Summer must have fallen asleep during the flight because when she opened her silver eyes, the light temporarily blinded her. Once she got used to the light, she noticed that her head was buried in Moonwing the Hippogriff's feathered neck. With a soft yawn, the silver eyed Huntress slowly pulled her head away from her feathery pillow before stretching her arms.
She winced a few times at the sound of popping bones but soon, she started petting the Hippogriff she was on as a smile appeared on her face
"Hello Moonwing~" Summer cooed at her white mount who released a tiny screech in answer while really appreciating the petting.
"Finally, you are awake !" a familiar voice echoed from her left and the Huntress turned her head to see Salem looking at her with amusement while still riding Shadowheart, the Black Hippogriff.
"Hey Salem ! How long did I sleep ?" Summer asked her friend and companion with slight embarrassment.
The Queen of Grimm opened her mouth to answer… but wasn't fast enough because she was interrupted.
"You've slept for three hours, Lady Summer…" another feminine voice echoed from nearby, this time from her right.
Blinking, Summer turned her head to where the voice came from and saw Alenia, the Elf guard, riding Stormfeather the gray Hippogriff. For a few seconds, the silver eyed Huntress looked at her blankly before sighing deeply as embarrassment took over her being. And judging by the way the other two women giggled, they had not only noticed it, but they seemed to be amused by it !
"Meanies !" Summer hissed at them, pouting like a child as she glared at the two women like a child.
Salem and Alenia stared at one another for a moment before laughing loudly, much to the annoyance and embarrassment of their fellow woman. Suddenly, the Hipppogriffs screeched softly and it took a moment for the Huntress to realize that they were laughing at her. Clearly, they were also amused by Summer's behavior.
"Traitor..." she growled at Moonwing who let out a small sound, as if to apologize for making fun of her and she received a hug in response.
"I forgive you..." The silver eyed Huntress whispered to the White Hippogriff who released another small sound, this time of happiness.
Salem, for her part, was shaking her head in amusement as she looked at her companion. Summer might be an adult but, from time to time, she would behave like a child. It was pretty cute in her opinion, so that's why she tolerated her companion's childish tendencies. Beside, it was part of Summer's charms.
"How far are we from the city ?" Salem suddenly asked their guide and escort, Alenia, deciding to stop the 'pick-on-Summer' moment.
The elf looked away from Summer to look at the Queen of Grimm…before smirking mischievously.
"Not too far… In fact, I suggest you look ahead..." Alenia said in an innocent tone...much too innocent for Salem's liking.
Frowning warily at the elf, the Queen of Grimm's red eyes looked away from the smiling guard to look ahead… before gasping in awe and surprise.
Far away from them but slowly becoming more and more visible to our heroines, was a large city surrounded by high white walls covered by plants. The city was not only surrounded by white walls but also by a beautiful landscape with vast green meadows, high mountains and dense woods.
Hearing a gasp behind her, Salem turned her head to see Summer looking at the approaching city with wide shining silver eyes. The Queen of Grimm couldn't blame her for reacting this way : the city, even from the distance looked massive and grandiose.
Soon enough, they got to see how gorgeous it was…
"Welcome, Lady Summer and Lady Salem to the great city of Lelfalion !" Alenia announced them with a loud tone and a smile as she gestured at the city.
The two other women, for their part, were too busy admiring this new place as they passed above the walls.
The stone towers of Lelfalion (seemingly made of white marble and carved marvelously) were tall and graceful; even taller than the buildings in Malon Village; and statues could be seen, depicting fantastical creatures like dragons or griffins, decorating them.
Cobblestone streets snaked through the city, stretching between the city's magnificent buildings, flowery glades and sunny parks. Squares were lit with countless fountains and birds were singing amid the branches of the trees.
Speaking of the streets, they were teeming with life because our two heroines could see many figures walking in the streets of Lelfalion: children playing with each other, merchants selling their wares, or simple passers-by. They could also see animals like dogs and cats... but there were also pigs, chickens, cows...
Our two heroines concluded that it was probably market day.
Apart of the scenery and how lively the place was, our small group could see what looked like giant aerial walkways placed all over the city... As such, our heroines would have no problem landing… seeing that some people were riding Abraxans or Hippogriffs like themselves.
Regardless, looking down at the city below her, Summer could see elegant houses connected by small bridges built on the tallest trees decorating Lelfalion. As in the village of Malon, the Elves living here kept a strong contact with Nature although they lived in stone buildings.
"Beautiful..." Summer couldn't help but mutter in awe and Moonwing screeched at her, as if voicing her agreement.
Salem, her, was speechless by the beauty of Lelfalion. Never in her long life had she had such a grand and elegant city. The Hidden World was, once again, showing them more and more wonders. Until now, nothing in Remnant could compete with this new world: everything was different but it was anything but unpleasant.
"This is our destination !" Alenia's voice broke the two out of their little trance and forced them to look back at their escort.
The She-Elf was looking at something ahead of them and instantly, the other did the same… before once again gasping in shock. In front of them, lightening by the sunlight, was a castle.
Surrounded by a large courtyard filled with different colorful flowers and with a large fountain at the center or it, the castle was as grandiose looking that the city itself. It was constituted of four small towers, three turrets and a large one at the center. Built in marble like the walls, the architecture was something to behold with marvelous graving and motif.
The windows were also pieces of art with colorful representation of fantastical creatures or people. The turret roofs were all emerald green in color while the tops of several towers and two of the tallest spires are made with gold and golden leaf. The main door appeared to be made of wood but the surface was covered in gold, probably to decorate and be in harmony with the elegance and majesty of the castle.
Around the building, in the few trees surrounding the courtyard, the birds that dwelt there were colorful and variated and their voices sounded sweeter than a lullaby of music.
"Follow me !" Alenia said to the other two before she and her Hippogriff began to fly towards the courtyard.
Without hesitation, Salem and Summer, along with their own Hippogriffs did the same, following after Alenia and Stormfeather. Our duo and their mounts swirled in the air for a moment as they began their descent towards the courtyard and soon, the Hippogriffs' sharp claws touched the grassy ground, marking their landing.
The noble beasts screeched loudly as they ruffled their feathers and stretched their limbs while Summer, Salem and Alenia climbed off their backs. The silver-eyed huntress's legs were trembling from the lack of movement and so, to remedy that, she stamped her feet until she felt her blood circulating again in her aching limbs.
Summer, once her limbs were 'back to normal', looked back at her companion who were talking with one another.
"What should we do now ?" Salem asked their guide and escort with some curiosity while petting Shadowheart's head.
"To reach the Dragon King, we must first encounter another important figure in the Hidden World : the current Queen of Elves, Shanyrria ! She is the bridge between us and our goal…" Alenia explained to the Queen of Grimm in a serious tone.
"But why ?" Summer asked the She-Elf with a frown of confusion, while discreetly petting Moonwing's white feathers.
"You remember how the Dragons and us, Elves, had been coexisting for millenniums ?"
The two other women nodded their heads at that. Lord Scalanis had told them that ever since Ancalagon put an end to the Magical Human's tyranny over their fellow magical folks, Elves and Dragons had been living together. The first Leader of the Elves was named 'Dobby' (Salem and Summer had been a bit… stunned by the Elf's simple name but never voiced their opinions) but later, he became the first King of the Elves.
"Even now, our two races continue to live together in harmony and peace... The current Queen is one of the Dragon King's friends... and what's more, she is the descendant of the first Elf King !" Alenia explained to the two other women who widened their eyes in shock at the revelation.
"Wait, really ?!" Summer asked her with a stunned expression on her face while Salem's face showed no surprise.
It was logical really : if this Shanyrria is the queen, then it was logical that she must be of the same blood that the first Elven King.
"How long has she been Queen ?" Salem then asked the Elf Guard with a raised eyebrow of curiosity.
"Honestly ? It's been 30 years now... She was only 16 when her parents, King Sontar and Queen Phelorna, died..." Alenia answered in a soft tone as a look of sorrow appeared on her angelic face.
Salem and Summer looked stunned by the informations but the former was still a little curious about something "How did they died ?"
Alenia stared at the silver eyed Huntress for a few seconds before answering somberly " They were killed by a Chimaera… The beast almost killed the princess but she was saved by a dragon who happened to live nearby..."
"My condolences..." Salem whispered to the Elf with sympathy for both the Queen and the person before her.
"Thank you...now we should-" Alenia started to say before the main entrance door to the castle suddenly opened, interrupting her abruptly.
Salem, Summer and Alenia watched in stunned silence as a group of people came out of the building. There were eight in total and six of them were wearing weapons and armors.
The soldiers were wearing a beautiful armor made of gold and emerald faulds, golden spaulders and vambraces. They had a helmet looking like a dragon's head, and the armor was a mix of resistance and elegance. wore chain mail and an emerald-colored cape was attached to their shoulders. At their belt were elegant and sharp looking swords and in their hands, were golden spears.
But, while the soldiers looked impressive, it was the other two that caught their attention. The first was a man in his twenties with long black hair, kind blue eyes and strong features. He wore a golden robe and a golden crown in the shape of a circular tiara. He was walking hand to hand with the person accompanying him.
The second person was a woman of extraordinary beauty, with her soft and elegant features and her long, hair which was a deep and radiant gold. Her eyes were forest green and she was wearing an emerald green long dress covered with a veil of a lighter color.
Salem and Summer were in awe of this woman, as they had never seen such a beautiful person in their life. Sure, Shenarah and Alenia were beautiful but this women was on another level. Noticing that they were staring, they quickly shook their heads to regain their senses just as the group approached them.
Alenia immediately knelt down, lowering her head in a sign of respect and submission before saying in a voice full of gentleness and respect "Queen Shanyrria… King Falael… "
Hearing those words, a wide eyed Summer and Salem stiffened in shock before quickly bowing like their escort did, no wanting to offense the two people before them.
"Rise…all of you..." the Queen's voice was smooth and soft and our heroines could hear the authority and gentleness in it.
At those words, Salem, Summer and Alenia went back on their feet before looking at the Royal couple.
"Your majesties, Lord Scalanis and the villagers of Malon send you their respect and salutations…" the Elf Guard said to the Queen and King with a bow of her head and a hand on her chest.
"And we thank your people for it..." the King answered in a deep but kind tone while nodding his head at the elven guard.
His wife, however, didn't respond as her eyes were fixed on Salem and Summer. Intrigue, interest, and curiosity shone in his forest green eyes.
"And who might you be ?" she asked them gently with a curious raised eyebrow.
"Your Majesty… I am Summer Rose and with me, my friend, Salem…" the silver-eyed huntress said respectfully while beckoning her companion with one hand who bowed her head towards the elven queen in respect.
Shanyrria looked at the both of them with a straight face before saying with a nod of acceptance "It is a pleasure to meet you two… But I'm curious of how two humans managed to enter the Hidden Realm..."
Despite how kind her voice was, there was a demanding tone in it and behind her, the soldiers looked warily at the two. It was to be expected seeing their history with Humans. The King looked at the two of them with a serious expression but there was no hostility in his features.
"It is a long story, your Majesty..." Salem began to say before the Queen interrupted her by raising a hand.
"Not now... Let's go to the throne room, we'll be quieter there..."
00/(Time Skip)/00
"… and then, me, Salem and Alenia flew all the way here with the help of the Hippogriffs..." Summer said softly while concluding her tale.
Currently, the Huntress, Salem, Alenia, the Queen and the King were all standing in the throne room. The immense room was built of stone, with large green marble pillars, opening onto the arch moldings and lit by large colored windows on either side of the room.
Between the pillars we could see tall stone statues carved with the likenesses of ancient elven kings and queens.
The ceiling was gilded and was decorated with magnificent engravings and representations of creatures and elves as well as forests, mountains and rivers. The floor was clean and without a single dust spot. Clearly, whoever was cleaning was doing an excellent job.
At the back of the room, placed high on a platform, were the thrones of the royal couple... where they were currently while they listened to their guests recount their journey since the first day of their arrival in this world. The soldiers had been dismissed and they returned to their duties while a few went to take care of the Hippogriffs.
Anyway, Queen Shanyrria and King Falael had listened with great interest and never tried to interrupt Salem and Summer during their story. The two women even told them of what happened BEFORE the fall : Salem's curse, the Annihilation of Humanity by the Gods, her conflict with Ozma… everything in short, much to the interest and intrigue of the royal couple.
From time to time, Alenia would share comments and observations of their time among the villagers of Malon.
Once they finished, a long silence followed as the royal couple were assimilating what they just heard, their eyes closed. But then, Queen Shanyrria opened her eyes, looking at the two outsiders before saying with a smile "I see… After what I heard, I am willing to help you in your quest…"
"Me as well…" the King, Falael, added with a smile of his own.
Salem and Summer bowed at the royal couple in gratitude. Alenia, for her part, released a tiny sigh of relief as if she was glad of this decision.
"I will personally send a message to the Dragon King…While waiting for his response, you are all welcome to stay here as guests !" Shanyrria announced to them with a smile while her husband, the King, nodded his head in agreement.
"You honor us, your majesty..." Salem said to the Queen with respect while Summer bowed at them both.
With that said, the Queen called for a maid to take these two for a tour of the castle while she and her husband would speak with Alenia. As they walked behind the Elf Maid, Salem and Summer looked at each other in joy and anticipation.
Soon enough, they will be back home…
But first, they have to face the King of the Hidden Realm…
Ancalagon the Black.
(To be continued…)