No one knew exactly where, when and how elves had evolved. Some believed that they had been spawned by a race of creatures without a nose and a mouth but with three eyes. They kept in touch with each other by means of telepathy. That was why they had no need to collect and store information for generations to come. Compared to their supposed ancestors, the nowadays elves were a primitive tribe. It goes without saying that nothing can prove or overturn this theory.
Even if there had lived once a people from the legends, it was not clear how the elves could have stepped onto the downward path. Were they a little more modest, one could suggest that the elder race had simply bred them like wild goats. But no elf would ever accept that. That is why against all common sense the majority of the Alder Folk thought that their history had had no beginning.
There was a time when the elves had been but one people. They travelled from world to world through numerous portals hidden in all corners of the universe. There was a time when it was as easy as to go outside. Free to go wherever they wished, they drifted through space and time, seeking a better planet for themselves.
One day, while they were digesting a new world, came the Conjunction of Spheres, which initially was welcomed by the elves. The number of portals grew, giving more opportunities for colonization. At that point the present home of the Alder Folk was discovered. It was mainly populated by intelligent unicorns - even more capable navigators through time and space than elves; besides, the planet was also inhabited by a minor people, or rather animals, the ones later addressed as dh'oine. By that time they had evolved enough to know how to make a primitive tool with their hairy hands. Putting it in their anus, they would groan with happiness.
Then things got worse. Out of the brand new portals, many of which were not conspicuously hidden, stepped onto the planet all kinds of monstrosities that would eventually multiply at enormous rate. And the elves fell out of love with the world. Some of them packed their belongings and moved to the sphere of the unicorns to become the Aen Elle with time. The rest of them had a tender spot for their legacy and stayed. Subsequently, they came to be called the Aen Seidhe. As an experiment a few pairs of dh'oine were sent to them with a prospect of becoming a race of intelligent slaves.
After a few decades the Conjunction of Spheres was shut down and every one became rooted to the spot. The Aen Seidhe had a hard time facing beasts with dh'oine on their back. Their brethren, the Aen Elle, on the contrary found a place in the sun. As it turned out, their kind neighbours were not restricted to one sphere even without portals, they had a means of jumping from world to world in their genes. It goes without saying that the Aen Elle took great pains to win the unicorns' trust and the latter shared some of their wisdom with the elves. Still, no matter what, the unicorns never forgot that the elves were strangers in their land, and that their true small brethren were dh'oine.
Sure enough, all that witting was a mere legend and how true or false it could be, no one could ever tell.
- It's not that simple. You see things from your own perspective, - said Lara, sitting on Cregennan's lap, looking gently into his eyes. - You people think that you got us cornered, that soon your kind will rule this world. You got the Aen Seidhe hide behind the walls of their cities. But what you don't know is that things are not the same with the Aen Elle.
- Please, enlighten me, - asked Kregennan.
- Hm... As we put it, man was gentled by the Alder Folk. We scoured him clean, dressed him and...
- What?
- We moulded a new frame of mind in him.
Lara paused as if deciding if Cregennan needed to know all the details.
- To cut a long story short, they assist us in building our ideal world.
Cregennan frowned as he started suspecting something.
- You mean to say that people clean up after you've used a lavatory.
- I wish to correct you but there's not much to be corrected.
Cregennan broke into an unexpected laugh.
- Well, well... I see we are not benefiting from your being in charge. Here we fare well enough without your "help".
- I would not say so.
- Why not?
- You can't live a day without being at war with each other. All you do is kill. And what for?
- And you don't kill?
- In the world of the Aen Elle we do not.
- So, what do you do out there?
Lara was glad to see him smile at the news.
- All kinds of stuff.
- What does your king do?
- Oh, he has goals to pursue. He has his own life to live. You see, Auberon's task is to reign, not to rule. He makes decisions when it's really necessary. We also have the Council. But mostly, we let the life play itself out. A well-tuned system does not need a reeve.
- I see, Auberon nestled down prettily and if I get it correctly, you are next in line.
Lara sighed loudly.
- Not necessarily. The leader of the Aen Elle is chosen... prognosticated by the Aen Saevherne. Children do not usually inherit the throne.
- So, you are not going to be a queen and I didn't ruin your career.
It was Lara's turn to laugh.
- So, this is what you're worried about?
- I am worried about how the "princess-and-pauper" relationship might work.
- You should not. At least, not about that.
- So, after all, there is something to worry about...
Lara frowned.
- You are afraid that our alliance would not be welcomed by your folk?
- That is not all.
She kept silent for a while.
- The thing is, Auberon became our leader not because of the fact that he fits for it. To be even more exact, he fits for it because he has something exceptional about him. For the past few centuries we have seen many worlds and found something disturbing. Some of them, which only recently were full of life, have started to grow cold and some have turned to ice. It spreads from sphere to sphere even now and the process reveals a repeating a pattern. With time it will reach us all and no one will be spared.
- When will this happen?
- No one knows. We have centuries perhaps.
- I - don't.
- But I do!
All of a sudden, Cregennan realized that "they died on the same day" would not be their case. Lara continued.
- So, the Aen Elle have taken certain steps in their hope to prevent the catastrophe. For centuries we've brought together elves with certain talents to rear the one capable of stopping the ice age. My father Auberon, for instance, is a carrier of that gene. Which means that...
- You have it too. You breed yourselves like cattle, - he said with a blank face.
- When your kings mate with daughters of other kings, is it not the same?
- So... - Cregennan let go of her waist and she slipped from his lap, - Let me guess, you already have someone out there for you.
She looked into his eyes.
- Would you want to return to him?
She grinned.
- Not a bit. And I will not.
- He knows about this?
- Not yet.
- And when he does, will he come running to me with a sword in his hand?
- Unlikely. He has no idea what to do with it.
- Even without a sword he would be an unwelcome guest.
- Don't worry. If he comes, I will be the one to face him.
For Joik:
Thank you for the review.
I must say that translating is tiresome and at times boring. It has no joy and sorrow of making a story. On the other hand, I sweat much less when working on translation. I've known from the start that it would never sound as in my native language, though currently I can't even say that I've worked enough on the original Russian version of the text. It's still more like an advanced and readable draft.
Yesterday I deleted the Russian version from the site, it has a new home now at another site where I go under the same name.
As to the "effortlessness of my prose", it is far from that. I've had a week of a hard time trying to imagine how Avallac'h would look like and act as a youth. Then another week of imagining him act in our world as an entity of our realm, not some digitally crafted model. But here I got help. Accidentally, I came across a person whose face looked 90% like his, the only difference being the length and color of his hair and the eyes. Besides, I've found on the internet a fan-made drawing of young Avallac'h which also helped a lot.
As to the story, it feels like I am not inventing it, but it reveals itself to me. Sometimes it just won't. Sometimes it's a painful process. At first I see it dimly, then with more details, until at last it allows me to see it clearly.
It's gratifying to know that someone likes the story but still even if no one did, the one, most eager to know it, is myself. And that is what keeps me going.