Chapter 15: After

Atona sat holding her sister, letting her cry as long as she wanted to. She couldn't imagine what had happened, and she couldn't get anyone to answer her. Everyone was dashing around checking on loved ones, tending to the injured, and carrying the dead to the Temple for burial.

"Rozelle, what happened? Where is the baby?" She asked as she wiped the tears from her face yet again.

"Atona, it was terrible. These elves just barged in and started killing everyone. One came by me and grabbed the baby. What do they want with my baby Atona? What do they want?"

"I don't know Rozelle, but I am going to find out. Where's mother?" She asked as she got up.

"I'm right here. I will take over, you go find out what is going on?" Mother said sitting next to Rozelle.

"I will. You both are safe now." She said kissing each one on the cheek before turning and leaving. Atona ran down the hallway, down the stairs and out into the courtyard looking for someone that could give her answers. Atona spotted Balfor heading to the Temple with some of his kinsmen, she ran towards him. When she caught up to him, she was about to ask him what had happened when she noticed whom it was he carried. It was Alistair. The boy was so young. She grabbed his hand, hoping and praying to whatever god would listen that he wasn't dead. He clenched her hand in return and his eyes fluttered open.

"You'll be ok Alistair, they are taking you to some of their finest healers. You will be fine and ready to fight at my side soon." she said patting his hand, fighting the tears to stay back and not frighten the boy. He had a hole in the middle of his chest and several arrows piercing his back. If they could pull him out of this then she would visit the temple on a weekly basis. He was so young he didn't deserve to die this way.

Once inside the temple they laid him down on the cot they had set up for him. They laid him on his side so they could work on getting the arrows out of his back. He was in such pain, the tears running down his face, his lips purple from him biting back a scream when they touched him. She grabbed some numb weed from the table next to his bed. Wrapping it around a small stick she was using to widdle on, she put it into his mouth to bite down on.

"Bite on it Alistair, the weed will help with the pain and biting the stick will be better than biting your lips and causing more pain." she said holding the stick. "Balfor, what happened, have you heard anything?" she asked, looking over at the dwarf.

"No, I haven't had a chance to ask anyone. I instantly went to helping with the injured and the dead. I don't even know where Ambien, or Jaden went to. I seen them come into the courtyard then I lost track of them."

"They took my niece Balfor. They took my sisters baby."

Jaden walked up the stairs in the palace carrying the baby to Rozelle. He walked down the hallway looking in every room looking for her. The baby was cooing away and jabbering, calling him Dada. Jaden could only shake his head and tell the baby he was uncle not daddy. But he knew it was hopeless to one so small. Him and his brothers all looked so similar that it was often thought they were twins. He loved holding this wee baby. She was a spunky little thing, a lot like her daddy. He missed his brothers but couldn't go back home. He was enjoying being out here with the elves and Atona so much. His family would just have to understand. Besides that he had a war here to finish. Those elves had stolen his niece and that was something he was not going to let go easily.

"My baby, O thank you Jaden. I was so worried." Rozelle said running down the hall towards him.

"Your welcome we found her under a bush in the woods." he related the full tale to them. "Does anyone know why they took the baby and what else they took?"

"The only thing we can think of that they took was jewels. They took them from everyone. But why take the baby?"