7th day of the 7th month 580th year of the 8th era

Akuchi and Vel stepped into an anteroom; the walls were roots that had grown around the room. On one side of the room, a dark elf sat behind a small desk made from a small root that came out of the tree. She was covered in black paint with gentle grey outlines and swirls. Stars across each breast and stripes heading down and around to her back were set off by the gentle yellow glow of the moss. At the other end of the room, an opening was blocked by hanging vines with blue moss clinging to them. Flanking the door stood two male soldiers, their paint patterned in the same manner as the woman. They were armed with spears in their hands and a sword at their waist. On the right side of the wall leaned several short swords and a few spears.

The woman rose as they entered with grace from her seated position. Her short-cropped hair clung to her face. Vel bowed deeply to the woman. The woman returned his bow.

“Vel Galerius,” he intoned in a flat tone, “from the House of Maple, with an emissary from the human fort.”

“Please wait,” the woman responded, before hurrying through the vine curtain.

Vel removed his sword and leaned it against the wall. Akuchi followed his lead.

“The king doesn’t like weapons in his presence?” Akuchi asked.

“Do you know a king that does?” asked Vel.

“I have never met a king.”

“I only met him when I was commissioned into the army.”

The woman stuck her head through the vine curtain.

“The king will see you now,” she said and then pulled her head back.

Vel and Akuchi followed her through the curtain and entered the throne room. The room’s walls were smooth, covered in a mosaic depicting a great battle between the dark elves and the elves fighting trolls and orcs. The floor, made from polished stone, was cut by a narrow pathway of grass that ran straight through the center of the room. From the sky-blue ceiling hung several glass chandeliers, each holding a ball that glowed a bright white light. Arrayed around the room were many elves. The vibrant patterns on these dark elves were intricate combinations of stripes, swirls, stars, and dots, ranging in colour from yellow to deep blue, many having an assortment and a blend of colours. Women in simple red stars and stripes circulated around the room carrying trays of food and refreshments. At the far end of the room on a multi-leveled dais, a huge dark elf sat. His pattern was just as complicated as all the others.

“The king,” muttered Vel, “don’t look at or mention the women in red.”

“Who are they?” asked Akuchi.

“For all intents and purposes, invisible,” replied Vel. “Do as I do.”

Vel moved forward at a confident rate along the grass-covered path and Akuchi followed. At the foot of the dais, Akuchi and Vel stopped and bowed from the waist before the king. He sat up straight in his throne which was made of tree branches and covered in a deep bronze polish. Draped over it was a crimson cloth edged with a white fur lining.

“Your Majesty,” Vel intoned, straightening up. “I, Vel Galerius, would like to introduce to you an emissary of peace.”

“Your Majesty,” Akuchi said straightening up, “I am Akuchi Rosethorn; I come to you in peace.”

“Very good,” muttered Vel so that only Akuchi could hear it.

“There never has been an emissary from the humans before,” the king mused.

“I come wanting peace so that I may grow crops on my farm,” Akuchi said.

“Where is your farm?”

“In the north, just south of Fort Northern Wiles.”

“Ah, so you are the invader,” the king commented. “And you come to me with peace on your lips, yet you have killed many of my noble soldiers.”

“To be honest, my lord, I was unaware of why they were attacking me,” Akuchi defended.

“Did you not think to ask any of them?” he said, leaning forward hands on either side of the throne.

“Your Majesty, the only ones that did speak died screaming curses and insults at me,” explained Akuchi, “I only found out that you were dark elves because I had an elf friend with me.”

“A Shining One,” exclaimed the king. “You do have some interesting friends.”

“Yes,” admitted Akuchi. “I am truly blessed.”

“I would say that you are,” the king said. “What do you have to offer me for peace?”

“I have nothing to offer you for peace,” admitted Akuchi. “I am aware of why you attacked me. I hold no grudges. I was hoping to get your word that I would not be attacked.”

“You know about the curse?” demanded the king. “Then you are truly too dangerous to leave alive. Kill him.”

Several soldiers came from behind the dais, spears in hand.

“Your Majesty, stop!” shouted Vel.

“How dare you order me,” the king growled, standing up.

“I apologize, my lord,” groveled Vel. “He is not the only one that knows. The Shining One he mentioned also knows and she is still at the farm with instructions from him.”

The king waved his hand and the guards left quickly the way they had come.

“I could send a whole army of soldiers to your fort and destroy it before word got out.”

“Then you would have to deal with the trolls. The fort protects even you from the trolls,” Akuchi said.

“Well, in that case, we need to secure your silence,” observed the king, sitting down. “I assume you can convince her to remain quiet about us?”

“Yes, I can,” reassured Akuchi, bowing low again. “If I can help you with your curse, there would be no need for secrecy.”

“That is true,” mused the king leaning back into his throne. “There might be a way, but you might not like it.”

“Let me hear it,” Akuchi said straightening up.

A man stepped out from the crowd of elves, his skin painted black with a complicated pattern of white swirls. He bowed low to the king who waved his hand at him. The dark elf then turned and bowed to Akuchi and Vel.

“The curse goes back to the dawn of the era,” the dark elf began. “During the first and second era, we were at war with the trolls and the orcs that were escaping oppression from the north.”

“Those trolls that assault the fort,” interrupted Akuchi. “They are refugees?”

Vel scowled at Akuchi. “At that time they were. We are not so sure now.”

“We fought them both and drenched the forest in blood, both ours and theirs,” continued the dark elf. “A short peace in the second era gave us hope but it was not to be. After our queen was assassinated by an internal power struggle, war resumed. The trolls came in waves every year. Many times we beat them, but as many times they pushed us back into the depths of this forest, burning and chopping our beloved forest. However, in the fourth era when the dwarfs, humans, and gnomes arrived, they drove out the trolls and the orcs and established the fort to the north. It was then that we were cursed by the god Mars, the God of War, for not defending our lands. We became horrible to look upon so that we didn’t ever join the other races on the world stage. We hid and gave ourselves over to Solimas and Trath.”

“Both gods of despair,” murmured Akuchi.

“Yes,” the dark elf agreed. “We tried everything we could for the whole of the fifth era. The only hint we got was from a priest of the Unholy Flame who gave us a prophecy of a child that escapes flame, the sword, and the death of his parents. This child must be of royal blood.”

That would explain the women in red. The king plants his seed in them and hopes that the child will be the one to save them all.

“What can I do?” asked Akuchi.

“I will offer you my daughter to be your wife,” said the king. “This union will bring peace between your house and mine. Your farm will be protected by the dark elves. It will also secure my son’s uncontested ascension to the throne.”

“What can I offer in return?” asked Akuchi.

“Since the queen died ten years after my son was born,” the king replied, “look after my daughter. It is the custom of a new king to remove all other claimants from the throne before ascending. Keep her safe.”

The King wants me to marry his daughter whom I have not seen… I just want to grow crops and live a quiet life… I can’t participate in a courtly life… Would she be happy? Could I even make her happy? Does it even matter? It’s either this or death, I can’t keep fighting these people every night. Such a prospect will put me into an early grave. I must do so. Even if I don’t have any children. It will keep me safe.

“I agree to your request,” Akuchi said, bowing to the king.

“It is customary to hold a feast after the offer of marriage and to allow the intended to think about the marriage before agreeing,” explained the king. “I will hear your answer the day after the feast. If you agree to my terms, you will wed the princess immediately.”

He dismissed them with a wave of his hand. Vel and Akuchi bowed then turned and walked down the grass path back the way they had come. A dark elf woman approached them before they passed through the vine curtain.

“Akuchi,” she called to them.

Akuchi and Vel stopped and turned. The dark elf woman was adorned with a complicated pattern of green swirls and stars that accentuated her body. Her stomach had a scar running downwards along the left side. She approached them with a slight limp.

“How may I help you?” Akuchi asked, bowing slightly as she approached.

“I am the governess of the princess,” she smiled, revealing blackened teeth. “The princess instructed for me to bring to her any man that the king offered to marry her.”

“I see,” Akuchi said. He turned to Vel. “Is this ok?”

“I am not a noble,” said Vel. “Normally it is the girls getting the time to think, not the guys. My brother had already met the woman he married before he asked her.”

“If there is no problem,” stated Akuchi, “I would like to meet the Princess.”

“Good.” The governess smiled and ambled out the curtain.

“I guess we are going now,” Vel said eyes widening.

“It would seem so.”

Vel and Akuchi followed the governess through the vine curtain and out of the anteroom where they collected their weapons and strapped them to their backs. She then took them along the outside of the Mother Tree and they came to another vine curtain. She waved them in and Akuchi and Vel stepped inside. The room was small and was lit by soft green and blue moss. It was comfortable with a grass floor covering. Several branch seats were arrayed around the room with books piled high on the chairs.

The governess came in after them and breezed through the vine curtain at the other side of the room.

“Your father offered you to a man today.” The governess was heard through the vine curtain.

“Did you bring him to see me?” a soft voice replied.

“Yes, he is with his friend outside.”

“I haven’t painted myself today.”

“It won’t matter, my dear,” the governess replied. “Your intended is not a dark elf.”

“What?” the second voice demanded, followed by a loud splashing sound. “But the blemishes?”

“If we keep you in the darkness, he won’t be able to see you.”

The governess poked her head through the vine curtain. “The princess is ready to see you.”

She held the curtain back as Akuchi entered. Once Akuchi passed, she stepped out preventing Vel from entering.

“The princess wants a private audience with her intended,” the governess said. “We will be outside, mistress.”

“Akuchi,” Vel called. “Stay with the princess. I will come to collect you once I find a place for us to stay tonight.”

Akuchi looked around the room. The room was cast in a very dim light by a single strand of brown moss that clung to the wall near the door. Akuchi noticed a small table, piled high with books, a couple of cushions under it, a steaming bathtub, and assorted pots of paint. On the left, shrouded in darkness, lounging on a bed was the princess. All that the light revealed was a pair of finely muscled deep brown legs.

“So, you are meant to be my husband,” stated the princess.

“I am not sure how it happened,” Akuchi said. “One minute I am thinking I am going to die, the next I am being offered your hand in marriage.”

The Princess laughed a soft chuckle that brought a smile to Akuchi’s lips.

“Please sit down.”

“Thank you,” Akuchi said, grabbing a cushion from under the table and sat in front of the bed. “Princess, I fear in the rush for everything I never got your name.”

“I am Aife,” the princess chuckled. “Please stop calling me princess, it just reminds me of how naked I am right now. If we are to be married, you can’t call me princess for the rest of our lives.”

“Don’t worry about that, I am naked myself.” Akuchi chuckled. “I have been since the last harvest.”

“Yes,” chuckled the princess, “For my people, we wear the paint to hide …”

“The shame,” Akuchi finished. “I am a poor farmer that has nothing to offer you. I am not sure we will be a good match.”

“My father is doing his best to get rid of me,” Aife stated. “He only has one boy, and he thinks only men can rule the dark elves. I have studied history and know it is not the case. Tell me, did you see the women that wear the red in court?”

“Yes, I did,” said Akuchi.

“They are his hope to produce another male offspring,” Aife spat. “My younger brother is horribly disfigured by the curse and he wants to replace him with another son, one he hopes won’t be so horrible to look at. That might not be possible because he is still the father.”

“I just want peace so that I can grow my crops and live in peace,” Akuchi said. “I don’t want to be involved in this mess.”

“Akuchi,” called Vel. “I have arranged accommodation for you tonight.”

“It would seem you have a choice,” said Aife: “either marry me and get peace, but still be wary of an internal plot, or forever suffer attacks from the dark elves.”

Akuchi got up and walked to the vine curtain. Even the princess knows the stakes. I don’t have a choice in the matter.

“It was nice meeting you, Princess,” he said. “I will think about what you have said.”

“Goodbye, Akuchi,” called Aife. “I hope the thirty years we have together will be enough for you,” she muttered to herself after he left.