To me, Trolberg represented an unprecedented new frontier, and Hilda represented family. I'd never considered Trolberg to be unsafe, nor my reports embellished. But perhaps these things went under my radar so to speak. Maybe returning to the Northern Counties was safer, but no one ever really asked if I wanted to. Of course paperwork outweighs desires, right?
Remorse Of An Adventurer II
Tangled Paths
By DaringDanger
XII: The Delegation
"Goodnight Alfur!" David said as he rolled into his sheets.
"Goodnight David! Today will certainly make for an interesting report, once I finalize the one about your father of course." I opened the door to my home on David's desk. It was a small a-frame, some elves may call it quaint, but it was perfect for me. A bed, a desk, and of course Peppercorn, my Nitten.
Just as I approached my wardrobe a knock echoed through my house.
"Alfur?" David asked from near the door. "You have Elf mail I think." I moved back to my door and outside it stood David, holding a postal elf up to the desk edge. The elf walked to me quickly.
"Good evening Alfur. You have received a letter from the prime ministers' cabinet of the Northern Counties." He bowed and handed over the letter, official wax seal and all.
"Why thank you sir." I bowed back and took the letter.
"You may return me to the floor, young man." The mail elf instructed, as David placed him back on the floor. Shortly thereafter, and following my breaking of the wax seal, David returned.
"What's the letter for?" He asked.
"The prime minister of the northern counties is sending a Delegation for Wayward Elves!?"
"What's that mean?" David sounded more perplexed than alarmed.
"They are concerned that my post has become too dangerous to continue manning, and have recalled me to the Northern Counties!"
"You're leaving!?" David finally reached the correct level of alarm, at least in my opinion.
"I've reached the end of the paper trail…" I mumbled. David stormed out of the room and quickly returned with a tired Hilda.
"What do you mean you're leaving!?" She yelled in an accusatory tone. "I thought we were like family." Her voice carried a whimper within the veil of anger.
"No you're right! I can't just drop everything! But there's no more forms I can sign!"
"Then tomorrow we visit the place where paperwork goes to die." David slammed his fist into his palm.
"Are you sure Agnes is a fitting replacement for me?" I had no qualms regarding David's plan to enlist the lost clan for help, nor to trade places with one of them. But Agnes?
"She volunteered." Agnes spit on the ground as Bartell spoke. I was unsure who looked less convincing. Agnes in my clothes, or me in the armor of the lost clan. Hopefully plan A would succeed anyway, and we wouldn't need Agnes at all. Either way, as the delegations' boat closed onto the shore of the harbor, there was no more time to come up with a plan C.
The lost clan, perched high upon a milk crate, watched as the gold inlaid boat hit the sand, and 5 elves in blue descended onto the beach.
"I am Aloysius, head of the Delegation for the Return of Wayward Elves. This is Rupert, Gertrude and Ulrik, as well as our note taker, Adeline." Aloysius was a tall, and older elf. His counterparts were built more like Bartell, save for Adeline, who was a smaller, dark skinned elf.
"I am Bartell, head of the Bragga clan, and acting representative for the elves of Trolberg." He motioned to Agnes, who stood firm. "And this is Alfur. Before he boards however, I would like to make a case against his departure. As you may know, the lost clan are not traditional elves, we are highly trained in the art of battle, and surely as we can keep ourselves safe, we can offer the same protection to Alfur."
"Be that as it may, there are many in the Northern Counties who suspect Alfur's reports to be embellished, and those concerns are of nearly as high importance as his safety. According to his reports, Alfur has been involved in an attack involving something called a 'Black Hound', chased down the footnotes of the footnotes of a backfired magical spell which nearly stole two human souls, traveled back in time and watched himself die-"
"What!?" Hilda interrupted. That's right, she didn't remember that. I'd never followed up on the Tide Mice either, multiple things to do if I ever get out of this.
"Anyway. The paperwork is already filed. Alfur must return." Aloysius finished. Bartell gestured Agnes forward.
"You'll just have to sign this paperwork, Alfur." Before I could think Agnes lunged forward and bit down on the paperwork.
"Agnes never signs paperwork." Bartell said quietly, but firmly. There went plan B.
"Wait!" I shouted, halting the chaos. "I am Alfur!" A few gasps spread around.
"This is highly irregular." Aloysius protested, shreds of paperwork still in his grasp.
"I apologize." I exhaled as I slid down to the sand. "Thank you Agnes." I said to her as I walked past. In response she spit on the ground.
"Oh! The spitting elf!" Adeline pointed her pen, adorned with a decorative Vittra cap.
"You've read my reports?" I asked.
"I'm a huge fan! Surely you must've heard your reports are the most requested from our archive."
"They are?" I could tell I was blushing slightly, no one had ever proclaimed themselves my fan before.
"Why do you think there's so much debate about them?" Aloysius said.
"Any of my friends can sign witness forms." I argued.
"The human children are not reliable witnesses, according to your own reports the oldest of them is twelve." Hilda and David both looked offended as I turned back to them. If only Raven hadn't left town he'd suffice. "Please hand over your passport."
I pulled out the document with a sigh. For a moment the world seemed to slow around me, the sea breeze stopped, the smell caught in my nose, Hilda, David, and the lost clan stood like statues, and the sand became rigid under my feet. I ripped my passport away from Aloysius. This wasn't a job or a post to me.
My feet began running away without command. I'd lose the delegation in the market.
"Battle!" Bartell yelled behind me somewhere. I set my eyes on a signboard leaning against a crate past a few sets of human legs, surely Hilda was also stomping along behind us, but of course she could actually see us.
My feet jumped from the ground onto the sign, a grueling uphill climb fueled by the sounds of other elves shortly behind.
I crested the top and jumped into what I realized was lettuce, taking cover behind a leaf.
"Don't do this Alfur!" One of the delegation yelled. "You need to come home."
"Hi Alfur!" Adeline cheered off to my side as I jumped from being spotted. "Sorry about this!"
I took off further into the lettuce, wading and hopping between leaves, praying I didn't sink. Finally I reached the other side, and the enormous drop that came with it. Footsteps grew behind me.
"Nowhere to run Alfur." Aloysius had caught up. But he was wrong. I grabbed a lettuce leaf and jumped, using it like a parachute. When the air caught me my arms barely held. I dared not look back as I approached the side of a fruit stand.
"Alfur!" Bartell's voice boomed from below. I dared look down to see Cedric and Bartell gliding under me, and I let go, dropping behind Bartell and wrapping my arms around him.
As Cedric gained height a crash came and the bird dove down to his left, and I rolled off.
I came too again quickly, and realized I landed in some sort of berries. I stood up and saw the delegation only two fruit baskets over. I grabbed and threw the lightest berry I could only for several to be volleyed back. I turned to run away again as a few members of the lost clan rose from further across the stand to return fire.
I wasn't an athlete by any stretch of the imagination. But I was smart and I was quick. My eyes darted around, peering past the baskets of fruit, the juice covered Bragga clan, and my own juice covered self. There was a wire connecting this booth to its neighbor, I just had to get up to the top and I could get away.
I ran along the narrow top of the fruit baskets now, eyes set on the support beam of the fruit stand. It was covered in old pins, and haphazardly displayed laminated signs. I just needed to think of it as a very long and complicated ladder, right?
"Alfur come on, this isn't safe!" It was unclear which of Aloysius' followers said this from below me, except that it wasn't Adeline. Left, right, repeat. Left, right, repeat. I had already committed to this.
Adrenaline pushed me up nail by nail and blocked the sounds of chaos below me. The wind blew as I reached where the small wire was tied. Across the gap was a sign shaped like a lighthouse, although at my size, it was a normal sized lighthouse. I pulled a metal decoration free of my Bragga uniform. I just had to not look do-
"Oh that's high." I said out loud as I looked down at the dizzying drop to the stone of the market, who knows how many meters it was? Over 2?
I closed my eyes just as another elf arrived behind me, and my body took over sliding down the wire with a whir.
After a few seconds I fought instinct and reopened my eyes. The side of the lighthouse grew upon me. It had no door, just the opening. I let go at the last second and painfully tumbled into the light house.
With a groan I stood again to look back out of the doorway, only to see multiple elves sliding towards me. Perhaps I underestimated the strength of the average elf? Thankfully the sign had stairs to the top, a rather good replica for a sign at a market, actually.
I ran up the spiral stairs to the deck around where the light would be. This was the end. The end of the road, the end of the paper trail, or possibly, the end of Alfur.
"There's nowhere to go Alfur, I mean it this time." Aloysius got out between breaths as the delegation reached the top of the stairs. At this point my adrenaline was falling and I realized there was a lot of commotion around us, human commotion.
"Spirits!" A woman yelled. Several people were pointing at us, but of course, they could hear us, but not see us.
"Hand over your passport Alfur." Aloysius pressed as a few Bragga elves reached the top of the stairs. "Adeline, take his passport." Aloysius ordered.
"Sorry Alfur." She approached. At that moment the very ground below us jerked.
"Don't worry folks, it is I, deputy Gerda!" The familiar human said as she lifted the lighthouse from its home.
"We need to jump!" I grabbed the railing as I screamed.
"Have you lost your mind?" several elves asked in unison. No time to debate, I grabbed the closest elf and jumped. Adeline screamed as the sensation of falling was replaced with the sensation of flying, and David's hand scooped us from the air.
"Yes!" He cheered himself on.
Light returned as the hand opened, just in time to see Gerda place the entire lighthouse, with the delegation and Bragga inside, into a bag.
"The market is saved!" She cheered, before taking the bag to her patrol car.
"Alfur what are we going to do!?" Adeline said as she stood.
"We're going to get them back right?" David looked for the same affirmation as Adeline.
"I have a plan." I announced, having at least half a plan. "Let's get Hilda, and go to the safety patrol station."
"How good are you at improvising?" I asked Adeline as Hilda set us on the windowsill, and opened the window.
"Are you asking me to help?" She replied, a slight giddiness in her voice. Gerda opened the door to the room suddenly.
"Get down!" I waved my arms at Hilda. The lighthouse was in a glass container on a table in the center of the room, one of many strange displays of Gerdas' clearly, she had other contained objects ranging from some sort of luminescent fluid to an old sandwich.
"According to the old safety patrol book of spirits, a surefire way to make spirits talk is by dousing them in water." Gerda read off before she began filling a pitcher at the sink.
"I need your help now." I whispered to Adeline. "Deputy Gerda!" I yelled in my best ghost impression.
"Who said that!?" Gerda craned her head around the room quickly.
"It is I! Alfur, head of the uh- spirit safety patrol!"
"And I am Adeline! Deputy of the spirit safety patrol!" She giggled quietly.
"We apologize for the illegal and unlicensed behavior of these rogue spirits!" I continued. Aloysius crossed his arms in the tank. "Haunting a produce stand without a permit, disturbing the peace, and using a commercial sign for residential purposes!" I listed off the 'charges'.
"Would you like to add anything deputy Gerda!?" Adeline asked.
"No, that's a very thorough breakdown of the offenses." Gerda smiled, as she checked her notes.
"Why thank you! In that case if everything is in order you can release them into my custody."
"I'm not sure I can do that." Gerda replied.
"Not without the proper paperwork of course!" Adeline was already scribbling a note in her book. She tore it free and placed it on the windowsill.
"It's so tiny!" Gerda walked over and peered down, her face centimeters from us.
"We uh-" Adeline lost her train of thought.
"We have storage issues in the spirit world, so we miniaturized. Do you have access to a magnifying glass?"
"Of course, it's standard issue." She pulled the object from her jacket and began mumbling off whatever Adeline had written on the paper. "Everything here seems in order.
"In that case I just need a signature, and deputy Adeline will draft a copy for your records." Before I finished speaking Adeline placed the second paper down, and Gerda signed both.
"Thank you." She smiled as she took the copy.
"And thank you, if you'd be so kind as to open the holding box."
"Right away!" Gerda saluted.
With the box open the elves worked their way down to the floor, and back up again to the window. Bartell gave me a pat on the shoulder as he passed, and jumped down to David and Hilda.
Aloysius struggled as he climbed and I offered him a hand, and exchanged smiles.
"Shall I get the door?" Gerda asked.
"Don't worry, we spirits prefer to pass through the walls! But we'll close the window as a sign of our departure!" I bowed, despite her not being able to see. On queue Agnes scaled the window and jumped once, causing it to close, before she joined the rest of us with David and Hilda.
"That was great Alfur!" Hilda smiled.
"What's important is that it worked. You did great, Adeline." I smiled at her.
"I can't believe I got to be a part of one of your adventures!" She hopped a little in excitement. "And I get to write a report on it!" She realized.
"I'll have to write one as well. Would you maybe be interested in co-authoring it with me?" I could feel myself blush a little.
"Co-author a report with the Alfur!? I'd love to!" She hopped around giddily once more.
"Let's get out of here." David chuckled.
The sun had nearly set by the time we returned to the beach. The delegation stood by their boat now, preparing to board.
"Alfur, your actions today have not gone unnoticed by this delegation, however-"
"I still have to leave." I sighed.
"Alfur-" Hilda held a hand out towards me.
"If I may." Adeline stepped forward. "I might have a solution." Everyone, myself included, seemed to freeze. All eyes were on Adeline.
"The Bragga clan is plenty strong, and after today's adventure I'd argue Alfur is a perfect fit for the unique challenges this post poses. Rather than closing it, why not expand it? With more elves surely this posts' safety could be maintained."
"Who would be insane enough to want this as their post?" Aloysius argued.
"Me!" Adeline cheered!
"What!?" I said, along with several others among us.
"My experiences today were unprecedented. Our society would be losing so much potential new information and stories without Alfur's post. I'd like to do my part to ensure that the most popular reports in the Northern Counties continue to flow." Silence hung in the sea air for a second.
"Well, there's also the accusations of Alfur's reports being inauthentic."
"Don't worry about that." Adeline smiled as she pulled a page from her binder. "I've already filled out an eyewitness confirmation form after our experience today." I could feel myself smiling.
"Well." Aloysius took the paper. "I suppose we could send your proposal to the prime minister, Adeline. If we start the paperwork now, we should get an answer within a week or so., not factoring in the speed of elf mail."
"What will you all do in the meantime?" David asked.
"It would be a waste of resources to take Alfur back immediately, our trip is several weeks in its own right."
"We'd be happy to put you up for a little while." Bartell announced from behind us. Some members of the delegation held expressions which suggested a certain distaste for the idea of living with the lost clan.
"It would give us an opportunity to update our documentation on the Bragga clan." Adeline noted.
"I suppose that is a worthy cause." One of the delegation begrudgingly agreed.
"Fine then. Tie down the boat!" Aloysius ordered. "How will we reach the Trolberg wall before nightfall?"
"By war pigeon!" Bartell bellowed. All of the delegation looked worried, save for the ever excitable Adeline, who I found myself walking over to.
"Thank you, Adeline." I took her hands in mine as I looked at her.
"I just hope they let us stay." She said.
"I hope so too." As I spoke I could see she was blushing.
To Be Continued In: The Jorts Incident
