A Royal Loss

In the elven palace, Brinn quickly hid her sarcasm as she exited the guest chambers of her closest friend. Now that she was a married elf, Brinn was expected to be more dignified, mature. At least that was what her mother kept telling her. For the sake of harmony between the Queen Mother and the humans, Brinn would do her best…for as long as she could stand it.

The Empress, too, put on a more royal air. She represented her people, after all. However, one look at the elven princess trying to be stately nearly sent the fiery-haired woman into a fit of giggles.

Brinn sensed her amusement. "What, may I ask, has tickled Her Majesty's fancy?"

"I have never seen you look so…" Aurora searched for the appropriate word.

"Lovely, graceful, solemn?" Brinn held her nose in the air with pride.

"Absolutely, let us go with one of those," Aurora answered politely.

"That isn't what you were going to say at all, is it?" The elf frowned.

"You look positively queenly." The Empress gave a demure smile as she tucked her hair behind her ear.

The green-eyed elf pressed her lips together indignantly. "I am the daughter of one, you know!"

"I know, Princess Brinn. I am just pleased to see that you do too..." Aurora's tone was so congenial that the servant pushing her chair down the hall did not seem to catch her meaning. Or if he did, his face did not betray that knowledge.

Brinn, on the other hand, knew how out of character being polite and prim was to her overall nature. Being a spymaster, where she could do and say whatever she liked, was her natural element. It was no wonder that her friend found the sight of her now quite funny. "Do not let the elegant exterior fool you, Your Majesty. As soon as you are healed, I plan on making you feel quite at home here."

"I look forward to it," Aurora was unbothered by the friendly threat. "As long as you are prepared for your house guest to indeed make herself feel at home."

The two ladies smiled at one another as they remembered past mischief.

Pushed along by a servant, Aurora entered a large hall. Brinn's smile faded. "Duty calls, Your Majesty. The herald will escort you from here. I will see you on the other side." With a whoosh of air, Brinn disappeared from view.

"Show off," Aurora teased, knowing the she-elf was still present nearby.

"What good is having powers if you can't make a dramatic exit?" Brinn's voice trailed off as she actually walked away to join the rest of the elven royals.

In the grand hall outside the two huge doors, Aurora and the servant waited as the other members of her party filtered in to join her. The doctor, Zan, Nurlan and Hanna all appeared with their elven escorts over the next few minutes. It was as close to complete as their party would become.

Due to her poor condition, Nanny was allowed to stay in her room. Since she could be considered a servant instead of a guest, protocol was still being observed, though Aurora suspected that King Ithel would have drawn the line at making a sick old woman appear in his presence, even if it made his dear mother angry.

"How are you, Your Majesty?" the doctor asked as he approached and bowed.

"Bukuri took good care of me, Doctor," Aurora assured him.

"I hope we can get a more permanent solution soon." The physician knit his eyebrows together. "I look forward to talking to the elven healers."

Nurlan gave the servant behind Aurora's wheeled chair a meaningful look, yet the servant refused to budge from his place. "Thank you for your service," Aurora twisted her head to smile up at the elf, "But I would prefer if my personal guard were to guide my chair."

Nurlan gave a small smile to the Empress. Her flowery words were far more compelling than what had come into his head. He doubted that ordering the elf to "Move!" would have had the same effect. Taking his place, he awaited the messenger who would lead them into the throne room.

While the humans were practicing patience, Hanna tapped her foot on the beautiful marbled stone as she crossed her arms. "What is taking them so long?"

"You made me wait three days for an audience with the Fates," Aurora gently reminded the ethereal being.

"That was different!" Hanna puffed her cheeks. The Fate had chuckled at the mortals' impatience at that time. Now she understood it all too well. "These elves are just taking their sweet time because they can..."

Hanna had barely finished her sentence when the small door, which was built into the larger two, opened wide. The herald came through the opening wearing the dark green velvet of his station.

"Welcome, Fate Hanna, Your Majesty, honored guests. Allow me to escort you into the throne room. King Ithel, Queen Calla and the rest of the royal family are most anxious to greet you."

"About time," the Fate mumbled. "Lead the way, good herald," she added with a wave of her shimmery hand.

The palace guards opened the massive doors wide, and a horn announced the auspicious entrance of their most honored guests. Pushed by her faithful guard, Aurora glided alongside a walking Hanna, who stood tall in spite of her injuries.

Many of the nobility stood along the walls of the hall to welcome the newcomers. The hall itself was decorated in shades of green, giving the flame-like palace a warm and earthy feel. Aurora recognized many of the faces as those who had fought alongside her not so very long ago.

Aurora felt both pride and sadness as she looked at the familiar elves: pride because she had such brave and noble allies and sadness because they had had to fight and sacrifice on her behalf.

It was not a burden they should have had to bear, but she was most grateful to them. Making sure to make eye contact with each one she passed, the Empress gave a silent nod of acknowledgment. It was the least she could do. They bowed or curtsied in return, as protocol dictated.

It was due to this that Aurora barely registered as they approached the Elven throne—or more appropriately, thrones.

In the center of the dais, Ithel sat on a majestic throne of gold. Like all the windows, it was twisted and molded to look like a flickering flame blown by the wind. On his head, a jewel encrusted crown mimicked the same design. With a deep green cape draped across his shoulders, the elf exuded strength and courage. There was no doubt of his position in the elven kingdom.

To his right, Queen Calla looked forward proudly in all her radiance. Her lustrous skin and hourglass figure were matched by her almond eyes and heart shaped mouth. When Aurora finally beheld her, there was the slightest bit of envy.

The queen looked like everything that the Empress aspired to be, yet here she was in a chair unable to walk with a gouge on her cheek. Though even on her best day, Aurora knew she could not compare.

Fortunately, the fiery-haired woman was able to dismiss the jealousy as quickly as it had come. 'Comparison hurts the one who is measuring the most,' she reminded herself.

Calla was an excellent example of that when she thought about it. The lovely elf had been jealous of the Empress and nearly ruined her marriage in an attempt to prove her superiority. In reality, there was no need to harbor the envy to begin with. Calla had come to her senses in time and now sat as a testament to her own self-confidence.

Two thrones sat on each side of the king and queen. Next to Calla, the prince and princess had two seats of their own.

Until the king had a child of his own, Brinn was next in line for the crown. As such, her presence was required in the place of honor. The princess bore the situation with quiet defiance, slouching when she should have sat up straight. On the other hand, Alvar beamed, not from pride in his position, but in genuine joy of seeing his friends coming toward him.

To the other side of the dais beside Ithel, the former king and queen mother awaited the Empress and the rest of the group. Aurora noted Zoltan's unique seat.

His own wheeled chair had been altered to have a much higher, more decorative back. The wheels and armrests had likewise been remade to reflect the royalty it held. The chair was presently fit into a frame which made it indiscernible from the other thrones. However, at a moment's notice, the wheeled chair could disengage from its gilded cage and return to its original purpose.

'Quite clever!' the Empress was impressed. She wondered if Renat had drawn up the plans for the contraption.

Out of the corner of her eye, Aurora caught sight of Lady Bukuri. The willowy elf curtsied as she stood just off the dais.

The gentle smile on Aurora's face faded as she noticed Bukuri's arms were empty. Her pulse quickened as her breath caught in her lungs. A question screamed into her mind.

Where was Colvyr?!