Of Ashes and Wind

Tempting Fate

"Nix!" Eiriell ran with the force of a galloping horse and threw herself into Phoenix's arms.

She staggered back slightly, if Eiriell had been taller than her, then they would have surely toppled over within the hallway outside of the medical hall.

"Eiri." She tightened her arms around her dear friend, just seeing her shed some much-needed light after Elnaril and Chalia had broken the news to her about the delay to go home. "How are you?"

"Much better, but I wasn't the one who slept like the dead." Eiri glared, "They only let me see the one time while you were sleeping, afterwards the servants and staff were told by my father that I had to stay away."

"It was only to allow Phoenix to rest, my dearest Eiri." Elnaril placed a hand at the top of Eiri's head, her fingers playing a bit with the soft strands of her granddaughter's silver locks.

Eiri mumbled something, which only made Phoenix smile more.

"I missed you." Phoenix leaned in close to whisper it to Eiriell.

The elven princess smiled brightly, "I missed you too." She looked over at Phoenix, her hand reaching out to tuck a stray hair behind her ear. "You're feeling better, I hope?"

Phoenix showed her palms and opened and closed them effortlessly, "Better than ever." She promised.

Eiriell smiled and skipped around Phoenix, the white and gold sundress floating behind her along with the silky strands of her hair.

"Have you seen Lionheart?" Phoenix thought to her companion.

Elnaril smiled at the question, "Why don't you take her to the roost?"

"Excellent idea, Grandsire." Eiriell smiled brightly, she reached her hand out to Phoenix who didn't hesitate to take it. Together, Eiriell led the two – half-running, half-skipping along – leaving the servants to take extra care to ensure they didn't run into the Princess who was full of energy.

"I don't know if the little one truly realizes what it means to have a gryphon like that as a companion." Chalia hummed, she wrapped her arm around Elnaril's.

Elnaril smiled, "Leave them be, we don't need to weigh them down with even more of our adult beliefs and expectations." She heard a scuffle and then her granddaughter voice a hasty apology, but it didn't lessen the sound of pitter-patter while the two hurriedly went to the roost.

"I'm so glad to see her smiling like that." Chalia let out.

Elnaril looked down at her wife, "I can't help but think that the gods above intended this to happen in some way."

"If what Eiri says is true, then it must be fate itself." Chalia mused while the two made their way down the sweeping corridor to the throne room, "Fate brought along a friend so that our dear Eiri may smile so carelessly once more."

Chalia thought back to the other elven noble children.

They were their parent's children at the end of the day. Instructed to get close to the Princess to try and levy ideas or expectations on to the crown through Eiriell.

Her granddaughter wasn't daft in the slightest to the ill-manners that were disguised as grand gestures of 'friendship'.

"Perhaps my hard-headed son will see things that way now." Elnaril stopped before the entrance of the throne room, the guard there nodded to the former King and opened the door.

"You forget that my ears are great, Sire." Ailduin looked upon his sire with the same amethyst eyes, his long dark hair was reminiscent of Chalia's own, though not as long. The lithe and sharp figure was something he had taken after his sire in.

"Then you'll know I said it aloud on purpose." Elnaril's eyes flashed mischievously.

"You broke the news then?" Ailduin waved off the other elf from his council from business earlier in the morning.

Elnaril nodded, "She took the news better than most children her age would."

Ailduin nodded, "It speaks volumes to her parent's character – or maybe from that perilous journey she has no doubt over come."

"Eiri spoke of that to me." Elnaril rose on the steps of pomp to where her son sat, "Tell me honestly, do you still think the child as 'human scum'?"

He sighed and looked to the floor, "I realize now it was unfair of me levy an adult's sin onto a child." He closed his eyes and rubbed at the bridge of his nose.

Elnaril put a comforting hand on her son's shoulders, "I know things have been trying between Brilux, but you must persevere."

"I'm trying, but they still blame me for the unrest along our border in addition to harboring criminals on my side of the Great Granite Range." Ailduin was at his wits end with trying to deal with talks with the humans – which were at a stalemate for the foreseeable future – and the unrest between elves and the small human population that lived near by the Narrows on Eostrun's side.

There were rumors swirling that the humans were trying to over reach and expand into Eostrun. Other rumors stated that elves were trying to monetize the rich trade that flowed within the perilous Narrows.

Now a lost human child has managed to wander her way into the Great Elven City of Eostrun, with the way things were, Ailduin didn't need to add kidnapping to the list of rumors and add more to the tensions between them and Brilux.

"There's a solution that will appease both sides, but in order to do that we must wait for King Jerrick and his Council to return to the negotiation table." King Jerrick was a reasonable man, his Council on the other hand...

Ailduin looked out the great windows of the white marble throne room, out in the center courtyard of the palace was a Great Gate which allowed one to teleport directly to Brilux. Built in the times of the Ancient King Algernon, there were only three like it that were known of – one in Brilux, one Eostrun, and the third at Beastman capital city.

If the other side was activated.

After talks fell through at the last conference, Brilux had deactivated their end of the gate.

Ailduin sighed heavily, he ran a hand through his long dark hair while holding his face within his hand.

"Patience is what returned Eiri to you, patience is what will bring a peaceful solution." Elnaril advised once more.

Ailduin simply nodded – he would require a stiff drink after today. "About what we discussed before, maybe trying to send Phoenix home via a ship through Yn Asari..."

Elnaril regarded her son, "We could, but I can't help but think that we'd only be tempting fate if we try to send Phoenix home through any means that doesn't involve Great Gate." She looked out at the courtyard from the sweeping windows, "Sometimes the journey home is more perilous than the journey itself."

Ailduin nodded, "Prepare a room then for our guest." He instructed to the head servant.