Dragonfire II: The Twilight Invasion

Chapter 33: Graytail

Queen Graytail had just sat down on the Arumian throne, with The Stars of Darkness and Raime standing before her. Her voice, entrancing like music, filled the room. "Welcome to Arumi." Moona's eye was twitching. Something was...terribly wrong. She leaned over toward Marin. "Is she taller than me?" She quietly asked, "U-Um...y-yes...slightly...I-I think..." Marin answered, "Ah...of course." Moona whispered. She was used to being shorter than others, with her status as a Halfling in mind. But to be shorter than someone with the body of a child made her feel some insecurity. Queen Graytail seemed to notice their whispering and decided to speak up. "I trust the journey here wasn't too treacherous." She said, "Ah, it wasn't. I just opened a portal here." Moona responded, "That's...quite impressive. To open a portal so far, I mean." Queen Graytail said, "Thank you. My magic is my pride. You have some impressive magic too, it would seem, floating in like that." Moona responded, "Thank you! It wasn't easy to master." Queen Graytail said. Raime stepped forward, getting her attention. "Queen Graytail, we would like to discuss an offering of peace." He said, "Ah, please, call me Roxanne. Or Roxy, if you prefer." Queen Graytail responded, "Very well. Roxanne, we wish to discuss peace." Raime said. Roxanne's expression showed wariness at their offer. "Do you?" She asked, "Well...yes. Is there something wrong with that?" Moona asked in response, "Well, I've heard tell of your crusades across the land, seeking peace by any means necessary." Roxanne answered, "We only want peace, Roxy. And, if we're lucky enough, maybe friendship too." Moona said, "Perhaps. But how am I to judge? We've only just met, after all." Roxanne responded. 

"Then maybe we can help you - prove we only want friendship. Surely there is something we can do?" Moona said, "Arumi is in a good state right now. We do not need any help. But I appreciate the offer. I was thinking we could all get to know one another. That dramatic entrance wasn't just for show. There's a festival beginning tomorrow that will last all month. I would like to show you some of it. I'd like to get to know you, all of you." Roxanne responded, "That sounds lovely. I'd be happy to get to know you better." Moona said, "I'm glad to hear it. I can accommodate you with some rooms here in the palace if you'd like." Roxanne responded. Moona nodded. "That would be perfect, seeing as we'll be staying here for a little while." She said, "Very well, I'll show you to them." Roxanne responded. She arose from the throne, though curiously, she did not stand at all. Instead, she went straight into levitation. She began floating away, leading them through the side door she passed through earlier. They entered a hallway, which shared the main hall's purple cloth decorations. From curtains to rugs, and even drapes, the hall was well decorated. It also featured various paintings, some of which depicted King Dagon, the one and only King to ever rule Arumi. They also depicted Circe, the one and only Queen prior to Roxanne. Though Moona and the others hardly looked at the paintings as they walked past. The hall had so much decor it was hard to focus on one thing. On top of the cloth and paintings, there were various cupboards, vases, tables, and more throughout. It was almost overwhelming, though somehow it managed to be just below too much decor. Rather than looking at the decor, however, Moona preferred looking out the windows to their right as they passed by them. Through the windows, she could see most of the city. 

There were so many Elves there, living their day-to-day lives, providing for their families, crafting beautiful silk...and...probably being racial supremacists. "The city sure is beautiful from up here." Moona said, "I never get tired of the view. It's even better at night when some of the plants bloom and glow. It's like looking at the stars, only they're above and below." Roxanne responded, "I am excited to see it." Moona said, "Make sure to come and see me first if I'm not there! I want to see your reaction." Roxanne responded. Moona smiled slightly and nodded, though Roxanne didn't see it as she was in front of them. Her smile faded as her expression turned to curiosity. Roxanne was always levitating, it seemed. Surely that must have taken a lot of magic, but what was the reason for it? Before she could ask, Sammy spoke up. "How did you come to be Queen of the Elves, if I may ask?" She asked, "That is...a bit of a strange story. As you may know, Genryus are not native to these lands. There are Pure-Blooded Celestials, which are similar, though there are no real Genryus around here. I was brought to these lands years ago, as an Egg. Around that time, an Elf with peculiar traits appeared, and was believed to be Chaos Incarnate. It was prophesied that one day King Dagon would be slain by the blood of Circe, and Chaos Incarnate would assume the throne. It was said that she would destroy Ravania, and potentially the world with her chaotic power. And the only one who could potentially stop her one day...would be whatever hatched from my egg." Roxanne answered, "Huh...so...what happened, exactly?" Sammy asked. They rounded a corner, passing into a very similar hallway as she asked this. The view changed from the city to mostly the forest to its right. Though a small bit of the city could still be seen, primarily the golden wall. Roxanne didn't bother looking out the window, as she had already seen the view countless times.