Elora Danan

Chapter 3

"The Bavmordians will face us then. We will fight and bring Airc back. We are no longer on the same battle grounds, the Scarlets and the Royals, but we have never been enemies. Together, our army makes over seventy thousand. My men will march to fight alongside yours," Martigan said. Elora saw out of the corner of her eyes her mother close her eyes with dread. The idea of her husband going to another battle frightened her, especially when years of peace had been promised.

"Yes, battle is our first option, and we will fight with you of course. If we ally together, I understand the potence of our strength. However, I do have one thought. What if we were to put together a plan that would fool the Bavmordians, one that involved your daughter, yet one that would not require giving her away," Vlad said, then looked at Elora and added, "my apologies for speaking of you as if you were absent." He smiled and she nodded back. Her face remained stern, wondering what plan Vlad could have in mind. A twinge of excitement suddenly flooded Elora.

"There is no plan that would be fathomed without the idea of Elora being in danger, unless you have already thought of one," her father said, almost testing Vlad to come up with something smarter than Martigan's own plan. He'd no doubt thought this through many times. He was, however, biased because of his relation to Elora.

"We have many brains on our side but their band of warriors who are work with dark magic conjurers and mind readers will be tough to fool. It will be difficult, but we could perhaps trick them at their own game," Vlad began.

"I am aware of your daughter's past and we can use this to our advantage and use the element of surprise."

"We don't have much time," Martigan said, weary of where this was heading. "What did the Bavmordians propose?"

"They gave us a fortnight, and one day has passed already. My son is suffering right now..." Vlad trailed off.

"I know how difficult it is for you, Vlad. Whether we can think of a new plan or not we will meet in two nights by the fort on the river. If no plan is feasible, to battle we will go – that same morning. It is a two-day's ride to the mines in the dark lands, and we cannot waste minutes, even. Farewell for today, Vlad, Robert. See you soon," Martigan said, escorting them to the door and closing it after they left. Martigan returned to the den and looked at his daughter's face, a face composed of questions, fears and worries, all he hated to confront as it caused him sadness.

"Sorsha, I will go for a walk with Elora, I will tell her everything," her father said, and her mother nodded and gave Elora a hug.

"Elora, come with me, it is very warm outside and it is early, let's walk to the forest and follow the path."

Soon Elora and her father were outside and the minute they stepped onto the earth, Elora's questions began flowing.

"What is going on, Daddy? I understand I'm not your blood daughter, so who's am I? Where is my real mother? Why do the Bavmordians want me and what would they do with me?" She blurted out. Martigan smiled and chuckled a bit.

"First thing, Elora, I don't want you to worry one bit about what is going to happen, because your mother and I would never let anything happen to you ever. Is that understood? Good. Now, I will try to answer you as best I can, and I will start from the beginning...

Twenty years ago there lived a queen called Queen Bavmorda. She was a very diabolical queen with terrible intentions for this land and for the people who lived in it. However, Seers foretold the birth of a child who could bring about her downfall. You are that child. You were born to a woman in a cell of iron and straw, and she was killed immediately after your birth. The Queen had seized all the pregnant women in the land and held them captive until the One child was born. You have that mark on your arm, and that is not just an ordinary mark. It means that you are that One child who could stop her. She would have killed you right there, if it wasn't for a midwife who rescued you and escaped with you. The woman took you away, but the Queen found out that she did it, so she sent her rabid dogs after you. The woman fled from them for almost three weeks, but the dogs kept up with you and she knew she could not save you and herself together. So, she put you on a bed of reeds floating in the water and pushed you downstream. We assume she was killed by the dogs. Now, Elora, do you follow? Good. Let me go on. You were saved when your floating reeds reached the riverside of a Nelwyn village where Nelwyn children found you. They are the children of Willow Uffgood, a Nelwyn who lives two hundred miles away in his village."