Chapter 10: Back at Silverleaf Manor
– –-
Feint, step left, attack, pull back to defend, Yannick thought as he accomplished the maneuver with the sword
It was late afternoon at Silverleaf Manor, he was in the training room, getting used to one of the swords that stood around in the room. The Silverleafs having a knighthood background, the training room had been there since the manor's conception and had not changed much since. This had to do also with the fact that it acted a bit like the Main Hall of Hogwarts, expanding as needed so it accommodated any number of persons without space problems.
Another feature that Yannick liked about the room is that it gave one the feeling to be in a forest, complete with smell, trees and moss on the ground. A bit like Firenze's class in Hogwarts, with the only difference that it was two floors in height and you could only access it from the main staircase on the first floor. The sword he was using was of Muggle conception but had some clear Elven additions to it. It was lighter and while it seemed to have been on the display he had taken it down from for quite a while, it was still very sharp and he had been able to cut branches as thick as his arm with relative ease.
He was now training, making moves that he had learned from Oromir and also ensuring that his leg was fully healed. His mother had closed the wound as soon as she had seen him back at their home. He had been in for a lecture about not going with a backup weapon of some sort but he knew she was fully aware of what he had faced. The lecture was a way for her to tell him she had been worried.
Smiling at this he continued his moves. More than a week had passed now and Alwena had arrived a few days ago to Silverleaf Manor for the Christmas break. He had a very good memory of the snow fight they had shared this morning, together with Loic who was becoming quite accurate in his throws, despite his young age.
Closing his eyes he started to make some slow basic moves. When he felt he had them cold, he started to increase his speed and then the complexity of the move. He was just doing a back hand stroke, a good defense against an attack from behind, his sword was blocked, with the distinctive sound of metal blades clashing against one another. He opened his eyes and found himself facing a grinning Aidan, blocking his sword with his own, ghostly looking one.
"Practicing alone?" Aidan asked.
"Never hurts," Yannick replied, "But how did you block me?"
"I'm not a normal ghost Yannick," Aidan said, "I am able to influence things around me if I want to, and after a few centuries, I have become quite good at it. Fancy a little match?" he asked, giving Yannick a wink.
"With real swords?"
"The only real one around here is yours," Aidan replied, "And I doubt it will do me much harm. I can control mine well enough so it does not hurt you."
"Well I surely hope so," Yannick replied, "I'd hate to lose a limb, or my head. But I'm game." he added with a smile.
"That's the spirit!" Aidan laughed, "En garde, young Silverleaf!" He added, saluting with his word and then taking a defensive stance.
Yannick brought up his guard and waited for Aidan to make his move. He had never tried himself against his ancestor (he was not really the type of person one thought about when looking for a sparring partner) and so waited to see what attacks he would come up with.
It did not take long and Aidan attacked him after first doing a feint to the left. Yannick defended it easily and retaliated, only to get blocked by Aidan's defense. For the next minutes it was a testing bout, both of the opponents testing each other, trying to find the little flaws that would give one the victory. Yannick recognized a few Elven moves in his ancestor's repertoire, but quite some others were unknown to him, although they proved to be less hard to counter than the Elven ones.
"Come on Yannick," Aidan said after a while, "You cannot just test my defenses like that. Let's see some real attacks," he added, parrying a blow and responding to it with a thrust.
Yannick moved away from it and came back, this time using a move that Oromir had taught him, one that should take most opponents by surprise. His effort was in vain and he found himself blocked by Aidan. The ghost moved quickly after that and sent Yannick's sword flying to the left with a disarming move. Yannick soon found himself with his back to a tree and Aidan's sword by his neck.
"It was a good move Yannick," Aidan said, "It could have taken anyone by surprise but you forget the fact that I have the same training than you. I know that feint very well and the parry to it is usually deadly to the attacker."
"I can see that," Yannick said, "Oromir never taught me the parry."
"He does not know it," Aidan replied.
"Was he not your teacher too?" Yannick asked
"No, I was taught by his own teacher," Aidan said with a small smile.
"Who was that?" Yannick replied.
"Someone who knew that art quite well," Gran's voice said behind them.
She was smiling and looking at her husband and Yannick, holding two wooden fencing swords in her hands.
"Care to show me what Aidan was referring to?" She asked Yannick, tossing him one of the swords.
Yannick caught it but hesitated. "I can yes," Yannick said, "But I did not know you knew how to use such weapon."
"I can manage," Gran said, taking a usual defensive position.
Yannick waited for a few seconds before to start the feint. But as he came to attack Gran, she blocked his blow with ease. She gave a twist to her sword and his went flying out of his grasp and Gran caught it, leaving him baffled. She then attacked and swept him off his feet with a low hit.
"I can manage?" Yannick said, looking at her still surprised.
"Did you really think that I was a poor defenseless Elven maiden, my dear?" Gran asked, chuckling, "I learned the way of the sword much before my gift with metals became strong enough for me to use. My father taught me both the ways of the sword and the wand."
"You were Aidan's teacher?" Yannick asked, sitting up.
"I never said that my teacher was a he." Aidan said.
"Yes I was, Yannick," Gran replied, "And Oromir's for a little while. But I never finished his training. Other events prevented it," she added.
"Somehow I have a hard time imagining you this way, Gran," Yannick replied.
"Do I look too refined for such barbarous weapon?" Gran said mockingly.
"A sword is not barbarous if its user knows how to handle it well," Yannick said, "It is just I never saw you this way. It puts you under a new light."
"I can relate," Gran said, "I guess it is not a skill one expects a lady to have. Although I can assure you that most Elven women are versed in such fighting arts."
"I saw that during my training," Yannick said.
"And yet you are surprised that I know them?" Gran asked.
Yannick did not answer but only chuckled at her tone. He should have expected that she would have known the ways of the sword. It is just that he had never seen her use one, much less a bow. The wand was the only weapon he had seen her use in all these years, but now he realized that it was not the only one she could handle.
"I think you will understand things a bit better if I show you something," Gran said, sitting by him and taking her wand out, "The spell I will use is Elven but it also works for humans. Give me your hands and close your eyes, Yannick,"
Yannick did so and soon heard her talk rapidly in Elven. So fast that he only grasped two words, truth and show. He heard things change and opened his eyes again. He looked around himself, amazed by what he now saw. He was not in the training hall anymore, but at the edge of a forest, overlooking a valley. It was night but the full moon was shining in the sky and he could see movement around him, a lot of it.
He was in the midst of an army of men, more than a hundred of them. They wore full armor and their round metal shield wore an emblem that was strangely familiar, a wolf head. They were all on foot and their helmets were shape in the likeness of a wolf head. He could not see their face but he knew that he definitely was not in modern time anymore. For some reason he had been transported somewhere close to the middle ages, and somehow, none of the men around him seemed to notice that he was there.
They are preparing for a battle, he thought as he saw the men plant arrows in front of them and ready their bows. Their shields were planted in front of them, supported by their long swords and made a little rampart in front of them.
Movement was heard on his left. Men, and also women from what he could hear, were greeting someone that was approaching. He looked and felt a shock as he recognized the figure, Gran. Her head was without a helm and her long silvery hair, with a thin silver circlet in them, were unmistakable, it was her. A younger version of her perhaps, but it was Gran.
Her eyes were sad but looked resigned as she stopped to talk to the man next to him. It was then that he got another shock. They were talking Elven. These were not men but Elves! He had never seen so many of them, battle ready.
"Anything to report Artheas?" Gran asked.
"Nothing at all Lady Tirielen," Artheas replied handing her a white bow. His voice sounded young.
Tirielen! Yannick thought, That is her Elven family name! This must have taken place before Aidan's time.
"The enemy has not moved from their encampment yet," Artheas continued, "But I am afraid that they know of our position."
"That was inevitable," Gran replied, "We must wait for the signal from our allies before we act."
As she said this Yannick hear the sound of horses approaching in the forest behind them. The men that rode them also wore the same type of armor and he realized they must be Elves too. The horses also wore some type of armor.
Heavy cavalry, he thought.
One rider was in front of the group, riding a pure white horse and looking awe inspiring in the way he held himself. He was tall and had long black hair and sported the same silver circlet that adorned Gran's head, only that it was a bit more thick. He left his horse in the cover of the trees and walked towards Gran.
"Anything to report, Alathea?" he asked as he arrived near her.
"No father," she replied, "Our sentries have not reported any movement as of yet."
Yannick's mind was reeling. She had called him father. That meant that the man on the horse was none other than Elessian Tirielen, his ancestor on Gran's side.
"They will move tonight, you can be sure of that," Elessian said, "the moon is in their favour. Tonight the fate of the world will be decided."
"Are our allies ready?" Gran asked.
"They are since the night has fallen," Elessian replied, "Oromir came to report that Arthur's sentries had killed a small company of advance scouts less than an hour ago. If they move, it will be soon."
Arthur? This is too much! Yannick thought, I am in Arthur's time. The Elves are helping him. I am in the time of the war of the Unicorn!
Before he could think much more, the sound of a deep horn was heard in the valley, and suddenly orders could be heard, along with movements.
"It has started," Elessian said as he put on his helm, "May the stars guide your aim, daughter," he added, caressing Gran's cheek softly.
"May your sword be true, father," Gran replied, touching his hand.
With that Elessian walked to his horse again and mounted, giving orders to his men. Gran made a sign to Artheas, who began to give orders as well.
"Remember," Gran said, "Our signal is a fire arrow from Arthur's position," she added as she readied her bow and knocked an arrow on the string.
"Commander," a voice said in the air, "Two companies are advancing towards our position."
"Start shooting at them when they come too close," Gran ordered, "But pray that the signal from our allies comes before that."
Yannick could see a mass of men advancing at an even pace towards the Elven position. He was feeling a bit scared and really started to wonder if anything could harm him around here. He was also amazed to see that all the men around him had drawn their bow, seemingly waiting for the signal to appear. And appear it did, a bright arrow lancing to the sky. No sooner had it appeared that all the elves released their string, sending a hail of deadly projectiles towards the advancing enemy.
They hit a few seconds later and apparently took the other army by surprise. Yannick realized that the night must have hidden the shot and the men had had no time to put up their shields to protect themselves.
"Elves see very well in the dark," Oromir had told him, "This has come in our favour countless times."
Gran's men strung their bows again and this time he heard a murmur go through them, en elven word that he knew well, fire arrow.
The arrows lit and soon after, Gran gave the order to release the shot. This time the advancing enemy saw the arrows coming, and several were able to raise their shields to protect themselves.
"Death to our foes!" he heard Elessian say as the Elven lord drew his sword.
The mounted men around him repeated the Elven battle cry before to start their charge towards the advancing troops. Yannick now realized the purpose of the fire arrows, to light the targets for the Elven cavalry.
Gran's men let another four flights of unlit arrows loose before to stop shooting, their riders being too close to the enemy. They all hung their bows across their chest after that and took their swords and shield in hand.
Gran lifted her sword above her head and after let out an Elven battle cry, before to run towards the melee down in the valley, followed by all her men. Yannick did not wish to move closer to the fight but he found himself moving with the men, surprisingly staying close to Gran.
The Elven cavalry led by Elessian had ridden through the two enemy companies and were now charging towards the main army. The enemy survivors were hastily regrouping, trying to bring a front against Gran's charging men.
Mere moments before they two groups clashed, Yannick saw several spells emerging from Gran's group and hitting the enemy. Gran herself had sent one of them. The spells created ripples in the enemy's front line, which was used by the Elves to gain the upper hand.
In the melee that ensued, Yannick was not too sure of what happened. The enemies were a mix of men and minotaurs. They wore black armor and were a bestial looking lot. The minotaurs seemed to be the ones giving the Elves a challenge. The men were somehow out match by the Elves' speed and many were cut down at the beginning of the fight. Gran was moving faster than he had ever seen her. She fought three men at once and defeated them easily. Her hits were quick and accurate, but never overdone.
Suddenly Yannick saw two Elves being hurtled back by a mighty blow. They crashed lifelessly near him and he could see one of them with a bloody opening on his chest plate. Their opponent was a huge minotaur, at least a head taller that the others of his group and was sporting a mean looking mace. The minotaur raised the mace above his head and let out a below of challenge. Two more Elves attacked him but he dispatched them as well with two blows from his mace.
That must be their chief, Yannick thought.
A beam of red light suddenly hit the minotaur in the chest, sending him back a few feet and causing him to howl a bit in pain, shaking his head. Yannick saw Gran coming into view her sword in one had and her wand in the other.
The minotaur let out a scream of rage and charged towards her, his hooves making the ground shake as he approached. Gran stood her ground, her sword raised in defensively. The Minotaur attempted to strike her with a downward movement of his mace as he reached her, but she was not there anymore, having sidestepped to evade the blow. The Minotaur struggled with his mace that was now stuck in the ground from the force he had used. Gran used her sudden advantage to attack him. Shortly after, the Minotaur was howling in pain, holding the stump that had been his right hand. Gran did not wait for him to make another move and plunged her sword in his heart, killing him instantly.
Deprived of their leader, it did not take much longer before the Minotaurs turned in retreat, leaving what was left of their human allies to fight against the Elves. The men saw their disadvantage and soon, they too retreated towards the main group of the enemy army. Gran's men let out a cry of victory as they regrouped orderly around her. Their cry was soon joined by sudden chilling howls coming from the main group of the enemy army.
"Werewolves!" Someone shouted in the group.
That's why the moon was in favour of the enemy, Yannick thought, they have werewolves in their midst.
"I want four lines, all archers until they come too close," Gran said with authority, "The two first lines must then protect the two last ones so they can dispatch them quickly."
All the men put their swords and shields down and took their bow, quickly arming them with an arrow. A group of howling figures emerged from the enemy army and started racing towards their position. They were at least equal in size. Yannick had heard and read about werewolves and their strength and knew that the fight would be harder than the first.
"Remember, aim for their heart," Gran said as she took aim, "Silver arrows, loose!"
The men muttered an Elven incantation and Yannick saw the arrows give a silvery light before the men let them fly. He saw many of the creatures that were running towards the Elven lines fall dead and heard quite a few howl in pain, but it did not prevent the rest of the group from continuing its charge, seemingly intent on tasting Elven flesh.
The Elves let two more flights of arrows go before the two front lines dropped their bows and grabbed their shields and weapons. The front line knelt to the ground, enabling the second line to lock shields with them, creating a metal wall to protect the two remaining lines of archers.
A moment after the first werewolves clashed with the front line, trying to use the momentum of their charge to break them. They were met with arrows and blades, driving them back. Yannick was just behind the fourth line, right by Gran when he saw her look up in alarm and saw what she was seeing. Four fiery balls had appeared in the sky and were bearing down towards the Elven lines.
"Magical shields!" Gran shouted to the magicians in her group, as she took hold of her wand.
Yannick saw several shimmering walls come to life above the Elven lines, in order to protect them from the falling fireballs. The first one hit short, right into the group of werewolves and the other three hit the shields. The two first ones were blocked, but the third one passed through and hit the ground, exploding right in front of the Elven lines,
All of a sudden it was bedlam. Elven defenders were sent to the ground by the force of the explosion. Gran was thrown several meters back and stayed to the ground, not moving. Yannick feared that she was badly hurt until he saw her move, slowly getting up. He saw her freeze in a crouch and turned to see what it was.
Mere meters away was a werewolf, at least twice the size of a human. It was looking at Gran in the way a predator does of a prey it knows it will kill very soon. Yannick say Gran look around her for something to use against it but she did not seem to find anything. Her wand was not in sight. The werewolf let out a long howl before leaping to attack.
"Lady Tirielen, look out!" A voice said.
Suddenly an Elven warrior was between the werewolf and Gran, a spear in hand against the creature. The werewolf could not prevent its momentum from causing the spear to enter its shoulder, causing it to howl in pain and anger. Seeing that his spear would now be useless against the beast, the warrior took out his sword, but the werewolf did not leave him the time to use it and sent him flying to the left with a sweeping hit from its huge paws. The Elven warrior crashed to the ground with a metallic sound and did not get up again. Then, grasping the spear that was still imbedded in its flesh, the werewolf yanked it out with a sharp move and retuned to looking murderously at Gran, who was still in the same position, having not had the time to move and seeming a bit bothered by her armor. The werewolf gave a malicious grin as it took the spear in one hand and prepared to hurl it in her direction. A line of fire hit the spear like a whip before it could throw it however, shattering it in its grasp.
"Elastare!" A commanding voice shouted and the werewolf was sent flying back by a ball of energy that hit it in the stomach. Several warriors ran to the beast to put it out of combat before it could get up.
Yannick looked back at Gran and saw that two figures were standing by her. One of them was a man with a neatly cut white beard and long white hair, holding a staff in his hand and dressed in medieval looking robes. Yannick suddenly recognized him from the statue in Gran's study, Merlin.
The second man he did not know. He looked young, perhaps in his late twenties and sporting long brown hair that were tied in a ponytail. He held a sword in his left hand and a wand in his right. Yannick saw him wave the wand and a whip of fire went to hit another werewolf that had managed to break through the now reforming Elven lines.
He did not say a word! Yannick thought, amazed.
"Are you alright, Alathea?" Merlin asked, offering his hand to Gran to help her to her feet.
"Yes, thanks to both of you," Gran said, "It seems that I am in your debt again, Sir Johan" she added to the young man.
"I'm not counting," the man said, "But I'll keep it in mind."
"It would seem that the warlocks have gotten some catapults to use," Merlin said as more fiery balls flew towards the Elven lines, but were deflected by the magical shields cast by Elven magicians.
"We have to get rid of them," Gran said, "But for my men it would be suicide."
"That is where my knights come in Lady Tirielen," a voice behind them said.
Mounted on a horse was a man dressed in what looked like an elaborated Roman armor. Emblazoned on his shield was a red dragon and on his Roman helm was a red crest created by feathers. His beard gave him a wise look but he looked quite tired.
He must have been in the fight since the beginning, Yannick thought.
Gran smiled at the man. "I am glad to see that the enemy has not gotten the best of you, Lord Arthur," she said.
"The blade that will get the best of me has yet to be forged," Arthur replied, "Do you think that your father could charge at the same time as I? It would take the enemy on two fronts."
"I'll get the message to him right away," Gran said.
She called one of her men and spoke to him in Elven. A few moments later the Elf had gotten onto a horse and was riding to the other side of the battlefield, where the Elven cavalry could be seen, playing a cat and mouse game with the enemy lines. A few minutes later they saw an arrow shoot to the sky and exploded with a red light. Gran turned to Arthur.
"The Elven cavalry will charge when they hear your horn calling it," she told him.
"Excellent!" Arthur replied, "To me, my knights!" He then shouted behind him.
Yannick saw a group of knights emerging from the forest behind them. They all wore the same uniform except for about a dozen of them who sported less conventional armour and equipment, from a bow that looked of Elven make, to a double edge battle axe. Arthur drew his sword, Excalibur, and as he did this a trumpet sounded the charge.
"For Camelot!!" He shouted, rearing his battle horse before to send it on a dead run, followed by his knights.
"I can only hope that all of them come back," Gran said.
"Oh they will," Merlin said, "The warlocks might have good wizards within them but they lack the military discipline that Arthur's men and the Elves have. Besides, here comes reinforcement," he added.
Yannick looked to where he pointed and was amazed to see a huge group of centaurs, perhaps over two hundreds strong and all in battle armor, riding down towards the warlock's army. The picture they gave was breathtaking.
"Commander Tirielen," a voice said, "the werewolf group is in full retreat. Do we pursue?"
"Not yet," Gran replied, "Tend to the wounded first and regroup. We will keep to our position and defend the woods."
"My lady," an Elven warrior said as he came near her, "There is a matter that requires your immediate attention."
With that the warrior gestured for her to follow him and she did, Merlin and Sir Johan staying close behind. They came to the spot where the warrior that had saved her from the werewolf had fallen. Two other Elves were near him and were dressed in a much lighter form of armor. One of them went to Gran.
"I am sorry, Milady," she said, "We cannot restore him. The injuries he sustained are too great."
Yannick saw Gran's hands flying to her mouth to stifle a moan. She went to kneel by the fallen warrior and gently removed his helm, revealing a young male Elf with light brown hair. His chest plate was bloodied, with a part that heaved into his chest and Yannick could see a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of the Elf's mouth, showing his condition was bad.
"Did… we… win?" He asked in a rasp voice.
"Not yet, but very soon," Gran said, taking his head gently and laying it on her lap, "The werewolves are retreating."
The warrior nodded.
"I'm sorry I failed you… Milady," he managed to say.
"Oh, Artheas," Gran choked, "You did not fail me. You have been brave, braver than our highest of heroes. You saved my life," she said, stroking his cheek gently.
The Elf closed his eyes and nodded weakly. Yannick saw a tear trickle down his cheek. He opened his eyes again and looked at Gran once more, struggling to say something.
"Thank you for…. For your training," he managed to let out, before exhaling and not moving anymore.
Yannick saw Gran close her eyes and tears fall down her cheeks. She closed Artheas' eyes and placed a kiss on his brow, before pressing her forehead against it and sobbing silently.
As she did this Yannick saw his surroundings blurring again, the sound of battle disappeared and suddenly he was back in the training room, facing Gran and Aidan.
"Why did you show me this?" he asked her, letting go of her hands slowly.
"In a way to show you that I have not always been of the peaceful type," Gran said, smiling sadly, "But also so you see why I now endeavor to preserve life at all cost."
"It was quite intense," Yannick said, "I never knew Elves could be so warlike."
"The war of the Unicorn was our only recorded all out war," Gran said, "We preserve life and revere it, but that does not make us defenceless."
"That I can believe," he said.
"Another reason I showed you this is so you know more of the story of the Elves, and can pass it on to your own children," Gran said.
"Gran, I am not even married yet," Yannick said, "Much less have a girlfriend."
"Not yet," Gran corrected, "You will find that some things change faster than we think they do," she added with a mischievous smile.
"I hate when you do this," Yannick said, rolling his eyes at her comment, "Because it always gives me the impression you know stuff that I don't and that you will not tell me anyway, until it happens."
"Wisdom and age do have some advantages," Gran said as she stood up.
Yannick chuckled as he stood to join her.
"Who were the enemies that the Elves and Arthur's army were fighting?" he asked, going back to the subject of the vision.
"They were part of an extremist group called the Warlocks of Atlantis," Gran said, "They apparently were from Atlantis but vied for world dominance and power. They approached Arthur during his reign and tried to take his power from him but Merlin saw through them. Seeing that they could not take power by subversion, they attempted to do so by invasion, which led to the war."
"Wow," Yannick said, "I am happy that they lost."
"They did," Gran said, "The war depleted their forces as much as ours. Merlin's Knight also went after them after the war and finished their order. They have not been heard of since his action."
"That is good," Yannick said, "Can I ask another question?"
"Of course you can Yannick," Gran answered.
"Who was Artheas?" he asked tentatively, "from what I could see he was very close to you."
He saw Gran's face grow a bit dark and she seemed to hesitate before answering.
"He was very close, yes." She said after little time, "I guess you have seen that children are revered in the Elven community. They represent new life and hope."
"I saw that, yes," Yannick said.
"Artheas' parents were killed when he was very young in an accident." Gran said, "It was quite a shock as they were good friends of mine and I decided to take him under my care. He became a foster son to me and I taught him all I knew, apart from the magical arts, as he did not have the gift. He grew fast and learned quickly and soon was able to command groups. When the war started he was just finished with his training and I took him as my second in command. You know what happened next," she added.
"It was not your fault, Gran," Yannick said, "I would have done the same in his place,"
"I know you would have, Yannick," Gran replied, with a little smile, "But I was lucky that Merlin arrived when he did, or else I would not be here today, and neither would you."
"Merlin's statue," Yannick said, "You gave it to him after this battle, right?"
"Yes," Gran said, "As a token for him saving my life. I gave another one to Sir Johan, for the same reason."
"Who was he?" Yannick asked, "He was able to cast complex spells without a word."
"His name was Johan. He was a Wandmaster, the first of his line and he was known as Merlin's closest apprentice. He also was a brave knight and many people called him Merlin's Knight. By his feats he became known as Johan the Lionheart, and this name has been passed on until today," Gran answered.
"Johan the Lionheart," Yannick said, "Any connection to King Richard the Lionheart?"
"None whatsoever," Aidan said with a chuckle, "King Richard earned his title from his feats in the crusades. I can assure you he did not have the magical gift, much less was a Wandmaster. The Lionheart clan is strong in their gift, but King Richard had no relation to them."
"I never knew Wandmasters were that powerful," Yannick said.
"Some times a line is very strong and they wield powerful magic," said Gran. "And Johan was a very strong wizard," she said, "he accepted the statue and from what I know, it has been kept in his clan since."
"You still know them?"
"Oh no," Gran said, "I did not contact them since Johan moved back to England with his wife, Marie. Besides, they do not know me as Gwenaëlle Silverleaf but as Alathea Tirielen."
"That is one question I have been dying to ask, why did you change your name?" Yannick asked, "It was beautiful. Gwenaëlle is too," he added quickly.
Gran smiled at that, she stopped at a window giving view on the snowed Silverleaf grounds outside. They were covered with snow and the wind was blowing, with snow falling lightly.
"Mainly because Gwenaëlle is more common than Alathea," she said with a gentle smile, "Seeing that I am immortal and traveled the world, I had to use a name that would not attract attention. Gwenaëlle is a name I chose when I married Aidan, a human name and kind of a way to show that our union was my own decision too."
"It was a move that killed off the last misgivings on our union," Aidan added, "Your father was quite proud of your insight."
"I know," Gran said, "But I did not renounce to my Elven name either, Yannick. My full name is Gwenaëlle Alathea Silverleaf."
"Knowing what Alata () means in Elven, I would say that it is most appropriate," Yannick said.
"Thank you child," Gran said, smiling "Yes, Lorry?" She added gently to the House Elf that had appeared near them.
"Lorry is sorry to disturb you Mistress Silverleaf," it said, bowing, "But someone apparated in the apparition room."
"Did you show the person in?" Gran asked.
"No Mistress," Lorry replied, "Someone's was already gone when Lorry arrived. But Lorry found this on floor," he added extending his little hand to give her something.
Yannick saw Gran's expression harden as she took it in her hand. He move closer to see what it was and his heat froze when he recognized it, a perverted Silverleaf crest.
"How the hex could he apparate here?" Yannick said under his breath.
"He can't," Gran said shortly, "He must have used someone else. But why leave a crest again? He has not done so in almost five years."
"A warning?" Aidan said.
"Yes, but to what purpose?" Yannick replied, "I was the last one he attacked and I am here in the manor. Mum and Dad are out of his reach."
"You were not his only target, Yannick," Gran said, "There has been others."
"Yes, but I am the only one around…" he stopped short in his sentence, suddenly realizing something, "Where are Yves and Rozenn?" He asked quickly.
"Rozenn is here, preparing some decorations," Gran said, "Yves went out with Wena and Loïc to buy some things… Stars above us!" She said, suddenly seeing what he had realized.
Yannick was suddenly running down the stairs to the ground floor. He grabbed his cloak as he passed the hangers on his way and stepped outside, letting out a long howl. Outside the temperature had dropped. The sky was grey with clouds and the snow was falling hard. The wind was blowing harder than it had a few minutes ago.
Altair and Nimloki emerged from the forest, responding to his call. Yannick ran to his bond wolf.
"You and Nimloki find Wena and her family and escort them back here," he said hurriedly, "Defend them with your lives my friend, they are in mortal danger. I'll be right behind you."
-----
() Alata in Elven means radiance, Gran's Elven name is derived from it.