opened them in the nick of time.
"Why didn't they let you in?" Aliya asked him, confused.
"I don't know. As soon as Andrius cleared the gates, they shut it on me. I bet he was planning this the entire time, after he found us that first day!" Aliya blushed, remembering exactly how close he had been holding her.
"I don't doubt it from him," she replied, trying to control herself. "But I'm not going in without you. After what has happened to us on the way here alone, they can't expect you to travel home by yourself. I want you to stay with me." Rashid smiled at her, and she melted at the sight, but she couldn't let him know that. She demanded to speak with Andrius, and after a little persuasion, the guards relented.
"Andrius, why wouldn't they let Rashid in?" Aliya demanded as soon as she could see him on top of the wall, her contorted face showing unmistakable anger. "I am not going in and learning how to control my magic unless he comes with me!"
"I am afraid that is quite impossible, Aliya," he replied nonchalantly. "Queen Islanzadí thinks it is very unwise for temptation to be brought inside her walls."
"So you were just going to send me home without any protection? I mean, who cares if he's safe as long as we have the one with the magic abilities!" Rashid butted in. He sent Aliya a quick apologetic look, but she was too busy getting angry at the elf to care what he said.
"We were not going to make you fend for yourself," Andrius sighed. "If you two had not been so rash, things might have worked out better."
"You were trying to keep us apart!" Aliya accused.
"If you two 'got together' as you were often trying to do, you would lose your magical abilities since you have not been trained!" The elf realized what he had just said and covered his mouth in shock. Aliya and Rashid looked just as surprised, finally learning the reason to why the elf had been so adamant in keeping the couple apart.
"We were never trying to…to…" Aliya couldn't even finish her sentence before she and Rashid blushed. "That doesn't matter! If all the elves are all as rude and ill-mannered as you, I am going home to Farthen Dûr where I belong." She kicked her horse and it trotted forward, and together, the couple rode away from the gates of Ellesméra.
"They did WHAT?" Queen Islanzadí asked of her nephew, Andrius that evening.
"They, um, left together," he replied, bowing his head. "I could not get Aliya to stay without her boyfriend."
"Why did you have to tell her that she might lose her magical abilities? She might feel better without them! The pressure of an entire city wouldn't be resting on her shoulders anymore! Go follow them, and make sure they do not do anything tonight. Tomorrow I will ride out myself to see them, and at least try to convince them to stay…" She dismissed Andrius, who immediately whistled for his favorite horse. He mounted her gracefully, and nodded at the guards as they let him through the gate. It wasn't hard finding Aliya and Rashid. In their haste and anger they had left a trail an Urgal could follow, which he did right back to their campsite. When he entered, Rashid got up threateningly.
"What are you doing here? Making sure we don't do anything to ruin your chances of training Aliya?"
"Perhaps. But tomorrow the Queen is coming to see you, and I need to make sure you do not return to Farthen Dûr before then," the elf replied, rubbing his forehead.
"Well then go right back to Queen Islanzadí and tell her we'll wait for her. We don't want you here," Aliya ordered.
"I am sorry, in a way, but my orders are to stay with you for this one last night. Once you start your training, I care nothing for you," the elf replied, in a sickly-sweet voice that was met by glares all around. For the last time, the elf hoped, he separated Aliya and Rashid and forced them to sleep on opposite sides of the campfire, while he himself did not sleep at all, remembering how easily they had snuck past him from before they reached the elven city.
They ate their breakfast in silence, with Aliya and Rashid cuddling together away from the elf. No one spoke as they awaited the arrival of the Queen of Ellesméra.
After the sun had risen, they heard the sound of hooves, and in no time at all, Queen Islanzadí had arrived and dismounted. It was in such a short period of time that no one had time to react; however, Aliya had time to fall off Rashid's lap in shock.
"Uh, Queen Islanzadí!" she started, shaking off the dust and trying to bow at the same time. "What an honor to meet you!"
"It is wonderful to finally meet the powerful Aliya that my nephew has brought me," she replied, nodding politely at Aliya and Rashid. "But I understand that you do not wish to partake of my hospitality?"
"Your highness, I would stay and be trained, but your nephew has been rude to us the entire journey and would not even allow Rashid into your beautiful city. I will not stay without him."
"I am sorry to have troubled you, Aliya. It was on my orders that Andrius did not allow Rashid into the city. Perhaps now that we know you will not try anything with this young man-" Aliya's face blushed profusely, but the elf continued "-I see no reason that he should not be allowed inside Ellesméra."
"Really this time?" Rashid injected, tired of being left out of the conversation.
"Yes, now come, daylights wasting," the Queen replied.
A/N: Aagh, I'm so SORRY it took me so long. But I started high school, and the hw load is unbelievable. I've only been able to write this one as a Personal Journal for Creative Writing. And even then it took me awhile. This may not be updated for a while, but do not be disheartened! Someday, my next chappie (you know, instead of my prince-sorry, my moms a diehard Disney fan) will come. She starts training next chapter! Stay tuned. And don't forget to scroll down to that purple little button and REVIEW!