Chapter 3

After several hours' wait, Tauriel came to fetch the four companions. She too seemed to be dressed as if for some special occasion. An emerald green shirt with long fluted sleeves was belted around her slender waist and fastened at her throat with an ornate pin of brass. Her practical nature showed through, however, in her choice of the pants she wore beneath it, soft brown and unrestricting of her movement. Kurogane wondered if interrogations were always a formal event in elven society.

As Tauriel led the travelers through caves and hallways they had not previously encountered, it became clear that the elf woman was not returning them to the throne room as they had expected. Instead, they found themselves brought before a set of large oaken doors. Tauriel turned and looked them over critically once more, as though making certain they all looked presentable, before opening the door and ushering them inside.

The room they entered held a very different atmosphere than the open, airy throne room. Though large in size, it felt welcoming, even cozy. A fire burned warmly in a wide hearth at the opposite end. Carpets and rugs of varying hue and design covered the stone floor while tapestries depicting stories the travelers could only guess at lined the walls. Pillows and low couches sat clustered in random arrangement, upon which dozens of elves reclined, chatting amiably with one another and enjoying the refreshments that had been set out on tables around the room.

Many of the elves paused to look up at them as Tauriel led the group toward the center of the room where Thranduil sat, draped in a cloak of rich burgundy, upon a sofa. He sipped at a goblet of wine while talking with another blond-haired elf with sharp blue eyes. When the king noticed the travelers' approach, he smiled and raised his hand in greeting.

"Welcome, travelers," he said. "It pleases me that you are able to join us this evening."

"The pleasure is ours, Majesty," replied Fai, stepping forward to bow politely, "to receive the honor of being invited into your presence once again." When it came to smooth talking, the wizard tended to be the group's first choice. Syaoran had a knack for talking his way out of sticky situations, but Fai was the more skilled at flattery. Kurogane supposed it helped that the mage was a well practiced liar.

The king seemed pleased by the wizard's good manners. "Come, then," he said. "Introduce me to your other companions."

"Of course." The mage motioned for the others to join him. "This, my lord, is Syaoran, the young man whom I mentioned before." Syaoran bowed formally at his introduction.

"Kurogane you have already met," Fai continued. The ninja responded with a quick bow of his head. It was rare for the mage to use his full name. But in such a situation, even Fai could apparently see that the benefits of gaining the king's respect outweighed the fun of embarrassing the warrior with silly nicknames.

"And the final member of our company is Mokona," Fai finished. The small creature waved from her place on Kurogane's shoulder.

"Your Majesty," Syaoran addressed Thranduil. "I have been told that you wish to hear the story of our journey and how we came to find ourselves in your realm." He stood before the king, ready to make his account, but Thranduil seemed in no hurry to receive it.

"Yes, yes, in good time," the Elvenking replied with a wave of his hand. "But first, make yourselves comfortable. As I have said, you are my guests; you need not stand at attention. Be seated." He motioned to a servant who was standing near one of the refreshment tables. The servant brought over a carafe full of red wine and began filling goblets for the three humans.

Sitting down on a cushioned ottoman across from the king's sofa, Kurogane held up a hand to refuse the offered glass. He didn't care if Fai gave him another of his meaningful looks about behaving as a proper guest. The king might act hospitable, but he could still be their enemy. Kurogane was not about to throw caution to the wind and drink with him.

"Hey, what about Mokona?" Mokona complained, hopping down from the ninja's shoulder to sit beside him. The elf serving wine gave her a curious look.

Kurogane sighed. "Alright, fine. Here." He took the goblet from the elf and handed it down to the small creature.

Mokona tipped back the glass and took a large gulp. "Mmm… Thanks, Kuro-puu."

"Yeah, whatever. Just don't drink too much." Kurogane glanced over at Fai and Syaoran, who had taken seats nearer the king. Each had accepted a glass of wine. Tauriel had seated herself near the other blond elf at Thranduil's side. Kurogane watched as that elf smiled at her, welcoming her with a gentle touch on her shoulder.

"Allow me to introduce my son, Legolas," the king spoke as the server left them.

The other elf turned from Tauriel to look them over one by one. "I have been told," the prince said, "that you slew many spiders before my people found you. You must be skilled warriors to have fared so well against them in such a small company. I look forward to hearing your tale. I am sure men such as you will have had an interesting history."

"It's true we've been in our fair share of battles," Fai replied. "We've followed a long and difficult road together."

"And yet," Tauriel observed, "we retrieved only two swords when we captured you. Did you not join in the fighting, Fai?"

Fai regarded her with a flawless smile. "No, I'm afraid I lost my own weapon in another world some time ago. Kurgy and Syaoran did all the fighting yesterday."

"Another world…" the king repeated, his light blue eyes again fixed on the wizard. "This Hall of Story and Song has been host to many wondrous tales over the centuries, but tonight's, I believe, may be the strangest yet. Now then," he said, settling back into the sofa, "share with us your story."

The travelers had decided that Syaoran ought to speak first, as he was the most capable of laying down the groundwork of the tale, having experienced it firsthand. He began the story with an explanation of his own past and the events that led up to the scattering of the princess's memory feathers. Thranduil listened intently, his face betraying neither confusion nor disbelief as the young man revealed the complicated family lines and clonings that had set everything in motion. As he spoke, other elves in the room gathered around to listen. The acoustics of the hall were such that as all else grew quiet, Syaoran's voice carried easily to all of them. When he reached the part of the story in which the duplicates had arrived at Yūko's shop, he allowed Fai to take over the telling.

Fai told of how he and Kurogane had arrived at the same time as the other two, coming from two other worlds. Though he explained to Thranduil and the other listeners that the ninja had been sent on the journey by the princess he served, the wizard carefully left out his own reason for leaving his home country, saying only that it had become uninhabitable and he had been forced to move on. It was close enough to the truth, Kurogane supposed. The mage quickly continued on to describe the prices demanded by the dimensional witch for the ability to travel from world to world.

Following this, Fai, Syaoran, and Mokona took turns chronicling their adventures in the various lands they had visited. Kurogane chimed in occasionally to add details, but for the most part he simply watched, gauging the reactions of their listeners. All of the elves now seemed engrossed in the tale. It was not the kind of interrogation the warrior had anticipated. The elves behaved more like children listening to bedtime stories than people intending to render judgment.

When they came to the part about their arrival in the desolate city of Tokyo, Syaoran and Mokona allowed Fai to take over the story. This was the portion that required the most skillful editing. Kurogane picked up Mokona's goblet and took a long drink of the wine as Fai started into his grim description of the ruined city. It was clear the wizard must have rehearsed this section, for he laid it before the king flawlessly and without hesitation. He easily glossed over the loss of his eye, saying that the clone Syaoran had overpowered him and stolen a portion of his magic power, but not specifying how. Without the injury to explain away, the wizard had no need to tell of how Kurogane had forced him into living while he asked to die, nor of the rift that action had created between them.

The story continued through their dark days in Infinity and then into Celes country. This section Fai changed as well. There was no mention of King Ashura, nor did Fai identify it as his home. He painted Celes as just another new world and Castle Ruval as an empty structure of unknown history. "There were no people," Fai claimed. "The four of us and Sakura's body were the only living things in that land. Of course, someone must have lived there once – castles don't just spring up out of the ground on their own. But we never found out what happened to them. Nor will we ever have the chance now. We found Sakura's body in one of the upper rooms. Nearby was one of her feathers, encased in an orb of stone. I broke it open and gave her the feather, but unfortunately, there had been a curse placed on that stone. Moments after I had cracked it, the world began to close. Somehow, the curse had locked on to my magic and was using it to trap us inside." Murmurs of concern spread around the listeners.

"I summoned what remaining power I had left and tried to use it to get us out," Fai continued. "But it wasn't enough. Syaoran and Mokona were freed, along with the Sakura's body, but Kurogane and I remained trapped."

"Then we used Mokona's magic earring!" Mokona supplied.

"Yes," Fai replied, patting her gently on the head. "At Mokona's direction, Syaoran cast her earring toward Kurogane and me. Its magic opened a hole in the curse, allowing Kurogane to slip out. He tried to pull me out after him, but the curse had already claimed my body as its core. I told him to go, to leave me behind and escape with the others. But instead…" Fai turned, his eyes meeting Kurogane's. "He did something rather extraordinary. Drawing his sword out of his left hand, he cut off his own arm, the one I had placed the spell on. Because it contained my own magic, the curse accepted his arm as a replacement for me, and Kurogane was able to pull me out."

The room had gone silent. All eyes now rested on Kurogane. The warrior stared down into the glass of wine he held. "Of course, I was shocked," Fai continued. "Mokona had the good sense to get us out of there, and it happened that the next world we landed in was Kurogane's home, Nihon. Princess Tomoyo had foreseen our coming in a dream and was there to take us in and provide Kurogane with the necessary medical attention. And Yūko had arranged for Fūma to deliver a new, mechanical arm from Piffle World to replace the one Kurogane had so recklessly cut off, so it all worked out in the end." He smiled at his audience reassuringly.

Syaoran picked up the story where Fai left off and continued it through to the end of their first journey to when he and Watanuki agreed to pay the price for the illogic of their existence, careful to edit out any mention of vampirism and Fai's eyes. Fai told the elves of Kurogane's, Mokona's, and his decision to accompany Syaoran on his continuing travels. From there, they took turns again, describing the worlds they had visited since leaving Clow Country, up to when they arrived in Thranduil's forest. "And that, Your Majesty, is how we came to be in your country," Fai finished.

Hearing the conclusion, the elves, including their king, gave the travelers a polite round of applause. "A marvelous tale indeed," Thranduil addressed them. "You have bestowed upon us not only a stirring story, but a wealth of new knowledge. On behalf of my people, I thank you." His gaze moved from traveler to traveler. "A long and arduous journey has brought you to this point. And it would seem your travels are far from over. We cannot guess at what trials you are still to face, but for now, at least, I hope you may find rest and peace. You are welcome to stay in my realm for as long as your fate allows."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Syaoran replied. "We are happy to accept your kind offer."

"Excellent. Then let us celebrate our new friendship," the king announced. "Bring wine and make merriment. Brighten the Hall with music and song."

"You needn't go to such trouble over us," Fai told him as several of the elves around them got up to begin carrying out the king's orders.

"It's no trouble," Legolas assured him. "My father enjoys any excuse to celebrate."

"And why should I not?" Thranduil asked his son. "Is it not our right to seek happiness when we can?"

The prince opened his mouth as if to reply, but then seemed to think better of it. He shook his head softly. "Of course, father. As you say."

Soon, servers came around with fresh carafes of wine to refill their empty goblets. Others passed around trays bearing tarts and pastries. A group of musicians had set up in a corner of the room. Wood flutes piped an aria to the accompaniment of harps and lutes.

Mokona stood up and began twirling around. "Woohoo! Party!" she exclaimed. "Mokona loves to party!"

Thranduil laughed. "I think we shall get along well, little one," he said to her, smiling.

Kurogane allowed himself to begin to relax. It seemed their plan had succeeded; the king no longer treated them with suspicion. The ninja sipped at his own glass of wine now, having returned Mokona's. His eyes drifted over to Fai. The wizard caught his gaze and flashed him a smile – a genuine one – before returning his attention to conversing with Thranduil. Perhaps this would turn out to be a restful world for them after all.

The evening stretched on for several more hours. Various elves came to introduce themselves to the travelers who were now their guests. Wine flowed freely, and all seemed to enjoy themselves. But eventually, little by little, the room began to empty as the palace residents left to seek their beds. Those that remained had lowered their voices to a murmur as they listened to the musicians begin another song. An elf maiden joined her voice to the harps. The music was soft now, wistful. It seemed something between a hymn and a lullaby.

Mokona leaned against Kurogane sleepily, an empty goblet wrapped in her tiny arms. Kurogane reached down and wiped a few stray pastry crumbs from her face.

"Who is this Elbereth she sings of?" Syaoran asked, watching the vocalist across the room.

"She is one of the Powers that govern this world," Tauriel answered him. "And of them, she is the most beloved by us elves, for it was she who brought the stars to light. In all your traveling, have you never heard of her?"

The young man shook his head. "Different cultures all seem to have different ways of explaining things like how the stars or their world was created," Fai explained. "Some say a god or gods made everything; others say it all happened gradually by natural processes."

"And how do you say that the worlds came into being?" Thranduil questioned.

The mage shrugged. "I'm afraid I can't really answer that, Your Majesty. I don't know. It may even be that the answer is different for each world. We have visited places so vastly different from each other. Some have magic, while others do not. In some, we have even spoken with gods, but that does not mean they exist in other worlds. And yet," he continued, taking another thoughtful sip of his wine, "maybe there is some higher order to it all. There are some things that remain constant no matter where we are. There is no such thing as coincidence. And the dead can never be returned to life."

"Perhaps the worlds were created differently, perhaps not," the king replied. "Maybe in time you shall discover the answer. But in your last assumption, at least, you are incorrect."

Fai looked back at the king. "What do you mean?"

"Not all that is lost can be reclaimed. But some who died have returned to life again."

Kurogane watched the wizard's mouth open in shock at the king's revelation. That look was quickly replaced with a mask of casual placidity, though Fai's face remained a shade paler than it had been. "Oh? I would be very interested to hear about such cases," he said.

Thranduil shook his head. "The hour is late, and it is well past time for the telling of tales. Perhaps another time."

Extricating the glass from Mokona's grasp and cradling her in one arm, Kurogane stood up. If Fai started demanding information now, it might cause the king to grow angry or suspicious and lock them up again. "Thank you again for your hospitality," Kurogane addressed the Elvenking. "Now, if you don't mind, my companions and I will be heading to bed."

Thranduil pulled his eyes away from Fai and looked up at the warrior with half of a smile on his lips. "Of course. I bid you all good night."

Syaoran got to his feet and gave the king another brief bow. When Fai did not seem inclined to move, Kurogane used his free hand to take hold of his shoulder and give him a gentle shake. The wizard stood and bowed as Syaoran had, and Kurogane turned to lead them from the hall.

"Tauriel, guide our guests back to their rooms," the king instructed. Kurogane felt he was perfectly capable of finding their way back on his own, but he paused and allowed the elf woman to take the lead anyway. They retraced their earlier steps in silence, not speaking until they had reached the front door to their suite.

Tauriel undid the lock. Turning to the group, she handed the key to Kurogane. The suspicion her face had displayed prior to this evening was now replaced with respect as she looked at him. Her gaze lingered on his left arm for a moment before flicking away to the faces of the others. "Good night," she said. "Rest well."

Kurogane nodded to her. "Same to you."

The travelers reentered their apartment as Tauriel continued down the hall. Following Syaoran into the first bedroom, Kurogane deposited the sleeping Mokona onto the bed.

"Do you think it's true?" the young man asked as Kurogane turned to go. "What the king said, I mean – about the dead returning to life?"

The warrior frowned. "Get some sleep, kid."

"But if it is true…"

"Whether it is or it isn't doesn't matter right now. We're not going to figure it out tonight."

Syaoran hesitated indecisively for a moment, before capitulating. "You're right," he said. "We need to uncover more information first. I guess it'll have to wait. Good night, Kurogane."

"Good night, kid."

Kurogane paused at the washroom and washed his face before heading into the room he shared with Fai. The wizard had already changed into one of the nightshirts that had been laid out for them and sat upon the edge of their bed looking pensive. Kurogane grabbed the other shirt and began pulling off his clothes, tossing them into a pile in the corner of the room before donning the new garment. Stretching his arms above his head, he yawned, hoping that these late nights would not continue to be a regular feature of their stay here. Turning down the covers on his side, he lay down on the bed.

Fai remained sitting on the other side, apparently lost in thought. Kurogane's brows furrowed. He wished that damn king would have just kept his mouth shut. "Hey, mage," he said softly. "You did good tonight. Seems they trust us now."

"Mm." Fai's response was distracted and barely audible.

Usually, any praise from the ninja would have set the wizard beaming with delight. Kurogane couldn't keep concern from coming out in his voice as he asked, "You all right?"

The question seemed to snap Fai out of his abstraction, and he turned to smile at the warrior. "Of course, I'm all right, Kuro-tan. Now, blow out that candle and get some sleep. We can't have you sleeping the day away again tomorrow."

"Right…" Kurogane replied as the wizard climbed under the blankets. He turned away from him and extinguished the bedside lamp. Kurogane had wanted to believe that Fai was done with hiding and lying to him. Something like a weight settled in the pit of his stomach, but he chose to ignore it. The elves' wine must not have agreed with him, he told himself. He'd feel well again by morning. Pushing the image of Fai's fake smile out of his mind, Kurogane tried to sleep.