Lucien leaves Oya at the city gates to 'watch' over the elven soldiers. Her mere presence, lying there where everyone can see her, is enough to deter anyone from causing trouble, fearing a slow and painful death.
The group finally enters the elven city, and Lucien is struck by the scene before him.
Despite the city's beautiful architecture, with large houses and tall towers made of dark stones and wood illuminated by magical lights, the view Lucien and his girls encounter is far from pleasant.
The small stone streets are covered in mud and filth, while all the buildings seem to be in poor condition. But that's not the worst of it.
The hardest thing to witness is the current state of the elves within the city. The people look much thinner than they should, unhealthy and weak.
Everyone appears hungry and ill, especially the children and women. There is no sign of food anywhere Lucien looks.