Dread Mistress Snowstalker threw her head back in an explosive fit of laughter, forcing her glistening snow-white hair to dance haphazardly through the air. A hand reached out towards her glistening eyes, tears threatening to stream down the sides of her face as the laughter continued to assail through the air, but the elven woman didn't allow for such a thing to occur as an open palm planted itself over her delirious expression.

The elven woman’s fingers slowly dragged themselves across the length of her face as she plopped herself down on the closest available seat.

With a stunned expression plastered across her face, Iskra sat quietly as her guest was nearly brought to tears through the uproarious fit of laughter.

To say that she was astonished by such behavior would be an understatement, especially considering that the young girl had once thought the woman to be an ice-cold individual.

After what had felt like a great deal of time had passed, Iskra watched as the snowy-haired elven woman begin to calm herself.

It would be some time even further before her guest could put her thoughts into words and speak in a somewhat coherent manner.

"Where do I even begin," The elven Dread Mistress half-cried and half-laughed as she wiped away small vestiges of tears from her eyes. "Lots of places, I suppose, but let's forget about what I have to say for now and instead focus on you."

Iskra's emerald-like eye's flickered back and forth as she quickly gathered her thoughts, hastily running through all possible avenues as her mind began to catch up with her tongue.

"Well-" Iskra clicked her tongue as she struggled to regain her train of thought. Her eyes continued to bounce between every corner of the room as she sought for all sorts of visual clues that could aid her in her quest for a more cohesive conversational starting point.

It wasn't until her eyes had laid themselves upon Argonok's stiff, yet visibly bored form did she find the right words to speak.

"Perhaps we should start with a little bit of light reading, yes?"

Iskra clapped her hands together before gesturing for her metallic bodyguard to come forth and bring a thick, leather bound tome with him.

Inside of such a tome was none other than the numerous bridal candidates that she had once been forced to pour her attention into, strong-armed by her new relatives to help seek out another wife for her elven husband.

"Forgive me for asking you to do this, but would you be so kind as to read through this ledger's contents? It would only take a short amount of your time, and I would be more than happy if you gave me this chance to also speak about a business proposition that I've been developing for some time now. " Iskra asked of her guest as her eyes flickered up and down the elven woman's body, searching for any hints or signs that could help her shift the conversation in her favor if it were to ever sour.

While her eyes continued their search for any clues hiding behind the elven matriarch's indifferent expressions and precision trained posture, Iskra let out a gasp as she watched her gruff bodyguard appear in front of her guest and drop the leatherbound ledger onto her lap with a fleshy plop.

Both of the women stared harshly at the chuckling Fire Guard as he made his exit from the scene, his echoey voice ringing in their ears as an otherworldly chuckle rang out from deep within the cursed suit of armor.

"My apologies," Iskra called out before chastising her bodyguard with a fierce scowl.

The elven Dread Mistress remained quiet as she looked towards the weathered spine of the bulky ledger. Her fingers caressed the worn edges of the book before slowly opening the front cover to gaze upon the first of its many pages.

Dread Mistress Snowstalker remained quiet as her eyes scanned over the page's contents, taking only a few seconds before moving on to the next and turning the page in such a manner that it showed that she held all of the cards in their conversation for now.

It wouldn't be until several more pages have had their contents pilfered that the curvaceous elven woman offered to speak, keeping her eyes focused upon the ledger that was nestled comfortably between her meaty thighs. "My time is your time, so feel free to do with it as you please."

"Then I hope that you’ll find this conversation to be very inspiring." Iskra offered quickly, forcing a fake smile to soften her nervous features as she watched her guest turn to the next page.

While she looked upon the elven woman before her, gazing upon the abundance of flesh that the elven gods had bestowed upon her luscious body, Iskra quietly wondered to herself if her guest would take their current conversation seriously or if she was only humoring the young girl before ultimately deciding that her time was far more valuable than the words that were about to be spoken.

However, her thoughts soon vanished as Iskra realized that such concerns were unnecessary. The elven matriarch was here, in front of her, and that was all that she needed from the white-haired Dread Mistress.

"A short time ago," Iskra put her thoughts in order as she slowly sifted through the lingering memories of the past several months. "I've found myself in possession of an abundance of material wealth."

She paused to wait for her guest to respond to what little had already been established.

Dread Mistress Snowstalker merely nodded her head with a polite hum, expressing herself in such a way that it looked more like she was humoring an excited child as they showed off a new toy to the very same person that had given it to them.

Annoyed but left with no other option, Iskra continued to explain the potential endeavors that she wished for the elven matriarch to assist her in.

"Such abundance can be handy, as I'm sure that you've learned over the many years of your fruitful life. What I lack, however, is the opportunity to establish myself in the necessary markets to sell these goods as well as obtain countless other items that I wish to possess. Items that can’t be bought with the unaltered materials that are already in my possession.”

The Dark Elven matriarch nodded her head, continuing to listen to what the girl had to say but never giving the appropriate amount of attention that one would expect out of a prospective business partner.

Dread Mistress Snowstalker flipped over to another page, softly humming to herself as she read through its contents.

Time continued to pass in an uncomfortable manner for the raven-haired teenager until, eventually, the elven matriarch offered up a simple question to her host.

"And the Dreadblade household refuses to help you in these endeavors?" The elven woman refused to look upon the girl as her starry, midnight-black eyes remained steadfast in their journey through the ledgers many pages.

"Well-" Iskra let out with a flustered cough, attempting to clear out her throat after having heard the pointed question towards her recently acquired in-laws. "After the events that had transpired between us, let's just say that I'm not all too keen on allowing any of my mother-in-laws to receive such a lucrative opportunity."

"Ah, I see." The Dread Mistress coolly replied as she turned over yet another page within the marriage ledger. "I suppose that you're referring to that 'Murderous Rage' that you had mentioned earlier in our conversation, yes?"

Iskra remained quiet as she repeatedly nodded her head. Not all too keen to go into further details over the events that had eventually led to her meeting her father-in-law.

"An attempt at one's life is sure to sour one's mood, especially after having dashed any hopes at being on friendly terms with their new in-laws."

The elven matriarch chuckled to herself as she spoke these words, choosing to believe the teenager's words despite the level of absurdity that they held.

"It's not just the fact that two of my mother-in-laws had attempted to kill me that I'm bringing this opportunity to you and that of your household," Iskra explained as her inner thoughts soon turned towards emotions of cruelty, darkening her beautiful features into something that resembled a pleasure-bound murderer.

"In all honesty, I can forgive my mother-in-laws for becoming distraught over the emotions that they felt over my relationship with their handsome son," Continued Iskra as her plush lips stretched themselves into a hideous smile, oozing with venomous glee as she delved further into the insight of her scheming. "But what I can't forgive is the fact that they dared to lay their hands upon my husband in their attempts at my life. So why should I let bygones be bygones when instead I can become the master thief that they so readily label me as such and steal the brilliant radiance emanating from their golden-haired sire for my very own?"

At last her words had managed to catch the attention of the icy matriarch and the raven-haired teenager watched with an unrepentant excitement over her face as her guest looked up from the weathered book and stare deeply into her gem-like, emerald irises.

Iskra shivered in delight as her eyes stared longingly into the starry, midnight black orbs of the elven woman before her. Almost as if the brilliance of their beauty was staring into the very depths of her soul.

"For helping me in this regard," Hissed Iskra as her delight became too much to bear once again. A shiver ran up the length of her spine, forcing her to bite down on her lower lip as her vision became hazy with a sultry glare. "I can grant you access to one of the world's most virgin markets, with regards to all things magical by design and origin."

"And how would I go about doing that? Helping you steal away such a precious commodity, I mean." Dread Mistress Snowstalker asked as she leaned back into the back of her seat, curious as to where the young girl would go next.

Iskra's face grew brighter at the elven matriarch's words, enveloping itself in joyous emotions as she excitedly clapped her hands together.

"I've heard about your family's generational quest in seeking to tie its lineage together with the legendary bloodline of my husband's most treasured surname. In a roundabout way of speaking, I'm interested in finding an end to such an exhaustive generational journey that your household has so desperately clung to with having nothing meaningful to boast from it."

"I see," The elven matriarch uttered as she lowered her head, lost in thought over the various ramifications that could come from achieving her family's most coveted desire.

For all intents and purposes, the young girl had spoken the truth and the white-haired Dread Mistress was all too aware about the ultimate goal that her family had strived to achieve. Generation after generation had passed as numerous matriarchs groomed their daughters into prime bridal candidates for the various patriarchs and chosen heirs of the Dreadblade lineage.

The current Dread Mistress of the Snowstalker household began to think back to her childhood, remembering the many years that she and her sisters had spent being educated in all manner of things that might give them even the slimmest of vain hopes of even being considered as a potential bridal candidate for the Dreadblade household and its army of sons.

She remembered hating every bit of her childhood education as she knew that her mother had viewed her daughters in such a way that they might as well have been nothing more than brothel dwelling harlots meant to sell their bodies for the good of the family name.

Yet despite the feelings that she had held during those early years of her life, Dread Mistress Snowstalker had done the same thing to her daughters. Grooming them in the sorcerous arts, all in a vain hope that they would one day pique the interest of the Witch-King, a man who had gained infamy for his fetishization of Sorceresses and the various forms of magic that they wielded.

And as the years went by, the elven matron had watched her daughters do the very same thing. Grooming their daughters into becoming nothing more than a commodity that would one day be gazed upon by the burning visage of their most glorious leader despite fully knowing that such a thing would never occur.

Until now.

"I only require one or two of your daughters or granddaughters." Came Iskra's words, drawing the elven matriarch out of her thoughts and returning the snowy-haired matron towards the reality that was their conversation. "Though I would prefer it if they were no younger than twelve and no older than eighteen, all of whom should have no prior experience."

Dread Mistress thought over the teenager's restrictions for her future sister-wives, wondering to herself just which of her children and grandchildren would be the most ideal of candidates.

It was true that she had many daughters within the required age range, but the same could also be said about her granddaughters.

She could even point to the fact that she had great-granddaughters who were of a similar age to the myth-shrouded blonde-haired prince.

Yet she felt that introducing her great-granddaughters would be less than ideal, owing to the fact that they were far more removed from the Snowstalker bloodline than she would have liked for a potential bride that is guaranteed to be married into a direct descendant of the Dreadblade lineage.

"I have a few candidates in mind," The Dread Mistress uttered, choosing her words carefully as more names began to appear into the back of her thoughts.

The Snowstalker household was well known for being abundant in the number of daughters that it produced, but its current matriarch had doubts as to which of them she should award with such a lofty prize.

To the revered Dread Mistress, in one way or another, they were all failures in her eyes.

If she was to eventually pick out a bride for the gold-maned prince, then she needed to exert a tremendous effort into discovering the perfect candidate. And for that, she needed time.

"I'll need some time to think more on this matter," Dread Mistress Snowstalker found herself saying as her eyes wandered back and forth. "So I wish to put this subject on hold for now and instead focus on something else. Such as how you came about the information regarding my family's most cherished dream."

"In actuality, it was one of your daughters." Iskra proudly proclaimed as a pleased smile spread itself across her lips. She was hopeful, but Iskra was somewhat relieved to have found an ally amongst the ocean of enemies within Dark Elven high society. "To be more precise, it was Aemilia. Though considering the history between the two of you, I'm sure that you're not at all happy that she was the one to have told me."

"Interesting." With the mention of her banished daughter's name, Dread Mistress Snowstalker rolled her eyes. Carefully observing the usage of the past-tense when it came to the girl's description of her long-absent daughter. "Ignoring the details as to how the two of you met. What was your relationship with her, exactly?"

"She acted as a teacher, of sorts."

Iskra purposely left out the exact type of topics that her former sex-coach had been hired on for, as she felt that diving any further into the sordid topic was better left unsaid. Especially considering the reputation that the elven woman had once been known for.

"I see," The matriarch sat quietly for a moment, well aware of the types of topics that her former daughter had most likely been hired to teach.

"And where is she now?"

Iskra looked around the room, pondering quietly to herself as to how she should best answer such a question.

At first, thoughts of speaking the truth of the matter in question had popped into the back of her mind but her curiosity over the consequences for such a thing had proven itself to be far too dull of an idea for her to enjoy.

Despite the excitement that she now felt over such thoughts, Iskra believed that it would be for the best if she were to answer in a vague manner and allow for the truth to come to light if the elven matriarch directly asked for it.

"She's currently helping me with some business regarding animal husbandry," Iskra responded as a hand reached out to hide the cruel smile that now threatened to expose itself over her glistening lips. "You can say that she's found a new purpose in life."

Dread Mistress Snowstalker stifled a laugh that now threatened to erupt from her smiling lips, taking great pleasure at having heard the hinted fate of her most reviled offspring.

"Would you be interested in hearing more about the events that led to her banishment?"

As she mused over the matriarch's inquiry, Iskra's eyes shifted from one end of the room to the other.

While she had heard learned only a small portion of Aemilia's past life within the Snowstalker household, the young girl could safely state that she had been wholeheartedly disinterested in the matter in its entirety.

In fact, she had held so little interest in the subject that the events that had been told to her had simply gone in one ear and out the other.

She had entirely forgotten just what exactly she had been told.

Yet now that she needed to keep the Dread Mistress's interest in her, Iskra felt that she was obliged to hear the matter in full.

Whether or not she would deign to listen to the subject was something else altogether.

"I don't see why not."

The elven matriarch beamed with childlike nostalgia as she began to recount the fateful moment that had led to Aemilia's banishment.

“-And despite having spent all of those years living beneath my roof,” Dread Mistress continued to spin her tale as she held a single finger in the air, waving her hand around the air in a dizzying fashion. “She still continued to throw her wanton desires around, as if she was little more than some streetwalker selling her body to the highest bidder.”

The elven woman had gone on for some time now, sending Iskra through a whirlwind of past events as she expressed her unhindered distaste for a multitude of her daughters beyond the story’s supposed protagonist, Aemilia.

“Though it wasn’t until I had caught her in bed with her father that I had enough of her fast and loose hedonism.”

“Wait. I thought that she was only interested in younger boys.” Iskra interjected, bringing up the elven matriarch’s former daughter’s preferred taste in lovers. “Why in the world would she go and sleep with her father?”

“I never cared to find out why.” Dread Mistress Snowstalker shrugged her shoulders as she shook her head in an uncaring attitude. “I was so livid by the feeling of betrayal that I had ordered for her to receive the proper punishment.”

“Her banishment, I’m presuming?”

“Her banishment was an event that happened afterwards and something that served little more than to publicly display her crimes for all to see.” The Dread Mistress replied with a smug smile. “Her real punishment came in the form of having her chained to my marriage bed and having her male relatives gang rape her until they grew tired of her ravaged holes.”

“Oh-” Iskra spoke before an uncomfortable pause took hold over her tongue. The raven-haired teenager had little else to say about the punishment that the elven woman had dealt towards her very own daughter.

“Once everything was said and done, it wouldn’t be for several weeks that all of the assembled men had grown bored with her body. Trust me when I say this, but you wouldn’t even begin to believe the state that they had left her in. She was in such a sloppy stupor that their seed spilled out of her with such force that it might as well have been a cascading river.”

The Dread Mistress chuckled in a lighthearted tone as she reminisced about the punishment that had been dealt to her daughter.

Once again, Iskra was at a loss for words. Unsure of what to say or do as the white-haired elven matriarch continued recanting the course of events that had led to her wayward daughter’s banishment.

“Once the last of the men had left, I led her father into the room and had the two of them lay with each other for the last time. I’ll give the man credit for lasting as long as he did, but once he showed signs of reaching his final climax I came up behind him and cut off his head. Ever since that day, I’ve never seen another woman finish in such an extravagant manner.”

With a wistful sigh and a smile that was brimming with reminiscent glee, the head of the Snowstalker household ended her trip down memory lane.

Stunned by what she had just heard, Iskra shifted her eyes around the room in an uncomfortable manner. Awe had stricken her by the sheer brazen attitude that was being displayed before her.

She wasn’t sure if she wished to admit it or not, but Iskra was jealous by the menacing cruelty that the elven mother had dealt out towards her very own daughter.

“So you’re a widow now?” Iskra asked after having gathered enough courage to find out more about the matriarch’s current state of affairs.

She couldn’t help but become curious as to where such a question would lead her towards next.

“A widow?” Dread Mistress Snowstalker repeated as a polite smile came into existence. A pleasant hum echoed around the room as the elven woman chuckled lightly at the young girl’s curiosity. “During that whole fiasco I had gone over to the political rivals of my former husband’s family and struck a deal with them. In exchange for having gotten rid of an heir of their family’s political rivals, I would be allowed to marry a man from their family. As things turned out, I ended up bringing home a pair of twins with me and they’ve been by my side ever since.”

"But after having said all of that, I'm sure that this talk about my love life has gotten quite dull for you. So let's talk about yours instead." The elven black widow uttered as a sinister smile peered down at the teenager's prone form. "You looked quite cute back there, making yourself out to be something akin to some sort of grand thief."

"Uh-Ah," Started a nervous Iskra as a hand reached out to cover her smiling lips. Her plush lips hid themselves behind her delicate-looking fingers as they curled upwards into a diabolical expression.

After all, how could she not smile after having heard such a cruelly crafted form of punishment for someone's very own child. A child that they had given birth to themselves, no less.

Iskra couldn't help but become curious if she would be able to craft similar styles of revenge one day.

Such cruelty was something that she was desperate to enact upon when the time was right.

"As I was saying before," Spoke Iskra as her thoughts returned to the earliest point in their conversation.

She was well aware of the fact that if she were to ever stand on her own two feet, then she would need the powerful backing of an economic powerhouse. Whether such a powerhouse came from herself or that of another, Iskra didn't care as to which one managed to offer itself to her presence.

She just needed to fill her coffers so that even the most basic of necessities in her plans would be treated as mere afterthoughts.

Such simplistic necessities would then lead to even bigger and better things. Things that would lead her into a brighter future where she would reign over those who had wronged her in even the slightest of capabilities.

"In exchange for helping me steal such a coveted prize away from the Arch-Mistress as well as a few other things, then I would be more than happy to introduce you to the various markets within the Ranislavian kingdom and its many neighbors."

Dread Mistress Snowstalker tilted her head as she became lost in thought, her middle finger tapping itself against the side of her chin as she delved deeper into her thoughts.

"First things first," Spoke the Dark Elven woman. Her words were filled with boastful confidence as her eyes looked upwards and stared deeply into the brilliant gems of the raven-haired teenager's eyes. "What are your goals in this untapped market that you've mentioned? I'm sure that there are other things that you wish to discuss beyond starting up a trading partnership with my household. What else are you hoping to ask from me?"

Iskra smiled as she turned towards her armor-bound servant, gesturing in such a way towards the Fire Guard that suggested he should step forward and present yet another ledger that now lay between his metallic fingers.

Bound to eternally serve the young girl, Argonok merely grumbled his frustrations as he stepped forward, uttering fierce curses in the demonic tongue of his foul creators.

"The more minute details for my plans are described within that book," Spoke Iskra as she watched the metallic dwarf retreat back to where he previously stood, grumbling to himself about some inane nonsense about not being able to do anything lately. Iskra merely rolled her eyes at the dwarf as she continued to speak. "But I'll be more than happy to discuss the details in brief as you read through its pages. In essence, it all starts with a broker that I've managed to reestablish relations with and if things go well, then we should be able to sell various goods and materials through them."

Dread Mistress Snowstalker nodded her head, motioning for the teenager to continue with what she had to say as her eyes shifted from left to right, reading through the young girl's detail-oriented plans for the potentially lucrative market that was within a short journey of a few days from where she now sat.

Iskra began speaking on the various details concerning her hopes and dreams for the immediate future, going into a little more depth every so often whenever she noticed the elven matriarch to have gained a slight interest over one topic or another.

In particular, Iskra spoke in detail towards her plans on how she would introduce the various metals and gems that were now being mined as well as those that would eventually be dug out of the earth once she had enough abled bodies at her disposal.

To do this, she would need to create rumors about an abundance of wealth within the so-called Dark Lands and allow those with enough greed, whether they be willing to seek out the adventure that awaited them or those desperate enough to gaze upon the chance for a lifetime of insurmountable wealth, to serve as the backbone of her future workforce.

From there she went on to explain how she would attempt those with a higher level of education beyond the vast array of serfs living in squalor.

She called for the need for craftsmen of all sorts, traders and merchants willing to set up shop within her lands or to travel to and from the various markets within Ranislava.

And so and so forth.

To make matters more intriguing for the Dark Elven matron, Iskra teased the idea of introducing the various items that she wished to sell within Ranislava to also be introduced to the wider markets of the world.

Whether they were on friendly terms with her husband's people, she did not care. Just so long as they wished to exchange goods, then she would gladly welcome them as a potential client to sell whatever it was that they wished to buy.

"Yet despite the obvious wealth that lay beneath our feet, you wish to test the effectiveness of your plans on the various potions and other arcane items that will be sold within your people's kingdom? A kingdom that you also claim to have never had a history with the arcane arts?"

The Dread Mistress asked in an unsure tone, feeling the need to express the ridiculous nature of what she had just pointed out.

Iskra could only nod her head at the elven woman's inquiries, quietly wondering to herself as to how often she would be hearing similar questions from now on.

"Just so that you know" Cutting off the white-haired matriarch before she had the chance to inquire more about her former kingdom's lack of magical prowess, Iskra began expanding on her one-time education as Ranislava's future Queen. "I experienced quite the extensive history lesson with regards to the formation of Ranislava as well as the various myths and legends that surrounded the ancestral tribes that would one day unite under the banner of its royal family. And throughout the entirety of its known history, there has never been a single Ranislavian sorcerer or any other form of a fancy title. For whatever the reasons may be, the land of which Ranislava now lay claims to has never experienced an iota of magical power."

"And now you wish to introduce magic into the Kingdom? By means of products that you'll profit from, of course." Prodded the elven woman as she tilted her chin, growing skeptical over the true purpose behind the teenager's reasoning for doing such a thing.

"That the both of us will profit from." Iskra corrected her guest as a youthful smile formed over her plush lips.

"And, if I'm understanding you correctly, the only price that I'll have to pay for such a lucrative deal is to give you two of my daughters or granddaughters?"

Iskra smiled at her guest, ecstatic that they were now returning to the real purpose behind the Dread Mistress's invitation into her home.

"Well to be a little more precise, it doesn't just have to be someone from your family." A smug expression overtook Iskra's features as a light chuckle escaped from her smiling lips. "So long as they possess similar qualities to me, then I don't care how or where you find the women. So if you feel that those within your immediate family are lacking, then I'll gladly take whoever you believe to be worthy of the prize before your eyes."

"I see," The elven matriarch replied as she delved deeper into the young girl's words.

While she was under no obligation to accept the teenager's proposition, Dread Mistress Snowstalker believed that selling off one or two of her daughters or granddaughters was well worth it. In short, she saw no downsides in accepting what was in front of her at face value.

"As I've said before, I'll need some more time to seek out any potential candidates for what you're looking for. But now that I have a wider area to drag my net through, then I believe I have someone in particular in mind."

"Excellent," Interrupted Iskra as she clapped happily at the elven woman's words.

Dread Mistress Snowstalker watched as the teenager's elated face slowly changed into a smug expression, quietly wondering to herself as to what sort of thoughts the young girl was having now.

"I'm glad that we were able to come to an agreement with one another, and I can't wait to eventually meet my fellow sister-wives." Iskra happily clapped as an exaggerated smile beamed off of her face.

"I'm making no promises as to how long my search will take," The Dread Mistress replied as a frown spread itself across her face. An arm spread out along the width of her chest, tucking itself beneath her heaving bosom as an inquisitive hum rang out from her lips. "However, I’m beginning to wonder just how serious of a headache this marriage between your family and mine will be. Especially when the Arch-Mistress decides to intervene."

“Oh, I wouldn’t be too worried about what Mori’Anna will or won’t do to prevent this marriage between our two households.” Iskra replied coolly as a smug smile formed over her face.

“You sound very confident in that fact,” The Dread Mistress stated as she looked upon the girl with a curious glance. “What makes you so sure?”

“Let’s just say that between the desire to reestablish himself as the sole leader of the Dreadblade household as well as the promises made between my father-in-law and I, the Arch-Mistress won’t be able to lift a finger in my general direction.”

Dread Mistress Snowstalker tilted her head in confusion, looking at the girl as she said the most peculiar thing in the world.

Or it would have been if not for the fact that the Snowstalker matriarch began to think deeper behind the teenager's meaning.

"I see," The elven woman hummed as her thoughts turned towards the constant bickering between the Witch-King's countless wives and the absurd inner-family factional quarreling that had evolved over the many years.

Many within Dark Elven high society had felt that the Witch-King was far more concerned in collecting wives then he was in leading the Dar’Nari empire and they felt right in thinking such thoughts as more and more of their ruler’s wives continued to involve themselves in countless familial drama that spilled over into the wider sphere of Dark Elven politics on many occasions.

Yet there was one word that had stuck with the snow-like haired elven matriarch.

Promises, the elven matriarch mouthed quietly as she pondered over the hidden meaning behind the girl’s choice of words.

There was very little that the Witch-King did not possess, or could not hold in his possession if he were to seek it out. So the fact that a mere promise had swayed the overbearing personality of the Dark Elven ruler had the Snowstalker matron become lost in thought.

So much so that she nearly missed what the human teenager had to say next.

"I wouldn't think about it too hard," Chuckled Iskra as her emerald-green eyes twinkled beneath the brilliant rays of light that pierced through the room's countless windows. "After all, why should you be the one to lose sleep over such issues when the Witch-King himself has yet to do so?"

As she heard those words, the elven matriarch grew even more curious as to what sort of promise was made between such a renowned figure and a pregnant human girl.

As she failed to find an answer to her internal inquiries, Dread Mistress Snowstalker desperately wished to ask the girl herself but found that her pride was far too great to do such a thing.

Yet despite her struggles, the answers that she sought never came forth and revealed themselves.

That was until another, singular political concern of the vast array of Dark Elven nobility had reared its ugly head into the forefront of her thoughts.

An explosive fit of laughter erupted from deep within the elven woman's belly as she couldn't even begin to fathom the sheer audacity being displayed right before her very eyes.

The elven woman took in a deep gasp of air as she clenched her hands tightly around her stomach, forcing her body to bend over in excruciating agony as rivers of tears raced down the sides of her cheeks.

Despite how desperate she was to stop the painful fit of laughter, Dread Mistress Snowstalker found herself to be at the complete mercy of the insurmountable depths of insanity that the raven-haired girl possessed within that youthful mind of hers.