Feather

It was barely dawn when the inhabitants of Temay were startled from deep slumber by the sound of carriages rattling along the north road.

Sleepily, Kian stumbled out of his home and beheld the out of place but splendorous sight of small but ornately decorated carriages drawn by sturdy Taku’s, their great horned heads swinging with the motion of the carriage and their muscles bulging slightly under the trivial strain of having to carry two people per carriage. Light footed pazels, their amazing strength and speed making them ideal riding animals, skipped alongside their bulky cousins, their riders proudly showing their immaculate white and red uniforms. There were three carriages and eight riders, and those watching the nobles’ entrance worried about where all of these people would stay, for the village was small and only had ninety seven inhabitants including Serie’s baby that had been born just that morning. By dark elf standards it was small but apparently not by others’ standards for one or two of the riders glanced around them slightly fearfully trying to dispel thoughts of dark elves’ rebellious nature. But there were more children and adolescents than grown men and the guards visibly relaxed their holds on their swords.

They came to a halt in front of the village hall, specially built for conferences and to hold festivals within during the winter against the cold and during the spring when it rained. It had been a long time since it was to open its massive doors to receive guests especially of such noble lineage.

The village head stepped forward and bowed when two pink slippered feet appeared from the first carriage. Lournua, the Tsarina’s advisor alighted, and besides for her silk slippers, all the rest of her was strictly formal and some women in the crowds sighed disappointedly, hoping to have had a look at what was currently fashion. Her platinum blonde hair was pulled back in a tight bun with only a mere pearl clip to adorn it. She had on white silk leggings and her tunic was of the finest cotton, and everyone there was sure that is must feel like touching goose down. After her followed her lady in waiting, less expensively dressed but at least she had her enviously curly hair loose, hanging on her shoulders as was the style for the women in those times and most of the female population of Temay secretly vowed to have theirs cut in a similar fashion for surely if someone from the court wore it like that it must be the latest mode. Happy to have had a glimpse of SOMETHING from the court, the men and women with families hurried themselves and their small children off to make preparations and hopefully get grandma and grandpa to chop some onions or help them gather some wood.

Those left behind whispered excitedly or if they were in the Council they stayed in their leader’s shadow ready to help him should he wish it.
The occupants of the two other carriages also appeared and joined the advisor, clearly one was her brethren, a tall slim man with his sister’s colour; pale pearlescent skin with platinum hair tied back in a plait. The other three were probably overseers and there to record the four day negotiations.

The head said something to Lournua and he and his council and her company along with their eight guards entered the hall and with that the doors closed behind them.

“Ah! This is so exciting!” Lavi almost squealed and Kian laughed.

“It is indeed! I hope they get served that Tugres I caught yesterday!”

Lavi pulled a face. “But aren’t high elves vegetarians?”

“That’s why it would be so funny if that would be served by accident,” Kian grinned and suddenly two of his friends swept by and carried him off laughing, apologising to Lavi.

“We’re just borrowing him for a while!” one yelled and Kian shrugged and waved as he was borne away.

“Lavi!” she looked down as her friend, a small chubby girl her own age with mischievous eyes grabbed her arm. “I don’t care how handsome he is! You wouldn’t miss seeing the cake they’re baking for the festival, not for all the Kian’s you could get! C’mon!”

Talia tugged Lavi to the village head’s kitchen and they spent the rest of the morning happily mixing and baking oblivious to what was happening in the hall.
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The meeting was held as soon as possible.
Firstly Lournua outlined the reason for the court’s interest in Temay, how it would benefit by having some of the youths eager for learning getting funded to go study in the prestigious Academy and how their village would form a sort of in between for communicating with those dark elf tribes that had moved too deep into the forest and to establish trust with dark elves as a whole. Temay’s leader agreed to the terms seeing as they were reasonable and wouldn’t damage their way of life.

But then a rather sore subject was brought up, something the council had been dreading.

“And there is the strange matter of the piece of woodland that not only your village but countless others, have lost brothers and husbands to...Many, I’ve heard. It is supposed to be a protected area, yet it seems you need protecting from it.” Lournua tapped her neatly trimmed nails on the surface of the long table they sat at. “May I ask why this is so? My predecessors could never get one word on the subject out of any wood dweller.” The council twitched as a whole at being called that.

“We have done all in our power advisor, and though I face ridicule by speaking of it, I will do so for a few years back we lost an intelligent hardworking young man and two others who went looking for him. Although we warn our young of its perils and hate of men, we have, as yet, not had two successive years where someone did not get some strange injury or were terrified out of their wits or worse when they ventured within its boundaries which are clearly marked by a wall of briars.

“It is worse than what you’ve been led to believe. That area of the forest is expanding and I’m sure our forefathers would’ve welcomed the change, seeing as our species loves age where woods spanned the earth, but then it did not pose the threat it does now.”

“Tay!” one council member whispered warningly but her leader silenced her with one exasperated glance.

“Something sinister is brewing within and we have come to believe through scouts that a sorcerer using black magic is at the cause of the violent nature of that previously sacred area. The sooner we find and withdraw his clutches not only can we breathe easily again but so can those magic inhabitants still untainted within. We do this not only for ourselves but for them as well.” Tay sat down, weary and suddenly half his size.

“I can see that took a lot of courage,” Lournua remarked approvingly. “I was not aware we have a black sorcerer at hand and I know of cases where people were too scared to do anything and the situation got out of hand.” The council members shifted uncomfortably under her raking gaze. For a moment she held a mini conference of her own amongst her company and the advisor turned to face the council once again.
“The sooner the better. Tomorrow we will send some of my guards to scout as well and see what they can find out. And yes, I’m aware there is less danger if they are women , that’s why I’m only using my female guards and recruiting any of your women you believe to be up to the task and are willing to do so.”

The council muttered amongst themselves and reluctantly they saw reason and consented.